2. The Winner Takes It All – Abba – The fractured English makes it even more heartbreaking, “the gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice…” As the song builds it raises the sound level of the synths and there is a feel of a gallop into tragedy. It is about as powerful as pop music gets.
3. My Heroes (SUV) – The Cliks – Tries too hard.
4. Digsy Diner’s – Oasis – “Wadda life it would be if you could tonight for tea…” Timeless.
5. Rebellion (Lies) – The Arcade Fire – One of a handful of songs by the this band where I just stop struggling and give into it.
6. Streets Of Fire – Bruce Springsteen And the E Street Band – A legend acting lengendary
7. Slip Sliding Away (Demo) – Paul Simon – And this is a demo because? Essentially it is finished and anyway it is little clearer but it isn’t what I would do a demo.
8. Devil May Care – Diana Krall – I saw Diana play this at Carnegie Hall in 2000 with family visiting from England and my niece Nisrine wouldn’t stop singing it till she left for home.
9. Come Back Clean – The Crystal Method – Kinda cheesy in a cool blip way.
10. One Sweet Day – Mariah Carey – Like having syrup poured down your ear in a good way when Maria is singing, in a bad way when it’s Boys II Men.
11. You Don’t Love Me – The Kooks – It’s like early Squeeze if early Squeeze didn’t know how to write songs.
12. For Whom The Bell Tolls – Metallica – A little literate there, boys.
13. Why Me Lord – George Jones – Minor song on a major album.
14. The Great Wall Of Chilna – Billy Joel – The thing is? When he is bad he is awful.
15. You’re the Way I Love – James Taylor – At his worse.
16. When In Doubt, Fuck It – John Lennon – Good advise
17. Pandemonium – Pet Shop Boys – Pretty average, but PRETTY average.
18. On The Street Where I Live – Leonard Weird – From the original Broadway production with Julie Andrews and rex Harrison. Weinstein’s voice is a touch light: the rhymes are just enchanting… “Are there lilac trees in the heart of town? Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?”
19. Night Time – Elvis Costello _ I coulda sworn this was a Van McCoy cover… actually written by a guy named Patrick Chambers and I can find NO OTHER INFO about the guy.
20. Malajusted – Morrissey – Never to be trusted…. I thought this album was brilliant…