Great Songs - The GFSA List

Bob-Dubery

OK... why should Rolling Stone have all the fun?

Please post a selection of 10 great SONGS (however you interpret "song" and in your opinion). Just a list of songs.

Here are the rules
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1: TEN SONGS

2: No justifications or comments as to why such-and-such a song is great, just TEN SONGS

3: Please list the COMPOSER(S), not the artist who recorded the best known version (so Elvis Presley doesn't get credit for "Hound Dog")

4: You must include MINIMUM four composers or compositional partnerships in your list - this is so that none of us can get too one-track for too long (as I, for one, might). This will hopefully force us to each cast our nets a little wider.

5: ONE list of TEN songs per GFSA member.

6: Please get the titles right so we all know what you're talking about. Enrique Iglesias did NOT sing a song entitled "Hero Baby".

7: No implied ranking. Number 1 on your list is deemed as worthy as number 10.

8: You must be able to show that the composer and the song really exist and the song was recorded. You don't have to do that right now with your submission (and please see rule 2) but in case of a challenge you must be able to show that you picked real songs by real people (so no votes for X-Rated Bob's Unstarted Symphony).
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I will collate the lists at the end of September and publish the results. Let's see what we come up with, where there is common ground.

Squonk

Chop Suey - System of a Down composers: Tankian, Malakian

A day in the Life - The Beatles composers : Lennon Mccartney

Here comes the Flood - Peter Gabriel composer: Gabriel

Shine on you crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd Composer :Waters, Wright, Gilmour

The Rover - Led Zeppelin Composer : Page , Plant

Suppers Ready - Genesis Composer : Hackett, Banks, Rutherford, Gabriel , Collins

Turn of the Century - Yes Composer : Anderson, Howe, White

Liar - Queen Composer : Mercury

Life on Mars - David Bowie Composer : Bowie

Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks Composer : Davies

Jack-Flash-Jr

Gimme Shelter - Jagger/Richards
All Along The Watchtower - Dylan
When The Levee Breaks - Page/Plant
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) - Hendrix
Back In Black - Young/Young/Johnson
My Morning Song - Robinson/Robinson
N.I.B - Osbourne/Iommi/Butler/Ward
Superunknown - Cornell/Thayil
300 mph Torrential Outpour Blues - White
Hellhound On My Trail - Johnson

The problem is that there's no point in putting any songs by Clutch for example (which I believe to be top ten) if we're looking for consensus right? So here some that others will know! By Monday I'll have re-revised a hundred times!

Ray

Squonk wrote Here comes the Flood - Peter Gabriel composer: Gabriel

I've got the vinyl in a cupboard here and havent listened to it in years. Tomorrow I'll go get - thanks.

Ray

Jack Flash Jr wrote When The Levee Breaks - Page/Plant

you sho it's page/plant?

Bob-Dubery

Jack Flash Jr wrote The problem is that there's no point in putting any songs by Clutch for example (which I believe to be top ten) if we're looking for consensus right? So here some that others will know! By Monday I'll have re-revised a hundred times!

Well you've listed a couple of things that I have never heard of. I think I might list a couple that aren't well known. Consensus would be interesting if it happens, but we can't know that we have consensus until the "scores" are added up.

Round about 1st October I'll start collating - if people want to change their lists in the meantime then I don't mind. Once I start adding up then I will mind very much. If somebody posts more than one list then I will try to take only the most recent into account.

Not that scientific, but then I'd bet that Rolling Stone weren't scientific either.

Bob-Dubery

My list. Now. 10 is a ridiculously small number really, but it sharpens the mind a little and there has to be some kind of constraint.

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan
Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
Beeswing - Richard Thompson
Shoot Out The Lights - Richard Thompson
Waterloo Sunset - Ray Davies
Weeping - Dan Heymann
Alfie - Burt Bacharach & Hal David
Eleanor Rigby - Lennon & McCartney
I'm Not In Love - Graham Gouldman & Eric Stewart
The Language of Violence - Michael Franti

DaFiz

only 10...? eish ☹
some of my favourites...(that just happen to be on today's playlist 8))

Question - Justin Hayward (Moody Blues)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Stephen Stills (CSN&Y)
No Quarter - John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
Black Magic Woman - Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac)
Tea For One - Jimmy Page/ Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
Sideways - Citizen Cope (featuring Carlos Santana on guitar ?)
Too Rolling Stoned - Robin Trower
A Year Or A Day - Uriah Heep
Tin Pan Allley - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Vanilla Queen - Golden Earring

Bob-Dubery

DaFiz wrote only 10...? eish ☹

Yes please. And as per the rules, please list the composers, not the recording artists EG Peter Green for "Black Magic Woman", Stephen Still for "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"

DaFiz

X-rated Bob wrote
DaFiz wrote only 10...? eish ☹

Yes please. And as per the rules, please list the composers, not the recording artists EG Peter Green for "Black Magic Woman", Stephen Still for "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"

My apologies. I've listed the songs in their entirety and sometimes it's not clear who the author was as the entire band takes credit. :-\ (the guitar work clouding my mind :-[)
Had I read the instruction properly and followed them accordingly I might have had an entirely different list with the most meaningful lyrics and their composers. ?

