The Pencil Storm Editorial Board has decided to use the Saturday Night Specials of December 5th, 12th & 19th as a Gift Giving Guide for our readers; to try to recommend some 2020 releases for the rock & roll devotees on your Christmas lists. (Admittedly, the December 19th recommendation might be a little bit late for Amazon delivery purposes, but what the hell, they’ll get it by New Year’s Eve.) Jeremy kicks off the series with his Top 10 of 2020.

Despite being basically the worst year ever, 2020 was actually a great year for new music. I feel like I say that every year, and it’s probably true. Nothing boils my blood more than hearing people say there’s no good music anymore. Bullshit. Seek it out. Put a little effort in. It’s out there, it’s amazing, and there’s more than you could possibly consume.

Here’s what I dug most in 2020.

Top 10 New Releases:

1. Drive-By Truckers – The Unraveling – DBT is back with their strongest album in years. Socially relevant. Great songs, great production. Not enough Cooley, but Patterson’s material is strong. This record got the most spins in 2020. [Pencil Storm Review]

2. Lydia Loveless – Daughter – Super strong follow up to “Real.” Easily could have been #1. Again – great songs, great band behind her, great production. Fantastic record. [Pencil Storm Review & Interview]

3. Country Westerns – S/T – Where did this come from? Seemed up my alley so I checked it out and friggin’ loved it. Not a good (or accurate) band name, but a great set of well-executed, raw rock and roll songs with gravely vocals and distorted guitars.

4. X – Alphabetland – Surprise of the year. A short, precise set of great American punk rock and roll. Plus Billy Zoom!

5. Steve Earle – Ghosts of West Virginia – Raw, dark songs about the coal mining industry produced very organically. Not many artists would make a record like this, and even fewer could pull it off.

6. Zimmerman Twins – Break A Heart – Toledo, Ohio pals’ strongest release to date. NY Dolls meets Exile-Stones meets mid-era Replacements. Yup, you would like it. [Pencil Storm Review]

7. Nate Presley & The Ghost of Jesse Garon – In Celebration of Everything That Went Wrong – Lexington pal’s follow up to their debut. Dark roots rockabilly, power-poppy-punk with (more) gravely vocals. Great lyrics and production. [Pencil Storm Review]

8. Soul Asylum – Hurry Up & Wait – Another record that got a lot of spins. It gets into the later-era Soul Asylum formula at times, but when it strays from that and gets into new territory and diversity it’s great.

9. Arlo Mckinley – Die Midwestern - One of the best songwriters I know. Captivating, dark Americana released on John Prine’s Oh Boy Records label.

10. Bob Mould – Blue Hearts – Another in the stack of Bob’s current streak with Wurster & Narducy. This is the angriest of the bunch. Another social statement that helped put some needed perspective on this shitty year. [Pencil Storm Review]

Honorable Mentions

Jason Isbell – Reunions – It took me a long time to come around on this one. After “Southeastern” (2011) my Isbell fan-arc has been on the decline, but that’s more about me than the quality of the output. We revisited it this fall and continue to go back.

The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers - New Zealand indie-pop-rock. Not quite as good as last year’s “Future Me Hates Me,” but a great band, clever songs, and a fun listen.

Best Coast – Always Tomorrow – Cali-indie-rock-duo with nonstop hooks and loud chimey guitars makes me miss SoCal real bad.

Left for Dead – LFD - Detroit ROCK in the vein of Supersuckers meets early Saxon. Great arrangements and vocals, nice production, and songs about ROCK and DEATH with sweet Foghat tribute throwback cover art.

Doug McKean – The Second Golden Age of Piracy – Cleveland singer/songwriter genius’ collection of eclectic and exotic but rockin’ fun romps for quarantine. [Pencil Storm Review/interview]

Butch Walker – American Love Story – A bit of a creeper for me, suggested by my brother in law. I love his “Gold” album, and this isn’t quite as consistent, but reaches greater heights when he dives into that 70s AM pop radio sound.

