Playlist 13

[stoutfellow]

There are, as of this writing, 2802 songs on my hard drive in .mp3 format. I've parcelled most of them out, at random, into 26 playlists, each of which is itself randomized. Most of the songs on the playlists are songs that I more-or-less like; there are a few that I'm ambivalent about, but haven't yet decided to remove. Still, on each list there are a few that stand out for me, songs I particularly enjoy, and I thought I'd point those out, to give anyone who cares a clearer picture of my tastes. Those who don't care are free not to open the cut.

These are listed in the order in which they appear on the playlist.

• Take Me Back To Chicago, Chicago. Songs about homesickness are my personal version of Lincoln's doctor's dog. What can I say?


• I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Gladys Knight and the Pips. This cover isn't as well known as Marvin Gaye's, but I like it about as well. I tend to think of Knight's singing as mellow and gentle, but the fury she puts into this one is palpable.


• You Set Me Free, Michelle Branch. Her voice isn't the most pleasant in the world, but she puts as much energy into her singing as Taylor Dayne or Bonnie Tyler, and to better effect. I put her in the same category as Heart (at least, in their more manic work), just a notch or two lower.


• (Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All, the Fifth Dimension. This is one of their best; I particularly like one of the later verses: Last night, I got to thinking maybe I, I, I / Should call you up, forget about my foolish pride / I heard your number ringing, I went cold inside. That moment between act and result can be a terrifying one...


• Words, the Bee Gees. This is from before the Age of Disco; the Bee Gees did quite a bit of good work before selling their souls.


• The Palace of Versailles, Al Stewart. Stewart's work often leaves me scratching my head; I'm often not quite sure I see what he's getting at, but his historical songs - including this one - are an unusual sort of pleasure.


• Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen. Oh, come on. Who doesn't enjoy this one?


• Kathy's Song, Simon and Garfunkel. After "The Sound of Silence", S&G went through a phase of trying (unsuccessfully) to do hard rock - "Blessed", "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", and the like. It was mercifully brief, and "Kathy's Song" marked a return to their roots. Just a beautiful, gentle love song.


• Star Baby, the Guess Who. As I mentioned earlier, the lyrics of this one are a little creepy, but if you tune out and just treat it as music, it's fun to listen to.


• Your Precious Love, Marvin Gaye and Tami Terrell. Ella and Satchmo for the sixties: some pairs of voices were made to sing together.

Comments

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

"Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen. Oh, come on. Who doesn't enjoy this one?"

Heh. Whaddya say SunLizzSis doesn't (g)??

Oh, SunLizzard?

[sunlizzard.livejournal.com]

Ha, ha, ha. Neener, neener, neener. Nyaaah, nyaaah, nyaaah.

Check your assumptions. Check 'em at the door.

Because, actually, yes I do!

*slithers away like a slithery thing, snickering*

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

Snort!