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Liner Notes

A weekly column by Tampa Tribune pop music critic Curtis Ross

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 29, 2009

For the first time since I took this job in 1997, I didn't compile a Top 10 albums list this year.

I would love to tell you this was a principled stand or something like that, but the truth is no one made me do it and I'm lazy.

Still, a few things slip through the cracks in the course of a year, so in lieu of a Top 10, I'm going to clean off my desk.

TV on the Radio's "Dear Science" and Fleet Foxes' eponymous debut full-length seem to be topping most polls and they're both great. But I'd also give a nod to Blitzen Trapper's stylistically diverse "Furr" and "The Week That Was," smart pop from Field Music's Peter Brewis.

My most-played box set by a long shot was "Genesis 1970-1975," which includes remastered CDs and DVD Audio discs of all the Peter Gabriel-era albums bar the first, "From Genesis to Revelation." Genesis made prog-rock that was richer, stranger and far more disturbing than its peers, which is why albums such as "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" still resonate today.

DVDs of note include Thin Lizzy's "Live and Dangerous," less than I hoped for but I'll take what I can get from this underrepresented band; "The Who Live at Kilburn 1977," more poignant than prime, thanks to the decline of Keith Moon, who died the next year; and "The Future Is Unwritten," director Julien Temple's tribute to the late Clash frontman, Joe Strummer.

As for books, check out Bob Gruen's "New York Dolls," a beautiful document of one of rock 'n' roll's most photogenic acts. "The Clash," written by the band, may not be the final word on the punk band, but lovingly detailed photos of the band plus rare concert posters and record sleeves will please fans.

Finally, Mark Wilkerson's "Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend," filled a big void in the rock bio department, even if it's too detail-oriented for the casual reader.

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