I'm going to do something different with the #1 playlist. I will write something about each song, in playlist order, regardless of whether I have heard it before. I will then say what I would rank #1 from each artist (I realize some of the lists did not have best/favorite at the top). In some cases, all I can consider is the 31 songs from the playlist, but in others, I can consider most or all of the artist's catalog. This was a hell of a playlist, probably rivaling #3 for my favorite of the countdown.
Calling You is catchy hard rock very much in the late '90s/early '00s style.
What I would pick: Hate Me.
Sun Going Down is a slab of slitherly blues and draws more from Zeppelin than Tea Party usually does. The vocal is extremely powerful and unlike many of their other tracks, doesn't sound too much like Morrison or Lanegan. The coda is a whirlwind of energy.
What I would pick: Coming Home. But this is probably #2 for me.
Blockbuster has a great vocal from Brian Connolly and indeed is very similar to Bowie's The Jean Genie.
What I would pick: Fox on the Run (single version).
Private Life definitely brings the quirk, both lyrically and musically. Yet it manages to be extremely infectious regardless of all that. The guitars are very post-punk, which I am always down for.
What I would pick: Dead Man's Party (but KP knew that).
The Boy with the Arab Strap has a great melody and irresistible beat. I'm a sucker for electric piano when it's used right.
What I would pick: Seeing Other People, which I put on the playlist I made of new-to-me faves from all three geographical countdowns.
A Pearl has a powerful vocal and interesting dynamics.
What I would pick: Brand New City.
Golden Slumbers / The Invisible combines a borrowed lullaby with an original one. On a much less grandiose scale, it's kind of like when U2 ended their concerts with "40" in the '80s. You can't help but feel awed and uplifted.
What I would pick: Tink (I Know It's You).
Say It With Love has a good melody and is a perfectly reasonable "dinosaur rock" effort from the dawn of the era of grunge.
What I Would Pick: Gypsy (of a Strange and Distant Time).
Plush is the second STP song I ever heard, and my first impression, and I know I wasn't alone on this, was that it's a Pearl Jam knockoff. I've grown to appreciate its structure and dynamics over the years.
What I would pick: Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart.
Elena is a tour de force of guitar picking.
What I would pick: Rock This Town (The Stray Cats), The Knife Feels Like Justice (Setzer solo).
(Don't Worry) If There Is a Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go is chilling, spooky funk. It wouldn't sound out of place on an early Funkadelic record. Curtis was definitely not pulling any punches by this point.
What I would pick: Move on Up (album version).
Avalon is the ultimate in suave, and the culmination of everything Brian Ferry was building toward with Roxy Music. There was no point in continuing after this.
What I would pick: Roxy: Like a Hurricane (or Both Ends Burning if we couldn't choose covers and/or live-only songs); Ferry solo: Kiss and Tell.
I first heard Weird Ways when Eephus picked it for the US countdown and it immediately became a favorite, ending up on the playlist I made of new-to-me faves from all three geographical countdowns. The My Morning Jacket-isms obviously help, especially during the song's soaring second half, but Tim's talent as a singer, songwriter and arranger really come through here.
What I would pick: As the Stone Roses would say, "this is the one."
Ants Marching was one of my first introductions to DMB and is an instantly memorable song. But I didn't like it as much as the other big hit from UTTAD, What Would You Say, which I am surprised didn't make the list, even as a bonus track.
What I would pick: Don't Drink the Water.
Halah goes about its business in a stately way, and very much gives off "third Velvet Underground album" vibes.
What I would pick: Cry Cry (yes, because it sounds like Neil).
I Go Back has a powerful melody and lyrics and features one of Chesney's best vocals.
What I would pick: Somewhere With You.
