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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 25, 2007 0:54:02 GMT -5
I was browsing iTunes store today, and I was getting a kick out of the "Celebrity Playlists". You know, the ones where famous people recommend 10 songs from different artists, with a sentence for each song explaining why.
So let's do that.
Some ground rules: 1) Each song has to be from a different artist. 2) You MUST give a reason for each song. Short and sweet.
Go.
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Post by Hugh Beaumont on Jan 25, 2007 4:11:49 GMT -5
Awesome thread idea. I'm not doing it right now, but I'll give it some thought and get back to you.
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Post by StreetDreamer83 on Jan 25, 2007 16:32:52 GMT -5
.38 Special - Second Chance - This is one of those songs that I remember hearing during my childhood. One of the best things is that it's not a complicated song, the lyrics are simple and the music is simple. Makes for a great song, in my opinion.
Bekka Bramlett - Used - Another simple song that says so much. I really love how Bekka ends the song with her vocals.
Billy Burnette - Who's Using Your Heart Tonight - I love this song. The music and the lyrics don't mesh in a way, but they do. It's a weird thing that has endeared me to this song. Great lyrics and vocals on Billy's part also.
Bob Welch - Old Man Of 17 - I love the story that this song tells as well as the contrast of the music in the song in the "A" and "B" parts.
Christine McVie - The Challenge - I love this song. The last part after the instrumental just makes the song for me. This song should have been just a big longer though to allow for Eric Clapton to get a solo at the end.
Fleetwood Mac - Freedom - This is probably the only Stevie Nicks song of any kind that I can listen to on a regular basis anymore. I love the mood this song envokes, and the guitar parts are top notch, especially on the closing instrumental.
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rise Up With Fists!!! - Crafty songwriting and great vocals. I love how this song just flows.
John Stewart - Sister Mercy - This is one of those songs that I sit and listen to and wish I could write a song as beautiful as this. I had tears in my eyes the first time I heard this song.
Keith Whitley - I Never Go Around Mirrors - The way Keith sings this song and makes it his own is breathtaking and heartbreaking.
Lindsey Buckingham - Cast Away Dreams - This is another one of those kinds of songs that I sit and listen and wish I could write something like this.
Matt
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 2, 2007 11:22:16 GMT -5
Thanks Dreamer.
I've been working hard on mine. I hope to have it up today.
I've also changed the thread title to hopefully generate more interest.
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Post by Hugh Beaumont on Feb 2, 2007 13:24:02 GMT -5
Sorry about not following through. The thread got buried and I completely forgot. Once again, I'll need to work on the list when I have some time.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 2, 2007 14:52:49 GMT -5
I'm going to avoid the obvious ones, like the Beatles or Zeppelin, because I wanted to go for obscurity and creativity points. Here goes... "Big River" by The Urban Hillbilly Quartet. This is a band I played drums with, and this song is a Johnny Cash cover we did live. Good times. "Deep" by Adam Again. A perfect song by a perfect band. Funky, noisy, emotional, they had everything. ***** Note: You can get both of the above songs free on my blog. I've put up a bunch of free songs by both bands for your free listening enjoyment. Free!***** "Dream Brother" by Jeff Buckley. Really any song from his Grace album is worth having. This one is haunting, intricate, and hypnotic. It just takes you instantly into a different dimension. "Firth of Fifth" by Genesis. Lots of Genesis fans hate the Phil Collins era, but as a child of the '80s, I love it. However, as a musician, I also love the Peter Gabriel era, and this song from that era is altogether impressive. "Philosophy" by Ben Folds Five. Ben is my hero, and I love all of his stuff. His chords and melody are always right on, plus he always sounds like he's having fun. "Soul Singing" by The Black Crowes. Just a phenomenal no-nonsense rock & roll band that doesn't get nearly the love they deserve. Their last 2 albums ( By Your Side and Lions) are both underappreciated gems. "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & the News. It's shameful that such a great blues/R&B outfit gets lumped in with cheesy '80s acts. SHAMEFUL. When this song comes on, I'm immediately 10 years old again, going to see Back to the Future with my best friend. "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead. Just mind-blowing. One of those songs that is so astonishing that it changes everything about popular music forever. OK Computer is the best album of the '90s. "A Small Victory" by Faith No More. Angel Dust is the second best album of the '90s, and not enough people have heard it. It's unfortunate that crap like Nu-Metal claims FNM as an influence. Umm...no. FNM were in a class by themselves. "You Are the Sun" by Lionel Richie. Yeah, so? I like Lionel Richie. Wanna fight about it? Especially this song, which always makes me happy.
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Post by Poe33 on Feb 2, 2007 16:23:36 GMT -5
In no particular order:
"Fantastic Place" by Marillion (Marbles cd) PROVES that Marillion is not only alive and kicking but get better with each album.
"The Rover" Just all out kick ass Led Zep
"Garden of Dreams" - The Flower Kings. 58 minutes of progresive joy and wonder. What a talented bunch of musicians. I have seen them perform this live twice. Love it.
