@ReturnToSenda aha! Yes, I thought The Buzzcocks, like the Jam were already in existence but looking for a direction...and Johnny and the boys lurching about at high volume was a lightbulb moment for them.
I havnt been nominated yet, and partly didn't want to be as its almost an impossible task chosing just 3 songs, chosing a top 10 would be hard enough ! The 80's is my "era" but i like stuff from 50s Elvis and Buddy Holly right up to new modern stuff. Will try and narrow down and post asap
I’m a sucker for some dramatic music, and this is about as dramatic as you can get. Featuring on the classic album In Concert, a live recording of a 1964 performance at Carnegie Hall, this is a fantasy about violent revenge from Brecht’s Threepenny Opera. During the early 1960s Simone became more politically active and involved in the Black civil rights movement, and she changed some of the words of the song to fit that theme. It’s beautiful, sinister, angry and unsettling. I believe it was the inspiration for the Black Freighter that appears in Alan Moore’s Watchmen comics.
You can’t beat a bit of dream pop. Similarly to @eric_plant, Morrissey’s antics have made me retrospectively enjoy the Smiths less; and because of that the Cocteau Twins are now my favourite 80s band (please no-one tell me if any of them are sympathetic to fascists or anti-vaxxers.) Harold Budd’s piano in this is song achingly beautiful, and a perfect compliment to Elizabeth Fraser’s unique vocals. She sings sounds rather than lyrics. I was blown away by this song the first time I heard it.
I decided to include a more recent song that I enjoy. This was recorded during lockdown in 2020, which comes through in the lyrics. Charli XCX has always been an interesting pop star, making outsider-ish music alongside mainstream pop hits. One of the producers is AG Cook of record label PC music, whose signature is making songs that stretch tropes of pop music (such as autotuned vocals) to an almost discordant extent.
I nominate everyone that hasn’t yet taken part and would like to share.
Ok, here goes, that was very very hard to narrow down to 3, tomorrow Id probably choose another 3. I'm afraid someone better than me will have to do some links.
In no particular order.
1 It's my life - No doubt
Prefer the No doubt version to Talk Talk, jut really like Gwen Sefani's voice, well, just really like Gwen Stefani really !
2. Your Song - Elton John
I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but this song is basically, just beautiful, probably his best song ever I'd say.
3. Our House - Madness
I havnt just chosen this because we play it down at AP, it is genuinely in my top 10, always has been. Love a bit of the nutty boys !
I liked the early version of Talk Talk but was dragged reluctantly to see them at the Hacienda in their early pastoral stages...excellent show. Memories brought back. Thanks @HolmerBlue and @NewburyWanderer
As an add on to this subject, if anyone fancies responding, best musical scene in a movie? Whether an actual live song or backing track played at the perfect time.
Memories by Barbara Streisand in the Loakes Park years. You would have to be a soul less heathern or a member of the 1922 committee not to get choked up, when that is played in that great production.
It's a very simple scene, and not very glamorous or dramatic, but there is something about it that completely sums up the joy of musical collaboration for me. Within the context of the movie it is also brilliant.
My favourite musical is Cabaret, my favourite soundtrack is White Bird in a Blizzard, and favourite music scene from a non-musical might be the Naples jazz club in the Talented Mr Ripley.
The music throughout The Wicker Man is fantastic but this scene is just stupendous, and not just because it features Britt Eckland in the altogether - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxRq0KzjxZI
Okay so here are mine. To make this easier I’m going to go with artists I’ve seen live.
I have mentioned above discovering the visceral power of music, the connection to emotion and the body, when I first really heard the Blues as a small boy. I was taken to a lot of classical concerts as a child and whilst I can appreciate the craft and the complexity and the genius of composition, so called classical music doesn’t move me, and I use the word advisedly, in the way that a guitar, drum kit and keys can. Perhaps in part, because my parents liked classical music and my childhood was not easy, it is linked to memory I prefer to avoid. That said…
Music is all about emotion for me, often emotional regulation and containment. It is not an exaggeration to say it has saved my life.
