Fantaverse Top 100 Songs of All Time (THREAD #1): #100-#91

[undeadmonkey]

Shrykespeare
Blancmange, “Don’t Tell Me”
didnt hate it, but im not exactly sure how i feel about it, im going to look up some more of their stuff

NSpan
Pink Floyd, “Mudmen” (1972)
i dont know if i've actually ever heard any pink floyd. Other than if they were on a movie or something. This song wasnt bad, but not really my thing. I like lyrics in my songs unless it's a score of a movie or something. I have three pieces of three film scores on my list.


Numbersix
Boards of Canada, “Music is Math”
i usually like my electronic music more dance-y but this wasnt bad at all


Geezer
Rise Against, “Prayer of the Refugee”
i find it interesting that your two favorite bands have the word 'against' in their name. I didnt really like it. sorry. I didnt so much mind the music, it's just that it irritates me a bit when musicians (and actors for that matter) get political. Now i know that musicians and actors have every right to voice their political opinion just as much as every one else, I just dont want to hear it in my entertainment.


becs
The Used, “Buried Myself Alive”
i dont really like screamo stuff, i like to be able to hear what the singers are saying, but this was pretty tame, so i didnt mind it.


leestu
Muse, “Time Is Running Out” (2003)
i dont know a part of me likes muse and a part of me thinks they're overrated. but i havent really heard that much of their stuff. only their uprising song and their songs on the twilight movies (which partly explains my caution towards them). I have to admit though that when i pressed play i did not expect how it would start, and i actually wuite liked the beginning, then it lost me for a bit, I am going to go look up some of their stuff though, some of their not popular stuff


Buscemi
Keith Mansfield, “Funky Fanfare”
i love jazz but i didnt find anything that stood out in this piece

silversurfer
The Dears, “Who Are You, Defenders Of The Universe?”
was definitely interesting for a one time listen


transformers
Slayer, “Angel Of Death”
i listened to it for about a minute to try it out....


W
The Doors, “Love Me Two Times”
couldnt get into it. was too slow for me, it got more upbeat after a while but by then it had lost me


hmmm, just like six, this has been a slow round for me as well, if i would have to pick a favorite of the round i would pick.... Leestu's choice

[becs]

Shrykespeare
Blancmange, “Don’t Tell Me”
I liked it, very 80s, but seemed a bit lacking to me.

NSpan
Pink Floyd, “Mudmen” (1972)
It was okay, seems like you would need some kind of substance to really enjoy this kind of music though so not for me.

Numbersix
Boards of Canada, “Music is Math”
Pretty cool song, but for me it wouldn't be a "best" or really stand out.

Geezer
Rise Against, “Prayer of the Refugee”
Love Rise Against and this is a great song from them, definitely my favorite of the round.

undeadmonkey
Sheryl Crow, “Soak up the Sun”
I know she is talented (and hot), but for me Sheryl Crow sort of always toes the line with pop/country, so I see her as much like Shania... and do not like in general.

leestu
Muse, “Time Is Running Out” (2003)
Absolutely love this song! As always Muse delivers an excellent performance. Have you heard the Vitamin String Quartet cover from their Muse tribute album? Its my favorite one they did.

Buscemi
Keith Mansfield, “Funky Fanfare”
Hmm, seemed pretty mediocre to me, but it wasn't bad.

silversurfer
The Dears, “Who Are You, Defenders Of The Universe?”
Liked it, you are very consistent in your style, while they don't stand out with enough uniqueness, its certainly enjoyable.

transformers
Slayer, “Angel Of Death”
Meh, not really a fan of this style of metal.

W
The Doors, “Love Me Two Times”
I almost feel like I would have liked it if they got rid of the vocals entirely, but with him singing this really didn't do anything for me.

becs: The Used, “Buried Myself Alive” - I don't get it. Yesterday you posted the witty lyrics to that MSI that poked fun at exactly the kind of song like this. I'm afraid I see emo as a cynical attempt to cash in on teenage angst, and it just comes across as fake.

