Day 15.5: Love & Happiness

Well, being that it's Valentine's Day tomorrow. I thought I'd put together my list of the best love songs ever. The list is 30. Perfect for a 2 CD set to be given to your significant other. Enjoy!

YouTube:
01. Stevie Wonder - For Once In My Life
02. Cat Stevens - Here Comes My Baby
03. Wilson Pickett - I'm In Love
04. Beach Boys - God Only Knows
05. REO Speedwagon - Can't Fight This Feeling
06. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - I Second that Emotion
07. Jackie Wilson - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher
08. Bruce Springsteen - Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
09. Dusty Springfield - I Only Want to be With You
10. Mustard Plug - Yesterday
11. Incubus - Stellar
12. Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel
13. The Beatles - 'Til There Was You
14. Hellogoodbye - Oh, It Is Love
15. The Chi-Lites - Oh Girl
16. Al Green - I'm Still In Love With You
17. Westbound Train - My Heart Belongs to You
18. Common - The Light
19. Buzzocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)?
20. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - You're All I Need to Get By
21. UB40 - Falling in Love with You
22. Billy Joel - The Longest Time
23. Paul Simon - Something So Right
24. Van Morrison - Into the Mystic (n/a)
25. The Temptations - My Girl
26. Ben Folds - The Luckiest
27. K-Ci and Jojo - All My Life
28. Whitesnake - Is This Love
29. Journey - Faithfully
30. Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark

imeem! External:

Day 15.5: Love & Happiness

With Love,
Erik

(Image by Gabriela Camerotti, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Thanks Mr. Showalter

I found this very appropriate to the spirit of this blog.


Michael Showalter's Mixtape, pt.1



Michael Showalter's Mixtape, pt.2



Michael Showalter's Mixtape, pt.3

Good Stuff,
Erik

Day 15: Kanye West

For this week's artists spotlight I decided to look at someone a little more contemporary. Now I wish I could come out and say that I agree with everything Mr. Kanye West has done, but that's surely not the case. I think he's often as obnoxious as he is wise. But in all fairness, there hasn't been a fresher voice in hip-hop in the past 10 years (with the exception of maybe Eminem. But he fell off so hard I don't really consider him in the running anymore).

I've compiled a list that spans both his production, guest spots and (predominantly) his album tracks. I hope you enjoy!

YouTube:
01. Kanye West - The Glory
02. The Game feat. Kanye West - Wouldn't Get Far
03. Kanye West - We Don't Care
04. N.E.R.D. feat. Kanye West & Lupe Fiasco - Everyone Nose (Remix)
05. Kanye West - RoboCop
06. Kanye West feat. John Mayer - Bittersweet Poetry (I apologize that it's anime)
07. Kanye West - Touch the Sky
08. Jay-Z - Heart of the City
09. Beanie Sigel - The Truth
10. Kanye West - All Falls Down
11. Kanye West feat. Adam Levine - Heard 'em Say
12. Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy
13. Talib Kweli - Get By
14. Kanye West feat. Rhymefest - Brand New
15. Common feat. Kanye West - The Food
16. Lupe Fiasco - The Cool (n/a)
17. Kanye West -Through the Wire
18. Kanye West - Throw Some D's (Remix) (I hate DJs)
19. Kanye West - Champion
20. Kanye West - Family Business

imeem: External!

Day 15: Kanye West


BONUS VIDEO!!!! A time with Kanye being wise:

Kanye visits Big Boy's Neighborhood

And with John Mayer


We Major,
Erik

(Image by Phil Romans, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 14: Georgia Day!

Well on this day in 1733, James Oglethorpe founded Georgia, the 13th colony of the United States (AKA Georgia Day). Georgia, like Michigan has a rich history of music from old jazz to modern alternative rock. There is so much history, in fact, that I decided to narrow my scope. I will only use artists who have been inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. And I also limited the list to ten. Why? Because my lists recently haven't been too concise.