I picked Surf's Up in my 1971 countdown and said: "The Surf's Up album and single was heralded as a comeback for the Beach Boys (thanks in part to a marketing effort pushing them as "relevant"), but in the case of the title track, it was just a case of picking up where they left off. Surf's Up was supposed to be the centerpiece of Smile, which was supposed to be the follow-up album to Pet Sounds -- and Brian Wilson's response to the advances the Beatles had made in the interim. As we all know, Brian had a nervous breakdown and the band wasn't able to finish the album. But, likely in response to the effort to reestablish the band as a major act, Brian gave permission for the song, which he had co-written with Van Dyke Parks, to be finished in 1971. Some of the backing tracks recorded in 1966 remained, and some vocals and Moog synthesizer parts were overdubbed. Despite being just over 4 minutes long, the song has three movements, two of which were from 1966 (the second of which is a piano demo from Brian with minimal overdubs) and the third of which was a reprise of another song on Surf's Up, Child Is the Father to the Man. The words concern a man who has a spiritual awakening at a concert hall and receives enlightenment in the form of a children's song (the Child Is the Father to the Man part). Brian had intended for the middle part to be accompanied by a string arrangement; this appeared in 2004 when he released his version of Smile. Musically, the song constantly modulates keys and conveys a level of complexity that rock bands weren't thought to be capable of -- which is why it sometimes gets categorized as prog. Its multi-part structure and modulations influenced numerous ambitious artists of the 70s and beyond. Despite failing to chart when it was released as a single in '71, the song regularly appears on "best songs of the '70s" and "best songs of the Beach Boys" lists." And whaddya know, here it is on another "best songs of the Beach Boys" list.
What I would pick: Good Vibrations, which made my list in the US countdown.
Walk Like an Egyptian is one of the more attention-grabbing songs from the '80s, which is saying a lot. I remember it taking me a few listens just to process what exactly was going on.
What I would pick: The Real World.
Beyond the Realms of Death surprises when the power chords crash in and Rob Halford unleashes his vocal range. This song had to have influenced Metallica songs such as Fade to Black.
What I would pick: Living After Midnight. Surprised Headed Out to the Highway didn't make the list; it was a favorite of mine from the early days of MTV.
Just Like Heaven was a staple of my high school dances and prompted all the girls to run out on the dance floor, so of course I took notice. You can't help but move your body and/or your mind when this comes on.
What I would pick: Lovesong.
The description of it made me think this and the first listen confirms it: Trapeze Swinger has similarities with Neil Young's Ambulance Blues. That is also an acoustic song that goes on for about 9 minutes, has nothing but verses, and has the same guitar figure propelling the song forward for the duration. The big differentiation is that Ambulance Blues has harmonica and Trapeze Swinger has harmony vocals.
What I would pick: Naked as We Came.
Substitute a Canadian accent for an American one (and remove the steel guitar) and Little Bird is a Leonard Cohen song.
What I would pick: Sorry to be predictable, but Mr. Bojangles.
Love Me Two Times is a unique take on blues. A lot of the most appealing elements of the Doors' sound make an appearance. We should also acknowledge how their studio bassists did a great job of helping shape their sound -- including Doug Lubahn on this track.
What I would pick: Riders on the Storm.
Tether is riveting. It has amazing dynamics and a vocal approach that really draws you in and gives you chills. And yes, the synth blasts are great, but the "slow" beginning is what gives them their impact.
What I would pick: As Kenny Loggins would say, "this is it."
I gave my take on That's the Way of the World yesterday.
What I would pick: Keep Your Head to the Sky (today; may be Serpentine Fire, Getaway, Evil or In the Stone tomorrow).
It's Gonna Take an Airplane makes great use of synth handclaps and flutes or something like that.
What I would pick: Rubies.
Sisyphus is the most Beatlesque we have heard Andrew Bird get. Take away the modern sounds and this fits on Rubber Soul (or Ram, even).
What I would pick: Eight.
The End of Radio throbs with uncomfortable energy. The absence of the guitar for long stretches makes its appearances that much more impactful. In spots it almost sounds like how Neil would play if he performed noise rock.
What I would pick: All the Surveyors.
When Dio screams "HOOOOOOOME!!!!", it's truly startling, even after all these years. The bursts of sound after the title phrase is my other favorite part of The Last in Line.
What I would pick: Rainbow in the Dark. If his Rainbow material could be included, it would be Man on the Silver Mountain.
Before the Dawn is more stereotypically metal-sounding than most April Wine songs, partly because Brian Greenway has more of a metal-singer voice than Myles Goodwin.
What I would pick: Sign of the Gypsy Queen.
Spotify algorithm: The Doors' The Crystal Ship.
What I would pick: Bad Side of the Moon.
open.spotify.com
