If your'e looking for 11 great new albums, then 1975 would be your year. But, if you're cool with pop singles, internet radio, and niche-targeted rock festivals, then 2006 had plenty to offer:



11- SOS-Rihanna: What could be wrong with a Soft-Cell sampling pop single from gorgeous pop starlet in the making? Nothing.


10- Theme Time Radio Hour- Bob Dylan: While Bob's 3rd solid album in a row got most of the ink, its actually the brillance of his radio show that made 2006 so special for the Dylan fanatic in me.


9- Crazy-Gnarls Barley: Single of the year. A classic.

8- Eisenhower CD- The Slip: the best album of the year. Coming out of nowhere.

7- Born To Run Reissue/E Street Band Live at Hammersmith Odeon: This DVD is proof that Bruce & The E Street band were the best band in the world circa 75.


6- When You Were Young-The Killers: Pretty neat trick The Killers pulled off here for our A.D.D. this aint 1975 attention spans....shrinking Born to Run down to 3 1/2 minutes of pop bliss. Rock single of the year.



5- Live Show--My Chemical Romance at House Of Blues on Halloween. Welcome to their nightmare..the best current band in Rock plays their breakthrough album with 100% conviction.


4- AOL Radio--Old School Hip-Hop station: Pre-Bling and acceptability...ya know, when Ice Cube SCARED people.


3- "Hip Hop is Dead"- NAS--Hip Hop single of the year. Out rocks 99 problems & bites the hand that feeds.


2- Lou Reed plays his album BERLIN in its entirety at St Annes Warehouse in Brooklyn. 23 years later, Lou delivered one of the greatest live shows ....ever.

1-Bonnaroo: With stellar sets from Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Beck, My Morning Jacket World Party, Marah, & Tom Petty you could be a Jam-Rock hater and still find 3 days of music bliss at Bonnaroo.