See, for me the reason I like this track is because it is the opposite of that. Admittedly The Used is a talented band who I often falls into the hole of pumping out songs that sell the the "QQ My Life Sucks" crowd, but this song in particular has a positive message. The song is all about Bert's being in a bad relationship which kept pushing him into heroin addiction, but in the end that he pulled himself out of it.

[numbersix]

I appreciate the message but I think it can be expressed better than stuff like "With my foot on your neck I finally have you right where I want you". But hey, that's just me.

[Buscemi]

Note to Six: when you live in a place where nearly every radio station is country or adult contemporary music on a permanent playlist or Nickelback every 30 minutes (I fucking hate Clear Channel and all of its subdivisions), the only way that you really can discover much of anything is through movies, old music articles or YouTube (and before it became the network for 17 daily reruns of Real World/Road Rules Challenge, MTV). I probably wouldn't have discovered things like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin had it not been for those things.

[Shrykespeare]

Here's my recap for the last ten songs.

Basically, I assigned a number between 1 and 10 to every song (much like IMDb), so after ten songs, here is everyone's average:

Geezer - 6.7
becs - 6.5
undeadmonkey - 6.4
numbersix - 5.5
silversurfer - 5.4
leestu - 5.3
NSpan - 5.2
Buscemi - 5.2
transformers - 5.1
W - 5.0


Favorite songs posted not by me:
becs - Major Tom (Coming Home) - 10
UDM - Soak Up the Sun - 10
transformers - Eruption - 10
Geezer - Tom Sawyer - 9
Buscemi - Gangsta's Paradise - 9

Least favorite songs posted:
UDM - Believe - 1
W - Friends in Low Places - 1
transformers - Ov Fire and the Void - 1

Favorite songs posted that I had never heard before (or if I had, I don't remember):
leestu - Temple of Love - 9
numbersix - Music Is Math - 8
W - One Piece at a Time - 8



Additionally, here is a preview of the #90 songs (though not on this thread):

A 2004 single by an alt-rock badn from New York.
A 2004 by a heavy-metal band from Massachusetts.
A 2003 song by a neo-psychedelic band from San Francisco.
A 2002 minor hit by a very well-known dance/pop artist.
A 1994 hit song by a well-respected grunge band from Seattle (no, not Nirvana).
A 1993 well-known single by another well-respected grunge band from Seattle (again, not Nirvana, and the first repeat we've had since the 100 began).
A 1993 well-known single by yet another well-repsected grunge band from Seattle (okay, this one IS Nirvana).
A 1990 hit song by a well-known SoCal punk rock band.
A 1979 hard rock classic by a Hall of Fame group.
A 1974 song by one of the most eclectic, influential and prolific singer/songwriters of the last half-century.
A 1971 classic sung by one of the female pioneers of rock music.

[numbersix]

Boosh, I hardly think your argument stands up in this day in age, when there's sites like Pandora Radio, or a million other similar websites that are either digital radio stations or recommendation databases. Hell, even Amazon's recommendation tab is pretty good. And let's not forget the music mag institutions like NME, Pitchfork, Uncut, Mojo etc that have loads of free online content!

Anyway, looking back on the last ten songs, I haven't attributed points to songs picked because I try not to categorise music that much (movies on the other hand...). But looking back here's a few things I've noticed:

I kinda knew going into it that NSpan and SS would be the ones I share my taste with the most, through other music-related posts here and in the FM days. It was a surprise to see Leetsu join that dynamic duo by posting a lot of great tunes. I should also give extra props for Nspan introducing me to some great stuff I never knew.

The rest of you I found you posted songs that ranged from good to bad. Becs was the most interesting in that she posted songs I absolutely despised but also songs that I loved, including one that features quite high on my list. UDM and Tranny are the two I seem to have little in common when it comes to music.

In the 100 or so songs already posted, I believe 4 are going to appear in my list. In a way that's slightly deflating because you guys have already commented on them, but there's no point in changing my list just to appear unique and original. 2 of the songs already picked here actually appear in my Top 25!.

