Happy Birthday Neil!

Today is Neil Young's 77th birthday. I'm a bit of a fan. Safe to say. We've just bought tickets to see Harvest Time on 1st December too! So, any excuse to spin a few of his tunes will do! He he he...but we did bounce around a bit throughout the day.

All of these albums were played in full, on CD*.

1. NEIL YOUNG Neil Young (1969)
2. CAROLE KING Tapestry (1971)
3. FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
4. NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE Zuma (1975)
5. QUEEN News of the World (1977)
6. NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
7. PHIL COLLINS Face Value (1981)
8. BOB DYLAN Infidels (1983)
9. KATE BUSH Hounds of Love (1985) *

* Hounds of Love was streamed via the Spottersfy, and was not quite wholly listened to. Two and a half tracks to go...Jig of Life indeed!

Now, the first solo Neil Young album seemed to be the obvious choice to kick off the day's music choices. It's not one that I listen to a lot, and I couldn't remember the last time I gave it a spin. Enjoyed it immensely. Patchy as heck in parts, but some wonderful songs. 

From there I grabbed Tapestry, because Rhones and I watched a couple of episodes of 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything on the Apples last night. Carole King featured prominently in the first one, particularly the recording of the Tapestry album. Was a logical choice to follow on, as Rhones had expressed a desire to listen to it again. Such a great album.

It was time to step it up a notch, so I grabbed Over-Nite Sensation. A good dose of Zappa! Arguably, the pinnacle of Zappa's 1970s output. By this point, I had realised that I was moving ahead in two year intervals between releases. So, I decide to keep the trend going. I felt like going back to Neil Young, and I nearly chose Tonight's the Night, which was released in 1975, but recorded years earlier. So, I grabbed Zuma. The second album crediting his backing band Crazy Horse, this was the first record to feature Frank Sampedro. Although Crazy Horse contributed to the odd track in the early 1970s, they hadn't been co-credited since 1969's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. I remembered that a punter at a gig of mine got talking to me about Neil, and cited Zuma as their favourite album of his. Strange choice, I thought. But, there are some great tracks there!

For 1977, it seemed like a good time to pick a Queen album, which would be News of the World, naturally. This record was on my mind because I'd recently seen an album poll online that ranked Queen II as their best work. Another strange choice, I thought. But, it had been ranked by subscribers to the website, so a public, not critical selection. Anyway, it's not one of my favourites. Not even in my Top 5, so I had News of the World and The Game fresh in my head. Decision made!

I felt like some more Neil next, so following the rule of two, I selected Rust Never Sleeps. Such a great album. Almost every track is a classic. Dig it. So, then onto 1981, and with it Phil Collins! No brainer, innit? Face Value is fantastic from start to finish. 

For 1983, I picked Dylan's Infidels album. It's not one that I've actually listened to in full, but I knew a handful of tracks; namely Jokerman, Sweetheart Like You and License to Kill. I've recently become quite fond of the closing track Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight, albeit the second version from the Springtime In New York 1980-1985 bootleg collection. I much prefer that take, but the one on Infidels is alright. It is amazing how the production has dated the material, but a very listenable effort from Zimmy.

Thought it was a good year for Kate Bush in 1985, so I landed on Hounds of Love. I don't own a physical copy of this unfortunately, so it was the Spottersfy to the rescue! Didn't quite get the whole album in, but a damn good chunk of it. Those first five songs are soooo good. What an amazing start to the record. The second half doesn't grab me as much, but still worth listening to.

So, there you go. If I had gotten to 1987 I think I would have grabbed INXS' wonderful Kick album. Or maybe Diesel & Dust by Midnight Oil. I had already decided that 1989 would be Neil Young's excellent, and eclectic, Freedom record. Might have to pick this thread up again sometime...

