Paul (NI Magyar) mentioned awhile back that he thought 2005 was a pretty barren year in terms of music quality. I didn’t quite agree at the time but I only realised afterwards that most of the music I listen to I have been listening to for yonks! It’s all old stuff. The most recent album I bought was actually U2′s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), an excellent album by the way, by far their best since their last one. For the past few weeks I’ve been listening fairly heavily to System of a Down Toxicity which is from 2001 and Chris Cornell’s Euphoria Morning from 1999. And most of the other songs I listen to are from the last century.
The songs I like best are good guitar tunes and while there are some good fairly recent ones many of the best go back a couple of decades. Here’s some songs which have a permanent place on my all time favourite list (in no special order)
The too-obvious choices…
The Eagles – Hotel California (the live version with the cool intro)
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven (banned in most guitar stores worldwide)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (Muse do a nice and heavy cover of this)
David Bowie – Space Odyssey
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Tim Lizzy/Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways
The less-obvious choices…
Metallica – One
Metallica – Fade to Black
Metallica – Sanatarium (I could probably add a few more Metallica’s)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – My Friends
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge (a bit overplayed that one)
U2 – God Part 2
U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (can’t beat the famous live version)
Audioslave – Show me how to live
Queens of the Stone Age – Go with the flow
The probably-on-no-one-else’s-list choices…
The Frames – Revelate
No Doubt – Don’t Speak
Soundgarden – Fell on Black Days
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag
Alanis Morissette – Thank You
Beastie Boys – Sabotage
Green Day – Good Riddance
It’s not a full list by any means. I could add another 50 from just U2, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers & Chris Cornell.
So what would make your all-time favourites list?
Edit: I suppose I should clarify that I had a “Top 100″ in mind writing this. List 1 are the all time classics, those songs that would make any list. List 2 are just great songs in general but which may not be considered all time classics. Category 3 are just those odd songs which I love to listen to.
Black Hole Sun? That’s one of my favourites. Very nineties.
I haven’t been buying albums lately. There doesn’t seem to be a reason to do so in this day and age.
A song I’ve enjoyed lately though has been ‘Right Here’ by Staind.
Well, Maca, for the first block of song I agree with you totally.
As for the second one I like some songs of RHCP, but not the ones you listed. I’d rather go for Californication and Zephyr Song. The best songs from U2 are Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day.
No Alanis Morrisette, please
UI
Black Hole Sun’s a classic, they got a lot of new fans with that album, some great songs on it.
Antonio
It’s hard to pick the best songs from RHCP or U2, they have so many great ones!
And what’s wrong with Alanis?
Alanis has a nice song on the end of the Narnia OST. And have you heard her version of “Crazy” (big hits for Seal and Adamski?). Uhem…That said, Thank You is not the song of hers I would have chosen.
Maca, quite like your first two lists, even though I’m not fully in agreement with them. Third list – you’ve some very dodgy stuff there. Wheatus? Oh My God.
Winds
I know, I like some odd stuff, that’s why I called that list the “probably-on-no-one-else’s-list choices”
I could probably come up with a better list but most of these songs are on my MP3 player at the mo so stuck in my mind a bit.
Weatus – it’s just that song Teenage Dirtbag I like, it’s a good aul tune.
I’m not going to apologise for being weird
Maca,
I can’t stand Alanis for her voice, her style… I don’t like her too much.
Fine choices there Maca.Esp.Audioslave(Both albums are stonkers) and Q.O.T.S.A. I’d like to add Joy Division’s “Love will tear us apart” and The Smiths “How soon is now” The two finest songs ever written save “My Lovely Horse”
Oh God, I’d never have managed to list out 100.