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


Liam

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682.      

‘The One I Love’, R.E.M (1987)

Influenced by: Break It Up • Patti Smith (1975)   

Influence on: Morning Glory • Oasis (1995)   

Covered by: Butthole Surfers (1989) • Moog Cookbook (1996) • Sufjan Stevens (2006)   

Other key tracks:It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) (1987) • Everybody Hurts (1992)

I’m a big fan of R.E.M, but I’ll be honest that it was Guitar Hero/Rock Band that first got me interested in this song, whichever game it ended up on (if not both at some point). This was apparently the big breakthrough for the band as they went from being a college radio band to signing a multi-million dollar deal with Warner Brothers. I’ve always loved Stipe’s vocals on the chorus part of the song, as well as enjoying the darkness of the lyrics. I find it funny that – according to the book – people believed this to be a love song, when the lyrics are anything but pro-love or relationships.

683.      

‘Fairytale of New York’, The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl (1987)

This is the only song on the list thus far that I haven’t listened to. The reason? Even this list won’t have me listening to a Christmas song in October. However, with this being my own favourite Christmas song, I don’t really need to listen to it in order to know how it all goes. I’ve already espoused my opinion on the Pogues and this is a great anti-Christmas song in as much as that is a thing, or at least one that chooses to focus on how things aren’t always bright and rosey during that time period. I get a bit precious sometimes as it is a song that I liked a lot before it seemed to become everyone’s favourite Christmas song, but so be it – it is better that it gets airplay over and above some of the other crap from that part of the year.

684.      

‘Paradise City’, Guns ‘n’ Roses (1987)

I’ve never liked G’n’R as much as I feel I should, though their ‘big’ hits are pretty much all bangers to various degrees. This probably sits between Sweet Child O’Mine and Welcome to the Jungle in terms of my enjoyment (Child being the ‘best’) when it comes to the main tracks from Appetite For Destruction. Axl Rose is a vocalist that has me asking the same questions as I do of Billy Corgan of all people: how did they become lead singers in a band with their style of singing? I mean, Rose is a more typical rock and roll singer, but the high pitched wailing is so very distinctive and not always entirely pleasant. However, it works and when supported by a blistering rhytmn section, it all comes together to create something exciting.

685.      

‘Never Let Me Down Again’, Depeche Mode (1987)

Apparently, this was a song that underperformed in the UK, yet had fans in the US flocking to check out what Depeche Mode had to offer. I’ve only ever really listened to the singles by Depeche Mode, so this might be coming from ignorance, but this does feel the most fully realised Mode song in terms of the sound they had been striving for after Vince Clarke left. It is dark and moody, more muscular in tone from what they had created before especially in an atmospheric closing minute or so. Not my favourite song by them, though it isn’t hard to see why this drew the attention of many new fans to the band.

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The One I Love is great. Very bright and punchy, which isn't the case for most of REM's 80s music. That makes it instantly catchy.

Fairytale of New York is a bit shit. I don't mind the Pogues but I've never got into this. Far too overproduced. Shane MacGowan hamming it up even more than usual and I've never really liked Kirsty MacColl's voice. Save it for the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special. You get all these bores boring on about it being an injustice Always On My Mind by the Pet Shop Boys kept it off number 1, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE ALWAYS ON MY MIND IS A MUCH BETTER SONG. I mean, I can see why people like it but I don't really like to spill lager on people when I sing songs so this isn't for me.

Paradise City is a banger. One of those songs that is just made for a stadium (I've never been to a stadium gig in my life, but I'm assuming)

That Depeche Mode one is fine. I keep meaning to give them a proper chance. 

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That is a very, very strong group of songs. Perhaps my favorite REM song, though like a lot of the other great groups on here there are others which are strong contenders.

I agree that "Always on my Mind" is a better song. I don't have a sentimental relationship with "Fairytale of New York" and it's definitely got the feel of that kind of song which loud people love. I think if I had a more sentimental attachment to it I'd quite enjoy it. Similar to how I loudly sing "Take Me Home, Country Roads" when I have a few drinks in me and it comes on in public.

