You've Got PoOP!

February 2006 Dear POOPster: You’ve got POOP in your hands. The Nineteenth Annual POmpous and OPinionated List, that is. It’s hard to believe but when this whole POOPthing first started in 1987, we had a conservative Republican president surrounded by scandalous goings-on and Antonin Scalia from New Jersey had just been confirmed to a lifetime membership as one of The Supremes. It is indeed comforting to know that as America undergoes such sweeping change, POOP lumbers on. And lumber it has as 30 POOPsters have managed to get their lists past the National Security Agency and onto these pages (and onto the handsomely crafted http://pooplist.blogspot.com website). 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, enough stalling already. Let’s put this past year’s releases to an up or down vote. The answer key:   Buy (new or used) through Amazon 1. NEW PORNOGRAPHERS – Twin Cinema 17 ½ points (appearing on 10 out of 30 lists)   Buy new or used through Amazon 2. WHITE STRIPES – Get Behind Me Satan 13 (9)   Buy new or used through Amazon (Tied) 3. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – Feels 13 (7)   Buy new or used through Amazon (Tied) 3. BRIGHT EYES – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning 13 (7)   Buy new or used through Amazon (Tied) 5. RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS – Cold Roses 12 ½ (7)     Buy new or used through Amazon (Tied) 5. THELONIOUS MONK WITH JOHN COLTRANE –At Carnegie Hall 12 ½ (7)     Buy new or used through Amazon 7. SIGUR ROS – Takk 11 (8)     Buy new or used through Amazon 8. MY MORNING JACKET – Z 11 (7)     Buy new or used through Amazon 9. RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS – Jacksonville City Nights 11 (6)   Buy (new or used) through Amazon (Tied) 10. FRANZ FERDINAND – You Could Have It So Much Better 10 (7)     Buy new or used through Amazon NEIL YOUNG – Prairie Wind 10 (7)   Buy new or used through Amazon 12. IRON & WINE & CALEXICO – In the Reins 9 ½ (7)   Buy new or used through Amazon 13. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – Devils & Dust 9 ½ (6)     Buy new or used through Amazon 14. BECK – Guero 9 (5)     Buy new or used through Amazon 15. PETRA HADEN – Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out 8 (4)