Middle Aged Dummies!! Artists #1's have been posted!! (1 Viewer)

[Tau837]

Foo Fighters

Just Win Baby

Everlong Everlong Foo Fighters · Song · 1997 open.spotify.com

Everlong is the second song I chose from The Colour And The Shape, the Foos' 2nd studio album. The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard US Alternative Rock chart and #4 on the US Mainstream Rock chart... kind of surprising it didn't reach #1.

This is the band's signature song. It has been performed live in all but 4 of their full-length concerts since it was released in 1997, and they usually close their concerts with it. (Kind of surprised at that... I would be pretty disappointed to go to a Foos concert and not hear it.) It was the last song Taylor Hawkins played in concert before his death.

Dave has said this about the song:

"I knew it was a cool song, but I didn't think it would be the one song by which most people recognise the band. And I think it was the first time people had ever quoted lyrics to me, like, 'That song is beautiful! That line where you say 'Breath out so I can breath you in .. .'' Chicks would come up and recite that to me. That song's about a girl that I'd fallen in love with and it was basically about being connected to someone so much, that not only do you love them physically and spiritually, but when you sing along with them you harmonise perfectly."

Here are a bunch of videos:

• This is the official video.
• This is the official acoustic version released on their Greatest Hits album in 2009.
• This is the first time Dave ever played it as an acoustic song, on the Howard Stern Show. Hawkins said in an interview that it was this acoustic version that really helped it to become a huge hit.
• This is a video of Dave telling the story of the making of the song, then playing an acoustic version. He mentions during the story that he is not a trained musician and doesn't know how to read music. Pretty amazing to have the career he has had given that.
• This is a video of the performance in LA at the 2006 concert that was the basis for their Skin And Bones live album. What a contrast to the solo acoustic, with 8 musicians playing.
• I posted this in my Foos intro post as an example of how much the Foos seem to really enjoy playing and interacting with their fans. This is a video of them inviting an 11 year old girl to play drums on the song in a live concert. She killed it.
• Here is a video from Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great?" series about Everlong.

In 2020, Kerrang ranked the top 20 all-time Foo Fighters songs and ranked Everlong #1. This is their writeup:

It might be a predictable choice, but with Foo Fighters there really can only be one number one. Penned over one of the lowest periods in Dave Grohl’s life – Christmas 1996, when he had just divorced photographer Jennifer Youngblood, was crashing on a friend’s couch and faced an uncertain future with the Foos – Everlong is an irresistible, reminiscent testament to the power of love (even when just remembered) in lighting the darkness. Accompanied initially by an excellent Evil Dead-aping music video, the track has grown into a massive live favourite over the years, whether performed with the full band or by Dave solo. Legendary Late Show host David Letterman considered it his favourite song, and had the band on to perform it at several pivotal moments towards the end of his career. Even better, the mighty Bob Dylan once complimented Dave on its brilliance, suggesting that he might even learn Everlong himself. Praise doesn’t come much higher than that.

In 2023, Consequence of Sound ranked what they characterized as all 156 Foo Fighters songs up to that point, ranking Everlong #1. Here is an excerpt from their writeup:

Dave Grohl wrote the song’s lyrics while his marriage crumbled around him and he fell in love with another woman. He had both nothing and everything to lose. His (and later Taylor Hawkins’) hissing ride on the hi-hit adds further urgency, and by the end, the risk could apply to anything: divorce, forming a band, heart surgery.

“Everlong” will always be universal. It will always be about risk, about holding your breath and leaping into the unknown. Everyone loves it, and, for once, everyone is right.

Earlier this year (2014 article was updated "4 years ago" but includes songs from their album released this year), Spin ranked what they characterized as all 152 Foo Fighters songs up to that point, ranking Everlong #1. Here is their writeup:

“Everlong” is the all-time greatest Foo Fighters song the way that Michael Jordan is the all-time greatest Chicago Bull — maybe it’s not impossible that you could try to argue otherwise, but dude, c’mon. Of all the grunge-derived bands to light the way for the alt-rock ’90s, Dave’s other band is maybe the only one who wouldn’t swap their best song for “Everlong” in a heartbeat — four minutes of untold amounts of mystery, romance, fear and amazement in one tightly coiled pop song.

The wonder of “Everlong” is that it simultaneously functions as both a song about exciting new love and persisting romantic disillusionment. Written for a new girlfriend after Grohl’s first marriage ended in divorce, the song has the rapid heartbeat and tangible emotional rush of a just-burgeoning romance, but is still cloaked in dread and doubt thanks to the previous relationship’s fallout. The crush of “Everlong” is in the battle between the two sensations, the new love ultimately (maybe? hopefully?) triumphing at song’s end with the piercing drum-and-guitar breakout of the final “ANNNND IIIII WOOONDERRR…..” It’s moving, it’s adrenaline-raising, it’s huge-sounding, it’s incredibly intimate, and it’s all-around awe-inspiring. It’s the band’s best riff — best couple of riffs — their best crashing drum part, their best verse, their best chorus, their best pre-chorus, their best climactic build, their best production, their best best BEST music video, their best intro, their best final sustain, their best incomprehensible bridge murmuring.

I love this song!

Not only is everlong my favorite song by them... its the best rock song of all time

It's an absolute beauty for sure. Taylor is just beast mode on it (or is it Dave?)

Dave

 

[Eephus]

Damon Albarn song #2

Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc." from Demon Days (2005)

Sticking with the chalk for Damon's #2. "Feel Good Inc." is the most streamed song of Albarn's entire catalog with over 1.1 billion spins.

It was the first single off of Demon Days and helped to establish the formula for future Gorillaz hits. De La Soul was brought in for the rap while Damon covers the opening verse and chorus. It has a pretty simple beat but an infectious bouncy bassline, enough hooks for an album side and one of the greatest laugh tracks in Pop music.

As usual, Albarn's lyrics have a darker subtext involving mind control but it's so easy for me to unironically love the song because listening to it always makes me happy.