I'm not a devout GnR fan but "Paradise City" is one of those songs that just makes me want to be in a massive stadium watching them play. Such a big song. Might be my favorite song by them now that I think about it. It really announces that this is a band which is going to put on a killer live show for you.

"Never Let Me Down Again" is one of my very favorite Depeche Mode songs. It took the dark sound they perfected on their "Black Celebration" album and makes it so much cleaner and bigger feeling. The "Music for the Masses" album is all songs that need to be heard live. And it's no wonder this album was followed with a massive tour culminating in their famous show at the Rose Bowl. What really makes "Never Let Me Down Again" work is that it's the first song on the album. Depeche Mode's 3 best albums in my mind all start with an absolutely great track. "Never Let Me Down Again" might be the top of them. It just hits you with all the themes and sounds Depeche Mode had spent the last 5-6 years working on all at once with a kind of polish and emphasis that David Bascombe (who worked with Tears for Fears and Peter Gabriel) could make possible. 

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love the Sugarcubes, love the Pogues, love Sisters of Mercy, so this has been a real good bunch. Not my favourite tracks by any of those bands, but all good nonetheless.

"It's A Sin" is probably my favourite Pet Shop Boys song. I adore it. "Beds Are Burning" is a song I get stuck in my head on pretty much a weekly basis, but can't remember the last time I ever actually heard it.

"The One I Love" might be my favourite R.E.M. song. Henry Rollins once said that he wished he could ever have written a lyric as heartless as "just a prop to occupy my time". It's so spiteful and cynical, but brilliant.

"Paradise City" isn't my favourite G&R song and, these days, I'm not much of a fan of the band as a whole, but I have to admit that Appetite For Destruction is just a superb album, capturing them before they disappear up their own arses and are still just a really solid rock group. "My Michelle" is my favourite track on the album, because it has a bit more of a bar-room blues swagger, and "Welcome To The Jungle" has a bit more bite to it, while "Paradise City" feels like a bit too much of a concession towards some of the worst excesses of hair metal - still better than anything on Use Your Illusion, though.

Public Enemy, man. Still so fresh and interesting, and just so far ahead of everyone else doing what they were doing at the time. I love them. Chuck D might be one of my favourite people in music.

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Yeah @Skummy basically articulated my feelings on GnR as a band post-Appetite for Destruction. Though I said I really like "Paradise City" it definitely does teeter on that edge between fun and annoying hair metal. For me it stays on the right side and is just a big feeling arena song. Also, I had forgotten about "My Michelle" and that song is really strong as well.

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686.      

‘Faith’, George Michael (1987)

The title song from an album that sold millions, saw seven singles released from it and won a Grammy, ‘Faith’ was the start of Michael’s ascension to pop icon. With lyrics that touched upon Michael’s own personal need to believe following a dark time in his life and some pretty simplistic sounding guitar work to provide the bouncy rhythm, the song is one that does a lot with very little. It doesn’t try and do too much, relying on the quality of the songwriting to carry everything, something which I think it achieves with aplomb. Not my favourite song by him necessarily, but an understandable eye opener for those wondering what he would offer post-Wham!

687.      

‘Need You Tonight’, INXS (1987)

This is a song from my childhood inasmuch as I remember my Dad having the ‘Kick’ VHS video. There is something ultimately very slinky and sexy about how everything comes together for the song, helped somewhat by the video – Hutchence wasn’t a bad looking chap at all. The quick bursts of guitar are the personal highlight for me, adding a discordant element to things that helps to create the darker, seedier tone. Apparently, the creation of the song was very casual, even up to the fact that the tune stopped abruptly as it was practically an unfinished song when Hutchence put lyrics to it. If you believe the story, that pretty much became the song we hear today, with the abrupt ending another element that helps the song stand out for me.

