Hottest 100 – My 2009 Votes

It’s that time of year again!

Triple J throws all of the songs from 2009 into the air and then plays them back wherever they land.

As we know, it’s the largst music poll in the WORLD. Yes. Yes it is.

So, it’s been a strange year of music. I don’t think there were any real massive standouts for me. Lots of good songs mind you, but hard to find anything that just stood out and went BAM, I AM THE BEST SONG MOFO!

Having said that, the musical highlights for 2009?

• Seeing Lily Allen live in an intimate acoustic performance at Triple J Studios. You can see my shoulder in the video. (and LaLa’s knee)
• Seeing Eddy Current Suppression Ring live for the first time at Homebake. My eyes (and ears) were wide open in awe. Just amazing.
• Muse‘s new album. Along with 5 pumping rock anthems, there’s also a 3 part symphonic composition. Wanky? No. It’s Muse! It’s awesome.
• Discovering bands like Grizzly Bear, Future of the Left, Whitest Boy Alive, Passion Pit, Mumford & Sons, Temper Trap, Yuksek and Numbers Radio.
• Sweet Disposition by the Temper Trap would definitely have been in my list, but it was released in 2008 (doesn’t stop it from being in the Aria charts in 2010 though!)
• Hearing Eskimo Joe change from a cool, interesting indie Aussie band into a cliched, boring imitation of old Aussie rock bands. Sad. Maybe a lowlight actually.
• Them Crooked Vultures. Best Supergroup since Audioslave. (probably better actually)
• This:

Onto the votes!

In no particular order

Bluejuice - Broken Leg – The catchiest song of the year. Funniest film clip too.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Anxiety - A frantic frenzy of distortion, riffs and yelling. Perfect.
Flight Of The Conchords – Carol Brown – Best of their disappointing second season album. Especially the “I thought I told you to shut up..” line. Love the home made ‘key-tars’ in the video too.
Gossip, The – Heavy Cross – Such a great rocky song with powerful pumping vocals. Surprise highlight!
Lily Allen – Back To The Start – It’s a great album, and this song shows how Lily has evolved. I just hope she decides to record more..
Muse - Uprising - Powerful opening to an epic album. Can’t wait to see them live in 2 weeks!
Phoenix - Lisztomania - My musical highlight of the year. Great song. Fun lyrics and goes well with the Breakfast Club dancing!
Silversun Pickups – It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone – Only just discovered these guys this year and although they sound a lot like The Smashing Pumpkins circa Siamese Dream, they have a cleaner wall of sound and catchy lyrics.
Them Crooked Vultures – Elephants - Hard to pick just one of this amazing debut from Homme, Grohl and JPJ, but this songs start is enough to give it the win. Have a listen. You won’t regret it. (plus you get to see Grohl rock the fuck out)
Whitest Boy Alive , The – 1517 - This song will take your mood to ‘chillaxed’ within the first 10 seconds. A great relaxing album with cool vocals and groove.

My plan for 2010? As soon as I hear a song that I like I am going to write it down. Either on here, or on a spreadsheet or something. That way I won’t forget those songs that I like. I always struggle to remember the songs that are a little more obscure and happened at the beginning of the year.

What are your votes?

The Hottest 80 So Far, and what’s next?

I have been LOVING the Hottest 100 this week.

Everyday at 10am and 4pm we get drip-fed 10 songs at a time from 100 to 21.

Best week of radio. EVER.

