Musical Favourites

Everyone has their own favourite songs, the tune that you could play over and over without getting tired of listening to it. For some it may be rock music, for others, Jazz or the Classics,  or an almost infinite variation of genres.

This blog is about my music, my go to tunes if you like, the songs I never tire of hearing. Some you may like, some you will probably hate, some you may think, "Wow, This is great, even though I've never heard it before, I love it!". If you are one of the few people this happens to, then my job here is done.

One of the reasons I am compiling these lists is so I can make a playlist for myself, and if I pass along a little of my musical knowledge then that is a bonus for me.

I don't doubt for a second, that the moment I publish this blog, I will remember a song from my youth that I should have included. I won't be updating this blog, otherwise it would be in constant flux and become a pain in my a....well, you get the idea!

Just one more thing before I get on with the lists. I'd like to apologise in advance to JetPunk user musiclistsareus for hijacking his excellent blog series that has introduced me to many more musical artists. You should check out his blogs,  Click Here

My Top Fives for the genres I used in my last blog.

Rock Ballads are usually longer and more melodic that straight out rock music. Here are my Top Five...

1. Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin

What can I say about this song ? One of the greatest rock ballads of all time. Led Zeppelin were formed in London in 1968. I remember listening to this song for the first time in a friends cellar(Basement) whilst drinking his fathers home-made beer illegally at age 14. I was blown away by it, the song not the beer, although that did have a detrimental affect on me for about 24 hours !

2. Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

3. Wind Of Change by Scorpions

4. November Rain by Guns 'N' Roses

5. Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult

These are my five favourite songs from a Heavy Rock genre. Although some will say that "Heavy Rock" encompasses the Thrash and Death Metal genres, and they may be right, however this is my version of "Heavy" Rock.

1. Whole Lotta Rosie by AC/DC

AC/DC (or as the Australians call them, Acca Dacca, pronounced as you would the letters in lower case) are an Australian band formed in 1973 in Sydney. As a teenager they were one of my favourite bands and this song in my humble opinion is one of their best. I still play this song now, and can quite easily have it on repeat several times. We even had a dog that we called Rosie!

2. Down Down by Status Quo

3. Rosalie by Thin Lizzy

4. Highway Star by Deep Purple

5. Kill The King by Rainbow

It is sometimes said that Punk was a short lived genre in music, and it is true that the main era for this music was late 1970's and early 1980's. However, the punk legacy does live on and it's influence has stretched into mainstream bands such as Busted and Green Day amongst others. Here's my Top 5....

1. Another Girl, Another Planet by The Only Ones

Not the most famous punk song, or even the most famous punk band, however, for me, this song was one of the better ones, it has a solid tune that is more than the usual three chord guitar thrashing and revolutionary lyrics that punk is famed for.

2. Pretty Vacant by The Sex Pistols

3. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker by The Ramones

4. If The Kids Are United by Sham69

5. Ever Fallen In Love by Buzzcocks

Country music covered a massively wide spectrum of styles. There are many mainstream artists that started in country such as The Eagles and Shania Twain, the list is endless, there are even country artists influenced by rap and hip-hop like The Lacs. Country music is more popular than ever and I personally listen to more country nowadays than I've ever done.(Possibly a sign of getting old !). 

1. Amarillo By Morning by George Strait

I don't know what it is about this song, but I could listen to it on a loop for hours. It's just such a nice tune, beautifully sung and, well, just a great song.

2. Alberta Bound by Paul Brandt

3. '57 Chevrolet by Billie Joe Spears

4. Nothing In Particular by The Lacs

5. I'm A Road Hammer by The Road Hammers

Northern Soul is perhaps not that well known outside of the UK. It is based, more or less, on the 1960's Motown genre, in fact many of the most well known tracks in the Soul Clubs in the UK are obscure Motown songs. D.J.s used to travel to the US to search through the record shops to find little sold records to play in the clubs back home. The genre has a large dedicated following with clubs still holding the famous "All-Nighter" gigs.

1, There's A Ghost In My House by R.Dean Taylor

I remember hearing this for the first time at a school disco and thinking "I like this even though it isn't rock music", quite possibly when my tastes broadened into other styles of music. Although due to peer pressure I would not admit that I liked it until a few years later.

2. The Night by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

3, The Snake by Al Wilson

4, Needle In A Haystack by The Velvelettes

5. Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) by Frank Wilson

Another genre with a broad range of styles. My Disco tends to be from the heyday back in the late 1970s. films like Saturday Night Fever were being released and technology was changing to make discotheques a more psychedelic experience with better sound systems and lighting. Consequently most of my favourites are from this era.

1. Black Is Black by La Belle Epoque
My favourite disco song mainly for the reason that this is the song that started playing when I finally plucked up enough teenage courage to ask Jane Smith to dance. She said Yes! The relationship didn't last long but it definitely boosted my confidence. Whenever I hear this track I wonder what Jane's doing now. I hope she's happy. 

2. Yes Sir, I Can Boogie by Baccara

3. Hot Stuff by Donna Summer

4. Le Freak by Chic

5. Jive Talkin' by BeeGees

I have put these two genres together because I think they go together, and I don't know much about opera music. It's not a style I listen to a lot, only on the odd occasion when I feel like it. I wouldn't really go out of my way to listen to this sort of music. However if anyone has some suggestions I will endeavour to check them out.

1. Nessun Dorma by Luciano Pavarotti

I remember this song hit the charts in a massive way during the Italia90 World Cup tournament. At the time I was working driving between the UK and Italy most weeks and this song was on the radio almost every hour. Driving through the Italian Alps towards Turin with this song playing used to send shivers down my spine for some reason. Even now, it is one of the few songs that makes the hair on my neck stand up whenever I hear the first few opening bars.

