Topic: RAWK’s own top 100 fave songs of all time

[Six Beardy]

I'm going to try an put it together this weekend - there's just a lot of stuff that people will shake their head at.

Haha ffs why the big build up, just go for it - why give a shit what anyone else thinks ? None of us are more important than each other, it's just opinions.

[Timbo's Goals]

I'm going to try an put it together this weekend - there's just a lot of stuff that people will shake their head at. But it's also a list that has immense sentimentality as my father and grandad who are both deceased were fantastic musicians. My grandad until his death still taught music, played in big bands, played on the QE2 and The Tower Ballroom and in orchestras. My old man was a folk singer, had a beautiful voice and played in the North West. Pity we were estranged and I never really got to see him sing before he died of Dementia and Lewy Parkinsons. But I'm kind of stuck in the past 

Don’t be daft Nuts. Or maybe don’t be nuts Nuts.  I for one will be delighted to see your picks. Hopefully you’ll you tube link them and maybe even give a little background to them. Love your tale about your musical heritage btw tho sad about your arl fella.

[nuts100]

Haha ffs why the big build up, just go for it - why give a shit what anyone else thinks ? None of us are more important than each other, it's just opinions.

because i forget as i'm old 

[Six Beardy]

because i forget as i'm old 

because i forget as i'm old 

Haha well I'd imagine theres a fair few of us who are just as old - less talk more action, just get on with it man, ya biff. 

[Timbo's Goals]

Great list Timbo though I was definitely expecting you to put one of the Astral Weeks songs in there. Madame George perhaps? Hope you haven't gone off Van the Man after his recent antics 

Alright Seeb lad. I’d love to hear your faves. I think I can guess some but I know you love the music so much so it’d be great to see your list.

As regards Van, I simply can’t take out one track from Astral. Sure Madame George at gunpoint cos of the last few minutes climax but as you know the album is just such a cohesive entity it demands staying as such for me. My Van fave just outside my 30 is probably ‘Bulbs’ from Veedon Fleece or ‘Here Comes the Night’ from his Them days which wasn’t even is song but I just loved it and still do.

[Timbo's Goals]

If you are referring to the footy then no, he's devastated.

Oh dear. Put me foot in it there. Just took it as a given since every Geordie I’ve heard is doing fucking backward flips while downing crates of Newky brown but from what you’re saying Paul is reacting how most of us would in the same circumstances. Should have known I guess as he’s a sound fella. Let him know if you would that we all understand.

[Timbo's Goals]

I'm with you there. Marvin's Grapevine is one of the greatest pop/soul singles ever and you'd think it'd be an impossible song to cover, yet Creedence really pulled it off, it builds and builds and builds to the point  you get so lost in the groove it take on it's own life, becoming it's own entity that you forget it was ever Marvin's song.  (Fogerty pronouncing 'heard' as 'hoid' slighty irritates me though haha)

Oh and the Slits version was great too.

Yeah, as you say it virtually becomes an entirely different song to Marvins classic with the way they place all that emphasis on the songs riff with that pulsating bass and the groove in which you just get lost and by the time JF is doing his guitar thing you’re like putty in their hands. 

[Timbo's Goals]

I missed the bit about putting on a link, so here goes, also revised my list somewhat. Having read Timbo's big post I found myself regretting my effort somewhat as I found it a really difficult thing to do somehow. I just think with music it's such a personal thing, which is as much about how you feel on a particular day. I change my mind completely about my taste anyway, yet if I was choosing my fav ten books I would find that quite easy to do. Music on the other hand I feel is much more difficult. But thanks for the idea Timbo.

Chuck Berry: Johnny Be Goode

https://youtu.be/T38v3-SSGcM

King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King

https://youtu.be/ukgraQ-xkp4

Steely Dan: Midnite Cruiser

https://youtu.be/GD_DyoB4Cjs

Simon and Garfunkel: My Little Town

https://youtu.be/dPZRDWLujsQ

Genesis: Ripples

https://youtu.be/gJa9gEUa0To

The Beatles: Oh! Darling

https://youtu.be/9BznFjbcBVs

Fleetwood Mac: Tusk

https://youtu.be/EmuBOfurv3o

Jackson C Frank

https://youtu.be/f4it9vK6G7o

Cheers Jill. Obviously as a fellow arl arse I know all of them and enjoyed a great hour or so listening to them all. So thanks for doing that. Hopefully a few more will do the same.