"The Spirit of Radio" RUSH - what music can be and speaks what what went wrong.
"Stray Cat Strut" Stray Cats. I love to play thsi song on guitar. I love to sing it at kareoke. I love cats. nuff said.
"Invisible Man" Marillion. see reasons above.
"Stairway to Heaven" there is a reason it has become a cliche. It rocks, kicks ass and is just an amazing song.
"Norweigen Wood" - Beatles. need I say more?
"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" Pink Floyd. Music from the days when you could make music like this.
"What's so funny about Peace, love & Understanding" - Elvis Costello. Title says it all.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Feb 2, 2007 18:37:37 GMT -5
“Hammond Song” – The Roches – A haunting song about empty dreams by a trio of harmonizing sisters who were part of the last throws of the Greenwhich Village folk scene. (Produced by Robert Fripp…and it shows well)
“Angie” – Tori Amos – Although a Stones cover, rather than one of her own idiosyncratic creations, this song does a great job of expressing the emotion Amos is capable of while also, unusually for her, actually communicating that emotion.
“Holmes” – The Grifters – This little post-punk, post-blues Georgia band mixes drunken rock with the pure fun of existential angst in one song.
“Carry the Zero” – Built to Spill – A great epic rock “build to a climax” guitar song.
“Ashes to Ashes” – Happy Rhodes – A David Bowie cover, but Rhodes turns it into something that Bowie only dreamed of.
“I Am Still What I Meant to Be” – Will Oldham – You probably have to like Oldham (or Bonnie Prince Billy or Palace) to like this song, but I still think it’s genius.
“Every Shining Time You Arrive” – Sunny Day Real Estate – A great little emo song.
“The Figurehead” – The Cure – A brooding, “gothish” song, but it’s everything good that that kind of “monumental ruins” rock could ever be.
“Mookid” – Aphex Twin – This is just one short, ambient song on a kind of random album, but it somehow creates one of the most complex musical emotions I’ve ever experienced.
“New World” – Bjork – Off the soundtrack for the strange musical movie “Dancer in the Dark,” this is the song that Bjork’s character sings as she’s being killed; one of the few songs that can mix triumph, joy, fear, and tragedy in one single chord change (or rather as one chord repeatedly dies).
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 2, 2007 18:47:50 GMT -5
mummi, I'm a bit disappointed that neither of us put a Soul Coughing or Mike Doughty song on our lists.
Have we gone soft?
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Feb 2, 2007 18:50:15 GMT -5
mummi, I'm a bit disappointed that neither of us put a Soul Coughing or Mike Doughty song on our lists. Have we gone soft? Nah. I figured this was mainly for you, so I didn't want to mention stuff I know you already like. Besides, I don't think I'd be able to choose a single song off of _Ruby Vroom_. It's too cohesive an album to me.
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Post by maruchan84 on Feb 2, 2007 20:36:24 GMT -5
Regina Spektor - "Fidelity" After listening to this song, from her album Begin to Hope, I decided I'm going to marry Regina.
Radiohead - "Sail to the Moon" I think Radiohead has some beautiful songs. this is one of them. I recommend listening to it with the lights turned off. That might sound weird, but believe me, it's an amazing experience.
Tom Waits - "Hold On" I shouldn't have even tried to pick a Tom Waits song. His ballads are amazing, this is one of my favorites.
Nick Drake - "Fly" Beautiful song. Great songwriter, great voice, too bad he died at such a young age.
Elliott Smith - "Say Yes" I couldn't include all of the songs from Either/Or (this might be my favorite Elliott Smith album), so I randomly picked one. Shows Elliott's talent as both a singer and songwriter.
Dave Brubeck - "Take Five" Great jazz! Weird time signatures galore
Wilco - "Ashes of American Flags" Another tough choice.
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Oh Comely" When I first listened to Neutral Milk Hotel, I thought they were terrible, but I have come to love them.
Bright Eyes - "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" Not his greatest song, but it helped get me through my first semester of grad school. Especially the opening line, "my future's got me worried such awful thoughts..."
Bob Dylan - "a Hard Rains a Gonna Fall" No list is complete without Bobby. This might be a cliche song to pick, but it's one of my favorites.
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Post by Broadsword on Feb 2, 2007 23:38:48 GMT -5
Great thread. Seeing that I am a Tull fanatic I have to start with Budapest an underrated later Tull song. Let The Day Begin by The Call a love starting the day with this song. Fire on High great instrumental by ELO. Starship Trooper classic Yes, I love progressive rock. Just Between You And Me by April Wine one me and my wife love playing. Romeo's Theme by Steve Forbert its the romantic in me. Subdivisions by Rush a song that always takes me back to my first year of college. FM by Steely Dan great song, great band not a bad movie. Better Things by the Kinks a song I like to play if I'm down. I Love You by The Climax Blues Band the song from my wedding.