A Day of Music

Today has been a great day for music, delivered through different formats. It is Saturday, 5th November in the year 2022. Nothing specifically special about that date. Wikipedia tells me that it's the 309th day of the Gregorian calendar, and that 2022 has but 56 days left. I'm inclined to believe it. Oh yeah, and it's Guy Fawkes Day, innit? Or Bonfire Night or whatever you want to call it. Not of particular significance to this little black duck. The fact that it is also the birthday of Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood is of more importance. He's 51, if you're curious. It's also Gram Parsons birthday, who would have turned 76 had he not passed away the age of 26. 

But I digress!

I started the day off for us by spinning Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' wonderful Push the Sky Away album on vinyl. While our record player is in need of serious updating, parts of it sounded really good. Other bits sounded a little distorted, much to my chagrin. So, I decided to ditch the vinyl for the next listen. 

My phone let me know earlier that morning that Neil Young had just dropped an unreleased studio outtake from 1972's Harvest album, which was recorded with a group of musicians he dubbed The Stray Gators. There's a 50th anniversary reissue of the album coming out very soon, you see. The song Journey Through the Past has popped up on numerous live albums and releases, but this was an unheard version. So, I streamed it via the NYA (Neil Young Archives) app and looked for a CD to put on. Really nice version, by the way.

I landed on the wonderful Fleet Foxes box set First Collection 2006-2009. Only got a physical copy of this a few weeks ago, as it's readily available on the Spottersfy. It was released to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of their debut album Fleet Foxes in 2008. Included in the box set, is the album itself, the Sun Giant EP (released a few months before the album in 2008), The Fleet Foxes EP (self-released in 2006) and a disc of B-sides and rareties. I'd not heard the first EP before, and it's quite different from their subsequent offerings. It's only Robin Pecknold, the singer and songwriter behind the band, and a fellow called Garrett Croxon on the drums. Robin plays/sings every part except the drums. For the sake of continuity, I listened to the three official releases in their chronological, and then finished off with the B-sides disc. Seemed like the way to go. It was very enjoyable, let me tell you.

The next listen saw me open up the Spottersfy and select the newly released Super Deluxe 2022 Remaster of The Beatles album Revolver. I've not really gone in for any of the Super Deluxe releases that have come out in the last few years, but Revolver is my favourite Beatles LP, so I felt like it was worth a delve. The actual remastered album sounded great, but I have trouble hearing major differences in remastering. I had to play the 1987 CDs back-to-back with the 2009 reissues to notice the changes. Certainly an improvement, but I don't think I'm the audiophile that other Beatles fans are. My first real dive into the Beatles was via a cassette box set of all the albums when I was 12. I guess those analogue recordings are my touchstone. 

Anyway, I enjoyed the listen, and got through all the different takes and versions. Some of those tracks popped up on 1996's Anthology 2 compilation, so it wasn't all new to me. When I got to the mono/stereo editions of the album I stopped. It was cool that the alternate versions and stuff kicked off in reverse order. After Tomorrow Never Knows finished on the 2022 remaster, an early take of it signaled the beginning of the bonus material. Then it went to the different takes of Got To Get You Into My Life. It was pretty cool, reliving the album backwards with the alternate recordings. But then you got the Love You Too takes, before launching into the Paperback Writer and Rain ones. The mono and stereo mixes of Revolver included in the package feature those two tracks on the album. Nice idea. Those songs were recorded in the same sessions, but were released as a single in May 1966, three months before Revolver. I might possibly go back to those mixes. But then again, I might not. 

For a slightly mellower listen, I then grabbed The Flying Burrito Brothers excellent The Gilded Palace of Sin album, going back to the CD player. I only got into this one after reviewing it for the AFYCCIM blog I was a part of for a coupla years. Not expecting to like it much at all, I actually became quite enamoured with it. One of the big moments for me was hearing their version of Aretha's Do Right Man Do Right Woman. It was nice way to remember Gram Parsons' birthday. His impact on alt-country rock cannot be overstated. 

As it was Jonny's birthday, it seemed fitting to spin a Radiohead album next, and bizarrely, I chose Kid A. This was the album where it seemed Jonny had put down his guitar, he he he. Anyway, it was a nice revisit. I also played some random tracks on the way home from my gig, namely There There, Airbag and No Surprises.

