Pitchfork, one of my favorite music review sites, recently endeavored to create a "people's list" based on a limited-time-only ballot that I somehow missed. It's a list of the best albums over the life of the Pitchfork site through last year (1996-2011). I like track lists better than album lists, but I'm still a suck for a reader poll of any variety. The list is now a little hard to find on the Pitchfork website, so I'm wondering if they weren't happy about how the People reflected on their hipster image.
Hidden though they may be now, the people's votes are in, and the people luuuuuuuuuuuuuv Radiohead. Radiohead shows up 4 times in the top 20, including both the #1 and #2 slots. I really don't know quite what to make of that. I think some of it is that the past 15 years really hasn't been a very good period for the album as an art form and Radiohead really is an album rock band. I'd be curious if there were a Peoples List of tracks if Radiohead would come even close to dominating the top 100 tracks the way they dominate the top 20 albums.
The people do not, as it turns out, love alt-country. In the top 200, there is no Neko Case, no Old 97s, no Son Volt, and no Waco Brothers. Ryan Adams sneaks in, and I have to say the People really did pick the right Ryan Adams record. The people also like Wilco, but they like Yankee Foxtrot Hotel a lot better than Summerteeth, and I can't agree with the People about that. Maybe I'm just hatin' on the People who caught on late, even though Husker Du preaches against that kind of behavior, but I never understood what was so great about Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, apart from Warner Bros effectively having to pay for the record twice. No Neko Case though - really??? Is it just Paste folks who like Neko and not Pitchfork folks?
There's also no Sloan and no Luna. I think both made their best records in the late 90s, but I know some others think they made their best records before the Pitchfork 1996 cutoff. Maybe neither band is quite right for the Pitchfork crowd. I really would think that the Beta Band would be a Pitchfork band though, and they're nowhere to be found on this list. I wonder if The Three EPs was deemed ineligible on account of being three EPs on one CD. I still would have included a later Beta Band record, but The Three EPs is the obvious missing choice. Also, no Mountain Goats? I hadn't realized how much on the outskirts of the Pitchfork readership I was. Neko Case, Beta Band, and Mountain Goats are probably the 3 most surprising omissions to me, in that order.
There's still lots of good stuff on this list. I remain a bit surprised by the enduring popularity of Arcade Fire's "Funeral", and I remain pleasantly surprised by the enduring popularity of Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea". I thought TV On the Radio would come in higher than #81, but I can't complain about them having 3 records in the top 200. Similarly, Yo La Tengo's a little further down than I expected, but they do at least show up twice.
Calexico isn't on the top 200, but if you scroll down to the bottom and stratify by age, you can find them on the distinction index for the 51+ year olds and the 40-somethings. Uh oh. It's almost 10 O'clock. Must be time for us old folk Calexico-likers to hit the sack.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Hidden Treasures of 2011
At the end of 2011, I started what I intended to be a new tradition, coming up with a best-of list for the previous year, the one that's already a year old. That is, in December of 2011, I counted down the top tracks of 2010 while every one else was busy pretending that they'd actually fully absorbed 2011 already. This December, with a year of perspective, I'll tackle 2011. You may say "Oh my god, that is so one year ago" or you may say "2011 still sounds pretty new to me. Heck, anything from this century sounds new to me".
I'm still quite a few months away from renewing the tradition at the end of 2012, but it feels appropriate to start thinking more about what I might have missed in 2011. Magnet Magazine's list of Hidden Treasures of 2011 provides just such an opportunity. Never mind that I could have read the post at the end of 2011 when it was published. I didn't. I read it today.
I approached the list suspiciously with it's "the ten best albums you didn't hear" advertising. I figured I'm just the sort of person who listens to the best albums other people don't hear, but in this case I'm 0 for 10. I hadn't heard a single one of these 10 records. I will now. I've downloaded at least one song from eMusic from Campfire OK, Creepoid, Eleven Twenty-Nine, Jerusalem the Starbaskets, Sean McCann, Oscar + Martin, Raw Milk, and Ward White. The two artists who weren't on eMusic were on iTunes, so I downloaded songs by Filthy Bird and Gold-Bears from iTunes and also double-checked that iTunes has all 8 of the other artists' albums available as well.
I feel a little funny buying the Gold-Bears song "Record Store" on line. Buying a song with that name just doesn't show the same loyalty to one of my favorite pastimes as actually going to a record store. Maybe one of my lists will inspire somebody else to go to one.
I'm still quite a few months away from renewing the tradition at the end of 2012, but it feels appropriate to start thinking more about what I might have missed in 2011. Magnet Magazine's list of Hidden Treasures of 2011 provides just such an opportunity. Never mind that I could have read the post at the end of 2011 when it was published. I didn't. I read it today.
I approached the list suspiciously with it's "the ten best albums you didn't hear" advertising. I figured I'm just the sort of person who listens to the best albums other people don't hear, but in this case I'm 0 for 10. I hadn't heard a single one of these 10 records. I will now. I've downloaded at least one song from eMusic from Campfire OK, Creepoid, Eleven Twenty-Nine, Jerusalem the Starbaskets, Sean McCann, Oscar + Martin, Raw Milk, and Ward White. The two artists who weren't on eMusic were on iTunes, so I downloaded songs by Filthy Bird and Gold-Bears from iTunes and also double-checked that iTunes has all 8 of the other artists' albums available as well.
I feel a little funny buying the Gold-Bears song "Record Store" on line. Buying a song with that name just doesn't show the same loyalty to one of my favorite pastimes as actually going to a record store. Maybe one of my lists will inspire somebody else to go to one.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
A Different Dave
Perhaps you found this site because you like lists, but perhaps you have been turned off by the idiosyncratic nature of some of them. Let me therefore recommend an even larger collection of lists from an altogether different Dave. I will call him Other-Dave to avoid confusion and entertain myself. Other-Dave's Music Database's collection of best-of-lists is quite impressive. Most of them appear to be aggregate lists, so there aren't a lot of surprises. I like surprises myself, but I also see the advantage of a list that is generally free of them.
I like the aggregate lists best when all the sources are provided, such as Other-Dave's list of the top 50 progressive rock albums. At the bottom of the post, there are links to all the other lists/sites that fed into the aggregate list. Thus, you get the advantage of the aggregate list plus the serendipity of some of the more adventurous individual lists. Actually, in this case, I didn't think the individual lists were terribly adventurous either, but this timeline list was more interesting than some of the others because it brings prog into the present. You can find more thoughts on prog (from me-myself-and-I-Dave and not Other-Dave) on this previous post.
Other-Dave does have a few posts that are truly his own favorites, such as his top 100 albums. Here, we learn that Other-Dave is a big fan of Marillion and Styx. It's pretty much all commercial (or borderline commercial, e.g. Marillion) fare, but it's also reasonably diverse given that limitation. You don't see a lot of lists, for instance, including both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Crowded House. Kevin GIibert is one artists on the list that shows up multiple times, and I confess I have no familiarity with him. Allmusic.com seems to like Kevin GIlbert's records also.
Maybe one of us (me or Other-Dave) could appear in some future version of These Are the Dave's I Know. Then again, maybe you're looking for neither of us and just planned to have bacon and eggs at Dave's.
I like the aggregate lists best when all the sources are provided, such as Other-Dave's list of the top 50 progressive rock albums. At the bottom of the post, there are links to all the other lists/sites that fed into the aggregate list. Thus, you get the advantage of the aggregate list plus the serendipity of some of the more adventurous individual lists. Actually, in this case, I didn't think the individual lists were terribly adventurous either, but this timeline list was more interesting than some of the others because it brings prog into the present. You can find more thoughts on prog (from me-myself-and-I-Dave and not Other-Dave) on this previous post.
Other-Dave does have a few posts that are truly his own favorites, such as his top 100 albums. Here, we learn that Other-Dave is a big fan of Marillion and Styx. It's pretty much all commercial (or borderline commercial, e.g. Marillion) fare, but it's also reasonably diverse given that limitation. You don't see a lot of lists, for instance, including both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Crowded House. Kevin GIibert is one artists on the list that shows up multiple times, and I confess I have no familiarity with him. Allmusic.com seems to like Kevin GIlbert's records also.
