The Nifty 50 of 2009 and a whole lot more of Randy Otto’s 2009 Favorites

As is customary at this time of year, it’s time to take a look back at the highlights of the past year. So, here’s my list of the best new albums released in 2009.

2009 Nifty 50

1. Levon Helm, Electric Dirt
2. Bob Dylan, Together through Life
3. Richard Hawley, Truelove’s Gutter
4. Shemekia Copeland, Never Going Back
5. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
6. Them Crooked Vultures
7. Mark Knopfler, Get Lucky
8. Paul Cebar, One Little Light On
9. Rosanne Cash, The List
10. The Blue Note 7, Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records
11. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
12. Paul McCartney, Good Evening New York City
13. Buckwheat Zydeco, Lay Your Burden Down
14. Original Soundtrack, The Songs from Glee, Volumes 1 & 2
15. Bruce Springsteen, Working on a Dream
16. Melody Gardot, My One and Only Thrill
17. Jack Grassel & Guillermo Espinasse, El Refugio
18. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
19. Wilco, Wilco
20. The Flaming Lips, Embryonic
21. Rod Stewart, Soulbook
22. U2, No Line on the Horizon
23. Barbra Streisand, Love Is the Answer
24. Dream Theater, Black Clouds & Silver Linings
25. Ian Hunter, Man Overboard
26. Neil Young, Fork in the Road
27. Pezzettino, Lion
28. John Doe and the Sadies, Country Club
29. Van Morrison, Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl
30. Monsters of Folk
31. Florence and the Machine, Lungs
32. Lily Allen, It’s Not Me, It’s You
33. Alicia Keys, The Element of Freedom
34. Leonard Cohen, Live in London
35. Tom Waits, Glitter and Doom Live
36. Muse, The Resistance
37. Nellie McKay, Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day
38. PurgAtory Hill
39. Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown
40. Arctic Monkeys, Humbug
41. Gordon Gano & the Ryans, Under the Sun
42. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, Live from Madison Square Garden
43. Porcupine Tree, The Incident
44. Madness, The Liberty of Norton Folgate
45. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz!
46. Benny Andersson Band, Story of a Heart
47. R.E.M., Live at the Olympia
48. Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs, Under the Covers, Volume 2
49. Kasabian, West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum
50. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

MORE 2009 RANDY OTTO FAVORITES —LOOKING BACK AT THE BEST IN MUSIC 2009

As is customary at this time of year, it’s time to take a look back at the highlights of the past year. So, here’s my list of the best new albums released in 2009. Check out my column on the Compass website for my list of favorite reissues, music DVD’s and live gigs from last year!

Booker T, Potato Hole

Allen Toussaint, The Bright Mississippi

John Fogerty, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again

Drivin N Cryin, The Great American Bubble Factory

The Bad Plus, For All I Care

Ray Davies, The Kinks Choral Collection

Pearl Jam, Backspacer

Maria Muldaur, Garden of Joy

Madeleine Peyroux, Bare Bones

The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love

Elvis Costello, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Andrew Bird, Noble Beast

Cheap Trick, The Latest

Béla Fleck, Throw Down Your Heart

Steve Martin, The Crow

Avett Brothers, I And Love And You

Willie Nelson, American Classic

Various Artists, Dark Was the Night

Various Artists, War Child Presents Heroes

FROM THE VAULTS

Nick Lowe, Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe (Deluxe Edition)

The Beatles, Stereo and Mono Box Sets

Various Artists, Atlantic Records: Time Capsule

Neil Young, Archives: Volume 1, 1963-1972

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (Legacy Edition)

Richard Thompson, Walking on a Wire 1968-2009

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, The Live Anthology

The Who, Who Sell Out (Deluxe Edition)

King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson King (40th Anniversary Edition)

Leonard Cohen, Live at the Isle of Wight

Various Artists, Woodstock—40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm

Bee Gees, The Ultimate Bee Gees (Deluxe Edition)

Big Star, Keep an Eye on the Sky

Various Artists, Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968

Neil Young, Dreamin’ Man Live ‘92

AC/DC, Backtracks

Genesis, Genisis Live 1973-2007

Dave Brubeck, Time Out (50th Anniversary Legacy Edition)

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Various Artists, 101 Pirate Radio Hits