688.      

‘With or Without You’, U2 (1987)

U2 upset me. They have become a byword for shit music at times, whilst Bono is someone who makes it ever easier to laugh at him as the days go past. However, some of their work in the mid to late 80s and even into the early 90s is sublime. The latter era work as it is tends to detract from that and I always wish it wasn’t lost to the wider musical world. This is another example where I can say this isn’t the best song by them in my opinion, yet I know it was probably the one that first really grabbed my attention. It is indelibly attached to my growing up and is still a song I enjoy to this day, even if I rarely go out of my way to listen to it.

689.      

‘Freak Scene’, Dinosaur Jr. (1988)

Influenced by: Schizophrenia • Sonic Youth (1987)   

Influence on: Smells Like Teen Spirit • Nirvana (1991)   

Covered by: Godeater (2001) • Belle & Sebastian (2008)   

Other key tracks: Don’t (1988) • Keep the Glove (1988) • No Bones (1988) • Pond Song (1988) • They Always Come (1988) • The Wagon (1991)

That this is suggested as an influence on bands such as The Pixies and Nirvana speaks to how important Dinosaur Jr. were to the shaping of some of the music that came out in the new decade. The quiet/loud mishmash with acoustic-y work and singer/songwriter-esque stylings giving way to distorted guitar solos was probably quite eye-opening at this time and created a song that still sounds interesting today. I’d argue that this style has somewhat been surpassed by what came after it, yet it set the tone and deserves to be lauded thusly.

690.      

‘Follow The Leader’, Eric B. and Rakim (1988)

Influenced by: Listen to Me • Baby Huey (1971)   

Influence on: Root Down • Beastie Boys (1994)   

Covered by: Parliament Funkadelic & P-Funk Allstars featuring Rakim (1995)   

Other key tracks:Just a Beat (1988) • Microphone Fiend (1988) • Lyrics of Fury (1988)

This is very much outside of my wheelhouse, so the extent to which it is or isn’t good or is or isn’t worthy is beyond me. However, I can say one thing for sure – Rakim is one quick MC/rapper (delete as applicable). There is a funkiness in the bass, the samples and the mixing, but Rakim feels like the star of the show here, at least for my uneducated ears. The single was a powerful opening to an album that didn’t quite reach those heights again, according to the book. Whether that is true or not is for those who know more than myself, though I can say it was a pretty powerful way to get things going.

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That's an eclectic group.

"Faith" is really an example of what George Michael was capable of at such a young age, but I would agree it's not one of my absolute favorites by him. But, yeah, when you want to show people what he could do this is a really good song to pick.

I love "Need You Tonight" and it might be my favorite INXS song. I think as a group they rely on their hits and I don't think they have a particularly deep catalog, but when it's good it's real good.

Ehhhhh U2. I'm lukewarm on them as a group because I think they're a band who sells on their own hype more than anything. "The Joshua Tree" album is kind of safe rock music, but they're talented guys who do that thing better than most. I used to listen to them a ton when I was younger but where a lot of famous bands in the 80s did so by expanding on ideas, I think they consolidated some big ideas into a more digestible format. This is your standard album-oriented rock ballad with a little more polish and creativity. I mean, not bad, but U2 are to me a band that everyone knows because they're safe but not exceptional.

How much came out of Dinosaur Jr? Like a decade of music, especially in the US, can just point to songs like this as the sound they were working as hard as possible to replicate. I really like "Freak Scene" as a song, and it sounds like it could have easily come out 10 years later. I would agree a lot of the bands that borrowed from Dinosaur Jr have done it better, but I think they're still a good group on their own merits.