So, yeah, nothing earth-shattering, but I felt like documenting. 

Sunday Morning Albums

My buddy Kieran and I were waxing lyrical on the wonder of the Sunday morning album recently. He offered up the notion that that particular time of the week was optimal for enjoying good albums. But, what makes an album good for Sunday morning? 

I suppose it has to have several things going for it. Firstly, it has to be something that everyone present will enjoy, or at the very least, tolerate. If the music is familiar and well-loved it adds a cosy comfort to the morning atmosphere, but that's not necessary essential. It can be a gamble to try a maiden listen on a Sunday morning and a wobbly aural start to the day can be difficult to shift, if the mood isn't right. 

Ultimately, you want the musical equivalent of a loving hug. Or a welcoming sunrise. Something that seems to promise that today will be a good day. For a lot of people, Sunday morning is a special time, and to have a soundtrack worthy of inhabiting the family's ears is just good sense. It's a time to recharge and reflect on the week that was, while pondering the incoming one.

We always have a big breakfast on Sunday, or as we call it 'Special Breakfast'. Usually that means French toast and hashbrowns for the kids, bacon and eggs for me and Rhones. I tend to add in mushrooms and grilled tomato as well. It's one of the only times we all sit around the dining table together, and we always endeavour to keep it sacred. 

So, for the hour or so I spend in the kitchen preparing Special Breakfast, it's good to have some choice tunes going. I'll ruminate on this subject a bit more in the future, methinks, but for now, I will simply offer up some of my favourite albums to play on a Sunday morning.

*            *            *

Bryter Layter NICK DRAKE (1971)
A lovely, mellow record to throw on the turntable. It even has an instrumental track called Sunday that finishes it off. Drake's voice is quite soft-spoken, which results in a vocal delivery that doesn't intrude. It sits nicely in the background, but you can also sing along when you want to. Big hallmark of a Sunday morning album right there, I reckon. 

Tapestry CAROLE KING (1971)
Another good quality for a Sunday morning album to have is a solid tracklisting. This record is a prime example of the classic adage 'all killer, no filler'. Even when it starts off with the slightly funky I Feel The Earth Move, it's not intrusive. It's a hearty welcome to the morning in the guise of a piano riff. The ballads are certainly more enjoyable on a lazy Sunday, but the upbeat numbers don't make you feel like you should be getting up to clean house or anything.

Fleet Foxes FLEET FOXES (2008)
These guys are getting played quite a bit in our house at the moment. While our son Lachlan and I battle for sonic supremacy, there are a number of bands we both like to play. This is one of them, and this album is wonderful for a Sunday morning. Reverb-drenched vocals and folky music production together with hooks and lovely lyrics. When White Winter Hymnal kicks off, you can't help but hum or sing along. Their second album Helplessness Blues is also a corker. 

Spring and Fall PAUL KELLY (2012)
A fairly mellow affair, this album could also pass for a late night record. Following the loose concept of the start and end of a romantic relationship (the spring and fall, as it were), this has some of Kelly's best work on it. The promise of New Found Year, as the couple celebrate their love together sits well with the jaunty For The Ages. As the tide turns and the themes get darker, the musical production doesn't; it remains light and acoustic. None Of Your Business Now does have a menacing feel, but it doesn't grab you by the throat or anything. The album's closer, Little Aches and Pains, is one of my favourite PK songs ever. 

Feels Like Home NORAH JONES (2004) 
Norah's follow-up to Come Away With Me is a more enjoyable affair, in my humble opinion. There's a relaxed feeling that permeates the whole record, and it seems as though you're just listening to musicians jamming. Everything sounds effortless and easy, much like a Sunday morning should be. Her cover of Tom Waits' Long Way Home is a big highlight, as is What Am I To You?, which features Levon Helm on drums and Garth Hudson on keys.

