A year ago, I decided to start a new tradition here. It's a bit hard to claim something as a tradition when it's only been done once. Now it will be twice. So that you don't have to click over to it, here's what I said a year ago:
"I've decided to start a new year-end tradition. I'm going to count down the top tracks from the previous year. Let me be clear. I'm reviewing the year that ended a full year ago. I'm not counting down the just-completed year. It's too soon, and everybody's doing the current year. They have editors and deadlines. I don't. I'm going with the previous year. I will have had time to catch up and reflect."
This list of the 75 best tracks of 2011 is both longer and better than it would have been if I had made it a year ago.
75) Bon Iver - Calgary
74) Cass McCombs - County Line
73) My Brightest Diamond - There's a Rat
72) Wilco - Art Of Almost
71) EMA - California
70) Adele - Rolling In The Deep
69) Peter Bjorn And John - Breaker Breaker
68) Destroyer - Savage Night At The Opera
67) Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
66) Wild Flag - Romance
65) The Dodos - Don't Stop
64) The Strokes - Machu Picchu
63) Peter Bjorn And John - Second Chance
62) Erik Friedlander - Low Country Cupola
61) Sloan - Shadow Of Love
60) R.E.M. - ÜBerlin
59) Phantogram - Don't Move
58) Veronica Falls - Right Side Of My Brain
57) The Ettes - Teeth
56) Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed
55) Alexander - Truth
54) Secret Cities - Always Friends
53) The Bevis Frond - The Divide
52) The Vaccines - Norgaard
51) TV On The Radio - Caffeinated Consciousness
50) The Baseball Project - Panda and The Freak
49) My Morning Jacket - You Wanna Freak Out
48) Cults - Go Outside
47) The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
46) Lana Del Rey - Video Games
45) Bell - Meaninglessness
44) Smith Westerns - Weekend
43) John Maus - Quantum Leap
42) Girls - Honey Bunny
41) tUnE-yArDs - Bizness
40) Chain And The Gang - Why Not?
39) Austra - Beat And The Pulse
38) Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
37) Atari Logic - Around The Bay
36) Factory Floor - Two Different Ways
35) Akron/Family - Silly Bears
34) The War On Drugs - Baby Missiles
33) Yellow Ostrich - WHALE
32) Okkervil River - Rider
31) The Fresh & Onlys - Keep Telling Everybody Lies
30) Girls Names - I Could Die
29) Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
28) The Bandana Splits - Sometimes
27) Dengue Fever - Family Business
26) M83 - Midnight City
25) Amy LaVere - You Can't Keep Me
24) The Mountain Goats - The Autopsy Garland
23) Jerusalem and The Starbaskets - Chocolate Covered Everyberry
22) Fleet Foxes - Sim Sala Bim
21) Title Tracks - Turn Your Face
20) The Head and the Heart - Sounds Like Hallelujah
19) Crystal Stilts - Radiant Door
18) Battles - Ice Cream (Featuring Matias Aguayo)
17) Ward White - 1964
16) Rob Crow - Purpose
15) Little Dragon - Ritual Union
14) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Simple Girl
13) The Wooden Birds - Be No Lie
12) The Feelies - Later On
11) Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers - Heaven In Stereo
10) Let's Wrestle - I Am Useful
9) Generationals - I Promise
8) Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise If You Can See
7) Sandro Perri - Changes
6) Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose
5) P.J. Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder
4) Fujiya & Miyagi - Pills
3) Pistol Annies - Hell On Heels
2) Bill Callahan - Free's
1) Blitzen Trapper - Fletcher
And now I have a full year to troll through all the best of 2012 lists that were rushed out over the last couple of weeks. Some are better than others. Some have songs that will grow on me. Some have songs that will age rapidly and poorly. Look for my 2012 list here at the end of 2013.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Top 30 Rainiest Songs
As Hurricane Sandy approaches, people in the Mid Atlantic region of the US will be focused on preparations, or possibly distracted by questions as to whether or not one should or should not make preparations. On the West Coast of the US, we are neither focused nor distracted by such preparations. Therefore, there is time to make a list of the 30 rainiest songs, ranked roughly in order of raininess (as opposed to greatness or chart success or some other not meteorological criteria).
