Back in 1994, my band Truck Stop Love was featured on a Tom Petty tribute record called “You Got Lucky.” (This was back in the time when people bought a lot of compilation CDs — you know — before the advent of the iPod “shuffle.”)

We appeared on an episode of ABC In Concert where some of the other bands performed Petty tunes at the House of Blues in L.A., and I got interviewed. “Why a Petty tribute?” I was surprised by how eloquent my answer was at that young age. It was something like: “When you grow up, you go through all different phases of the kind of music you like. But after you’ve explored everything, you always come back to somebody like Tom Petty — just good, old-fashioned great songwriting.”

That really sums it up for me for this journeyman songwriter. Now Petty has his ups and down, like any songwriter, but the amount of great material from the 1970s forward is pretty astounding. Again, none of it mind-blowing — just simple pop tunes with big hooks, pure guitar sounds, and healthy dose of sincerity and lackadaisical twang.

“Even the Losers” is my favorite Petty song (from his best record, 1979’s “Damn the Torpedoes”). After a bizarre opening that sounds like another song ending, it kicks in with that that sweet hollow-body guitar sound (he and lead guitarist Mike Campbell never sounded better together than on this record) and heads right into the verse. Easily reminiscent of The Byrds, it’s bright and alive with youthful exuberance.

Petty’s lyrics tell the tale of a kid who had a brief wondrous moment with a girl that was way out of his league. They “smoked cigarettes” and “stared at the moon” on her roof. She kissed like fire. What a night. But alas, it was too good to last.

His take? “Even the losers get lucky sometimes.” It’s a perfect mix of wistful nostalgia and real heartbreak.

Anyway, apparently, ABC didn’t think I was so eloquent. They didn’t use my interview snippet on the air. Everclear was getting really popular at the moment, so they used Art instead. No hard feelings, though. We had our moment in the sun. The losers do get lucky sometimes.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

The Great Songs: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer

The Great Songs: David Bowie – Life On Mars?

The Great Songs: Thin Lizzy – The Cowboy Song

The Great Songs: The Delfonics – Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

The Great Songs: The Beatles – She Said She Said

The Great Songs: The Velvet Underground – Heroin

Just like the last entry into The Great Songs, San Francisco’s The Flamin’ Groovies were way more influential than their album sales at the time would show.

The Groovies began in the late 60s with a garage rock sound, when bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & the Holding Company, and Moby Grape were getting snatched up by labels. By 1976, however, one band leader (Roy Loney) had departed and another (Cyril Jordan) had taken over. The sound of the Groovies became less about trashy blues and rockabilly and more about guitar-fueled British Invasion pop.

That’s the moment that this little masterpiece “Shake Some Action” was born.

Dave Edmunds produced the Groovies’ fourth studio album Shake Some Action, and the title track is an enduring power pop classic. The band eschewed the hippie culture of SF for a skinny-tie mod-suit look that fit their new, focused songwriting style.

The opening lick– drenched in reverb — has a huge hook, followed by a simple repeating lead line that brings you right into the song. It’s at once muscular and wounded, and is full of bright shimmering guitars, a thumping drum beat, and understated vocals. And it never gets old.

Bruce Eder, in The All-Music Guide to Rock says the new direction had the band rocking “louder and more passionately than any British Invasion band had played since 1964. The sound was a complete anachronism in the mid-’70s, but it got them noticed and earned them a cult following.” [1]

And that’s about all they got. The late 80s and 90s featured “countless repackagings, anthologies, and lousy bootlegs — the band ended up in Australia, now reduced to Jordan and a bunch of unknowns (with the exception of longtime bassist George Alexander), shamelessly covering ’60s material and living off the band’s legend.” – John Dougan, AMG

..and one bonafide classic Great Song.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

The Great Songs: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer

The Great Songs: David Bowie – Life On Mars?

The Great Songs: Thin Lizzy – The Cowboy Song

The Great Songs: The Delfonics – Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

The Great Songs: The Beatles – She Said She Said

The Great Songs: The Velvet Underground – Heroin

I usually don’t like long songs (so I thought), but writing this list, I’ve realized that I may be fooling myself. In The Great Songs, I’ve already written about Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer” and Television’s “Marquee Moon” and now it’s time to add a seven-minute epic about heavy drug use.