Apple Venus XTC (1999)
XTC's thirteen studio album, is also their second last effort, sadly. From the opening string plucks of River of Orchids to the haunting final notes of The Last Balloon, this is hugely enjoyable power pop that never outstays its welcome. Again, the upbeat numbers here are never overpowering, and there's an optimism throughout most of the playlist. Your Dictionary being one of the obvious exceptions, but I'd Like That and Easter Theatre are wonderful doses of sunny pop.

Modern Times BOB DYLAN (2006)
Dylan's last album of his critically acclaimed 'Late Trilogy' (along with the excellent Time Out of Mind and Love & Theft), is immensely enjoyable and perfect for a Sunday morning. Although the opening riffs of Thunder on the Mountain threaten to derail the desired free-and-easy atmosphere, the song settles into a steady toe-tapping groove. Even the guitar solos don't grate against you. Rollin' and Tumblin' could also blow the doors off in the hands of another interpreter, but Dylan keeps a lid on his band nicely. Ballads like Workingman's Blues No.2 and Spirit on the Water rank amongst Dylan's best tracks and they certainly help to welcome a new day.

Silver & Gold NEIL YOUNG (2000)
Utilising the mellow acoustic feel of the Harvest, Comes a Time and Harvest Moon albums, this absolute pearler is a joy from start to finish. Songs of love, nostalgia and gentle yearnings. The title track holds strong significance between Rhona and I as well, citing it as one of (if not, THE) 'our songs'. I rank Distant Camera and Razor Love pretty highly as well. Hearing Neil reminisce about his old band on Buffalo Springfield Again is something special too. 

Heathen

One of only four studio albums that Bowie released this century, Heathen turns 19 today. Seen by many as a return to form after 1999's meandering Hours..., this record boasts some of Bowie's strongest late-era material. It was Bowie's highest charting album in the US since Tonight in 1984. The cover artwork is quite striking as well, but good covers don't necessarily equate to good records. I'm looking at you, Aladdin Sane! He he he...

The album is bookended by two excellent Bowie numbers, Sunday and the title track, Heathen (The Rays). Both rely on creating unsettling sonic landscapes, and are fairly simple and unassuming...but effective. They were also regularly performed during Bowie's A Reality Tour in 2003/04. The record opener seems to be constantly leading up to some sort of crescendo, and when it finally arrives the track fades out. Interestingly, the song contains the lyric "nothing has changed" which was the title given to Bowie's 2014 compilation sets. 

There are three cover versions on this album, and I only really like one of them. I'm not much of a Pixies fan, and his go at Cactus does little to change that. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy song I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship also gets  an airing; an obvious tip of the hat to a hugely influential performer for Bowie (who inspired the name Ziggy Stardust). However, the track itself is underwhelming and comes across as album filler. The cover of Neil Young's I've Been Waiting For You is fantastic, and I love what Bowie and co. did with it. The original track appeared on Young's 1968 self-titled debut album, and while it had a quiet menace about it, this version puts that emotion front-and-centre. Understandably, the song was released as a single in Young's native Canada. Also, it has Dave Grohl playing guitar on it!

Heathen was produced in an era of CD dominated releases, so there was no real need to worry about its sides. Having procured the vinyl edition earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the flipping of the record serves the album. Ending the first side with that Young cover is excellent. It's quite a good closer, but gives a great sense of 'we'll be right back'. The second side starts with I Would Be Your Slave, an almost deliberate juxtaposition in tone from the track proceeding it. In an interview with Michael Parkinson, Bowie revealed ...Slave to be his favourite cut on the album. While not my favourite, it's still a good one, benefiting from some excellent bass work from co-producer Tony Visconti.

Speaking of bass work, the wonderful Tony Levin guest basses on album highlight Slip Away. A great track that reminisces about The Uncle Floyd Show, an American variety/comedy TV program that ran from 1974 to 1998. Not something I'd ever heard of until this song came along, to be honest. That doesn't take away from the melancholic longing felt throughout the song though. 