Of the songs I've heard, the two I haven't known and have relistened to and love are Fugazi's 'Repeater' (thanks to SS) and Blue Cheer's 'Summertime Blues' (NSpan). I also really like Blind Faith's 'Can't Find My Way Home' (NSpan) and Mumford and Sons 'Little Lion Man' (Leetsu).

Finally, I'm beginning to get a sense of the taste of others. For example, Shryke it's obvious (although you DID say it) that your taste is very much based on a time when you were particularly receptive to music and era. It seems to be from the mid 80's to the early 90's, when you were clued into everything! I'm starting to think the last decade was my period of musical openness and my list in 20 years will almost certainly have a similar make up. Best time of our lives, right? I only hope I can be receptive to new stuff like you are. Geez, I can almost tell with certainty which of my songs you'll like or hate (I mean I knew 100% that you'd hate the Boards of Canada song); You seem to be a straight rock/punk/lighter metal man. Becs's taste is all over the place but that's kinda cool. Tranny likes his hardcore metal and rap. W is a country lad, etc. I look forward to seeing your picks ruin my generalisations!

[Geezer]

No Six, you pretty much hit the nail on the head with me. There may be a few exceptions, but rock/punk/lighter metal is pretty much my taste, although I never actually put it that way, it works, I may steal it when someone asks about my musical taste.

[Shrykespeare]

Shryke it's obvious (although you DID say it) that your taste is very much based on a time when you were particularly receptive to music and era. It seems to be from the mid 80's to the early 90's, when you were clued into everything!

Did I say that? Well, if I did, then you hit the nail right on the head (although I'd probably say EARLY 80's to early 90's, but that's picking nits). Oh, there are a few from before that time period as well as a few that were after, but probably 80-90% of my list were indeed from that date span. How could it not? At the height of the Disco Era, I was still watching Sesame Street. My sister Allison, who's 5 1/2 years old than I am, occasionally annoyed me with her constant music-playing, but thanks to her I developed an ear and a liking for groups from that era like The Eagles, Foreigner, Styx, Journey, Kansas and Boston (geez goes "Yeah"!). I had a brief stint (between '79 and '81, I think) where I listened to almost exclusively country music (believe it or not), before finally abandoning it for the cooler stuff my peers were listening to, stuff that was being played on the best radio stations and on this brand new really cool thing called MTV, which debuted just as I was finishing elementary school.

So there you have my music-loving origins. From age 12 up to about 27, I was so into the current stuff. And as for being "clued in", you have no idea. I bought Billboard magazine every week at the local Tower Records, kept spreadsheets on artists, songs, chart positions, etc. for the Top 100, Top Album/Mainstream Rock, and Top Modern Rock charts. I did this up until the late 90's, after which I finally reached the point where I discovered that there were other things I wanted to do with my spare time... that, and it seemed that I liked listening to older stuff far more than what was coming out "now". Dammit, I had such high hopes of always being cool and contemporary well into my geezer-hood, but I guess we all reach that turning point in our lives. Our kids (or someone else's kids) will mock us for our trite and tenuous love of "dinosaur" bands, and we'll respond by shaking our canes at them.

Maybe that makes me insular, but hey, this is our FAVORITE 100 songs. You don't need to be broad-minded to create such a list, but you do have to be, if only just a little bit, if you're going to wade knee-deep in other people's favorites.

[numbersix]

Not to mention have your songs ripped apart by fellow posters!

[Shrykespeare]

True. And though I like to think I know all ten you you fairly well, the truth is, I'm sure what we know about each other is only the tip of the iceberg. But I am sure of this: we are have very strong opinions, and will go to the mat to defend our personal choices, no matter what anyone else says.

No two people have the same tastes, whether it be music, movies, television, art, books, etc. Nor should they. If all this "countdown" serves to do is bring a dozen or so people closer together, then it's worth it. If it doesn't do that, if all it really ends up doing is just distracting us from the tragedies that pile up outside our front doorstep (and, sometimes, within it) for a period of 3-4 months, well, that's all right too.

