Your five favorite songs

[Curkio]

Roliing Stones - Gimme Shelter
Oasis - Slide Away
Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
Beatles - Something. A Day In The Life.
Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection (close 6th)

 

[slimshavy]

nice to see a Mountain Goats song on the list! My personal fave of theirs is Old College Try

That's a great one. My favorite band was Nothing Painted Blue, and that album pulled 2/3 of the band (Franklin Bruno and Peter Hughes) into the Mountain Goats for the first time.

 

[Eric_75]

Won't say absolute favorites, but here are five I like:

Weekend in Western Illinois: The Mountain Goats
St. Elmo's Fire: Brian Eno
May you Never: John Martyn
Campaigner: Neil Young
Scars, four Eyes: Sebadoh

Nice to see John Martyn in that list.

 

[slimshavy]

Nice to see John Martyn in that list.

I found that song on a compilation (in the 90s) of Island Records folky songs from the 70s. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd heard and wondered how it was even possible to play acoustic guitar that way. Then came the internet, and thanks to some videos and a lot of time, I've learned to play it passably well, but my voice isn't nearly as pretty.

 

[Tirvine]

Classical
The Goldberg Variations ... JSB
Rapsodie Espagnole ... Ravel
Gnossienne No. 1 ... Satie
Symphony No. 4 ... Mahler
Piano concerto no. 3 ... Rachmaninoff

Jazz
Take Five ... Brubeck
Waltz for Debbie... Bill Evans
My Favorite Things ... Coltrane
Concierto de Aranjuez ... Davis
No Moon at All...Diana Krall version

Rock
The Ballad of You, Me, and Pooneil ... Airplane
East/West ... Butterfield Blues
I Can't Quit Her ... Blood, Sweat, and Tears
When You Awake ... The Band
Suite Judy Blue Eyes ... CSN

Any and all may change at a moment's notice.

 

[sternej]

Amazing to See a Brian Eno song in your list!

 

[slimshavy]

Amazing to See a Brian Eno song in your list!

He put out four really good pop records before he stopped writing songs.

 

[Alum of Potash]

It's hard for me to reply as I don't really have favorites or absolutes as a rule. If I limit myself to songs that I might sing to myself by way of isolated amusement these come to mind in the following order:

1. "It's Movin' Day" by Charlie Poole
2. "Drunkard's Special" by Coley Jones
3. "My Gypsy Girl" by Charlie Poole
4. "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" by Kevin Ayers
5. "The Train Is Off the Track" as sung by Mrs. Esco Kilgore

 

[brucered]

In not particular order.

The Who - Sally Simpson
Bruce Springsteen - Johnny 99
Pearl Jam - Hail, Hail
The White Stripes - You don't know what love is
Bob Dylan - Tangled up in Blue

Off the top of my head. But as others have said, they often change over time.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Here are a couple, let me ruminate and see if I come up with five. I am drawn to songs with a story to them and my first two are intertwined:

1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps. As they were trying to record this one, George just couldn't get the guitar solo the way he wanted. He told the other Beatles, "I know a guy who could probably get it the way we need it to be." They agreed to have George recruit this guy to lay down the tracks they needed. So George asks Clapton and tells him what they need. Clapton replies, "Oh no, wouldn't think of it - only Beatles play on their albums." George persists and Clapton finally agrees. And the song has a zing to it that would have been missing otherwise.

2. Layla. Well, now George is wishing he had never known Eric. The lyrics say it all. Duane Allman on slide guitar completes it. Frank Sinatra famously said it was one of the best love songs written.

3. Lay Down. Pretty much a one hit wonder by a young lady named Melanie and about her experience at Woodstock. It was written as an instrumental but skip that. Go with the full blown version with backing vocals and a passionate presentation. Allow me:

4. Black Hearted Woman. A deep track from The Allman Brothers and you don't know the blues until you hear those lyrics. This ain't Muddy Waters blues, believe me. Gregg really got wronged by some young lady. Butch Trucks and Jaimo lay down the beat like nobody else. A favorite of The Captain.

 

[emwolf]

In not particular order.

The Who - Sally Simpson
Bruce Springsteen - Johnny 99
Pearl Jam - Hail, Hail
The White Stripes - You don't know what love is
Bob Dylan - Tangled up in Blue

Off the top of my head. But as others have said, they often change over time.

Interesting selection for a Who track! I'm still stuck with the movie image of the Frankenstein monster as the rock musician she met in California.

 

[The Knize]

Today, favorites not "best," off the top of my head:

1. Powderfinger--Neil Young
2. Traveling Riverside Blues--Zep
3. Everybody Knows--Jayhawks
4. Don't Cry My Lady Love--Quicksilver
5. 3/5s of a Mile in Ten Seconds--Airplane

This will change in 15 minutes or so.

 

[Legion]

Five that first pop into my head. I'd probably change some if I spent more time, but I think this list is solid.


Nothing Compares to you. Prince, but I prefer the Sinead version.
Like a Stone. Audioslave.
Jolean. Dolly Parton.
The Mercy Seat. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
While my guitar gently weeps. The Beatles.

 

[The Knize]

Five that first pop into my head. I'd probably change some if I spent more time, but I think this list is solid.


Nothing Compares to you. Prince, but I prefer the Sinead version.
Like a Stone. Audioslave.
Jolean. Dolly Parton.
The Mercy Seat. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
While my guitar gently weeps. The Beatles.

great picks! I love Audioslave

 

[ShaveWok]

Every Morning - Sugar ray
The Anthem pt 2 - Blink 183
Warning - Greenday
Country Roads - Denver
Limb by Limb - Phish

 

[WesternModern]

Five that first pop into my head. I'd probably change some if I spent more time, but I think this list is solid.


Nothing Compares to you. Prince, but I prefer the Sinead version.
Like a Stone. Audioslave.
Jolean. Dolly Parton.
The Mercy Seat. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
While my guitar gently weeps. The Beatles.

Great Nick Cave choice!

 

[brucered]

Five that first pop into my head. I'd probably change some if I spent more time, but I think this list is solid.


Nothing Compares to you. Prince, but I prefer the Sinead version.
Like a Stone. Audioslave.
Jolean. Dolly Parton.
The Mercy Seat. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
While my guitar gently weeps. The Beatles.

Here is my favorite version of Jolene. It's a lot more rock and roll/blues obviously, but I do appreciate he kept it from the woman's point of view.

From the Conan O'Brian Show.