Written by Lou Reed in 1964 and appearing on The Velvet Underground‘s 1967 debut self-titled record The Velvet Underground and Nico, “Heroin” actually attempts to approximate what it feels like to shoot heroin. Using only two chords, it starts with a pretty guitar and Reed’s hushed singing: “I don’t know just where I’m going/But I’m gonna try for the kingdom, if I can.”

Then Maureen Tucker‘s crazed, slightly off-time drumming starts to ramp up and Sterling Morrison‘s guitar chugs away: “‘Cause it makes me feel like I’m a man/When I put a spike into my vein/And I’ll tell ya, things aren’t quite the same/When I’m rushing on my run/And I feel just like Jesus’ son.”

John Cale‘s electric voila (yes, an electric viola) drones away, becoming more prominent and screechy as the song goes on. Its presence alone gives the song an otherworldy quality as Reed sings about the escape that his beloved drug provides. At the same time, though, he declares “It’ll be the death of me/It’s my wife and its my life.” Is its a cautionary song? That depends on how you look at it.

A couple more rounds of tempo changes, and Reed’s lyrics take on a more hallucinatory scope, as “all the dead bodies [are] piled up in mounds.” What I find so interesting about this tune, aside from the fact that it STILL sounds like nothing else out there, is that it is a more honest exploration of drug use than anything that was made during San Francisco’s drug-fueled Summer of Love. Was it perhaps a harbinger of things to come?

Aside from all the social context, “Heroin” remains a timeless track. It sounds great today, 43 years later, and it will sound great in another 40 years.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

The Great Songs: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer

The Great Songs: David Bowie – Life On Mars?

The Great Songs: Thin Lizzy – The Cowboy Song

The Great Songs: The Delfonics – Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

The Great Songs: The Beatles – She Said She Said

OK, I tried to hold out as long as I could, but it was unavoidable that a Beatles song would creep into The Great Songs. They are, after all, the band that changed everything. At least I didn’t pick something you’ve heard a million times before.

For some reason, “She Said She Said” isn’t one of those often-played Beatles numbers. This 1966 song was the last tune to be recorded for “Revolver” (in nine hours, no less) and it is brimming over the top with psychedelic lyrics, cascading vocal lines, a meter-changing drum part, and bright and shiny guitars, all on top of a sturdy structure and The Beatles’ trademark melodic sense.

The kicker? Paul McCartney didn’t play a note on it. George Harrison said he helped John Lennon construct the song from two separate “bits,” and then he went ahead and played bass on it as well.

This is also one of Ringo Starr‘s finest hours, with his groovy beat sliding all over the place for most of the song, until it locks in tight for the weird, off-time, twice-through bridge. It still sounds like he’s making half of it up as he goes along, which is part of the song’s slippery charm.

I love the way the guitar part answers virtually every vocal line. There isn’t a moment in the song where something interesting isn’t happening. The vocal hook even provides the transition over the meter shift as John sings “When I was a boy…” Such a creative use of melody.

By the way, all this happens in just under 2 minutes and forty seconds. I love songs that reward multiple repeated listenings, and this is one of the best examples  of that. Sometimes when people ask me to point out a perfect pop song, I point them here. No question.

The most memorable lyrics in “She Said She Said” famously come from Peter Fonda, who dropped acid with The Beatles and The Byrds at a house in Beverly Hills one night in August of ’65. When Fonda brought up his nearly fatal self-inflicted childhood gunshot accident, he said that “he knew what it was like to be dead.”

According to Fonda’s 1998 memoir, Lennon snapped at him because Fonda had brought everybody’s happy LSD vibe down. According to Fonda, he replied to Lennon, “You’re making me feel like I’ve never been born.”

Oh, where would music be without drugs?

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

The Great Songs: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer

The Great Songs: David Bowie – Life On Mars?

The Great Songs: Thin Lizzy – The Cowboy Song

The Great Songs: The Delfonics – Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

Maybe the first time you heard this song was in the 1997 Quentin Tarantino film “Jackie Brown.”

QT used The Delfonics not just as background music but to illustrate the budding romance between bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) and stewardess Jackie Brown (Pam Grier). After hearing the song “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” on a vinyl record at Jackie’s apartment, Max goes to a record store (remember those?) and picks up The Delfonics on cassette.

Tarantino does something most movies would never even consider next: He lets the song play out and the next one start up. It’s “La-La (Means I Love You),” also by The Delfonics, and also another downright classic.

Listening to The Delfonics while he’s driving makes Max think of Jackie–and that feels good. Tarantino is one of the rare filmmakers around today who has the patience to show how pop songs affect people emotionally.

“Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” is nothing if not emotional. The song was from The Delfonics fourth record (which was self-titled) and was released as a single on the Philadelphia-based Bell (Philly Groove) label run by super producer Thom Bell. It was a big hit, charting at number-three on the Billboard R&B singles chart and number 10 on the Billboard pop chart in 1970.

Co-written by Bell and Delfonics singer William Hart, “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” features all the signatures of the Philly soul sound: layered horns, lush string arrangements, heartfelt vocals, and a sublime melody. The production is perfect; even with all that instrumentation going on, it never overpowers the Hart’s lovely falsetto. (Click here to hear/read about another Philly classic profiled on an earlier post of The Great Songs.)

I wish music still sounded this rich and warm. The embed above is from the mono mix on vinyl. Below I’ve embedded the scene from “Jackie Brown.” Enjoy!

The song is also the inspiration for the 20-volume Rhino soul music compilation Soul Hits of the 70s: Didn’t It Blow Your Mind, which is a MUST HAVE if you love the 70s soul sound as much as I do (even if it does get a little too disco by the end of the decade).

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

The Great Songs: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer

The Great Songs: David Bowie – Life On Mars?

The Great Songs: Thin Lizzy – The Cowboy Song

I will make a statement right now that pretty much defines the reason this song is on the list: I love the electric guitar.

Last month I was on a roll while writing this column and I included some of what I consider to be the best guitar-rock songs of all time: Television’s “Marquee Moon” and Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer.”

It got me thinking about THE band that defines the melodic dual guitar for the ages: Dublin’s best band, the highly underrated Thin Lizzy.

Thin Lizzy has so many great songs, it was hard to choose one. I chose the campy (yet somehow sincere) third single from their classic 1976 album “Jailbreak.”

“The Cowboy Song” endures because it has one of the catchiest, most memorable twin-guitar harmony leads ever. First, singer/songwriter/bassist/band leader Phil Lynott sings a somber refrain about his lonely time on the plains:

I am just a cowboy lonesome on the trail/A starry night, a campfire light/The coyote call, the howling winds wail/So I ride out to the old sundown

At :43, a muted version of the lick begins as a teaser. And then it happens. Founding member/drummer Brian Downey starts the drum buildup and there’s a brief preview of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson‘s sweet guitarmonies and the sweetness to come. One of the catchiest choruses Lynott ever wrote comes in at about 1:30.

Sure, the lyrics are cheesy. But somehow, along with the music, they actually manage to evoke the Old West. Later in the song, the guitar/drum breakdown makes me think of trotting horses.  Lynott’s smooth delivery and staccato phrasing sets up the guitar explosion and then it’s off to the races at a full gallop!

If this song doesn’t put a smile on your face, then you must not like rock n’ roll.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

The Great Songs: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer

The Great Songs: David Bowie – Life On Mars?

Here is a link to the song’s official music video, for which embedding has been disabled.

It was 1971. Just one year before he became the glam king/queen known as Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie was on to something.

His sound had changed dramatically from folky pop singer to hard rock maestro in a short time, and on the album “Hunky Dory,” he fully embraced the theatricality and sexual ambiguity that he would continue to mine in 1972 as a Spider from Mars.

In one sense, the album is schizophrenic, but that’s only because Bowie tried his hand at mashing up so many styles. Lyrically, he’s singing about “Changes,” “Pretty Things,” and “Kooks.” What could be more in line with that than a “Life on Mars?”

“Life On Mars?” has everything: a sweeping production with strings, high melodrama, obtuse lyrics, and a hell of a great melodic guitar line from Mick Ronson. Apparently, BBC Radio 2 called the song “a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvador Dalí painting.”

I couldn’t have said it better.

In fact, one of the best uses in cinema of a pop song occurs in Lars Von Trier’s “Breaking the Waves” where the entire song is played as the film’s epilogue over one stagnant shot.

According to The Complete David Bowie, at the time of “Hunky Dory”‘s release in 1971, Bowie summed up the song as “A sensitive young girl’s reaction to the media”. In 1997 he added, “I think she finds herself disappointed with reality … that although she’s living in the doldrums of reality, she’s being told that there’s a far greater life somewhere, and she’s bitterly disappointed that she doesn’t have access to it.”

Well that’s more specific than I ever got with it. The beauty is that the tune does have this eloquent grandiose kind of sadness to it, and maybe that’s what I’ve always responded to.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

The Great Songs: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer

I don’t know if its because I picked an epic guitar rock tune from last week or if its because I was listening to the new Neil Young album “Le Noise” yesterday and wishing it were as good as “Zuma,” but either way, my choice for this week in The Great Songs series is one of those signature numbers that define an artist. The studio version, recorded in 1975 for “Zuma,” is above. The live version from 1979’s “Live Rust” is below.

Of course, when you’re dealing with someone as slippery and chaotic as Neil Young (acoustic albums, electronic albums, concept records, and electronic vocoder jams), that’s not really true, is it? “Cortez the Killer” defines one era of Young: His signature electric guitar stuff that he did with his backup band Crazy Horse.

Like Young’s best distortion-filled rock, “Cortez the Killer” is sloppy, melodic, and beautiful. It’s almost three and a half minutes before the vocals even come in. There’s something about this simple repeating chord structure that is just plain haunting. Young is soloing in double drop D tuning and drummer Ralph Molina is so behind the beat that he actually loses it every now and then.

If you ever wanted to hear a perfect archetype of Young’s rambling guitar work, this song is it, but the nice thing is that its not based on some lame kind of knee-jerk need to show off what a virtuoso musician he is. It’s emotional and guttural. I hear a ton of Young’s style in J Mascis, for example. The fact that it is ranked #39 on Guitar World’s 100 Greatest Guitar Solos is pretty amazing considering that it flies in the face of what most guitarists would consider technical proficiency.

Lyrically, the song is about Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador who conquered Mexico in the 16th century. But after making sad and reverent reference to the downfall of the Aztecs, Young manages to make it personal: “And I know she’s living there/And she loves me to this day/I still can’t remember when/Or how I lost my way.”

An interesting tidbit about “Cortez the Killer” from Wikipedia: The song fades out after nearly seven and a half minutes because (according to Young’s father in “Neil and Me”) an electrical circuit had blown, causing the console to go dead. In addition to losing the rest of the instrumental work, a final verse was also lost. When producer David Briggs had to break this news to the band, Young replied “I never liked that verse anyway.” The additional verse has not been performed or recorded to this day.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

The Great Songs: Television – Marquee Moon

Sometimes a song comes along that just doesn’t sound like anything else.

Television‘s avant-garde tune “Marquee Moon” from the 1977 album of the same name may have inspired countless indie bands to emulate its sparse, angular style of “rocking,” but there will never be a song with this much space and interplay to contain a unique double guitar hook like this again. People call it post punk, but it was written right in the middle of that whole New York scene with the Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads, so call it whatever you want. I call it a classic—a worthy addition to The Great Songs.

Also—as much as I enjoy air guitaring to all 9 minutes of  “Freebird,” I’ll take Television’s 10+ minute opus over Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Southern rock anthem any day. In one of the rare instances when having it on vinyl kinda sucks (even though it sounds so warm and fuzzy), the original vinyl LP faded out the song to 9:58. On CD reissues, its been restored to full length.