30) The Doors - Riders On The Storm (1971)
29) Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)
28) The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men (1983)
27) Beta Band - Dry The Rain (1997)
26) Neil Young - Like A Hurricane (1977)
25) James Taylor - Fire and Rain (1976)
24) Gnarls Barkley - Storm Coming (2006)
23) Can - She Brings the Rain (1970)
22) Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain (1978)
21) Grateful Dead - Box Of Rain (1970)
20) Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (1963)
19) Smokey Hogg - It's Rainin' Here (1951)
18) Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again (1983)
17) Push Kings - Raincoat Renegade (1997)
16) Graham Parker + The Rumour - Thunder And Rain (1977)
15) Beatles - Rain (1966)
14) Etta James - Stormy Weather (1961)
13) Robbie Fulks - It's Always Raining Somewhere (2005)
12) Faust - It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl (1972)
11) Eruption - I Can't Stand the Rain (1978)
10) Orange Peels - I Don't Mind The Rain (1997)
9) Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain (1952)
8) Charles Mingus - The I Of Hurricane Sue (1972)
7) The Dils - Sound of the Rain (1980)
6) Interpreters - The Rains Are Coming (1997)
5) Marah - Rain Delay (1998)
4) Evelyn Freeman - Didn't It Rain (1958)
3) Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (1970)
2) Violent Femmes - I Hear The Rain (1984)
1) Dorothy Morrison - Rain (1970)
30) The Doors - Riders On The Storm (1971)
29) Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)
28) The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men (1983)
27) Beta Band - Dry The Rain (1997)
26) Neil Young - Like A Hurricane (1977)
25) James Taylor - Fire and Rain (1976)
24) Gnarls Barkley - Storm Coming (2006)
23) Can - She Brings the Rain (1970)
22) Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain (1978)
21) Grateful Dead - Box Of Rain (1970)
20) Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (1963)
19) Smokey Hogg - It's Rainin' Here (1951)
18) Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again (1983)
17) Push Kings - Raincoat Renegade (1997)
16) Graham Parker + The Rumour - Thunder And Rain (1977)
15) Beatles - Rain (1966)
14) Etta James - Stormy Weather (1961)
13) Robbie Fulks - It's Always Raining Somewhere (2005)
12) Faust - It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl (1972)
11) Eruption - I Can't Stand the Rain (1978)
10) Orange Peels - I Don't Mind The Rain (1997)
9) Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain (1952)
8) Charles Mingus - The I Of Hurricane Sue (1972)
7) The Dils - Sound of the Rain (1980)
6) Interpreters - The Rains Are Coming (1997)
5) Marah - Rain Delay (1998)
4) Evelyn Freeman - Didn't It Rain (1958)
3) Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (1970)
2) Violent Femmes - I Hear The Rain (1984)
1) Dorothy Morrison - Rain (1970)
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Make Your Own Chart at Rate Your Music
I've posted previously about Rate Your Music's nice feature that allows you to customize charts. It's cool enough that it's worth revisiting. A commenter inquired a while ago about my top 500 songs of the 1980s list. It didn't have the pop music the commenter was looking for. I had, myself, commented on the way that a lot of hardcore unexpectedly rose to the top of that list. I know it's a minority opinion that hardcore punk was among the best and most lasting contributions to music in the 80s, but what if we take that as a given? Did my list at least match the opinions of others who rate hardcore highly?
Here's a chart I made, with the make your own chart feature. Instead of just having albums or singles or eps on the chart, I chose the "everything" options. I decided to limit it to the 1980s for comparison with my own 80s list. I selected the genre "hardcore punk". We just called it hardcore in the 80s, but I guess other people have called other subgenres hardcore this or hardcore that, so I'm forced to use the term "hardcore punk" even though that term was never ever in use in my recollection. It sounds dorky. I also selected on ratings by users from the United States.
Here's the top 10 as of October 21st, 2012
1. Misfits - Misfits
2. Minor Threat - Complete Discography
3. Minor Threat - Minor Threat (1984 compilation with 12 songs)
4. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
5. Black Flag - The First Four Years
6. Minor Threat - Minor Threat (1981 ep with 8 songs)
7. Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia/Police Truck
8. Husker Du - Zen Arcade
9. Descendants - Two Things at Once
10. Misfits - Legacy of Brutality
It was really interesting to see that 4 of the top 5 releases and 6 of the top 10 are compilations. I think that reflects the uneven nature of hardcore releases and also the difficulty in obtaining some of the rarer singles, such that "best of" collections are necessary if you want all the best songs.
Apparently I left the Misfits off of my 1980s list. It's possible I got confused about what was really released in the late 70s versus the early 80s and inadvertently left them off of both lists, or its possible that I just forgot about them because I wasn't really into them during the 1980s. It was an oversight. It happens.
Minor Threat's Salad Days comes in at #3 on my 80s list and Minor Threat's Minor Threat comes in at #43, coming in outside of the top 40 only because of my one-song-per-band-inside-the-top-40 rule. The DK's Holiday in Cambodia is at #25 on my list, and Husker Du's Zen Arcade include my #1 song of the 1980s, Turn on the News.
Black Flag's "TV Party" made my top 100, but not my top 40. The Descendants, like the Misfits, got left off of my list. I can see now that the problem is that I've never gotten around to copying Two Things at Once into my iTunes library, which is the starting point of all my lists. I'll fix that today.