Jack-Flash-Jr

Ray wrote
Jack Flash Jr wrote When The Levee Breaks - Page/Plant
you sho it's page/plant?

Me Lazy!
Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/Memphis Minnie
(McCoy/Minnie if we ignore the Zep contribution. @ Bob, what about recordings in the common domain or doesn't it make a difference?) On a side note, I love Memphis Minnie and have a nice collection of her stuff, awesome voice... only disappointment is that her husband sings Levee and not her!

Bob-Dubery

Jack Flash Jr wrote @ Bob, what about recordings in the common domain or doesn't it make a difference?)

Yes... I was hoping that nobody was going to ask about that. The British folk-rock band Fairport Convention have recorded a large number of songs attributed to "trad arr" - and they're not the only ones. I don't see why such songs shouldn't be included with the author listed as "traditional".

Some songs may reside in the public domain but have a clearly identifiable author. In such a case the author should still be credited.

makepeace

It is incredibly hard to choose 10, but here goes.. :-\ favorites (some all time and some at the moment ?):

Roll Away Your Stone - Mumford & Sons (Marcus Mumford/Country Winston/Ben Lovett/Ted Dwane)

You Can't Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards)

Bold as Love - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Jimi Hendrix)

Flume - Bon Iver (Justin Vernon)

Between Two Lungs - Florence and the Machine (Florence Welch/Isabella Summers)

Ize of the World - The Strokes (Julian Casablancas)

The Woods - Holiday Murray (James Tuft/Justin Davenport/Chris Carter/Ellis Silverman)

He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Foxes (Robin Pecknold)

Southern Point - Grizzly Bear (Daniel Rossen/Ed Droste/Chris Taylor/Christopher Bear)

Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors - Editors (Tom Smith/Chris Urbanowicz/Russel Leetch/Edward Lay)

?

IceCreamMan

1. The End - The Doors
2. IceCreamMan - Van Halen version.
3. Set the controls for the heart of the sun - Pink Floyd
4. Hallowed be thy Name - Iron Maiden
5. The reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg - Iron Maiden
6. War Pigs - Black Sabbath
7. House of the Rising Son - Animals
8. Bad Company - Bad Company
9. Whole Lotta love - Led Zep
10. Detroit Rock City - Kiss

giggsy

Some nice ones makepeace - especially Editors, Bon Ivor and The Strokes.

I may attempt this, but just to give you an idea, I currently have 23004 songs on my iPod (with about 2000 still to add...) I am currently going through everything from A to Z making playlists, and so far I have listened up to Ben Folds - in my 'Best' playlist I have 1460 songs and in my 'Best of the Best' playlist I have 203 songs. I am not even 10 percent of the way through... ???

makepeace

thanks man. yea i know the feeling.. i'm wading through 13000, with 70 gigs of stuff i haven't even started looking at. ??? its great. ?

Jack-Flash-Jr

We may never find enough common ground to get a list together... but there sure is a lot of good music out there ?

Keira-WitherKay

1. so what ........................................................ miles davis
2. mannenberg ................................................ abdulah Ibrahim ( dollar brand )
3. Minuet for guitar in A major, Op. 11-6........... fernando Sor
4.Daughter ........................................................Alix Olsen
5. Guitar concerto in C .......................................vivaldi
6. recuerdos de la alhambra ..............................tarrega
7.bamboleo .......................................................gypsy kings
8.Sikulo .............................................................. Mose "fan fan"
9. Al Mashdal.......................................................amer Ammouri
1o. better together ............................................ jack johnson

and i can go on for pages and pages................ so instead of just sticking in one genre cos there are a list of many many many in each genre i love. i can fill this list with just arabic musicians or african faves but tried to give a taste of the wide spectrum i listen to

Bob-Dubery

Keira WitherKay wrote 1. so what ........................................................ miles davis
2. mannenberg ................................................ abdulah Ibrahim ( dollar brand )
3. Minuet for guitar in A major, Op. 11-6........... fernando Sor
4.Daughter ........................................................Alix Olsen
5. Guitar concerto in C .......................................vivaldi
6. recuerdos de la alhambra ..............................tarrega
7.bamboleo .......................................................gypsy kings
8.Sikulo .............................................................. Mose "fan fan"
9. Al Mashdal.......................................................amer Ammouri
1o. better together ............................................ jack johnson

Several of those aren't songs.

Jack-Flash-Jr

X-rated Bob wrote
Keira WitherKay wrote 1. so what ........................................................ miles davis
2. mannenberg ................................................ abdulah Ibrahim ( dollar brand )
3. Minuet for guitar in A major, Op. 11-6........... fernando Sor
4.Daughter ........................................................Alix Olsen
5. Guitar concerto in C .......................................vivaldi
6. recuerdos de la alhambra ..............................tarrega
7.bamboleo .......................................................gypsy kings
8.Sikulo .............................................................. Mose "fan fan"
9. Al Mashdal.......................................................amer Ammouri
1o. better together ............................................ jack johnson
Several of those aren't songs.

I think instrumentals should be included.. no? Or a whole other list... YEAH! Got some beauties to contribute.
What about refining the rules to include 'must have been influential in one way or another'... that will cut down the obscurities (looking at my list, not yours Keira!).