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.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
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).
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Top 10 Kinks Songs
The subject header lies. This is going to be a top 30 list. What does it say that I just made a top 10 for the Rolling Stones and for the Beatles and now I'm making a top 30 for the Kinks? It's not that I think the 30th best Kinks song is better than the 30th best Beatles song or the 30th best Stones song. I'm sure it isn't. I just found the Kinks songs easier to rank, so I kept going.
If you want shorter Kinks lists, look here (including a very short career overview) or here (6 different lists) or perhaps here (with links to youtube videos). Paste also couldn't stick to 10. Here's their top 15. And here's another blogger who went to 20. Ten, 15, 20, where will it stop? I will do 30, I will not drop.
30. State of Confusion (83)
29. Till the End of the Day (66)
28. Victoria (69)
27. Johnny Thunder (68)
26. Destroyer (81)
25. Apeman (70)
24. People Take Pictures of Each Other (68)
23. Wicked Annabella (68)
22. Yo-Yo (81)
21. Dedicated Follower of Fashion (66)
20. Supersonic Rocketship (72)
19. (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman (79)
18. Celluloid Heroes (72)
17. A Rock'n'Roll Fantasy (78)
16. David Watts (67)
15. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (66)
14. Around the Dial (81)
13. Sunny Afternoon (67)
12. Waterloo Sunset (67)
11. You Really Got Me (64)
10. A Well Respected Man (66)
9. Father Christmas (77)
8. Shangri-La (69)
7. All Day and All of the Night (65)
6. Big Sky (68)
5. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (66)
4. Stop Your Sobbing (64)
3. Lola (70)
2. Tired of Waiting for You (65)
1. Village Green Preservation Society (68)
Astute observers will note that there are 5 songs here from the Village Green album, which is a violation of my general philosophy of list making, but I couldn't help it. I'm a hypocrite. Other issues... it's hard to justify leaving "You Really Got Me" out of the top 10, but it loses out to a lot of other songs based on my lack of eagerness to keep hearing it more than I've already heard it. I do like hearing it, but I hear it a good bit without searching it out.
What about "Come Dancing"? I left it off. I did listen to it a couple of times in the past few days before leaving it off. My top 10 is 60s dominated, so you'd think "Come Dancing" would have a place here as the last thing they did that hearkened to their 60s sound. It's similar to the 60s stuff, but absolutely not nearly as good. If it's not their actual 60s stuff, I prefer the early 80s arena rock Kinks sound, which was just an altogether different thing. Their 1979 flirtation with disco on "Superman", which I included at #19, also stands apart.
Only 2 Kinks songs made the Rolling Stones Top 500 Greatest Songs list, but they both made the top 100. They put Waterloo Sunset in at #42 and You Really Got Me at #82. I was surprised that the other lists were less 60s-heavy, but probably not as surprised as I was about the same phenomenon with the various Stones lists I found and commented upon.
I'm seriously considering doing away with my one-song-per-record rule when I make my 1960s decade list. I'm considering calling the rule violation the Stop Your Sobbing Rule because I don't see how I can leave out You Really Got Me, but I like Stop Your Sobbing better from the first Kinks record.
If you want shorter Kinks lists, look here (including a very short career overview) or here (6 different lists) or perhaps here (with links to youtube videos). Paste also couldn't stick to 10. Here's their top 15. And here's another blogger who went to 20. Ten, 15, 20, where will it stop? I will do 30, I will not drop.
30. State of Confusion (83)
29. Till the End of the Day (66)
28. Victoria (69)
27. Johnny Thunder (68)
26. Destroyer (81)
25. Apeman (70)
24. People Take Pictures of Each Other (68)
23. Wicked Annabella (68)
22. Yo-Yo (81)
21. Dedicated Follower of Fashion (66)
20. Supersonic Rocketship (72)
19. (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman (79)
18. Celluloid Heroes (72)
17. A Rock'n'Roll Fantasy (78)
16. David Watts (67)
15. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (66)
14. Around the Dial (81)
13. Sunny Afternoon (67)
12. Waterloo Sunset (67)
11. You Really Got Me (64)
10. A Well Respected Man (66)
9. Father Christmas (77)
8. Shangri-La (69)
7. All Day and All of the Night (65)
6. Big Sky (68)
5. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (66)
4. Stop Your Sobbing (64)
3. Lola (70)
2. Tired of Waiting for You (65)
1. Village Green Preservation Society (68)
Astute observers will note that there are 5 songs here from the Village Green album, which is a violation of my general philosophy of list making, but I couldn't help it. I'm a hypocrite. Other issues... it's hard to justify leaving "You Really Got Me" out of the top 10, but it loses out to a lot of other songs based on my lack of eagerness to keep hearing it more than I've already heard it. I do like hearing it, but I hear it a good bit without searching it out.