Here is the list so far:

100 Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
99 TV On The Radio – Wolf Like Me
98 Led Zeppelin – Kashmir
97 Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning
96 Daft Punk – One More Time
95 Stevie Wonder – Superstition
94 Modest Mouse – Float On
93 Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
92 Bon Iver – Skinny Love
91 AC/DC – Back in Black
90 Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
89 Rage Against The Machine – Bulls on Parade
88 The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter
87 Coldplay – Yellow
86 The Beatles – Come Together
85 The Dandy Warhols – Bohemian Like You
84 Bob Marley and The Wailers – No Woman, No Cry
83 Placebo – Every You, Every Me
82 System of a Down – Chop Suey
81 Pulp – Common People
80 The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black
79 David Bowie – Life on Mars?
78 Smashing Pumpkins – Today
77 Gotye – Heart’s A Mess
76 Stone Roses – Fools Gold
75 Green Day – Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
74 Nirvana – Lithium
73 The Clash – London Calling
72 The Shins – New Slang
71 The Smiths – How Soon is Now?
70 The Prodigy – Breathe
69 Jeff Buckley – Grace
68 Blink 182 – Dammit
67 Ben Folds Five – Brick
66 Elton John – Tiny Dancer
65 Underworld – Born Slippy
64 Violent Femmes – Blister in the Sun
63 AC/DC – Thunderstruck
62 Nine Inch Nails – Closer
61 Blur – Song 2
60 Johnny Cash – Hurt
59 Augie March – One Crowded Hour
58 Daft Punk – Around The World
57 Tool – Forty Six & 2
56 Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should Have Come Over
55 Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone
54 The Cure – Close To Me
53 Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb
52 You Am I – Berlin Chair
51 Smashing Pumpkins – Bullet With Butterfly Wings
50 Crowded House – Don’t Dream It’s Over
49 Guns n’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
48 Beastie Boys – Sabotage
47 John Butler Trio – Betterman
46 Faith No More – Epic
45 Queens of the Stone Age – No One Knows
44 The Beatles – Hey Jude
43 The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
42 Bloc Party – Banquet
41 Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
40 Nirvana – Come As You Are
39 Pearl Jam – Better Man
38 The Killers – Mr Brightside
37 Tool – Stinkfist
36 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Into My Arms
35 Smashing Pumpkins – 1979
34 Living End – Prisoner Of Society
33 Silverchair – Tomorrow
32 New Order – Blue Monday
31 Metallica – Enter Sandman
30 Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
29 Pixies – Where is My Mind?
28 Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees
27 Powderfinger – My Happiness
26 Michael Jackson – Thriller
25 Pearl Jam – Alive
24 The Beatles – A Day in the Life
23 Hunters & Collectors – Throw Your Arms Around Me
22 Massive Attack – Teardrop
21 Powderfinger – These Days

My obervations?

Well, there are a couple of very interesting things that have happened this year. For the first time ever, a number of BIG artists that usually don’t make the non-mainstream Hottest 100 have made it in. Artists like AC/DC, Elton John, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder have made their way in for the first time.

The second thing. Some of the biggest names have come sliding down the list from previous countdowns. We’ve seen the runner up from 1989, 1990 and 1998, Hunters & Collectors only make it in at #23. Blue Monday from New Order, which previously was a consistant Top 10 entry, only made #32 this time around.

So what’s going to replace these former Top 10 stalwarts?

That’s the exciting part. We don’t get to hear the Top 20 until late on Sunday afternoon, but it gives us all a chance to guess what the Top 20 might be.

Lawrie Zion, the originator of the Hottest 100 back in 1989 has had a crack at the Top 20.

Apparently the breakdown of the Top 20 through the decades will be:

We had advance info regarding the spread of decades and now know the remaining 20 are distributed thus.

2000s-3
1990s-11
1980s-2
1970s-4
1960s-0

So, it’s my turn.

