top twenty "dog" songs - Part Two (The Top Ten is revealed...)

Hello. Well, after our last instalment, where amongst other things we  loved our dog, walked our dog, taught an old dog new tricks, stayed in the doghouse and then in response the dog dug up our back garden and started talking, its now time to look at the top ten!

10 - Dirty Old Egg Sucking Dog – Johnny Cash

Johnny’s dog is in in trouble for getting in the hen house and stealing the eggs. Of course, its probably a metaphor for something far more naughty – eg. somebody fooling around in someone else’s “hen house”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2GRTUcKbb0

For a bit of fun, check this one out – Johnny singing this track on the Muppet Show. Poor Rowlf wasn’t quite expecting those lyrics!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9X3iF6ntXQ

 

9 - Three Legged Dog – Cruel Sea

A groovy instrumental piece of music…very cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7k0wRla_BE

 

8 - Ol’ Red – Blake Shelton

Ol’ Red is the prison’s resident tracking dog. So confident are the prison authorities in Red’s ability that they taunt the prisoners to try and escape, knowing that Red will track them down in no time.  But the prisoner who narrates this story has other ideas. He gets the plum job in the prison, which is taking Red on a daily walk. So he arranges for an accomplice on the outside to pen a female dog out on the walking route, and what do you know it, Ol’ Red falls in love. The prisoner then stops taking Red to see his companion for a few days, so of course when he does escape, the expert tracking dog has other things on his mind. Great story and a great track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asxrMSVrJ08

 

7 - Black Dog on My Shoulder – Manic Street Preachers

The black dog is often used as a term to describe depression, and I think that is what is going on in this track. Winston Churchill famously described his depression struggles with the black dog metaphor, and Churchill is name dropped in this track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m6PP6l2Duw

 

6 - Golden Retriever – Super Furry Animals

I am not really all that familiar with the Super Furry Animals, but many of my friends are fans, and I remember them playing this song to me some time ago, and I loved it, it is just so damn catchy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNB3WWkNVhM

 

5 - Sleeping Dogs – Merril Bainbridge

I am not ashamed to say that I like Merril Bainbridge’s music. Interestingly, her big hit “Mouth”, a pop classic, is not really representative of her music, which is sweet music, almost bordering on folk. This one though is about as hard rock as Merril gets – and the borrowing of the Bee Gees lyrics work well too (but don’t worry, she gave them credit)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyT5lGuY1LU

 

4 - Like a Dog – Powderfinger

A biting (pardon the pun) political protest song, this is classic Powderfinger. From the Odyssey Number Five album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1nJg2BzOt8

 

And now we come to the top three, which stand well above the others. You have no idea how many times I have switched the order around of these three, really struggling to decide. I even considered awarding a three way tie for the top spot, but thought that is a bit of a cop out.  So here they are, the top three.  And if I made this list again tomorrow, I dare say the order of these three would change again.

 

3- Black Dog – Led Zeppelin

A regular in lists about the greatest rock riffs of all time, I am not sure it really has much to do with a dog at all, but the title is apparently a nod to a dog that wandered around the studio when they were recording this album. Some classy rock right there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npQbPpDF6hA

 

2- Hey Bulldog – The Beatles

Based around a piano riff, this rocker was originally recorded for the Yellow Submarine movie, but I think it originally got cut from the final movie. It’s a highly underrated Beatles track, with John providing the lead vocals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWdLPGKQRXc

 

1 - Hound Dog – Elvis Presley

Of course, there is nothing wrong with Big Mama Thornton’s original version of Hound Dog, but then Elvis got his paws (sorry, couldn’t resist) on this track, and turned it into this brilliant piece of rock and roll that it is known as.  Interestingly though, many that are familiar with Thornton’s version still choose that as the better version. In fact, I even seem to recall that Leiber and Stoller, the legendary songwriters that penned the track were initially unhappy with Elvis’ versions, and were actually reluctant to work with him further – so some persuasion was needed to get them onboard for the Jailhouse Rock movie, for which they wrote many of the tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzQ8GDBA8Is

 (and in case you don't know it, here is a link to Big Mama Thornton's version...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4tILEQ5dDM

So that is the top twenty dog songs. As always, your feedback is most welcome……let me know, have I made a dog’s breakfast of this list?

top twenty "dog" songs - Part One (20-11)

One my children’s favourite toys at the moment is a toy dog that makes barking sounds as you pull it along. In addition, I FINALLY got around to purchasing Led Zep IV the other day, which of course contains  a famous dog song. So inspired by these two things I thought I would make a top dogs list.

There are so many to pick from, and some good songs have missed out, so it’s a top twenty this time around. Some of these songs are all about dogs, others not so much, but I hope you enjoy it now that I have let the dogs out!

Here is part one ....

 

20 - Martha My Dear – The Beatles

We start off with Paul’s piano based ditty about a sheepdog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SbCIFbJQDk

 

19 - You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks – Seasick Steve

I only recently picked up a Seasick Steve best of, and I am really enjoying it. This is trademark Steve, a great blues track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5661DlLWV80

 

18 – Move it On Over – Hank Williams

Hank’s been staying out late again, and his wife has banished him to the doghouse. The lyrics mention a little dog, a big dog, a skinny dog, a fat dog, an old dog, a new dog, a nice dog, a bad dog (x2), a short dog, a tall dog, a good dog, a cold dog and a hot dog – so I think it qualifies for the list.

 When I first heard it, I was amazed at the similarities between it, an undisputable country song and Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock, widely regarded as instrumental in the breakthrough of rock and roll. Doing some further research, it seems that Hank’s song has its basis in two other songs from the 1920’s, so there is the evolution of music right there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lza3NVH6Ig

 

17 - Diamond Dogs – David Bowie

A rocking track from Bowie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36lWAcY9IXE

 

16 - I Love my Dog – Cat Stevens

The Cat loves his dog as much as he loves you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWT2qHVftGk

 

15 - Dog – Mark Seymour

Originally a Hunters and Collectors track from their album Human Frailty, Seymour reworked it for his Titanic album. I have enjoyed his solo work more than his work with the Hunnas, and many of his solo re-recordings of Hunters and Collectors tracks are great. This is such an example.

http://www.markseymour.com.au/player/titanic/13.mp3

 

14 - Walking the Dog – Rolling Stones

Next up, some early era Rolling Stones. It’s a cover of a Rufus Thomas track, his has more of a funky feel to it than the Stones version, which is blues rock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bzl4UU2wa4

 

13 - Lester – Crowded House

A rare Crowded House number from the BSides and Rarities Afterglow album, it is the story of Neil Finn’s dog getting hit by a car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr3u-qBNrCE

I think Lester’s plight might have also inspired another Neil Finn penned track – Anytime from his One Nil solo album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpUcz8xhqvI

 

12 -Lady with Dog – Stardust Five

Stardust Five are a side project of Paul Kelly’s band, and on this track, Kelly puts on a great vocal performance, conveying his despair with the dog that keeps digging up his backyard and peeing on his rug.

http://www.last.fm/music/Stardust+Five/Stardust+Five

 

11- Dogs are Talking – The Angels

Crank up your stereo, its time for some great 80’s rock from the Angels (not to be confused with the 60’s girl group of “My Boyfriend’s Back” fame)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSXYiZsajgI

 

So there you have it, that is part one of my list about man’s best friends. Was I barking mad to include any of these tracks? Send through your thoughts and any suggestions for the top ten.