Funny with Can’t Buy a Thrill as Do it Again and Reelin in the Years seemed to get all the kudos. And they were outstanding tracks but like you I loved Midnite Cruiser and also Brooklyn Owes the Charmer. Also loved the next album Pretzel Logic but got to be honest and admit I never really dug their stuff after that, although it wasn’t cool to admit it back then.

[So… Howard Philips]

I've hummed and hawed for a couple of weeks but the thought, fuck it, go with my first draft otherwise I'll never commit.

In no particular order;

Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
Paper Sun - Traffic
Open the door to your heart - Darrell Banks
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
If you could read my mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
Tell it like it is - Aaron Neville
It's over - Roy Orbison
Design for Life - Manic Street Preachers
Change gonna come - Sam Cooke
Diamonds and rust - Joan Baez
Comfortably numb - Pink Floyd
Twelve thirty (Young girls) - Mamas and Papas
Across the universe - The Beatles
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Tougher than the rest - Springsteen
Have you seen the rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
Getting mighty crowded - Betty Everett
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

[Timbo's Goals]

I've hummed and hawed for a couple of weeks but the thought, fuck it, go with my first draft otherwise I'll never commit.

In no particular order;

Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
Paper Sun - Traffic
Open the door to your heart - Darrell Banks
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
If you could read my mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
Tell it like it is - Aaron Neville
It's over - Roy Orbison
Design for Life - Manic Street Preachers
Change gonna come - Sam Cooke
Diamonds and rust - Joan Baez
Comfortably numb - Pink Floyd
Twelve thirty (Young girls) - Mamas and Papas
Across the universe - The Beatles
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Tougher than the rest - Springsteen
Have you seen the rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
Getting mighty crowded - Betty Everett
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

Talking my musical language there Howard lad - white rabbit excepted. A few of those are in my own 50 and most are there or thereabouts. Superb mate. Do us a favour though if you would. Any chance of you doing You Tube links for them. They deserve it and makes it so much easier to enjoy them.

 

[Red_Mist]

I’ll add links when I get a min Timbo.

Meantime, one of my picks, The The - Uncertain Smile.

This is the album version and I originally posted that it has to be the 12”.
Wrong! I actually love both versions but they are very different and I think I might have mixed them up in my mind. It’s the album version that has Jools’s piano solo on.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/5bErFXjUGvQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/5bErFXjUGvQ</a>


Interesting snippet (well, interesting if you like the song!) from the comments section that I never knew:-

“A bit of history behind "Uncertain Smile", which to me represents almost seven minutes of pure bliss that is over far too soon & easily ranks as one of my favourite songs EVER, not just within the context of the 80s.

Here's what I recall reading about the song's solo: Apparently, when Jools Holland arrived at the studio, he didn't have a solo mapped out. Matt Johnson had told him very little about the song on purpose, to guarantee spontaneity from the jazz pianist.

Speaking of jazz.. take note of how the type of the piano chosen & the recording methods used combined to make the solo sound a bit like it had been recorded in a jazz café. It's not quite as distant, muted, and percussive as the signature Rudy Van Gelder piano sound one hears on many of the famous Blue Note jazz recordings from the 1950s, 60s & 70s, but neither is it the bright Yamaha CP-70 piano sound that is foreever associated with the 80s - heck, even Elton John & Biily Joel switched to the CP-70. lol.  So, in addition to the notes chosen, Jools Holland's contribution to "Uncertain Smile" just sounds like a jazz solo.

Anyway...so, on the day the piano solo was recorded, Jools Holland arrived, absorbed the groove & overall 'vibe' of the song, called upon his artistic instincts, and improvised through a bunch of takes. When Holland was finished, he wasn't thrilled with the results, which he felt were not complete or good enough. However, Johnson liked most of what he had heard, so Johnson spent the next few days cutting & splicing the reel-to-reel tape, choosing the best sections from all the takes & experimenting with different orders for the sections until Johnson was happy with the flow & pace of the entire solo. (BTW, this technique has also been used on some famous guitar solos from the 1960s & 70s)

Consequently, what we hear in this masterpiece composition is the huge talent, impressive 'chops' & creative interpretive skills of Jools Holland, but also Jools Holland's creative juices expertly distilled by Matt Johnson into a heady mixture of potent alt-rock & jazz.....and, yes, one of the great piano solos in the history of rock music.”