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Post by munchNguzzle on Feb 3, 2007 2:39:51 GMT -5
I’m gonna make y’all commit to this one
1. Ufomammut, “Demontain” - Snailking, 28 minutes 6 seconds : This is one song that really made me sit up and take notice when I heard it on the stonerrock.com web radio stream. There is a 13 second bit of silence in the middle, but the song covers so much area it hardly indicates “hidden track”.
2. Opeth, “Reverie/Harlequin Forest” – Ghost Reveries, 11 minutes 39 seconds : This is my favorite song from the latest Opeth album, which really is the quintessential Opeth release.
3. Meshuggah, “I” - I, 21 minutes 0 seconds : Meshuggah is the pinnacle of musical evolution today. Many agree that this is their best work.
4. Orthrelm, “OV” – OV, ~45 minutes : I’ve only heard parts of this (it’s rather hard to get a hold of). Orthrelm is a unique musical experiment. They kind of come from the grindcore scene with a black metal attitude, but the sound I can only compare to Buckethead when he’s really mad. The music steadfastly stays in a vein of non-resolution, attempting to reject all traditional musical structures--a task most have failed at. Did I mention that it’s just a guitar and drums that can play at blinding speed?
5. Meat Beat Manifesto, “Stereophrenic” – Subliminal Sandwich disc 2, 13 minutes 3 seconds : I don’t know what it is about this song. The title pretty much explains it. I’ve listened to his album way too many times--mostly disc 1 but 2 as well.
6. Sleep, “Dopesmoker” (“Jerusalem”) - Dopesmoker or Jerusalem(although it’s cut short), 1 hour 3 minutes 31 seconds : The only song that uses all the common names for cannabis. It should really be one one hour song called “Jerusalem”, but they got jerked around by record labels and the complete version only ended up getting released re-titled as “Dopesmoker”. Listen to this to hear what was so frickin’ dangerous to the record label. (Matt Pike’s guitar work is nearly flawless too.)
7. Monster Magnet, “Longhair” – Tab……………………..25, 12 minutes 28 seconds : This is really two songs in one, but there may be some connection that makes them cohesive. For a straight up rock song it’s about as complicated a song structure as you can get. I don’t think anybody will be disappointed by this incarnation of Monster Magnet. “It’s a planet of the apes and a third eye kinda thing.”
8. Sunn 0))), "Decay2 [Nihils Maw]" – White2, 25 minutes, 19 seconds : This song is a recitation of the Bhagavatam, one of the oldest books in the world. This passage is a prophetic vision of a decadent society. They recite it through throat singing (using vestigial structures in the throat as resonators).
9. Godflesh, “Xnoybis (psychof**kdub)” – Merciless (disc 2 of Selfless/Merciless double album), 17 minutes 29 seconds : “Lift your arms up. Touch the sky.”
10. Acid King, “Sunshine and Sorrow” – III : This one isn’t super long like the rest, just a good way to end things.
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TomServo69
Moderator Emeritus
Gone but not Forgotten
Nothing ever changes........
Posts: 5,467
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Post by TomServo69 on Feb 3, 2007 5:22:44 GMT -5
Here we go, a little bit of music from the old boy TS69.
1. ELO "Showdown"- just a wonderful song in general. Possibly ELO's best work though overshadowed by the radio hits.
2. Jethro Tull "Teacher"- something about this song, heard it for the first time in about 2 years on the radio today. Great stuff.
3. the Who "Slip Kid"- great song about being a teenager lost in the shuffle. Speaks volumes about Pete's thoughts on the day and age.
4. the Rolling Stones "No Expectations"- Jagger pours his heart into this one. Much better than the more popular ballads like "Wild Horses" and "Angie"
5. the Allman Brothers "Melissa"- just beautiful. Makes me wish I had a chick name Melissa to sing it to.
6. Prince "Partyman"- great party song. Plus, a great video with the Batman overtones makes it that much better.
7. Tenacious D. "Star Trek Theme"- yes, they did it. And, yes, it has lyrics.
8. N.W.A. "Always Into Somethin'"- M.C. Ren and Dr. Dre at the top of their game. Not for those who are easily offended though, lol.
9. Billy Joel "The Stranger"- the best Billy Joel song. Combines his great piano skill with his ability to rock out. Plus, the lyrics are pretty eye-opening, no matter who you are.
10. Aerosmith "Combination"- my favorite Aerosmith song. Overlooked because it's on "Rocks" with "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child" but, this song blows pretty much every other Aerosmith song away.
So Mr. A., hope you enjoyed that little list. I can guarandamntee you it'll make for an interesting mix-disc, lol.
Servo
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Post by Chuck on Feb 3, 2007 7:40:38 GMT -5
The Flaming Lips - Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell
Bryan Ferry - I Thought
The Who - Armenia, City In The Sky
Cocteau Twins - A Kissed Out Red Float Boat
Brian Eno - Just Another Day
Harry Nillsson - Are You Sleeping?
Moby Grape - Can't Be So Bad
Manhattan Transfer - Soul Food To Go
Roxy Music - To Turn You On
Big Brother & The Holding Company - I Need A Man
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