Hills and Mountain songs - The Top 10

Ok everyone, welcome back to the top 20 Hills and Mountain songs. In the last post, I mentioned that there would be six hills, and four mountains in the top ten, with six songs by Aussies, two Brits, and two Americans and one group appearing twice in the top ten. How did you go with guessing what they might be?

10 - Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain) – INXS
A great song to start off the top ten, this one starts with a simple three note strum and builds from there. Its typical INXS, with a bit of rock in there, but catchy enough to call it a pop song.

9 - Violet Hill – Coldplay
I talked about Violet Hill in the top 10 “V” songs, so I won’t go into this one again, other than to say I really enjoy this track.

8 - King of the Mountain – Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil were great at wrapping up some powerful rock music, with passionate vocal delivery, all in a few minutes of a song. This one is no exception. A great rock track.

7 - Kosciuszko – Midnight Oil
So there you go, Midnight Oil was the group that appears twice, and hey, Kosciuszko is a mountain, so whats wrong with including it on the list?? Another great rock song from the Oils.

6 - King of the Hill – Tim Rogers
One of the stand out tracks on Tim’s 2004 album Spit Polish, this is a great little song that just rolls along. Nice stuff.

5 - Lights on the Hill – Slim Dusty
I once heard this song described (possibly by Slim himself) as the happiest sad song ever written. And that is a pretty apt description for the track, penned by Slim’s wife joy. The song is about a nasty car accident, where a driver is blinded by the lights on the hill and ends up dying. But the music is totally upbeat and cheerful, almost at odds with the lyrical content. I really like the song, I hope that doesn’t say anything about me…

4 – The Fool on the Hill – Beatles
Given their extensive back catalogue, the Beatles seem to make regular appearances on my list. This is a nice little song, with Paul taking the lead vocals.

3 - Middle of the Hill – Josh Pyke
Josh Pyke has been getting a good run in my recent lists, probably more so that my like of his stuff would warrant, but he has had appropriate tracks for the recent themes. This one however, is a genuinely good track, and possibly my favourite Josh Pyke track. I really love the lyrics in this track. As a sample, check out this: “When i was a kid i grew up in a house, On a hill not the top not the bottom but the middle and i still remember where i cracked my head in the vacant lot theres a row of tiny houses there now and we used to light fires in the gutters and i could cool my head on the concrete steps but the girl down the street hit my sister on the head with a stick and we hid behind my father as he knocked on her parents door to tell them what she did but the parents were drunk so they really didn’t give a shit”. And so it goes on, great great stuff.

2- Blueberry Hill – Fats Domino
What a beautiful song, there is just no other way of describing it. Whenever I hear it, it always brings a smile to my face. Even yesterday, I flicked the TV on and there was an old Happy Days episode, and what song should be playing in the background…you guessed it, Blueberry Hill. Lovely lovely stuff.

1 - River Deep, Mountain High – Ike and Tina Turner
My top hills and mountain song goes to Tina Turner’s River Deep Mountain High. A classy rock song, I was first introduced to it via Jimmy Barnes cover, which is excellent, but you can’t beat Tina’s original. The accolades for this song are pretty high – producer Phil Spector claimed it to be his best work, and George Harrison described it as a perfect record from start to finish. Although the song is credited to Ike and Tina, Spector famously paid Ike to stay away from the studio, so that his controlling instincts would not interfere with the recording process, and its only Tina’s vocals that can be heard on the track. It has now become one of Tina’s signature tunes.

So there it is, my top twenty hills and mountain songs. All feedback welcome – what have I left off the list that should be there? And also, suggestions for future topics are also gratefully received.

Top 20 Hills and Mountain songs - PART ONE

Hi Everyone

This week’s theme is top 20 Hills and Mountain songs. I know that in the past, some have commented on my theme inspirations, and this one is no exception. I have just returned from a holiday with my wife, down to Tasmania. Amongst other things, we went to the Fed Cup tennis while we were there. Sitting in the tennis stadium, my seats faced the impressive looking mountains in that area. So that is the reason for the topic. And, you have to let me make one dodgy joke before we start – these are hill songs, not to be confused with Hillsong, the church movement!!!

Ok, onto the list. It’s a top twenty, and will be over two weeks. Here are 20-11.

20 - Big Rock Candy Mountain – Harry McClintock
An old, old song that came to my attention on the “O Brother Were Art Thou?” soundtrack. It is a country song about a hobo’s idea of paradise (eg. In the Big Rock Candy Mountains, The jails are made of tin. And you can walk right out again, As soon as you are in.)

19 - Hamilton Hill – Basement Birds
In earlier posts I have talked about enjoying the Basement Birds album, but this song is interesting because its an instrumental, the only instrumental on their album. When I went to see them live, before they started this song they introduced it by saying to the crowd “if you know the words to this next track, please sing along!”. Funny stuff.

18 - The Mountain – Hoodoo Gurus
This track comes from the Hoodoo Guru’s sixth studio album “Crank”, which contains the well known song “The Right Time”. The last track is a great song, “The Mountain”, which is pretty much exactly what you would expect from the Hoodoo Gurus…power rock, lovely stuff.

17 - Mountain – Chocolate Starfish
Does anyone remember Chocolate Starfish? They were huge for about five minutes in the nineties, having a hit with a cover of “You’re So Vain”, and also this song, “Mountain”, a great ballad. My wife recently picked up a 90’s compilation CD and we rediscovered this track. Great song.

16 - Its All Downhill from Here – Paul Kelly
From Kelly’s excellent “Comedy” album, I have often wondered if this song was autobiographical or not. The lyrics might indicate that its about struggling to adjust with being famous: “I was taught not to speak to strangers, But strangers always seemed to know my name, And they bought and sold my pleasure, my disgust and my shame.” But maybe I am on completely the wrong tram with that hypothesis.

15 - Lone Pine Hill – Justin Townes Earle
I was given Justin Townes Earle’s album “The Good Life” last year, and I really enjoy it. It’s a country album, containing a host of tracks that sound like they are old country standards, although most were actually written by Earle. This one is described by allmuisc.com as a “period gunman’s saga”.