[jillcwhomever]

Cheers Jill. Obviously as a fellow arl arse I know all of them and enjoyed a great hour or so listening to them all. So thanks for doing that. Hopefully a few more will do the same.

Funny with Can’t Buy a Thrill as Do it Again and Reelin in the Years seemed to get all the kudos. And they were outstanding tracks but like you I loved Midnite Cruiser and also Brooklyn Owes the Charmer. Also loved the next album Pretzel Logic but got to be honest and admit I never really dug their stuff after that, although it wasn’t cool to admit it back then.

Yes, I should have said I could have gone for Do It Again or many others on that LP. I was quite a few years younger than my brother and sister so I used to get their old records last, but for some reason that album has always stayed with me. I've always had it on my ipod, also the Genesis one I put on I almost chose Dancing with the Moonlit Knight as that was another hand me down I grew to love. It's funny how some music just stays with you and others don't.

[So… Howard Philips]

Talking my musical language there Howard lad - white rabbit excepted. A few of those are in my own 50 and most are there or thereabouts. Superb mate. Do us a favour though if you would. Any chance of you doing You Tube links for them. They deserve it and makes it so much easier to enjoy them.

 

Ooh YouTube links! I'll have a crack but may have to wait until my YouTube savvy grandson returns from a Covid related exclusion.

Glad you like them but why the exception for White Rabbit?

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Not much love for the Wurzels in here

[rob1966]

Not much love for the Wurzels in here

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/6tI73B5sgkk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/6tI73B5sgkk</a>

[jillcwhomever]

I've hummed and hawed for a couple of weeks but the thought, fuck it, go with my first draft otherwise I'll never commit.

In no particular order;

Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
Paper Sun - Traffic
Open the door to your heart - Darrell Banks
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
If you could read my mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
Tell it like it is - Aaron Neville
It's over - Roy Orbison
Design for Life - Manic Street Preachers
Change gonna come - Sam Cooke
Diamonds and rust - Joan Baez
Comfortably numb - Pink Floyd
Twelve thirty (Young girls) - Mamas and Papas
Across the universe - The Beatles
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Tougher than the rest - Springsteen
Have you seen the rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
Getting mighty crowded - Betty Everett
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

I had forgotten about that Gordon Lightfoot one, I the one I remember of his was Daylight Katy.

[rob1966]

I had forgotten about that Gordon Lightfoot one, I the one I remember of his was Daylight Katy.

I had to Google Daylight Katy and I don't recognise it. If you could read my mind and also Sundown are both songs I know and remember though.

[So… Howard Philips]

I had to Google Daylight Katy and I don't recognise it. If you could read my mind and also Sundown are both songs I know and remember though.

Surely you remember the ominous 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'?

[So… Howard Philips]

Well the Youtube links were easy enough.

As others have said leave it a day and you'd have a good few changes. The majority bring back good memories, some a touch sad but all have had an impact. Even now I'm wondering how come 'Higher and Higher', 'Enjoy the silence' and 'What is soul' didn't make it.

If I had to pick one it would be 'Change is gonna come' Written as a result of Sam Cooke's experiences with Jim Crow the lyrics are brilliant and Cooke's delivery is out of this world. And sadly Cooke's life and career were cut short in a strange killing.

Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWBSmfZTi4s
Paper Sun - Traffic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEnAft8bpBA
Open the door to your heart - Darrell Banks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWlPIAxDAA0
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv2x4LelccE
If you could read my mind - Gordon Lightfoot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAedY3NucEs
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOg_8hCC4u4
Tell it like it is - Aaron Neville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPtImg9oYyc
It's over - Roy Orbison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V1IbRVp7Us
Design for Life - Manic Street Preachers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfEoVxy7VDQ
Change gonna come - Sam Cooke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4
Diamonds and rust - Joan Baez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrVD0bP_ybg
Comfortably numb - Pink Floyd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrOQC-zEog
Twelve thirty (Young girls) - Mamas and Papas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdDGsujVW4
Across the universe - The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90M60PzmxEE
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8P_xTBpAcY
Tougher than the rest - Springsteen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_91hNV6vuBY
Have you seen the rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1V8YRJnr4Q
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANNqr-vcx0
Getting mighty crowded - Betty Everett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AmwoK6uw5Q
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_MqfF0WBsU

[jillcwhomever]

I had to Google Daylight Katy and I don't recognise it. If you could read my mind and also Sundown are both songs I know and remember though.