What about "Come Dancing"? I left it off. I did listen to it a couple of times in the past few days before leaving it off. My top 10 is 60s dominated, so you'd think "Come Dancing" would have a place here as the last thing they did that hearkened to their 60s sound. It's similar to the 60s stuff, but absolutely not nearly as good. If it's not their actual 60s stuff, I prefer the early 80s arena rock Kinks sound, which was just an altogether different thing. Their 1979 flirtation with disco on "Superman", which I included at #19, also stands apart.
Only 2 Kinks songs made the Rolling Stones Top 500 Greatest Songs list, but they both made the top 100. They put Waterloo Sunset in at #42 and You Really Got Me at #82. I was surprised that the other lists were less 60s-heavy, but probably not as surprised as I was about the same phenomenon with the various Stones lists I found and commented upon.
I'm seriously considering doing away with my one-song-per-record rule when I make my 1960s decade list. I'm considering calling the rule violation the Stop Your Sobbing Rule because I don't see how I can leave out You Really Got Me, but I like Stop Your Sobbing better from the first Kinks record.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Top 50 Indie Rock Albums
Having reviewed a couple of other indie rock lists, I decided it was time to make my own. There are a few bands that could have more than one album on this list, but I decided to limit the top 50 to one record per artist. Actually, due to difficulties with either counting or decision-making or both, I decided to go up to 55 and limit the top 55 to one record per artist.
I almost never listen to albums all the way through any more, so this list is partially based on memories that are mostly more than 10 years old of when I would listen to a CD start to finish. I've always prefered singles, mix tapes, and radio to listening to whole album sides or CDs, so most of my lists are song lists and not album lists. Nonetheless, there are occasional standout records that are deep enough that they warrant recommendation as albums more than just individual song recommendations. This is not to say that there aren't a few clunker tracks on many of these albums. In a day and age where it's so simple not to load the whole CD into your iTunes library, I just wasn't willing to require perfect consistency. And, let's face it, perfect consistency is not indie rock's strong suit. Big label producers make things bland, but they also serve a positive role as editors for some bands.
Before I start counting down, I would like to say a bit about a few excluded artists. I did not include Komeda. Their record "What Makes it Go?" was among the best records of the 90s and a song from that record topped my 90s song list, but it's just not quite rockin' enough to qualify as indie rock. The same goes for Sufjan Stevens and Belle and Sebastian, but I found those choices easier to make than the Komeda choice. I also left out the Beta Band while feeling somewhat unsettled about why they shouldn't be considered an indie rock band. And don't look for the Arcade Fire or the Decemberists. I think they're good, but I also think they're overrated.
#55 Delgados - Hate (2003) An excellent album that would have been a lot higher on this list if I felt a little more comfortable calling it indie rock.
#54 Dr. Dog - Easy Beat (2004) Not totally solid all the way through, but a great debut with several outstanding tracks.
#53 Tortoise - TNT (1998) Including post-rock was debatable, but maybe I skirted the debate by including them just outside the real top 50.
#52 Rilo Kiley - Take Offs and Landings (2002) Song for song, I think I prefer their Warner Bros debut "More Adventurous", which was, ironically, less adventerous. This one is the right pick for the indie rock list though.
#51 Marah - Let's Cut the Crap and Hook Up Later on Tonight (1998) Inconsistent, but seemingly bursting with potential, some of which was realized and some of which was wasted on later records (e.g. a disappointing collaboration with Springsteen).
#50 Starlight Mints - Built on Squares (2003) A whimsically entertaining record that's more indie pop than indie rock, but it has enough of an edge that I felt it qualified.
#49 Sex Clark Five - Antedium (1992) Too much of a garage band to really qualify as indie pop, and too much of a power pop band to be aligned with the fashionable trends at the time it was released. This is non-self-concious indie rock from the genre's formative years.
#48 Revelers - On Top (1995) A great indie rock band that never managed to break out of Cleveland. They might not have been as loud as rock bands needed to be in the mid 90s to gain recognition.
#47 The Mommyheads - Flying Suit (1994) I mostly excluded EPs from this list, but this has 8 songs, which I figure is as many songs as a lot of classic rock albums. They show good range here for a band that's so quirky.