Bottom line: though I hope each and every one of my songs will be universally loved, I know they won't. And even if every one of my songs got the same reception as "Super Trouper" or worse, I still wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

We were all friends before this thing started, we'll all be friends long after it's over. THAT is all that matters.

Okay, rant over. Let's go play some more music.

[W]

Sounds like something that's said after Stan or Kyle say, "I've learned something today..."

[Buscemi]

[Geezer]

Alrighty so for my recap, I will give you my top 10 songs that I had previously heard, followed by my top ten songs that I had not previously heard, then, just for fun, an overall top 10.

Songs I had previously heard:
1. Shryke- Weezer- Say It Ain't So (by default, as its the only song that also appears on my list)
2. Leestu- Muse- Time is Running Out
3. W- Queen- Another One Bites the Dust
4. Nspan- Zombies- Time of the Season
5. becs- White Strips- Seven Nation Army
6. Shryke- Disturbed- Stupify
7. Tranny- Aerosmith- Sweet Emotion
8. UDM- Michael Jackson- Billie Jean
9. Becs- yeah yeah yeah's- Maps
10. Nspan- Misty Mountain Hop

Songs I had previously not heard:
1. leestu- Mumford and Sons- Little Lion Man
2. Surfer- Hell is for Heroes- I Can Climb Mountains
3. Surfer- Biffy Clyro- Justboy
4. Six- Ryan Adams- Come Pick Me Up
5. leestu- Augie March- One Crowded Hour
6. Six- Pixies- Velouria
7. Surfer- Supergrass- Caught by the Fuzz
8. Boush- The Velvet Underground- Sweet Jane
9. leestu- Hunters and Collectors- Throw Your Arms Around Me
10. Surfer- Explosions in the Sky- The Birth and Death of the Day

For those scoring at home, Leestu and Surfer dominated with 4 a piece, and 7 of those 8 coming from the new songs list! You two are doing a great job exposing me to some great new bands and songs. I bought the Mumford and Sons CD and Surfer sent me the Hell is for Heroes one (still waiting for some Biffy!). Six had both of his come from the new stuff as well. Cool that it worked out that everyone was represented with at least one song. I didn't even do that deliberately.

Lets combine those lists (I'm leaving Say it Ain't So off, because its too obvious):
1. leestu- Mumford and Sons- Little Lion Man
2. Leestu- Muse- Time Is Running Out
3. Surfer- Hell Is for Heroes- I Can Climb Mountains
4. W- Queen- Another One Bites the Dust
5. Surfer- Biffy Clyro- Justboy
6. Nspan- Zombies- Time of the Season
7. becs- White Strips- Seven Nation Army
8. Six- Ryan Adams- Come Pick Me Up
9. Shryke- Disturbed- Stupify
10. Tranny- Aerosmith- Sweet Emotion

So basically, Leestu and Little Lion Man win! My favorite of the round. I can not get enough of that song. The Stus really are off to a great start. Thanks for this Shryke, and everyone for introducing me to some great stuff.

[becs]

Man I'm thinkin Shryke was onto something rating everyone, it would have made summarizing much easier. I don't want to rehash all my comments so I'll make it quick and dirty..

Favorite picks 100-91
100 - Surfer: Explosions In The Sky, “The Birth And Death Of The Day”
99 - Surfer: Portishead "Glory box"
98 - Surfer: Hell is for Heroes "I can Climb Mountains"
97 - leestu: Mumford and Sons “Little Lion Man”
96 - Shryke: XTC "Generals and Majors"
95 - Shryke: Crowded House "Don't Dream Its Over"
94 - Numbersix: Sun Kil Moon, “Blue Orchids”
93 - leestu: Sisters of Mercy, “Temple of Love”
92 - Shrykespeare: Weezer “Say It Ain’t So” AND Numbersix: Talking Heads “Road to Nowhere”
91 - Geezer: Rise Against “Prayer of the Refugee”

Overall favorite 100-91: Surfer

Most Predictable: Nspan!

Most Unexpected: UDM - Cher "Believe"

[Buscemi]

That was Monkey, not me.