Ed Stewart used to play it a lot on Saturday mornings, Junior Choice, I think it was.

[rob1966]

Ed Stewart used to play it a lot on Saturday mornings, Junior Choice, I think it was.

Never heard of that either - Saturday mornings we'd be out the house early playing footy or watching Swap Shop/Tiswas/whatever was on.

[So… Howard Philips]

Ed Stewart used to play it a lot on Saturday mornings, Junior Choice, I think it was.

I listened to Junior Choice in the late '50s when it was presented by Uncle Mac. The show featured such classics as 'The Ugly Duckling' by Danny Kaye, 'Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah' by Alan Sherman and 'The Windmill in Old Ansterdam' by Ronnie Hilton.

Life was simple and entertainment choices limited.

[jillcwhomever]

I listened to Junior Choice in the late '50s when it was presented by Uncle Mac. The show featured such classics as 'The Ugly Duckling' by Danny Kaye, 'Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah' by Alan Sherman and 'The Windmill in Old Ansterdam' by Ronnie Hilton.

Life was simple and entertainment choices limited.

I had a record of Ronnie Hilton songs when I was a kid. Danny Kaye as well, I think it was the Hans Christian Anderson one. 

Never heard of that either - Saturday mornings we'd be out the house early playing footy or watching Swap Shop/Tiswas/whatever was on.

rob, you haven't lived! 

[So… Howard Philips]

I had a record of Ronnie Hilton songs when I was a kid. Danny Kaye as well, I think it was the Hans Christian Anderson one. 

rob, you haven't lived! 

Just remembered another song, this one I thought a bit scary - The song of the Three Billy Goats Gruff - with a troll lurking under the bridge.

[Black Bull Nova]

1.   Wichita Lineman-Glen Campbell
One of the best session men ever (he played on 'Strangers in the Night', and is backed on this by one of the best session bands ever, 'The Wrecking Crew' ) and with a great voice and a song by a genius, Jimmy Webb, (e.g. the anti-Vietnam War Song, Galveston)
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Q8P_xTBpAcY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Q8P_xTBpAcY</a>

2.   Rikki don’t lose that number-Steely Dan
Possibly the perfect song, perfectly played   
You can see who it was written for at http://www.rikkiducornet.com
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/3tvRSFAVAqU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/3tvRSFAVAqU</a>

3.   Massive Attack/Liz Fraser-Teardrop
Written after Jeff Buckley died, Liz and Jeff were an item
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/u7K72X4eo_s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/u7K72X4eo_s</a>

4.   From Your Favourite Sky-I Am Kloot
Manchester's greatest band
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/vUMvjs0e6Ic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/vUMvjs0e6Ic</a>

5.   Wishing Well-Free
Guitar, Bass and Vocals at the very best
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/LLSAGnHNqGc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/LLSAGnHNqGc</a>

6.   Family Affair-Sly and the Family Stone
Unique
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/XUcFnQ-Q95k" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/XUcFnQ-Q95k</a>

7.   Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick-Ian Dury and the Blockheads
That Bass   
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/0WGVgfjnLqc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/0WGVgfjnLqc</a>

8.   B Movie-Gil Scott Heron
40 years, could be now
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/xSOp507HJMA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/xSOp507HJMA</a>

9.   Living in Another World-Talk Talk
Love this video, such a driven song that gets better as you listen
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/fZQZZf_R434" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/fZQZZf_R434</a>

10.  All Along the Watchtower
There are many here amongst us...............
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/TLV4_xaYynY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/TLV4_xaYynY</a>

11.   Cloudbursting-Kate Bush
It's just beautiful
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/pllRW9wETzw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/pllRW9wETzw</a>