My list had the Bad Brains "I Against I" at #5. Although the Bad Brains, in general, do well on the Rate Your Music list, coming in at #11 with their 1982 release and #28 with their 1983 release, their 1985 release on which "I Against I" is the title track is all the way down at #92.
The Minutemen are lower than I think they ought to be at Rate Your Music, and I'm disappointed the Rat Music for Rat People compilation (including my #19 song "Cheap Tragedies" by the Avengers) doesn't show up. I was pleased, on the other hand, to see the Repo Man soundtrack at #25 at Rate Your Music.
Government Issue had 3 songs on my top 500, but none in the top 100, so maybe it's fitting that they don't show up until #255 on the Rate Your Music list. I'm guessing the rankings down that low are more volatile than the rankings at the top, so don't be surprised if it's no longer at #255 if you look for it yourself.
What's that? You aren't going to look yourself? OK - fine, but you should still make your own chart. It's fun, and it's easy.
Here's a chart I made, with the make your own chart feature. Instead of just having albums or singles or eps on the chart, I chose the "everything" options. I decided to limit it to the 1980s for comparison with my own 80s list. I selected the genre "hardcore punk". We just called it hardcore in the 80s, but I guess other people have called other subgenres hardcore this or hardcore that, so I'm forced to use the term "hardcore punk" even though that term was never ever in use in my recollection. It sounds dorky. I also selected on ratings by users from the United States.
Here's the top 10 as of October 21st, 2012
1. Misfits - Misfits
2. Minor Threat - Complete Discography
3. Minor Threat - Minor Threat (1984 compilation with 12 songs)
4. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
5. Black Flag - The First Four Years
6. Minor Threat - Minor Threat (1981 ep with 8 songs)
7. Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia/Police Truck
8. Husker Du - Zen Arcade
9. Descendants - Two Things at Once
10. Misfits - Legacy of Brutality
It was really interesting to see that 4 of the top 5 releases and 6 of the top 10 are compilations. I think that reflects the uneven nature of hardcore releases and also the difficulty in obtaining some of the rarer singles, such that "best of" collections are necessary if you want all the best songs.
Apparently I left the Misfits off of my 1980s list. It's possible I got confused about what was really released in the late 70s versus the early 80s and inadvertently left them off of both lists, or its possible that I just forgot about them because I wasn't really into them during the 1980s. It was an oversight. It happens.
Minor Threat's Salad Days comes in at #3 on my 80s list and Minor Threat's Minor Threat comes in at #43, coming in outside of the top 40 only because of my one-song-per-band-inside-the-top-40 rule. The DK's Holiday in Cambodia is at #25 on my list, and Husker Du's Zen Arcade include my #1 song of the 1980s, Turn on the News.
Black Flag's "TV Party" made my top 100, but not my top 40. The Descendants, like the Misfits, got left off of my list. I can see now that the problem is that I've never gotten around to copying Two Things at Once into my iTunes library, which is the starting point of all my lists. I'll fix that today.
My list had the Bad Brains "I Against I" at #5. Although the Bad Brains, in general, do well on the Rate Your Music list, coming in at #11 with their 1982 release and #28 with their 1983 release, their 1985 release on which "I Against I" is the title track is all the way down at #92.
The Minutemen are lower than I think they ought to be at Rate Your Music, and I'm disappointed the Rat Music for Rat People compilation (including my #19 song "Cheap Tragedies" by the Avengers) doesn't show up. I was pleased, on the other hand, to see the Repo Man soundtrack at #25 at Rate Your Music.
Government Issue had 3 songs on my top 500, but none in the top 100, so maybe it's fitting that they don't show up until #255 on the Rate Your Music list. I'm guessing the rankings down that low are more volatile than the rankings at the top, so don't be surprised if it's no longer at #255 if you look for it yourself.
What's that? You aren't going to look yourself? OK - fine, but you should still make your own chart. It's fun, and it's easy.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Will the People's Choice Get Punk Right?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland is a pretty cool place. The Hall of Fame has gotten a lot wrong, particularly as it moved into the years of potential punk-era inductees, but you don't have to care about the actual inductees to enjoy the Museum. So, I want to be clear that I'm about to start complaining about the Hall and not the Museum.
The Hall of Fame has decided to start giving regular people some votes. I think that will probably help bands like Rush that have big followings and not a lot of critical love, but I don't think it will help punk bands. There's a web site called The People's Choice that has been gathering votes from regular people for a bit longer. They've been advancing one year each month rather than one year each year, and as of this writing they're up to 1975.
In 1975, at the people's choice, we are rapidly approaching the first wave of important and widely known punk bands, and we have already reached the bands that are borderline punk/proto-punk. Let's consider 5 such bands and their chances for the Hall.