Maybe one of us (me or Other-Dave) could appear in some future version of These Are the Dave's I Know. Then again, maybe you're looking for neither of us and just planned to have bacon and eggs at Dave's.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Top 500 Songs of the 1960s
I wrote the preamble yesterday. Read it here for a more detailed explanation of how this list came to be. This is the 5th, and most difficult so far of the five best-of-the-decades lists I've made. It's also the first one that I'm posting first on the blog without having previously appeared elsewhere. The blog generally has led to less quibbling than I anticipated when I first introduced the blog. Perhaps that will change now.
500) George Jones - I've Got Five Dollars And It's Satuday Night (1967)
499) Hollywood Argyles - Alley Oop (1960)
498) Herman's Hermits - Leaning On A Lamp Post (1964)
497) Shel Naylor - One Fine Day (1964)
496) Joe Hinton - Funny (1964)
495) Sonny James - Running Bear (1969)
494) The New Colony Six - At the River's Edge (1966)
493) Marianne Faithfull - Summer Nights (1965)
492) Patterson Singers - King Jesus Is My All in All (1962)
491) Clovers - Lovey (1960)
490) Chuck Berry - Jaguar & Thunderbird (1960)
489) Joe Tex - I Believe I'm Gonna Make It (1966)
488) The Knickerbockers - Lies (1965)
487) Earl-Jean - I'm Into Somethin' Good (1964)
486) Dee Mullins - Texas Tea (1969)
485) The Move - Wild Tiger Woman (1969)
484) Pink Floyd - Remember A Day (1969)
483) The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go (1964)
482) Claude King - Wolverton Mountain (1962)
481) Little Jerry Williams - Hum-Baby (1963)
480) Toots & The Maytals - Broadway Jungle (1964)
479) The Kinks - Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1966)
478) Tammy Wynette - Kids Say The Darndest Things (1968)
477) Marmalade - I See The Rain (1968)
476) Chet Atkins - A Taste Of Honey (1967)
475) The Impressions - Choice of Colors (1969)
474) The Zombies - I Want You Back Again (1965)
473) Recalls - Nobody's Guy (1965)
472) Little Anthony & The Imperials - Hurt So Bad (1965)
471) Bob Dylan - The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest (1967)
470) Chubby Checker - The Twist (1960)
469) Symarip - Skinhead Moonstomp (1969)
468) Brenda Holloway - Every Little Bit Hurts (1964)
467) Joker's Wild - All I See Is You (1968)
466) Booker T. & The MG's - Chinese Checkers (1963)
465) First Gear - Leave My Kitten Alone (1964)
464) Kaleidoscope - If The Night (1967)
463) Dee Dee Sharp - Mashed Potato Time (1962)
462) Thunderclap Newman - Something In the Air (1969)
461) Chicago - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is (1969)
460) John Barry - Vendetta (1966)
459) Dave Cortez With The Moon People - Happy Soul With A Hook (1968)
458) Solomon Burke - Got to Get You Off My Mind (1965)
457) The Grass Roots - Let's Live For Today (1967)
456) The Paragons - The Tide Is High (1967)
455) Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968)
454) Jefferson Airplane - Martha (1967)
453) Chantay's - Pipeline (1963)
452) Faron Young - Hello Walls (1961)
451) The Marvelows - Do (1965)
450) Roy Harper - Big Fat Silver Aeroplane (1966)
449) Lee Morgan - Take Twelve (1962)
448) Open Mind - Thor The Thunder God (1969)
447) Turtles - You Know What I Mean (1967)
446) Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermint (1967)
445) Phoenix Singers - Ole Gator (1963)
444) The Gestures - Run, Run, Run (1964)
443) The Choir - It's Cold Outside (1967)
442) Frank Sinatra - Nice 'n' Easy (1960)
441) Jackson, Wanda - Let's Have A Party (1960)
440) Joe Tex - Wooden Spoon (1968)
439) The Ikettes - I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song) (1961)
438) Billy Jo Spears - Get Behind Me Satan And Push (1968)
437) Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue (1969)
436) The Youngbloods - Merry-Go-Round (1966)
435) Sly & The Family Stone - Hot Fun In The Summertime (1969)
434) Van Morrison - Who Drove the Red Sports Car (1967)
433) Dion and The Belmonts - The Wanderer (1961)
432) Karen Verros - You Just Gotta Know My Mind (1965)
431) Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John (1961)
430) Joe Henderson - Caribbean Fire Dance (1966)
429) Carl Perkins - Just Coastin' (1969)
428) Louis Gittens - Spider Walk (1962)
427) Major Lance - The Monkey Time (1963)
426) The Granville Williams Orchestra - Hi-Life (1966)
425) Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) - Scott (1967)
424) Judy Clay - It Ain't Long Enough (1969)
423) Lesley Gore - It's My Party (1963)
422) Cliff Nobles & Co. - The Horse (1968)
421) Bob Dylan - Lay, Lady, Lay (1969)
420) Van Morrison - Sweet Thing (1968)
419) The Electric Prunes - I Had To Much To Dream (Last Night) (1967)
418) The Band - King Harvest (1969)
417) Beach Boys - Surfin Safari (1962)
416) Robert Wyatt - Slow Walkin' Talk (1968)
415) Hugo Montenegro And His Orchestra - Our Man Flint (1966)
414) Booker T. & The MG's - Groovin' (1967)
413) Les McCann - Compared To What? (1966)
412) Charlie Rich - Midnite Blues (1962)
411) Oliver Nelson - Soul Street (1960)
410) Ray Ellington - The Madison (1962)
409) Dolly Parton - You're Gonna Be Sorry (1968)
408) King Curtis - Memphis Soul Stew (1967)
407) Sly & The Family Stone - Stand! (1969)
406) Lowell Fulson - Tramp (1967)
405) Dexter Gordon - Cheese Cake (1962)
404) Ike & Tina Turner - It's Gonna Work Out Fine (1960)
403) Fred Neil - Sweet Cocaine (1967)
402) Eddy Arnold - Cowpoke (1963)
401) Petula Clark - Downtown (1964)
400) Gladys Knight & The Pips - Friendship Train (1969)
399) The Animals - It's My Life (1965)
398) The Youngbloods - Euphoria (1967)
397) The Barbarians - Moulty (1966)
396) John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - I'm Your Witchdoctor (1965)
395) Blood, Sweat & Tears - Spinning Wheel (1969)
394) Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A. (1968)
393) Desmond Dekker & The Aces - 007 (Shanty Town) (1967)
392) Jackie Brenston - Trouble Up The Road--Jackie Brenston (1961)
391) Eddie Floyd - Big Bird (1968)
390) Barret Strong - Money (That's What I Want) (1960)
389) Them - Here Comes the Night (1965)
388) Roger Miller - Dang Me (1964)
387) Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues (1967)
386) Bobby Vinton - Blue Velvet (1963)
385) The 5th Dimension - Aquarius (1969)
384) The Critters - The Teddy Bear Affair (1969)
383) Jimmy McCracklin - Just Got To Know (1961)
382) Gerry & the Pacemakers - How Do You Do It? (1963)
381) Monkees - Theme (1966)
380) Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs - Stay (1960)
379) Keith Anderson - I Need a Hit (1966)
378) Joe Tex - I'm A Man (1966)
377) The Creation - Making Time (1966)
376) Neil Young - Mr. Soul (1967)
375) Merle Travis & Joe Maphis - Blast Off (1964)
374) Richard Kiley - The Impossible Dream (The Quest) (1965)
373) Mitty Collier - I Had A Talk With My Man (1964)
372) Procol Harum - In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence (1968)
371) Shorty Long - Function At The Junction (1966)
370) Procol Harum - Boredom (1969)
369) O.V. Wright - Drowning On Dry Land (1968)
368) The Four Tops - You Keep Running Away (1967)
367) William Bell - You Don't Miss Your Water (1962)
366) Amoebas - Look at the Moon (1965)
365) The Impressions - This Is My Country (1968)
364) Temptations - The Way You Do The Things You Do (1964)
363) Waylon Jennings - Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line (1968)
362) Los Zafiros - Bossa Cubana (1965)
361) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Point It Out (1969)
360) Thee Midniters - Jump, Jive & Harmonize (1967)
359) Manfred Mann - Semi-Detatched. Suburban Mr. James (1966)
358) Mike Page - Long Black Shiny Car (1960)
357) The Staple Singers - The Ghetto (1968)
356) Johnny Horton - The Battle Of New Orleans (1961)
355) Bert Kaempfert - Afrikaan Beat (1963)
354) The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night (1965)
353) Booker T. & The MG's - Hang 'Em High (1968)
352) The Guess Who - These Eyes (1969)
351) Billy Stewart - I Do Love You (1965)
350) ? & The Mysterians - Can't Get Enough of You, Baby (1967)
349) Frank Sinatra - Strangers in the Night (1966)
348) Stark Reality - Say Brother (1968)
347) The Honeybus - How Long (1968)
346) Toots & The Maytals - 54-46 Was My Number (1968)
345) Hal Linden - It's De-lovely (1962)
344) The Ventures - Journey To The Stars (1964)
343) Dionne Warwick - Promises, Promises (1968)
342) Jose Feliciano - High Heeled Sneakers (1969)
341) Otis Redding - I've Been Loving You Too Long (1965)
340) The Delfonics - Ready Or Not, Here I Come (1969)
339) Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson And Clover (1969)
338) Jim Tyler & Orchestra - Whatever Lola Wants (1962)
337) Ella Fitzgerald - Duke's Place (C Jam Blues) (1965)
336) Beach Boys - Fun, Fun ,Fun (1964)