"Follow the Leader" is one of those very first east coast hip-hop tracks that is for the connoisseurs. By 1988 the west coast had started to take a foothold in the game and over the next couple years would dramatically surpass the east coast in terms of mainstream attention until Wu-Tang and Biggie came along 4-5 years later. But this era of hip-hop is often called the golden age of New York hip-hop and it might be my absolute favorite. Helped significantly by how phenomenal of an MC Rakim is. Just an impossibly good flow that few have been able to emulate coupled with Eric B. who was one of the top DJs of his day. There's a lot from 1988-1992 that is kind of forgotten about, and I'm glad one of the earliest of those tracks is being represented on this list. Things really matured for hip-hop as an artform around this time as the first generation who totally grew up in it tried to do their own things, and you can sense that there's so much awareness that they can take hip-hop a million different places. I think a lot of the work Eric B. & Rakim did around this time captures that feeling.

Oh, but "Microphone Fiend" is probably a better song from the same year for Eric B. & Rakim.

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I quite like Faith. I played at an open mic at a residential summer school for children interested in studying engineering at university. As you might expect, I was by far the coolest dude at this gathering but I still didn't quite pull it off.

What was that advert with Need You Tonight that was always on a while ago? That kind of made me get annoyed with this song a little bit. It's actually a pretty good tune though, and it's nice to have an Australian song that I've actually heard of turn up.

WOWY is a good one. That song that takes bits of How Will I Know by Whitney Houston (which I think I mentioned a bit back) is pretty much entirely based around the bass and guitar lines from the intro of With or Without You, which I think outlines what a good little hook it is.

Freak Scene is great. One of the best noises in rock music.

I keep meaning to try out Eric B and Rakim one day. I don't know that much about them. The rapping in this one doesn't set my world on fire (in fairness, rapping rarely does - I don't really know how to appreciate it) but the backing track is great.

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691.      

‘Where Is My Mind?’, The Pixies (1988)

Another pretty solid example of a band I feel I should have listened to a lot more than I actually have, The Pixies tick a lot of the boxes of music I like, yet it has often been the vocals that put me off for some reason. Still, this is probably my favourite song by them as it gets the balance between the noisy melody and the high pitched singing/spoken vocals just right. There is something oddly romantic about the song as a collective, which is probably why it sat quite well in the closing scenes of ‘Fight Club’. The song lurches in many different directions, whilst still feeling pretty cohesive – an impressive feat in and of itself.

692.      

‘Waiting Room’, Fugazi (1988)

I could basically copy the beginning of my last entry for Fugazi, though they are a band I’ve actually heard very little from unlike the Pixies. Again, I can’t necessarily attest to the historical importance of songs from genres that I’m not a big listener of, but this was apparently seen as a shot in the arm as to what punk could offer as Ian Mackaye and friends threw in a mixture of influences, including a particularly funky bass that I can really get behind no matter what others might have thought at the time. Controlled chaos that was always threatening to bust at the seams, this is a good song.

693.      

‘Touch Me I’m Sick’, Mudhoney (1988)

Influenced by: Scene of the Crime • Iggy & The Stooges (1981)   

Influence on: Teenage Whore • Hole (1991)   

Covered by: Sonic Youth (1988) • Naked Lunch (2001) • My Ruin (2005)   

Other key track: Here Comes Sickness (1989)

I have this album in my collection somewhere, yet I couldn’t really tell you much about it – speaks to how often I listened to it. I know the importance placed on the group: they were from Seattle, on the Sub Pop label that became home to a number of bands peddling this brand of grunge or rock, and were considered an influence for a number of bands who went on to bigger and better things. Maybe being considered purely as an influencer underplays Mudhoney as a band, but it is hard not to hear early Nirvana in this song in terms of the structure and the sound of what they were offering. However, the thing that stands out the most is that this is a fundamentally catchy song, something that was rarely lost in the grunge period that was to follow.

694.      