2. Toccata by Sky

3. Contradanza by Vanessa-Mae

4. Eye Level by Simon Park Orchestra

5. Requiem(The Fifth) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Novelty songs are fun. They are sometimes parodies such as the many Weird Al tracks that change the lyrics of popular hits by famous artists, or often stand alone tracks by obscure or well known artists. some of the most famous songwriters have made novelty songs, David Bowie and Bob Dylan are two that spring to mind. Other artists have based their whole careers on novelty songs. 

1, Amish Paradise by Weird Al Yankovic

One of many songs by Weird Al that I like. His writing style is verry clever and spans many genres. This particular track is a parody of Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio. This type of song brightens the day when I'm in a bad mood or tired. They just seem to lift my spirits and help me get on with my day.

2. Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) by Benny Hill

3. Chippy Tea by The Lancashire Hotpots

4. Manuel by Mike Harding

5. The Laughing Gnome by David Bowie

Folk sits in a strange gap between genres in my opinion. They are nearly country, in fact a lot of country is influenced by folk music. It is sometimes referred to as World Music. Its origins go back several centuries and is usually associated with traditional songs that were passed down through generations. My selection is probably more mainstream with Celtic origins rather than African or Native influence.

1. Rhythm Of My Heart by Runrig

Runrig are one of those bands that I stumbled across by accident when looking on YouTube for something else. They have become a firm favourite of mine ever since. Many of their songs are sung in Gaelic with a haunting Scottish melody.

2. The Irish Rover by The Dubliners

3. Sun Arise by Rolf Harris

4. Gaudete by Steeleye Span

5. Daytrip To Bangor by Fiddler's Dram

The visual entertainment industry runs hand in hand with the music industry. Many films and TV shows have music composed especially for them whilst others take a already established song and use it accordingly. Some songs can make a program stand out amongst the crowd. Here are my favourites..

1. Maybe Tomorrow by Terry Bush

The theme to The Littlest Hobo a Canadian series about a wandering dog that helped people out and then moved on. I remenber watching this program whilst off sick from school with, I think, Measles, or it could have been Chicken Pox, I don't really remember. I loved the theme song as well as the program. Even now that song brings back memories of lying on the sofa eating chicken soup and drinking Lucozade. (Lucozade is a British glucose drink that was given to anyone when they were ill).

2. Hawaii 5-0 by The Ventures

3. Fireball XL5 by Barry Gray

4. Good Ol' Boys (Dukes Of Hazzard) by Waylon Jennings

5. Duelling Banjos (Deliverance) by Eric Weissberg

I don't really want to do favourites from each decade, (50's, 60's, 70's, etc) because the variation of songs within that decade can be immense. For example, compare the beginning to the end of the Seventies. How can you compare Woodstock by Matthews Southern Comfort to a song by the Sex Pistols ? There is too much change in music. Every decade is the same and musical styles are constantly evolving. So these final few lists are just ones I have made up to suit myself.

1. We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn (1939)

Iconic wartime song that symbolises the thoughts of troops heading overseas and their families waiting at home for their return. My Grandmother used to sing this to me whenever I left for home.

2. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by The Andrews Sisters (1941)

3. She Wears Red Feathers by Guy Mitchell (1952)

4. Wild Side Of Life by Hank Williams (1952)

5. Telstar by The Tornados (1962) Not technically before I was born, but I was only two weeks old when this came out.

I was brought up on songs from musical films. My mother had a great collection of albums, some of which I still possess, featuring soundtracks from the many musical films that were produced in the 1960's. Films like South Pacific (my Mum's favourite), The Sound of Music, Jungle Book, Paint Your Wagon(my Dad's favourite) and The Wizard of Oz plus many others. Here is my Top 5...

1. Posh from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

I loved this film as a child, still do in fact, I watched it just a few months ago and it brought back loads of memories.

2. There Is Nothing Like A Dame from South Pacific

3. Wand'rin' Star from Paint Your Wagon

4. You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two from Oliver!

5. Greased Lightning from Grease

So there you have it, my Top 5 Favourites of various musical genres. Plus a little bit about myself. There are many songs I have left out that I absolutely love, and listen to often, but I had to limit it somewhere, otherwise the blog would be way to long and then it would get boring. So I decided on my Top 5. This may change over time, newer songs come along, tastes change, but at this moment in time, these are my favourites.

You may have noticed that there isn't many songs that were produced after about 2000. I make no excuses for this, I like older songs and music, I'm 60 years old now and I'm not changing now. Like it or lump it as my grandfather used to say. Also, if you don't like my suggestions, then frankly I don't really care. Everyone has their own tastes, I'm not going to criticise yours so please don't criticise mine. (Although if I'm being honest, I couldn't care less if you did.)

There are recent songs that I like from many sources, are they my favourites ? Not really, but they are good songs. Following my last blog I received some suggestions about music to discover. I followed up on these and I must say that Aficionado had some excellent choices, and opened my ears to a genre I had not listened to previously. Thank you my friend.

I have made a Spotify Playlist to accompany this blog, so if you want to check out the list, then be my guest. You'll also find a playlist to each of my song quizzes on my account as well, along with a couple of personal lists that you are welcome to listen to. All of the JetPunk associated lists have the letters "JP" along with the quiz or blog name in the title.

Once again I am open to suggestions or new music to listen to from anywhere or any time. I promise I will listen to every suggestion, they may not all be to my tastes but I will listen and let you know my thoughts.

That's it for know but if you want an explanation as to why I like a certain song, then please ask.

Oh and I know there are many brilliant tunes I have left out, it doesn't mean I don't like them.