70′s:

Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven – 1971
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody – 1975
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart – 1979
The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry – 1979

80′s:

Metallica – One – 1988
The Cure – Just Like Heaven – 1987

90′s:

Radiohead – Paranoid Android – 1997
Radiohead – Creep – 1992
Radiohead – Karma Police – 1997
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge – 1992
Jeff Buckley – Last Goodbye – 1994
U2 – One – 1991
Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony – 1997
Rage Against The Machine – Killing in the Name – 1992
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit – 1991
Oasis – Wonderwall – 1995
Foo Fighters – Everlong – 1997

00′s:

Muse – Knights of Cydonia – 2006
White Stripes – Seven Nation Army – 2003
Muse – Stockholm Syndrome – 2003

That would be 20, but some roughies are:

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah – 1994
John Lennon – Imagine – 1971
Pearl Jam – Black – 1991
Wolfmother – Mind’s Eye – 2005
Muse – Super Massive Black Hole – 2006
Weezer – Buddy Holly – 1993
MGMT – Electric Feel – 2008
The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary – 1985
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun – 1994
The Presets – My People – 2008

Here is my guess at how the Top 20 will shape up.

20 U2 – One – 1991
19 The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry – 1980
18 Foo Fighters – Everlong – 1997
17 Muse – Knights of Cydonia – 2006
16 The Cure – Just Like Heaven – 1987
15 Oasis – Wonderwall – 1995
14 Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven – 1971
13 Metallica – One – 1988
12 White Stripes – Seven Nation Army – 2003
11 Rage Against The Machine – Killing in the Name – 1992
10 Muse – Stockholm Syndrome – 2003
9 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody – 1975
8 Radiohead – Creep – 1992
7 Radiohead – Karma Police – 1997
6 Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony – 1997
5 Radiohead – Paranoid Android – 1997
4 Jeff Buckley – Last Goodbye – 1994
3 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge – 1992
2 Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart – 1980
1 Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit – 1991

A total guess, but I would be very surprised if any other songs made it that I haven’t mentioned here.

Any more guesses out there?

The Hottest 100 Votes I didn’t get to…

Ok, so, I didn’t quite get to finishing my 10 votes for the Hottest 100, and then Michael Jackson died and then I went to Melbourne and then everything is about to change…but I will get to that.

Where did I get up to?

Oh yes, I have 3 more songs to reveal, which if you’d seen my facebook you’ve already found out.

Song 8 – Lovesong – The Cure

Out of all the dozens of Cure songs it is hard to pick a favourite. I love the ‘Wish’ album, but of course ‘Disintegration’ is amazing, which is where this song comes from.

It has achingly beautiful lyrics, a mad bass line and a soulful melody. Just the perfect Cure song.

Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am home again
You make me feel like I am whole again
You make me feel like I am young again
You make me feel like I am fun again

However far away
However long I stay
Whatever words I say
I will always love you

Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am free again
You make me feel like I am clean again

I will always love you

Song 9 – One – Metallica

Metallica are a band that I didn’t quite ‘get’ until the ‘Black ‘ album in 1991. You could call me one of those ‘mainstream’ fans that only jumped onto the bandwagon once they became popular. The only thing is that instead of following Metallica forwards, I went backwards. I listened to ‘…and Justice For All’, ‘Master of Puppets’, right back to ‘Kill ‘em All’ and loved them all.

Then they went and brought out ‘Load’, ‘Reload’ and they turned to shit. I’m sorry, but the 3 albums after the ‘Black’ album were pretty much crap. Last years ‘Death Magnetic’ was a slight return to form but honestly nothing beats the ‘Master of Puppets’ album for pure Metallica gold.

Ironically this song doesn’t come off my favourite album, but instead off the epic ‘…and Justice For All’ album.

This song is like a novel. It starts out slowly, introducing the guitar and lyrics, slowly building up to a slowish drum beat. Then it starts to get heavy. The whaling guitar of Kirk Hammett together with Lars’ pelting drum beat build up to the blazing triplet beat of double-kick and guitars.

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god,wake me
Now the world is gone Im just one
Oh god,help me hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please God help me

The finishing guitar solo with the underlying rhythms of Jason and Lars are just amazing to hear. Seriously, this song is like an aural orgasm to me. My heart races. I get sweaty. It just DOES it for me.

Now, combine the amazing song with the scary, yet captivating film clip and you have the complete package.

Listen to the song, but then watch the video clip. You will learn to love it. Trust me

Just the song

The Video Clip.

Song 10 – Wicked Game – Chris Isaak

Now to something completely different. You can’t change styles much more than from Metallica to Chris Isaak, but I think that this proves that I enjoy a wide range of musical genres.

This song is almost a gimme. I mean, who doesn’t love the deep, sexy melancholy of Isaak’s voice along with the sexiness of how he looks. I mean seriously, he was damn hot back in the day.

Throw a topless Helena Christensen into the film clip and you have a complete song that just screams SEX.

I have loudly sung along to this song many many times in the car (or at karaoke!) and I just the pitch change in the chorus. “No…I…iiiiiiii….don’t wanna fall in love”.

Watch and try not to squirm….

———————

So that’s it. My Top 10 songs that I voted for in the Hottest 100 Of All Time

It was not easy, and it seriously took me a month to work out.

So many good songs missed out, but I feel pretty confident that I have picked a great representation of my favourite songs.

Songs that nearly made it:

AC/DC – You Shook Me All Night Long
Air – All I Need
Alice in Chains – Rooster
Arrested Development – Mr. Wendal
Audioslave – Cochise
Beastie Boys – Sabotage
Ben Harper – Faded
Billy Idol – Hot In The City
Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry
Bomb The Bass – Bug Powder Dust
Bon Jovi – Bad Medicine
Crowded House – Don’t Dream It’s Over
The Doors – Light My Fire
Faith No More – Epic
Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench
Green Day – Welcome To Paradise
Guns n’ Roses – November Rain
Hoodoo Gurus – Thousand Miles Away
Icehouse – Man of Colours
Jamiroquai – When You Gonna Learn
John Butler Trio – Betterman
John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Road
Josh Pyke – Lines on Palms
Lenny Kravitz – Always On The Run
Living Colour – Cult of Personality
Midnight Oil – Power & The Passion
Muse – Stockholm Syndrome
New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle
Nick Cave & Bad Seeds – Ship Song
Nirvana – Lounge Act
Outkast – Hey Ya!
PJ Harvey – This Mess We’re In
Placebo – Special K
The Police – Message In A Bottle
Prince – Sign O’ The Times
R.E.M. – Drive
Ratcat – Don’t Go Now
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Suck My Kiss
Redgum – I Was Only 19
The Screaming Jets – Better
The Shins – New Slang
Skunkhour – Sunstone
Smashing Pumpkins – Soma
Soundgarden – Jesus Christ Pose
Stevie Ray Vaughn – Little Wing
Stevie Wonder – Superstition
Sting – Fields of Gold
Stone Temple Pilots – Interstate Love Song
System Of A Down – BYOB
They Might Be Giants – Birdhouse In Your Soul
Tool – 46 and 2
Tricky – Black Steel
U2 – Pride (in the Name of Love)
Urge Overkill  – Sister Havana
Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby (really!)
Violent Femmes – Blister In The Sun
Wolfmother – Joker and the Thief
Young MC – Bust a Move

————————

The countdown starts tomorrow!

From 10am tomorrow and then at 4pm all weekend songs from 100 to 21 will be counted down.

Then on Saturday 100 – 51 from midday and then 50 – 1 on Sunday from midday.

I can’t wait to find out who makes it and intend to have the radio blasting all weekend!

My tips?

Smells Like Teen Spirit will win.

Love Will Tear Us Apart will be up there, along with Boys Don’t Cry and Throw Your Arms Around Me.

Alive, One and Stairway to Heaven will probably make it. I think a roughie might be Muse or Kings of Leon.

Love Rears Your Songs. (Part 6 & 7)

When asked who my favourite band is, I am pretty quick to answer.

Although I have dozens of ‘favourites’, when it comes down to it, there are 2 bands that have always  had a massive effect on me.