‘Feed Me With Your Kiss’, My Bloody Valentine (1988)

Influenced by: The Living End • The Jesus and Mary Chain (1986)   

Influence on: Revolution • Spacemen 3 (1989)   

Other key tracks: Nothing Much to Lose (1988) • You Made Me Realise (1988) • Blown a Wish (1991) • Only Shallow (1991) • To Here Knows When (1991)

Like The Jesus and Mary Chain who are referenced above, My Bloody Valentine are a band whose name makes you want to listen to them without even knowing what music they produce. I believe I have an album by them lodged deep in my collection, but this isn’t the style of music I particularly associate with them. Clean vocals sit on top of a wall of guitar, ably helped by a driving drum rhythm. I’m not sure I particularly like it, yet as a sign of what they were capable of doing, this is an interesting snapshot. I like the parts, if not the sum of the whole.

695.      

‘Buffalo Stance’, Neneh Cherry (1988)

Influenced by: Buffalo Gals • Malcolm McLaren (1982)   

Influence on: Wannabe • Spice Girls (1996)  

Covered by: The Rifles (2009)   

Other key tracks: Kisses on the Wind (1989) • Manchild (1989) • The Next Generation (1989)

Hmmm…I think I’ve heard this before, or at least the component parts. I’m possibly the wrong audience for the tune, as I’m a middle-aged white male from the UK, but the book talks about how empowering it was for a number of upcoming musical acts in the mid to late 90s to have someone talking about female empowerment. From a purely musical standpoint, there is a lot going on here as it bounces around from pop to hip hop to rap and back again. Really fun with a powerful message for a number of people, it isn’t hard to see why this was highly rated by some.

696.      

‘Fast Car’, Tracy Chapman (1988)

Influenced by: Down to Zero • Joan Armatrading (1976)   

Influence on: Sometimes I Rhyme Slow • Nice & Smooth (1992)   

Covered by: Amazing Transparent Man (2003) • Hundred Reasons (2004) • Mutya Buena (2007)

I honestly have never met a single person who dislikes ‘Fast Car’. The simple guitar and accompaniment let Chapman’s vocals tell a story that a lot of people can easily empathise if they weren’t already experiencing elements of it themselves. There is nothing for me that is particularly outstanding about any one point, yet it all adds up together to create an all-time classic. At a time when big pop singers were all the rage, it is pleasing that Chapman’s brand of folk wasn’t lost in the shuffle.

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I did not give to give my eulogy of George Michael. Fuck!

George Michael, his discography and Faith meant so much to me at a young age trying to figure out who I was in the world. I knew who George Michael was post-cruising. But I became obsessed. I secretly bought all of his albums and would listen to them on repeat. I was into punk rock, hardcore and metal, but George Michael was someone I could look up too.  I would watch his E True Hollywood obsessively. 

So much of George Michael's solo discography is interesting in retrospect of him being gay. Sure, at the time I am sure there were whispers about his sexuality. But Faith (and the far superior I Want Your Sex) are a triple threat. Amazing pop performance, instantly danceable pop composition and interesting lyrically. I Want Your Sex is interesting because it was so brazen. It is instantly quotable. "I don't need no bible, just look in my eyes", "Sex is natural, sex is good. Not everybody does it. But everybody should. Sex is natural, sex is fun. Sex is best when it's, one on one", and "What's your definition of dirty baby. What do you consider pornography". This was 1987. Without reading the context, George Michael is singing about fucking being good, pornography and alluding to group sex. Heck, reading between the lines you can learn a lot about George Michael's preference. It appears he bottoms because he says "I love you til it hurts me baby, don't you think it's time you have sex with me". To me, a list of the most important songs is nothing without I Want Your Sex. It is a revelation. 

But Faith probably resonates with more people. Because it is a man torn between what he wants to do and what he thinks he ought to do because of "faith". In 1987, the song is a lovely exercise in a man who is being kept apart from what he wants. But after George Michael is outed, it is really a song about a man lusting after George Michael and George Michael refusing to give in due to faith. What a revelation. They don't make pop stars like they used too. 

