50 Tracks

[Peachy]

I didn't know it was Jankovic (thought it was Yankovic), and I didn't know he was dead either (I just saw him in concert 9 days ago).

I guess I'm wrong on both counts. It was actually his parents that died this year. For some reason I swear that it was him. Must have read the newswires half-asleep!

[longgone]

... Hummmmmmm...... out of all them thar songs that been posted up there isn't one good ole toe tappin', boot stompin', two steppin' country 'n western genre ... in the lot ... sad it is just sad

[Peachy]

And, the 90s and Audience Picks:

The 1990s 1. Smells like Teen Spirit,      Performed by: Nirvana, 2. You oughta know,      Performed by: Alanis Morissette, 3. Doo Wop (That Thing),      Performed by: Lauryn Hill 4. Paranoid Android,      Performed by: Radiohead 5. Real Love,      Performed by: Mary J. Bligeback to top of current pageAudience Choices 1. Brother can you spare a dime?      Bing Crosby 2. Rock around the Clock      Bill Haley and the Comets 3. Stayin' Alive      Beegees 4. Good Vibrations      The Beach Boys 5. Satisfaction      The Rolling Stones 6. One Love/People get ready      Bob Marley 7. London Calling      The Clash 8. Like a Rolling Stone      Bob Dylan 9. Day in the Life      The Beatles  10. Born to run      Bruce Springsteen

[mzajac@gmail.com]

CBC left Joni Mitchell's River and Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart off of the web-based voting forms, so these songs only got phone and email votes. I emailed them about it, but only got back the automated reply. Disappointing to have the contest stacked against these two great songs because of their carelessness.

[Cluttermagnet]

... Hummmmmmm......  out of all them thar songs that been posted up there isn't one good ole toe tappin', boot stompin', two steppin' country 'n western  genre ... in the lot ...  sad it is just sad

So true. Although I'm not particularly fond of country or CW or bluegrass, that genre without doubt belongs on any 'top' list, as it definitely has a huge following. There have been a few that 'broke through' and made the national 'top forty'. I have liked quite a few in that style. It just goes to show how stupid polls can be if you take them seriously. I wouldn't even agree that the CBC list necessarily represents an accurate sample of web surfers, let alone the general population. I also would like to have seen Joni Mitchell's "River" get on that list, but as good as that one is, she did some better. A couple of times she actually did hit the charts and have a song break through into the top forty. I think I remember "Raised on Robbery' as doing that, and maybe "Hissing of Summer Lawns" might have been the other? One of several personal favorites of mine is her song "Jericho" from the album "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter". This was the beginning of her more inventive, jazz-influenced phase, as she began to spin off in a very different direction, leaving much of her traditional audience behind her. Tim Buckley did the very same, alienating a majority of his followers early on.

[siebkens]

I've enjoyed this thread! I listen to about anything that's not classical music - very lowbrow I guess.From Weird Al to bluegrass, country, rock, heavy metal and a little alternative. My parents swear that my boys are sure to grow & love classical music just to pay me back for all of the music that I put my parents through. Maybe I'll learn some culture from my boys (after they get off the Weird Al kick)!! :lol:More evidence for the Weird Al is still alive & kicking file:

Washington Post 9/6/04Noted . . .Things are getting weirder for "Weird Al" Yankovic. While onstage last week at the Du Quoin State Fair in Illinois, the comic rocker was swarmed by an onslaught of green moths. "My band asked me if I could find a concert where we would be attacked by insects," remarked Yankovic. "I said I would see what I could do" . . .

[Peachy]

... Hummmmmmm......  out of all them thar songs that been posted up there isn't one good ole toe tappin', boot stompin', two steppin' country 'n western  genre ... in the lot ...  sad it is just sad

C'mon, Hank Williams isn't toe-tapping? To me Williams was probably the best Country singer/songwriter of the 20th Century!

[Peachy]

Just to throw in some more perspective, from the 1930's Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" was ranked number two for that decade. If you haven't heard it before, it is a beautiful, melodic song that was singularly different from any other jazz song of that era or ever. Although not written by her (Abel Meeropol a.k.a. Lewis Allan wrote it), it was probably the first jazz protest song. What was it protesting against: the lynching of African-Americans that continued in the South during that period. Here's some lyrics from the song:

Southern trees bear strange fruitBlood on the leavesBlood at the rootBlack bodies swinging in the southern breezeStrange fruit hanging from the poplar treesPastoral scene of the gallant southThe bulging eyes and the twisted mouthThe scent of magnolia sweet and freshThen the sudden smell of burning fleshHere is a fruit for the crows to pluckfor the rain to gatherfor the wind to suckfor the sun to rotfor the tree to dropHere is a strange and bitter crop