I think Live at Budokan is the one my bro regards as essential. I never gave much though to Cheap Trick and then I saw them live (at The Last Fling in Naperville of all places) and on a blanket on the gress I really listened to Surrender for the first time & I grabbed my friend and started shaking him because he was talking to someone else during what he surely must realize was the best song ever written! Now every time I hear that song I get a little shock of happy memory.

You need the first (self-titled) Cheap Trick album, Tom.

In other news, could there be a more Buffista collaboration than this?

Nick Cave and Neko Case have recorded a cover of the Zombies' "She's Not There" for the debut episode of season four of "True Blood." >[link]

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The second Cheap Trick album, In Color, is pretty great, too.

In other news, could there be a more Buffista collaboration than this?

No. Unless they decided they needed a theremin player....

Cheap Trick: the first self-titled album is pretty good. It's got "ELO Kiddies" and "He's a Whore" on it.

I think their best single album is In Colour which is pretty close to a greatest hits album. Not a bad track on there but featuring: "Hello There," "Big Eyes," "I Want You To Want Me," "Clock Strikes Ten," "Southern Girls," and "Come On, Come On."

Heaven Tonight is also pretty great with "Surrender," the title track and "On Top of the World."

Kinks have so many fantastic albums.

Face to Face is their first real album length masterpiece. It has the song that frequently puts me in mind of Jilli - "Little Miss Queen of Darkness."

Something Else is one of the greatest albums put out by any band. It's got "Waterloo Sunset," and "David Watts" and "Two Sisters." Dave's greatest song, "Death of a Clown." "Autumn Almanac" and "Wonderboy" are usually included on recent reissues (they were singles that came afterwards).

Then Village Green - another masterpiece. Really gorgeous, and probably the quintessence of Davies' cracked teacup vision of England.

Then Arthur, which is actually pretty great and largely unknown. "Victoria" is on here, as is "Shangri La." I really love the rocker "Brainwashed" on this album.

I've lately been getting into Lola vs. the Powerman. Again, just Ray still at the peak of his genius as a songwriter, and some great rockers in there too. It's got "Lola" on it, and "Apeman," and "Got To Be Free."

Muswell Hillbillies - we covered this in Lost in the Grooves. A more countryish feel to it. Still scattering gems around carelessly: "20th Century Man," "Alcohol," "Holiday," and one of their prettiest songs, "Oklahoma, USA."

Almost all of the Kinks albums have been remastered and reissued with bonus tracks, which were usually singles that preceded or followed those albums and are some of their best songs.

Thanks for all the info, everyone. Looks like I need two more Cheap Trick albums, and a bunch of Kinks albums. (I have a number of Kinks greatest hits albums, but now it's time to go to the source albums."

Also, where can the Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" be found? It was originally a b-side, right?

I can send it to buffistarawk when I get home tonight.

Also, where can the Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" be found? It was originally a b-side, right?

Correct. But it should be on the reissue of Face to Face. I think you can also get it on the Kink Kronikles, though, which was a seventies compendium of lost Kinks tracks and singles put together by John Mendelsson (Ultimate Kinks fan and rock critic of the era).

I can just post it if you want.

Yeah, if one of you guys could post "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" that would be great.

Also, someone covered that song for a movie soundtrack in the early/mid '90s, but I can't remember the movie or the band that did the cover. Any ideas?

eta: Also, Camper Van Beethoven covered this, which I have. That version is pretty good.

Is this it, tommyrot? [link]

edit: Damn, that looks like a pretty sweet soundtrack. I miss the 90s.