When George Michael died, I was visiting my family for Christmas. I remember my brother nonchalantly told me George Michael died. I was heartbroken. It was just as sad to me as the day that David Bowie and Joe Strummer died. My brother sort of said "I mean, was George Michael even any good?" Maybe George Michael was "not good", but he meant a lot to me. 

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My Bloody Valentine! Sweet!

I understand choosing something from the first album although it's not the track that I would choose (obviously, it has to be something from Loveless). Nonetheless, the Shoegaze phase part of me is happy.

I even saw their 'comeback' gig in Birmingham a few years back, and that was one of the loudest things I have experienced. Still waiting for that new music, Kevin Shields.

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Mudhoney is great, I have a good amount of the stuff. Great band, esrly grunge, definitely can hear the influence on Nirvana especially on Superfuzz Big Muff (which refers to the Big Muff fuzz pedal where the distorted guitar tones are coming from. A LOT of bands have used it going back to Hendrix though he was more of Fuzz Face user). A good precursor to Mudhoney was a band called Green River, another Seattle based band with some of the same members. 

I did also want to mention my love for Husker Du. Surprised it wasn't a selection from Zen Arcade but they did so much good its hard to go wrong. Their really early days they were pretty heavy and evolved into a melodic but still hard charging group. 

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Pixies, Fugazi, Mudhoney and MBV are all okay but I don't really give a shit. You can have a few too many noisy late 80s indie bands in your life.

Buffalo Stance is AMAZING though. I want you to listen to Buffalo Stance, and then I want you to listen to the video I will post below. It will BLOW. YOUR. MIND.

 

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I will echo the fact that Buffalo Stance is fucking outstanding. I'm a bit confused by the "I’m possibly the wrong audience for the tune, as I’m a middle-aged white male from the UK" comment to be honest, not least because I also fit that demographic but also because it's a very poppy hit from someone who essentially launched their career in the UK. And the bit where she goes "what is he like?" in the middle is amazing...

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12 hours ago, Colly said:

I will echo the fact that Buffalo Stance is fucking outstanding. I'm a bit confused by the "I’m possibly the wrong audience for the tune, as I’m a middle-aged white male from the UK" comment to be honest, not least because I also fit that demographic but also because it's a very poppy hit from someone who essentially launched their career in the UK. And the bit where she goes "what is he like?" in the middle is amazing...

A good song is a good song, but I don't think it is a stretch to suggest that I'm probably not the target audience for a pop song about female empowerment. Doesn't mean I or you can't like it - was just suggesting that it probably meant more to someone other than me.

697.      

‘Straight Outta Compton’, N.W.A. (1988)

This is another perfect example of a song that I feel I really can’t comprehend the impact of from such a distance in the future. I’m not a huge rap fan, but I’ve often enjoyed a song or two from the various members of N.W.A. and it isn’t hard to see what this brought to the table for mainly adolescent teens. A brooding rhythm is accompanied with rhymes about bullets, bitches and bling, rather than a lot of the other feelgood stuff that was in the charts at this time. This isn’t as good in my opinion as stuff like Next Episode or Still Dre, but that speaks more to those being THE rap songs of my own upbringing more than anything to do with quality. This was clearly an exciting change for the music industry and for those who wanted something a little bit different.

698.      

‘Opel’, Syd Barrett (1988)

A bit of an oddity as this was written in 1969, yet only ended up seeing the light of day in 1988 due to its placing on a set of unreleased music by Barrett. It was left off of The Madcap Laughs as the costs of production and recording threatened to spiral out of control. This all would probably mean a lot more to a Pink Floyd fan, yet as I am not really one of those, this ends up being a decent singer/songwriter tune with odd lyrics as much as anything to me. That perhaps is a bit harsh as I do like it; I’m just not as wrapped up in the narrative of it coming into existence.

699.      