14 - High on a Mountain Top – Loretta Lynn
I discussed Lynn’s “Van Lear Rose” in an earlier post, and this is another from that album, which was produced by Jack White from the White Stripes. This is probably a more traditional country sounding song than many others on the album, very enjoyable though.

13 - Misty Mountain Hop – Led Zeppelin
Some people may be shocked that this classic rock track is only #13 on my list, but the truth is, I actually don’t know the song very well. Led Zep IV has been on my must get albums list for some time, but I have just never got around to it. To be honest with you, I am not exactly sure where I have heard this song, probably on the radio, maybe at a friend’s place. Probably with more listens, it would shoot much higher up on the list.

12 - Mountain Dew – The Pogues
A traditional Irish folk song, this version was a bonus track on their album “If I should fall from grace with god”, the song is actually an ode to a drink (“But give me enough of the rare old stuff, That's made near Galway Bay, Come gougers all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too, We'll give them the slip and we'll take a sip, Of the real old mountain dew.) For another piece of trivia, the classic Pogues song “Fairytale of New York” makes mention of this traditional Irish folk song (“And then he sang a song, The Rare Auld Mountain Dew, I turned my face away, And dreamed about you.”)

11 - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Jimmy Barnes
Ok, I know I have committed a big sin by including the Aussie rockers version on the list, and not the original Motown version, but the truth is that I am more familiar with Barnesy’s version, and he does a good enough job with it. The first concert I ever went to was Jimmy Barnes for his “Soul Deep” tour, which was where he covered all these great soul tracks.


So there is part one, the top ten is coming up next week. To give you a bit of a hint, there are six hills, and four mountains in the top ten. Six songs are by Aussies, two Brits, and two Americans. One group appears twice in the top ten.

As always, feel free to leave your questions, criticisms, comments, thoughts or suggestions…

"V " Songs - the top ten is revealed

Hi All

I am back, with the top ten “V” songs….check them out, post on the board to let me know what you think. Have I missed something good from the list?

Cheers
Dean


10 - Verisimilitude – Teenage Fanclub.
Some of my mates have been fans of the “Fannies” from quite some time now. I am only new to them in 2010, picking up their album Grand Prix, which I really enjoyed right from the first listen, although I probably still don’t know it as well as I probably should (I bought so much music in 2010 that I think some albums haven’t been given the attention they deserve). Whenever I listen to this song, it reminds me of a song by someone else, but I can’t think of what or who it is.
.
9 - Van Lear Rose – Loretta Lynn.
In an unlikely pairing, country singer Loretta Lynn, approaching her 70’s, teamed up with Jack White from the White Stripes (as producer) to come up with the critically acclaimed album, Van Lear Rose. I like this album, but probably not as much as some of the critics do, I can’t completely understand the hype. But the title track is a great one.

8- Voulez-vous – Abba
- Is it cool to like Abba ? I am not sure, but one thing I do know is that their music was well made, well crafted, and there is a lot more to it than just a simple throwaway pop song. This one is virtually trademark Abba, if there is such a thing.

7 - Vicar in a Tutu – The Smiths
Like Teenage Fanclub, my friends have been big fans of the Smiths for a while now, and in 2010 I finally took the plunge and purchased their opus “The Queen is Dead”. This is not normally the sort of music that I am into, but I gotta say, it’s a brilliant album, and I should have taken the plunge a lot earlier.

6- Vicious – Lou Reed
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I picked up Lou Reed’s Transformer album in 2010 as well, and Vicious is one of the highlights of the album. Its built around a three chord guitar riff, and sounds great.

5 - Violet Hill – Coldplay
In the lead up to the release of the Coldplay album Viva La Viva, they offered this song as a free download. So I downloaded it, and I gotta say, I think it’s a belter of a song. The rest of the album (which I don’t own) has been so overplayed that you hear it everywhere you go, but I still think this song holds up as a great track.

4 - Video Killed the Radio Star – Buggles
Another pop song, and what a song! Could it be one of the greatest one hit wonders of all time?

3- Very Strange, Very Cool – Four Hours Sleep (featuring Stephen Cummings)
Bill McDonald, from Paul Kelly’s band put together this side project called Four Hours Sleep. Its half a good album, with guest vocalists including Angie Hart, Charles Jenkins, Paul Kelly and others, but other tracks are basically just playing around with sounds, sampling things like a child running across floorboards etc. That stuff doesn’t do much for me, but the more conventional tracks are great. This one in particular is a belter. Featuring Stephen Cummings , the lead singer of the Sports, it tells the story of an old love.

2- Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
This Elvis song has always been one of my favourites, I think I just find it so catchy, and it really does make Las Vegas sound exciting.


And….the number one goes to….

1 - Victoria – Kinks
The topic track goes to the Kinks, with the wonderful Victoria. This comes from the album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), which is a concept album telling the story of a man who decides to relocate from Britain to Australia. Great rock song.

Top Twenty "V" songs - PART ONE

Hi All

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned hoping that Paul Kelly’s recently released book, which he describes as a “mongrel memoir”, would be under the Christmas tree for me. And it was, and I have been reading it ever since. The concept of the book is that he takes one hundred of his songs, in alphabetical order, and then tells a story about them – his inspiration for the song, or other such lists and anecdotes.

Anyway, one thing the book revealed was that Paul does not have any songs beginning with the letter X or with the letter V. X is kind of understandable, but I would have thought the V wouldn’t be that rare of a letter. Indeed in Scrabble, its only worth 4 points, a mid range scoring letter.

So it got me thinking, what are some songs starting with V – and here it is, my top twenty “V” songs.

20 - Voices – Split Enz
When I first got Spellbound, the best of Split Enz, I considered this song to be one of (if not the) weakest on the album. Over time though, I have come to appreciate it a bit more. I would probably still say its one of the weaker ones, but that says more about the quality of the other tracks.

19 - Voices – Cheap Trick
From one Voices to another. Sometimes I listen to this Cheap Trick song and think it is great, other times I listen to it and don’t much like it. Interestingly. I Wikipedia-ed it, and this seems to be a common thread because, according to Wikipedia “The single has become one of the band's more widely known tracks. Critic Rick Clark of Allmusic described "Voices" as being "appealing melodic (albeit wimpy)" and Stephen Thomas Erlewine, also of Allmusic described it as one of Cheap Tricks finest songs. Critic Robert Coyne considers "Voices" to be Nielsen's "best ever ballad," but Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone Magazine described is as "disastrous" and "a ballad from a band that has absolutely no facility for ballads."

18 - Volunteers- Jefferson Airplane
I became familiar with this track from the soundtrack to one of my all time favourite movies, Forrest Gump. This is psychedelic rock, the sort of thing that you associate with the anti Vietnam War movement, exactly how it is used in the movie.