#46 Adam Elk - Labello (1999) A totally overlooked solo effort by The Mommyhead's leader with help from some friends from Cake and others. Less quirky and more Beatle-y than his work with the Mommyheads.
#45 The Evens - Get Evens (2006) I might be the only person who thinks The Evens are Ian McKaye's second best band after Minor Threat (i.e. better than Fugazi). I like how comfortable he sounds with the way his sound has matured.
#44 Von Bondies - Lack of Communication (2002) Way over on the garage rock end of the spectrum that might not be called proper indie rock, but there's strength in the songwritring that you don't usually see in garage rock.
#43 Cake - Motorcade of Generocity (1994) Their self-released debut showed they were ready for the leap to major label alternative radio, but it's still indie rock to me.
#42 Push Kings - Far Places (1998) Relentelessly peppy and maybe more indie pop than indie rock. It was a tough choice between Far Places and their self-titled debut. Their third record includes my favorite Push Kings song, but it's not a very good record overall.
#41 Tullycraft - Disenchanted Hearts Unite (2005) One of the most rockin' bands that nonetheless falls comfortably under the indie pop umbrella. They've gotten more conistent over time.
#40 Archer Prewitt - Tear Me All Away (2002) Amazingly well crafted pop rock songs from a guy who sits at the intersection of many Chicago independent music scenes.
#39 Vehicle Flips - In Action (1995) Some of the songs may be a bit too quiet to be properly called indie rock (versus indie pop), but the song structures favor more indie rock (versus indie pop) complexity.
#38 Man or Astro-man - Is it... Man or Astro-man? (1993) Indie rock was a bigger tent in the early 90s than it was in the 2000s with the proliferation of subgenres. This sci-fi-friendly surf revival was just right for the indie rock crowd at the time.
#37 Apples in Stereo - Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995) One of several albums from the Elephant 6 crowd that I've included here. The elephant 6 sounds hadn't yet become a distinct indie subgenre, and the fact that they weren't really that far out there at this point makes it more of a classic indie rock record.
#36 Cat Power - Moon Pix (1998) Is this too quiet to be a rock record? It's definitely too dark to be a pop record, nor is the tempor right for a pop record. This is brooding indie rock, and proves that volume isn't a qualifying characteristic for indie rock.
#35 Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage: Animation Music Vol. 1 (1999) Testing the experimental and psychedlic borders of indie rock, but staying in bounds with just enough song structure.
#34 Bevis Frond - New River Head (1991) This may be more of an independent rock record than an indie rock record. As a high point of Bevis Frond's prolific output from the late 80s to the present, it felt like it belonged here. No other record here owes as much to Neil Young's influence, but I don't see anything wrong with that.
#33 Bats - Fear of God (1991) There are other good choices if one is just going to pick a single Bats record, but this one is a slice in time as indie rock began to define itself as a genre.
#32 The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004) So much of indie rock's definition comes from bursts of energetic tunefulness rising above a low budget production aesthetic. This was a different sound from all the indie rock that came before it, with a danceable hip-hop influence that ultimately made it friendly for NFL commercials, but it totally has the indie aesthetic.
#31 Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah (2005) This one owes a lot to the New York club sounds of the late 70s while being strongly representative of the new New York indie rock sound of the 2000s.
#30 Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002) Did Omaha eventually win the much coveted next-Athens title that proved elusive for so many towns for two decades? If they did, this folk and emo influenced record may be what put them over the top.
#29 Old 97s - Wreck Your Life (1997) Arugably, alt-country, which is a genre that stands well enough on its own, shouldn't have any representation here. I made an exception for this one.
#28 Bongwater - The Power of Pussy (1990) Did Shimmy-Disc preceed indie-rock or help create the form? I would argue for the latter and this is the most complete record they put out.
#27 Stephen Malkmus - Stephen Malkmus (2001) This sounds enough like a Pavement record that I could be accused about breaking my rule about repeating artists. I do think it was a step forward though, and it flirted less with major label stardom than the final Pavement record.
#26 Heavenly - Operation Heavenly (1996) Heavenly certainly wasn't riot grrrl tough, but they had more of a punk edge than the name would suggest. Indie pop could claim them, but indie pop doesn't own them exclusively.
#25 The White Stripes - De Stijl (2000) It seems rather quaint now to think that they just started as an indie rock band on a label that didn't even have a terribly good repuation for consistent quality.