So to my first choice. Yet again a teacher is involved. I listened to the Wall on hard rotation during my teens, in particular Comfortably Numb. I’ll spare you why the track spoke to me so much but during O level English I wrote a critical analysis and was given an A+ and my teacher, recognising my passion for music suggested I try Joni Mitchell. I’d also made a friend who introduced me to Dylan and from there I discovered the Band and saw The Last Waltz and discovered Neil Young. I’ve seen The Band once and Neil many times so despite not seeing Joni I think I can include Helpless from that live concert. Neil on vocals and guitar and harp, backed by the Band and Joni singing harmonies. I think the reason she’s not on stage is that she hasn’t yet been introduced as a special guest to perform with the Band
At the time, when I often felt helpless, this song gave form to my emotions and allowed me to be there with them until they passed. When I listen to it now, it also reminds me that being helpless is not always a bad thing. We can be helpless in the face of great beauty, in the knowledge that ultimately all we do will be forgotten. This is not the same as despair, it is a recognition of what we cannot change that empowers us to change what we can.
Although a lot of my teens were spent listening to Prog, Hard Rock and Metal and in my twenties Hip Hop (I heard a few bars of Straight Outa’ Compton when walking past Penny Lane Records and tapped up my mate for the cash to go in and buy it on the spot) and alt.rock I never lost the love for roots, Americana and folk that came from exploring the genres on the Last Waltz and from borrowing records from my Dylan loving friend. He introduced me to Fairport Convention and Sandy Denny, who has the loveliest voice I have ever heard. This makes track two so difficult. It could be a Fairport number or something by Solstice or Marillion, both of whom gave me so much joy at the Marquee or Guns n Roses or Nine Inch Nails or Husker Du. My ‘seen live’ rule excludes Pixies and the Violent Femmes and Kendrick Lamar and Clipping (Daveed Diggs is a genius) and so so many more.
Instead I’ll go Country. This is a broad church and I have come to appreciate, and have seen, a lot of it, noting in passing that the mainstream can still be misogynistic and worse at times. It can also be wonderful and moving with a huge depth of musicianship and songwriting. I nearly went with Chris Stapleton or Logan Brill or Maren Morris or Ashley McBride or Margo Price or Zac Brown. But I choose instead someone I saw this month, Amanda Shires. This is the title track from her 2022 album Take It Like A Man.
So I can’t say this track has been a part of my life in years already gone but I do think it will have been in years yet to come. When I saw her live and as I watch this video I cannot help but think of Chelsea Wolfe who I love. And Chelsea Wolfe through her exploration of dark folk and electronica and black metal leads me nicely to extreme music and metal.
So much here. The Metal Church is cavernous and extraordinary, filled with sub-genres and wonderful life sustaining, emotional and distress containing, darkness. From hard rock/metal that made it on to TOTP (Iron Maiden) to sonic creations that few people might call music (Primitive Man). It can also be a place of containment and safety for many, providing a sense of community and belonging for those of us who have struggled to feel accepted or acceptable. I am going to give a plug here to an organisation I’m peripherally involved in, called Heavy Metal Therapy. Set up by a Clinical Psychologist and friends it is, and I quote:
”…an online resource and community of people who find metal music helpful for mental well being. It is a place to find and share experiences of how metal has helped us, the meaning we take from songs or lyrics, and play lists that we have found useful…”
Here’s the website and of course we are on all the usual socials
So my final track. Had I not restricted to bands I’ve seen live it would have been the 80 minutes of Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch, a track I often listen to when working as a reminder that everything passes, even grief and loss, never mind my worries about a work deadline.
But as it needs to be a band I’ve seen live, I offer you Bleed from the ObZen album by Meshuggah. A hugely influential Swedish Extreme Metal band. At first this may sound like nothing but crashing noise but on repeat listenings, especially if you choose to follow one instrument or part of the percussion kit, you come to see how the polyrhythmic structures all fit together. This is best done with a glass of red wine and good headphones. Or if you’re having a bad day, turn it up loud and let the totality of the track work the stress out through your body and mind.
The video here contains representations of blood, a number of insects and has what some may consider to be a morbid tone. Enjoy.
@micra I have just got hold of the latest album from Samira Joy & would highly recommend that you try to listen to her as I really think you would love her. Her voice is a cross between Billy Halliday & Aretha Franklin...
