Your Five Favorite Anything

[Giuseppe Zangara]

I should note that my list was more "of the moment," with the Velvet Underground and Mercury Rev songs being the only mainstays. "Street Hassle" and "Marquee Moon" are excellent choices; Can has some great ones, too, though I'd rank "You Doo Right," "Mother Sky," "Halleluhwah" and "Bel Air" above "Peking O."

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

I have a sentimental connection to "Peking O" because around this time last year, I made Carnival listen to it, and he started freaking out around the 5.40 mark. "Halleluhwah" and "Yoo Doo Right" are awesome, though.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Meat Loaf - "I'll Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" - 11:59

Neu! - "Hallogallo" - 10:07

Boris - "When We Is Thrown Away" - 10:14

Underworld - "Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love" - 16:36

 

And probably my favorite: David Bowie - "Station to Station" - 10:14

[Gary Floyd]

I have a sentimental connection to "Peking O" because around this time last year, I made Carnival listen to it, and he started freaking out around the 5.40 mark. "Halleluhwah" and "Yoo Doo Right" are awesome, though.

Too awesome. You should make him listen to Soup

 

Anyways

 

5.) Godspeed You Black Emperor-East Hastings 17:58

4.) Underworld-Mmmm, Skyscraper, I Love You 13:08

3.) Kraftwerk-Autobahn 22:30

2.) Can-Halleluwah 18:22

1.) Pink Floyd-Echoes 23:31

[Giuseppe Zangara]

Five Cover Songs That Arguably Improved on the Original, Though My Saying So is Not to Slight the Original:

 

1. The Circle Jerks - I Wanna Destroy You (original: The Soft Boys)

2. Pixies - Head On (original: The Jesus & Mary Chain)

3. Galaxie 500 - Ceremony (original: New Order [or Joy Division, if you want to be a pedant])

4. Tindersticks - Here (original: Pavement)

5. TV on the Radio - Mr. Grieves (original: Pixies)

 

I've found a number of people agree with me re #1, which was a pleasant surprise, given the overall inconsequentiality of later period Circle Jerks. #2 is more or less a given, though JAMC's is a good song in its own right. #s 3-5 have gotten me a number of hairy eyeballs and outright scorn, but I stand by them.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH!]

Over 10 minutes (in no real order)

 

1. "45:33" by LCD Soundsystem

2. "Emily" by Joanna Newsom

3. "Starless" by King Crimson

4. "Maggot Brain" by Funkadelic

5. "Let's Call It Love" by Sleater-Kinney

 

I'd have put Sonic Youth's "Trilogy" on there but I'm not sure if it counts as one song.

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

Meat Loaf - "I'll Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" - 11:59

Neu! - "Hallogallo" - 10:07

Boris - "When We Is Thrown Away" - 10:14

Underworld - "Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love" - 16:36

 

And probably my favorite: David Bowie - "Station to Station" - 10:14

"Station to Station" loses points with me because the second and third segments are nowhere near as cool as the first. Also, I like krautrock, but I can't say I really love "Hallogallo" and mean it. I start getting antsy with it sometimes. In spite of the whole motorik concept, I had some Neu! on in the car once when I was driving on an expressway in the country and the monotony of the scenery combined with the repitition of the music was just overwhelming, and I had to put something else on, like Thin Lizzy.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

Yet the disco breakdown at the end of "Station to Station" is the best part.

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

That's where I disagree. The slow build to the main theme and everything up to about five minutes is outstanding, the rest less so.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH!]

What? That first six minutes is basically just a really nice slow-burn set-up for "It's not the side-effects of the cocaine/I'm thinking that it must be love" and the four minutes that follows.

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

I'm not sure this is something I can really form any sort of persuasive argument for, but I just really love the beginning of that song.

[Copper Feel]

Songs longer than 10 minutes:

 

1. Led Zeppelin - Achilees Last Stand

2. Bob Dylan - Sad Eyed Lady Of The Low Lands

3. Pink Floyd - Dogs

4. David Bowie - Station To Station

5. Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1 - 6)

[Edwin MacPhisto]

The disco freak-out is totally my favorite part too. Of course, I like the whole beginning chunk as much as Czech seems to as well. I guess that's why it's my favorite song over 10 minutes. I kind of feel like a poser, though, because my favorite song over 10 minutes is only just over 10 minutes.

 

That Boris song is a trip, too. I'm really into that album lately.

[The Man in Blak]

Sure, what the hell.

 

1. King Crimson - "Starless"

2. The Velvet Underground - "Sister Ray"

3. Yo La Tengo - "Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind"

4. David Bowie - "Station to Station"

5. Faust - "No Harm"

 

There's more to choose from with ten minutes that I would have initially thought. Tortoise's "Djed", Mogwai's "Like Herod", a couple of different tracks from Through Silver in Blood, and a bunch of Can tracks could have fit in there for me. Hilariously, the other pick from I Am Not Afraid... that Incandenza mentioned earlier would not be out of place here as well. (Ridiculously good album.)

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

10 Min+, all Doom

 

Sleep-Dopesmoker

SunnO))-00 Void

Boris-Absolutego

Electric Wizard-"Weird Tales" (Not sure if it's exactly over 10 minutes, but long enough to where it doesn't matter)

Khanate-"Too Close Enough To Touch"

 

I hate to throw those album-long monsters all in a bunch like that, but they can't really be trimmed or separated. Look at Sleep's Jerusalem for proof. I also soured on Absolutego briefly, but it finally sank in that the album requires twenty minutes of a slow chugging build to where the drums and bass punch the listener.

 

Khanate is quickly becoming my favorite of the genre. I like the droning solidity of SunnO)), but I find myself more and more attracted to the blindingly hateful death throes and stonedtothegills chugging of the rest of the lot.

