My Greatest Hits

I was trying to think about what songs I would put on a greatest songs ever cd. As I sat on the bart an endless stream of songs and band names spun through my head, like flipping the pages on a juke box. It might be easier if I broke it up by genre but I was kind of going for the greatest songs ever cd. How many tracks am I allowed? There is no way that I could possibly do this. Do you go with "Something" or "While my guitar gently weeps" to represent George Harrison. "Here comes the sun" and "Across the Univerese" could also make the list. I think "While my guitar Gently Weeps" wins though. I could make a whole cd just based on the different Beatle's greatest hits. Well Ringo only sings like three songs and it's not hard to choose between "With a Little Help from my friends" and "Octopus' Garden." But what about "Yellow Submarine." While it wouldn't make my overall greatest hits list it would make my Ringo's greatest hits list. For Paul I would have to go with "Yesterday" I think I just read that it is one of the most covered songs. But you gotta give it up for "Michelle" or one of the greatest rock songs ever, "Helter Skelter." One of my all-time favorite Beatle songs not classified by a single artist, just straight up good song is "I'll Follow The Sun." It's melancholy, beautiful, short and kind of poppy. Peep it. For John I would maybe go with "A Day in the Life" just for it's insanity, "Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds?" "I am the Walrus?" "Strawberry Fields?" nah, "In my Life" is probably one of the best songs, something about it it just makes me feel a little emotional and mushy, like it should be playing behind a slideshow at my 60th wedding anniversary. For ex-Beatle John's best song the award goes to "Imagine" based on lyrics alone, just imagine...SO how many of my greatest songs ever come from the Beatles, that's like a full album right there and it's only one group, I didn't even mention, "Elanor Rigby" or "Nowhere Man." So track one if I have to choose my favorite Beatles song, I guess it would be "While My guitar Gently Weeps." It is almost painful to have to do dismiss the other songs though.

Ok so I have one track, moving on. Sam Cooke, "Cupid" or "A Change Gone Come." For signifigance and quality in lyrics as well as being an outstanding song, I have to go with "A Change Gone come." But "Cupid" is just so comforting and I could listen to it on repeat all day. But a decision must be made so track two is "A Change Gone Come."

Track three? I think that in my thought process for this list I am thinking about great groups and then deciding what my favorite song from them is. The next groups that come to mind are the Doors, Creedence, and though not a group an excellent musician, Jimi. So what is my favorite Creedence song? I am definitly over "Proud Mary." Overplayed, not that tight, makes everyone think of Tina Turner anyway. In highschool my favorite was "Bad Moon" and when I was younger it was "Down on the Corner" or "Looking out my Backdoor." Now what is it? Not one of the sappier ones like "Who'll Stop the rain" or "Put a Candle in the Window" though those songs do have my respect, and not the political like "Fortunate Son." I am leaning more towards, "Green River" or "Up Around the Bend." But maybe I will just stick with my original and go with "Bad Moon." I don't know why it was just a favorite from back in the day. So track three is "Bad Moon?" That doesn't really seem like it should be on the greatest songs ever cd but I guess it is on mine, maybe it wil get cut later when there are like 500 songs that I try and whittle down to a cd like semblance.

Ok the Doors, Normal people probably go with "Break on Through" or "Light My Fire." Granted they are great songs, "Light My Fire" with its 9 minute freak out part kind of loses me though. "Break on Through" just seems kind of overplayed, but could that be because it's one of the greatest songs ever? Probably but I think I'll choose another song. I always liked "People are strange," "Ship of Fools," "Waiting For the Sun," "Hello I love you" "Love me Two Times," "Touch Me," ok sorry I like the Doors, I used to blast the shit out of my eardrumes with my Walkman in middleschool, yeah WALKMAN, tapes haha, then I had to buy my Discman and transfer all of my stuff to cd's, double buying the Doors, Beatles, and Hendrix. But I digress, I am just going to choose my favorite Doors song and move along, "Peace Frog."