Back in high school, I joined the school band. Sure, I was playing the dorky trumpet, and then tuba, but the point was that music was a constant in my life. Even way back to primary school when my mum encouraged us (me and my sister)to play piano, music has always been around me. And although those piano lessons didn’t get me much further than the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, it did teach me to read music and appreciate that music comes in many forms.

In the school band I was surrounded by young, but talented musicians. Through them I discovered music that I probably would not have otherwise. One album that fell into my lap in 1989 was from a relatively unknown band called Living Colour. The first song on that album was a little gem called ‘Cult of Personality’. What stood out for me initially was the musicianship in this song. You see, I don’t hear lyrics generally, I hear the music behind them. If someone asked me to recite the lyrics to a song I’d heard a dozen times I’d probably struggle, but get me to hum a few bars and I’d be fine.

Vernon Reid on Guitar, Will Calhoun on Drums, Muzz Skillings on Bass and the enigmatic Corey Glover on vocals. They are all massively talented, including Doug Wimbish, who replaced Skillings from the Stain album. Each album they’ve released has progressed on from what they were on the previous. I love listening to soulful songs on their first album, Vivid, and then banging the head to ‘Go Away’ on Stain. They are anything but predictable.

It’s one of their more chilled and probably most popular songs from their 2nd album, Time’s Up, that always does it for me. Love Rears Its Ugly Head ranks as one of my favourite songs, from my favourite band of all time. Now, please don’t confuse the original version of this song with the ‘Soul Power Remix’. I actually dislike the remix version. It does not do the song justice at all.

If you haven’t heard it, do yourself a favour right now.

Check out the original film clip (can’t embed) or the live version below.

The 2nd part of the answer to my favourite band, is this band. My favourite Australian band. Regurgitator.

Again, it may be an unusual choice, but bear with me. I have a lot of bands I enjoy listening to, but it’s those bands that continue to re-invent, evolve and release material that isn’t necessarily in your Top 40 that really leave their mark with me. Regurgitator have evolved from being a thrashy rock outfit from Brisbane to a newage/electro/funk/rock/pop band. How did that happen? And which category do they fit in?

Me & Quan from The Gurge

The biggest thing to happen to Regurgitator was the making of their 2nd album, Unit. This album should be remembered as one of the best Aussie albums of all time. Not only did it define the direction that Regurgitator were going, it went on to show what was possible for Aussie bands in using a mixture of electronics, rock and funk. And it’s so goddamn fun.

I really don’t know how to describe my love for Regurgitator, but it grew even more after their ‘Band in a Bubble‘ concept which saw them locked inside a glass house in the middle of Melbourne for 3 weeks. I addictively watched that shit on Channel 802 of Fox as much as I could. Quan, Ben and Pete are just so damn real. Not rock star, not ego-maniacs and not fussed at their own fame, or lack of. They just do what they do and they love it.

So, which song of theirs did I pick? It was not an easy job.  I was going to go for the first big hit, Blubber Boy, I was thinking about Everyday Formula. Even their thrasy Track 1 was a contender for pure bouncing rocky goodness.

But, no I went with a song that really has no name other than ! or The Song Formally Known As. It’s the song that epitomises Regurgitator. Quan’s quirky lyrics. Modded Bass Lines from Ben. Synthesised Poppy Rocky Perfection.

So, that’s 7 down. Only 3 to go, and only a few days to vote.

I think I’m gonna make it!

I Spoke in Class Today. Time to VOTE! (Part 5)

Ok, I’ve gotta hurry this up.

Voting for the Hottest 100 of All Time finishes on Sunday, which means I have 7 days to reveal my last 6 songs.

I still haven’t actually finalised the list and in fact I’ve been doubting my last pick. Was I too hasty to pick that one? I think I prefer ‘Beat It’ or maybe even ‘Smooth Criminal’.

But there’ll be time to debate Wacko Jacko later.

It’s time to get back to grunge.

Yes, back to my roots. Back to the music that shaped my musical tastes forever.

