Sheesh, glad I didn't go with Roman numerals for this!
"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" by Fats Domino (1961)
Hank Williams wrote this one, which was new to me.
"Have a Heart" by Bonnie Raitt (1989)
Speaking of good covers, this one holds up fairly well though the keyboards place it firmly in the late-1980s. It would be cool to hear a version of this with a little less 80s production.
"I'm Looking for Someone to Love" by Buddy Holly and The Crickets (1957)
A very well-recorded track for 1957. I found it...funny(?) that this song came up while I was driving to play a gig at The Surf Ballroom.
"For the Turnstiles" by Neil Young (1974)
Some good, old-fashioned bleak/scaled down Neil.
"Stay On" by BoDeans (1993)
This is the kind of thing that dominated what they called "adult contemporary" radio in the 1990s. Nice tune.
"La Petite Fille de la Mer" by Vangelis (1972)
A dense, keyboards and guitar instrumental that doesn't really sound like his more famous, later material.
"Time Passages" by Al Stewart (1978)
This isn't a bad song but the production is SO cheesy.
"(I Don't Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway by The Sutherland Brothers (1973)
What's with the parentheses in this song title??? And, another band from Scotland.
"I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" by Elton John (1988)
A so-so EJ song that sounds like it was whipped up fairly quickly. A long time ago, my great grandmother used to have one of those Hammond electric organs that were somehow "popular" in the 1970s. When we would go visit her in Iowa, we kids would play around on this thing and likely annoyed our parents greatly. One of things it had were some crude "rhythm" auto track things (proto loops?). The constant electronic beat on this song, which sounds like an electronic wood block or something, reminded me of the beats that thing would play when you were messing around "playing" it.
"We've Been Had" by The Walkmen (2002)
More early aughts alternative radio fodder. This song was apparently used in a car commercial. I like that.
"Vita Voom" by Ozric Tentacles (1993)
The Ozric Tentacles Groove rolls on!
"See Saw" by Aretha Franklin (1968)
Even by Aretha standards, this one is fantastic. I also love the bass line on this track.
"Pineapple Head" by Crowded House (1993)
This is up there with the band's best singles and has a definite "Norwegian Wood" feel to it.
"I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" by The Beatles (1964)
A great, early George Harrison song that holds up, even at a tidy 2 minutes long.
"Treat Her Like a Lady" by Cornelius Brothers (1971)
Another one of those songs which basically advises you to not be a jerk or someone like one of the Corneliuses will step in.
"Lies" by Thompson Twins (1982)
OK, I think I have made it through most of the TT hit singles on this list. Phew.
"Allentown" by Billy Joel (1982)
Joel's records are often overproduced but that can't get in the way of this song, which is still great. I chuckled a bit at the cover for the single:
"The Scientist" by Coldplay (2002)
Wait, what is this about again?
"Lucifer" by The Alan Parsons Project (1979)
I love how a song like this, a pseudo prog rock instrumental, can be a hit. Only in the 70s.
"Runnin' with the Devil" by Van Halen (1978)
This was a hit around the same time and TWO SATAN SONGS IN A ROW!!!
"Touch and Go" by The Cars (1980)
This is a fun song and one their best.
"Forever Man" by Eric Clapton (1985)
Likely the best song from this dated 80s album that really has a lot of timbale going on!
"Feels So Good" by Chuck Magione (1977) Now that is some smoooooth jazz. The cover for this album looks like Dr. Teeth hugging a flugelhorn.
"Steady, As She Goes" by The Raconteurs (2006)
Huh, I guess there's a good reason this sounds like a Jack White record.
"Oye Como Va" by Santana (1971)
All I can see when I hear this song now is The Dude cruising around after stopping at In and Out Burger. It's the perfect song for that.
"Take On Me" by A-ha (1985)
A 1980s classic that really must have owed some of its success to its music video.
"Don't Worry About the Government" by Talking Heads (1977)
One of my favorite TH songs that might just be the anthem for those who toil in the "Deep State"
"Some civil servants are just like my loved ones. They work so hard and they try to be strong."
"It Hurts to Be in Love" by Gene Pitney (1964)
'Ol Gene should have hired Buddy Holly's recording team.
"So Far Away" by Dire Straits (1985)
The opener for the 80s blockbuster album, "Brothers In Arms" that sounds a bit more like the material they were doing late 70s. It's interesting that this is followed on the album by what DOES sound of its time, "Money For Nothing".
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