Doin' the Friday Shuffle

1. "If God Will Send His Angels" - U2 - Pop
An underrated U2 song, featuring a strange mix of optimism and fatalism, along with some of Bono's stronger lyrics.

2. "Cucko!" - Benjamin Britten - A Ceremony of Carols
Just a delightful set of choral music.

3. "Miss Saigon Farewell (Why God Why?)" - Gerard Allessandri - Forbidden Broadway: 2001 A Spoof Odyssey
A pretty good parody song about the end of the British pop-opera musical reign on Broadway, inspired by the closing of Cats and Miss Saigon in the same year.

4. "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" - Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
One of Dylan's more rollicking numbers, with a nice build. By the time he gets to the final "sooner or later" he's nearly ecstatic.

5. "Crocodile Rock" - The Beach Boys - Two Rooms: The Music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin
A pretty wretched cover of a pretty dopey Elton John song.

6. "Welcome" - Pete Townsend - Tommy (Original Broadway Cast)
This is actually very faithful to the Who's original album, with a pretty nicely balanced mix of real rock sound and legit Broadway voices.

7. "Old Abraham Brown" - Benjamin Britten - A Ceremony of Carols
What are the odds?

8. "Charlie's Temptation" - Michael Giacchino - Lost - Season 2
A short, moody piece from maybe my favorite soundtrack of last year.

9. "Plenty Bambini" - frank Loesser - The Most Happy Fella (2000 Studio Cast)
A bit overwrought for my tastes.

10. "Le Pavilion" - Philip Glass - La Belle et la Bete
I would really love to see this one day. (La Belle et la Bete is an operatic version of the Jean Genet silent film version of Beauty and the Beast, with Philip Glass providing music for opera singers to sing along with the film. I love the concept, and would love to see it in action.

Until Whenever