The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005
Counting down to the Number 1 Song Of All Time! On screen is the latest song added to the Top 1000.
This is a "Work in Progress" so be patient.. please! (Ok.. Moan, what the hell)
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Number 825 - Gilbert O Sullivan
Number 825 Gilbert O Sullivan "Alone Again (Naturally) (1971) .
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Genre:Pop
Sounds a little bit dated now but its quaint lryics and surreal sound still pleases some people to this day and whilst Britney Spears fans might "reach" for a bucket, as we who admire classic pop/rock songs would "reach" (and "re" belch) for a bucket listening to her drivel.
"Singer/songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan successfully combined a flair for Beatlesque popcraft with an old-fashioned musichall sensibility to emerge as one of the most distinctive and popular new performers of the early 1970s. "
"The wit and craft of O'Sullivan's music aside, much of his early success was predicated on his unusual image -- at the peak of the hippie movement, he resembled nothing so much as a Depression-era street urchin, complete with pudding-bowl haircut, short pants and flat cap. Subsequent hits including "We Will" and "No Matter How I Try" followed, and in 1971 O'Sullivan issued his debut LP, Himself; a year later, he finally broke through to the American market with the ballad "Alone Again (Naturally)," which topped the U.S. pop charts. Around this time, the singer jettisoned his so-called "Bisto Kid" image in favor of an endless series of collegiate-styled sweaters embossed with the letter "G." In late 1972, O'Sullivan scored his first British number one with "Clair," falling just shy of topping charts on the other side of the Atlantic."
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Hey! Miss Spears is musically amazing) and the album at number (Did we mention Justin Timberlake?)
(Wouldn't surprise me if Rolling Stone agreed with that. Would they?)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 62.7 out of 108
Since this song is one of the more sadder songs ever written it made me think of just as equally sad songs. So here is a list (i can hear the world sighing (Oh no, not another f**kng list). This list is compiled by pop culture madness.com and here is the first 10.
1. He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones 2. The End of the World - Skeeter Davis
Although he synthesized disparate elements of both rock and pop traditions, singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson was at heart a maverick whose allegiance belonged to neither. His initial series of albums in the late '60s made him a personal favorite of the Beatles, who found a natural affinity with his knack for catchy melodies, witty lyrics, and extraordinary vocal range. Thought of as a songwriter first and a performer second, he became a pop star himself in the late '60s and early '70s with "Everybody's Talking" and "Without You." He lost some of his original audience, however, with subsequent detours into pre-rock styles of pop, and did little recording over the last 15 years of his life.
Nilsson had been struggling to make inroads into the music business for over five years before his critically acclaimed 1967 album, Pandemonium Shadow Show. He made demos, sang commercial jingles, and shopped songs, all the while keeping his job at a Los Angeles-area bank. In the mid-'60s, he wrote a few songs with Phil Spector that were recorded by the Ronettes and the Modern Folk Quartet; occasionally he released records of his own. The Monkees recorded his "Cuddly Toy," and the Yardbirds did "Ten Little Indians" on a single in their waning days. But Nilsson didn't quit his bank job until after the release of Pandemonium Shadow Show, which gave him creative rein in the studio for the first time, and showcased his three-and-a-half-octave voice to full advantage.
The album caught the attention of the Beatles (helped, no doubt, by its ingenious medley of classic Beatle tunes, "You Can't Do That"). John Lennon and Paul McCartney named him as their favorite American singer at a press conference, an extraordinary accolade for an unknown. (Nilsson was sometimes even rumored to be joining the group.) Three Dog Night took his "One" into the Top Ten in 1969, and Nilsson's second LP, Aerial Ballet, continued the ambitious pop/rock direction of his debut, marrying his slightly eccentric, bouncy (if sometimes precious) tunes to baroque orchestral production. When one of its songs, "Everybody's Talkin'," was used as the theme for the Midnight Cowboy film, Nilsson had his first Top Ten hit. The irony was that, although Nilsson was primarily identified as a singer/songwriter, the song was actually a cover of a composition by folk-rocker Fred Neil.
"Without You" appeared on 1971's Nilsson Schmilsson, which included a couple of other hits, the faux-tropical "Coconut" and the surprisingly gritty "Jump Into the Fire," which rates as his hardest-rocking cut. During the first half of the 1970s, he continued to broaden his range from the well-crafted, peppy, sensitive tunes that had dotted his early releases, cutting some tougher, more sour work. He lost some of his constituency, however, with 1973's A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night, a collection of pre-rock pop standards with an orchestra conducted by arranger Gordon Jenkins (most noted for his work with Frank Sinatra). His affection for the music wasn't entirely surprising, as there had always been a strong Tin Pan Alley flavor to much of his writing, but it wasn't exactly in step with the times.
