Patterson Hood's All Time Favorite Albums From August 2008
Athens-based rockers the Drive By Truckers are co-headlining a slew of dates this fall with The Hold Steady, who happen to be one of rock’s hottest bands. The itinerary calls for a stop at Atlanta’s Tabernacle on Nov. 1. Recently, main Trucker Patterson Hood shared his thoughts about his top 10 favorite albums.
1. Tom Waits: “Swordfishtrombones”
“This pick could as easily have been ‘Rain Dogs’ or ‘Blue Valentine,’ but alas, it had to be this one. The album is still growing on me, even after 25 years.”
2. Todd Rundgren: “Something / Anything?”
“This may be the single most important album of my childhood (since the age of 12, anyway). ‘Hello It’s Me’ is easily one of my top three fave songs. I probably learned more about songwriting from this album than from any other record.”
3. Big Star: “Third” (vinyl reissue)
“I always liked ‘Radio City’ better until I heard this album — and its new song sequence — on vinyl. It’s still pretty close, but this version is a revelation. ‘Kangaroo’ is on my top five all-time fave song list.”
4. The Glands: “The Glands”
“This is the best album ever to come out of Athens, Georgia. It’s a little hard to find, but it’s well worth the effort. In 10 years it may well move up on my list of favorites.”
5. Bob Dylan and The Band: “The Basement Tapes”
“I almost put The Band’s self-titled album here, but right now I like this one better. American music never sounded so good.”
6. Neil Young: “Tonight’s The Night”
“ ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ could have easily gone here, but this one has ‘Albuquerque’ on it, which features one of my favorite choruses ever. It sounds as if Young did that song on a bet. And won.”
7. The Rolling Stones: “Exile On Main Street”
“Here I could have substituted ‘Sticky Fingers,’ ‘Let It Bleed,’ or ‘Beggars Banquet’ (or even Liz Phair’s ‘Exile In Guyville’), but tonight I didn’t.”
8. Eddie Hinton: “Dear Y’all” (The Songwriter Sessions Vol. 1)
“This is another album that’s hard to find. It’s as great a bunch of soul songs as you’ll ever hear, stripped down to songwriter demo essentials. It gets better with every listen.”
9. The Replacements: “Tim”
“This little album inspired me to drop out of college and form Adam’s House Cat with my roommate Mike Cooley back in 1985. ‘Let It Be’ might be a better album, but this one is why I’m here doing this tonight.”
10. John Lennon: “Plastic Ono Band”
“I had to have an album by a Beatle, and this one’s my favorite. ‘Rubber Soul’ and ‘Band on the Run’ rank pretty high too.”