The key here is feeling. This isn’t guitar masturbation to show off what good musicians the band are. There’s a point. There’s a deliberate quality to it all: The guitar interplay with the rhythm section weaves in and out. A serene quality soon gives way to obscure lyrics about life and death; lyrics that stoke the imagination like the guitars do.

There’s the line about how “lightning struck itself,” “the kiss of death, the embrace of life,” and right after the song’s narrator gets out of the Cadillac in the graveyard (more death symbolism—what it means I’m not sure, but it conjures up some great imagery), the guitar orgasm begins.

Slowly at first—it sounds like the strings are being bent in all kinds of strange directions. It becomes furious, but retains this beautiful melodic quality throughout. The solos are from singer/guitarist Tom Verlaine and guitarist Richard Lloyd, with Lloyd’s solo coming after the second chorus and Verlaine after the third.

“Marquee Moon” is a true original from one of the New York late 70s CBGB scene’s best and most original bands. It’s also one of the most influential rock records you’ll never hear on mainstream radio. Britain’s NME ranked the album “Marquee Moon” #4 on its 2003 list of the Greatest Albums Of All Time and now its part of The Great Songs. What an honor!

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

The Great Songs: Ray Charles – That Lucky Old Sun

In “Sucker Punch,” what is the name of the actor who plays High Roller?

To listen to the entire song “That Lucky Old Sun” by Ray Charles, click here.

There are hundreds of great Ray Charles songs,and certainly “What’d I Say” and “Georgia on my Mind” are among his best-known classics. But I picked this song, first performed by Frankie Laine in 1949 with music by Beasley Smith and words by Haven Gillespie.

Charles covered this tune on his crossover hit album “Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul” from 1963. In the late 50s, Charles had a lot of R&B-charting hits, but by this time he was a hit on the Pop charts as well and was reaching white audiences. His classic albums “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” and its sequel “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2” were both behind him by this point as well.

He had gone from having a more pure, raw R&B sound to using backup singers and orchestras and performing old standards like this one. Sure, some of the tunes had a little too much instrumentation to try to appeal to a wider audience, but most of the time (like on this song), Charles’ heartfelt vocal style shone through.

“That Lucky Old Sun” contrasts a day where he is “Up in the mornin’/Out on the job” and working “like the devil” for his pay with that of the “lucky old sun,” which has no troubles: “I know that lucky old sun, has nothin’ to do, but roll around heaven all day.”

The melody is sad and uplifting at the same time, and Charles’ voice stings with such heartache and pain. Each time I hear it I get kind of choked up. Here the singers and orchestra complement the vocals perfectly. Everything exists to support his lead without walking all over it. Even the bridge section where they take the lead just sets up the last part of the song.

Even though it feels like a snapshot from another time, there’s something about Charles’ “That Lucky Old Sun” that connects you immediately with that time and becomes sort of a shared experience. If you ever want a song that speaks to the loneliness and hardship, this is it. And when you are down and you think you’ve got it hard, trust me, someone else has had it harder. Ray isn’t the only one asking for “that cloud with the silver lining.”

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

The Great Songs: Badfinger – Baby Blue

Forever in the shadow of The Beatles, who signed them to Apple Records, Welsh band Badfinger had enough timeless pop songs under their belt to become a household name but sadly, it was never to be.

Although he shared most of his songwriting duties with bassist Tom Evans, singer/guitarist Pete Ham was the principal penman for Badfinger, and he wrote a string of great tunes over a seven-year period.

My favorite is a song called “Baby Blue,” which showcases his knack for a catchy guitar riff, a great melody, and the open-hearted sentimentality of his lyrics.

“Baby Blue” appears on the band’s third album “Straight Up” and reached number 14 on the Billboard pop Singles chart back in the heyday of wide-open formatted U.S. radio.

The version above is the band “live” on the “Rollin’ on the River” show hosted by Kenny Rogers, of all things. The vocals with Pete and Tom are live, but (as was the custom back then and is fairly frequent still) the instrumental tracks are taped.