#24 Beulah - The Coast is Never Clear (2001) More polished than a typical indie rock record. There's probably a story behind why they never signed to a major label, but I don't know what it is.
#23 Calexico - The Black Light (1998) The bands and records that stretch the genre are some of the most difficult to rank. Should Calexico get a higher rank because they have such a distinctive southwestern sound, or should they fall lower on the list because it's as much Americana as indie rock?
#22 Peter, Bjorn, and John - Writer's Block (2006) I'm not entirely sure what counts as commercial alternative these days, but the rise of bands like Peter, Bjorn, and John may have coincided with indie rock gaining a level of commercial acceptance on part with their overtly commercial pseudo-alternative counterparts.
#21 Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006) Not my very favorite Neko record, but my favorite Neko indie rock record. The debts to her alt-country past are evident; however, she was definitely writing and performing for a broader audience here.
#20 Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret (1999) Can an indie rock band sign to a major and remain an indie rock band? Yes, and this is the proof. I just don't see how anyone could categorize this Warner Bros release as something other than indie rock.
#19 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever I Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006) Are the Arctic Monkeys the 2000s equivalent of The Jam, a band that was totally huge in the UK that stayed on the fringe in the US? Their later records were a tad overrated by the NME crowd, in my opinion, but the debut was one of the best of the decade.
#18 SF Seals - Truth Walks In Sleepy Shadows (1995) If you file this under Barbara Manning, then I'm breaking my rule of allowing the same artist on the list twice. I see this as a real band with Barbara it's strongest voice, and the band name is consistent with the indie rock affinity for baseball over all other sports.
#17 Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003) A very accessible indie rock record that helped expand the audience for the whole genre.
#16 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Heart of Oak (2003) A lot of 80s punks became metal heads. A lot of 90s punks became indie rockers. In fact, some of them didn't really change all that much, but what got called what changed around them.
#15 Guv'ner - The Hunt (1996) An archetypical indie rock album. Definitely a rock record, but tuneful in a sing-a-long way, and with too many rough edges in both the production and the vocals to have any major label potential.
#14 The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America (2006) Some indie rock is more about the lyrics and the attitude than the instrumentation. The digital release exclusive single "Teenage Liberaton" isn't on the actual CD, but I count is as part of the album for ranking purposes.
#13 Luna - The Days of Our Nights (1999) Their first record after getting kicked off their major label. The fact that they got kicked off probably proves they were an indie rock band all along.
#12 Nothing Painted Blue - Power Trips Down Lovers Lane (1993) Nothing Painted Blue had some hit-worthy songs, at least in the minor indie-rock sense of the word "hit". None of them are on this record. This is a hit-less record with one really strong song after another. Franklin Bruno's wordplay is likely to either grow on you or get tiresome. If it's the former, this is a record worthy of extensive repeated listening.
#11Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) A sprawling journey that spans songs that are quite sparse with others that are extremely dense with especially inventive instrumentation.
#10 Barbara Manning - 1212 (1997) I understand from interviews concurrent with this records' release that she thought this would be the breakthrough record. I have no idea why it wasn't. That Liz Phair became a star while Barbara Manning wallowed in obscurity is one of the great indie rock injustices of the 1990s. One has the sense that maybe there are games one has to play to make it and that Barbara isn't one to play those games.
#9 Mountain Goats - Tallahassee (2002) There are a lot of candidate Mountain Goats records for this list. Their first record on 4AD was one of the biggest surprises. Adding the 4AD gloss to the usually unadorned Mountain Goats repitoire was like adding just th right sauce to a simple organic recipe.
#8 Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock'n'Roll (2005) The emergence of prominent indie bands in the 80s was more of a UK than US phenomenon, but making this list made me realize that I think of indie rock as primarily an American form. This is the highest ranking UK release on my list. The humorous self-referential lyrics help endear it to the genre.
#7 Sloan - Navy Blues (1998) Canadian major label outcasts who started their own label, murderecords, where they matured from fringe alt-rock acceptance to indie rock mainstays.
#6 TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) After a fantastic debut EP, they suffered a sophomore slump of sorts with their first full-length record. This, their second full-length CD, was where it all came together with a sound that was both warm and adventerous.
#5 Sebadoh - Harmacy (1996) Their 1991 record "III" was a lot more important to the evolution of indie rock, but Harmacy is more consistent and listenable as a CD start to finish. I feel a little bit wrong judging indie rock on listenability, but, c'mon, what else are we supposed to do with it besides listen.