Got it? alright track four. Let's mix it up, best Atmoshpere song. Personally I love "If I was Santa Claus" love love loooove it, could repeat it all day but is it the greatest song by them? I think people would probably argue for "God's Bathroom Floor" "Woman With The Tattooed Hands" or "The Abusing of the Rib." I would counter this with "Don't Ever Fucking Question that" "Sound is Vibration" maybe even "Guns and Cigarettes." Maybe something more recent like "Saves the Day" or "Modern Man's Hustle." What song would you choose to represent Atmosphere, I'm gonna stick with my favorite, "If I was Santa Claus." It looks like this list is not as much the greatest songs ever but more like my favorite songs of all time.

Now that I am on my hip hop tangent, let's try and pick a Blackalicious song. Classicists would lean more towards "A-G," "Deception," "40 oz for Breakfast" or "Alphabet Aerobics." These would all make my list except for "A-G" I would also nominate newer songs like "4,000 Miles" "It's Going Down" and on the Gift of Gab solo tip I would say "The Writz" off of "4th Dimensional Rocketship" the whole album is tight for that matter. But the one that makes the cut is one of the o.g.'s I have to go with "Deception" it's classic no arguments allowed, classic I say.

Ok change gears for a sec, to Al Green. He has to make the cut right? Now which one "Let's Stay Together?" or "Tired of Being Alone?" I also like "Belle." I think I will have to pick "Let's Stay Together" though when I was younger I leaned more towards "Tired of Being ALone" is it beacuse of a mindset shift, the two songs do seem to chart a relationship path, I can't say what it is though if I could pick both I would, but I am trying to be decicisve, so "Let's Stay Together" gets the nod. How many tracks is that now? However many, I will just continue.

I don't know why I didn't put this at the top of the list but it has to be one of my all-time favorite sings. the Platters version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" perhaps the greatest of the greatest songs ever. The vocals just kill it, compare the voices to anybody's modern or classical and then Platters put the beatdown on them. I also love, "Twighlight Time," "Only You," "Harbor Lights," and "The Great Pretender." I guess I just like the PLatters, how could you not? Mos Definitly one of my favorite groups ever. Where are the voices like that nowadays?

On the topic of great voices one has to mention my favorite female voice, Ella Fitzgerald. I don't know what song though, maybe "Summertime," "Someone To Watch Over Me" or "Paper Moon." You basically can't go wrong singing any song with that voice. I'll go with her version of "Summertime" though since the song is also great, though "Someone To Watch Over Me" is right there next to it. Do you guys like Billie or Ella? I respect Billie but I think Ella's voice is like Dasani and Billie's is like spring water. Ella's is cleaned up, enchanced with minerals of awesomeness, while Billie's is pure and natural. I like the cleaner voice, pass the Dasani. Soooo I might be on like track 6 or 7 and I am too lazy to go back and check. Like it matters anyways, I am probably not even going to make this cd anyway I am just bored at work.

Next!! I choose Queen, now automatically people would gravitate towards "Bohemian Rhapsody" and for good reason, it probably deserves to be on the list , but since it's my list I would probably pick "Killer Queen" "Good Old Fashioned Loverboy" is also great and depending on how you view the song, extremly gay. But hey so was Freddie and what a flaming great performer and singer he was.

The Roots? I think they probably get a spot on my list, I am gonna go with "The Next Movement" or "Adrenaline." They are both off of the same album and I don't know if they should really be on this list but that whole album was the reason I had a blown speaker in my car in highschool. I bumped the shit out of that album. So for sentimental reasons, "Adrenaline" is in. "Love of my Life" is good as a theme song for my love of hip hop but "Adrenaline" is just a great song on it's own, If I wasn't limiting myself I would put that whole album on the list.

I listen to a lot of The Ratpack so I have to pick some of their songs, how do you do it though? best Dean, best Frank, and best Sammy? or just overall. I think for Dean I would pick "An evening in Roma" or "Sway" though there are so many more that I would like to put on there, those are the first ones that come to mind, oh and "Carolina in the Morning" or "Candaian Sunset." For Frank lately I have been liking "Summer Wind" but I would probably go more classic like "The way you look tonight" or "I did it my way." Sammy is harder for me since "Candyman" is for sure not going to make it. Let's go with "Candaian Sunset" and "The Way you Look Tonight."