This song has an instantly familiar refrain and the moment its over, the hooks stay with you. Ham had a knack for wearing his heart on his sleeve and making you believe every word. He wrote the song for a girl named Dixie and every time I hear it, I picture how lovely she must have been and how hard he fell for her.

Ham’s idealistic nature didn’t jive with the shark-infested waters of the music industry. Tragically, he hanged himself in 1975 less than a year after releasing “Wish You Were Here,” which is Badfinger’s most accomplished record. Record company troubles, mismanagement, and lawsuits were too much for Ham to handle and his idealism–so apparent in his songs–was shaken to its core. Sadly, in 1983, Evans would follow Ham and hang himself for similar reasons.

A song Evans and Ham wrote together called “Without You” was covered and made into a number-one hit by Harry Nilsson in 1972 and reached bnumber three in 1994 as covered by (of all people) Mariah Carey.

Still, it is “Baby Blue” that I always return to, partially because of its wide-eyed innocence and partly because of its timeless vocal and guitar hooks. Maybe that’s why its been covered by everyone from Aimee Mann to Mary Lou Lord to Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

The Great Songs: The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl

Just listen to the lyrics! This song is sick and wrong (and fascinating). The fact that its being performed by The Louvin Brothers, a gospel/country duo comprised of real-life brother Charlie and Ira, makes it even creepier. It’s a true snapshot of the hard-fought lessons from ages ago.

Released in 1956 on their debut record for Capitol Records, called “Tragic Songs of Life,” the Louvins version of an old Appalachian murder ballad called “Knoxville Girl” became a hit three years later for the band.

Before that, “Knoxville Girl” is said to have been derived from the 19th century Irish ballad “The Wexford Girl,” itself derived from the earlier English ballad “The Oxford Girl.” Wherever it came from, it’s a dark and sinister morality tale about a guy who must waste his life away in a dirty jail because he killed the girl he loved.

What’s really messed up is how into detail the lyrics go:

She fell down on her bended knees
For mercy she did cry
Oh, Willie dear, don’t kill me here
I’m unprepared to die

She never spoke another word
I only beat her more
Until the ground around me
Within her blood did flow.

I took her by her golden curls
And I drug her ’round and ’round
Throwing her into the riverThat flows through Knoxville town

Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
With the dark and roving eyes
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
You can never be my bride.

Apparently in order to learn this lesson properly, the listener must first have to experience the relish that the singer feels going while going through his despicable act. The Country Music Hall of Fame says that the Louvins’ “stratospheric vocal interplay made them probably the most influential harmony duet in country music history” and listening to this track, its evident why.

Even though these Baptists sang about the evils of temptation and sin, they were no strangers to it either, which is probably why they were so convincing. According to Wikipedia, “Married four times, [Ira’s] third wife shot him three times in the back after he tried to strangle her.” He died in 1965 in a drunk-driving related car accident, but Charlie went on to have a solo career and soak up the accolades for his influential duo. He’s 83 now and suffers from pancreatic cancer.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

The Great Songs: Guided by Voices – Motor Away

With The Great Songs series, my aim is simple: To offer up a different set of tunes as classic canon. Sometimes, the listmania that I suffer from is capitalized on by big mainstream outlets–everyone from Rolling Stone and Spin to VH1 and any number of cool British mags. Critical consensus is a dangerous thing, so while you may see a couple songs on this list that pop up on other mainstream lists of important and classic rock tunes, most of theses choices will not be there. (See past entries below this one.)

Guided by Voices is a band that fits perfectly into the idea of The Great Songs.

If you don’t know the band’s music intimately, you’ve probably heard the name if you’re a serious music fan. Robert Pollard and his rotating band of Ohio misfits put out 16 full-length records, 16 EPs,  three split EPs, 15 singles, six split singles, and three box sets between 1986 – 2004, with two more posthumous boxes in later years. And that doesn’t even count Pollard’s insanely productive solo career, currently sitting at 10 solo albums just since the band broke up in 2004.

Well, the “classic line-up” of Guided by Voices is reuniting for a (too-)brief 2010 U.S. tour, so what better time to enter their most enduring number into The Great Songs?

