As part of their Spring Member Drive The Current did a list! The 893 most essential songs. Apparently they got in over 4,000 entries with nearly 12,000 different songs. No surprises at the top as Purple Rain takes honors, Bohemian Rhapsody 2nd, and Heroes third. I had 2 songs place in the 893 (Bastards of Young, Into the Mystic). Of course I have quibbles all over the place but was surprised that 20th Century Boy by T Rex didn't make the list at all. That is practically the definition of an essential rock song. Also I would've thought that I Am a Scientist and Motor Away from Guided By Voices would have been in the 500s or 600s. But that's just me.
Here's the entire 893
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18x40ssTjXIC5kF24qQMkob9IjQGoljvoitdbjtYuZ5g/edit#gid=0
Comments? Drop your list (it doesn't have to be 893 songs long, but I'm not stopping you).
This was my top 10 Essential Songs that I submitted. Could be different today.
1. Game of Pricks -- Guided By Voices
2. Memphis, Egypt -- Mekons (another sorely missing from the #893)
3. Bastards of Young -- The Replacements
4. The Bends -- Radiohead
5. Rebound -- Sebadoh
6. I've Been Waiting -- Matthew Sweet
7. Ghost -- Neutral Milk Hotel
8. Spiders (Kidsmoke) -- Wilco
9. Into the Mystic -- Van Morrison
10. 20th Century Boy -- T. Rex
Not Essentials, Just Random 10(+1):
1. Bad Bad Hats “Shame” Psychic Hearts
2. Girls “Lust for Life” Album
3. Chris Isaak “Can't Do a Thing (To Stop Me)” San Francisco Days
a. Cape May Warbler “Song” (Cornell Essential Set)
4. Tracey Thorn “Raise the Roof” Out of the Woods
5. Arvo Pärt* “Summa” Berliner Messe
6. Mojave 3 “Mercy” Ask Me Tomorrow
7. Bat for Lashes “I Saw a Light” Fur And Gold
b. Red-eyed Vireo “Song” (Cornell Master Set)
8. Jon Rauhouse & Norm Pratt “Turkey in the Straw” The Bottle Let Me Down: Songs for Bumpy Wagon Rides
c. Black-throated Green Warbler “Song” (Cornell Master Set)
9. Ozomatli “Saturday Night (Super Clean Version)” Cut Chemist Suite
T. Matthew Dear “Her Fantasy” Beams
E. Tommy Roe “Dizzy” Best of
*Notes:
5. Performed by the Elora Festival Orchestra & Singers, directeed by Noel Edison. (This is the Naxos 2004 album titled Berliner Messe, not the Hyperion 1998 album titled Berliner Mass.)
Random randomness...
1. Season of the Witch - Donovan
2. Ackee 1-2-3 The (English) Beat
3. Goin' Down - The Monkees
4. London Calling - The Clash
5. The Goodbye Look - Donald Fagen
6. Fortunate Son - CCR
7. I'm Looking Through You - The Beatles
8. Rock the Casbah - The Clash
9. Someday Never Comes - CCR
10. I Ain't Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore - The (Young) Rascals
B. All That Money Wants - The Psychedelic Furs
Randomly White-Boy-(Fronted)-Free List:
01. “Tap At My Window” – Laura Marling – Alas I Cannot Swim
02. “Battlesong” – Deltron – Deltron 3030
03. “Keep” – Sharon Van Etten – Because I Was In Love
04. “Innerstate” – Big Thief – Masterpiece
05. “Don’t Wonder Why” – Stevie Wonder – Signed Sealed & Delivered
06. “Ham 'n' Eggs” – A Tribe Called Quest – People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
07. “Sister Cities” – Hop Along – Painted Shut
08. “ザ☆ピ〜ス！” – モーニング娘 – ザ☆ピ〜ス！
09. “Rigamortus” – Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
10. “Bubbles” – Jamila Woods – Heavn
01. Young Fathers - "Wow" from Cocoa Sugar
02. Carla Bozulich - "Glass House" from Quieter
03. Iron Reagan - "Proudly Unaccountable" from Iron Reagan/Gatecreeper Split
04. Lou Rebecca - "Fantôme" from Lou Rebecca
05. KEY - "Boss" from 777
06. Jpegmafia ft. Yung Midpack - "Rainbow Six" from Veteran
07. Caroline Says - "I Tried" from No Fool Like an Old Fool
08. Lorde Fredd33 - "Norf" from Norf: The Legend of Hotboy Ronald
09. Maxo Kream - "Hobbies" from Punken
10. Scallops Hotel - "Bought My Kid A High Chair" from Sovereign Nose Of Your Arrogant Face
BT. Playboi Carti - "Home (KOD)" from Die Lit
Carti is not a good rapper but good lord his music is fun.
Hmmm... that's not on my copy of 777.