Much of Nilsson's notoriety stems from a period in the mid-'70s when he was a drinking buddy of John Lennon in Los Angeles (where Lennon was living during a separation from Yoko Ono). The drunken pair were thrown out of L.A.'s Troubadour club in a well-publicized incident, following which Lennon offered to produce Nilsson's next album. The timing was not opportune; Nilsson lost his voice during the sessions, rupturing one of his vocal cords, keeping it a secret out of fear that Lennon would abandon the project. Released as Pussy Cats, it was his last album to make the Top 100. During the same period, he also embarked on a project with another L.A.-based ex-Beatle, Ringo Starr, acting and writing music for the little-seen Son of Dracula film.
Theupper register of Nilsson's voice, which was ultimately his greatest asset, had been permanently (though not irredeemably) damaged. After a few rather unsuccessful late-'70s album, Nilsson withdrew from the studio into family life and other business ventures, spending much of his energies campaigning for gun control after Lennon was shot in 1980. In failing health in the 1990s, diagnosed with diabetes and suffering a massive heart attack, he died in early 1994, just after finishing the vocal tracks for a new album.~ Richie Unterberger, [All Music Guide]
Even before Harry Nilsson scored a hit, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, in 1968, proclaimed the Brooklyn-born, L.A.-based songwriter as their favorite American singer. This was shortly after the Monkees recorded his cute and cleverly nasty "Cuddly Toy" but before Three Dog Night reached the Top Ten in 1969 with a cover of his lyrically despairing "One," which Aimee Mann and others have subsequently rendered evergreen. As a singer, Nilsson got lucky when his wistful rendition of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin' " became the theme for Midnight Cowboy.
Blessed with a tenor that could make angels weep and the smarts to know how to use it, Nilsson nevertheless failed to ignite the album charts until 1971's Nilsson Schmilsson. The hit single was Nilsson's powerful cover of "Without You," a previously overlooked cut written and first recorded by Badfinger. The rest of the album established Nilsson as a talent of unusual depth and scope: Years before public escapades with future drinking buddy Lennon confirmed Nilsson's personal excesses, Schmilsson plays like a study in bipolar disorder. Beginning with the manic "Gotta Get Up" and continuing with the equally breezy and busy "Driving Along," the mood takes a dip with the skeletal and enchanted "Early in the Morning" before plummeting with the bluesy "Down." Side Two starts out with the Caribbean giddiness of "Coconut," then goes bonkers with "Jump Into the Fire," a wailing seven-minute bass-and-drum tantrum recently covered live by dance rock's LCD Soundsystem. On the albums that followed, Nilsson ventured into standards and ragged rock, but he would never again be this consistent or popular.[Rolling Stone]
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (We don't care even if the Beatles liked them) and the Album ranked at Number (Next!)
Number 665 Linda Ronstadt "Blue Bayou" (1977) . . .
Genre:Country
Greetings & salutations to people right across the Globe. I see China has moved into 7th place as one of the most visited countries to this site, whats fantastic is that they were ranked below 20th only a week ago, so Kudos to the fans in China! 谢谢 ! ~ And my site looks good in a Chinese dialect :) ~
Now i want to ask the people of the blue planet we live on, do websites look better on Mozilla Firefox or Explorer? Ive seen my site in firefox and i must say i like the sharpness and colour. But the editing and logging in to some sites is just a pain in the groin you dont need.I know 86% of the people who visit here use Explorer. Still i reckon it looks pretty snazzy on Firefox.
Wha? oh, I know, i know...... back to the music please. Okaaaay sheesh!
With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt became one of the most popular interpretive singers of the '70s, earning a string of platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles. Throughout the '70s, her laid-back pop never lost sight of her folky roots, yet as she moved into the '80s, she began to change her sound with the times, adding new wave influences. After a brief flirtation with pre-rock pop, Ronstadt settled into a pattern of adult contemporary pop and Latin albums, sustaining her popularity in both fields. While Ronstadt was a student at Arizona State University, she met guitarist Bob Kimmel. The duo moved to Los Angeles, where guitarist/songwriter Kenny Edwards joined the pair. Calling themselves the Stone Poneys, the group became a leading attraction on California's folk circuit, recording their first album in 1967. The band's second album, Evergreen, Vol. 2, featured the Top 20 hit "Different Drum," which was written by Michael Nesmith. After recording one more album with the group, Ronstadt left for a solo career at the end of 1968.
