1,001 songs to listen to before you die...

[gunnar hendershow]

Can are probably the Krautrock band I've listened to the most. It's something I should delve more into.

And Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is my favorite Elton John song. And, yes, that album is his most acclaimed I feel. Though I don't really listen to Elton John's albums. He, to me, is a singles artist.

I have to catch up on this as I've missed a ton of the songs you've discussed. I'll add from an earlier post that starting with Innervisions Stevie Wonder, to me, became possibly the best musical artist the U.S. has ever produced. Just amazing stuff he churned out and he did in many ways as a one-man band. I've only grown in appreciation for Stevie as I've gotten older.

[Liam]

391.      

‘The Carpet Crawlers’, Genesis (1974)

They clearly like Genesis as they pop up for a second time in quick succession. This was part of a double CD concept album called ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ about a Puerto Rican called Rael who lived in the Bronx. That just all sounds very out there as I type it and the song is also an interesting slice of music. It does feel part of a bigger narrative, so perhaps is a little harder to judge as a one off song. However, there’s a glow to the whole production and delivery that I really like. What could be impenetrable, and lyrically pretty much is, is instead a catchy song with a heady mix of drumming, keyboards and Collins’ vocals. I type these as I listen, and I’m more sold on this song now than I was at the start.

392.      

‘Águas de março’, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Elis Regina (1974)

Seven years since the first song that Jobim has on the list is this song with Brazilian singer Regina. There isn’t too much to say about this outside of how wonderfully playful the delivery of both vocalists is – they play off of each other in a way that is very enjoyable even if you don’t know what the lyrics are. Coupled with a jaunty rhythm, this is a fun song that I’d never heard before and am thankful I now have.

393.      

‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City’, Bobby Bland (1974)

Another singer who was revitalised after a period of low commercial interest, Bland sings a song that tells a story about love, though one that might be about the city itself as much as a woman. Urban deprivation was a narrative theme in black music around the time and this was Bland’s take on the matter. Things like the strings and guitar came from his association with a new record label (they had bought out his old one), making his music immediately more commercially viable. A simple song, but one that does what it sets out to do with little fuss.

[Bobfoc]

I only knew Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City from Whitesnake's version. The original is better, I think.

[Liam]

394.   

‘(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night’, Tom Waits (1974)

I’ve not listened to a lot  of Tom Waits, but what I have heard was from his much more raspier-era, or at least that is what I will dub it. This is a beautifully crafted song, one that tries to encapsulate the optimism of a bit of money and a girl by your side. The melody in particular is lovely, really capturing that hopefulness, whilst Waits’ voice may not be as I expected, but it works best to sell the narrative of this story. Not what I was expecting, though good notwithstanding.

395.      

‘Sweet Home Alabama’, Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)

Influenced by: Southern Man • Neil Young (1970)   

Influence on: Ronnie and Neil • Drive-By Truckers (2001)   

Covered by: Charlie Daniels (1981) • Hank Williams Jr. (1987) • Leningrad Cowboys (1993) • Bonfire (1999) • Down By Law (2000) • Jewel (2002)

Does anyone dislike ‘Sweet Home Alabama’? It is an absolute banger of a tune. What I find most interesting is that this was a response to ‘Southern Man’ by Neil Young, a song that pointed a lot of the issues surrounding racism. Young liked this song, as did many Southerners, perhaps missing some of the subtle political statements made in the song lyrically. For a singalong crowd pleaser, there is a lot more under the hood of which I was unaware. I was always too busy singing along.

396.      

‘Piss Factory’, Patti Smith Group (1974)

Influenced by: Desolation Row • Bob Dylan (1965)   

Influence on: Marquee Moon • Television (1977)   

Covered by: Swarf Sisters (1997) • The Klone Orchestra (2009)   

Other key tracks: Hey Joe (1974) • Free Money (1975) • Because the Night (1978)

This is an eye opener as Patti Smith, having been involved in music for a while before recording her first album, unleashed ‘Piss Factory’ as a B side in 1974. Alongside some frenetic jazzy piano, Smith effectively recites poetry over the turbulent melody. Telling the autobiographical tale of her time spent legitimately working in a factory at 16, it is imbued with fire and anger in a way that few songs up until now have been. Though she doesn’t really sing, there is a rhythmic nature in her voice that is pleasant to hear.

[Malenko]

Patti Smith is still active too. Saw her again last year after many years.. didn't expect much but enjoyed it a lot.

I like her first albums from the 70s.

I'm really surprised they picked this one over Because the Night (assuming they won't pick any other) even though I actually prefer it. It's definitely not as radio friendly as the other.