YouTube:
01. Ray Charles - Eleanor Rigby (Starts at around 5:45)
02. The Allman Brothers - Whipping Post
03. James Brown - Super Bad
04. Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman
05. Gladys Night & The Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia
06. Ludacris - Everybody Hates Chris
07. Isaac Hayes - Shaft
08. Otis Redding - (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay
09. REM - Nightswimming
10. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme Back My Bullets

imeem (EXTERNAL)

Day 14: Georgia Day

Peach,
Erik

BONUS VIDEO, A CLASSIC!:


(Image by Judy Baxter, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 13: Wildcard (3)

Here we go. Wildcard number 3! Also, if you've got the access, there are a lot of great videos in here.

YouTube:
01. Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around (possibly the most bad-ass song ever written)
02. Brother Ali - Room With A View
03. Camp Lo - Black Nostaljack (Actually better edited)
04. Ryan Shaw - Over & Done
05. The Proclaimers - Over and Done With
06. Regina Spektor - That Time (so cheap and juicy!)
07. Weezer - Perfect Situation
08. Bedouin Soundclash - St. Andrews
09. Mother Mother - Wrecking Ball
10. WAR - The Cisco Kid
11. Mr. Mister - Kyrie
12. Blues Traveler - Canadian Rose
13. Music Go Music - Light of Love
14. Beirut - Forks and Knives (La Fete)
15. Caetano Veloso - Cucurucucu Paloma

imeem! External!

Day 13: Wildcard (3)

Wild 'n' Out,
-Erik

(Image by Brenda Anderson, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 12: Ten Over Ten

I realize that this isn't the most creative concept ever, but instead of doing a list based on the day's events, I thought I'd base it on the date: February 10. An idea that's been done is doing a top ten list of songs over ten minutes. I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring.

Now a trap a lot of people fall into with a list like this is that the longer the song is the better the list is. Wrong! Just because Rush's "2112" is 20-plus minutes long doesn't necessarily make it good. Same goes with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd. And everyone knows "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" for its length. But that doesn't make it good.

Another cop-out is solos. Any song can have a 10-minute guitar solo. But writing a great composition with lyrics is a true feat.

(Note: You may not like all of these songs. But I recommend you give 'em a chance. Bright Eyes especially isn't for everybody; and if it isn't for you, at least check his lyrics, they are phenomenal.)

Without Further Ado:
01. Bright Eyes - Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)
02. NOFX - The Decline (Part One) (Part Two)
03. The Decemberists - The Tain (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four) (Part Five)
04. The Mars Volta - Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus (Part One) (Part Two)
05. Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Part One) (Part Two)
06. Bob Dylan - Desolation Row
07. Lou Reed - Street Hassle
08. Traffic - Low Spark of the High-Heeled Boys (Part One) (Part Two)
09. Genesis - Driving the Last Spike (Part One) (Part Two)
10. Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight

imeem (External, it's much better on imeem):

Day 12: Ten Over Ten

Keep it long,
Erik

PS, Bonus Video:


(Image by Karen Biggs, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 11: Soft Rock

Today we tour the Soft Rock genre. Golden oldies from the 70s and 80s full of hooks, harmonies and hilarious facial hair. You will notice that some of the same artists also appeared on the Moustache play-list. And that is no accident.

Without Further Ado:
01. 10cc - The Things We Do For Love
02. Ambrosia - Biggest Part of Me
03. Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being A Friend
04. Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is
05. Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
06. Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin' At Me
07. Pete Townshend - Let My Love Open the Door
08. Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life Again
09. Joey Scarbury - Believe It or Not
10. Little River Band - Reminiscing
11. Loggins & Messina - Danny's Song (Even Though We Ain't Got Money)
12. Orleans - You're Still the One
13. Paul Carrack - Tempted
14. Peter Cetera - Glory of Love
15. Player - Baby Come Back
16. Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
17. Michael Martin Murphey - Wildfire
18. Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around and Fell In Love
19. Mike & the Mechanics - The Living Years
20. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
21. Pilot - Magic
22. Bob Welch - Ebony Eyes
23. Rupert Holmes - Him
24. Walter Egan - Magnet and Steel
25. Christopher Cross - Ride Like The Wind
26. England Dan & John Ford Coley - Nights are Forever Without You (only a cover available)

imeem (External)

Day 11: Soft Rock

Stay Soft,
Erik

(Image by Shaun Gordon Licensed Under Creative Commons)