This song had a couple of big impacts on me. For one, it was the anthem of my 10th grade at school. You know how school years have songs that seem to represent their class? You get ‘Time of Your Life’ or ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ or ‘Beautiful Day’ or something. Our grade at Ginninderra High was suitably represented by the bleak grungey outlook that this song portrays.

The song is ‘Jeremy’ by Pearl Jam. And you can’t tell me that most people who love Pearl Jam can’t say this isn’t one of their best ever songs. Sure; it’s not as rocking as ‘Even Flow’, as popular as ‘Alive’ or as driving as ‘Corduroy’ or ‘rearviewmirror’, but for pure grungey 1991 goodness, you can’t go past this downbeat sad song.

This song, and video clip, were so damn powerful and was met with so much controversy that Pearl Jam decided not to record another video clip for any of their songs for 10 years.

It may surprise you to know however, that the Pearl Jam clip we know and love was not the original clip. A little known director funded and filmed his own clip first, which can be seen here. It was ultimately rejected by the record label.

The ironic thing is that I love this song for the song, but I also love the clip. However, once Pearl Jam decided to boycott videos and effectively boycott MTV, I took on a similar view. I made a conscious effort for a long time to either not watch video clips, and not be influenced into liking or disliking a song because of the clip. I think that there was a time where so much effort went into making a fancy, over the top clip that the actual music became secondary and this, whilst healthy for the mainstream TV watching public, was to the detriment of music lovers everywhere.

That’s not to say that I don’t love a good video clip, or that a video clip can’t enhance a song. I am just against a song becoming famous because of its video clip.

Case in point; OK Go’s ‘Here it Goes Again’. Yeah, ingenius and original film clip, but the song is not really anything to write home about.

Ok, I am warbling on a lot here. I don’t mean for each of these votes to be such a marathon effort, but once I get going on something I am passionate about, I find it hard to stop (Just ask LaLa )

The bottom line is. It’s a top song. It’s in my Top 10. So there.

Go check out the video clip again. Just look at how intense Eddie Vedder is in the clip. I can’t find the unedited version anywhere and I can’t embed it, but you get the idea.

I’m only halfway there, but I haven’t picked Rick Astley yet….guess I’ve only got 4 left..

Wanna be Startin’ to Vote for the Hottest 100 of All Time (Part 4)

So. Rock and/or Roll has dominated my list so far.   It’s obvious to say that it is my favourite genre, but that’s not to say that I don’t like a wide range of music.

Lately I have definitely been getting in the synth electro goodness of bands like MGMT, Empire of the Sun and Pendulum. I really just love anything with a good beat and good hook.

In the last part of the Hottest 100 of All Time compilation, I discussed the importance of a good opening to a song. Now we’re going to take that one step further. To the opening song of an album.

Personally, I am all about the album, as opposed to the single. I am of the school that if I hear a good couple of songs from an artist, I will get the whole album. It is ultimately the way that artists mean for their music to be heard.

It must be a tricky task for bands to decide which song is going to be No.1 on the album. Do you pick the first single? The title track? Your f avourite tune? I think it’s pretty damn important that the first track be something that really sucks the audience in, because if you’re just listening to the album to decide whether you want to buy it or not, that first track could be make or break.

Let’s look at some of the better opening tracks.

Drive – R.E.M. – Automatic for the People – A current contender for my top 10 list. Love this song. Moody, dark and R.E.M’s best.

Welcome to the Jungle – GnR – Appetite for Destruction – What a way to introduce a band, let alone an album.

Cochise – Audioslave – Audioslave – Such a big opening track. It gets you in the mood for rest of the rocking album

Hells Bells – AC/DC – Back in Black – As soon as you hear those bells. Baby, you know who it is. Big track for a massive album

Testify – Rage Against The Machine – The Battle of Los Angeles – They don’t get much bigger and gruntier.