17 - Village Man – Travis
The B side to the single “Why Does it Always Rain on Me?”, this is a nice track without being anything brilliant

16 - Vampire Racecourse – Sleepy Jackson
This is the only song from this WA band that I know, it came on a free bonus cd that came with the Sunday paper one time. Quite a good little track

15 – Vampire – Antsy Pants
I became familiar with this track from the soundtrack to the movie Juno. A brilliant movie, with an interesting, quirky soundtrack. This song, as with several others on the soundtrack, is very kitch and if you weren’t in the mood for it, could be considered a bit annoying.

14 - Vienna – Billy Joel
Several years ago, I picked up Billy Joel’s greatest hits boxed set (I guess you would call it) very cheaply. It contains greatest hits volume 1-3, plus an extra disc that features people asking him questions about his music and him providing answers. On that disc, he talks about the song Vienna, and then a live version of the song is included. Its really a good track. It comes from the album “the Stranger”, which is on my list of albums to get one day, although just looking at the tracklist, I think I already have seven of the nine tracks already anyway (from the greatest hits), so its probably not one I need to rush out to pick up.

13 - Venus – Bananarama.
Some frivolous 80’s pop never goes astray on one of these lists…she’s got it, yeah baby, she’s got it.

12 - Visions of Johanna – Bob Dylan
Mr Zimmerman seems to be making frequent appearances on my lists - hardly surprising given how prolific he is. This is some folk/rock from the Blonde on Blonde album, featuring some stream of consciousness lyrics. Jiggy of the wirelesscranium blog considers this his all time favourite album, as do many others, but I find I have to be in the right mood to listen to it.

11- Vibrations in Air – Josh Pyke
I guess you would call Josh Pyke’s music indie folk. He writes melodic songs with insightful lyrics, and his music is enjoyable to listen to. I have his Memories and Dust album, which is where this song comes from


So there is part one of the list....with some great tracks coming up in the top ten. Do you have a favourite V song? any comments on the list so far? feel free to post a comment with your thoughts...

Musical List - Top Twenty "Rain" songs - PART TWO

Originally posted on facebook, December 2010

Hope you have enjoyed the rainy list so far…in the last post I gave you a little teaser about what was to come – I wonder if you were able to deduce any of the tracks on the top ten….

10 - Who’ll Stop the Rain – Creedence Clearwater Revival.
This is from the great album “Cosmo’s Factory”, and despite being rock, it has a folk/acoustic feel to it, and a bit of a melancholy undercurrent.

9 - Kentucky Rain – Elvis Presley.
You can’t leave the King off this list, and Kentucky Rain is a good example of 70’s era Elvis.

8 - Rain – The Beatles.
An unheralded track from their experimental phase, Rain actually holds up pretty well as a solid track.

7 - Buckets of Rain – Bob Dylan.
A simple, but beautiful song from Bob’s great album “Blood on the Tracks”, I found this quote about the song by Oliver Trager, and I can’t do a better job of summing it up, so here it is: “Closing an otherwise desperate album with a light reappraisal of commitment, "Buckets of Rain" is a final Sinatra-like tip of the hat sung with the playfulness of an old Piedmont songster. Though Dylan seems to liken the relationship he describes here with the ferocity of a deluge, he plaintively sings to his love, describing in light, sensual brushstrokes why he still finds her special”

6 - Have you ever seen the rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The swamp rockers are back with another rain song. At my work’s Christmas party a few weeks ago, a covers band were playing this song, which prompted a bit of a crowd sing a long, and the song just evoked a really nice feel to it. Again, doing some research on the net about the song has prompted a host of explanations as to what the songs lyrics actually mean – was it about tension within the band, was it a Vietnam War protest song (with mean being a metaphor for bombs)?, or was it about the idealism of the 1960’s fading? It doesn’t really matter, it’s a great song whatever it means.

5 - I Love a Rainy Night – Eddie Rabbitt.
This is another of those songs which some might term a bit daggy, but I really like (and often feature on my lists). It was a country crossover hit for Rabbitt, and is a very catchy song. In an interesting piece of trivia, Rabbitt wrote the Elvis song “Kentucky Rain”.

4 - Why Does it Always Rain on me? – Travis.
This song was extremely overplayed at the time it was a hit, and I think a lot of people got sick of it, but revisiting it, I still think it holds up as a great song. When things are not going right for us in our lives, I think everyone can relate to the premise of this song.

3- A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall – Bob Dylan.
A great song from Dylan’s protest song repertoire, the lyrics take the form of questions and answers. As a general rule, I don’t like long songs, and this one clocks in at nearly seven minutes long, but when long songs are done well, they sound great.

2- Fire and Rain – James Taylor.
A lovely folk/rock ballad from Mr Taylor, this is a moody and introspective, and very sparce. I think it’s a beautiful track.

1- Rain – Dragon.
Possibly a controversial choice to pick a pop/rock track that is relatively simple in structure and lyrics compared to some of the others mentioned, but I happen to really like this song. Its just a great pop song, and the sort of song that I always want to sing along to, despite not being able to hit any of the notes!


So there it is, my rain songs list. I hope you have enjoyed it. Feel free to post your thoughts and let me know what songs I have left off that should be on the list.

Musical list - Top Twenty "Rain" songs - PART ONE

Originally posted on facebook, Dec 2010
Hi Everyone.

Sorry I am a bit late with the list this week – lots of stuff on at the moment!

Lately its been raining a fair bit in Melbourne (well maybe it just seems that way since in recent years it hasn’t been raining all that much!), so it got me to think, what would be the top 20 rain songs? Of the lists I have made so far, this one has been by far the hardest, in terms of settling on a final twenty, but also in terms of what order the tracks should be in. Every time I have looked at the list, I have tinkered with the order.

So here is the list – I am sure if I looked at it again I would continue to tinker with the order. I know the excitement of this list will be getting to you now. Will Milli Vanilli make an appearance? Will we all need to get stoned? (the music geeks will understand this!) Will we be able to stand the rain, or will we be singing in the rain? Will we only understand her in the rain?

Hope you enjoy it though!!

20 - Waiting for the Rain to Fall - Chris Isaak.
Its probably fair to say that Chris Isaak has more of a female than male fan base, but nevertheless I still think he is a very talented individual. His voice almost has a haunting quality to it, that I really like. This track is from his self titled album, and in some ways is the stereotypical Issak song about a wounded romance, but its still a nice track.

19 - Summer Rain – U2.
No, its not the Belinda Carlisle track, although for a pop song I actually don’t mind that one. This is a largely acoustic based track that is from their B sides 1990-2000 compilation. It’s a nice enough song, but nothing like the stadium rock that you would expect from U2.

18 - I Wish It would Rain Down – Phil Collins.
Some late 80’s adult pop from the bald drummer himself, this one almost has a bit of gospel influence to it. Nice song.

17 - Raindrops keep falling on my head – BJ Thomas (or John Farnham, take your pick) .
I have both versions in my collection, and there is not really much to say about this song, it’s a simple, catchy little number.

16 - Rainy Night in Soho – The Pogues.
I am a Pogues fan, and this is an interesting track because its not the fast paced, dirty Irish folk that we are used to from this group, but rather its romantic, evocative. A quick google search has revealed that some believe it is a song about whisky (Pogues lead singer Shane MacGowan’s struggles with alcohol are well known) but I think I would prefer to think of it as a sweet little love song.

15 - Midnight Rain – Paul Kelly.
From the underrated album “Nothing But a Dream” this is a nice, moody, atmospheric type of song. Although there are other better tracks on this album, it fits quite nicely and is a good track.

14 - After the Rain – The Angels.
After those moody, romantic songs, I gotta include some Aussie pub rock in the list, and this track by the Angels is a good one!

13 - Rain on the Scarecrow – John Mellencamp.
Allmusic.com describes this song as one that captures the hopes and fears of Middle America. I probably haven’t searched for such a deep meaning, I just like it as a rock song. There are better Mellencamp songs than this, but it’s a good track nonetheless.

12 - No Rain – Blind Melon.
Its 90’s mainstream pop/rock, but its good pop/rock.

11 - Summer Rain – Paul Kelly.
The opening track from Paul’s excellent “Wanted Man” album, this is a beautiful song. Kelly sings quite plainly (if you don’t like his voice you might find this annoying) but is accompanied by some lovely piano and cello. In writing this list and looking on the internet for some information, I have been shocked to discover that this song is essentially about sex (“"She comes and goes like summer rain / I wait all day for summer rain / And when she comes I smile again". ) I am hoping that Paul’s book, where he sheds light on some of the meanings behind his songs, is going to be under the Christmas tree with my name on it, so that I can find out more about this, and other songs.



So there it is, part one of the Rain songs. Part two coming up soon, and plenty to look forward to, with some of the biggest names in music on the list, two artists featuring twice, and a massive question that was a hit in the late 90's!

Musical list - Top Twenty "bird songs" - PART TWO

Hope you enjoyed part one of the bird list…now here are some seriously top birds…

10 - Birds and Ships – Billy Bragg and Wilco
– from the brilliant album Mermaid Avenue, whereby Billy Bragg and Wilco took unfinished lyrics from the folk singer Woody Guthrie, and put them to music. In this track, Natalie Merchant guest vocals, providing a beautiful ballad. Lovely stuff.

9 - When Doves Cry – Prince.
Some 80’s pop is very daggy, but I don’t think you could apply that term to this song, which is possibly Prince’s signature tune, and discusses some relationship difficulties.

8 - Bird in a Basement – Paul Dempsey.
Dempsey’s 2009 solo album “Everything is True” is well worth a listen. Although his voice is gravelly, he still manages to sound soulful and sometime melancholic. “Bird in a Basement” is one of the best tracks on the album.

7- Bird on a Wire – Jimmy Barnes and Troy Cassar-Daly.
Written by Leonard Cohen, this song has almost become a country standard. I also have a Johnny Cash version of it in my collection, but I actually really like the duet between Jimmy Barnes and Australian country singer Troy Casser-Daly, for Barnes’ duet album “Double Happiness”, which is a mixture of some really great songs, and some that don't do a lot for me. Jimmy’s rough vocals, beside Troy’s sweet vocals make it a real joy to listen to. Perhaps embarrassingly, I have to admit I have not heard the original Cohen version. I think I need to get me some Cohen in my collection!!

6 - Rockin Robin – Michael Jackson.
I am not a huge Michael Jackson fan, but I am usually in awe whenever I see footage of a young Michael, a child, belting out these amazing tracks with his amazing voice. Although it was a cover, I think Michael really made this song his own, and the simple lyrics probably suit the innocent vocal style that he had at the time. And it’s a very catchy track too!!

5 - Songbird – Bernard Fanning.
Fanning’s solo album “Tea and Sympathy” is a great album of country/folk music mixed in with pop, to give some great catchy music, with lyrics about love, loss and regret. Songbird is a great track, very catchy.

4 - Blackbird – The Beatles.
What can you say about Blackbird? It’s a lovely gentle acoustic ballad from Paul McCartney. Sweet, beautiful stuff.

3 - Three Little Birds – Bob Marley.
“Don’t worry, about a thing, cos every little thing, is gonna be allright.” Ok, I know its really cheesy, but I really love this reggae song, its just got such a lovely sentiment to it and is really nice to listen to.

2- And Your Bird Can Sing – The Beatles.
This song might not be as well known as other Beatles songs, but its every bit as good, in my opinion. From the Revolver album, its a rocking track, featuring a dual guitar melody. Great stuff.

1 - Eagle Rock – Daddy Cool.
This classic Aussie rock track just has to be the number one bid song. It’s a catchy, brilliant song. Not much more to say really!!

Did I leave your favourite bird off the list?????

Musical list - Top Twenty "Bird" songs - PART ONE

Originally posted on facebook, December 2010

At this time of year, a lot of music magazines and websites are producing their “top albums of the year” lists. In my case though, I think I have only purchased a handful of 2010 releases this year, so not enough to make a considered and informed list.

One album I have really enjoyed this year though has been the Basement Birds. A supergroup if you like, comprised of Josh Pyke, Kevin Mitchell (from Jebediah and Bob Evans fame), Kav Temperley (from Eskimo Joe) and Steve Parkin. These guys sing some nice harmonies and the album has got a really good feel to it. Its not groundbreaking or influential, its just a really nice listen. I also had the opportunity to see them perform live at the Forum, and that was a great gig.

So, in honour of the Basement Birds, I thought this week’s theme could be the top twenty “bird” songs. Here comes the first installment…..

20 - Sunsets (Birds of Prey) – Fatboy Slim –
I am not really much of a fan of electronica music, but I can take the odd song here or there, and at 3 and a half minutes, this one is OK, without being anything spectacular. In this track, Jim Morrison from the Doors is sampled.

19 - Bluebird – Jim White.
A little bit of alt-country. I still haven’t figured out Jim White yet, despite having his album “Drill a Hole in that Substrate and Tell Me What You See”, which Bluebird is from. It’s the sort of music that takes a while to grow on you, but there is quality there, and I think this album will continue to reveal itself over time.

18 - Dead Duck – Badly Drawn Boy.
A short little instrumental interlude on the About A Boy soundtrack. It’s a lovely little 40 seconds of music.

17 - Whistling Bird – Paul Kelly.
A nice little bluegrass track from Paul’s first bluegrass album, “Smoke”, where he teamed up with Uncle Bill. As with all of Paul Kelly’s work, this is a solid album, although there stronger tracks than this one.