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0d28khcov6AiegSCpG5TuT

Live at Coachella 2023 w/ De La Soul (RIP Trugoy)

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc feat. De La Soul (Live at Coachella 2023)

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc feat. De La Soul (Live at Coachella 2023)Listen to Feel Good Inc: https://gorillaz.lnk.to/feelgoodincDave Forever 💛Listen to Cracke...

www.youtube.com

 

[KarmaPolice]

 

[Zegras11]

#1's PLAYLIST

What is the name of your Artist?	What is your FBG screen name?	#1 -
Todd Rundgren	New Binky the Doormat	Open My Eyes "Open My Eyes" Nazz Pop psych freakout from Nazz, featuring a very young Todd Rundgren on magnificent form, playing a beautiful "Gibson Flying V". Featured on "Nazz" and the fir... www.youtube.com
Jorge Ben Jor	Don Quixote	Taj Mahal Taj Mahal Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupTaj Mahal · Jorge BenAfrica Brasilâ 1975 Universal Music LtdaReleased on: 1976-01-01Producer: MazolaComposer Lyr... youtu.be
Brandi Carlile	JB Breakfast Club	Hold Out Your Hand Hold Out Your Hand Brandi Carlile · Song · 2018 open.spotify.com
The Police	Zegras11	Synchronicity II Synchronicity II The Police · Song · 1983 open.spotify.com
Modest Mouse	The Dreaded Marco	Edit The Sad Parts Modest Mouse - Edit the Sad Parts None of my words, just lyrics...Sometimes all I really want to feel is loveSometimes I'm angry that I feel so angrySometimes my feelings get in the wayOf wha... www.youtube.com
Genesis	Yo Mama	Watcher of the Skies Watcher of the Skies - 2007 Stereo Mix Genesis · Song · 1972 open.spotify.com
Stevie Ray Vaughan	Sullie	Texas Flood Texas Flood Provided to YouTube by Epic/LegacyTexas Flood · Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double TroubleThe Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble℗ 1983 Epic Records, a ... www.youtube.com
The Decemberists	kupcho1	Calamity Song Calamity Song The Decemberists · Song · 2011 open.spotify.com The Decemberists - Calamity Song Buy "Calamity Song," the 3rd single from The Decemberists' album 'The King Is Dead' on iTunes here: http://goo.gl/xZczWMusic video by The Decemberists perfor... youtu.be
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead	plinko	Another Morning Stoner Source Tags & Codes (2002) Another Morning Stoner ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead · Song · 2002 open.spotify.com
The Kinks	Galileo	You Really Got Me (1964 - Kinks) You Really Got Me The Kinks · Song · 1964 open.spotify.com
Rush	higgins	2112 Rush - 2112 [HD FULL SONG] 2112 by Rush, from the album 2112 (1976). Enjoy!2019-01-10: Thank you for everything, Neil. You will always be remembered.Lyrics:I. OVERTURE ----------------... www.youtube.com
Sigur Rós	Scoresman	Untitled #8 (Popplagið) (The Pop Song) - () - 2002 Untitled #8 - Popplagið Sigur Rós · Song · 2002 open.spotify.com
Donald Fagen	Charlie Steiner	Do It Again Steely Dan - Do It Again Track 1 (side one) from the album, "Can't Buy a Thrill" (1972).Full "Can't Buy a Thrill" album playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG0W27j3Wle3... www.youtube.com
Green Day	MAC_32	Jesus of Surburbia Jesus of Suburbia Green Day · Song · 2004 open.spotify.com
Big Thief	Ilov80s	Not Not Big Thief · Song · 2019 open.spotify.com
Daft Punk	rockaction	One More Time Daft Punk - One More Time (Official Video) Listen, order & watch now: https://bio.to/daftpunkOfficial Music Video for âOne More Timeâ, taken from âDiscoveryâ available on all platforms: https://daftpu... youtu.be
Taylor Swift	Jpalmer	Dear Reader Dear Reader Taylor Swift · Song · 2022 open.spotify.com
Elliott Smith	Tuffnutt	Between the Bars Between the Bars Provided to YouTube by Kill Rock StarsBetween the Bars · Elliott SmithAn Introduction to Elliott Smith℗ Kill Rock StarsReleased on: 2010-11-02Auto-generated ... www.youtube.com
Chicago	Pip's Invitation	25 or 6 to 4 25 or 6 to 4 - 2002 Remaster Chicago · Song · 1970 open.spotify.com
The Stranglers	John Maddens Lunchbox	No More Heroes The Stranglers - No More Heroes Music video by The Stranglers performing No More Heroes. m.youtube.com
Ryan Adams	Dr. Octopus	Come Pick Me Up Come Pick Me Up Ryan Adams · Song · 2000 open.spotify.com
Stevie Wonder	Uruk-Hai	Living For The City Stevie Wonder - Living for the City 1973 - Innervisions www.youtube.com
Slade	Mrs. Rannous	Run Runaway Run Runaway (12" Version) Provided to YouTube by BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.Run Runaway (12" Version) · SladeThe Amazing Kamikaze Syndromeâ 1984 Perseverance Ltd. under exclusive ... www.youtube.com
Phish	shuke	The Divided Sky The Divided Sky Phish · Song · 1989 open.spotify.com
Electgric Light Orchestra (ELO)	jwb	10538 Overture 10538 Overture Electric Light Orchestra · Song · 1971 open.spotify.com
Frank Black	Mister CIA	21 Reasons 21 Reasons Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises21 Reasons · Frank Black And The CatholicsBlack Letter Days℗ 2002 Cooking VinylReleased on: 2006-09-11Auto-gene... www.youtube.com
Clutch	Raging Weasel	Spacegrass Spacegrass Clutch · Song · 1995 open.spotify.com
Dinosaur Jr.	KarmaPolice	I Don't Wanna Go There Dinosaur Jr. - I Don't Wanna Go There Farm (2009)Track List:"Pieces""I Want You To Know""Ocean In the Way""Plans""Your Weather""Over It'"Friends""Said the People""There's No Here""See You""I Don'... www.youtube.com
Warren Zevon	worrierking	Desperadoes Under the Eaves Desperados Under the Eaves - 2008 Remaster Warren Zevon · Song · 1976 open.spotify.com This is an example of how Zevon, particularly early in his career, eschewed the standard verse, verse, chorus style of songwriting. There is no chorus in this song. Bob Dylan and Keith Richards are both outspoken fans of this tune and Zevon was listed among Dylan's six favorite songwriters of all time (https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bob-dylan-six-favourite-songwriters/). It originates in the early 70's with WZ on one of his infamous drinking binges. His girlfriend kicks him out of the house, and he ends up in a seedy motel, unable to leave because he doesn't have the money to check out. He ended up climbing out the window and disappearing. Years later when he was at his peak of popularity he went back and paid the mystified owners. Best lyric: and if California slides into the ocean like the mystics and statistics say it will I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill
Alice in Chains	Mt. Man	Don't Follow Don't Follow Alice In Chains · Song · 1994 open.spotify.com
Queen	snellman	Fat Bottomed Girls Fat Bottomed Girls Queen · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com
AC/DC	falguy	Let There Be Rock Let There Be Rock - Live at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland - April 1978 AC/DC · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com
The Hold Stead	scorchy	Killer Parties (Live) Killer Parties The Hold Steady · Song · 2009 open.spotify.com
Damon Albarn	Eephus	Blur --- Out of Time Blur - Out Of Time (Official Music VIdeo) The official music video for Blur - Out Of Time Taken from Blur’s 7th studio album ‘Think Tank’ released in 2003, which featured the singles 'Out Of Time', '... www.youtube.com
Ray Charles	simey	Ray Charles - What'd I Say, Pt. 1 & 2 (Official Lyric Video) You're watching the 2021 official lyric video for Ray Charles - "What'd I Say, Pt. 1 & 2" (1959). Get your copy of 'The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Yea... www.youtube.com What'd I Say, Pt. 1 & 2 - 2016 Mono Remaster Ray Charles · Song · 2016 open.spotify.com
Doves	landrys hat	Words Words Doves · Song · 2002 open.spotify.com
Spoon	Hov34	Don't You Evah Spoon - Don't You Evah Album version. I do NOT claim to own any material, graphic or audio, in this video. This song's creation is entirely unlinked to my existence. www.youtube.com
Foo Fighters	Just Win Baby	Friend Of A Friend Friend Of A Friend - Live at the Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles, CA - August 2006 Foo Fighters · Song · 2006 open.spotify.com
Simon & Garfunkel	zamboni	"Bridge over Troubled Water" Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Audio) “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel Listen to Simon & Garfunkel: https://SimonAndGarfunkel.lnk.to/listenYD Subscribe to the official Simon & Ga... www.youtube.com
Bruce Springsteen	DrIanMalcolm	Thunder Road Thunder Road (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London '75) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performing "Thunder Road" from Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London '75Listen to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band... www.youtube.com
The Prodigy	titusbramble	Voodoo People Voodoo People The Prodigy · Song · 1994 open.spotify.com
Bauhaus	otb_lifer	Double Dare Double Dare Bauhaus · Song · 1980 open.spotify.com
Heart	Doug B	Love Alive Love Alive Heart · Song · 1977 open.spotify.com
The Tragically Hip	Northern Voice	Bobcaygeon Bobcaygeon The Tragically Hip · Song · 1998 open.spotify.com
deadmau5	zazale	Alone With You Alone With You deadmau5 · Song · 2008 open.spotify.com
Elton John	timschochet	Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters Elton John - Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters (1972) Elton John performs "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters" live at the Honky Chateau debut concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London.-February 5th, 1972 www.youtube.com

