1 – Ebony Eyes – The Everly Brothers – On Flight 1203, his fiancee takes a plane but never quite makes it, the spoken word portion is so painful it chokes you back, especially as he watches the ebony eyes of ebony skies until there is nothing left to see but a plane never going to arrive – B+
2 – Flight 505 – The Rolling Stones – Another plane crash, another day, only this time it is Jagger who is long gone – A
3 – Go – The Chemical Brothers – Any time you’re selling us on a bass lick, you know it is gonna be a fun ride to match the title, Q Tip is all flow on this easy going (yeah, I know, but it has the ease of old time dance) mover – B+
4 – Old Shep – Johnny Cash – How great is Elvis Presley? This is a sad and moving take and I don’t say it doesn’t get there but… B
5 – Old Shep – Elvis Presley – this gets there and then some, Elvis sings the entire song as though he is about to break down and cry – A
6 – About A Girl – Nirvana – “I meet amazing friends…” perfection love song, this shoulda told us what was to come – A+
7 – About A Boy – Patti Smith – This blew me away when he was first released, a memento mori heartbreaker, with a punchline, “beyond it all” – A-
8 – Paint It, Black – The Rolling Stones – Trounces “Baby’s In Black”, sitar rock as mourning light – A
9 – Elastic Heart Piano Version – Sia – Post her West track, the excellent “Wolf”, I am coming back round to Sia again and this epic piano version has gotten me to hear it for the first time. Beautiful in its clarity – A-
10 – Chandelier Piano Version – Yeah, repeat, no – C+
