This is it. I'm ending this blog with one that will put me on the coal-in-stocking list forevermore. Joey Ramone wrote this about how much he sincerely likes (loves?) this financial reporter, apparently on his deathbed (or close to it). There. I feel horrible, yet it's the truth: it's not good.

You might think I would have saved something really excellent for the final antidote, but instead here's a song by the Feelies that I barely know. I like their first album enough to recommend it, if you can find it. Merry Xmas.

Start over. I'll leave the Feelies video, but really, how could I end this thing without featuring the greatest rock video of all time (and an excellent all-around song), Peter Gabriel's immortal "Shock the Monkey" I ask you rhetorically?

This is the end, but watch here in 2008 for occasional (perhaps weekly) posts where I'll look back and highlight some of the better, overlooked postings from 2007.

I missed these guys back when I did novelty week, so here you go. Not just novelty rock, this also piles on the modern pop punk sheen. Best to avoid.

King Missile did the funny rock during the golden age of college rock. And live, they were certainly a rock band (at least when Dave Rick was in the band). Their first 'hit' (aside from perhaps "Take Stuff From Work") was "Jesus Was Way Cool". So as a novelty antidote, this works, even if this particular song does not rock. Give me a break. This blog is almost over.

I somehow missed hearing this one until a few months ago, which is odd considering this was a Billboard #1 (the first rock song to top the chart in 5 years; Nickelback was the last one to do it, so I'd argue it doesn't count), and this is a local Chicago band. But then successful (commercially, not artistically) local bands like these guys and Filter don't get much press from the Kots and DeRogatises. I won't complain about that. It sounds like a Wilco rip, and is of course way more popular than actual Wilco.

I should probably give a Chicago antidote here. This is only by location; Jay Reatard playing the Hideout:

No coincidence this was from the only Yes album released on Arista.

Yes may have been weaker than King Crimson or Genesis at their peak but I always liked "Roundabout":

Cleanup time. This being the final week (or so) for Bad R&R (the blog, not the phenomenon), it's time to pull out some high-profile (some may say obvious) examples that I've missed. Ozzy solo has always been problematic, something that he himself probably would agree with. The 80s started off well enough, but after his hotshot guitarist/songwriting partner killed himself clowning around with an airplane, things went downhill fast. He's been through a lot, but going 'Nu Metal' ... that's a new low.

"You! Me! Dancing!" by Los Campesinos is dangerously close to cloying, but its Pavementness saves it for me.