 

[krista4]

I liked-to-loved all songs on the #3s playlist, with one exception that I won't mention.

New-to-me highlights (without write-ups since I'm desperately trying to catch up) were "Lives" by Modest Mouse, "The Veldt" by deadmau5 and "Almost Ready" by Dinosaur Jr. And there were three songs with "waltz" in the title and that were in waltz time!!

 

[krista4]

And just like that, I'm another playlist behind again.

 

[krista4]

Chicago	Pip's Invitation	25 or 6 to 4 25 or 6 to 4 - 2002 Remaster Chicago · Song · 1970 open.spotify.com
Stevie Wonder	Uruk-Hai	Living For The City Stevie Wonder - Living for the City 1973 - Innervisions www.youtube.com

My #1s that got #1 rankings (although I know Uruk's weren't in his preference order)!

 

[KarmaPolice]

And just like that, I'm another playlist behind again.

Good and bad news- it's the last of the bunch.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Since the playlist isn't Chicago-fied I will start with mine and hit shuffle as usual.

 

[krista4]

The Middle-Aged Dummies of the British Isles countdown aligned reasonably well with Galileo, except in the top five:

1. Waterloo Sunset – 6 votes for 148 points Galileo #6

2. Victoria – 2 votes for 60 points Galileo UNRANKED (rockaction and Mister CIA have a sad)

3. You Really Got Me – 3 votes for 59 points Galileo #1

4. The Village Green Preservation Society – 2 votes for 57 points Galileo #21

5. This Time Tomorrow – 2 votes for 55 points Galileo UNRANKED (krista and OH have many sads)

6. Destroyer – 2 votes for 42 points Galileo #18

TIE 7. A Well Respected Man – 1 vote for 28 points Galileo #17

TIE 7. Lola – 1 vote for 28 points Galileo #5

9. Sunny Afternoon – 1 vote for 27 points Galileo #8

10. Living on a Thin Line – 2 votes for 22 points Galileo #3

11. 20th Century Man – 1 vote for 20 points Galileo #20

TIE 12. Celluloid Heroes – 1 vote for 15 points Galileo UNRANKED (zamboni has a Canadian sad, eh)

TIE 12. Come Dancing – 1 vote for 15 points Galileo #9

14. Picture Book – 1 vote for 4 points Galileo UNRANKED (shuke drowns his sad in cheeseburgers)

15. All Day and All of the Night – 1 vote for 1 point Galileo #13

 

[timschochet]

I have no idea if Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters is Elton John’s greatest song, but it’s certainly my favorite of all time. I love everything about it: the music, the lyrics, the sweet mandolin beginning in the second verse. For me it’s perfection.

I enjoyed this. I still have a lot of music to listen to.