I am realizing more and more how impossible this is to do, I could really fill up at least 100 cd's of my favorite songs. I feel bad for not including people, how can you have this list without Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Tupac, Busta, Biggie, Aesop Rock, Swollen Memebrs, I might even throw some Perry Como or Louis Prima on there. Otis you have to pick between "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" "Try a Little Tenderness" "These Arms of Mine" and "That's How Strong My Love Is," personally I would go with "These Arms of Mine."

I always thought "I got a woman" was a great song, but the Jamie Fox Kanye vibe I get now makes me a little queasy, they have tainted it and now I would prefer to rock out to "The Mess around," it's a less superior song but what are you gonna do? I guess "Georgia on my mind" would be a better choice but I like to do the mess around.

Here is a good one, what is your favorite Stevie Wonder song. In my younger days I liked "Uptight (Everything's alright)" now I like "My Cherie," "Superstitious," "I Wish," gotta love some "Part-time Lover." So which one makes the cut? This one is hard there really is no clear cut choice, and yes I do know that I didn't mention "Isn't She Lovley" and "Ribbon In The Sky." "Isn't She Lovley" might sound better when I have a daughter, I like "Ribbon in the Sky" but I think I prefer all of the songs I listed before on a differnt level. If you are thinking what about "I just Called To Say I Love You?" Then I would like you to do the following; go to your garage open the toolbox, find a hammer, get a real solid grip on it and swing as hard as you can at your foot, really follow through with it, a heavy swing down, you gotta give it your all, if the foot is out of reach you can substitute any body part, perhaps a hand, maybe the head, your choice. Corniest craptacular piece of crappiness ever crapped out on a record. Now let's never speak of that song again. Now you may think some of my choices are corny or shitty and that's your prerogative. That being said, I choose "My Cherie" hahahaa, shut up you know it's a damn fine song.

Alright maybe some more hip hop. Concerning Aesop Rock do you go with "Daylight" or "Nightlight?" I think that one has to stick with the classic "Daylight." Whether you dig into that unda or you like the blingtastic snapping garbage that is Dem Franchise Boys, you have to appreciate this song. Actually if you like Dem Franchise Boys I think there is nothing that can be done for you and you should probably seperate yourself from other people so you don't infect them with your bad taste and stupidity. Don't ever lean with it or rock with near me.

Zion-I makes my list fo sho, I am going to have say that "Silly Puddy" is it, the one song that you have to listen to from this group, but they have a lot more as well. The new track with Del off of "Tru and Livin" is probably my new favorite, "Bird's Eye View" is great, and even stuff off of "Deep Water Slang" is tight. But for the simple fact that "Silly Puddy" is a bonafide, tried, and true underground classic it takes it's seat upon the throne that is this rambly mash up of my musical tastes. Are you still reading this? It is just a long self indulgent rant on my musical preferences, what gives me the right to say what is good and what isn't? I guess it is just my opinion as to what I like and you are free to differ in your opinion, you must like a different Beatle's song than me, or maybe you wouldn't even include them at all. I would like to see your list or different choices. Bring it sucka ass suckas. I invite discussion in an inviting manner, just don't say that you would put G-Unit on your list and there will be no problems.

What about some Wu-Tang, I'm just gonna put it out there and say "Ain't Nothing to Fuck Wit." If you like the newer more well manicured stuff I am there with you too, I dug "The Gravel Pit." I was feeling "Triumph," I just think that "Ai'n Nothing to Fuck wit" was one of the greatest songs they ever had. It was raw, oooh baby I like rawww, sorry I channeled my inner Dirt Mcgirt, Big Baby Jesus, R.I.P. O.D.B. this was a real hip hop song, and I am not sure if any of there other songs can touch it. But that's just me, if you likey the "Protect Your Neck" I can buy that, not to mention "C.R.E.A.M" so pick what you would like, but whatever you pick, Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothing to Fuck With. You just remember that you bastards...

I'm leaving work, maybe I will dump some more of my musical preferences on here at a later date, like you guys care, or anyone even reads this, and if they actually do you shouldn't care what i think is good music, just listen and decide for your self