#4 Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted (1992) More than any other record, I think this one defined and launched the genre. It would be #1 here if they could have kept up the focus of the first 4 tracks. They did keep it up, for almost a decade, but not on this record.
#3 Spoon - Girls Can Tell (2000) The first of two records that pulled Spoon out of a crowded pack of 90s indie rock bands. They came into the 2000s with a more stocatto style and more open dynamics that gave their songs room to surprise and please.
#2 New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (2005) Here again we see the difference between a song list and an album list. The New Pornographers have no shortage of great songs or great albums, but this album's strength is its depth of very, very good songs as opposed to being the record that has their very best song.
#1 Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (1997) Yo La Tengo are not just a great indie rock band. They are great sonic innovators, layering low-key harmonies over dense guitars and thoroughly modern beats, pulling together past and present in a cohesive sound that has sometime changed dramatically from one record to the next. Song for song, this album is both their best work and the one most readily identified as an indie rock classic. It just feels right that a Matador band from New Jersey from the late 90s should top this list.
That's it. Where's Sleater-Kinney? I just never really got into them. Where's Guided by Voices? I didn't feel like they ever made a complete album. Where's Thinking Fellers Union Local 282? I'll save a spot for them on best indie rock band names. Ask and answer your own questions in the comments.
I almost never listen to albums all the way through any more, so this list is partially based on memories that are mostly more than 10 years old of when I would listen to a CD start to finish. I've always prefered singles, mix tapes, and radio to listening to whole album sides or CDs, so most of my lists are song lists and not album lists. Nonetheless, there are occasional standout records that are deep enough that they warrant recommendation as albums more than just individual song recommendations. This is not to say that there aren't a few clunker tracks on many of these albums. In a day and age where it's so simple not to load the whole CD into your iTunes library, I just wasn't willing to require perfect consistency. And, let's face it, perfect consistency is not indie rock's strong suit. Big label producers make things bland, but they also serve a positive role as editors for some bands.
Before I start counting down, I would like to say a bit about a few excluded artists. I did not include Komeda. Their record "What Makes it Go?" was among the best records of the 90s and a song from that record topped my 90s song list, but it's just not quite rockin' enough to qualify as indie rock. The same goes for Sufjan Stevens and Belle and Sebastian, but I found those choices easier to make than the Komeda choice. I also left out the Beta Band while feeling somewhat unsettled about why they shouldn't be considered an indie rock band. And don't look for the Arcade Fire or the Decemberists. I think they're good, but I also think they're overrated.
#55 Delgados - Hate (2003) An excellent album that would have been a lot higher on this list if I felt a little more comfortable calling it indie rock.
#54 Dr. Dog - Easy Beat (2004) Not totally solid all the way through, but a great debut with several outstanding tracks.
#53 Tortoise - TNT (1998) Including post-rock was debatable, but maybe I skirted the debate by including them just outside the real top 50.
#52 Rilo Kiley - Take Offs and Landings (2002) Song for song, I think I prefer their Warner Bros debut "More Adventurous", which was, ironically, less adventerous. This one is the right pick for the indie rock list though.
#51 Marah - Let's Cut the Crap and Hook Up Later on Tonight (1998) Inconsistent, but seemingly bursting with potential, some of which was realized and some of which was wasted on later records (e.g. a disappointing collaboration with Springsteen).
#50 Starlight Mints - Built on Squares (2003) A whimsically entertaining record that's more indie pop than indie rock, but it has enough of an edge that I felt it qualified.
#49 Sex Clark Five - Antedium (1992) Too much of a garage band to really qualify as indie pop, and too much of a power pop band to be aligned with the fashionable trends at the time it was released. This is non-self-concious indie rock from the genre's formative years.
#48 Revelers - On Top (1995) A great indie rock band that never managed to break out of Cleveland. They might not have been as loud as rock bands needed to be in the mid 90s to gain recognition.
#47 The Mommyheads - Flying Suit (1994) I mostly excluded EPs from this list, but this has 8 songs, which I figure is as many songs as a lot of classic rock albums. They show good range here for a band that's so quirky.
#46 Adam Elk - Labello (1999) A totally overlooked solo effort by The Mommyhead's leader with help from some friends from Cake and others. Less quirky and more Beatle-y than his work with the Mommyheads.
#45 The Evens - Get Evens (2006) I might be the only person who thinks The Evens are Ian McKaye's second best band after Minor Threat (i.e. better than Fugazi). I like how comfortable he sounds with the way his sound has matured.