 

[Galileo]

The Middle-Aged Dummies of the British Isles countdown aligned reasonably well with Galileo, except in the top five:

2. Victoria – 2 votes for 60 points Galileo UNRANKED (rockaction and Mister CIA have a sad) #49

5. This Time Tomorrow – 2 votes for 55 points Galileo UNRANKED (krista and OH have many sads) #41

TIE 12. Celluloid Heroes – 1 vote for 15 points Galileo UNRANKED (zamboni has a Canadian sad, eh) #32

14. Picture Book – 1 vote for 4 points Galileo UNRANKED (shuke drowns his sad in cheeseburgers) #45

 

[Galileo]

#1 You Really Got Me (1964 - Kinks)

You Really Got Me

The Kinks · Song · 1964

open.spotify.com

No surprises here with chalk at #1. This was the 3rd single released by the Kinks, but was the song that put them on the map. Ray Davies was inspired by a girl he saw on the dance floor while playing a gig, a girl he never met as he couldn’t find her after playing and never saw her again. Davies says the original song was written to be light and jazzy. Ray developed it on piano and envisioned a saxophone riff. Dave Davies gave the riff its harder, edgy sound. The sound emerged from his anger and depression. The story as Dave tells it to The Guardian in 2013:

“My childhood sweetheart, Sue, got pregnant, and we wanted to get married. But our parents said we were too young and they split us up. I was a rebellious, angry kid anyway, but that had a profound effect on me. I was full of rage. A little later, I was very depressed and fooling around with a razor blade. I could easily have slashed my wrists, but I had a little green amplifier, an Elpico, that was sounding crap. I thought, ‘I’ll teach it’ – and I slashed the speaker cone. It changed the sound of my guitar. Then, when I wired that amp up to another, a Vox AC30, it made it a lot, lot louder. That’s how ‘You Really Got Me’ became the first hit record to use distortion, which so many bands have cited as the beginnings of punk and heavy metal.”

This one rocks hard for 1964. Jimmy Hendrix referred to Davies’ riff as a “real landmark”.

Girl, you really got me goin'
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me

See, don't ever set me free
I always wanna be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me
Oh no

See, don't ever set me free
I always wanna be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

At first glance before listening, this appears to be a great playlist.

Of the bands I already know well, these are my:

Police #1
Kinks #1 (sometime 2)
Elliott Smith #2 (sometimes 1)
Chicago #1
The Hold Steady #1
Spoon #2
Simon & Garfunkel #1

Several others in my top 5 for the artist. Looking forward to this one.

Thanks to @Zegras11 for putting this together and running it throughout. And to @KarmaPolice for posting all these playlists.

 

[snellman]

#1's PLAYLIST

What is the name of your Artist?	What is your FBG screen name?	#1 -
Slade	Mrs. Rannous	Run Runaway Run Runaway (12" Version) Provided to YouTube by BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.Run Runaway (12" Version) · SladeThe Amazing Kamikaze Syndromeâ 1984 Perseverance Ltd. under exclusive ... www.youtube.com

Did not disappoint This is one of the few Slade songs that I knew before this, but it is such a Rocking song. Even as an old middle aged dummy, this will still get turned up when it comes on.

 

[Don Quixote]

Jorge Ben Jor

Don Quixote

Taj Mahal Taj Mahal Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupTaj Mahal · Jorge BenAfrica Brasilâ 1975 Universal Music LtdaReleased on: 1976-01-01Producer: MazolaComposer Lyr... youtu.be

The YouTube link above is to the version of Taj Mahal off Jorge Ben’s Africa Brasil album. That version has some of the cuica that have seen in some other of his songs, and more of a funk version of the song.

The Spotify list includes the version from the Gil e Jorge album (I requested to KP to use it for the Spotify list). It is pretty different — more acoustic guitar driven with some bass (YouTube link to that version).

I included the Africa Brasil version in my Worldwide 31 list. As I noted there, this is the song that got in Rod Stewart’s ear worm when he was in Brazil for Carnival. When he went back to the US, he “subconsciously plagiarized” it and created a hit by substituting the “te te te te te te’s” for “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”. (“The Time Rod Stewart Accidentally Stole a Jorge Ben Song”)

I go back and forth on my preferred version depending on my mood. I think the Gil e Jorge version was my introduction to Jorge Ben and caused me to dive deeper into his music.

It is an interesting story on how that album came about. Eric Clapton and Cat Stevens were in Brazil; a record executive hosted a party for them, and invited many of the leading Brazil artists. They all started jamming together, but everyone tapped out to watch Jorge Ben and Gilberto Gil as they could not keep up with them; this album came together shortly thereafter. The book “Africa Brasil: One Day Jorge Ben Flew For Everyone to See” has this recollection from the then CEO of Phillips Records:

Eric arrived with a magnificent white electric guitar. Gil, Jorge and Stevens had their acoustic or electric guitars. Sitting in circle on the floor, Jorge, Gil, Stevens and Clapton started an incredible jam session. [...]

Cat Stevens was the first to leave: “I’m not a good enough guitarist for this”, he said.

Shortly afterwards it was Clapton’s turn to drop his guitar and become a fascinated spectator. So Jorge and Gil kept on playing opposite each other, visiting musical worlds that were strange and unknown to me, a common mortal watching this kind of joust between African medieval knights. Gil improvised with formidable virtuosity while Jorge, undaunted, preserved his basic essence, which is rhythm. Once in a while Gil would resort to vertiginous maneuvering to seize the rhythm for a few minutes, which Jorge would soon take back; at other times they would keep rhythm together. It felt like they had been merged by a powerful magnetic force. [...]

Before everyone left, and still celebrating that occasion, I asked them both to record that important artistic collaboration as soon as possible… That was the origin of the memorable double album Gil & Jorge.

If this playlist has left any wanting a bit of a deeper dive, the Gil e Jorge album may be a good place to start. I only included one other song from that album in my list here — most of the songs on it are over 8 minutes in length and did not want to monopolize too much of the list. But it’s just two Brazilian music legends going at it like this.

 

[Mt. Man]

1. Don’t Follow (off Jar of Flies, 1994)

Ooh, forgot my woman, lost my friends
Things I'd done and where I've been
Sleep in sweat, the mirror's cold
See my face, it's growin' old
Scared to death, no reason why
Do whatever to get me by
Think about the things I said
Read the page, it's cold and dead
And take me home

(Youtube Version) Alice in Chains - Don't Follow
(Live - With Duvall) Alice in Chains - "Don't Follow"

What can I say about this song? I really like it? Yeah, okay, that’s not the worst start. Listening to it stirs both mind and soul. I find myself singing along far more often than not, even though I’ve heard it possibly hundreds of times by now. Though that’s not entirely unique, even from the AIC catalog. Describing it? Soft, a bit slow, and thoughtful. Acoustic, with David Atkinson using the harmonica as a key backing piece. A song that tells two sides of a story, without judgment of the other person. Essentially a break-up song, but without a trace of either one being vindictive. What else? Hmm, I feel like I’m on an island here.

Dont follow is on the Jar of Flies EP that was released early in '94. They went into the studio with basically no material written, and came out with Jar Flies in like a week, which, imo, is incredible. The EP is amazing!