12.   Emergency 72-Turin Brakes
Seeing this played live twice at the Kazimier a genuine life highlight
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Z2cXRtblqjQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Z2cXRtblqjQ</a>

13.   De Cara a la Pared-Lhasa de Sala
Voice
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AJaOptRE00E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AJaOptRE00E</a>

14.   Victor Jara's Hands-Calexico
In case you never heard of Chile in the 1970s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Víctor_Jara
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/nYSeQXWJJZQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/nYSeQXWJJZQ</a>

15.   Impossible Germany-Wilco
Nels Cline's guitar in the last half
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/7I79m7_kAnA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/7I79m7_kAnA</a>

16.   I Feel The Same-Bonnie Raitt
Great vocal, great song plus Little Feat and Lowell George
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/b3A-Rn4O_t8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/b3A-Rn4O_t8</a>

17.   Without Expression-Terry Reid
Only discovered this last year, fantastic
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Jwa7KgVuypk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Jwa7KgVuypk</a>

18.   Waterloo Sunset-The Kinks
Gets more evocative as time passes
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/N_MqfF0WBsU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/N_MqfF0WBsU</a>

19.   81 82 83 84-Simple Minds
Great record for a traffic free East Lancs Road
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AnFzpYy_3vE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AnFzpYy_3vE</a>

20.   My Young Man, Kate Rusby
Saddest song ever, just feel that brass when it kicks in alongside the lines being sung
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/6r9p3uhmpi0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/6r9p3uhmpi0</a>

[Timbo's Goals]

I’ll add links when I get a min Timbo.

Meantime, one of my picks, The The - Uncertain Smile.

This is the album version and I originally posted that it has to be the 12”.
Wrong! I actually love both versions but they are very different and I think I might have mixed them up in my mind. It’s the album version that has Jools’s piano solo on.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/5bErFXjUGvQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/5bErFXjUGvQ</a>


Interesting snippet (well, interesting if you like the song!) from the comments section that I never knew:-

“A bit of history behind "Uncertain Smile", which to me represents almost seven minutes of pure bliss that is over far too soon & easily ranks as one of my favourite songs EVER, not just within the context of the 80s.

Here's what I recall reading about the song's solo: Apparently, when Jools Holland arrived at the studio, he didn't have a solo mapped out. Matt Johnson had told him very little about the song on purpose, to guarantee spontaneity from the jazz pianist.

Speaking of jazz.. take note of how the type of the piano chosen & the recording methods used combined to make the solo sound a bit like it had been recorded in a jazz café. It's not quite as distant, muted, and percussive as the signature Rudy Van Gelder piano sound one hears on many of the famous Blue Note jazz recordings from the 1950s, 60s & 70s, but neither is it the bright Yamaha CP-70 piano sound that is foreever associated with the 80s - heck, even Elton John & Biily Joel switched to the CP-70. lol.  So, in addition to the notes chosen, Jools Holland's contribution to "Uncertain Smile" just sounds like a jazz solo.

Anyway...so, on the day the piano solo was recorded, Jools Holland arrived, absorbed the groove & overall 'vibe' of the song, called upon his artistic instincts, and improvised through a bunch of takes. When Holland was finished, he wasn't thrilled with the results, which he felt were not complete or good enough. However, Johnson liked most of what he had heard, so Johnson spent the next few days cutting & splicing the reel-to-reel tape, choosing the best sections from all the takes & experimenting with different orders for the sections until Johnson was happy with the flow & pace of the entire solo. (BTW, this technique has also been used on some famous guitar solos from the 1960s & 70s)

Consequently, what we hear in this masterpiece composition is the huge talent, impressive 'chops' & creative interpretive skills of Jools Holland, but also Jools Holland's creative juices expertly distilled by Matt Johnson into a heady mixture of potent alt-rock & jazz.....and, yes, one of the great piano solos in the history of rock music.”

Got to admit RM that, as you’ll glean from my own faves, I’m no huge fan of synth pop/rock type stuff (is that what it’s called) such as The The and Joy division, New Order etc. I can fully appreciate the artistry that creates it but clearly I was born 20 years too soon for that stuff to reach into my soul. Some decent tunes of course but that’s as deep into my musical heartland as it goes.