1) The New York Dolls - Listen to Trash from 1973 and tell me it's not punk rock. Unlike the other bands here, the New York Dolls have been nominated and snubbed.
2) Rocket from the Tombs - Before the Dead Boys performed Sonic Reducer, Rocket From the Tombs, featuring some of what would become Pere Ubu, was playing it in 1975.
3) Pere Ubu - The fact that the Hall is in Cleveland makes it especially galling that Ubu has never even been nominated. It was 1976's Final Solution that became a seminal early punk classic, but their first single was 1975's 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. They haven't been nominated at the People's Choice in the class of 1975. Get over there, and put them in as a write-in like I did.
4) Death - I didn't know about this band until a few years ago. I know I'm not alone in that. They may not be quite Hall worthy, given that they had so little output, but you have to respect that they were doing this in the mid 70s.
5) Jonathan Richman - This is definitely not proto-punk in the same way as the other 4 bands listed here. The beauty of punk is the way it stripped everything down to basics and still packed a punch. Jonathan was more about the stripping-it-down angle than the packing-a-punch angle, and may have more in common with indie rock than punk as a result. Along with Ubu and The New York Dolls, he's long overdue to enter the Hall.
I'll be honest. I don't have a lot of hope for these bands at either the Hall or the People's Choice. I assume the Ramones and Sex Pistols have a chance at getting in on the first ballot, but I'm interested how The Jam, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, The Cure, and later, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Minutemen, and Husker Du do in the voting versus their commercially successful contemporaries.
The Hall of Fame has decided to start giving regular people some votes. I think that will probably help bands like Rush that have big followings and not a lot of critical love, but I don't think it will help punk bands. There's a web site called The People's Choice that has been gathering votes from regular people for a bit longer. They've been advancing one year each month rather than one year each year, and as of this writing they're up to 1975.
In 1975, at the people's choice, we are rapidly approaching the first wave of important and widely known punk bands, and we have already reached the bands that are borderline punk/proto-punk. Let's consider 5 such bands and their chances for the Hall.
1) The New York Dolls - Listen to Trash from 1973 and tell me it's not punk rock. Unlike the other bands here, the New York Dolls have been nominated and snubbed.
2) Rocket from the Tombs - Before the Dead Boys performed Sonic Reducer, Rocket From the Tombs, featuring some of what would become Pere Ubu, was playing it in 1975.
3) Pere Ubu - The fact that the Hall is in Cleveland makes it especially galling that Ubu has never even been nominated. It was 1976's Final Solution that became a seminal early punk classic, but their first single was 1975's 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. They haven't been nominated at the People's Choice in the class of 1975. Get over there, and put them in as a write-in like I did.
4) Death - I didn't know about this band until a few years ago. I know I'm not alone in that. They may not be quite Hall worthy, given that they had so little output, but you have to respect that they were doing this in the mid 70s.
5) Jonathan Richman - This is definitely not proto-punk in the same way as the other 4 bands listed here. The beauty of punk is the way it stripped everything down to basics and still packed a punch. Jonathan was more about the stripping-it-down angle than the packing-a-punch angle, and may have more in common with indie rock than punk as a result. Along with Ubu and The New York Dolls, he's long overdue to enter the Hall.
I'll be honest. I don't have a lot of hope for these bands at either the Hall or the People's Choice. I assume the Ramones and Sex Pistols have a chance at getting in on the first ballot, but I'm interested how The Jam, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, The Cure, and later, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Minutemen, and Husker Du do in the voting versus their commercially successful contemporaries.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Epic Songs Revisited
In my last post, I commented on how much I liked the idea of an epic songs list, such as the one at DigitalDreamDoor. Not three days later, the allmusic.com blog came out with their own epic song list. Hmmmm.
The allmusic list is much shorter with just one or two picks from several of their writers. They're a lot more interesting picks than the DigitalDreamDoor list, but the DigitialDreamDoor list is a lot more interesting from the point of view of actually ranking the very best epic songs. I started trying to make my own list, and I found I needed to break it out into categories.
Category #1: Classics. These are songs from the 60s and 70s that I would have picked for the top of a list like the DigitalDreamDoor list.