Don't Follow is hauntingly beautiful. The first half is Jerry Cantrell trying to save his friend, Layne Staley, who sings the second part.....it's a conversation of what was really going on with them at the time. Staley was back on heroin during the making of J of F.

Oh, okay. Not completely alone, then. [Aside: I’m being purposely low-key here, but my full appreciation to Manster who’s probably wondering why a post from nearly 9 months ago is being quoted] Then all I can say is listen, and see what you think. Hopefully you’ll get some of that same feeling that I (and others) do.

Next on… oh, right. Wednesday or (far more likely) Thursday I’ll have a collection of songs that just missed the cut. Otherwise, this is the end. But, of course, it’s also the start. Of a playlist.

 

[snellman]

#1's PLAYLIST

Queen

snellman

Fat Bottomed Girls Fat Bottomed Girls Queen · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com

This isn't probably close to #1 on a lot of peoples lists. There is also an argument that can be made for a lot of their songs to be #1, but this song will always be my #1. When I was growing up, our neighbor had a high end stereo system and would turn it up with the windows open in the summer. I remember the first time I heard this song blaring out his house and there was just something about it that attracted me (it was my pre teen years so who knows). I asked him about the sound and he introduced me to Queen and for that I am forever grateful.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Jorge Ben Jor

Don Quixote

Taj Mahal Taj Mahal Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupTaj Mahal · Jorge BenAfrica Brasilâ 1975 Universal Music LtdaReleased on: 1976-01-01Producer: MazolaComposer Lyr... youtu.be

I’m not sure who wrote Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” - and not sure I want to necessarily know - but whoever did ripped this song’s hook off to create that songs melody and main hook.

 

[kupcho1]

The Decemberists
#1 Calamity Song

Hopefully you've picked up by now that one of the reasons I love the Decemberists is the lyrics. Don't get me wrong, the music's great, but the lyrics set them apart for me. As I mentioned earlier, there were a half dozen contenders for top song, but one lyric in particular put Calamity Song at #1:

In the year of the chewable Ambien tab

Why is this meaningful to me?

Because it alludes to my favorite book of all time Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace 1996). DFW used "subsidized time" in the novel and although Year of the Chewable Ambien Tab wasn't one of them (see here for the list: Year of the Whopper, Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad, etc.), the reference is crystal clear. And if it wasn't, the video which I absolutely must insist you watch, is about Eschaton (a tennis-court game based on CD-ROM nuclear-conflagration game played at the Enfield Tennis Academy, one of Infinite Jest's settings). Side note: Colin Meloy is cosplaying as Michael Pemulis (yachting cap gives it away), who I go back-and-forth on as favorite character (with Don Gately). But I digress... I have one gripe with the video - and they get a lot of it spot on - is that it should be snowing - but please watch it. WATCH IT!

Regarding the music, from Songfacts:

R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck contributes to three The King is Dead tracks and on this stripped-back rocker, frontman Colin Meloy tried to musically pay tribute to The Athens band's early work, especially their second album, Reckoning. "I was listening so much to the reissue when it came out last year," he told Spin magazine. "And it opened up for me. I was like 'I want to write a Reckoning song."
Meloy added: "The words may not bear that much resemblance, but I think the melody is very Stipe-ish."

And Songfacts also has some additional info on the video!

The song's music video was directed by Michael Schur, who is known for co-creating NBC's The Office. The clip is a dark tribute to David Foster Wallace 1996 novel Infinite Jest, which is a dystopian vision of North America in the near future. "I had this funny idea that a good video for the song would be a re-creation of the Enfield Tennis Academy's round of Eschaton - basically, a global thermonuclear crisis re-created on a tennis court - that's played about a third of the way into the book," Meloy told NPR. "I found a kindred spirit in Michael Schur, a man with an even greater enthusiasm for Wallace's work than my own. With much adoration and respect to this seminal, genius book, this is what we've come up with."

I had no idea Michael Schur was involved. In addition to the Office, he also created The Good Place which is top 3 in my favorite comedies. Synchronicity indeed!

So there you have it. My Decemberists 31-1. (I'm posting the link here, but if there's a separate thread started, I can repost.)
I'll leave you with the lyrics:

Had a dream
You and me and the war at the end times
And I believe
California succumbed to the fault line
We heaved relief
As scores of innocents died

And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel

Hetty Green
Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab
If you know what I mean
On the road
It's well-advised to follow your own bag
In the year of the chewable Ambien tab

And the Panamanian child
Stands at the Dowager Empress's side
And all the remains is the arms of the angels
And all the remains is the arms of the angels

And you've receded into loam
And they're picking at your bones
Will call cold
We'll come home

Quiet now
Will we gather to conjure the rain down
Will we now
Build a civilization below ground
And I'll be crowned
The community kicked it around

And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angels

 

[KarmaPolice]

I think it was in the 3s I thought "huh, I didn't know that was ELO". Here I thought the same for Steely Dan.

 

[kupcho1]

For the Decemberists, also a great ride, and I'm also on pins and needles for their top two. My favorite piece by them may have gotten the chop.

I'm very interested in what your top 2 are. Did we align?

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Some big surprises at #1, although i know some people didnt rank them in order
Will tackle them eventually….hopefully. Time is not a friend to a middle aged dummy

 

[Zegras11]

The bible of none of the above
On a steady diet of
Soda pop and Ritalin

 

[Uruk-Hai]

#1's PLAYLIST

Queen

snellman

Fat Bottomed Girls Fat Bottomed Girls Queen · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com

This isn't probably close to #1 on a lot of peoples lists. There is also an argument that can be made for a lot of their songs to be #1, but this song will always be my #1. When I was growing up, our neighbor had a high end stereo system and would turn it up with the windows open in the summer. I remember the first time I heard this song blaring out his house and there was just something about it that attracted me (it was my pre teen years so who knows). I asked him about the sound and he introduced me to Queen and for that I am forever grateful.