#44 Von Bondies - Lack of Communication (2002) Way over on the garage rock end of the spectrum that might not be called proper indie rock, but there's strength in the songwritring that you don't usually see in garage rock.
#43 Cake - Motorcade of Generocity (1994) Their self-released debut showed they were ready for the leap to major label alternative radio, but it's still indie rock to me.
#42 Push Kings - Far Places (1998) Relentelessly peppy and maybe more indie pop than indie rock. It was a tough choice between Far Places and their self-titled debut. Their third record includes my favorite Push Kings song, but it's not a very good record overall.
#41 Tullycraft - Disenchanted Hearts Unite (2005) One of the most rockin' bands that nonetheless falls comfortably under the indie pop umbrella. They've gotten more conistent over time.
#40 Archer Prewitt - Tear Me All Away (2002) Amazingly well crafted pop rock songs from a guy who sits at the intersection of many Chicago independent music scenes.
#39 Vehicle Flips - In Action (1995) Some of the songs may be a bit too quiet to be properly called indie rock (versus indie pop), but the song structures favor more indie rock (versus indie pop) complexity.
#38 Man or Astro-man - Is it... Man or Astro-man? (1993) Indie rock was a bigger tent in the early 90s than it was in the 2000s with the proliferation of subgenres. This sci-fi-friendly surf revival was just right for the indie rock crowd at the time.
#37 Apples in Stereo - Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995) One of several albums from the Elephant 6 crowd that I've included here. The elephant 6 sounds hadn't yet become a distinct indie subgenre, and the fact that they weren't really that far out there at this point makes it more of a classic indie rock record.
#36 Cat Power - Moon Pix (1998) Is this too quiet to be a rock record? It's definitely too dark to be a pop record, nor is the tempor right for a pop record. This is brooding indie rock, and proves that volume isn't a qualifying characteristic for indie rock.
#35 Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage: Animation Music Vol. 1 (1999) Testing the experimental and psychedlic borders of indie rock, but staying in bounds with just enough song structure.
#34 Bevis Frond - New River Head (1991) This may be more of an independent rock record than an indie rock record. As a high point of Bevis Frond's prolific output from the late 80s to the present, it felt like it belonged here. No other record here owes as much to Neil Young's influence, but I don't see anything wrong with that.
#33 Bats - Fear of God (1991) There are other good choices if one is just going to pick a single Bats record, but this one is a slice in time as indie rock began to define itself as a genre.
#32 The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004) So much of indie rock's definition comes from bursts of energetic tunefulness rising above a low budget production aesthetic. This was a different sound from all the indie rock that came before it, with a danceable hip-hop influence that ultimately made it friendly for NFL commercials, but it totally has the indie aesthetic.
#31 Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah (2005) This one owes a lot to the New York club sounds of the late 70s while being strongly representative of the new New York indie rock sound of the 2000s.
#30 Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002) Did Omaha eventually win the much coveted next-Athens title that proved elusive for so many towns for two decades? If they did, this folk and emo influenced record may be what put them over the top.
#29 Old 97s - Wreck Your Life (1997) Arugably, alt-country, which is a genre that stands well enough on its own, shouldn't have any representation here. I made an exception for this one.
#28 Bongwater - The Power of Pussy (1990) Did Shimmy-Disc preceed indie-rock or help create the form? I would argue for the latter and this is the most complete record they put out.
#27 Stephen Malkmus - Stephen Malkmus (2001) This sounds enough like a Pavement record that I could be accused about breaking my rule about repeating artists. I do think it was a step forward though, and it flirted less with major label stardom than the final Pavement record.
#26 Heavenly - Operation Heavenly (1996) Heavenly certainly wasn't riot grrrl tough, but they had more of a punk edge than the name would suggest. Indie pop could claim them, but indie pop doesn't own them exclusively.
#25 The White Stripes - De Stijl (2000) It seems rather quaint now to think that they just started as an indie rock band on a label that didn't even have a terribly good repuation for consistent quality.
#24 Beulah - The Coast is Never Clear (2001) More polished than a typical indie rock record. There's probably a story behind why they never signed to a major label, but I don't know what it is.
#23 Calexico - The Black Light (1998) The bands and records that stretch the genre are some of the most difficult to rank. Should Calexico get a higher rank because they have such a distinctive southwestern sound, or should they fall lower on the list because it's as much Americana as indie rock?