335) Bobby Fuller Four - I Fought the Law (1966)
334) The Doors - The End (1967)
333) The Beatles - In My Life (1965)
332) Sly & The Family Stone - Everybody Is A Star (1969)
331) Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation (1968)
330) The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon (1967)
329) Paul Revere & The Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay - Kicks (1966)
328) Fats Domino - Walking To New Orleans (1960)
327) Neil Young - Burned (1966)
326) Jefferson Airplane - Crown Of Creation (1968)
325) Iveys - Yesterday Ain't Coming Back (1969)
324) Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger (1964)
323) Temptations - (I Know) I'm Losing You (1967)
322) The Ventures - Fugitive (1964)
321) Dusty Springfield - Little By Little (1966)
320) Jerry Reed - Wayfaring Stranger (1969)
319) Jack Bruce - The Ministry Of Bag (1969)
318) The Sir Douglas Quintet - She's About a Mover (1965)
317) J.B. Lenoir - Mojo Boogie (1966)
316) Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man (1966)
315) Zager And Evans - In the Year 2525 (1969)
314) Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra - Some Velvet Morning (1967)
313) Diana Ross & The Supremes - I'm Livin' In Shame (1969)
312) Margaret Lewis - Conscience I'm Guilty (1962)
311) Shirley Ellis - The Real Nitty Gritty (1963)
310) The Beau Brummels - Just A Little (1965)
309) Ben E. King - Stand By Me (1961)
308) Fleetwood Mac - Albatross (1969)
307) Jorge Ben Jor - Bebete Vaobora (1969)
306) Johnny Cash & June Carter - Oh, What a Good Thing We Had (1967)
305) Link Wray - Ace of Spades (1966)
304) William Bell - Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday (1967)
303) Link Wray - The Black Widow (1963)
302) Quicksilver Messenger Service - Dino's Song (1968)
301) Prince Buster - Cincinatti Kid (1969)
300) Manfred Mann - With God On Our Side (1965)
299) Clara Ward Singers - If I Had My Way (1961)
298) Manfred Mann - Do Wah Diddy Diddy (1964)
297) Bobby Womack - Fly Me To The Moon (1968)
296) The Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet - Rocket 88 (1967)
295) Peter, Paul And Mary - Going to the Zoo (1963)
294) Esquivel - Music Makers (1960)
293) The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me (1963)
292) Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1967)
291) Hollywood Persuaders - Drums A Go-Go (1965)
290) Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine (1968)
289) Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Walk Like A Man (1963)
288) The Marketts - Batman Theme - The Marketts (1966)
287) Chuck Berry - I'm Talking About You (1961)
286) Simon & Garfunkel - I Am A Rock (1965)
285) Turtles - Happy Together (1967)
284) The Doors - Touch Me (1969)
283) William Bell - Born Under A Bad Sign (1969)
282) Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Shake And Fingerpop (1965)
281) Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (1966)
280) Frank Sinatra - My Way (1969)
279) Pink Floyd - Bike (1968)
278) The Isley Brothers - Tell Me Who (1960)
277) Peter, Paul And Mary - If I Had a Hammer (1962)
276) Three Dog Night - One (1969)
275) Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass - A Taste of Honey (1965)
274) The Exciters - Tell Him (1962)
273) The Friends Of Distinction - Grazing In The Grass (1969)
272) The Sonics - Strychnine (1965)
271) Al Caiola & His Orchestra - The Magnificent Seven (1961)
270) Vince Guaraldi - Skating (1965)
269) The Four Tops - What Is A Man (1969)
268) Dolly Parton - Down from Dover (1969)
267) Gene Pitney - (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance (1962)
266) ? & The Mysterians - 96 Tears (1966)
265) Country Gentlemen - Roving Gambler (1960)
264) Etta & Harvey - If I Can't Have You (1960)
263) Terry Callier - Spin Spin Spin (1968)
262) Gilberto Gil - Bat Macumba (1968)
261) The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody (1965)
260) The Zombies - Just Out Of Reach (1966)
259) Lou Blackburn - Manha De Carnaval (1963)
258) Johnnie Taylor - Can't Trust Your Neighbor (1968)
257) The Impressions - People Get Ready (1965)
256) Jorge Ben Jor - Mas, Que Nada (1963)
255) Sam & Dave - I Thank You (1968)
254) Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder (1964)
253) Roy Orbison - Crying (1962)
252) Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice (1966)
251) Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers (1969)
250) Gal Costa - Pais Tropical (1969)
249) Donovan - Sunshine Superman (1969)
248) Del Reeves - Girl on a Billboard (1965)
247) Caetano Veloso - Irene (1969)
246) Joe Tex - Sit Yourself Down (1964)
245) Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today (1967)
244) Gene Chandler - Duke of Earl (1961)
243) The Shangri-Las - Remember (Walkin' In the Sand) (1964)
242) Rolling Stones - Time Is On My Side (1964)
241) Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
240) Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home (1969)
239) Bert Jansch - Strolling Down The Highway (1965)
238) Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride (1968)
237) The Velvet Underground - Beginning To See The Light (1968)
236) Prince Buster - Too Hot (1967)
235) Ella Fitzgerald - Smooth Sailing (1965)
234) Mama Cass Elliot - Make Your Own Kind Of Music (1968)
233) Frank Zappa - Trouble Every Day (1966)
232) Henry Mancini & His Orchestra And Chorus - The Pink Panther Theme (1964)
231) Jan and Dean - Dead Man's Curve (1964)
230) The Shangri-Las - Leader of the Pack (1964)
229) The Move - Kilroy Was Here (1967)
228) The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset (1967)
227) Little Milton - Grits Ain't Groceries (1969)
226) Bobby "Blue" Bland - I've Just Got To Forget You (1960)
225) Roger Miller - King of the Road (1965)
224) MC5 - Kick Out the Jams (1969)
223) Cream - Strange Brew (1967)
222) The Zombies - Time Of The Season (1968)
221) Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild (1968)
220) Gloria Jones - Tainted Love (1964)
219) The Isley Brothers - It's Your Thing (1969)
218) The Moody Blues - Lovely To See You (1969)
217) The Impressions - Gypsy Woman (1961)
216) The Box Tops - The Letter (1967)
215) James Carr - These Ain't Raindrops (1969)
214) Thelonious Monk - In Walked Bud (1967)
213) Tornadoes - Telstar (1962)
212) Jefferson Airplane - Embryonic Journey (1967)
211) Pink Floyd - See Emily Play (1967)
210) The Troggs - Wild Thing (1966)
209) The Supremes - You Keep Me Hanging On (1967)
208) Dion - He Looks A Lot Like Me (1968)
207) Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Put A Spell On You (1968)
206) The Ethiopians - Train To Skaville (1968)
205) The Surfaris - Wipe Out - The Surfaris (1963)
204) Linda Ronstadt - Different Drum (1967)
203) Jefferson Airplane - It's No Secret (1966)
202) Ella Fitzgerald - Desafinada (1962)
201) Ron Grainer - Doctor Who (1963)
200) Argo Singers - Divies (1964)
199) The Beatles - Lady Madonna (1968)
198) The Kinks - Shangri - La (1969)
197) The Animals - House of the Rising Sun (1964)
196) Bo Diddley - You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover (1962)
195) Oliver Nelson - The Meetin' (1960)
194) The Doors - Light My Fire (1967)
193) Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her (1967)
192) The Beatles - We Can Work It Out (1965)
191) Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Love Land (1969)
190) The Kingsmen - Louie Louie (1963)
189) Chuck Berry - Promised Land (1964)
188) Merle Haggard - Okie from Muskogie (1969)
187) Patsy Cline - I Fall To Pieces (1961)
186) The Beatles - Eight Days A Week (1964)
185) Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Hip Chops (1964)
184) Skeeter Davis - Where I Ought To Be (1962)
183) The Staple Singers - When Will We Be Paid (1969)
182) S.E. Rogie - Twist With The Morningstars (1960)
181) Big Brother & The Holding Company - Piece Of My Heart (1968)
180) Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot - Bonnie And Clyde (1968)
179) Ray Charles - Hit the road Jack (1964)
178) Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me (1963)
177) Stan Getz & João Gilberto - The Girl from Ipanema (1963)
176) Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965)
175) Ennio Morricone - Il Buono, Il Cattivo, Il Brutto (The Good, The Bad And The Ugly) (1966)
174) Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash (1968)
173) Werner Muller - Hawaiian War Chant (1967)
172) The Band - The Weight (1968)
171) The Supremes - Love Child (1968)
170) Eric Dolphy - Gazzelloni (1964)
169) Marty Robbins - Big Iron (1960)
168) Billy Mize - Planet Named Desire (1960)
167) Bo Diddley - Prisoner Of Love (1960)
166) Soft Machine - Hulloder (1968)
165) John Lennon - Give Peace A Chance (1969)
164) The Ventures - Hawaii Five-O (1969)
163) Marty Robbins - Ribbon Of Darkness (1965)