25) Chichen-Itza Elvis - Copernicus (1987, 7:53)
24) I'm Considering a Move to Memphis - Colorblind James Experience (1987, 6:42)
23) All White People Look Alike - Brian Woodbury (1987, 20:38)
22) How I Learned to Love the Bomb - Television Personalities (1985, 5:07)
21) Tokyo Storm Warning - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1986, 6:25)
20) Dreams of Sexual Perfection - Fugs (1986, 11:52)
19) Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through - Jim Steinman (1981, 6:27)
18) Sister Europe - Psychedelic Furs (1980, 5:39)
17) How Soon Is Now? - Smiths (1984, 6:46)
16) Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984, 7:59)
15) Sweat Loaf - Butthole Surfers (1987, 6:09)
14) Teen Age Riot - Sonic Youth (1988, 6:58)
13) Rock Lobster - The B-52's (1979, 6:51)
12) People Who Died - Jim Carroll Band (1980, 5:00)
11) Porn Wars - Frank Zappa (1985, 12:05)
10) High In a Flat - The Bevis Frond (1988, 7:49)
9) O Superman - Laurie Anderson (1982, 8:25)
8) Marquee Moon - Television (1977, 10:40)
7) Sex Bomb - Flipper (1982, 7:49)
6) Teen Love - No Trend (1984, 7:41)
5) I Believe - Buzzcocks (1979, 7:08)
4) 30 Seconds Over Tokyo - Pere Ubu (1975, 6:25)
3) The Days Of Wine And Roses - The Dream Syndicate (1982, 7:33)
2) Gloria - Patti Smith (1975, 5:55)
1) Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus (1982, 9:36)
25) The Frequency - Jets To Brazil (2002, 6:15)
24) Die Arden En Die Mens - Blomkrag (2003, 6:40)
23) Glover - The Aliens (2007, 8:23)
22) L. Frank Baum - Bags (1991, 5:53)
21) We Want War - These New Puritans (2010, 7:23)
20) Two Beautiful Beaches - B-Sides (2001, 5:43)
19) The Good, The Bad And The Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Quee n(2007, 7:00)
18) No Place - Eskimo (1990, 6:10)
17) Emma Blowgun's Last Stand - Beulah (1999, 5:22)
16) Age Of Adz - Sufjan Stevens (2010, 8:00)
15) Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (2009, 5:03)
14) I Would Hurt A Fly - Built To Spill (1997, 6:15)
13) Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come - Bright Eyes (2002, 6:32)
12) I Made a Date (With An Open Vein) - Trembling Bells & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2012, 6:34)
11) Ballad Of The Sin Eater - Ted Leo/Pharmacists (2003, 5:20)
10) Inner Meet Me - Beta Band (1997, 6:20)
9) Whiskey & Speed - Josh Fix (2007, 6:21)
8) Pride approaching - Elope (2003, 6:44)
7) One Nail Draws Another - Utotem (1991, 14:58)
6) Wake Up - Arcade Fire (2004, 5:35)
5) Accused of Stealing - The Delgados (2000, 5:42)
4) Lesson 6: The Lecture - Jurassic 5 (1997, 6:35)
3) The Next Messiah - Jenny Lewis (2008, 8:45)
2) Moby Octopad - Yo La Tengo (1997, 5:49)
1) Folk Song - Bongwater (1990, 9:24)
The allmusic list is much shorter with just one or two picks from several of their writers. They're a lot more interesting picks than the DigitalDreamDoor list, but the DigitialDreamDoor list is a lot more interesting from the point of view of actually ranking the very best epic songs. I started trying to make my own list, and I found I needed to break it out into categories.
Category #1: Classics. These are songs from the 60s and 70s that I would have picked for the top of a list like the DigitalDreamDoor list.
30) Working Man - Rush (1974, 7:11)
29) Eagle - ABBA (1978, 5:53)
28) Sparkle City - Shuggie Otis (1974, 5:58)
27) Fire On High - Electric Light Orchestra (1975, 5:32)
26) Radar Love - Golden Earring (1973, 6:27)
25) Beginnings - Chicago (1969, 7:51)
24) It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl - Faust (1972, 7:25)
23) Children Of The Sun - Billy Thorpe (1979, 6:45)
22) Celluloid Heroes - Kinks (1972, 6:23)
21) Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf (1977, 8:29)
20) No Agreement - Fela Kuti (1977, 7:52)
19) Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty (1978, 6:01)
18) War Pigs/Luke's Wall - Black Sabbath (1970, 7:58)
17) Interstellar Overdrive - Pink Floyd (1968, 9:41)
16) Come Sail Away - Styx (1977, 6:07)
15) American Pie - Don McLean (1971, 8:37)
14) Hold Your Head Up - Argent (1972, 6:15)
13) Beautiful As The Moon - Terrible As An Army With Banners - Henry Cow (1975, 7:02)
12) Aqualung - Jethro Tull (1971, 6:37)
11) Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973, 9:10)
10) Kashmir - Led Zeppelin (1975, 8:29)
9) A Day In The Life - The Beatles (1967, 5:34)
8) You Can't Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones (1969, 7:33)
7) Band On The Run - Wings (1973, 5:10)
6) Roundabout - Yes (1972, 8:32)
5) Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen (1975, 9:33)
4) Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues (1967, 7:30)
3) The End - The Doors (1967, 11:44)
2) Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) - Pink Floyd (1975, 13:40)
1) Alice's Restaurant Massacre - Arlo Guthrie (1967, 18:37)
29) Eagle - ABBA (1978, 5:53)
28) Sparkle City - Shuggie Otis (1974, 5:58)
27) Fire On High - Electric Light Orchestra (1975, 5:32)
26) Radar Love - Golden Earring (1973, 6:27)
25) Beginnings - Chicago (1969, 7:51)