Ronstadt's first two solo albums -- Hand Sown Home Grown (1969) and Silk Purse (1970) -- accentuated her country roots, featuring several honky tonk numbers. Released in 1971, her self-titled third album was a pivotal record in her career. Featuring a group of session musicians who would later form The Eagles, the album was a softer, more laid-back variation of the country-rock she had been recording. With the inclusion of songs from singer/songwriters like Jackson Browne, Neil Young, and Eric Anderson, Linda Ronstadt had folk-rock connections as well. Don't Cry Now, released in 1973, followed the same formula to greater success, yet it was 1974's Heart Like a Wheel that perfected the sound, making Ronstadt a star. Featuring the hit covers "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved," and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," Heart Like a Wheel reached number one and sold over two million copies
For the Eagles see Number 509 Released in the fall of 1975, Prisoner in Disguise followed the same pattern as Heart Like a Wheel and was nearly as successful. Hasten Down the Wind, released in 1976, suggested a holding pattern, even if it charted higher than Prisoner in Disguise. Simple Dreams (1977) expanded the formula by adding a more rock-oriented supporting band, which breathed life into The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." The record became the singer's biggest hit, staying on the top of the charts for five weeks and selling over three million copies. With Living in the U.S.A. (1978), Ronstadt began experimenting with new wave, recording Elvis Costello's "Alison"; the album was another number one hit. On 1980's Mad Love, she made a full-fledged new wave record, recording three Costello songs and adopting a synth-laden sound. While the album was a commercial success, it signalled that her patented formula was beginning to run out of steam. That suspicion was confirmed with 1982's Get Closer, her first album since Heart Like a Wheel to fail to go platinum.
Sensing it was time to change direction, Ronstadt starred in the Broadway production of Gilbert & Sullivan's +Pirates of Penzance, as well as the accompanying movie. +Pirates of Penzance led the singer to a collaboration with Nelson Riddle, who arranged and conducted her 1983 collection of pop standards What's New. While it received lukewarm reviews, it was a considerable hit, reaching number three on the charts and selling over two million copies. Ronstadt's next two albums -- Lush Life (1984) and For Sentimental Reasons (1986) -- were also albums of pre-rock standards recorded with Riddle.
At the end of 1986, Ronstadt returned to contemporary pop, recording "Somewhere Out There," the theme to the animated An American Tail, with James Ingram; the single became a number two hit. She also returned to her country roots in 1987, recording the Trio album with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. That same year, Ronstadt recorded Canciones de Mi Padre, a set of traditional Mexican songs that became a surprise hit. Two years later, she recorded Cry Like a Rainstorm - Howl Like the Wind -- her first contemporary pop album since 1982's Get Closer. Featuring four duets with Aaron Neville, including the number two hit "Don't Know Much," the album sold over two million copies
Ronstadt returned to traditional Mexican and Spanish material with Mas Canciones (1991) and Frenesi (1992). She returned to pop with 1994's Winter Light, which failed to generate a hit single, as did 1995's Feels Like Home. In 1996, she released the children's album Dedicated to the One I Love; We Ran followed in 1998. Two years later, Ronstadt delivered the holiday collection A Merry Little Christmas. Another collection of standards, Hummin' to Myself arrived in 2004, followed by Adieu FalseHeart, a collaboration with Ann Savoy of the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band in 2006. ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine]
What does Rolling Stone think about Linda Ronstadt?
Fair enough -- with a couple of exceptions (schmaltzy duets with James Ingram and Aaron Neville), the twenty-one tracks here are among Linda Ronstadt's very best. From "Different Drum," her still-affecting 1967 folk-rock hit with the Stone Poneys, to her wry rendering of Warren Zevon's "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" and spry covers of chestnuts such as Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A." and the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved," Ronstadt has always sung with a rare combination of intelligence, feeling and sheer skill. This set concentrates exclusively on mainstream pop, however, avoiding Ronstadt's often bold ventures into New Wave, American standards and traditional Mexican songs. It's satisfying on its own limited terms, but this collection might disappoint if you believe that her willingness to experiment is part of what's the very best about Linda Ronstadt.ANTHONY DECURTIS(RS 907 - October 17, 2002)
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (We are thinking this artist should have been a shoe in for you people, but hey, we couldnt choose, honestly yea right) and the album ranked at324
This song has a crowbarred rating of 69.9 out of 108
Welcome to "The Definitive 1000 Songs of All Time 1955 to 2005" & the Mellow Mix Volumes.This site is merely to question Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Songs. Everyone has songs they
like and everyone has dislikes. Remember music is like clothing.. there are many styles,
so why on earth would all people want to wear jockey "Y" fronts???
Oh, & don't forget to RATE the songs. Ta