Various Artists, Rockin’ with the Pirates—Big Hits, Classic Tracks & Lost Gems

Various Artists, 101 Housework Songs

Various Artists, 100 Hits: Halloween

Various Artists, 101 Golden Memories

Various Artists, 101 Running Songs

Various Artists, 100 Hits—Wartime Memories

Various Artists, 101 Indie Classics

Various Artists, The Roots of Led Zeppelin

Various Artists, Golden Age of American Popular Music: Hits with Strings & Things—Hot 100 Instrumentals

Various Artists, Playing for Change

Various Artists, Chartbusters USA: Sunshine Pop Edition

Various Artists, Theme Time Radio Hour: Season 2-With Your Host Bob Dylan

Various Artists, The Woodstock Experience

Various Artists, Complete Introduction to Northern Soul

Various Artists, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live

Various Artists, Woodstock (40th Anniversary Edition-Director’s Cut)

Various Artists, 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon

Michael Jackson, This Is It

Elvis Presley, From Elvis in Memphis (Legacy Edition)

Frank Sinatra, New York, New York

James Brown, Live at the Garden

Dolly Parton, Dolly

Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um (50th Anniversary Legacy Edition)

Hank Williams, Hank Williams Revealed: The Unreleased Recordings

Rod Stewart, The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998

Rod Stewart, Unplugged…and Seated (Collector’s Edition)

Bodeans, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams (Collector’s Edition)

The Doors, Live In New York

Joe Jackson, Joe Jackson at the BBC

Elvis Costello, The Costello Show: Live at the El Mocambo

David Bowie, VH1 Storytellers

Kraftwerk, The Catalogue

Joe Cocker, Live At Woodstock

The Rolling Stones, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert (40th Anniversary Edition)

Nirvana, Live at Reading

U2, The Unforgettable Fire (25th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)

MUSIC ON DVD

Neil Young Archives: Vol.1 1963-1972

Leonard Cohen, Live in London

Leonard Cohen, Live at the Isle of Wight

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood: Live at Madison Square Garden

Stevie Wonder, Live At Last

Diana Krall: Live in Rio

It Might Get Loud: Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White

Saw Doctors—Clare Island to Cape Cod

The Swell Season—Strict Joy (filmed at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theatre)

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer, Unwigged & Unplugged (also filmed at the Riverside)

Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun

Genesis, The Movie Box 1981-2007

Jeff Beck: Performing This Week Only…Live at Ronnie Scott’s

The Who: Maximum R&B Live

Cheap Trick: Sgt. Pepper Live

Joe Bonamassa Live at the Royal Albert Hall

John Fogerty, Comin’ Down the Road: The Concert at Royal Albert Hall

Neil Diamond: Hot August Night/NYC: Live from Madison Square Garden

Paul Simon And Friends: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song

Kings of Leon’s, Live at the O2 London

Van Morrison, Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl: The Concert Film

FAVORITE GIGS

Mahler’s 8th Symphony with Andreas Delfs and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Milwaukee Children’s Chorus and soloists at the Marcus Center

Mucca Pazza at Global Union Festival at Humboldt Park

Carmina Burana with Andreas Delfs and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Milwaukee Children’s Chorus and soloists at the Marcus Center

Brian Wilson at the Pabst Theater

Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at the Marcus Center

Standing Strong Concert featuring Ball in the House at Manitowoc Roncalli HS Auditorium

Future Shock at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center

Doc Severinsen with El Ritmo de la Vida at the Pabst Theater

Mozart and Brahms with Andreas Delfs and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Marcus Center

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy at Irish Fest

Blue Note 7 at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center

Fire on the Bayou at the Stackner Cabaret

Cara at Irish Fest

Robin Pluer’s Festive Soiree at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

Paul Cebar, Justin Townes Earle and Bill Kirchen at WMSE Summer Camp at Cathedral Park

Erich Kunzel’s Symphonic Pops with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Marcus Center

Tribute to Richard Rodgers with Marvin Hamlisch and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, J. Mark McVey and Anne Runolfson at the Marcus Center

De La Buena at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

Slide Hampton with the We Six Trio at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

Brahms & Beethoven with Edo de Waart and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra featuring Frank Almond and Joseph Johnson at the Marcus Center

Music for The Screen with the We Six Jazz Sextet at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto with Edo de Waart and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and pianist Joyce Yang at the Marcus Center

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