The transformation scene is set to Sam Cooke's version of Blue Moon. The opening credits are set to Bobby Vinton's version of the same song. And the closing credits are set to the version by The Marcels.
As we seem to be in a free for all now, i'll add some myself.
One thing i released is the variety of music i like and how hard it is to narrow it down to just 3 songs as many of you have already pointed out, much like NewburyWanderer said I could easily be here for hours and have multiple 'favorite' top 3's.
however to help myself and as a self proclaimed country lover I will pick three out of that box.
Comments
@ReturnToSenda aha! Yes, I thought The Buzzcocks, like the Jam were already in existence but looking for a direction...and Johnny and the boys lurching about at high volume was a lightbulb moment for them.
Finally a Gasroomer close to my musical heart.
I havnt been nominated yet, and partly didn't want to be as its almost an impossible task chosing just 3 songs, chosing a top 10 would be hard enough ! The 80's is my "era" but i like stuff from 50s Elvis and Buddy Holly right up to new modern stuff. Will try and narrow down and post asap
Here’s mine. I agree with everyone else that it’s very challenging to narrow it down to just three.
Nina Simone - Pirate Jenny
https://youtu.be/7DIzjEVhca0
I’m a sucker for some dramatic music, and this is about as dramatic as you can get. Featuring on the classic album In Concert, a live recording of a 1964 performance at Carnegie Hall, this is a fantasy about violent revenge from Brecht’s Threepenny Opera. During the early 1960s Simone became more politically active and involved in the Black civil rights movement, and she changed some of the words of the song to fit that theme. It’s beautiful, sinister, angry and unsettling. I believe it was the inspiration for the Black Freighter that appears in Alan Moore’s Watchmen comics.
Cocteau Twins & Harold Budd - Sea Swallow Me
https://youtu.be/1uWbEe7U3ZY
You can’t beat a bit of dream pop. Similarly to @eric_plant, Morrissey’s antics have made me retrospectively enjoy the Smiths less; and because of that the Cocteau Twins are now my favourite 80s band (please no-one tell me if any of them are sympathetic to fascists or anti-vaxxers.) Harold Budd’s piano in this is song achingly beautiful, and a perfect compliment to Elizabeth Fraser’s unique vocals. She sings sounds rather than lyrics. I was blown away by this song the first time I heard it.
Charli XCX - Forever
https://youtu.be/TbJE-KVZvTA
I decided to include a more recent song that I enjoy. This was recorded during lockdown in 2020, which comes through in the lyrics. Charli XCX has always been an interesting pop star, making outsider-ish music alongside mainstream pop hits. One of the producers is AG Cook of record label PC music, whose signature is making songs that stretch tropes of pop music (such as autotuned vocals) to an almost discordant extent.
I nominate everyone that hasn’t yet taken part and would like to share.
Charli XCX is great; it's just a shame she doesn't even attempt to disguise the fact she lip-syncs live.
Ok, here goes, that was very very hard to narrow down to 3, tomorrow Id probably choose another 3. I'm afraid someone better than me will have to do some links.
In no particular order.
1 It's my life - No doubt
Prefer the No doubt version to Talk Talk, jut really like Gwen Sefani's voice, well, just really like Gwen Stefani really !
2. Your Song - Elton John
I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but this song is basically, just beautiful, probably his best song ever I'd say.
3. Our House - Madness
I havnt just chosen this because we play it down at AP, it is genuinely in my top 10, always has been. Love a bit of the nutty boys !
Sorry to The Jam and Squeeze for missing out.
If I thought too hard about this, I would think about it for ever. I could probably come up with hundreds of different top threes.
The first one would always come out at or near the top. From one of the greatest albums of all time, this song packs a hell of an emotional punch.
Talk Talk - I Believe In You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EBTk5brQVY&ab_channel=TalkTalk-Topic
The second one reminds me of a particular time in my life. One of their lesser-known songs, but a brilliantly atmospheric piece of music nevertheless.
Pink Floyd - A Pillow Of Winds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ozh3-DjJNA&ab_channel=WhoreToAChainsawTAIM
The third one is from one of New Zealand's finest. Haunting and expressive.