Getting back to sides of the record, I feel that the second half is stronger. Aside from the aforementioned LSC cover, it's all killer. Two of my big favourites follow, 5:15 Angels Have Gone and Everyone Says 'Hi', and I rate them both as some of Bowie's best work of the 21st century. The former is a great showcase for Bowie's vocals and in the hands of other artists, the latter could have been written off as poppy schmaltz. The first time I heard it, I felt a big grin on my face. The song just makes me feel happy. Other highlights on this album for me are the first single Slow Burn (featuring Pete Townshend on lead guitar) and the penultimate 
A Better Future.

The bulk of the music is performed by Bowie, Visconti, guitarist David Torn and drummer Matt Chamberlain. Contributions also came from musicians who would go on to be in his band for the A Reality Tour, namely guitarist Gerry Leonard and drummer Stirling Campbell. The wonderful string arrangements are performed by The Scorchio Quartet, and the brass comes courtesy of The Borneo Horns. Old mate Carlos Alomar turns up on a couple of tracks, and session muso Lisa Germano adds some violin.

All in all, the good definitely outweighs the bad, and this album is one of the strongest offerings in Bowie's catalog. I give this 4/5, and I just listened to it again!

NEXT UP: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars - June 16th (ish)

Album of the Week - Vol. 19

Hitchhiker NEIL YOUNG (2017)
Week: Friday 26th March to Thursday 1st April
Format: Vinyl
Producer(s): Neil Young, David Briggs & John Hanlon
Track listing:
1. Pocahontas *
2. Powderfinger *
3. Captain Kennedy
4. Hawaii
5. Give Me Strength *
6. Ride My Llama
7. Hitchhiker *
8. Campaigner
9. Human Highway *
10. The Old Country Waltz
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 33:44

Recorded in a single studio session on 11th August 1976, Neil Young's intent to release these songs as an album took 41 years to come to fruition. At the time, his record company (Reprise) baulked at the idea, and suggested full band arrangements for each of the tracks. More fool them. This is stripped to bare basics, and it's fantastic. Just Neil with his guitar and harmonica, except for the last song which is performed on a piano. It reminds me of Nick Drake's similarly stark Pink Moon, and both have the same fault of being too short. 

Except for Hawaii and Give Me Strength, all of these songs would appear on subsequent NY albums. The most recent occurrence being the title track, which was recorded in solo electric form for the 2010 album Le Noise, produced by Daniel Lanois. While it doesn't have the menace and growl of the newer version, this incarnation of Hitchhiker does still manage to be unnerving and imbued with small sense of paranoia. 

Three of these songs would arrive on 1979's excellent Rust Never Sleeps album, namely Pocahontas, Powderfinger and Ride My Llama. The former exists almost in the same form, but has a new vocal overdub. The latter is rerecorded before a live audience (as is the spirit of most of the album), but has a slightly different structure. Powderfinger is performed with Crazy Horse as part of the electric half of the album and is one of its highlights. To hear the song stripped down to its simplest form is quite something. As Paul Stanley once said of Kiss preparing for their 1996 MTV Unplugged performance, if a song doesn't work on an acoustic guitar, it's just a crappy song. Nothing more is needed here to express the emotion of the track. Wood, wire, skin and bones, as it were.

Human Highway was actually supposed to be the title track on CSNY's follow-up to their classic 1970 Déjà Vu album. There are even recordings of Young performing the song with Graham Nash and David Crosby in the mid seventies, but the record never materialised, despite their massive 1974 stadium tour. The world wouldn't get a second CSNY album until 1988's patchy American Dream. Human Highway was eventually recorded for Young's 1978 Comes A Time album, the closest relative to his Harvest smash. Again, hearing it here stripped of backing vocals and a band arrangement is like listening with fresh ears. I think I prefer this version to any other I've heard.

This take of Campaigner would see a release on Young's retrospective Decade in 1977, albeit with a verse removed, and Captain Kennedy shows up on 1980's Hawks & Doves as heard here. Both songs feel like they belong on this album. The former was one of a handful of unreleased songs to be included on Decade, and possibly was chosen due to its then-timely lyric stating that "even Richard Nixon has got soul". 