162) The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (1969)
161) Jackie Wilson - Baby Workout (1963)
160) John Barry - The James Bond Theme (1962)
159) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears (1965)
158) Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) (1965)
157) Amboy Dukes Featuring Ted Nugent - Journey To The Center of the Mind (1968)
156) Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The Wind (1963)
155) Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam (1964)
154) Herbie Hancock - Blind Man, Blind Man (1963)
153) Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (1969)
152) The Beatles - Blackbird (1968)
151) Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin' (1967)
150) The Who - Pictures Of Lily (1967)
149) Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People (1969)
148) The Beatles - Paperback Writer (1966)
147) Badfinger - Come And Get It (1969)
146) Aretha Franklin - The House That Jack Built (1968)
145) Neil Diamond - Kentucky Woman (1968)
144) The Beatles - Day Tripper (1965)
143) Charles Mingus - Ecclusiastics (1962)
142) The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog (1969)
141) Sonny Clark - Melody For C (1961)
140) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Abraham, Martin And John (1969)
139) The Guess Who - Undun (1969)
138) Jimmy McCracklin - The Bitter And The Sweet (1963)
137) Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You (1969)
136) Skatalites - Ringo Rides (Aka Ringo) (1966)
135) The Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven (1963)
134) The Ronettes - Be My Baby (1963)
133) Moby Grape - Ain’t No Use (1967)
132) Phil Ochs - Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends (1968)
131) Monkees - Pleasant Valley Sunday (1967)
130) The Beatles - She Loves You (1963)
129) The Association - Along Comes Mary (1968)
128) The Kinks - You Really Got Me (1964)
127) Moody Blues - Ride My See-Saw (1968)
126) Lord Kitchener - Steel Band Music (1964)
125) Stevie Wonder - Fingertips, Part 2 (1962)
124) Dionne Warwick - Don't Make Me Over (1962)
123) The 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me (1966)
122) The Marcels - Blue Moon (1961)
121) Sam & Dave - Soul Man (1967)
120) Cannonball Adderley - Well, You Needn't (1961)
119) Crosby, Stills & Nash - Wooden Ships (1969)
118) The Kinks - Tired Of Waiting For You (1965)
117) James Brown - Think (1960)
116) Peter, Paul And Mary - Puff (The Magic Dragon) (1963)
115) The Beatles - Got To Get You Into My Life (1966)
114) Rolling Stones - Get Off Of My Cloud (1966)
113) Sly & The Family Stone - Dance To The Music (1968)
112) The Kinks - Stop Your Sobbing (1964)
111) Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman (1968)
110) The Who - I Can't Explain (1964)
109) Hugo Montenegro - In The Hall of the Mountain King (1960)
108) Scott Walker - The Old Man's Back Again (1969)
107) Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (1969)
106) The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (1964)
105) Sam & Dave - Hold On, I'm Coming (1966)
104) Jimi Hendrix - Castles Of Made Of Sand (1967)
103) Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love (1967)
102) Love - Alone Again Or (1967)
101) Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday (1967)
100) Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Three For The Festival (1961)
99) Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (1968)
98) The Who - I Can See For Miles (1967)
97) James Brown - Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud (1968)
96) Lee Morgan - The Hearing (1960)
95) The Youngbloods - Get Together (1967)
94) Aretha Franklin - Think (1968)
93) Charles Mingus - Solo Dancer (Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!) (1963)
92) The Four Tops - 7-Rooms Of Gloom (1967)
91) Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is? (1969)
90) Simon & Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (1966)
89) The Ventures - Walk Don't Run (1960)
88) The Beatles - I Feel Fine (1964)
87) Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (1967)
86) The Rolling Stones - Dandelion (1967)
85) Bob Dylan - Maggie's Farm (1965)
84) The Drifters - On Broadway (1963)
83) O.V. Wright - Eight Men, Four Women (1967)
82) Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black (1966)
81) Soft Machine - Why Are We Sleeping? (1968)
80) Os Mutantes - A Minha Menina (1968)
79) Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1966)
78) Rolling Stones - Sittin' On A Fence (1967)
77) Miles Davis & Gil Evans - Solea (1960)
76) Love - 7 & 7 Is (1967)
75) Beach Boys - California Girls (1965)
74) Lush Strings - Hawaiian War Chant ( ?)
73) Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - Jackson (1968)
72) Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1968)
71) Neil Diamond - I'm A Believer (1968)
70) The Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love (1965)
69) The Mamas & the Papas - California Dreamin' (1966)
68) Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused (1969)
67) Nick Drake - River Man (1969)
66) The Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There (1966)
65) Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want (1969)
64) Gene Pitney - Town Without Pity (1962)
63) The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With A Little Help From My Friends (1967)
62) Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (1966)
61) The Kinks - I'm Not Like Everybody Else (1966)
60) Herbie Hancock - Dolphin Dance (1965)
59) The Zombies - She's Not There (1964)
58) Beach Boys - Surfin USA (1963)
57) Emundo Ros - Brazil (1962)
56) Rolling Stones - Play With Fire (1965)
55) The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (1968)
54) The Who - My Generation (1965)
53) The Doors - People Are Stange (1967)
52) Jimi Hendrix - Manic Depression (1967)
51) The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin (1967)
50) Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (1960)
49) Dave Dudley - Six Days on the Road (1963)
48) The Stooges - 1969 (1969)
47) Sun Ra - Urnack (1960)
46) James Brown - It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World (1966)
45) Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds Of Silence (1964)
44) Meters - Cissy Strut (1969)
43) David Bowie - Space Oddity (1969)
42) Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (1965)
41) Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay (1968)
40) The Beatles - Ticket to Ride (1965)
39) Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant Massacre (1967)
38) James Brown - I Got You (I Feel Good) (1965)
37) Velvet Underground - All Tomorrow's Parties (1967)
36) Dick Dale - Miserlou (1962)
35) The Beatles - Revolution (1968)
34) Duke Ellington With Charles Mingus & Max Roach - Wig Wise (1962)
33) Caetano Veloso - Tropicália (67) (1967)
32) The Beatles - Come Together (1969)
31) Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Israelites (1969)
30) The Beatles - Eleanor Ribgy (1966)
29) Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1969)
28) Sun Ra - We Travel the Spaceways (1960)
27) Booker T. & The MG's - Green Onions (1962)
26) Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (1967)
25) Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire (1963)
24) Jimi Hendrix - Crosstown Traffic (1967)
23) John Coltrane - Syeeda's Song Flute (1960)
22) Etta James - A Sunday Kind Of Love (1961)
21) Velvet Underground - There She Goes Again (1967)
20) Temptations - Cloud Nine (1968)
19) Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times (1969)
18) The Who - The Kids Are Alright (1965)
17) Patsy Cline - Crazy (1961)
16) Sun Ra - Interplanetary Music (1960)
15) Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson (1968)
14) Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze (1967)
13) Byrds - Eight Miles High (1966)
12) James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (1964)
11) The Who - Pinball Wizard (1969)
10) Aretha Franklin - Respect (1967)
9) John Coltrane - Resolution (1964)
8) The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
7) Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
6) Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil (1968)
5) Oliver Nelson - Stolen Moments (1961)
4) Temptations - Ball Of Confusion (1969)
3) The Beatles - A Day In The Life (1967)
2) Rolling Stones - Satisfaction (1965)
1) The Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand (1963)
That's it. I'm sure I left out some good stuff. I'm not prepared to revise the list anytime soon, but do let me know what's missing. Remember that I mostly tried to follow a rule of no more than one song per record. I granted myself approximately 20 so-called Stop Your Sobbin' exceptions to that rule, but I mostly honestly tried to follow it.