Aldous Harding - Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnkIVD2xe0E&ab_channel=AldousHarding-Topic
I liked the early version of Talk Talk but was dragged reluctantly to see them at the Hacienda in their early pastoral stages...excellent show. Memories brought back. Thanks @HolmerBlue and @NewburyWanderer
As an add on to this subject, if anyone fancies responding, best musical scene in a movie? Whether an actual live song or backing track played at the perfect time.
All of the Rocky training montages
Memories by Barbara Streisand in the Loakes Park years. You would have to be a soul less heathern or a member of the 1922 committee not to get choked up, when that is played in that great production.
This song won an Oscar, so not exactly a left field pick, but nothing does music in movies better for me than the music store scene in Once.
Once (2016) - Falling Slowly (Glen Hansard ft. Markéta Irglová) - The best scene. - YouTube
It's a very simple scene, and not very glamorous or dramatic, but there is something about it that completely sums up the joy of musical collaboration for me. Within the context of the movie it is also brilliant.
The prison performance of Jailhouse Rock in The Blues Brothers...https://duckduckgo.com/?q=jailhouse+rock+blues+brothers+youtube&t=newext&atb=v239-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DhjLruk4uZzQ
Spot on, Shev.
The music in Greta Gerwig's 'Little Women,' is perfect.
My favourite musical is Cabaret, my favourite soundtrack is White Bird in a Blizzard, and favourite music scene from a non-musical might be the Naples jazz club in the Talented Mr Ripley.
Excellent choice
I maybe in a minority of one, but I can't stand the music in The Blues brothers, utterly grating on one's ears.
It may be a failing on my part but I never 'got' The Blues Brothers then...or now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c_ufaxeSTs
The music throughout The Wicker Man is fantastic but this scene is just stupendous, and not just because it features Britt Eckland in the altogether - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxRq0KzjxZI
Incredible song, covered any times since, including by Sneaker Pimps and most recently by the wonderful Katy J Pearson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUlxHp0NdPg
Okay so here are mine. To make this easier I’m going to go with artists I’ve seen live.
I have mentioned above discovering the visceral power of music, the connection to emotion and the body, when I first really heard the Blues as a small boy. I was taken to a lot of classical concerts as a child and whilst I can appreciate the craft and the complexity and the genius of composition, so called classical music doesn’t move me, and I use the word advisedly, in the way that a guitar, drum kit and keys can. Perhaps in part, because my parents liked classical music and my childhood was not easy, it is linked to memory I prefer to avoid. That said…
Music is all about emotion for me, often emotional regulation and containment. It is not an exaggeration to say it has saved my life.
So to my first choice. Yet again a teacher is involved. I listened to the Wall on hard rotation during my teens, in particular Comfortably Numb. I’ll spare you why the track spoke to me so much but during O level English I wrote a critical analysis and was given an A+ and my teacher, recognising my passion for music suggested I try Joni Mitchell. I’d also made a friend who introduced me to Dylan and from there I discovered the Band and saw The Last Waltz and discovered Neil Young. I’ve seen The Band once and Neil many times so despite not seeing Joni I think I can include Helpless from that live concert. Neil on vocals and guitar and harp, backed by the Band and Joni singing harmonies. I think the reason she’s not on stage is that she hasn’t yet been introduced as a special guest to perform with the Band
https://youtu.be/J2z7LXpAX3Q
At the time, when I often felt helpless, this song gave form to my emotions and allowed me to be there with them until they passed. When I listen to it now, it also reminds me that being helpless is not always a bad thing. We can be helpless in the face of great beauty, in the knowledge that ultimately all we do will be forgotten. This is not the same as despair, it is a recognition of what we cannot change that empowers us to change what we can.
Although a lot of my teens were spent listening to Prog, Hard Rock and Metal and in my twenties Hip Hop (I heard a few bars of Straight Outa’ Compton when walking past Penny Lane Records and tapped up my mate for the cash to go in and buy it on the spot) and alt.rock I never lost the love for roots, Americana and folk that came from exploring the genres on the Last Waltz and from borrowing records from my Dylan loving friend. He introduced me to Fairport Convention and Sandy Denny, who has the loveliest voice I have ever heard. This makes track two so difficult. It could be a Fairport number or something by Solstice or Marillion, both of whom gave me so much joy at the Marquee or Guns n Roses or Nine Inch Nails or Husker Du. My ‘seen live’ rule excludes Pixies and the Violent Femmes and Kendrick Lamar and Clipping (Daveed Diggs is a genius) and so so many more.