 

I can't get enough of stuff like this. My only fear is that I'll exhaust its possibilites before I'm through with my interest.

[Coffin Surfer]

1. Can-Halleluhwah

-One of the funkiest grooves ever with wild improv from Damo. I also love Peking O though and Agumn is terribly underrated.

 

2. Kayo Dot- On Limpid Form

-Beautiful swaying ballad turns into a 20 minute claustophobic nightmare.

 

3. Naked City-Leng Tche

-The music sounds like it's alive.

 

4. Coltrane-Pursuance

-The climatic conclusion of Love Supreme.

 

5. Opeth-White Cluster

-Probably my favorite metal song from the band. Bitching solo

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH!]

Inspired by that brief "Station to Station" discussion, top 5 Bowie songs:

 

1. Life on Mars?

2. Queen Bitch

3. Always Crashing in the Same Car

4. "Heroes"

5. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

1. Subterraneans

2. Be My Wife

3. Life on Mars?

4. Station to Station

5. Repetition

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

1. Queen Bitch

2. Life on Mars?

3. Rebel Rebel

4. Ziggy Stardust

5. Station to Station

[vivalaultra]

1. "Five Years"

2. a. "Space Oddity"

b. "Ashes to Ashes"

3. "Breaking Glass"

4. "Be My Wife"

5. "I'm Afraid of Americans"

[The Man in Blak]

1. "Life On Mars?"

2. "Subterraneans"

3. "Breaking Glass"

4. "Heroes"

5. "Joe The Lion"

 

The first four are easy, but the cuts from #5 were pretty difficult. No "Station to Station", "Cracked Actor", "Sunday", "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" or "Rock 'n Roll Suicide"? Eeesh. I may have remorse about that pick before the night is through.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Am I the only one that likes "Rebel Rebel" that much? That's the perfect guitar riff.

[godthedog]

4. Coltrane-Pursuance

-The climatic conclusion of Love Supreme.

 

i thought that was "psalm."

 

fiona apple edition:

 

1. "on the bound"

2. "oh sailor"

3. "not about love"

4. "carrion"

5. "sleep to dream"

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

Have we done penultimates yet? I'm not gonna look back to check, so here are my five at the moment, decided more by sequential effectiveness than by independent merit, but they're both part of the equation. "Psycho Killer" is an awesome song, yeah, but none of that has to do with positions or transitions.

 

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead - "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

-well, duh.

 

Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie - "Pictures of Matchstick Men"

-The sequencing on this is impeccable, so naturally, I needed to give it a spot here. I like the way the album has two climaxes: first how everything builds up to "fecundity of life and love" in "All Her Favorite Fruit," then after a short respite and a few more buildups, a second one here, and then after this romp, it winds down with "Come On Darkness to close it out.

 

U2 - War - "Surrender"

-A nice reminder that U2 albums don't have to crap out at the end. It's cool because there's kind of a leitmotif feel to it, with variations on the previous songs recurring (Sunday Bloody Sunday and Drowning Man especially), summing up the key sounds of the album to close it out, leaving "40" to put a bow on the whole package.

 

Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me - "Respectable"

-Admittedly unorthodox selection, and I'm kind of surprised I think so highly of it myself, but I love it all the same. I like how it's the most uptempo (read: urgent. also, it's flamenco-tinged) of her numerous attacks on people, seguing into what feels more like an attack on herself for just running her mouth and not doing anything. Calling out rich assholes makes the ensuing self-loathing more compelling. Really, it's just on here for the castanets.

 

Tindersticks - s/t 1 - "Paco de Renaldo's Dream"

-Tenuous selection here, and I might have to drop it out if I realize an oversight. That said, I love the distortion, cacophony, confusing narratives, and general chaos resolving to the double-reed ensemble on "The Not Knowing."

 

Disqualified because oops, it's an antepenultimate! Damn!

Tom Waits - "Downtown Train"

 

Hollywood Squares Joke Answer:

Pink Floyd - "The Trial"

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Rock guitar riffs:

 

I'm defining "riff" as the guitar part that dominates the majority of the verse/chorus parts of a song. No solos, bridges, or breakdowns included.

 

"Rebel Rebel"

"Daytripper"

"The Bends"

"The Wind Cries Mary"

"Mississippi Queen"

 

I have next to no use for my last entry aside from that guitar line, but boy is it good simple fun.

[Coffin Surfer]

"i thought that was "psalm.""

 

The title is Pursuance/Psalm, the same song, just different sections. Sorry, I was being lazy and should have made that more clear.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Late to the Bowie party:

 

1. Ziggy Stardust

2. Queen Bitch

3. Station to Station

4. Oh! You Pretty Things

5. Moonage Daydream

 

Fuck, that was difficult. I continue to agonize. And I'm fascinated by penultimates, so maybe I'll get to that soon.

[Gary Floyd]

My Bowie list

 

5.) Rebel Rebel

4.) Heroes

3.) Look Back In Anger

2.) Be My Wife

1.) Always Crashing In The Same Car

 

Anyways, 5 favorite Krautrock albums (so far)

 

5.) Neu!-Neu!

4.) Faust-Faust IV

3.) Can-Ege Bamyasi

2.) Amon Duul II-Yeti

1.) Can-Tago Mago

[Red Baron]

Five Favourite Bowie Songs

 

5.) Changes

4.) Space Oddity

3.) Rebel Rebel

2.) Heroes

1.) Let's Dance

[Henry Spencer]

1. Ashes To Ashes

2. Lady Stardust

3. Queen Bitch

4. Five Years

5. Sound & Vision