The video above is a mashup of two great tracks from the band’s 1995 triumph “Alien Lanes.” (If you were to pick only two GbV recordings to take with you for the rest of your life, this album and its predecessor “Bee Thousand” would be the ones.) “Auditorium” makes a perfect thematic intro to “Motor Away,” and although they are attached in the video clip above, they are separate songs. “Motor Away” starts at approximately 1:10.

That in and of itself is one of the greatest things about old school GbV: brevity. “Motor Away” has two verses, two choruses, and its out. The hook is so strong and the melody so challenging that it demand an almost immediate rewind. Is there anything better in pop music than the feeling that you’ve heard something amazing and you MUST HEAR IT AGAIN RIGHT AWAY?

I also love the way the drums maintain that simple off-kilter beat throughout, resisting the temptation to go straight. It’s a bold choice, but the anthemic quality of the song endures, despite it never quite cutting loose. In fact, the beat then becomes the norm and that becomes something you can rock out or bang your head to just as much as a straight beat would.

To me, this song is about freedom, plain and simple: “You can belittle every little voice that told you so.”

“And then the time will come when you motor away / Oh, why don’t you just drive away? / Come on / Speed on”

It’s right up there with the last Great Songs entry as a classic rock n’ roll anthem.

The recording isn’t high-quality, but that’s part of its charm. This song wasn’t made by a bunch of rock stars who fly in jets. It was made by a bunch of older guys in their garages who wish they were rockers who rode in jets. That yearning is evident in Pollard’s voice.

As you listen to it, pay attention to the rhyme scheme: There is none. Pollard achieves familiarity by repeating words, not by rhyming them. And his melody jogs all over the place, but with a strategic cadence. Talk shit on “pop” music or my definition of it (music chiefly concerned with melody, hooks over all else) all you want, but this is some seriously offbeat stuff.

Every now and then a song comes around that is so perfect; so stunningly different in its simplicity that it makes you feel energized about the possibilities of rock music all over again. “Motor Away” is one of those songs. It never gets old and it never fails to inspire some serious fist pumping.

Play the album version above (it starts at approximately 1:10 and its the one I prefer) or the single version below. Either way, turn it up loud and think about the possibilities!

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

The Great Songs: Cheap Trick – Surrender

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If you are looking for big-guitar rock n’ roll teen anthems, it doesn’t get any better than the opening track of off Cheap Trick‘s 1978 album “Heaven Tonight.” (My unrepentant love for Cheap Trick will be on full display this Saturday, as J.D. Warnock and I perform with Nick Colby and Peter Buxton as Heaven Tonight – A Tribute to Cheap Trick, the hardest-working band in the U.S.)

“Surrender” is my favorite anthem ever, hands down–which is weird, considering it has some of the most bizarre lyrics ever heard in a mainstream rock hit. Check it:

“Mother told me, yes, she told me I’d meet girls like you.
She also told me, “Stay away, you’ll never know what you’ll catch.”
Just the other day I heard a soldier falling off some Indonesian junk that’s going ’round.”

Supposedly, the song is from the POV of a baby boomer singing about his G.I. generation parents (which explains the bit about the “WACs in the Philippines” in the second verse). For me, it’s all about how your parents were freaks once too. It kinda creates this common bond that makes your own confusion OK. And judging by what his parents are doing in the third verse, they still are freaks:

“When I woke up, Mom and Dad are rolling on the couch.
Rolling numbers, rock and rolling, got my Kiss records out.”

It’s all a lead-up to the biggest, best shout-along ending ever put on record. As Rick Neilsen’s guitar rings out huge-ass chords and Bun E. Carlos shreds the snare drum, Robin Zander sings:

“Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright, they just seem a little weird.
Surrender, surrender, but don’t give yourself away … ayyy … ayyy-ayyy. Awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

By the time “Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright” turns into “We’re all alright, we’re all alright, ” I can hear the crowd chanting along like I’m there. All of a sudden, “Surrender” is all inclusive. We’re all in this crazy-ass life together and at this moment, singing along with Cheap Trick, everything is OK. It’s a fleeting moment, but it never fails to get me off my feet every time. (The bit is such a classic one that the Trick added a couple “We’re all alright”s to the tail end of their theme for “That 70s Show”–which itself is a cover of a classic Big Star song!)

