February 2007
Greetings Fellow POOPsters:
POOP Happens. And we have reached a milestone, indeed. As POOP attains adulthood in its twentieth year, I think back to when the POOP package consisted of a pile of 7 or 8 lists crudely stapled together. That was a long time ago--before the spiral notebook editions, the stitched bindings, the plastic covers and digiPOOP. After two decades we have shown that as the world transforms itself, as crises continue to challenge us, as leaders change, as wars come and go and sometimes come and stay, that no matter what-we can count on death, taxes, and POOP. This year 32 of us flexed our musical egos in The Twentieth Annual POmpous and OPinionated List.
If all this seems familiar, feel free to skip this paragraph. As usual, I’ve attempted to tabulate the entries and, as is customary, I’ve employed the now time-honored What-The-Hell’s-He-Talking-About-Anyway System. One more time, I’ve given 2 points to each pompoid’s Top 10 choices and 1 point to each title beyond a Top 10 or in the variously designated “honorable mention” categories (up to 25 titles in all). I’ve pro-rated titles above 25 listed titles, hence the half-points. Basically, the more titles you listed, the less each one counted or something like that. Trust me.
So let’s get down and dirty with this year’s pile of POOP. The envelope, please:
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1. NEKO CASE - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood 23 (appearing on 13 of 32 lists)
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2. BOB DYLAN - Modern Times 21 ½ points (12)
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3. NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - Live At the Fillmore East: March 6 & 7, 1970 16 ½ (10)
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4. ARCTIC MONKEYS - What People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not 15 ½ (10)
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5. BUILT TO SPILL - You In Reverse 13 ½ (7)
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6. THE RACONTEURS - Broken Boy Soldiers 13 (8)
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7. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions 12 ½ (8)
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8. JOHNNY CASH - American V: A Hundred Highways 12 (8)
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9. JENNY LEWIS & THE WATSON TWINS - Rabbit Fur Coat 12 (7)
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10. YO LA TENGO - I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Kick Your Ass 11 (8)
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11. NEIL YOUNG - Living With War 10 ½ (8)
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12. CAT POWER - The Greatest 10 (7)
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13. SONIC YOUTH - Rather Ripped 10 (6)
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14. GOB IRON - Death Songs For the Living 9 (7)
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15. THE DECEMBERISTS - The Crane Wife 8 ½ (5)
Don’t forget to visit the handsomely crafted online edition, managed with love and care by Mark Zip, at http://pooplist.blogspot.com . Check out links to many of the records listed and check out some of the ghosts of POOPs past.Good bathroom reading, everyone.
Mark R.
THE CONTRIBUTORS
Reverend Richard Allen - Sayville, NY Bob Fino - Highland, NY Jim Meyers - Kingston, NY Ken Beck - Cranford, NJ RoseAnn Fino - Highland, NY Mike Miller - Cuba, NY Kent Benziger - Newburgh, NY Jim Finnigan - New Hamburg, NY Matt Nerney - Kingston, NY Paul Cangelosi - Kingston, NY Jack Goldberg - Woodstock, NY Raissa St. Pierre - Germantown, NY Duncan Clark - Milton, NY John Greak - Gardiner, NY Irv Rosen - Philadelphia, PA Damian Cleary - New Paltz, NY Kevin Hodgkiss - New Paltz, NY Mark Rosen - New Paltz, NY Don Cohen - New York, NY Michael Hodgkiss (Johnny Jah)-Amity, NY Jeff Schwartz - Green Brook, NJ John J. DeLaire - Minneapolis, MN Mike Jurkovic, Wallkill, NY John Stewart - Bloomington, NY Kevin Falahee - Astoria, NY Rick Lange - New Paltz, NY Bill Still - Kingston, NY Eric Fine - New York, NY John Lefsky - New Paltz, NY Mark Zip - Woodstock, NY Andrew Stewart - Rhinebeck, NY Tom Whalen - New Paltz, NY