2014: Best of the Year

And we cannot reach any higher, If we can't deal with ordinary love... Ordinary Love - U2 

2014 for me was a very strong year in Music.  Maybe the best in several years.   As I repeat myself each year, I love year end "best of" music lists and here is mine:

SONGS OF THE YEAR:

1. U2 - Ordinary Love 
2. U2 - Invisible 
3. Broken Bells - Perfect World 
4. Old 97s - Longer Than You've Been Alive 
5. Bruce Springsteen - Frankie Fell In Love 
6. Broken Bells - Holding On For Life 
7. Pharrell Williams - Happy 
8. U2 - Raised By Wolves 
9. Jeff Tweedy - I'll Sing It
10. U2 - The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) 

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR:

1. U2 - Songs of Innocence 
2. Broken Bells - After the Disco 
3. The Black Keys - Turn Blue 
4. Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes 
5. The New Basement Tapes - Lost on the River 
6. Jeff Tweedy - Suikerae 
7. Jack White - Lazaretto 
8. Various Artists - Looking into You- A Tribute to Jackson Browne 
9. Old 97's - Most Messed Up 
10. Tom Petty - Hypnotic Eye 

ARTIST OF THE YEAR - U2

U2 released Ordinary Love in late 2013 (my favorite song of the year)..  They followed up with a free ITunes download of their next single, Invisible on Super Bowl Sunday (my #2 favorite song). Money donated and later from sales went to (RED), an organisation co-founded by Bono, to fight AIDS.  Then in September the band released it's long awaited follow up to 2009's No Line On the Horizon as a free from ITunes dowload, their 13th studio album Songs of Innocence(my favorite album of the year).

CONCERT(S) OF THE YEAR 

Paul McCartney - Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center (October 28) - Out There Tour

Jack White, Jason Isbell, Band of Horses and others - Louisville, KY, (July 17) - Forecastle Festival

John Fogerty - Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center (July 25)

Chicago - Pikeville, KY, East KY Expo Center (September 27) - Now Tour