500) George Jones - I've Got Five Dollars And It's Satuday Night (1967)
499) Hollywood Argyles - Alley Oop (1960)
498) Herman's Hermits - Leaning On A Lamp Post (1964)
497) Shel Naylor - One Fine Day (1964)
496) Joe Hinton - Funny (1964)
495) Sonny James - Running Bear (1969)
494) The New Colony Six - At the River's Edge (1966)
493) Marianne Faithfull - Summer Nights (1965)
492) Patterson Singers - King Jesus Is My All in All (1962)
491) Clovers - Lovey (1960)
490) Chuck Berry - Jaguar & Thunderbird (1960)
489) Joe Tex - I Believe I'm Gonna Make It (1966)
488) The Knickerbockers - Lies (1965)
487) Earl-Jean - I'm Into Somethin' Good (1964)
486) Dee Mullins - Texas Tea (1969)
485) The Move - Wild Tiger Woman (1969)
484) Pink Floyd - Remember A Day (1969)
483) The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go (1964)
482) Claude King - Wolverton Mountain (1962)
481) Little Jerry Williams - Hum-Baby (1963)
480) Toots & The Maytals - Broadway Jungle (1964)
479) The Kinks - Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1966)
478) Tammy Wynette - Kids Say The Darndest Things (1968)
477) Marmalade - I See The Rain (1968)
476) Chet Atkins - A Taste Of Honey (1967)
475) The Impressions - Choice of Colors (1969)
474) The Zombies - I Want You Back Again (1965)
473) Recalls - Nobody's Guy (1965)
472) Little Anthony & The Imperials - Hurt So Bad (1965)
471) Bob Dylan - The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest (1967)
470) Chubby Checker - The Twist (1960)
469) Symarip - Skinhead Moonstomp (1969)
468) Brenda Holloway - Every Little Bit Hurts (1964)
467) Joker's Wild - All I See Is You (1968)
466) Booker T. & The MG's - Chinese Checkers (1963)
465) First Gear - Leave My Kitten Alone (1964)
464) Kaleidoscope - If The Night (1967)
463) Dee Dee Sharp - Mashed Potato Time (1962)
462) Thunderclap Newman - Something In the Air (1969)
461) Chicago - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is (1969)
460) John Barry - Vendetta (1966)
459) Dave Cortez With The Moon People - Happy Soul With A Hook (1968)
458) Solomon Burke - Got to Get You Off My Mind (1965)
457) The Grass Roots - Let's Live For Today (1967)
456) The Paragons - The Tide Is High (1967)
455) Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968)
454) Jefferson Airplane - Martha (1967)
453) Chantay's - Pipeline (1963)
452) Faron Young - Hello Walls (1961)
451) The Marvelows - Do (1965)
450) Roy Harper - Big Fat Silver Aeroplane (1966)
449) Lee Morgan - Take Twelve (1962)
448) Open Mind - Thor The Thunder God (1969)
447) Turtles - You Know What I Mean (1967)
446) Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermint (1967)
445) Phoenix Singers - Ole Gator (1963)
444) The Gestures - Run, Run, Run (1964)
443) The Choir - It's Cold Outside (1967)
442) Frank Sinatra - Nice 'n' Easy (1960)
441) Jackson, Wanda - Let's Have A Party (1960)
440) Joe Tex - Wooden Spoon (1968)
439) The Ikettes - I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song) (1961)
438) Billy Jo Spears - Get Behind Me Satan And Push (1968)
437) Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue (1969)
436) The Youngbloods - Merry-Go-Round (1966)
435) Sly & The Family Stone - Hot Fun In The Summertime (1969)
434) Van Morrison - Who Drove the Red Sports Car (1967)
433) Dion and The Belmonts - The Wanderer (1961)
432) Karen Verros - You Just Gotta Know My Mind (1965)
431) Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John (1961)
430) Joe Henderson - Caribbean Fire Dance (1966)
429) Carl Perkins - Just Coastin' (1969)
428) Louis Gittens - Spider Walk (1962)
427) Major Lance - The Monkey Time (1963)
426) The Granville Williams Orchestra - Hi-Life (1966)
425) Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) - Scott (1967)
424) Judy Clay - It Ain't Long Enough (1969)
423) Lesley Gore - It's My Party (1963)
422) Cliff Nobles & Co. - The Horse (1968)
421) Bob Dylan - Lay, Lady, Lay (1969)
420) Van Morrison - Sweet Thing (1968)
419) The Electric Prunes - I Had To Much To Dream (Last Night) (1967)
418) The Band - King Harvest (1969)
417) Beach Boys - Surfin Safari (1962)
416) Robert Wyatt - Slow Walkin' Talk (1968)
415) Hugo Montenegro And His Orchestra - Our Man Flint (1966)
414) Booker T. & The MG's - Groovin' (1967)
413) Les McCann - Compared To What? (1966)
412) Charlie Rich - Midnite Blues (1962)
411) Oliver Nelson - Soul Street (1960)
410) Ray Ellington - The Madison (1962)
409) Dolly Parton - You're Gonna Be Sorry (1968)
408) King Curtis - Memphis Soul Stew (1967)
407) Sly & The Family Stone - Stand! (1969)
406) Lowell Fulson - Tramp (1967)
405) Dexter Gordon - Cheese Cake (1962)
404) Ike & Tina Turner - It's Gonna Work Out Fine (1960)
403) Fred Neil - Sweet Cocaine (1967)
402) Eddy Arnold - Cowpoke (1963)
401) Petula Clark - Downtown (1964)
400) Gladys Knight & The Pips - Friendship Train (1969)
399) The Animals - It's My Life (1965)
398) The Youngbloods - Euphoria (1967)
397) The Barbarians - Moulty (1966)
396) John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - I'm Your Witchdoctor (1965)
395) Blood, Sweat & Tears - Spinning Wheel (1969)
394) Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A. (1968)
393) Desmond Dekker & The Aces - 007 (Shanty Town) (1967)
392) Jackie Brenston - Trouble Up The Road--Jackie Brenston (1961)
391) Eddie Floyd - Big Bird (1968)
390) Barret Strong - Money (That's What I Want) (1960)
389) Them - Here Comes the Night (1965)
388) Roger Miller - Dang Me (1964)
387) Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues (1967)
386) Bobby Vinton - Blue Velvet (1963)
385) The 5th Dimension - Aquarius (1969)
384) The Critters - The Teddy Bear Affair (1969)
383) Jimmy McCracklin - Just Got To Know (1961)
382) Gerry & the Pacemakers - How Do You Do It? (1963)
381) Monkees - Theme (1966)
380) Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs - Stay (1960)
379) Keith Anderson - I Need a Hit (1966)
378) Joe Tex - I'm A Man (1966)
377) The Creation - Making Time (1966)
376) Neil Young - Mr. Soul (1967)
375) Merle Travis & Joe Maphis - Blast Off (1964)
374) Richard Kiley - The Impossible Dream (The Quest) (1965)
373) Mitty Collier - I Had A Talk With My Man (1964)
372) Procol Harum - In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence (1968)
371) Shorty Long - Function At The Junction (1966)
370) Procol Harum - Boredom (1969)
369) O.V. Wright - Drowning On Dry Land (1968)
368) The Four Tops - You Keep Running Away (1967)
367) William Bell - You Don't Miss Your Water (1962)
366) Amoebas - Look at the Moon (1965)
365) The Impressions - This Is My Country (1968)
364) Temptations - The Way You Do The Things You Do (1964)
363) Waylon Jennings - Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line (1968)
362) Los Zafiros - Bossa Cubana (1965)
361) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Point It Out (1969)
360) Thee Midniters - Jump, Jive & Harmonize (1967)
359) Manfred Mann - Semi-Detatched. Suburban Mr. James (1966)
358) Mike Page - Long Black Shiny Car (1960)
357) The Staple Singers - The Ghetto (1968)
356) Johnny Horton - The Battle Of New Orleans (1961)
355) Bert Kaempfert - Afrikaan Beat (1963)
354) The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night (1965)