16 - Bird Dog – Everly Brothers.
These two brothers produced some lovely harmonies, and some great pop tracks in the late 50’s and 60’s. This one comes from their rock and roll period. Possibly not one of their absolute best, I have always liked this song for some reason. Not sure why. A “bird dog” is a bit of a ladies man, so this song is a warning for the bird dog to stay from their “chick”.

15 - Pretty Flamingo – Manfred Mann.
My Dad likes Manfred Mann, so I remember this song being in the background a fair bit when I was a child. I guess it stays with you, and hence why it is included here. The “flamingo” mentioned in the song actually refers to a girl, 'cause her hair glows like the sun and her eyes can light the skies". Great 60’s pop.

14 - Songbird – Fleetwood Mac –
This Christine McVie ballad from Rumours features introspective lyrics, a beautiful track. Fleetwood Mac also have a another song that could have been included – the instrumental “Albatross” from early on in their career.

13 - Birds Fly Backwards – Ed Harcourt –
I have just recently got singer/songwriter Harcourt’s 2001 debut album “Here Be Monsters”, which features Birds Fly Backwards, and I am really starting to enjoy this album a lot. Harcourt sings with almost a fragility in his voice, and hence is able to make some really nice music.

12 - Parrot Fashion Love – Split Enz.
If you have been reading my lists to date, you would have noticed my penchant for daggy songs, and this one absolutely fits that category as well. But it’s a lot of fun, from the Dizrythmia album. I am sure some of you will be screaming at your computer screens that I could rate this song higher than some of the others.

11 - El Condor Pasa – Simon and Garfunkel –
Originally a Peruvian folk song, and translating to “The Condor Flies By”, Simon and Garfunkel adapted the song, adding his own lyrics in English. It’s a nice little folk song.

I will put the top 10 bird songs on tomorrow. Hope you are enjoying the lists, and feel free to make any comments…What bird songs would be flying into your lists? Also, what birds have I missed? And despite the court case, we are not going to be classing Men at Work's "Downunder" as a bird song!!

Booze-o Musical Top Twenty - PART TWO - the top ten is revealed

So here it is, the top ten Booze-o songs revealed!!!! (and a few of them seem to be as requested too)
Originally posted on facebook, December 2010


10 - Tubthumping – Chumbawumba
I have absolutely no idea what this song is about, or indeed what the title means, but it’s a very catchy track, from “I get knocked down but I get up again” line, through to the drinking references. A great bit of pop/rock from the nineties.

“Pissin' the night away, He drinks a whiskey drink, He drinks a vodka drink, He drinks a lager drink, He drinks a cider drink”


9 – Tequila – The Champs
What a memorable piece of instrumental music this track is? It probably needs no introduction. And no doubt, no matter where it is played, the crowd will always be ready to chant “tequila” at the appropriate time.

“Tequila”

8 - Streams of Whiskey – The Pogues
From the Pogues debut album, “Red Roses for Me”, this is classic Pogues. The song is actually a tribute to Irish poet and notorious drinker Brendan Behan.

“When the world is too dark and I need the light inside of me, I'll go into a bar and drink fifteen pints of beer, I am going, I am going, Any which way the wind may be blowing, I am going, I am going, Where streams of whiskey are flowing”

7 - Paycheques – Tex, Don and Charlie.
I picked up a Tex Perkins best of, which contains tracks from all aspects of his career, including the Tex, Don and Charlie collaboration (being Cold Chisel’s Don Walker and guitarist Charlie Owens). Aside from the tracks that I already knew, the Tex, Don and Charlie stuff stood out to me, and this track in particular. I love the witty line that I have listed below, which is repeated several times through the song.

“on weekends I perform miracles, I turn paycheques into wine, One working weeks' wage at a time”

6 - Rehab – Amy Winehouse.
How could we not include an artist with a surname "Winehouse" on the list? I probably could have picked many tracks from Winehouse’s second album “Back to Black”. But this one, the most well known, is the stand out. The song is retro sounding, with Winehouse’s booming voice conveying a bit of attitude.

“They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"”

5 - Pass the Flagon – The Whitlams.
From the excellent Whitlams album “Undeniably the Whitlams”, this track features Stevie Plunder on vocals. Plunder was the groups guitarist who passed away before the band had their success. In this catchy ditty with a bit of country twang to it, Plunder sings about turning to the flagon to try and erase the memories of a woman.

“So pass the flagon down the line, It don't taste bad for such cheap wine”

4 - The Nips are Getting Bigger – Mental as Anything
A great Aussie rock group that usually keep their tongue firmly planted in their cheek, they manage to sing songs that are witty, but much better than a novelty song. Like many on this list, they could very easily have had other tracks on this list, but this song certainly fits the bill. The band sing about starting off drinking beer before moving on to drinking Jamaican rum. Great track.

“Sometimes I wonder, What all these chemicals, Are doin' to my brain, Doesn't worry me enough, To stop me from doin' it agai-ai-ain”

3 - A Pub with No Beer – Slim Dusty
Unlike the other tracks on this list that are focusing on the act of drinking, this song focuses on the shambolic impact that not being able to drink has! An anxious publican, a sober blacksmith that has to go home to his wife early, a cranky maid, a dry stockman, a tired swagman, a nervous dog awaiting for his master, they are all in this track. A masterpiece in the tradition of storytelling.

“there's-a nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear, than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer”

2 - I Gotta Get Drunk – Little Willies
The Little Willies were a side project of songbird Norah Jones. Norah teamed up with a few of her friends to record a country music album, featuring a mixture of covers and original. This song is a cover of a Willie Nelson song. Norah’s version though is really enjoyable, and her voice does suit country music surprisingly well.

“There's a lot of doctors that tell me that I'd better start slowin' it down, But there's more old drunks than there are old doctors, So I guess we'd better have another round”


1 - Me and My Friend – Bob Evans
The untitled hidden track at the end of Bob’s second album “Suburban Songbook”, this song gets my vote as the best drinking/alcohol themed song. I think the reason why this one works so well for me is just how much I can relate to it. For me, most of the time that I spend drinking is really just to catch up with friends, and be more of a social experience. This theme I think is encapsulated perfectly in the lyrics to this song. It truly is a wonderful song.

As it might not be as well known as some of the other songs listed, I have put the lyrics in full below. I hope you enjoy it.


Me and my friend are walking to a bar on a cool winters evening underneath the stars
We'll find somewhere close we don't want to walk far
Nor do we want the hassle of a car
I'll order whisky and they'll order beer
The gourmet selection's intimidating here and sometimes what you know is the best way to steer
I say this ones my shout and my friend says cheers
This is some new joint that we've never been
Two lovers are fighting and making a scene
Some guy's setting up a karaoke machine
Let's find somewhere different where the carpet ain't clean

Me and my friend are walking to a bar on a cool winters evening underneath the stars
And we'll find somewhere new we don't want to walk far nor waste drinking money on a taxi car
My friends addicted to their mobile phone and they're constantly messaging someone back home with some inner fear of being alone
So for a short while my thoughts are my own
Walking round the corner a pub is in sight
Up there on the left just past those lights
We've been there before yeah that place is alright
Let's pull up a stool and settle in for the night
I love my friends I hope they love me too cos sometimes there is nothing better to do
Than to go out and get stuck in to a few
I'm gonna spend my time with a good friend like you


So there you have it, my second musical list down….keep the comments coming, and I will keep the lists coming.

And, I should also sign off the booze-o’s list by saying Cheers, Prost!, Bottoms Up, Slainte, Zum Wohl, L’Chaim, 'Op uw gezondheid', or whatever it is you choose to say!!

A Booze-o's musical top twenty - PART ONE

Originally posted on facebook, December 2010

Hi all. Thanks for the comments etc on the blues list that I posted earlier, so now its time for the next list.

Whenever I come home after going out for a drinks, or even when I have a drink at home, my wife likes to jokingly (I hope) refer to me as a booze-o. So given that the festive season is approaching, and tis the season for Christmas parties and the like, I thought it would be timely to present a booze-o’s top twenty tracks. It’s a fairly common subject in the world of music, so plenty of tracks to pick from. In addition, my friend Jeremy has just lent me a bunch of Tom Waits CD’s to listen to, and given Tom’s reputation, I think I am going to be hearing a lot more about this topic once I give them a spin!!

Please note that I am in no way condoning excessive consumption of alcohol, and if you are going to have lots of drinks this festive season, make sure you get someone else to drive.

When I discuss each track, I have also included a quote of the song lyrics.

Before we kick off the list, the first word needs to go to the great philosopher himself, Homer J Simpson: “When I was 17, I drank a very good beer, I drank some very good beer I purchased with a fake ID. My name was Brian McGee. I stayed up listening to Queen, When I was 17” ....hehehe...and now to the list.

20 - Nick Teen and Al K Hall – Rolf Harris.
A bit of a silly song to start with really. I know he’s a bit daggy, but I do like some of Rolf’s stuff for a bit of light hearted relief.

“So I said to Al, 'Al, be a pal, what do you really think?' He said to me, 'Boy, easy to see boy, smoking's kid's stuff, pour yourself a drink.' ….So quick as a wink, I took a drink, swigged a glassful down.First it seemed to hit me, then it turned around and bit me, And everything went all spinning round.”

19 - Red Red Wine – ub40
Continuing with the daggy theme, here is UB40 with their ode to red wine. I don’t have any of their albums, but they make frequent appearances on compilation CD’s, which is where I have this song.

“Red red wine I love you right from the start, Right from the start with all of my heart “

18 - One for My Baby (and one more for the road) – Frank Sinatra.
So from a novelty song, to British reggae, to crooning of the Chairman of the Board, Mr Sinatra. This is a nice little song, often covered, but to me, it almost has a bit of a sleazy bar-room feel to it.
“We’re drinking my friend, To the end of a brief episode, So make it one for my baby, And one more for the road”

17 - My Pal Alcohol. – Slim Dusty
I certainly am moving around genres in this list (alcohol knows no boundaries!!). Australia’s country music legend comes in at number 17, with his ode to alcohol, a straightforward little country song.

“good hard liquor is what I take, And my pal alcohol I love you so”

16 -Death of a Clown – Kinks
The Kinks are a great British band, and in this track Dave Davis sings all about a fading clown. It’s a lovely little song, and there is a lot more going on in this track than purely a drinking song.

“ I’m drowning my sorrows in whiskey and gin…So let's all drink to the death of a clown”

15 - All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow
Those that know me will know that I am a fan of Sheryl Crow’s music, and this is probably her most well known track. If this list was purely on the best song, this would be much higher in the list, but others to come represent the topic better. Nevertheless, all the action in this song takes place in a bar, where Sheryl and her drinking buddy are watching the surrounds, as they consume their drinks. It really is a great song.

“I like a good beer buzz early in the morning”

14 - Piano Man – Billy Joel
So, we move from Crow’s barroom story, to another song that is set in a bar. And what a song this one is. Once again, if this list was purely ranked on the best song, you wouldn’t see this one languishing at position 14. From start to finish, its just an amazing track, with all the characters in the bar described so well that you can instantly get a feel for what that bar would be like.

The other thing about this song, is that a lot of people associate the song with me (some will know exactly what I mean here, others will find that comment a bit cryptic), so there is no way I could make this list and not include Piano Man.

“Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, But it's better than drinkin' alone”

13 - Whiskey, You’re the Devil – The Pogues.
When it comes to songs about alcohol, there are some artists that you would expect to feature prominently, and the Pogues are certainly one of them. If you are not familiar with them, they were an Irish rock group that sort of combined traditional Irish folk with the punk movement, the end result being a unique sound that is brilliant. In this track, they even take some lyrics from the traditional folk song “Whiskey in the Jar” and blend it into this song. Great, great stuff.

“Whiskey, you're the devil, you're leadin' me astray”

12 - Cheap Wine – Cold Chisel.
So, from the Irish sounds of the Pogues, we move to the Aussie rock of Cold Chisel. Although this song has been done to death on classic rock style radio stations, you can’t deny its suitability for this list, with the lyrics discussing things like sitting on the beach drinking rocket fuel, a concoction of Bacardi, vodka and tequila.

“I'm another world away, But I always feel at home, with my, Cheap wine and a three-day growth”

11 - Alabama Song – The Doors
A great song from the Doors debut album, I was surprised to learn that it is not an original, and it actually has its origins in German opera. That said, it sounds nothing like an opera at all, and when Jim Morrison sings the classic line below, you know he means it! The keyboards really make it a great catchy tune though.

“Well, show me the way, To the next whisky bar”

So there, you have it, part one of my look at drinking/alcohol songs. Please post any comments, thoughts, theories, suggestions, omissions, anything you like, and I will reveal my top ten, probably tomorrow...

I got the Blues - Part Two

Originally posted on facebook - late November 2010

10 – Mr E’s Beautiful Blues – The Eels.
This is the only Eels song I know, as it appeared on one of the compilation CD’s from the Panel. I don’t really know what its about, and maybe I am taking it out of context, but it just seems to put me in a good mood when I hear it, I think it’s the line “goddam right it’s a beautiful day” that features in the chorus.

9 – Goldfields Blues – Tim Rogers.
Tim is back, this time with an entry from his album "Spit Polish". I find this song very catchy, as Mr Rogers sings about heading across to WA on a plane, with a bar tab running. Great stuff.

8 – Singing in Vietnam Talking Blues – Johnny Cash.
If you aren’t familiar with this song, then the title of it pretty much sums up what it is. It is an incredibly simple song, but I find it quite moving. During the Vietnam War, Cash and his wife June went across to perform for the troops, and delivered in spoken word, Cash talks about the experience, and how scared they were, and how they would spend their days at the hospital talking to the injured, then perform at night. For some reason, it just really gets under my skin, a very powerful track. And for those of you that like Johnny Cash, you may not have seen the last of him on this list!!

7 - This Is Not a Song, It's an Outburst: Or, The Establishment Blues –
Rodriguez.
I have already talked about Rodriguez (see number 16), but this song is a cracker, probably accurately described as an outburst. Check out the opening lines to get the general drift of the song:
“The mayor hides the crime rate, council woman hesitates , Public gets irate but forget the vote date , Weatherman complaining, predicted sun, it's raining, Everyone's protesting, boyfriend keeps suggesting, you're not like all of the rest.”

6 – Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran.
What a song!! What a great guitar hook!! What else can I say? This song just sums up the frustrations of being young perfectly. I love the part where he turns to his congressman for help, but is refused because he is too young to vote. Great, great stuff.


I know, the suspense is probably killing you, so here it is, the top five blues songs:

5 – Cocaine Blues – Johnny Cash.
I can’t really put my finger on what it is I like about this song, given the lyrics discuss some irresponsible behaviour, including a very poor attitude to woman (and ultimately shooting a woman!). But I think its Cash’s vocal delivery that does it for me, it really makes you get into the mind and understand the character that he is singing in, great stuff, with the Tennessee Three’s trademark rhythm keeping time.

4 – Yer Blues – The Beatles.
Who would have thought a song with such morbid lyrics (eg. “I’m lonely, wanna die”, “feel so suicidal, even hate my rock n roll”) would sound so good? But that’s what you get when you talk about the Beatles. A great blues song, that suits the “anything goes” vibe of the White Album perfectly!

3- Roadhouse Blues – The Doors.
Another great blues rock song, with Jim Morrison’s great vocals being showcased. One of the Doors best.

2- Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash.
Johnny’s third entry in this list is his best. Despite borrowing heavily (in melody and even some lyrics) from a little known Gordon Jenkins song “Crescent City Blues”, “Folsom Prison Blues” is a gem of a song, written in such a way that it elicits sympathy for an inmate who “shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die”. The song perfectly describes the frustrations of prison life, juxtaposed with the train the prisoner can hear. Although the prisoner hypothesizes about what the train passengers are doing (“they’re probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars”), it’s the freedom they have that he really yearns, demonstrated by the fact that the train moves along, whilst the prisoner must stay still, behind the walls. This perfectly sums up the loss of freedom that comes with being in prison

1- Subterranean Homesick Blues – Bob Dylan.
The lead track on “Bringing It All Back Home” gets my vote as the best “blues” track. From its innovative film clip, to Bob’s frantic rambling of lyrics (including the brilliant line “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”), to the great tune that it is set to, its just an amazingly enjoyable listen.

So there it is, my first musical list. I hope you enjoyed it. Next list will be coming up soon....

Go Blues!!!

I Got the Blues - part ONE

This was originally posted on facebook - late November 2010

The first list is going to be themed - "I Got the Blues". The premise is "blues" songs. Not necessarily blues in the genre, but blues as in songs that are the xxxx blues. So, for example, "Blue Sky Mining "would not be eligible, but Jimmy Page's "Prison Bues" would be. I am even going to be tough, and say that Elton's "I guess thats why they call it the blues" would also be ineligible. Hopefully you get the drift.

Anyway, we will start with numbers 20 - 16

20 - "Duxton Blues" - 7 Worlds Collide.
7 Worlds Collide is the side project of Neil Finn whereby he gets all his musical mates (guys from Wilco, Radiohead, KT Tunstell, and many others) to make music. This track features Augie March's Gleen Richards on lead vocals. Its one of the weaker songs of a very very good album, which means its still a good track. And the title for some reason always brings back memories of my firiends Pete and Simone. After their wedding, many of their family and friends had post wedding drinks at the Duxton Hotel...

19 - "Stray Cat Blues" - (originally the Rolling Stones).
I must admit, I haven't heard the original Rolling Stones version. The one in my collection is the excellent duet from Rockwiz, featuring the Living End's Chris Cheney, and the Divinyls Chrissie Amphlett. An awesome rocking blues duet from two great talents.

18 - "Mean Woman Blues" - Roy Orbison -
who hasn't recorded a version of this song? I don't even know which one the original is. But Roy's voice is great, so I am putting his version in.

17 - "A Mess of Blues" - Elvis Presley -
if there is such a thing as trademark Elvis, this would be it. Its root oriented, and Elvis's singing ability is showcased. Great stuff.

16 - "Inner City Blues" - Rodriguez.
More people need to know about the brilliant Rodriguez, and in particular his 1970 album Cold Fact. He writes though provoking lyrics, protest songs if you like, and although some would call him Dylan-like (at one stage he was called "Detroit's answer to Dylan"), that really is pigeonholing him. If I can quote from allmusic.com, as its a good description of the sort of genre you would put this man into"There was a mini-genre of singer/songwriters in the late '60s and early '70s that has never gotten a name. They were folky but not exactly folk-rock and certainly not laid-back; sometimes pissed off but not full of rage; alienated but not incoherent; psychedelic-tinged but not that weird; not averse to using orchestration in some cases but not that elaborately produced. And they sold very few records."

15 – Singer Songwriter Blues –Tim Rogers.
From the solo album “Dirty Ron”, this song is a bit of fun, with Rogers sense of humour coming to the fore.

14 – Yesterday’s Blues – Ryan Bingham.
A new song, to show that I am hip with new music (Because country music is really gonna give me a lot of cred!!! Hehehe). You may be familiar with Bingham from the movie “Crazy Heart”. He won the Best song Oscar for his contribution to this movie. I have his first album “Mescalito”, which is a great country/rock album, sort of in the Springsteen vein. Anyway, I just recently picked up his new album, “Junky Star”, which contains “Yesterday’s Blues”, a sweet little country ballad. This song has done well to make the list after only two listens.

13 – Tombstone Blues – Bob Dylan.
I don’t actually have the Dylan version in my collection, but I have a version from Sheryl Crow’s “Live from Central Park” album, where Sheryl performs this with a host of other names, including the Dixie Chicks, Chrissie Hynde, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and others. For those that don’t know it, it’s a great blues song, with funny lyrics.

12 – San Francisco Bay Blues – Eric Clapton.
Although it’s a traditional song, the version I know is from Clapton’s Unplugged album. It gets bonus marks for the use of the kazoo, which is totally under-used in modern music (yes, people, I am a loser!!!) Perhaps best songs featuring a kazoo might be a future list topic (Queen’s Seaside Rendezvous, please be on standby!!!)

11 – Kozmic Blues – Janis Joplin.
I am not really a huge Joplin fan, but this is a good song, showcasing that amazingly powerful voice that she has.