1. Let’s Spend The Night Together – David Bowie – Greatest Stones cover ever? Either this or Steve Earle’s “Dead Flowers”. Stutter, gay, come on replete with spoken middle (“they said we were too young, our kind of love was no fun, but our love comes from above…”). All good reasons to love the track but Mike Garson’s piano playing takes it way way way over the top.
2. Ain’t Too Proud – Acapella Soul – These guys spend their days wandering NYC’s subway system, singing and making lots of money.
3. I’m Outta Time – Oasis – When Yoko Ono says she wishes Oasis hadn’t broken up, she is not referring to this godawful train wreck of a song.
4. Honky Tonk – Buddy Holly – In case we forgot his roots lay in country.
5. Break In The Road – Betty Harris – Nessing is right, they don’t write em like this soul belter any more.
6. Sunday Morning Coming Down – Johnny Cash – Kristofferson wrote it, Cash lived it. I heard kris sing it when he opened for George jones.
7. Never Can Say Goodbye – Jackson 5 – If you can get past MJ’s vocal, try and listen to Jermaine’s back vocals: as subtle as McCartney backing up lennon
8. In The Wee Small hours Of The Morning – Barbra Streisand – This is the orchestral version, and sure it is lovely, but she over sings it. Beautifully, touching every note. But too much.
9. Panic Attack – The Fall Of Troy – What Coheed has brought together? A real song but not loud enough.
10. Tik Tok – Ke$ha – Not only made made her a star but, less likely, made Dr. Luke a household name. I think it is the “owww wooow wooow”‘s chorus.
11. Secret Garden – Madonna – How many metaphors for her vagina can one woman write?
12. I’ve Got The World On A String – Frank Sinatra – The Capitol records version, when he could swing and put art right on to anything he touched. I’ve heard countless versions of this song, by Sinatra alone, but none better than this one. The band seems to be waiting just behind him, like he will sing the melody and they will follow by playing it. This is great American art.
13. Airstream Driver – Gomez – Jam band for people who don’t like jam bands.
14.Wisdom – Grand Ronde – Where grunge meets popwer pop but not as good as that sounds because the vocalist is a touch meh.
15. A Piece Of The Pie – Randy Newman – Off his worst album. Does he think he is writing incidental music for fucking Toy Story 6?
16. Alligator – Grateful Dead – Starts like a vaudeville country romp and then meanders or eleven minutes.
17. What A Friend We Have In Jesus – George Jones – Off Jones masterpiece The Gospel Collection, you will believe, believe me.
18.Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) – Beyonce – I am a bit of an agnostic when it comes to this child of destiny. I understand why it was a hit, the Dreams last hurrah it looks like it, and I enjoy the washboard backing track, and the chorus is swell… and the break… So what’s my problem? the sentiment.
19. Cheer drown – George Harrison – I hear Harrisons guitar style EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHERE. This is an OK by the numbers, but the beginning? His guitar is gorgeous.
20. We Carry On – Portishead – They sound like all those bridgetown bands only with better machines.
21. Greater Omaha – Desaparecidos – Conor’s hard rocking offshoot from 2002. Marie Lynn loves this song and really, the band is hard rock perfection and Conor sings the fuck outta it.
22. Out Of The Blue – John Lennon – Jesus, enough about fucking Yoko.
23. Sexy Chick (feat Akon) – David Guetta – If “I’ve gotta feeling” made Guetta a household name nobody had ever heard of, with this one they heard of him.
24. Graveyard – PiL – On Johnny’s greatest album, this is the one that got away.
25. Surfin’ Away – the Vivian Girls – If you don’t like this band I(and I am not mad keen) you will still like this one.
26. Rest of Our Lives – The dum dum Girls – As long as you don’t see em live expecting a show, you will like them on record. This is a lovely droner.
27. Tonight, I’ll Be Staying Here With – Bob Dylan: “Throw my ticket in the window, throw my mattress out there too. Throw my letters in the stand because you’ve got to understand that tonight I’ll be staying here with you”. Equal to the original. “I was feeling a little bit scattered and your love was all that mattered…” By the way, years ago I heard My Morning Jacket cover this live and became an instataneous fan.
28. Little Savage – Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Co-written by the one and only Mr. tilbrook.
29. Sometimes – Beach Fossils – Gorgeous… in small doses.
30. Timebomb – Old 97’s – Great rock band of their generation… but a long, long, long shot. This is like a runaway stallion stampeding drums with Rhett Miller hanging on for dear life.
31. Wild Cat – Be Your Own Pet – Jemina should never ever have quit this terrific punk rock band. The riff is clinky and great.
32. Almost Famous – Recovery – The reason Recovery ain’t much is because of too many clunkers like this.
33. The Best Day – Taylor Swift – Written for her daddy -awww.
34. I Gotta Feeling (FMIF Remix) – BEP- One note, up a key, same note, down a key, same note. And then they hit it.
35. Let The Mystery Be – Iris Dement – I am going to send it to Alyson…
36. Please Don’t Go – Stevie Wonder
– Even a slighter song on Fullingness First Finale will blow you the fuck away. The color here is a bright red tinged with purpple at its sides. And, plus? If Wonder hears in colors it is the only time he can truly see.
– Even a slighter song on Fullingness First Finale will blow you the fuck away. The color here is a bright red tinged with purpple at its sides. And, plus? If Wonder hears in colors it is the only time he can truly see.
37. Always On My Mind – Pet Shop Boys – this isn’t camp, it is a synthesized but deeply felt direct response to love.
38. High Society Calypso – Louis Amrstrong – Only Louis could turn exposition into art.
39. Satellite Moon – Anya Marina – The single best moment between all three Twilight soundtracks.0. Happy (Live) – the Rolling Stones – Fuck, I’ve been circling the Stones since I wrote about their final tour yesterday. Still keeps you happy even if Richard croaks more than sings.