353) Booker T. & The MG's - Hang 'Em High (1968)
352) The Guess Who - These Eyes (1969)
351) Billy Stewart - I Do Love You (1965)
350) ? & The Mysterians - Can't Get Enough of You, Baby (1967)
349) Frank Sinatra - Strangers in the Night (1966)
348) Stark Reality - Say Brother (1968)
347) The Honeybus - How Long (1968)
346) Toots & The Maytals - 54-46 Was My Number (1968)
345) Hal Linden - It's De-lovely (1962)
344) The Ventures - Journey To The Stars (1964)
343) Dionne Warwick - Promises, Promises (1968)
342) Jose Feliciano - High Heeled Sneakers (1969)
341) Otis Redding - I've Been Loving You Too Long (1965)
340) The Delfonics - Ready Or Not, Here I Come (1969)
339) Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson And Clover (1969)
338) Jim Tyler & Orchestra - Whatever Lola Wants (1962)
337) Ella Fitzgerald - Duke's Place (C Jam Blues) (1965)
336) Beach Boys - Fun, Fun ,Fun (1964)
335) Bobby Fuller Four - I Fought the Law (1966)
334) The Doors - The End (1967)
333) The Beatles - In My Life (1965)
332) Sly & The Family Stone - Everybody Is A Star (1969)
331) Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation (1968)
330) The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon (1967)
329) Paul Revere & The Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay - Kicks (1966)
328) Fats Domino - Walking To New Orleans (1960)
327) Neil Young - Burned (1966)
326) Jefferson Airplane - Crown Of Creation (1968)
325) Iveys - Yesterday Ain't Coming Back (1969)
324) Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger (1964)
323) Temptations - (I Know) I'm Losing You (1967)
322) The Ventures - Fugitive (1964)
321) Dusty Springfield - Little By Little (1966)
320) Jerry Reed - Wayfaring Stranger (1969)
319) Jack Bruce - The Ministry Of Bag (1969)
318) The Sir Douglas Quintet - She's About a Mover (1965)
317) J.B. Lenoir - Mojo Boogie (1966)
316) Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man (1966)
315) Zager And Evans - In the Year 2525 (1969)
314) Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra - Some Velvet Morning (1967)
313) Diana Ross & The Supremes - I'm Livin' In Shame (1969)
312) Margaret Lewis - Conscience I'm Guilty (1962)
311) Shirley Ellis - The Real Nitty Gritty (1963)
310) The Beau Brummels - Just A Little (1965)
309) Ben E. King - Stand By Me (1961)
308) Fleetwood Mac - Albatross (1969)
307) Jorge Ben Jor - Bebete Vaobora (1969)
306) Johnny Cash & June Carter - Oh, What a Good Thing We Had (1967)
305) Link Wray - Ace of Spades (1966)
304) William Bell - Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday (1967)
303) Link Wray - The Black Widow (1963)
302) Quicksilver Messenger Service - Dino's Song (1968)
301) Prince Buster - Cincinatti Kid (1969)
300) Manfred Mann - With God On Our Side (1965)
299) Clara Ward Singers - If I Had My Way (1961)
298) Manfred Mann - Do Wah Diddy Diddy (1964)
297) Bobby Womack - Fly Me To The Moon (1968)
296) The Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet - Rocket 88 (1967)
295) Peter, Paul And Mary - Going to the Zoo (1963)
294) Esquivel - Music Makers (1960)
293) The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me (1963)
292) Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1967)
291) Hollywood Persuaders - Drums A Go-Go (1965)
290) Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine (1968)
289) Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Walk Like A Man (1963)
288) The Marketts - Batman Theme - The Marketts (1966)
287) Chuck Berry - I'm Talking About You (1961)
286) Simon & Garfunkel - I Am A Rock (1965)
285) Turtles - Happy Together (1967)
284) The Doors - Touch Me (1969)
283) William Bell - Born Under A Bad Sign (1969)
282) Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Shake And Fingerpop (1965)
281) Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (1966)
280) Frank Sinatra - My Way (1969)
279) Pink Floyd - Bike (1968)
278) The Isley Brothers - Tell Me Who (1960)
277) Peter, Paul And Mary - If I Had a Hammer (1962)
276) Three Dog Night - One (1969)
275) Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass - A Taste of Honey (1965)
274) The Exciters - Tell Him (1962)
273) The Friends Of Distinction - Grazing In The Grass (1969)
272) The Sonics - Strychnine (1965)
271) Al Caiola & His Orchestra - The Magnificent Seven (1961)
270) Vince Guaraldi - Skating (1965)
269) The Four Tops - What Is A Man (1969)
268) Dolly Parton - Down from Dover (1969)
267) Gene Pitney - (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance (1962)
266) ? & The Mysterians - 96 Tears (1966)
265) Country Gentlemen - Roving Gambler (1960)
264) Etta & Harvey - If I Can't Have You (1960)
263) Terry Callier - Spin Spin Spin (1968)
262) Gilberto Gil - Bat Macumba (1968)
261) The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody (1965)
260) The Zombies - Just Out Of Reach (1966)
259) Lou Blackburn - Manha De Carnaval (1963)
258) Johnnie Taylor - Can't Trust Your Neighbor (1968)
257) The Impressions - People Get Ready (1965)
256) Jorge Ben Jor - Mas, Que Nada (1963)
255) Sam & Dave - I Thank You (1968)
254) Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder (1964)
253) Roy Orbison - Crying (1962)
252) Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice (1966)
251) Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers (1969)
250) Gal Costa - Pais Tropical (1969)
249) Donovan - Sunshine Superman (1969)
248) Del Reeves - Girl on a Billboard (1965)
247) Caetano Veloso - Irene (1969)
246) Joe Tex - Sit Yourself Down (1964)
245) Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today (1967)
244) Gene Chandler - Duke of Earl (1961)
243) The Shangri-Las - Remember (Walkin' In the Sand) (1964)
242) Rolling Stones - Time Is On My Side (1964)
241) Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
240) Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home (1969)
239) Bert Jansch - Strolling Down The Highway (1965)
238) Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride (1968)
237) The Velvet Underground - Beginning To See The Light (1968)
236) Prince Buster - Too Hot (1967)
235) Ella Fitzgerald - Smooth Sailing (1965)
234) Mama Cass Elliot - Make Your Own Kind Of Music (1968)
233) Frank Zappa - Trouble Every Day (1966)
232) Henry Mancini & His Orchestra And Chorus - The Pink Panther Theme (1964)
231) Jan and Dean - Dead Man's Curve (1964)
230) The Shangri-Las - Leader of the Pack (1964)
229) The Move - Kilroy Was Here (1967)
228) The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset (1967)
227) Little Milton - Grits Ain't Groceries (1969)
226) Bobby "Blue" Bland - I've Just Got To Forget You (1960)
225) Roger Miller - King of the Road (1965)
224) MC5 - Kick Out the Jams (1969)
223) Cream - Strange Brew (1967)
222) The Zombies - Time Of The Season (1968)
221) Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild (1968)
220) Gloria Jones - Tainted Love (1964)
219) The Isley Brothers - It's Your Thing (1969)
218) The Moody Blues - Lovely To See You (1969)
217) The Impressions - Gypsy Woman (1961)
216) The Box Tops - The Letter (1967)
215) James Carr - These Ain't Raindrops (1969)
214) Thelonious Monk - In Walked Bud (1967)
213) Tornadoes - Telstar (1962)