The album ends with The Old Country Waltz, played by Young on the piano, a far cry from the shambolic take with Crazy Horse on 1977's unfocused American Stars 'n Bars. In my mind, this is the weakest track here, but it is still very listenable, and I much prefer this version to the band one. Hawaii is probably the only other contender for that title, but again, is still quite good. When Young sings the title in the chorus his falsetto is eerie and unsettling. 

This leave us with Give Me Strength, which I really dig, and like Hawaii, I had not heard before. It's quite a nice song about loss and trying to move on, and I think it's a shame it was never revisited or released before this came out. There are a few flubs on the track, and that might be a reason it stayed in the vault, but I think it adds to the song's charm, and as result, the whole album.

The biggest travesty here is that the album stayed on the shelf for so long. It's a wonderful look into the mind of Young who was just coming out of his so-called 'Ditch trilogy' period and starting to look ahead. The deaths of Crazy Horse singer/guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry affected Young profoundly, and had a cathartic effect on the music he produced following their passings. Here he seems a little dazed still, but trying to fight through the fog, and carry on. I'm so glad that he did. I first listened to this album shortly after its release via the excellent Neil Young Archives. Obtaining a copy on vinyl by the time I decided I wanted to own it proved a challenge, but good things come to those who persist!

CLAY'S eleven

I was asked by a good friend of mine to make him a CD. He asked me to pick eleven songs that mean something to me. He also told me not to over think it, and just do it. 

I did probably give this task too much thought, but I like to do these little things. This felt quite similar to the Essential20 idea that Justin floated through us a couple of years back. Only this time, I didn't have to rely on Spotify. I knew I would have everything I wanted.

Of course, I tried to include my BIG FIVE, and I got three out of the five. I had a bit of an epiphany a little while ago where five musical artists revealed themselves to be my absolute favourites:

1. Neil Young
2. Bob Dylan
3. Frank Zappa
4. Paul Kelly
5. David Bowie

For whatever reason, these five musicians are the ones where I've tried the hardest to listen to their entire body of work. I haven't quite got there with all five yet, but I'm certainly making headway.

Anyway, I decided to distance myself from my favourite bands and songs and stuff and hone in on music that provoked an emotional response of some kind from me. As someone else would be listening to it, I also thought it best to keep the length of the tracks fairly short too; no twenty six minute prog rock epics here! The longest song goes for six and half minutes, but they tend to be between three and four.

I think I've come up with a fairly indicative list, but as is always the case with these things, I've missed a few songs. I'm not going to dwell on those missed choices though. For whatever reason, I feel that these eleven tracks were the ones I was meant to pick.

Anyway, here they are:

1. Desperados Under The Eaves by Warren Zevon (Warren Zevon, 1976)

I went through a pretty big Warren Zevon phase a few years back after a fellow who worked at Rosie O'Grady's lent me the A Quiet Normal Life compilation. This was a track that constantly grabbed me whenever it played. I seemed to be drawn in by it, and as the song builds towards it end, I would feel a little teary for some reason. It's not a sad song or anything, but the arrangement is pretty stirring. I have been lucky to play it live a handful of times, and it has some of my favourite lyrics that Zevon ever wrote. I was always pretty bummed that I didn't really get into his music until after he died.

2. Don't Let It Bring You Down by Neil Young (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

Of course there had to be a Neil Young song in here, and I landed on this one. Not only my favourite song from my favourite Neil Young album, but it has a lyric that I found myself quoting a lot over the years:

"Don't let it bring you down/

It's only castles burning..."

I don't really know what it means, but I find it strangely comforting. I feel it expresses a desire to rise above whatever situation who find yourself in. I might be wrong, but that's the great thing about music, isn't it?