 

[VerbalPuke]

Never really liked Patti Smith, but she does have a cool Sonic Youth cover. She also apparently lived in my hometown while married to Fred Smith. 

Lynrd Skynrd was part of my first show. They were ok, ZZ Top blew them out of the water. Not a big Skynrd fan at all. 

Tom Waits is a name I've seen and heard for ages, still haven't really gotten into him. Could very well be one of those artists that i eventually get later on.

[GoGo Yubari]

I think there might be one more Patti Smith song coming but I'd have to rifle through my book and find out, because there's definitely a Patti Smith song you'd expect to be in here that isn't in the Other Key Tracks. I love "Piss Factory," though.

[METALMAN]

The only Patti Smith I know is Horses and Because the Night. Because the Night is a dirge and I know loads of people say Horses is great, but I listened to it a few times several years ago and thought it was a bit shit. I always planned to give it another go - and I'm sure I'll get round to it one day - because I'm sure there must be something to it. Anyway, this was my first time ever hearing Piss Factory and I really enjoyed it. I don't remember anything on Horses being anywhere near as good.

Sweet Home Alabama is decent enough. Nice groove. I don't think I've listened to it in a while.

I really like the Tom Waits one. Heart of Saturday Night is my favourite Tom Waits album.

 

[MalaCloudy Black]

Second Helping is a banger album. Sweet Home Alabama, Don't Ask Me No Questions, Call Me The Breeze, The Ballad of Curtis Loew.

And my favorite Skynyrd song:

 

[Skummy]

Piss Factory is great, though I prefer the Swarf Sisters version that's mentioned.

Tom Waits is one of my all-time favourites; while a lot of my love for him comes from later than this (Rain Dogs is probably my all-time favourite album), Heart of Saturday Night is just lovely. Early Tom Waits is very much stereotyped (with good reason, admittedly) as songs about drinking by a drunk. Most of them are a bit mournful and self-pitying because of it, whereas Heart of Saturday Night is almost the exact opposite of that, a rare example of him getting upbeat at this time. Jonathan Richman does a great version of it, and in a lot of ways it almost feels more of a Richman song than a Waits one already - it's a very 1950s "the world is our oyster" song.

[Hobo]

On 08/06/2020 at 18:11, Liam said:

382.      

‘Child’s Christmas in Wales’, John Cale (1973)

I really didn’t know what to expect with this, between the title and Cale’s associations with the Velvet Underground. I don’t think it was this. With a title shared with a Dylan Thomas memoir, the lyrics are tell a fairly elusive narrative with some organ giving it a touch of a Christmas feel and a slide guitar that makes it slightly more interesting than it otherwise might have been. There is nothing ostensibly bad with this, it just doesn’t really do much for me. As a singer, Cale has nothing going on personally that I find interesting.

Probably the most bland song on what is one of John Cale's more accessible but also ultimately, to me at anyway, least interesting album.

Early Tom Waits isnt something I've listened to a huge amount. I'm more in line with Skummy as regards where my Tom Waits preferences lie. There are some real gems in that period though and Heart of Saturday Night is one.

I much prefer Peter Gabriel solo and Phil Collins led Genesis. Theres just something about that 70s prog era stuff that I cant get into. I think it mostly just feels a big indulgent musically and I just dont really have much interest in that.

That said, I like Carpet Crawlers as a song in and of itself.

[Liam]

397.      

‘Evie’, Stevie Wright (1974)

If the song is eleven minutes long and I’ve never heard of it, I’m always going to enter things with a bit of healthy scepticism. Told in three parts, it helps that the narrative is strong and the first suite begins in a kicking fashion that sets the momentum for what is to come. The story of a relationship beginning and ending in just over ten minutes, it really doesn’t feel it as it turns from a rocker to a ballad to a break-up song. It doesn’t do anything spectacular in my own eyes, outside of being a really good song that justifies its running time.

398.      

‘Free Man in Paris’, Joni Mitchell (1974)

Joni Mitchell’s final major hit is a song written about David Geffen, at the time the owner of the label which produced Mitchell’s music. The book states that songs about record labels or their owners are rarely positive, yet this bucks the trend. It definitely sounds much more positive in tone than some, whilst suggestions have been that this explores Geffen’s boredom with LA and his desire for the romantic ideal that Paris represented. Mitchell’s lilting voice is good throughout, though the song doesn’t do a lot for me. It is catchy in its own way, but nothing that excites me. This may sound obvious – I feel that if you like all the moving parts (Mitchell, record labels, Geffen, etc etc), you’ll like the song a lot more than me.