There's all kinds of ways to take this song, but it has one of the all-time great sing-a-long melodies.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

More #2 thoughts:

A friend burned me a copy of the first Gorillaz album when it came out. The track that stuck out was the one that sounded like The Kinks updated for the electronica age. That was Feel Good Inc.
I remember There Goes the Fear from the British Isles countdown. The search function shows me it was on Krista's list and in Eephus' last 5 out. Maybe more. The guitar and drums are very U2. And I hear Muppet torture at the end!
I Summon You is very catchy. I think I have heard it on WXPN before.
Breathe is bumpin'. It's about as "rockin'" as electronica gets.
Petey goes all Jim Morrison on this live version of Rose Garden Funeral of Sores.
I love the arrangement of Ahead by a Century. I would have much rather heard this on American radio in 1996 than the grunge imitations that were everywhere.
The beeps in Closer -- I like where they are and where they're not.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

#1 "Living For The City"

I wrote an absurdly long post about this record a year or two ago, so I'll save some of Joe's bandwidth this time around. It's America in the same way Lonesome Dove is. To me, it's the greatest recorded performance by any Western artist in music history.

 

[Raging weasel]

My number 1 Clutch pick isn't actually my fav by them but it's the song that got me into them. The first time I saw them they were an unlisted band opening for Maiden and Monster Magnet in the summer of 99. I don't remember the first couple songs they played but remember this one . Once the spacey,bassy intro started I was hooked and have been a fan ever since.
Here is a live version that's a little more lively than the studio version.
Spacegrass-live version

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I liked-to-loved all songs on the #3s playlist, with one exception that I won't mention.

Does it rhyme with Dealy Stan?

Speaking of which, The Guardian had a profile of your and OH's friend Steve Albini today. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...erson-is-on-your-side-youre-on-the-wrong-side. He still hates Steely Dan even more than you two do.

 

[rockaction]

#1 - Daft Punk - One More Time (Discovery)

Beginning with a fade-in and continuing along with a bit of a vocoder and auto-tuned vocals by Romanthony, this is number one in my eyes from the Daft duo*. Much like the other tracks I've been talking about, this one soared up the dance charts and was Daft's biggest hit until "Get Lucky" came along in all its ubiquity. I picked this track because it's so omnipresent, yet people don't even know where it comes from. It's often the bumper music to sports telecasts even though people don't recognize it until they're informed that it is indeed Daft Punk. Fox Sports, who have a great bumper music guy that loves the Dead, also digs Daft Punk and they're frequently used on that channel, IIRC.

"One More Time" was number one on many countries' dance charts, topped the charts in certain countries in their overall category (it went to number two in the U.K., and number one in France and Canada), and was just all over the place, making Daft really internationally even bigger than they had been before they released it.

The sample for the track is a long story in itself and has resulted in a fair bit of controversy, though most outlets agree that Daft paid the clearance on the sample. The question is whether the man who created it, Eddie Johns, ever received a dime from the publishing company that owns the rights to it in France. Sad story. The sample itself is worth in the high seven figures from its use, according to estimates. Hopefully Daft does him right some day.

Anyway, it's one of their biggest hits, the most familiar even when it's not known, and I figured it was the "One More Time" encore to any set that they might play.

eta* Who, I have neglected to mention to this point, are the decidedly non-robotic Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo. First time for the number one!

eta2* If anybody is interested, here is the rockaction Daft Punk Top 31 playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YIUHZq2zLZfawdvboNJOa?si=5751d9081f284d05

 

[Raging weasel]

#1's PLAYLIST

Queen

snellman

Fat Bottomed Girls Fat Bottomed Girls Queen · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com

This isn't probably close to #1 on a lot of peoples lists. There is also an argument that can be made for a lot of their songs to be #1, but this song will always be my #1. When I was growing up, our neighbor had a high end stereo system and would turn it up with the windows open in the summer. I remember the first time I heard this song blaring out his house and there was just something about it that attracted me (it was my pre teen years so who knows). I asked him about the sound and he introduced me to Queen and for that I am forever grateful.

Great pick! This is my #2 behind Under Pressure and was worried it wouldn't make the cut at this point

 

[Pip's Invitation]

TIE 12. Celluloid Heroes – 1 vote for 15 points Galileo UNRANKED (zamboni has a Canadian sad, eh)

This is the most news for me. Though it was his last one out.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

1. Do It Again is the fifth song from Steely Dan's debut album Can't Buy a Thrill, as well as the first song released as a single from that album.

I started to get the feeling that everyone was expecting Reeling in the Years to be my #1, but as you can see, it didn't even make the list at all. I suppose that's sacrilege, but that wasn't the song that captured my summer 50 years ago. The funny thing is, though, that not that long ago, this song would have been further down the list or maybe even not ranked at all, but upon further consideration, this to me is absolutely the best musical thing Donald Fagen will ever do. Given his entire body of work, that says a lot.

From the Latin music inspired intro, to the sitar solo (by founding member and often overlooked Denny Dias, no less) to the 'plastic sounding' organ solo, the tune itself is Fagen flexing his musical muscles, which he backs up with lyrics to match. If nearly any other artist/group had led off their career with a song like this, the only direction from here would have been down; instead, Fagen followed his own musical advice and kept doing it again by continuing to make songs with infinitely decipherable lyrics and demonstrations of impeccable construction and musicianship that has aged better than I have.


In the mornin' you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water
And you fire 'til he is done in but they catch you at the border
And the mourners are all singin' as they drag you by your feet
But the hangman isn't hangin' and they put you on the street

You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' 'round and 'round
You go back, Jack, do it again

When you know she's no high climber then you find your only friend
In a room with your two-timer, and you're sure you're near the end
Then you love a little wild one and she brings you only sorrow
All the time you know she's smilin' you'll be on your knees tomorrow, yeah

You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' 'round and 'round
You go back, Jack, do it again

Now you swear and kick and beg us that you're not a gamblin' man
Then you find you're back in Vegas with a handle in your hand
Your black cards can make you money so you hide them when you're able
In the land of milk and honey, you must put them on the table, yeah

You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' 'round and 'round
You go back, Jack, do it again



***Postscript***

Donald Fagan's music has spanned 50 years of my life, seeing me through all phases of it, yet I had hardly scratched the surface of knowing anything about it until this draft. For that reason alone, I'm thankful to have been able to participate in this draft. Also, I have learned that it's okay to not get every level of meaning in things, that it's okay to not celebrate someone's entire catalog, and that regarding this exercise, less really is more at times.

 

[simey]

I finally got power back on after a storm. It's been out for hours. Anyway, I mainly like all the 2s, and here are a few I'll gave a holla at.