212) Jefferson Airplane - Embryonic Journey (1967)
211) Pink Floyd - See Emily Play (1967)
210) The Troggs - Wild Thing (1966)
209) The Supremes - You Keep Me Hanging On (1967)
208) Dion - He Looks A Lot Like Me (1968)
207) Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Put A Spell On You (1968)
206) The Ethiopians - Train To Skaville (1968)
205) The Surfaris - Wipe Out - The Surfaris (1963)
204) Linda Ronstadt - Different Drum (1967)
203) Jefferson Airplane - It's No Secret (1966)
202) Ella Fitzgerald - Desafinada (1962)
201) Ron Grainer - Doctor Who (1963)
200) Argo Singers - Divies (1964)
199) The Beatles - Lady Madonna (1968)
198) The Kinks - Shangri - La (1969)
197) The Animals - House of the Rising Sun (1964)
196) Bo Diddley - You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover (1962)
195) Oliver Nelson - The Meetin' (1960)
194) The Doors - Light My Fire (1967)
193) Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her (1967)
192) The Beatles - We Can Work It Out (1965)
191) Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Love Land (1969)
190) The Kingsmen - Louie Louie (1963)
189) Chuck Berry - Promised Land (1964)
188) Merle Haggard - Okie from Muskogie (1969)
187) Patsy Cline - I Fall To Pieces (1961)
186) The Beatles - Eight Days A Week (1964)
185) Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Hip Chops (1964)
184) Skeeter Davis - Where I Ought To Be (1962)
183) The Staple Singers - When Will We Be Paid (1969)
182) S.E. Rogie - Twist With The Morningstars (1960)
181) Big Brother & The Holding Company - Piece Of My Heart (1968)
180) Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot - Bonnie And Clyde (1968)
179) Ray Charles - Hit the road Jack (1964)
178) Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me (1963)
177) Stan Getz & João Gilberto - The Girl from Ipanema (1963)
176) Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965)
175) Ennio Morricone - Il Buono, Il Cattivo, Il Brutto (The Good, The Bad And The Ugly) (1966)
174) Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash (1968)
173) Werner Muller - Hawaiian War Chant (1967)
172) The Band - The Weight (1968)
171) The Supremes - Love Child (1968)
170) Eric Dolphy - Gazzelloni (1964)
169) Marty Robbins - Big Iron (1960)
168) Billy Mize - Planet Named Desire (1960)
167) Bo Diddley - Prisoner Of Love (1960)
166) Soft Machine - Hulloder (1968)
165) John Lennon - Give Peace A Chance (1969)
164) The Ventures - Hawaii Five-O (1969)
163) Marty Robbins - Ribbon Of Darkness (1965)
162) The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (1969)
161) Jackie Wilson - Baby Workout (1963)
160) John Barry - The James Bond Theme (1962)
159) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears (1965)
158) Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) (1965)
157) Amboy Dukes Featuring Ted Nugent - Journey To The Center of the Mind (1968)
156) Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The Wind (1963)
155) Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam (1964)
154) Herbie Hancock - Blind Man, Blind Man (1963)
153) Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (1969)
152) The Beatles - Blackbird (1968)
151) Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin' (1967)
150) The Who - Pictures Of Lily (1967)
149) Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People (1969)
148) The Beatles - Paperback Writer (1966)
147) Badfinger - Come And Get It (1969)
146) Aretha Franklin - The House That Jack Built (1968)
145) Neil Diamond - Kentucky Woman (1968)
144) The Beatles - Day Tripper (1965)
143) Charles Mingus - Ecclusiastics (1962)
142) The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog (1969)
141) Sonny Clark - Melody For C (1961)
140) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Abraham, Martin And John (1969)
139) The Guess Who - Undun (1969)
138) Jimmy McCracklin - The Bitter And The Sweet (1963)
137) Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You (1969)
136) Skatalites - Ringo Rides (Aka Ringo) (1966)
135) The Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven (1963)
134) The Ronettes - Be My Baby (1963)
133) Moby Grape - Ain’t No Use (1967)
132) Phil Ochs - Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends (1968)
131) Monkees - Pleasant Valley Sunday (1967)
130) The Beatles - She Loves You (1963)
129) The Association - Along Comes Mary (1968)
128) The Kinks - You Really Got Me (1964)
127) Moody Blues - Ride My See-Saw (1968)
126) Lord Kitchener - Steel Band Music (1964)
125) Stevie Wonder - Fingertips, Part 2 (1962)
124) Dionne Warwick - Don't Make Me Over (1962)
123) The 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me (1966)
122) The Marcels - Blue Moon (1961)
121) Sam & Dave - Soul Man (1967)
120) Cannonball Adderley - Well, You Needn't (1961)
119) Crosby, Stills & Nash - Wooden Ships (1969)
118) The Kinks - Tired Of Waiting For You (1965)
117) James Brown - Think (1960)
116) Peter, Paul And Mary - Puff (The Magic Dragon) (1963)
115) The Beatles - Got To Get You Into My Life (1966)
114) Rolling Stones - Get Off Of My Cloud (1966)
113) Sly & The Family Stone - Dance To The Music (1968)
112) The Kinks - Stop Your Sobbing (1964)
111) Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman (1968)
110) The Who - I Can't Explain (1964)
109) Hugo Montenegro - In The Hall of the Mountain King (1960)
108) Scott Walker - The Old Man's Back Again (1969)
107) Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (1969)
106) The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (1964)
105) Sam & Dave - Hold On, I'm Coming (1966)
104) Jimi Hendrix - Castles Of Made Of Sand (1967)
103) Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love (1967)
102) Love - Alone Again Or (1967)
101) Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday (1967)
100) Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Three For The Festival (1961)
99) Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (1968)
98) The Who - I Can See For Miles (1967)
97) James Brown - Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud (1968)
96) Lee Morgan - The Hearing (1960)
95) The Youngbloods - Get Together (1967)
94) Aretha Franklin - Think (1968)
93) Charles Mingus - Solo Dancer (Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!) (1963)
92) The Four Tops - 7-Rooms Of Gloom (1967)
91) Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is? (1969)
90) Simon & Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (1966)
89) The Ventures - Walk Don't Run (1960)
88) The Beatles - I Feel Fine (1964)
87) Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (1967)
86) The Rolling Stones - Dandelion (1967)
85) Bob Dylan - Maggie's Farm (1965)
84) The Drifters - On Broadway (1963)
83) O.V. Wright - Eight Men, Four Women (1967)
82) Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black (1966)
81) Soft Machine - Why Are We Sleeping? (1968)
80) Os Mutantes - A Minha Menina (1968)
79) Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1966)
78) Rolling Stones - Sittin' On A Fence (1967)
77) Miles Davis & Gil Evans - Solea (1960)
76) Love - 7 & 7 Is (1967)
75) Beach Boys - California Girls (1965)
74) Lush Strings - Hawaiian War Chant ( ?)
73) Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - Jackson (1968)
72) Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1968)
71) Neil Diamond - I'm A Believer (1968)
70) The Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love (1965)
69) The Mamas & the Papas - California Dreamin' (1966)
68) Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused (1969)
67) Nick Drake - River Man (1969)
66) The Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There (1966)
65) Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want (1969)
64) Gene Pitney - Town Without Pity (1962)
63) The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With A Little Help From My Friends (1967)
62) Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (1966)
61) The Kinks - I'm Not Like Everybody Else (1966)
60) Herbie Hancock - Dolphin Dance (1965)
59) The Zombies - She's Not There (1964)
58) Beach Boys - Surfin USA (1963)
57) Emundo Ros - Brazil (1962)
56) Rolling Stones - Play With Fire (1965)
55) The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (1968)
54) The Who - My Generation (1965)
53) The Doors - People Are Stange (1967)
52) Jimi Hendrix - Manic Depression (1967)
51) The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin (1967)
50) Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (1960)
49) Dave Dudley - Six Days on the Road (1963)
48) The Stooges - 1969 (1969)
47) Sun Ra - Urnack (1960)
46) James Brown - It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World (1966)
45) Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds Of Silence (1964)
44) Meters - Cissy Strut (1969)
43) David Bowie - Space Oddity (1969)
42) Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (1965)
41) Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay (1968)
40) The Beatles - Ticket to Ride (1965)
39) Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant Massacre (1967)
38) James Brown - I Got You (I Feel Good) (1965)
37) Velvet Underground - All Tomorrow's Parties (1967)
36) Dick Dale - Miserlou (1962)
35) The Beatles - Revolution (1968)
34) Duke Ellington With Charles Mingus & Max Roach - Wig Wise (1962)
33) Caetano Veloso - Tropicália (67) (1967)
32) The Beatles - Come Together (1969)
31) Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Israelites (1969)
30) The Beatles - Eleanor Ribgy (1966)
29) Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1969)
28) Sun Ra - We Travel the Spaceways (1960)
27) Booker T. & The MG's - Green Onions (1962)
26) Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (1967)
25) Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire (1963)
24) Jimi Hendrix - Crosstown Traffic (1967)
23) John Coltrane - Syeeda's Song Flute (1960)
22) Etta James - A Sunday Kind Of Love (1961)
21) Velvet Underground - There She Goes Again (1967)
20) Temptations - Cloud Nine (1968)
19) Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times (1969)
18) The Who - The Kids Are Alright (1965)
17) Patsy Cline - Crazy (1961)
16) Sun Ra - Interplanetary Music (1960)
15) Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson (1968)
14) Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze (1967)
13) Byrds - Eight Miles High (1966)
12) James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (1964)
11) The Who - Pinball Wizard (1969)
10) Aretha Franklin - Respect (1967)
9) John Coltrane - Resolution (1964)
8) The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
7) Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
6) Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil (1968)
5) Oliver Nelson - Stolen Moments (1961)
4) Temptations - Ball Of Confusion (1969)
3) The Beatles - A Day In The Life (1967)
2) Rolling Stones - Satisfaction (1965)
1) The Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand (1963)
That's it. I'm sure I left out some good stuff. I'm not prepared to revise the list anytime soon, but do let me know what's missing. Remember that I mostly tried to follow a rule of no more than one song per record. I granted myself approximately 20 so-called Stop Your Sobbin' exceptions to that rule, but I mostly honestly tried to follow it.
Also, I've included the dates, but I'm sure some of them are disputable. The dates might be recording dates, UK release dates, US release dates, the date the single charted, or any number of other things. I was so happy to find any date at all for many of these, I decided not to be concerned about having a consistent rule for the source.
Time to hear from the peanut gallery, aka the commentariat.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Top 500 Songs of the 1960s - Coming Soon
I think I'm very close to posting my top 500 songs of the 1960s. Like my other best-of-the-decade lists for the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, it is a totally subjective list made by me and only me. I do look at lots of other best of lists as I make these, mostly to be sure I haven't forgotten a song I already really like. I also look at them as a guide to listen with fresh ears to some songs or to identify previously unheard music that I want to listen and consider for the first time.
I've had two rules with my lists for the other four decades, and those rules lasted for the posting of 1600 songs covering a 40 year span, and then.... the 60s did me in. I just couldn't stick with my rules. One rule is no more than one song by any artists in the top 40. Spoiler alert - one artist shows up twice in my top 3 for the 1960s. Having slots 41-50 filled with songs that should have been in the top 40 but got shut out by a silly rule just didn't seem right. I don't know why it didn't bother me with other decades, but it didn't.
My other rule that I'm breaking is no more than one song per record. The 60s actually have a whole lot more tracks that were only singles and never on a proper album, and that reduced the impact of the rule, but I still couldn't stick with it. I granted myself about 20 exceptions. I started out with a loose plan to grant myself 5, but I kept talking myself into more. Even with the 20 exceptions some really great songs still got left off.
I have called my decision to break my rule the Stop Your Sobbin' decision. As I discussed in a previous post about the Kinks best songs, my conflict about the one song per record rule really started getting to me when I contemplated the Kinks self-titled debut. My favorite song on the record is Stop Your Sobbin', but You Really Got Me is also on the same record. I didn't feel like I could make a sixties list without You Really Got Me, but I wasn't willing to jettison Stop Your Sobbin' given that I like it better.
Some other possible names for the decisions would be the Play with Fire decision (same record as Satisfaction) or the Embryonic Journey decision (same record as White Rabbit) or the I Fall to Pieces decision (same record as Crazy) or maybe the Dazed and Confused decision (same record as Good Times Bad Times).
A lot of the British Invasion bands did not release the same songs on the same albums in the US and the UK. The Stop Your Sobbin' decision (aka the Strange Brew decision, aka the Kids Are Alright decision) also allowed me to be a bit more careless about whether or not I considered something to be on the same album or not, but I also tried to be careful when I could. A lot of people think Revolution was on The Beatles (aka The White Album), but the single is different than Revolution 1 and not at all like Revolution 9, the two Revolution songs on the album. The single though is the flipside of Hey Jude. Therefore, I had to either leave out Hey Jude or Revolution or use one of my exceptions on a single. I left out Hey Jude. Na na na na-na na na, na-na na na, hey sue me.
The list is made now in my iTunes library. I restrict these lists to music I own, but I also buy a lot of music in the process of making the lists. For the serious list-making geek, a four-part interview about the making of the decades lists begins with this post and ends with this other post. As soon as I post the 1960s list, I'll provide a link to it right here. I just need to format it and post it in blogger now... and maybe fret a bit more about what I left off or which choices were a tad too idiosyncratic or which choices I ranked too high out of some sort of obligation to conform to the taste of music critics. Music critics own the 60s like no other decade. It was the decade when critically applauded music was actually popular, so they can really beat you over the head with how great you ought to think some things are. Hopefully, I tuned out those other voices (except when they were right).
I've had two rules with my lists for the other four decades, and those rules lasted for the posting of 1600 songs covering a 40 year span, and then.... the 60s did me in. I just couldn't stick with my rules. One rule is no more than one song by any artists in the top 40. Spoiler alert - one artist shows up twice in my top 3 for the 1960s. Having slots 41-50 filled with songs that should have been in the top 40 but got shut out by a silly rule just didn't seem right. I don't know why it didn't bother me with other decades, but it didn't.
My other rule that I'm breaking is no more than one song per record. The 60s actually have a whole lot more tracks that were only singles and never on a proper album, and that reduced the impact of the rule, but I still couldn't stick with it. I granted myself about 20 exceptions. I started out with a loose plan to grant myself 5, but I kept talking myself into more. Even with the 20 exceptions some really great songs still got left off.
I have called my decision to break my rule the Stop Your Sobbin' decision. As I discussed in a previous post about the Kinks best songs, my conflict about the one song per record rule really started getting to me when I contemplated the Kinks self-titled debut. My favorite song on the record is Stop Your Sobbin', but You Really Got Me is also on the same record. I didn't feel like I could make a sixties list without You Really Got Me, but I wasn't willing to jettison Stop Your Sobbin' given that I like it better.
Some other possible names for the decisions would be the Play with Fire decision (same record as Satisfaction) or the Embryonic Journey decision (same record as White Rabbit) or the I Fall to Pieces decision (same record as Crazy) or maybe the Dazed and Confused decision (same record as Good Times Bad Times).
A lot of the British Invasion bands did not release the same songs on the same albums in the US and the UK. The Stop Your Sobbin' decision (aka the Strange Brew decision, aka the Kids Are Alright decision) also allowed me to be a bit more careless about whether or not I considered something to be on the same album or not, but I also tried to be careful when I could. A lot of people think Revolution was on The Beatles (aka The White Album), but the single is different than Revolution 1 and not at all like Revolution 9, the two Revolution songs on the album. The single though is the flipside of Hey Jude. Therefore, I had to either leave out Hey Jude or Revolution or use one of my exceptions on a single. I left out Hey Jude. Na na na na-na na na, na-na na na, hey sue me.
The list is made now in my iTunes library. I restrict these lists to music I own, but I also buy a lot of music in the process of making the lists. For the serious list-making geek, a four-part interview about the making of the decades lists begins with this post and ends with this other post. As soon as I post the 1960s list, I'll provide a link to it right here. I just need to format it and post it in blogger now... and maybe fret a bit more about what I left off or which choices were a tad too idiosyncratic or which choices I ranked too high out of some sort of obligation to conform to the taste of music critics. Music critics own the 60s like no other decade. It was the decade when critically applauded music was actually popular, so they can really beat you over the head with how great you ought to think some things are. Hopefully, I tuned out those other voices (except when they were right).
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