Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 33)

 I keep thinking I'll run out of tunes from this playlist but so far I am not consciously listening to songs I previously skipped. 

"Girl from the North Country" by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan (1969)

It's cool to have the two of them on a song but the singing here is...rough. Bob does better on the earlier solo version.

"Roll On" by The Living End (2000)

It's like if The Clash did a union anthem.

"Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits (1985)

I somehow didn't know this was about the Falklands war.

"Super Freak" by Rick James (1981)

According to James, this was recorded so "white folks would have something to dance to". In retrospect, it seems like this song had slightly more reach than that.

"Lithium" by Nirvana (1992)

For a song in a genre called "grunge", this song (and the entire album) is awfully well and cleanly recorded.

"Oddfellows Local 151" by REM (1987)

A great name for a song which is (probably) about some bums and kind of catchy for an REM song.

"Straight for the Heart" by Toto (1988)

Oh yes, guys, a sex worker will often "walk the streets in the name of romance".

"25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago (1970)

Whether the song is about drugs or finishing the writing of a song in the wee hours, it has a killer guitar solo.

"Country Road" by James Taylor (1971)

JT's songs often sound alike at first but they're so damned easy to listen to...oh crap...EZ!

"Diamond Girl" by Seals and Crofts (1973)

I kind of dig the smooth-jazzy instrumental breaks on this one...bongos and flute!

"The Mayor of Simpleton" by XTC (1989)

This may be the "pop single" of this album but it's good and has a great bass line.

"Me and Sarah Jane" by Genesis (1981)

Wait, Genesis did a song about a Doctor Who character???

"Lonesome Loser" by The Little River Band (1979)

Another perfectly crafted '70s pop tune with tight, Australian vocals.

"Paper in Fire" by John Cougar Mellencamp (1987)

The critic Robert Christgau wrote (about the album this came from), "In which Mellencamp's confused conscience and self-serving defeatism become so single-minded they take on the force of truth." He gave the LP an "A-". 

"Murder Incorporated" by Bruce Springsteen (1995)

Speaking of pop singer populists, this one takes on the topic of guns. Go Bruce!

"State Trooper" by Bruce Springsteen (1982)

From "meh" Bruce to MasterBruce. This track is so great with its raw, desperation. 

"Imagine" by John Lennon (1971)

I've heard this one SO many times but it's still great. I wonder what Lennon would think of this song being embraced both by atheists and religious folks (I have literally played this in a church service)?

"Careless Whisper" by George Michael/Wham! (1984)

George may not have considered this his best work but it's pretty much a perfect 1980s ballad. The sax line, which took forever to get right, sells it right up front.

"O Valencia!" by The Decemberists (2006)

Wait, this is 17 years old?! Crap. It still sounds pretty fresh. 

"The Bertha Butt Boogie" by The Jimmy Castor Bunch (1975)

This is a hilariously EPIC funk track. How do I know? One of the characters is named, "Bathsheba Butt". No question.