Rocket Man - It's such a great song, and I especially love the chorus.
Make Me Smile - Terry Kath's spirited vocals on the chorus of this song and the reprise on Now More Than Ever remind me of Ray Charles. That's a big compliment to Terry.
To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) - One of my favorites by him. I like when he does this style of his music.
Magic Man - My favorite part is around the 2:32 mark when Ann sings eeeeeeewwwwww he got the magic hands, and then the guitar kinda mimics the ewwww part. I like the guitar throughout the song, and the musical buildup near the end when the drums build.
Angeles - The tone of his voice makes my ears feel different inside. It's like I can feel the warm tone inside my ears.
Headlong - I've never heard this Queen song before. I like it. It says the album came out in 1991, but it sounds like an earlier song to me.
Rose Garden Funeral of Sores - This is another song where the singer reminds me of Jim Morrison. The music doesn't sound like The Doors, and the singer doesn't sound like Jim, but it is the delivery of the poetry within the song by the singer, and him acting it out on stage. It makes perfect sense to me.
I Summon You - I like the acoustic melody in this song.
Feel Good Inc. - Intro -> outro ->
Golden Brown - Cool music in this.
Back in Black - Last Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. I was channel surfing, and I came upon that show called Marty's Music Guitar Academy or something like that, and Marty was teaching the viewers how to play the riff to Back in Black. This song reminds me of high skewl. The whole album does.

I just opened another window to search the thread to see where Hells Bells spotted in the countdown, and I noticed the #1s are posted now. I'll end the 2s on that note, and again, I liked something about all of them.

 

[Raging weasel]

TIE 12. Celluloid Heroes – 1 vote for 15 points Galileo UNRANKED (zamboni has a Canadian sad, eh)

This is the most news for me. Though it was his last one out.

Yeah, easy top 10 for me

 

[krista4]

If @krista4 doesn't like my #3 Spoon song then I give up.

Black Like Me - Spoon

My favorite song off of the album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga," released by Spoon in '07.

www.youtube.com

Wait, what? I loved it. And I have 14 Spoon songs on my "new-to-me favorites" playlist after having listened only to 26 playlists so far.

ETA: And sorry, I'm five days behind on reading comments.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

1. 25 or 6 to 4
Album: Chicago (aka Chicago II) (1970)
Writer: Robert Lamm
Lead vocals: Peter Cetera
Released as a single? Yes (US #4)

While not Chicago's highest-charting song (though its first to hit the top 5), 25 or 6 to 4 was its hardest-rocking hit and its most enduring, becoming its most popular track on FM stations and persisting as a constant presence in the "classic rock radio" format of today. It was also named the #1 Chicago song by Billboard and Ultimate Classic Rock. As further evidence of this, it was the only Chicago song to appear in any of the Middle-Aged Dummy geographical countdowns, garnering two votes in the U.S. exercise (and not from me, because I'm a middle-aged dummy). This lack of representation was one of the reasons I chose Chicago for this countdown. And the only preconceived idea I had when I began my listening is that 25 or 6 to 4 would be #1. My first exposure to Chicago was its late-70s hits on the car radio, none of which made my top 31: If You Leave Me Now, Baby What a Big Surprise, Alive Again and Thunder and Lightning. But when I started listening to FM stations as a tween, the first thing I remember about Chicago is this track -- and I may not have made the connection to the late '70s material right away. Early Chicago had a radical sound that was smoothed out by the second half of the '70s.

The most obvious reason for this being Chicago's biggest song on rock stations and my #1 is Terry Kath's guitar fireworks. His wah-wah solos are just off-the-charts incredible. Another is its monstrous opening riff, which Andy Hermann of LA Weekly wrote an entire essay about: https://www.laweekly.com/you-still-cant-copyright-a-riff-and-thats-a-good-thing/. He finds antecedents in Zeppelin's arrangement of Babe I'm Gonna Leave You and the Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps. (It has also been noted that the riff of Green Day's Brain Stew, which appeared earlier in this countdown, is very similar.) I also wonder if Robert Lamm was tapping the Spencer Davis Group again. The band was covering I'm a Man in its live sets frequently, and I wonder if he was thinking of the opening of SDG's other big U.S. hit, Gimme Some Lovin', when penning this -- take the final note off of Gimme Some Lovin's opening riff and you have something similar. Any of the band's three singers could have done a great job with the vocal, but Peter Cetera's tenor voice brings both toughness and melodicism that surely helped it climb the charts. The drum fills are just as incredible as they were in parts of Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon. But what really must have made the song stand out in 1970 was its use of horns. To my ears they function like rhythm guitars, and that kind of thing simply wasn't done then in any genre. (I suspect this is why it is also Chicago's most popular bar-band cover.)

25 or 6 to 4 was one of three songs discussed in depth in Lamm and Lee Loughnane's 2021 interview with Dan Rather. (The other two were my #18, Dialogue, and a lesser-known song that is on my 32-100 list.) Lamm said he had had the riff in his head for a while, and when he got back home after a long night of performing at the Whisky Au Go Go, he was too wired to sleep and decided he needed to turn the riff into a song. But he couldn't think of what to write about, so he wrote about what he was going through then and there -- having writer's block in the wee hours of the morning. The phrase "25 or 6 to 4" refers to looking at the clock and seeing that it was 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM (that is, 3:34 or 3:35). Greatness can certainly arise from mundane circumstances. Lamm taught the rest of the band the song the next day and it quickly became part of their repertoire, and is the Chicago tune with the most documented live performances. While it appears early in the Tanglewood set, after 1970 it was almost always employed as a set closer or final encore (and was the last song they played at my 1995 show). I suspect it is the one song that audiences will feel cheated out of if they don't get it.

Tanglewood version (with impromptu intro jam while Danny Seraphine's drum kit is being fixed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAUoz7jimg
Leonid and Friends version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_torOTK5qc
I'm ignoring the terrible remake the band recorded after Jason Scheff replaced Cetera.

Thanks for paying attention, and I hope you have come away with a greater appreciation for the Terry Kath era of Chicago. Here is the playlist of my top 31. Don't shuffle!

 

[Galileo]

Jorge Ben Jor

Don Quixote

Taj Mahal Taj Mahal Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupTaj Mahal · Jorge BenAfrica Brasilâ 1975 Universal Music LtdaReleased on: 1976-01-01Producer: MazolaComposer Lyr... youtu.be

I’m not sure who wrote Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” - and not sure I want to necessarily know - but whoever did ripped this song’s hook off to create that songs melody and main hook.

Spot on.