399.      

‘I Will Always Love You’, Dolly Parton (1974)

Just an absolute showcase for what Dolly Parton was able to do with her voice. The book unsurprisingly focuses a lot on the Whitney Houston cover, whilst there was also talk of Elvis Presley doing it before Parton refused to hand over half of the publishing rights. The cover is probably better all told, though Parton paved the way and her version, whilst understated, set that ball rolling.

[METALMAN]

Evie is okay. There seems to be an uncommonly large number of songs in this book that were only big in Australia. Usually, that was for a reason.

Free Man in Paris is excellent. I'm not a huge fan of Joni Mitchell's earlier music - even though Blue is typically her most critically acclaimed. But the music she did in the mid to late seventies, more fleshed out and with some excellent jazz musicians, is really good. I'm sure I read somewhere that Geffen was a bit hesitant about this song because he was concerned someone might read into it and out him as a gay man in Paris.

Whitney Hyooston was certainly technically accomplished and while her cover is impressive, it also leaves me a bit cold. Bawling for the sake of bawling. Dolly P's one is better, although I'm not wild about the song as a whole. Definitely deserves to be here though. it's a big deal.

[gunnar hendershow]

6 hours ago, Hobo said:

I much prefer Peter Gabriel solo and Phil Collins led Genesis. Theres just something about that 70s prog era stuff that I cant get into. I think it mostly just feels a big indulgent musically and I just dont really have much interest in that.

Yeah outside of the prog heads of the world Gabriel-led Genesis is usually looked more at as rather indulgent. It has its highlights. I'm a much bigger fan of solo Gabriel than I am anything Genesis though, I think he churned out a lot of great work as a solo artist.

[METALMAN]

I think I am starting to quite like prog rock in my old age. I must be getting it off my dad. That being said, I find it a lot easier to like Yes, Caravan, and Gentle Giant. These bands could have a bit of a laugh, I'm not quite there on Genesis or Jethro Tull. And I'm some way away from appreciating ELP, King Crimson, or *shudder* Soft Machine. And the American proggers are basically unknown to me with the exception of Rush.

[gunnar hendershow]

3 minutes ago, metalman said:

I think I am starting to quite like prog rock in my old age. I must be getting it off my dad. That being said, I find it a lot easier to like Yes, Caravan, and Gentle Giant. These bands could have a bit of a laugh, I'm not quite there on Genesis or Jethro Tull. And I'm some way away from appreciating ELP, King Crimson, or *shudder* Soft Machine. And the American proggers are basically unknown to me with the exception of Rush.

Wow so mean towards one of Canada's most beloved musical exports.

[METALMAN]

Oh shit they're Canadian aren't they. Sorry Canada. I quite like Rush... no offence intended :/. Maybe if they went around with silly little maple leaves on their backpacks like every other Canadian I wouldn't have made this mistake.

[Liam]

400.      

‘The Grand Tour’, George Jones (1974)

I always find it interesting to stumble across a musician who is really big in their field, but that I’ve never heard. Top 10 over seventy times, Jones was a big name in the world of country music and this is the song that seems chosen to at least represent that longevity. Your mileage may vary on the style of music – this feels very classic country to me – but Jones does have a really good, emotive delivery that sells the narrative of a man whose wife has left him. It isn’t overdone or overegged, but there is a wail within the delivery that works really well.

401.      

‘Withered and Died’, Richard and Linda Thompson (1974)

Husband and wife for all of two years before this came out, Richard Thompson was the singer/songwriter/guitarist of Fairport Convention and Linda first met him when recording a jingle for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. As a folky ballad goes, this is fine enough, but doesn’t do a lot to excite me if I’m being honest. Linda has a clarity to her vocals which is pleasant, yet the whole things lacks a rougher, rawer edge to give it a bit of punch.

402.      

‘Louisiana 1927’, Randy Newman (1974)

I talked before about how Stevie Wonder was coming out of this whole project better than when I started; you can add Randy Newman to that list as well. There is just a warmth and loveliness to what he writes that feels comforting. This is about the floods in 1927 that were sadly mirrored many years later during Hurricane Katrina. This could have been a sad song, but with the orchestral flourishes alongside the simple piano, there is a feeling of genuine love for where he was brought up, alongside a sense that he, nor Louisiana, were ever prone to being pretentious.

[METALMAN]

I LOVE Richard and Linda Thompson and this song is excellent. I'm not sure why they've chosen this to be the representative from this wondferul album though, because these two are much better:

 

 

[MalaCloudy Black]

This is forever the song I associate with George Jones.