3. The Lighthouse Song by Josh Pyke (Chimney's Afire, 2008)

Rhona and I both love Josh Pyke and we've seen him live about seven or eight times. His music speaks to both of us, and we even have lyrics from one of his songs on our bedroom wall. I chose this track because it always reminds of me of Rhona. When things get a little tough, and the world seems to be closing in around us, this songs almost becomes something of a mantra. We're about to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary and I think our relationship is stronger than it's ever been. I cherish our marriage dearly, and I don't take it for granted. This song feels like it's about us, in a weird way.

4. Pink Moon by Nick Drake (Pink Moon, 1972)

I had to listen to Nick Drake's Pink Moon as part of my blogging adventures for afyccim, and it was my first ever experience with the man. I was struck by the song's simplicity and beauty. That piano in the middle of the track is just wondrous. It just does something to me. It centres and clams me. I love it. 

5. The Mission: Unexplainable Stories by Cloud Cult (Light Chasers, 2010)

From the first time I heard this song, I loved it. The opening brass lines grabbed me and I was hooked within ten seconds. It wouldn't surprise you to know that this song is from a concept album, and this is the start of the story, but it works quite well on its own. I absolutely love how the musical layers stack up throughout the track. It's stunning.

6. (Nice Dream) by Radiohead (The Bends, 1995)

For a long time, I held this album to be my favourite of all time, and it's still up there. I chose this song because I think everything great about Radiohead is in this one track. Lovely melodic vocals, lush arrangements, screaming guitars and beautiful counter melodies. Its the latter than really grab here. When they start up in the middle choruses, I just get taken away. He he he...and then the guitars shake me out of it.

7. God by John Lennon (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)

I've spent a large portion of my life as fan of The Beatles, and I still am one. John has always been my favourite Beatle, and I gravitate towards the songs he wrote. When I chose my ten essential Beatles tracks recently, seven of them were John's. This album is a very strong contender for my all time favourite too. Such raw honesty and emotion. This track in particular strips away the idea that John clings to any ideal, religion or figure. All that matters is his relationship with Yoko, and again that's something I relate to me and Rhona. I also love this song for Ringo's drumming; every fill on the "I don't believe in..." lines is different. 

8. The Golden Age by Beck (Sea Change, 2002)

Another one of those songs that just takes me away. I love listening to this one while I'm driving, as the lyrics describe being in the car. Again, it's a fairly simple song, but the arrangement and the vocal layering elevate it well above the average track. This is another song that seems to calm or soothe me.

9. Not Dark Yet by Bob Dylan (Time Out Of Mind, 1997)

This hypnotic, almost dirge-like track is the longest one in this list. It's slow, it's fairly simple, but I love the lyrics and the repeated guitar riff. It feels like the musical equivalent of an ocean wave; the song just washes over you. This album was the beginning of one of my favourite Dylan eras, and it always reminds me of the road he went down. 

10. Little Aches And Pains by Paul Kelly (Spring And Fall, 2012)

I love Paul Kelly, and if there's any songwriter I wish I could emulate, he's it. His observational style and storytelling skills paint such vivid images. This track is a little different, but it still evokes a picture of sorts. As the song's narrator talks about getting older and how he always feels little aches and pains, Kelly knocks out some of my favourite lyrics:

"Disabled we're born, disabled we die/

Is that a cliche? I'll make it one/

Hope it doesn't get too creaky..."

I also hold this track as something special because the first time I heard was live. Rhona and I went to see the Paul Kelly documentary Stories Of Me at the Astor Theatre and Kelly came out at the end of the film to play a few songs. This was one of them, and I loved it immediately. We were lucky enough to score front row tickets too, so he was directly in front of us. Magic moment.

11. It's A Motherfucker by Eels (Daisies Of The Galaxy, 2000)

Despite the profanity, this is a beautiful song. Those strings are just amazing, and I think it's one of the most perfect arrangements I've ever heard. It's a nice way to the end of the list too. I think this was the song that started me down the Eels' rabbit hole as well. I haven't listened to the last three or four albums, but I should get onto that.

So, there you have it. I might try to do this again in a little while, as an experiment, and see what I choose then.