I had The Beatles for breakfast this morning. Specifically, A Hard Day’s Night.

As I headed out for my morning walk, this album was the first one to catch my attention as I spun through the iPod. It’s definitely one of my Desert Island Discs, but so are at least half of their albums.

I love this record for a bunch of reasons. For starters, the title track makes me wanna shake it, which is a fun way to start a walk.

Second, there are several other songs that compel me to move to the groove, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Any Time At All,” “When I Get Home” and “You Can’t Do That.” Every now and then I get strange looks from the neighbors as I’m half-walking, half-dancing first thing in the morning. You’d think by now they’d be used to it.

Third, I like the shift in tempo from the rockers to the gentler tunes like “If I Fell” and “I’ll Be Back.”

Finally, I always think of my beautiful wife when I hear “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You” and “And I Love Her.” And that makes me happy.

What a great way to start the day!

I had The New Cars for breakfast today. With a packed schedule for the day, I wanted to kick it into gear quickly, so I put on It’s Alive!

I have to be honest…I’ve always liked The Cars, but they have never really been that high on my list until now. I’ve listened to this record several times the last couple months, and it has given me an entirely new appreciation for their music. And it’s not just because I love Todd Rundgren, who adds a fantastic dynamic to whatever venture he’s part of, although that certainly is a factor.

These cats have a terrific catalog of kick-it-out, take-no-prisoners rock & roll songs. “Let’s Go,” “Just What I Needed,” “You Might Think,” “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight,” “Candy-O” and my personal fave, “Shake it Up,” to name but a few.

I feel like I’ve overlooked The Cars for way too long, but I’m remedying that.

It’s true…The Dead were on The View yesterday morning.

After a brief interview with Bobby and Phil, Warren Haynes came out and the three of them played “Friend of the Devil.”

I gotta admit, it was pretty strange…but in a good way.

In order to prove that this really did happen and I’m not totally delusional, here’s the video.

I had Led Zeppelin for breakfast this morning.

I awoke to several inches of freshly fallen snow on this beautiful freakin’ SPRING morning. And it wasn’t that light fluffy stuff, but the wet, backbreaking shit. Having lived most of my life here in the upper Midwest of the United States, I’m somewhat of an expert on snow shoveling, and I knew this morning was gonna be, for lack of a better term, a bitch.

I know I could have waited till the kids got up and sent them out, but I needed a workout so I thought I’d go for it. Knowing what awaited me, this could not be a morning for soft rock…I needed to bring the big guns out, so I cranked up Physical Graffiti on my iPod.

This proved to be just what the doctor ordered. There are certain Zeppelin songs that always create a rush of adrenaline, and “Trampled Under Foot” is one of them. I opened with it and was half shoveling, half dancing for the five-and-a-half minute duration.

Next I went to the three song run of “Night Flight,” “The Wanton Song” and “Boogie with Stu.” Suffice it to say, I was a snow-shoveling-animal during these three. Followed that up with “Houses of the Holy,” and by the end of that one I needed a change of pace, so I went to the old faithful, “Kashmir.”

For the next eight-and-a-half minutes I was in a contemplative, almost meditative state, as I slowed the pace and soaked up each delicious moment of this classic. Although I rarely dabble in such silliness, I think a strong case could be made for “Kashmir” being the greatest song ever.

As I finished up, I felt a rush of gratefulness that I had the greatness of Jimmy Page’s guitar and this amazing album to share the journey with me.

And I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun shoveling!

Since I’ve been groovin’ on Sly and the Family Stone this morning, here they are performing “I Want to Take You Higher.”

Feel free to get up and dance if the spirit moves you…you know I’m gonna.

I had Sly for breakfast this morning.

What I mean is, while exercising this morning I was listening to Essential Sly from Sly and the Family Stone. I haven’t listened to Sly in a while, so it sounded incredibly fresh and vibrant.

I truly did not want to work out this morning, but Sly really got me moving and gave me the juice to make it a great one, especially during “Dance to the Music” and “I Want to Take You Higher.”

What did you have for breakfast today?