24) It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl - Faust (1972, 7:25)
23) Children Of The Sun - Billy Thorpe (1979, 6:45)
22) Celluloid Heroes - Kinks (1972, 6:23)
21) Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf (1977, 8:29)
20) No Agreement - Fela Kuti (1977, 7:52)
19) Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty (1978, 6:01)
18) War Pigs/Luke's Wall - Black Sabbath (1970, 7:58)
17) Interstellar Overdrive - Pink Floyd (1968, 9:41)
16) Come Sail Away - Styx (1977, 6:07)
15) American Pie - Don McLean (1971, 8:37)
14) Hold Your Head Up - Argent (1972, 6:15)
13) Beautiful As The Moon - Terrible As An Army With Banners - Henry Cow (1975, 7:02)
12) Aqualung - Jethro Tull (1971, 6:37)
11) Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973, 9:10)
10) Kashmir - Led Zeppelin (1975, 8:29)
9) A Day In The Life - The Beatles (1967, 5:34)
8) You Can't Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones (1969, 7:33)
7) Band On The Run - Wings (1973, 5:10)
6) Roundabout - Yes (1972, 8:32)
5) Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen (1975, 9:33)
4) Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues (1967, 7:30)
3) The End - The Doors (1967, 11:44)
2) Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) - Pink Floyd (1975, 13:40)
1) Alice's Restaurant Massacre - Arlo Guthrie (1967, 18:37)
Category #2: Punk era through the 1980s.
25) Chichen-Itza Elvis - Copernicus (1987, 7:53)
24) I'm Considering a Move to Memphis - Colorblind James Experience (1987, 6:42)
23) All White People Look Alike - Brian Woodbury (1987, 20:38)
22) How I Learned to Love the Bomb - Television Personalities (1985, 5:07)
21) Tokyo Storm Warning - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1986, 6:25)
20) Dreams of Sexual Perfection - Fugs (1986, 11:52)
19) Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through - Jim Steinman (1981, 6:27)
18) Sister Europe - Psychedelic Furs (1980, 5:39)
17) How Soon Is Now? - Smiths (1984, 6:46)
16) Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984, 7:59)
15) Sweat Loaf - Butthole Surfers (1987, 6:09)
14) Teen Age Riot - Sonic Youth (1988, 6:58)
13) Rock Lobster - The B-52's (1979, 6:51)
12) People Who Died - Jim Carroll Band (1980, 5:00)
11) Porn Wars - Frank Zappa (1985, 12:05)
10) High In a Flat - The Bevis Frond (1988, 7:49)
9) O Superman - Laurie Anderson (1982, 8:25)
8) Marquee Moon - Television (1977, 10:40)
7) Sex Bomb - Flipper (1982, 7:49)
6) Teen Love - No Trend (1984, 7:41)
5) I Believe - Buzzcocks (1979, 7:08)
4) 30 Seconds Over Tokyo - Pere Ubu (1975, 6:25)
3) The Days Of Wine And Roses - The Dream Syndicate (1982, 7:33)
2) Gloria - Patti Smith (1975, 5:55)
1) Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus (1982, 9:36)
Category #3: The 1990s through the present. I don't know how well this list holds up against the other two. It's the one that needs the most revision.
25) The Frequency - Jets To Brazil (2002, 6:15)
24) Die Arden En Die Mens - Blomkrag (2003, 6:40)
23) Glover - The Aliens (2007, 8:23)
22) L. Frank Baum - Bags (1991, 5:53)
21) We Want War - These New Puritans (2010, 7:23)
20) Two Beautiful Beaches - B-Sides (2001, 5:43)
19) The Good, The Bad And The Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Quee n(2007, 7:00)
18) No Place - Eskimo (1990, 6:10)
17) Emma Blowgun's Last Stand - Beulah (1999, 5:22)
16) Age Of Adz - Sufjan Stevens (2010, 8:00)
15) Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (2009, 5:03)
14) I Would Hurt A Fly - Built To Spill (1997, 6:15)
13) Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come - Bright Eyes (2002, 6:32)
12) I Made a Date (With An Open Vein) - Trembling Bells & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2012, 6:34)
11) Ballad Of The Sin Eater - Ted Leo/Pharmacists (2003, 5:20)
10) Inner Meet Me - Beta Band (1997, 6:20)
9) Whiskey & Speed - Josh Fix (2007, 6:21)
8) Pride approaching - Elope (2003, 6:44)
7) One Nail Draws Another - Utotem (1991, 14:58)
6) Wake Up - Arcade Fire (2004, 5:35)
5) Accused of Stealing - The Delgados (2000, 5:42)
4) Lesson 6: The Lecture - Jurassic 5 (1997, 6:35)
3) The Next Messiah - Jenny Lewis (2008, 8:45)
2) Moby Octopad - Yo La Tengo (1997, 5:49)
1) Folk Song - Bongwater (1990, 9:24)
I didn't have any strict definition of "epic", but I did require that all songs on these lists be at least 5 minutes long. Songs with multiple movements and twists and turns definitely got bonus "epic" points, and some very long very good songs didn't make the list just because.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Five Most Interesting Lists at DigitalDreamdoor
If you're looking for lists and impressed by sheer quantity, you can't do much better than DigitalDreamDoor. I'm pretty impressed by the quality of their lists as well, but as somebody who obsesses about both the final list and the process (e.g. see list-making interview one to four), I wish I knew a bit more about how they compiled their lists. Here's a list of the five that I found most interesting.