‘Everyday is Like Sunday’, Morrissey (1988)

Influenced by: Sketch for Dawn • The Durutti Column (1985)   

Influence on: Everybody’s Changing • Keane (2003)   

Covered by: 10,000 Maniacs (1992) • The Pretenders (1995) • Colin Meloy (2003) • KT Tunstall (2008)  

Other key track: Suedehead (1988)

I’m much less of a fan of Morrissey’s solo output as I am of his work with the Smiths, though with the odd exception. ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’ is one of those exceptions. People often take shots at Morrissey due to his maudlin and melancholy ways, but it is exactly what I enjoy. I think there is something very British about the lyrics, tapping into a self-loathing nature that seems to permeate a lot of English humour, culture and general being, though it is as often celebrated as it is derided. As the book suggests, everyday might be like Sunday, but what is wrong with Sunday?

700.      

‘Orinoco Flow’, Enya (1988)

Influenced by: Night Scented Stock • Kate Bush (1980)   

Influence on: Now We Are Free • Lisa Kelly (2003)   

Covered by: The Section Quartet (2001) • Celtic Woman (2005) • Bit by Bats (2008) • Libera (2008)  

Other key tracks: Storms in Africa (1988) • Watermark (1988) • Book of Days (1991) • Caribbean Blue (1991)

I remember hearing this song a lot when I was young and there has always been something captivating about it. The lushness of the layering of sound, the production and Enya’s ethereal vocal delivery create a song that I enjoy enough, yet never makes me want to seek out anything beyond this. It is a touchstone of this style of music for those who don’t really know anything else, whilst I can only assume it is near to the high water mark that this style could ever conceivably reach. In a genre I care little for, why would I listen past what must be the best example of it? I’m probably completely being naïve here…the song is very good though.

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7 minutes ago, Liam said:

A good song is a good song, but I don't think it is a stretch to suggest that I'm probably not the target audience for a pop song about female empowerment. Doesn't mean I or you can't like it - was just suggesting that it probably meant more to someone other than me.

Sorry it wasn't a knock, it was just the "in the UK" that really threw me as I presume that was it's biggest market.

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Kinda weird seeing Syd Barrett pop up in 1988, but neat none the less. 

NWA is great, definitely had to be on this list. 

Also forgot to mention Erik B and Rakim. Probably among my favorite hip hop artists, they have a great catalog. 

Fugazi...weird band for me. They're good but I guess I never got into the way others do. Some think they're one of the greatest things ever but I'll take Minor Threat any day over them.

On 05/10/2020 at 12:55, GoGo Yubari said:

I think I really liked "Dear God" the first time I heard it on the radio and now that's mostly curdled into contempt that XTC's best album was overshadowed by an angsty teen journal entry set to music. Like, Andy Partridge called the song "a petulant failure" and I can't argue with it. But then, who's to say I'd have delved into that album without hearing that song on the radio first, I guess?

I always also used to assume that Husker Du were heavier than they actually were, was a real surprise when I finally heard them for the first time. I really should devote the time to listen to full albums of theirs rather than having isolated songs pop up now and then.

If you do check them out, I'd really recommend just starting Zen Arcade from start to finish, probably the best thing they did. It's a good bridge between their early hardcore days and then their evolution into writing these beautiful songs that also still feel heavy and visceral.

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Straight Outta Compton is good. I never really got into much late 80s rap but NWA have a few really good songs. Such great production, it's quite hypnotic.

I never really got into the whole Syd Barrett idol worship. I like a few of his tunes but they are little more than doodles. This is little more than a doodle but it is pleasant enough. Ultimately I think Syd Barrett is a bit of a lightweight that is largely heralded because he went of his nut on drugs. The songs aren't really there.

Boy there's a lotta Smiffs/Morrissey songs here. I know this because every time one of his songs comes up someone pipes up with BUT...BUT HE'S A RACIST and it gets a bit boring. Everyday is like Sunday is good though. When I was a little boy I went to a Morrissey concert and he renamed it Everyday is like Dundee. There's that classic mediocre wit that had the fanboys whooping and hollering. Good tune though.

Princess Diana liked Orinoco Flow.

 

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