#22 Peter, Bjorn, and John - Writer's Block (2006) I'm not entirely sure what counts as commercial alternative these days, but the rise of bands like Peter, Bjorn, and John may have coincided with indie rock gaining a level of commercial acceptance on part with their overtly commercial pseudo-alternative counterparts.
#21 Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006) Not my very favorite Neko record, but my favorite Neko indie rock record. The debts to her alt-country past are evident; however, she was definitely writing and performing for a broader audience here.
#20 Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret (1999) Can an indie rock band sign to a major and remain an indie rock band? Yes, and this is the proof. I just don't see how anyone could categorize this Warner Bros release as something other than indie rock.
#19 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever I Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006) Are the Arctic Monkeys the 2000s equivalent of The Jam, a band that was totally huge in the UK that stayed on the fringe in the US? Their later records were a tad overrated by the NME crowd, in my opinion, but the debut was one of the best of the decade.
#18 SF Seals - Truth Walks In Sleepy Shadows (1995) If you file this under Barbara Manning, then I'm breaking my rule of allowing the same artist on the list twice. I see this as a real band with Barbara it's strongest voice, and the band name is consistent with the indie rock affinity for baseball over all other sports.
#17 Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003) A very accessible indie rock record that helped expand the audience for the whole genre.
#16 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Heart of Oak (2003) A lot of 80s punks became metal heads. A lot of 90s punks became indie rockers. In fact, some of them didn't really change all that much, but what got called what changed around them.
#15 Guv'ner - The Hunt (1996) An archetypical indie rock album. Definitely a rock record, but tuneful in a sing-a-long way, and with too many rough edges in both the production and the vocals to have any major label potential.
#14 The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America (2006) Some indie rock is more about the lyrics and the attitude than the instrumentation. The digital release exclusive single "Teenage Liberaton" isn't on the actual CD, but I count is as part of the album for ranking purposes.
#13 Luna - The Days of Our Nights (1999) Their first record after getting kicked off their major label. The fact that they got kicked off probably proves they were an indie rock band all along.
#12 Nothing Painted Blue - Power Trips Down Lovers Lane (1993) Nothing Painted Blue had some hit-worthy songs, at least in the minor indie-rock sense of the word "hit". None of them are on this record. This is a hit-less record with one really strong song after another. Franklin Bruno's wordplay is likely to either grow on you or get tiresome. If it's the former, this is a record worthy of extensive repeated listening.
#11Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) A sprawling journey that spans songs that are quite sparse with others that are extremely dense with especially inventive instrumentation.
#10 Barbara Manning - 1212 (1997) I understand from interviews concurrent with this records' release that she thought this would be the breakthrough record. I have no idea why it wasn't. That Liz Phair became a star while Barbara Manning wallowed in obscurity is one of the great indie rock injustices of the 1990s. One has the sense that maybe there are games one has to play to make it and that Barbara isn't one to play those games.
#9 Mountain Goats - Tallahassee (2002) There are a lot of candidate Mountain Goats records for this list. Their first record on 4AD was one of the biggest surprises. Adding the 4AD gloss to the usually unadorned Mountain Goats repitoire was like adding just th right sauce to a simple organic recipe.
#8 Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock'n'Roll (2005) The emergence of prominent indie bands in the 80s was more of a UK than US phenomenon, but making this list made me realize that I think of indie rock as primarily an American form. This is the highest ranking UK release on my list. The humorous self-referential lyrics help endear it to the genre.
#7 Sloan - Navy Blues (1998) Canadian major label outcasts who started their own label, murderecords, where they matured from fringe alt-rock acceptance to indie rock mainstays.
#6 TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) After a fantastic debut EP, they suffered a sophomore slump of sorts with their first full-length record. This, their second full-length CD, was where it all came together with a sound that was both warm and adventerous.
#5 Sebadoh - Harmacy (1996) Their 1991 record "III" was a lot more important to the evolution of indie rock, but Harmacy is more consistent and listenable as a CD start to finish. I feel a little bit wrong judging indie rock on listenability, but, c'mon, what else are we supposed to do with it besides listen.
#4 Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted (1992) More than any other record, I think this one defined and launched the genre. It would be #1 here if they could have kept up the focus of the first 4 tracks. They did keep it up, for almost a decade, but not on this record.
#3 Spoon - Girls Can Tell (2000) The first of two records that pulled Spoon out of a crowded pack of 90s indie rock bands. They came into the 2000s with a more stocatto style and more open dynamics that gave their songs room to surprise and please.