In fairness, the same lukewarm sentiments go for a lot of other genres. Throwaway pop for a start, most self indulgent prog rock and  heavy metal and whilst I’m at it most punk and most definitely most, rap, hip hop and what they term modern R&B.

You’d think from all those exclusions it wouldn’t leave much that did reach into my heartlands but of course that’s far from the case.

Anyroad, as it is I genuinely did enjoy Uncertain Smile and especially the Jools Holland improvised piano. Also loved reading that insight into what brought it about. Fascinating stuff.

[Timbo's Goals]

Well the Youtube links were easy enough.

As others have said leave it a day and you'd have a good few changes. The majority bring back good memories, some a touch sad but all have had an impact. Even now I'm wondering how come 'Higher and Higher', 'Enjoy the silence' and 'What is soul' didn't make it.

If I had to pick one it would be 'Change is gonna come' Written as a result of Sam Cooke's experiences with Jim Crow the lyrics are brilliant and Cooke's delivery is out of this world. And sadly Cooke's life and career were cut short in a strange killing.

Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWBSmfZTi4s
Paper Sun - Traffic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEnAft8bpBA
Open the door to your heart - Darrell Banks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWlPIAxDAA0
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv2x4LelccE
If you could read my mind - Gordon Lightfoot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAedY3NucEs
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOg_8hCC4u4
Tell it like it is - Aaron Neville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPtImg9oYyc
It's over - Roy Orbison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V1IbRVp7Us
Design for Life - Manic Street Preachers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfEoVxy7VDQ
Change gonna come - Sam Cooke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4
Diamonds and rust - Joan Baez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrVD0bP_ybg
Comfortably numb - Pink Floyd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrOQC-zEog
Twelve thirty (Young girls) - Mamas and Papas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdDGsujVW4
Across the universe - The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90M60PzmxEE
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8P_xTBpAcY
Tougher than the rest - Springsteen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_91hNV6vuBY
Have you seen the rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1V8YRJnr4Q
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANNqr-vcx0
Getting mighty crowded - Betty Everett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AmwoK6uw5Q
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_MqfF0WBsU

Cheers Howard. I’ll be indulging on all those tomorrow if poss along with Black Bulls fantastic picks (ta Black Bull) It is looking very much as if it’s us arl arses who seem to have most passion for this sort of grading of favourite stuff whilst younger folks are seemingly so completely swamped by the uncontrollable plethora of their Spotify toons that they really find it tough to narrow it all down to definite faves. Interesting.

[Timbo's Goals]

Ooh YouTube links! I'll have a crack but may have to wait until my YouTube savvy grandson returns from a Covid related exclusion.

Glad you like them but why the exception for White Rabbit?

Discovered The Band in ‘68 and became obsessed with their roots music - much the same way as Clapton and George Harrison were captivated by them I guess. After absorbing their Big Pink and the Brown albums any psychedelic stuff such as White Rabbit were way off the menu for me.

[Timbo's Goals]

I listened to Junior Choice in the late '50s when it was presented by Uncle Mac. The show featured such classics as 'The Ugly Duckling' by Danny Kaye, 'Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah' by Alan Sherman and 'The Windmill in Old Ansterdam' by Ronnie Hilton.

Life was simple and entertainment choices limited.

Wonderful innocent happy days Howard.

And let’s not forget Tubby the Tuba and Sparky and his echo and the old man in the mountain. Not to mention that damn railroad that ran through the middle of the house. 

[Timbo's Goals]

Never heard of that either - Saturday mornings we'd be out the house early playing footy or watching Swap Shop/Tiswas/whatever was on.

No fuckin telly back then Rob lad. Steam radio mate. It was Uncle Mac or nowt.

 

[rob1966]

No fuckin telly back then Rob lad. Steam radio mate. It was Uncle Mac or nowt.