Faded – Ben Harper – The Will to Live – Another contender for my Top 10 list. Such amazing guitar work in this song. Love.

Don’t Panic – Coldplay – Parachutes – Heard this after I heard Yellow and love it from the Garden State soundtrack. Chilled and cool.

Open – The Cure – Wish - Such an amazing opening song. Sets the scene for my favourite Cure album.

Stinkfist – Tool – Ænima – Powerful and loud. The best way to play this killer opening track.

Battery – Metallica – Master of Puppets – Speaking of powerful. Killer track!

Beds Are Burning – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust – Stands as one of the greatest Oils tunes written and kicks this great Australian album off well.

Which brings me to my No.4 pick for the Hottest 100 and it again takes me back to my childhood.

I don’t think my parents owned the Michael Jackson Thriller album on record, but I had a copy of it on tape and a photocopy of the lyrics sleeve. I remember putting that tape into one of those little old tape players (see right) and listening to that album over and over again.

Obviously, because it was on tape, I would listen to the opening tracks a lot more than the later tracks.

I guess this is why whenever I hear the start of  Wanna Be Startin’ Something, it still takes me back and gets me moving. Such a funky song.

And how about the ‘mama se mama sa mama koo sa’ What the hell is that? Who cares. It fits!

Ok. It’s actually an African chant, according to Wikipedia.  “taken directly from the music of Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango” Interesting.

I used to also think it was funny how Jacko was talking about vegetables. I mean, why is he saying ‘You’re a vegetable’ anyway?

Never quite got that.

What are your favourite opening tracks? Discuss.

I’ve been trying to find the video somewhere, but I guess Jacko’s lawyers are pretty vigilant. All I could find were fan vids, live versions and the Akon remix (blech)

But here’s a live version to check out

http://vodpod.com/watch/1601894-michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-somethin

Where Do We Go Now? To Part 3 of the Hottest 100 of All Time!

In my continuing series of picking my Top 10 Hottest 100 Songs of All Time, (see Parts 1 and 2 here), I am going to be talking today about the starts of  songs.

Years ago, I remember KIX-106 had a policy on never talking over the beginning of a song when they played it. They claimed that the beginning of the song is sometimes the best part and who wants to hear a DJ yabbering on about what’s coming up in the next hour?

I’ve always remembered this because I totally agree. Some of the best songs of all time have big opening bars. They will grab our attention straight away, and like a good movie opening or the first tastefuls of a yummy meal, once you have a little, you want it all.

Think about it. Epic, by Faith No More has a bit powerful opening few chords and you instantly know the song.  Friday I’m in Love by The Cure has the instantly recognisable guitar riff to start it before the song takes off. Led Zepellin’s Stairway to Heaven has one of the best and most copied riffs (see Wayne’s World) you’ve heard to start their epic tune. Sabotage by The Beastie Boys with its messy guitar sound. Enter Sandman from Metallica with its sinister riff.

Even the 2 songs that I have picked so far, Smells Like Teen Spirit and All Along The Watchtower have powerful and solid openings.

So it makes it so easy to pick my next song that I am voting for.

This song has the most beautiful guitar riff opening of any song I have ever known. Even when I hear it now, it gives me tingles and makes me stop and feel the music. You know how sometimes you can just feel the music flowing through you?

Rewind to 1987, the first time I heard this song. I was watching Video Hits and probably after Mel and Kim or something there they were. Guns N’ Roses. A long haired bandana wearing skinny white guy. A permed drummer. A blonde haired mess of a bassist. A guitarist in dark glasses and then, that man, Mr. Saul Hudson. AKA Slash. Nothing can quite compare to seeing Slash rip out the guts of Sweet Child and lay down that solo near the end of the song. Especially when he is 5 metres away from you, as he was when I saw Gunners at Eastern Creek in 1993.

Coincidentally, Slash lost his mother to lung cancer this as I discovered on his twitter page. Who’d have thought that Slash would ever use Twitter??