#2 New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (2005) Here again we see the difference between a song list and an album list. The New Pornographers have no shortage of great songs or great albums, but this album's strength is its depth of very, very good songs as opposed to being the record that has their very best song.
#1 Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (1997) Yo La Tengo are not just a great indie rock band. They are great sonic innovators, layering low-key harmonies over dense guitars and thoroughly modern beats, pulling together past and present in a cohesive sound that has sometime changed dramatically from one record to the next. Song for song, this album is both their best work and the one most readily identified as an indie rock classic. It just feels right that a Matador band from New Jersey from the late 90s should top this list.
That's it. Where's Sleater-Kinney? I just never really got into them. Where's Guided by Voices? I didn't feel like they ever made a complete album. Where's Thinking Fellers Union Local 282? I'll save a spot for them on best indie rock band names. Ask and answer your own questions in the comments.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
AllMusic's Top 20 Alternative and Indie Rock records
Allmusic.com recently did an overhaul of their site design. So far, I don't care for it too much, but I think it's just because I was used to finding what I wanted to find quickly with their old design. I stumbled upon this list of the top 20 alternative and indie rock records, and then had a lot of trouble finding it again.
They chose 1992 as the starting point for their list because they're celebrating their 20th anniversary. With or without an anniversary to celebrate, I think it's a better starting point than a previous list I shared that included a fair number of selections from the 1980s. Allmusic's list is alternative and indie rock, so it's relevant when each term came into vogue.
The wikipedia post on indie rock claims that the term indie rock was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock in the 80s. I don't agree with that. I think a lot of the usage of "alternative" in the 80s was related to commercial alternative stations that played major label college rock. While the terms "independent music" and "indie bands" were regularly used in the 80s, I don't think the real transition from the term "underground rock" to "indie rock" happened in the US until the early 90s.
I searched the NYTimes archives for the earliest usage of some of these terms. Clearly, the earliest usage by the NYTimes is not the same as the earliest usage in 'zines, but my eyes got blurry trying to scan the small print in all my old 'zines and I gave up. The earliest NYTimes appearance of "indie rock" came in January, 1992. "Alternative Rock" showed up 5 years earlier in 1987, and "Underground Rock" shows up in a piece about CBGB's from 1976. The term "underground rock 'n' roll" is also used in some even older pieces.
The Allmusic list gives the top 20 in date order rather than rank order. The 20 albums are by Pavement, Nirvana, Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, Portishead, Pulp, Stereolab, Beck, Belle & Sebastian, Bjork, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, Shins, Strokes, White Stripes, Arcade Fire, LCD Sound System, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective, and the XX. I think that makes it about half indie rock and half alternative, but it's difficult to classify some of the bands who started out on indie labels, but moved to majors for their biggest (and best?) records.
I'm working on my own list of the top 50 indie rock albums, which I'll post soon.
They chose 1992 as the starting point for their list because they're celebrating their 20th anniversary. With or without an anniversary to celebrate, I think it's a better starting point than a previous list I shared that included a fair number of selections from the 1980s. Allmusic's list is alternative and indie rock, so it's relevant when each term came into vogue.
The wikipedia post on indie rock claims that the term indie rock was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock in the 80s. I don't agree with that. I think a lot of the usage of "alternative" in the 80s was related to commercial alternative stations that played major label college rock. While the terms "independent music" and "indie bands" were regularly used in the 80s, I don't think the real transition from the term "underground rock" to "indie rock" happened in the US until the early 90s.
I searched the NYTimes archives for the earliest usage of some of these terms. Clearly, the earliest usage by the NYTimes is not the same as the earliest usage in 'zines, but my eyes got blurry trying to scan the small print in all my old 'zines and I gave up. The earliest NYTimes appearance of "indie rock" came in January, 1992. "Alternative Rock" showed up 5 years earlier in 1987, and "Underground Rock" shows up in a piece about CBGB's from 1976. The term "underground rock 'n' roll" is also used in some even older pieces.
The Allmusic list gives the top 20 in date order rather than rank order. The 20 albums are by Pavement, Nirvana, Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, Portishead, Pulp, Stereolab, Beck, Belle & Sebastian, Bjork, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, Shins, Strokes, White Stripes, Arcade Fire, LCD Sound System, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective, and the XX. I think that makes it about half indie rock and half alternative, but it's difficult to classify some of the bands who started out on indie labels, but moved to majors for their biggest (and best?) records.
I'm working on my own list of the top 50 indie rock albums, which I'll post soon.
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