Of course, there are two versions of “Surrender.” There’s the studio version from “Heaven Tonight,” which peaked at #62 on the Billboard chart and paved the way for the success of “Cheap Trick at Budokan.”

Then there is the live version form that famous record, which is famously sampled at the beginning of “Jimmy James” by The Beastie Boys from their “Check Your Head” record: “This is the first song on our new album!” (Sadly, I must admit I know a lot of people who have no idea that’s the intro to “Surrender.” Always good to give them a heads up, though, and spread the Trick gospel.)

“Surrender” is ranked #465 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, but I think it should be in the Top 10. Easy. It’s a classic song by a criminally underrated band who continue to perform live and sound great today.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief

The Great Songs: The Replacements – Unsatisfied

Just for fun, before writing about this week’s Great Song, I Wiki’ed the band: The Replacements. What I got first was a general Wiki link asking me whether I was looking for the movie, an episode of “Band of Brothers,” a short story, a TV series, or the “American alternative rock group.”

The fact that the greatest rock n’ roll band of the 1980s is even referred to as “alternative” is hilarious.

While everyone else in the rock underground were wearing paisley shirts and doing their best to imitate the English New Wave, The Replacements were getting drunk and singing about growing up, being confused, and being pissed off. In 1984, they released “Let it Be” (the title chosen to get the goat of their manager, a big Beatles fan, and to prove that nothing is sacred) on a tiny Minneapolis indie label called Twin/Tone. It may not have seemed too important at the time, but now its regarded as one of the finest rock albums ever recorded. (Spin called it the 12th Greatest Record of All-Time.)

Picking a favorite Replacements song is like picking the best Scorsese movie—there is an embarrassment of riches to choose from. The one I picked today is simple, honest, and absolutely universal. The title pretty much sums it up.

Written by Paul Westerberg, who always sang as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders (and he could give a fuck), “Unsatisfied” is simple, repetitive, loose, and perfect.

Opening with a 12-string guitar intro that’s reminiscent of KISS’ “Rock Bottom” (that band’s “Black Diamond” is covered on “Let it Be”), it sets the stage for a pretty little number. What you get instead is Westerberg mumbling, ranting, and crying for help.

90 percent of the lyrics in the song are right here: “Look me in the eye then tell me that I’m satisfied / Hey, are you satisfied?” It’s more than a statement, it’s a taunt. Summing up the listless feeling of youth and uncertainty about the future isn’t easy to do in language that plain-spoken, but Westerberg does it. And the delivery sells it.

Even with all the bright and pretty guitars, the band (Bob Stinson on guitar, his 17-year old brother Tommy on bass, Chris Mars on the drums) plays it reckless, like a punk rock tune. The song is mostly chorus, but the second verse goes something like this: “Everything goes, anything goes, all of the time / Everything you dream of is right in front of you / And everything is a lie” I’m not actually sure about that last line; never have been. It means what I want it to mean.

At the end, the song devolves: “I’m so , I’m so…unsatisfied.” There have been certain times in my life where nothing has seemed so poetic as this song. It’s cathartic for sure, but it’s better than John Lennon’s “primal scream therapy” stuff because there’s a melodic sense to it that thrives and lives through the chaos. I wonder sometimes where voices like this are for the younger generations right now. I wonder who it is that speaks to them like Westerberg and The ‘Mats speak to me.

The Great Songs series so far:

The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

The Great Songs: Pavement – Summer Babe

The Great Songs: The Zombies – Care of Cell 44

The Great Songs: The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

The Great Songs: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

The Great Songs: George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today

The Great Songs: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

The Great Songs: KISS – Deuce

The Great Songs: The Flying Burrito Brothers – Hot Burrito #1

The Great Songs: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

The Great Songs: Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine

The Great Songs: The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

The Great Songs: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get it On

The Great Songs: Slayer – Angel of Death

The Great Songs: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Beyond Belief