 

No telly in the late 60's/early 70's is likely what shaped my taste in music. My Ma was a huge Beatles fan, she'd seen them at the Cavern a lot, so she'd be playing their stuff and she always had the radio on, so my young brain will have heard stuff by The Stones, Zep, Hendrix, The Doors, T-Rex etc etc. Whenever I hear The Faces I get taken back to the early 70's. My Dad was not impressed when I started listening to punk when I was 10

[Timbo's Goals]

No telly in the late 60's/early 70's is likely what shaped my taste in music. My Ma was a huge Beatles fan, she'd seen them at the Cavern a lot, so she'd be playing their stuff and she always had the radio on, so my young brain will have heard stuff by The Stones, Zep, Hendrix, The Doors, T-Rex etc etc. Whenever I hear The Faces I get taken back to the early 70's. My Dad was not impressed when I started listening to punk when I was 10

Jealous of your Ma. What a heroine. I saw them just the once at the Empire in '63 but recall very little except George staring at me as we were right down centrally in the front rows and I was only just turned 12 and was wearing my school blazer and tie amidst a crowd of screaming banshees. Must have stood out like a prize lemon. Maybe your ma was one of them Rob

 

[Red_Mist]

Got to admit RM that, as you’ll glean from my own faves, I’m no huge fan of synth pop/rock type stuff (is that what it’s called) such as The The and Joy division, New Order etc. I can fully appreciate the artistry that creates it but clearly I was born 20 years too soon for that stuff to reach into my soul. Some decent tunes of course but that’s as deep into my musical heartland as it goes.

In fairness, the same lukewarm sentiments go for a lot of other genres. Throwaway pop for a start, most self indulgent prog rock and  heavy metal and whilst I’m at it most punk and most definitely most, rap, hip hop and what they term modern R&B.

You’d think from all those exclusions it wouldn’t leave much that did reach into my heartlands but of course that’s far from the case.

Anyroad, as it is I genuinely did enjoy Uncertain Smile and especially the Jools Holland improvised piano. Also loved reading that insight into what brought it about. Fascinating stuff.

Glad you enjoyed it, especially as it’s such a diversion from your usual tastes, and (it’s probably fair to say) as they’re an acquired taste even if you’re into 80s synth pop/rock! I won’t recommend you plough through their back catalogue as I’m pretty certain you won’t like the vast majority of it but there’s some other gems that you might enjoy. For another time though as you’ve got all these other lists to enjoy!

[rob1966]

Jealous of your Ma. What a heroine. I saw them just the once at the Empire in '63 but recall very little except George staring at me as we were right down centrally in the front rows and I was only just turned 12 and was wearing my school blazer and tie amidst a crowd of screaming banshees. Must have stood out like a prize lemon. Maybe your ma was one of them Rob

 

She most likely was, she'd have been 17 and been working since she was 15 so had money for stuff like that - she lived in Everton so town was only a couple of minutes away. She used to slag Cilla off, fucking jumped up hat check girl she used to refer to her as

She had a falling out with her brother over a photo of the band on the Royal Iris that he robbed off her, not sure of the story behind it.

[jillcwhomever]

Just remembered another song, this one I thought a bit scary - The song of the Three Billy Goats Gruff - with a troll lurking under the bridge.

I remember having that book, think it was one of the Penguin ones and I loved that story. Did you hear the Jon Pertwee one Three Little Fishes? That was awesome too, though not in the 100 fav list!

[rob1966]

I remember having that book, think it was one of the Penguin ones and I loved that story. Did you hear the Jon Pertwee one Three Little Fishes? That was awesome too, though not in the 100 fav list!

I remember reading the Billy Goats Gruff in infant school

[Crosby Nick]

I remember reading the Billy Goats Gruff in infant school

Show off.

[Black Bull Nova]

I remember reading the Billy Goats Gruff in infant school

Genuinely frightening for a young boy that story (at least in those days, I suspect kids of the same age get to see all sorts of scarier stuff these days)

[Black Bull Nova]

I'd have a go
But worried what the RAWK's music snobs would think 
There's going to stuff that will cause complete derision - do I want that 

Even my family state I'm stuck in the 80's so it won't end well

Flock of Seagulls and Modern Eon it is

[Black Bull Nova]

Ok, as requested, here's my list again with (I hope) youtune vids embedded

Thanks, enjoyed that list, I'd forgotten about Sandy Denny (and that she was on Led Zeppelin IV as well), got to see Peter Gabriel with Genesis and the Dark Side of the Moon tour as well through my older sister