The Replacements – Pleased to Meet Me box set – A look into the making of this seminal record with rough mixes, early takes, outtakes, demos and B-Sides. Not quite the treasure that 2019’s “Dead Man’s Pop” was, but still worth every penny for die-hards. [Pencil Storm Review]

Best of Record Store Day 2020

I’m a huge fan and proponent of Record Store Day. It seems to be increasingly scrutinized for various reasons – cash grabs for the labels, too many big-name, overpriced reissues, record scalpers making a fortune on Discogs, on and on. While there’s some truth to all of that, for me it’s just an overwhelming positive, enjoyable event that lasts for months, even after the credit card is paid off. Not to mention the fact that it’s usually the best day of the year for participating record stores.

I’m in line early, like stupid early, like a burnout in front of Harmony House waiting for Aerosmith tickets in 1976 early, and sometimes in ridiculously cold conditions. I coordinate with my friends around the country, and we spend the following weeks analyzing what was great, what wasn’t, what we wish we’d got, what we wished we’d passed on, what we hope they release next time, and what was that one surprise we grabbed on impulse and became our favorite item in the bunch.

RSD is usually 2 days a year, once in April and then on Black Friday. Because of Covid-19, the April event was postponed and split into 3 separate events, a month apart, in an attempt to keep numbers down. Not sure that worked, and given the effort spent, I can’t say I was thrilled with the idea, but it ended up being a blessing and made this year’s the best RSD ever!

UFO – Live in Youngstown 1978 – This wasn’t even on my list until my pal Mike was super excited about it. Then he explained how it’s sort of the “real” version of their “Stangers in the Night” classic. This is our Saturday night quarantine party starter at Casa Porter.

Allman Brothers Band – Fillmore West 1-31-71 – While I admire the Allmans, I’m no superfan by any stretch. One Twitter post sarcastically ridiculed RSD for yet another unneeded ABB release. This record was an impulse buy on RSD morning and has been my second fav RSD release of 2020. I can’t even explain it. Of course it’s great, but it’s resonated with us for some reason.

Cheap Trick – Out To Get You Live 1977 – Recorded in LA pre-“In Color,” and it’s amazing. Great, raw, live performance and sound. I love Cheap Trick, RSD, and live albums. This is a no-brainer. I wouldn’t send a newbie here but for a fan of the early-era it’s must have.

Blue Öyster Cult – Live `83 – Like the Allmans, I’m not a huge BÖC fan. Love the hits, I’ve owned a couple of the big records, but never a go-to. After the previous RSDs impule-buy-live-albums surprised me (Allmans, UFO) I felt this was a safe bet, and it was. Not sure it’ll get me into the rest of the catalog, but it’s a super fun record.

Drive-By Truckers – Plan 9 Records July 13, 2006 – DBT classic lineup live set at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, Virginia. It’s packaged like a classic bootleg and it kinda sounds like one (in a good way). 3XLP, photo-copied cover art, and a poster and event-ticket included. Very cool release.

Alice Cooper – Live at the Apollo Theatre Glasgow 1982 – I was stoked about this because my first-ever concert was seeing Alice on this tour. I love “Flush the Fashion” which had come out a couple years prior and wasn’t gonna miss out. Honestly, the sound is just decent, and the performance is inconsistent, but these were the dark, cocaine years for Alice after all. Not for the casual fan, but it was near the top of my list.

Fleetwood Mac – The Alternate Rumours – Similar to “The Alternate Fleetwood Mac” that came out last year, alt-takes of every song that was on the official release. Can’t say it’s an improvement, and not something I’d get for any album, but when it’s one of my favorite albums of all time and one that I’ve heard at least a kabillion times, it’s worth a few spins.

Bangles – Doll Revolution – First vinyl release of their 2003 comeback record. If you know me, you know I wasn’t gonna miss this. It’s a great record – a couple ballads I could do without, but mostly really strong tunes that are up there with their best. Produced by Elvis Costello, the vinyl is a bit bass-heavy for me but still sounds good and a must-have for the collection that I’ve been waiting for forever.

What were your favorites of 2020?

Now get out there and BUY SOME RECORDS!

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
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Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic