2010 - 10
The basement has been completed, all the stuff has been moved back to its proper place, my books have been unpacked (55 boxes, but that's another blog) and all is basically right with the world.
And I'm not as tired anymore.
So I thought, just for the hell of it, I'd start making a list of my all-time favourite songs. I'll do about ten at a time. For the record, these are in no particular order. So without further ado, I proudly present the best songs ever made...
Year of the Cat - Al Stewart - 1976
This one always takes me back to a much simpler time in my life. It's 1976, I'm 13 and listening to either CFTR or CHUM am radio on the monster radio I got for Christmas. Initially, I was always caught by the title...what does "year of the cat" mean? Sounds like a Bruce Lee movie, yet the song evokes the grace and economy of a cat somehow. There there's all these strange references to things like Peter Lorre and Bogart. And the line, "She comes runnin' out of the sun like a watercolour runnin' in the rain" always caught my imagination. I've always been a sucker for an intelligent mellow song like this. There's understated bass, great strings, a beautiful, delicate acoustic guitar solo, an even better electric guitar solo and, best of all, a fantastic sax solo. Six and a half minutes of mellow goodness. From the Year of the Cat album.
More Than a Feeling - Boston - 1976
My God, did anyone ever have better pipes than Brad Delp? This song was just brilliant, start to finish, but has now taken on a tinge of sadness with some of the lines in the wake of Delp's tragic suicide..."it's more than a feeling, when I hear that old song play and I think I'm dreaming," and "so many faces have come and gone, I see them fade as the years go by..." But the song, this song, is perfect for me. "When I'm tired and thinking cold, I hide in my music, forget the day." That's me, that's what I do, and no one captured that better than Boston did on this song. It's always been in my top 5 and it always will be. It doesn't get much better than this. From Boston's self-titled first album.
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty - 1978
Much in the same vein as Year of the Cat, this is a song of my youth. Rafferty's smooth vocals (I never would have guessed he's the voice behind Steeler's Wheel's Stuck in the Middle with You). But of course, the sell for this song, the detail that makes you fall in love with it immediately is that beautiful, soaring sax line. That and the sax solo by Raphael Ravenscroft (cool name, that, huh?) and Hugh Burns's note-perfect guitar solo seal the deal. From the City to City album.
Black & Blue - Van Halen - 1988
In case you were thinking I was getting a little soft here, along comes Van Wailin' to save the day. One of the rawest, crunchiest songs to ever blow out of Eddie's amps, this one is just a mindless, hangbanging ode to the joys of rough sex. This was Sammy's second time at the mike with the band (and I don't give a shit what anyone says, he kicked Dave's ass...dude's got the goods) and this was the absolute standout track from OU812 for me. Raunchy riffs, thudding drums, and Sammy's smokin' vocals riding over all of it. Like the subject matter, this song leaves you sweating, exhausted, but feeling fine and with a smile on your face. Crank it to 11. From the OU812 album.
Rikki Don't Lose That Number - Steely Dan - 1974
One of my all-time favourite bands and this song is almost a mini-symphony. It's all here, mellow, rock, piano-based, guitar-based. You can't go wrong. And of course, the brilliant musicianship of Donald Fagan and Walter Becker and the amazing array of studio musicians they assemble. Do yourself a favour and check out any of the original 7 studio albums 1972 - 1980. From Steely Dan's third outing, Pretzel Logic.
Piano Man - Billy Joel - 1973
One of what I would classify as my "opus" songs (the other three being American Pie, Born to Run and Good Vibrations). Joel's autobiographical song (he really does sing about people he knew..."the waitress is practicing politics" was eventually his first wife) provides a view into the situation he found himself in. After the fiasco of his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor (he made an awful thudding heavy rock album as a duo called Attila), he was feeling the squeeze of an unforgiving recording contract, so he basically went into hiding, playing piano bars. And he pulled this phenomenal hit out of it. He's had a ton of hits since, and proved himself to be a consistent hitmaker. But this was the first, and, I think, one of his most emotionally naked tunes. From his second solo album, Piano Man.
Absolutely Right – Five Man Electrical Band – 1972
A perfect driving song, it's got that trundling bass line like a runaway train. The subject matter leaves a little to be desired...a guy admitting he's wrong to his girl? That's a slippery slope, dudes! But seriously, this is one of those songs you haven't heard in years, yet, when some DJ gets sick of playing the same 40 classic rock songs (25 of which are likely Led Zeppelin) and throws this little chestnut on, you instantly smile and you're young again. From their third album, Coming of Age.
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen – 1975
"Tramps like us, baby we were born to run!" What can I say about this insane song that hasn't already been said. This was the song that put Springsteen on the map. Filled with his epic visions - "the highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last-chance power drive," "the mansions of glory and suicide machines" etc etc - all brought forth with Bruce's raw, visceral vocals...vocals I don't think I've heard before or since from the man. And who can resist that epic (yeah, there's really only one word for most of this song and it's "epic") percussive solo that thumps down to Bruce's count-in...you just gotta count in with him and use your best emotive wail to finish out the song. Epic. From, surprise surprise, the Born to Run album.
Crazy on You – Heart – 1976
Their first major hit. Pure, guitar-driven rock and a wicked-ass vocal from Ann Wilson. For me (and likely only me) I happened to be reading Stephen King's Carrie at the time this song was breaking, and for me, the two are irrevokably linked. I hear the song, I think of the book. I see the book, I hear the song. Smokin' song, smokin' album and, at the time, smokin' sisters! From their debut, Dreamboat Annie.
This May Not Be The End of the World – John Mellencamp - 1996
And finally, just to show you I'm not completely stuck in the seventies, there's this album track from the Artist Formerly Known As Cougar. Likely anyone else listening to this song won't hear it as a breakout song, and I don't know that it really is. But there's something in those ambiguous lyrics, a deeper meaning I have not yet grasped that keeps pulling me back. And I'm a sucker for the chorus. "Hello all you losers, you've got nothing to fear (but fear itself). This may not be the end of the world, but you can see it from here." This album was a departure for Mellencamp, who's made a career out of taking little used roads. This time, he brought in Junior Vasquez who added a touch of dance beats and layers to the songs. Years later, I still think it's his best album. From Mr. Happy Go Lucky.
