Artist’s Best Songs

Music Room
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Suggested songs by a particular artist ranked, based on the feature that appears in the Guardian every Friday.

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While the idea of ranking and lists does not appeal to everyone, I find this feature to be interesting and informative. It helps me discover new music, often from artists I know little of. I pay no attention to the actual ranking.

For example, last Friday featured Joan Baez. While I am very familiar with the Diamonds and Rust album, I know nothing about her other output. I am now relaxing on a glorious Sunday discovering more of her music and enjoying that glorious voice.

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Dear AndrewG,

For me, Rolllingstone and a Google of an artists best albums has helped me select their best three and slowly built a collection of my favourites from there. I imagine we all know Dark Side of The Moon and The Wall, though I had no idea where else to go and from a Google search I purchased Wish You Were Here and am very glad to have done so. This has also worked with other artists I liked in my youth and could not afford their music at the time.

This forum has introduced me to Gramophone Magazine and Presto Music website and has helped me with classical music that I have no idea about and am enjoying the journey with maybe one album per month as a treat to myself.

If possible I do stream the album prior on Apple Music if it is available before making a purchase.

It works for me and may not work for others.

Warm regards,

Mitch in Regional Oz.

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Thin Lizzy

The boys are back in town
Dancing in the moonlight
Borderline
Johnny the fox
Little girl in bloom
Suicide
Hollywood
Still in love with you (live)
Rosalie
Genocide

.sjb

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Female vocalists dominate my listening. Favourites include Sandy Denny, Joni Mitchell, Karine Polwart, Lucinda Williams, Courtney Marie Andrews, Kate Rusby and Cara Dillon.

My all-time favourite is Natalie Merchant who I discovered in the eighties when she was the lead singer with 10,000 Maniacs. She split from that band in 1993 and has been recording under her own name since then. I like almost all of her albums, but the top ten tracks for me are, in no particular order:

Stockton Gala Days (from 10,000 Maniacs 1992 album, Our Time in Eden)
These are the Days (from the same album, Our Time in Eden)
Wonder
Beloved Wife
Carnival
Motherland
I May Know the Word
Seven Years
Come on, Aphrodite (2023)
Sister Tilly (2023)

Perhaps on another day I might have chosen differently!

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As it was his birthday yesterday Eric Clapton:

  1. Stormy Monday - Cream at RAH 2005
  2. Double Trouble - Live at Budokan
  3. Have You Heard - Bluesbreakers
  4. Malted Milk - Unplugged
  5. I Shot The Sheriff - Slowhand at 70
  6. Sinners Prayer - From The Cradle
  7. White Room - Cream at RAH 2005
  8. Little Queen Of Spades - Sessions for Mr J
  9. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out - Slowhand at 70
  10. Layla
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I used Come on Aphrodite as one of my demo tracks recently when auditioning a Uniti Star.

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Thanks for that. I am not a keen follower of Clapton, but I did listen to Unplugged a great deal in the mid-1990s. I will certainly seek out some of your suggestions.

I noticed there was a series of programmes about him on BBC2 last Saturday evening. 4 hours or so in all, but I only watched the beginning (Yardbirds and John Mayall) as I was exhausted after watching the very long Nottingham Forest FA Cup match!

I am actually going to see him in Nottingham at the end of May, which I think is his only concert outside London this year. Really looking forward to that.

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I like almost all the tracks on Natalie’s latest album, Keep Your Courage. I love the brass on Come On, Aphrodite - it was one of the first tracks I played on the new speakers I acquired last week.

I hope you bought the Uniti Star?

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I did. Looking forward to delivery. My wife of 49 years will tell you that Natalie is the only woman who could tempt me away. Mind you, she would say the same about Mike Scott for her!

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Good you made the decision to buy!

I have seen Natalie live on a few occasions, starting with 10,000 Maniacs in the late 80s and most recently in Manchester in late 2023. She’s still got a great voice and her performances never disappoint. I wish she would come to the U.K. more often! And my wife of 46 years actually loves her voice too!

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I’ve seen her 3 times, all in Manchester
although I missed her last one as I don’t really like the Apollo. Been a fan since a friend introduced me to 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged some years ago.

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I’ll use this. Carnival is a fave but I haven’t made enough effort to explore beyond that. :+1:

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BB King

Tired of your Jive - 80 with Billy Gibbons
I Pity the Fool - Blues Summit with Buddy Guy
Hold On! I’m Comin’ - Ridin with the King with EC
See That My Grave is Kept Clean - One Kind Favour
How Blue Can you Get? - Live at the BBC
Every Day I Have The Blues - Live at the Regal
I Got Some Help I Don’t Need - Blues on the Bayou
The Thrill is Gone - Deuces Wild with Tracy Chapman
Never Make a Move Too Soon - Midnight Believer
Ain’t Gonna Worry My Life Anymore - Indianola Mississippi Seeds

Enjoy!

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Joni Mitchel in no particular order.

Harrys House: Hissing of Summer lawns
Edith and the King Pin: Hissing of Summer laws
Woodstock: Best version for me is on the Shadows and Light live.
Rainy Night House: Miles of Aisles
Court and Spark: Court and Spark
River: Blue
This Flight Tonight: Blue
I had a King: Song to a Seagull
Chelsea Morning: Clouds
Blond in the Bleachers: For the Roses
Fiction: Dog eat Dog
Lakota: Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm
Amelia: Hejira
Dreamland: Shadows and Light version

The list is almost endless.

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Great list. I am a Joni fan but find myself listening to Blue and Hejira much more than her other albums. I will now go and listen to the tracks you have highlighted.

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The Beatles:

  1. Eleanor Rigby
  2. A Day In The Life
  3. The Night Before
  4. A Taste Of Honey
  5. Dear Prudence
  6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (acoustic version on Love)
  7. Something
  8. Blackbird
  9. Get Back
  10. Ticket To Ride
2 Likes
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Pink Floyd…

  1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1 to 9
  2. Echoes
  3. Dogs
  4. Careful With That Axe, Eugene (Ummagumma live LP version)
  5. Pigs (Three Different Ones)
  6. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
  7. Astronomy Domine
  8. Sheep
  9. Have A Cigar
  10. Time
  11. Any colour You Like
  12. Comfortably Numb
  13. High Hopes
  14. Another Brick In The Wall Part 1
  15. Speak To Me/Breathe
  16. Interstellar Overdrive
  17. Young Lust
  18. One Of These Days
  19. Another Brick In The Wall Part 2
  20. Goodbye Blue Sky
  21. Fat Old Sun
  22. Welcome To The Machine
  23. Childhood’s End
  24. Remember A Day
  25. On The Run
  26. The Gunner’s Dream
  27. The Narrow Way Parts 1 to 3
  28. Atom Heart Mother
  29. Cirrus Minor
  30. The Great Gig In The Sky
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I notice some of the lists are getting rather long. Not really important, but my idea was based on the Guardian’s feature which selects the best 10 songs by an artist. I didn’t make that clear at the start of this post, sorry.

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Tolerance.