#1. Greatest Epic Rock Songs - This is a great idea for a list, and I'm sure this isn't the only one out there. I'm kind of amazed that Bohemian Rhapsody has aged so well in so many people's eyes that it can top this list as opposed to the novelty song list, which is where I probably would have guessed it would have landed 30 years ago. I can't quite figure out Deep Purple coming in at #3, but that was the only major oddity in the top 10.
#2. Greatest Power Pop Songs - This is an interesting list, largely because the genre isn't really that well defined and means different things to different people. I can't see putting the Beatles in there at #4 because I can't see putting them on the list at all, but I guess since they were such an obvious influence on so many great power pop bands, it's not crazy to include them.... or is it?
#3. Greatest New Wave Songs - I've commented on new wave song lists previously. This is a really good list. The first major quibble I have didn't come until Level 42 showed up at #24.
#4. Greatest Indie Rock Albums - There's a good bit of overlap between their list and mine. Mine, of course, has more obscure choices, and theirs has some artists like the Smiths, that I think ought to belong on some other list instead.
#5. Greatest Alt-Country Songs - Here's the list with which I have the most disagreements, but I'll confess that I don't know well many of the songs that they ranked ahead of the alt-country songs I like most. The other issue, though, is that I don't think they made great choices for the best song or songs from the artists that I do know well. Maybe I need to get down to business making my own alt-country list.
I was thinking of making another list of the most important lists I thought were missing from DigitalDreamDoor, but I couldn't think of much of anything. I'd like to see a gospel list and they don't have one. I'd like to see a hardcore list (distinct from the punk list). It's really a pretty impressive site for list connoisseurs.
#1. Greatest Epic Rock Songs - This is a great idea for a list, and I'm sure this isn't the only one out there. I'm kind of amazed that Bohemian Rhapsody has aged so well in so many people's eyes that it can top this list as opposed to the novelty song list, which is where I probably would have guessed it would have landed 30 years ago. I can't quite figure out Deep Purple coming in at #3, but that was the only major oddity in the top 10.
#2. Greatest Power Pop Songs - This is an interesting list, largely because the genre isn't really that well defined and means different things to different people. I can't see putting the Beatles in there at #4 because I can't see putting them on the list at all, but I guess since they were such an obvious influence on so many great power pop bands, it's not crazy to include them.... or is it?
#3. Greatest New Wave Songs - I've commented on new wave song lists previously. This is a really good list. The first major quibble I have didn't come until Level 42 showed up at #24.
#4. Greatest Indie Rock Albums - There's a good bit of overlap between their list and mine. Mine, of course, has more obscure choices, and theirs has some artists like the Smiths, that I think ought to belong on some other list instead.
#5. Greatest Alt-Country Songs - Here's the list with which I have the most disagreements, but I'll confess that I don't know well many of the songs that they ranked ahead of the alt-country songs I like most. The other issue, though, is that I don't think they made great choices for the best song or songs from the artists that I do know well. Maybe I need to get down to business making my own alt-country list.
I was thinking of making another list of the most important lists I thought were missing from DigitalDreamDoor, but I couldn't think of much of anything. I'd like to see a gospel list and they don't have one. I'd like to see a hardcore list (distinct from the punk list). It's really a pretty impressive site for list connoisseurs.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Pitchfork's People's List - Are They Embarrassed About All That Radiohead?
Pitchfork, one of my favorite music review sites, recently endeavored to create a "people's list" based on a limited-time-only ballot that I somehow missed. It's a list of the best albums over the life of the Pitchfork site through last year (1996-2011). I like track lists better than album lists, but I'm still a suck for a reader poll of any variety. The list is now a little hard to find on the Pitchfork website, so I'm wondering if they weren't happy about how the People reflected on their hipster image.