Instead I’ll go Country. This is a broad church and I have come to appreciate, and have seen, a lot of it, noting in passing that the mainstream can still be misogynistic and worse at times. It can also be wonderful and moving with a huge depth of musicianship and songwriting. I nearly went with Chris Stapleton or Logan Brill or Maren Morris or Ashley McBride or Margo Price or Zac Brown. But I choose instead someone I saw this month, Amanda Shires. This is the title track from her 2022 album Take It Like A Man.
https://youtu.be/J2z7LXpAX3Q
So I can’t say this track has been a part of my life in years already gone but I do think it will have been in years yet to come. When I saw her live and as I watch this video I cannot help but think of Chelsea Wolfe who I love. And Chelsea Wolfe through her exploration of dark folk and electronica and black metal leads me nicely to extreme music and metal.
So much here. The Metal Church is cavernous and extraordinary, filled with sub-genres and wonderful life sustaining, emotional and distress containing, darkness. From hard rock/metal that made it on to TOTP (Iron Maiden) to sonic creations that few people might call music (Primitive Man). It can also be a place of containment and safety for many, providing a sense of community and belonging for those of us who have struggled to feel accepted or acceptable. I am going to give a plug here to an organisation I’m peripherally involved in, called Heavy Metal Therapy. Set up by a Clinical Psychologist and friends it is, and I quote:
”…an online resource and community of people who find metal music helpful for mental well being. It is a place to find and share experiences of how metal has helped us, the meaning we take from songs or lyrics, and play lists that we have found useful…”
Here’s the website and of course we are on all the usual socials
https://heavymetaltherapy.co.uk/
So my final track. Had I not restricted to bands I’ve seen live it would have been the 80 minutes of Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch, a track I often listen to when working as a reminder that everything passes, even grief and loss, never mind my worries about a work deadline.
But as it needs to be a band I’ve seen live, I offer you Bleed from the ObZen album by Meshuggah. A hugely influential Swedish Extreme Metal band. At first this may sound like nothing but crashing noise but on repeat listenings, especially if you choose to follow one instrument or part of the percussion kit, you come to see how the polyrhythmic structures all fit together. This is best done with a glass of red wine and good headphones. Or if you’re having a bad day, turn it up loud and let the totality of the track work the stress out through your body and mind.
The video here contains representations of blood, a number of insects and has what some may consider to be a morbid tone. Enjoy.
https://youtu.be/qc98u-eGzlc
There's no video on the final link! You can't give an intro like that without a video!
yes I spotted I’d pasted the HMT website again. Edited to allow sonic deviance to flow.
“Stuck in the middle with you” From Reservoir Dogs.
The transformation scene in American Werewolf in London is set to Blue Moon, making it even more memorable!
That’s a good one! I think all the songs on the soundtrack have moon in the title.
@micra I have just got hold of the latest album from Samira Joy & would highly recommend that you try to listen to her as I really think you would love her. Her voice is a cross between Billy Halliday & Aretha Franklin...
The transformation scene is set to Sam Cooke's version of Blue Moon. The opening credits are set to Bobby Vinton's version of the same song. And the closing credits are set to the version by The Marcels.
Basic werewolf knowledge.
As we seem to be in a free for all now, i'll add some myself.
One thing i released is the variety of music i like and how hard it is to narrow it down to just 3 songs as many of you have already pointed out, much like NewburyWanderer said I could easily be here for hours and have multiple 'favorite' top 3's.
however to help myself and as a self proclaimed country lover I will pick three out of that box.
ill go for :
1) Luke Combs - Beer Never Broke My Heart (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lb9dq-JZFI)
2) Zach Bryan - Something In The Orange (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA8F9sIhGdg)
3) Dean Brody - Cattlemans Gun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-ETlr40I3g)