 

[Galileo]

TIE 12. Celluloid Heroes – 1 vote for 15 points Galileo UNRANKED (zamboni has a Canadian sad, eh)

This is the most news for me. Though it was his last one out.

Yeah, easy top 10 for me

Was a tough cut (as were several). I think I said early on I could easily replace the back half of my list with completely different songs and would still be content with my list. 20 years ago this is likely in the top half of my list. It is one of those songs that suffers a little from overexposure fatigue for me. I can get a little bored listening to it sometimes.

 

[Ilov80s]

It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
Not spinning
Not a rouse
Not heat
Not the fire lapping up the creek

 

[Ilov80s]

#1 playlist is loaded as expected, Thunder Road, Killer Parties, Bobcaygeon, Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters, One More Time, etc. Just so many all time great songs.

 

[Northern Voice]

#1 The Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon

This song encapsulates everything The Tragically Hip is. Storytelling, artistry, Canadiana, singalongs. The Toronto rock station (Indie88) in 2021 did a listener poll and this was selected as the top Canadian song of all time. Obviously that is slanted to a certain demographic but that's how much weight this song carries.

"That Night in Toronto" and the verse that follows is probably the signature moment, referencing the checkerboard floors of the Horseshoe Tavern (where The Hold Steady now do residencies every other year or so) but there are so many - "could have been the Willie Nelson, could have been the wine".

The small town of Bobcaygeon is less than a half hour from my front door, but it's not really about that city but what it represents. This song was made to be played by water, or at a campfire, under the stars, or anywhere else "the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time" in Canadian cottage country

---

On the personal side, I'm fortunate, my family has a place in cottage country, I have sang this song so many times in so many different settings. And in recent years I had the opportunity to become VP and minority owner of the Bobcaygeon Brewing Company and I've got to experience in a new way just how much "Bobcaygeon" resonates through the province with so many different people who have probably never set foot in the namesake town. If The Tragically Hip ask, our brewery was named for the city. If anyone else asks, well...

Live in Toronto (from That Night in Toronto DVD)

 

[krista4]

Hold Steady's "Slapped Actress" and "Status" are great, but I never knew how much I liked "Hot Fries". Not Andy Capp Hot Fries, I knew how much I liked those.

 

[krista4]

deadmau5 making me wish I had a giant plate of mashed potatoes

Not sure which album cover I like better, this one or Prodigy's fox

This one! It looks like my cat, Mr. E. Squirrel the Mystery Squirrel.

 

[Yo Mama]

Genesis #1 - Watcher of the Skies

Album - Foxtrot
Year - 1972

This is the first song of the first Gabriel-led album I ever listened to, and I was absolutely blown away. At that point I was only familiar with the early 80s Collins hits, so I had no idea what the older stuff was like.

I love everything about this song, especially the slow build with the mellotron at the start.

Our Prog friends Phish played this at the RRHOF induction ceremony when Genesis was included.

 

[Yo Mama]

Sorry for no comments the past few rounds. Works been a pain in my butt, then I got sick, now I’m traveling to move my daughter into college.

Loving everything I’ve listened to so far, but I’ve got some catching up to do.

 

[Zegras11]

Tanglewood version (with impromptu intro jam while Danny Seraphine's drum kit is being fixed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAUoz7jimg

this is one of my favorite YT's

 

[rockaction]

this is one of my favorite YT's

Same here, actually.

 

[falguy]

I finally got power back on after a storm. It's been out for hours. Anyway, I mainly like all the 2s, and here are a few I'll gave a holla at.

Rocket Man - It's such a great song, and I especially love the chorus.
Make Me Smile - Terry Kath's spirited vocals on the chorus of this song and the reprise on Now More Than Ever remind me of Ray Charles. That's a big compliment to Terry.
To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) - One of my favorites by him. I like when he does this style of his music.
Magic Man - My favorite part is around the 2:32 mark when Ann sings eeeeeeewwwwww you got the magic hands, and then the guitar kinda mimics the ewwww part. I like the guitar throughout the song, and the musical buildup near the end when the drums build.
Angeles - The tone of his voice makes my ears feel different inside. It's like I can feel the warm tone inside my ears.
Headlong - I've never heard this Queen song before. I like it. It says the album came out in 1991, but it sounds like an earlier song to me.
Rose Garden Funeral of Sores - This is another song where the singer reminds me of Jim Morrison. The music doesn't sound like The Doors, and the singer doesn't sound like Jim, but it is the delivery of the poetry within the song by the singer, and him acting it out on stage. It makes perfect sense to me.
I Summon You - I like the acoustic melody in this song.
Feel Good Inc. - Intro -> outro ->
Golden Brown - Cool music in this.
Back in Black - Last Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. I was channel surfing, and I came upon that show called Marty's Music Guitar Academy or something like that, and Marty was teaching the viewers how to play the riff to Back in Black. This song reminds me of high skewl. The whole album does.

I just opened another window to search the thread to see where Hells Bells spotted in the countdown, and I noticed the #1s are posted now. I'll end the 2s on that note, and again, I liked something about all of them.

I had Hells Bells really early to set the mood. didn't fully rank mine although the last 4 are pretty much my favorites.

 

[falguy]

#1 The Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon

This song encapsulates everything The Tragically Hip is. Storytelling, artistry, Canadiana, singalongs. The Toronto rock station (Indie88) in 2021 did a listener poll and this was selected as the top Canadian song of all time. Obviously that is slanted to a certain demographic but that's how much weight this song carries.

"That Night in Toronto" and the verse that follows is probably the signature moment, referencing the checkerboard floors of the Horseshoe Tavern (where The Hold Steady now do residencies every other year or so) but there are so many - "could have been the Willie Nelson, could have been the wine".

The small town of Bobcaygeon is less than a half hour from my front door, but it's not really about that city but what it represents. This song was made to be played by water, or at a campfire, under the stars, or anywhere else "the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time" in Canadian cottage country

---

On the personal side, I'm fortunate, my family has a place in cottage country, I have sang this song so many times in so many different settings. And in recent years I had the opportunity to become VP and minority owner of the Bobcaygeon Brewing Company and I've got to experience in a new way just how much "Bobcaygeon" resonates through the province with so many different people who have probably never set foot in the namesake town. If The Tragically Hip ask, our brewery was named for the city. If anyone else asks, well...

Live in Toronto (from That Night in Toronto DVD)

Love this one. It and New Orleans is Sinking are my 1a/1b