This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.
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Wally Pleasant holds the top spots on both of my “faves” categories! This week’s song list brings in a double dose of John Hiatt as well as a double shot of Paul McCartney, both as a solo artist and with The Beatles! A pretty good week of listening!
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of September 11, 2011
1. Stupid Day Job–Wally Pleasant
2. Riding With the King–John Hiatt
3. Brown Eyed Handsome Man—Paul McCartney
4. Brighter Than the Sun-Colbie Caillat
5. Long Way to Go-Alan Jackson
6. I Wanna Go-Britney Spears
7. Sparks Fly-Taylor Swift
8. Down at the Plaza-Pat Bergeson featuring Dan Anderson, Tom Roady, and Steve Shapiro)
9. You May Already Be a Winner-John Hiatt
10. Yesterday-The Beatles (Full band version from a 1966 West German broadcast courtesy of “Dennis Mitchell’s Breakfast with The Beatles.”)
1) “Stupid Day Job” —I made it my “stupid day job” to count how many times he uses the word ‘stupid’ in the song. Your “stupid day job” should be watching the video at wallypleasant.com!!
2) “Riding with the King” —One of the heaviest and funkiest bass lines ever laid down on a record by producer and bassist Nick Lowe! I am not aware of this version of the song ever being sampled, but I have no idea why you wouldn’t! A song about Elvis Presley that I go crazy about every time I hear it and then try to figure out why I haven’t listened to it in so long! The bass alone must push the boundaries of the recording industry standards just like The Beatles tried to do with “Paperback Writer!” The organ is great, too, but the bass wins the match! If you are unaware of this song, check it out and turn it up to 11!
3) “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” —I have no idea why Paul decided to make this one a Cajun flavored romp of this Chuck Berry/Buddy Holly song, but it was a great idea! I haven’t been able to get it out of my head for the past few weeks, so it pops up on my favorites again in remembrance of Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday! Rumor has it that Run Devil Run is next in line to get the expanded box treatment like McCartney and McCartney II. Bring it on, baby!
4) “Brighter Than the Sun” –-Still brighter than most songs out there right now, but the luster is wearing off.
5) “Long Way Home” —I thought this song might have dropped off by this week, but I heard it a couple more times and it continues to grow on me. But will I hear it this week….
6) “I Wanna Go” —Getting ready to be retired. But still so darn catchy…..
7) “Sparks Fly” —This one’s beginning to stick. Taylor is so good with her melodies!
8) “Down at the Plaza” —How can you keep from moving while listening to this song? This one is really starting to grab me. Pat Bergeson, Dan Anderson, Tom Roady, and Steve Shapiro put together a “musical gumbo” that Pat describes as “a combination of Dirty Dozen Brass Band, meets Bela Fleck, meets Dave Matthews Band.” I’m pretty sure I left another band out of that quote, but you get the idea. If you don’t, listen to a sample or buy it at patbergeson.com!
9) “You May Already Be a Winner” —Another long forgotten jolt of John Hiatt! Nice organ highlights along with a latin type of double beat on the bass drum tom tom, once again produced by Nick Lowe! Hiatt’s character sounds lazy but contented with his lot in life in this song. Shouldn’t sound as happy as it does, but it’s also very understated!
10) “Yesterday” —This is not one of my favorite Beatle songs. The interesting thing about this version is that instead of a solo Paul McCartney singing it with his guitar, you get the whole band playing it probably like they did before they went to the string quartet. This is a very interesting artifact!
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