Hidden though they may be now, the people's votes are in, and the people luuuuuuuuuuuuuv Radiohead. Radiohead shows up 4 times in the top 20, including both the #1 and #2 slots. I really don't know quite what to make of that. I think some of it is that the past 15 years really hasn't been a very good period for the album as an art form and Radiohead really is an album rock band. I'd be curious if there were a Peoples List of tracks if Radiohead would come even close to dominating the top 100 tracks the way they dominate the top 20 albums.
The people do not, as it turns out, love alt-country. In the top 200, there is no Neko Case, no Old 97s, no Son Volt, and no Waco Brothers. Ryan Adams sneaks in, and I have to say the People really did pick the right Ryan Adams record. The people also like Wilco, but they like Yankee Foxtrot Hotel a lot better than Summerteeth, and I can't agree with the People about that. Maybe I'm just hatin' on the People who caught on late, even though Husker Du preaches against that kind of behavior, but I never understood what was so great about Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, apart from Warner Bros effectively having to pay for the record twice. No Neko Case though - really??? Is it just Paste folks who like Neko and not Pitchfork folks?
There's also no Sloan and no Luna. I think both made their best records in the late 90s, but I know some others think they made their best records before the Pitchfork 1996 cutoff. Maybe neither band is quite right for the Pitchfork crowd. I really would think that the Beta Band would be a Pitchfork band though, and they're nowhere to be found on this list. I wonder if The Three EPs was deemed ineligible on account of being three EPs on one CD. I still would have included a later Beta Band record, but The Three EPs is the obvious missing choice. Also, no Mountain Goats? I hadn't realized how much on the outskirts of the Pitchfork readership I was. Neko Case, Beta Band, and Mountain Goats are probably the 3 most surprising omissions to me, in that order.
There's still lots of good stuff on this list. I remain a bit surprised by the enduring popularity of Arcade Fire's "Funeral", and I remain pleasantly surprised by the enduring popularity of Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea". I thought TV On the Radio would come in higher than #81, but I can't complain about them having 3 records in the top 200. Similarly, Yo La Tengo's a little further down than I expected, but they do at least show up twice.
Calexico isn't on the top 200, but if you scroll down to the bottom and stratify by age, you can find them on the distinction index for the 51+ year olds and the 40-somethings. Uh oh. It's almost 10 O'clock. Must be time for us old folk Calexico-likers to hit the sack.
Hidden though they may be now, the people's votes are in, and the people luuuuuuuuuuuuuv Radiohead. Radiohead shows up 4 times in the top 20, including both the #1 and #2 slots. I really don't know quite what to make of that. I think some of it is that the past 15 years really hasn't been a very good period for the album as an art form and Radiohead really is an album rock band. I'd be curious if there were a Peoples List of tracks if Radiohead would come even close to dominating the top 100 tracks the way they dominate the top 20 albums.
The people do not, as it turns out, love alt-country. In the top 200, there is no Neko Case, no Old 97s, no Son Volt, and no Waco Brothers. Ryan Adams sneaks in, and I have to say the People really did pick the right Ryan Adams record. The people also like Wilco, but they like Yankee Foxtrot Hotel a lot better than Summerteeth, and I can't agree with the People about that. Maybe I'm just hatin' on the People who caught on late, even though Husker Du preaches against that kind of behavior, but I never understood what was so great about Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, apart from Warner Bros effectively having to pay for the record twice. No Neko Case though - really??? Is it just Paste folks who like Neko and not Pitchfork folks?
There's also no Sloan and no Luna. I think both made their best records in the late 90s, but I know some others think they made their best records before the Pitchfork 1996 cutoff. Maybe neither band is quite right for the Pitchfork crowd. I really would think that the Beta Band would be a Pitchfork band though, and they're nowhere to be found on this list. I wonder if The Three EPs was deemed ineligible on account of being three EPs on one CD. I still would have included a later Beta Band record, but The Three EPs is the obvious missing choice. Also, no Mountain Goats? I hadn't realized how much on the outskirts of the Pitchfork readership I was. Neko Case, Beta Band, and Mountain Goats are probably the 3 most surprising omissions to me, in that order.
There's still lots of good stuff on this list. I remain a bit surprised by the enduring popularity of Arcade Fire's "Funeral", and I remain pleasantly surprised by the enduring popularity of Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea". I thought TV On the Radio would come in higher than #81, but I can't complain about them having 3 records in the top 200. Similarly, Yo La Tengo's a little further down than I expected, but they do at least show up twice.
Calexico isn't on the top 200, but if you scroll down to the bottom and stratify by age, you can find them on the distinction index for the 51+ year olds and the 40-somethings. Uh oh. It's almost 10 O'clock. Must be time for us old folk Calexico-likers to hit the sack.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)