Guns N’ Roses went on to influence me in more ways than one over the following years and still stand as one of my favourite bands of all time now..

3. Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses

The original music video (with the radio edit, which has always pissed me off)

The full version can be found in this following video which was filmed at The Ritz in New York in 1988

The Original banned cover of Appetite for Destruction

http://twitter.com/SlashHudson

Smells Like the Hottest 100 of All Time. (Part 2)

This is what my blog is becoming folks. I get on a topic and then I try to stretch it out as long as I can.

In this case it is because of the Hottest 100 of All Time that Triple J is running again as a 20 year anniversary to the very first Hottest 100 in 1989.

In 1989 and 1990 Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ won the top spot. Then in 1991, Nirvana’s newly released ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ won No.1

Obviously the brains trust at Triple J quickly realised that whichever song was the most popular of the year would probably get into the ‘All Time’ list, so it was quickly decided to make the Hottest 100 an annual event which only covered the songs of the previous year.

Since 1991,  the All-Time countdown has been done one more time in 1998. Nirvana grabbed the top spot once again with Hunters & Collectors grabbing No.2 with ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’.

Now, what’s going to change in 2009? Will Nirvana win an unprecedented 3rd title?

The answer, my friends, is almost certainly, yes.

My second vote for this years Hottest 100 of all time is, you guessed it, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.

Ok, stop rolling your eyes. It may be cliched and it may be too easy to vote for this, but hear me out.

The reason this song is so damn popular is because it changed a lot of people’s perceptions of what music could sound like.

Back in 1990 and 1991, music was desperately trying to claw its way out of the bright, electronic and synthetic sound of the 80′s. The radio was clogged with Roxette, Milli Vanilli and Guru Josh (It’s time for the Guru..)

I mean, did you know that MC Hammer’s ‘U Can’t Touch This’ was the 2nd highest selling single in 1990?

All of sudden a new sound emerged from the least likely of places. Seattle? WTF is in Seattle?

As it turned out, A lot.

Green River, Temple of the Dog, Mother Love Bone, The Melvins, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees and Mudhoney all hail from Seattle.

Where the 80′s was surrounded around a cocaine infused LA rock club scene, Seattle was to become the centre of the Rock universe.

Except this time it was called Grunge.

Let me tell you about the first time I heard Grunge.

It was a night like any other, and I was listening to KIX 106 as I did most nights back then. This is before it was taken over by the Austereo network and before it turned into the ‘Classic Hits’ that we hear today. Back then it was not uncommon to hear Metallica’s ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ being belted out, or Skid Row’s ‘Youth Gone Wild’ being played way too loud. I even heard the uneditted version of ‘Killing in the Name’ on KIX 106.

I had heard ‘Bad’ Boyd Duczynski mention the band Nirvana and that he was going to play their killer new song. It was probably around 7pm (an hour till the Hot 8 at 8!)

It was then that the opening chords to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ hit my earballs.

I turned it up.

Loud.

I have spoken to others since that still remember the first time they heard that song.

All of a sudden, instead of listening to Extreme, Vanilla Ice and The KLF, I was seeking out albums by Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.

There was also that video clip. The image of a dirty, messy 3-piece playing in front of a bored bunch of teenagers. In the next 5 minutes the kids turn into a unruly mob of ferals; moshing, head-banging and smashing the bands gear. (where are those kids from the film clip now?)

How awesome is that…

As a 15 year old, there was nothing better. I could shut my door, turn on my stereo and just forget everything else in the world except for those thrashy chords blasting out of  my ‘Sharp’ CD player (it cost me $500).

So, there’s my justification. I am not voting for it because it’s the ‘done’ thing, or because Triple J would want me to. I am voting for it because it has had a special effect on my life, as all of my Top 10 songs have.

Song No. 2 for the Hottest 100 of All Time voting. (in no particular order)

2. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

(to be continued…..)