The Most Ingenous Song(s) Ever

[Bronxie]

"Please Forgive Me" BY David Grey

[Cash--]

My Curse
The Afghan Whigs

Well, I guess I'll throw up something I meant to several days ago (in many parts).

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Frank Zappa was really one Motherf*ucker of Invention. He kicked major ass.

Lemme see...what has been done that is really good...(instrumental works included - but not classical - I don't have the time)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five - this was the signature piece in the "cool" era of jazz (the era which is generally viewed as owed to Miles Davis). It's simultaneously mellow and powerful with many textures. It helped Dave Brubeck grace the cover of Time, though Brubeck lamented the fact that he got on the cover before Duke Ellington, who delivered a copy to him at his hotel room the morning it was published.

David Bowie - Space Oddity - released at around the peak of space exploration's prominence in the eyes and hearts of the world, "Space Oddity" highlighted the humanity of the astronauts, as well as the industry- and media-posed questions during a mission. Of course, also very good musically.

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Derek & The Dominoes - Layla - it is composed of two main parts, equally memorable. The song was, of course, a proclamation of love by Eric Clapton for the wife(not named Layla) of Beatle George Harrison. (Clapton later married and divorced the ex-Mrs. Harrison. Another song by Clapton, "Wonderful Tonight," is also about her.) The last four and one-half minutes of "Layla" were comprised of excellent dual solo efforts on guitar and piano.

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[zombywoof]

Besides Frank Zappa, I would also have to add Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon.

What made this album ingenious IMO, was how the band members wanted to discover what drove people mad. In the lyrics, they ask questions about madness, violence and death with various people answering those questions.

This album to me is timeless and fits well within any generation listening to music.

If I had to pick one favorite, this one wins hands down.

To this day, I never get tired of listening to it.

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The catalogue of Dire Straits.

In 1978, rock seemed in something of a funk, and disco was riding high, on the crest of a wave perpetuated by New York City nightclub Studio 54 and the motion picture Saturday Night Fever. Also, punk was having its say in the music arena, especially in the United Kingdom. Things seemed rather homogeneous in the world of rock to most listeners, not where the action was. Led Zeppelin was reclusive and inactive. Robert Plant was recovering from a major car accident, as well as the sudden, tragic death of his son, Karac, during the 1977 tour. The Rolling Stones released Some Girls, but it was immortalized more by its controversial cover than the music it contained, though the album did score with "Miss You," "Beast Of Burden," and "Shattered."

Enter Dire Straits, four average-looking Englishmen who would revive rock and spell death for disco. Its frontman, Mark Knopfler, had gruff yet tender vocals, a unique, twangy guitar style, and was an excellent lyricist. The most memorable tracks from their self-titled debut LP from 1978 include "Down To The Waterline," "Sultans of Swing," and "Wild West End." From the start, the band had a style of various tempos that included elements of rhythm and blues and country, but could still be considered rock. The songs themselves weren't disjointed rabble but rather skillful storytelling about everyday life anywhere that really appeal to the heart.

In 1979 came Communique. Its highlights were "Once Upon A Time In The West," "Where Do You Think You're Going?", "Communique," "Lady Writer," "Angel Of Mercy," and "Portobello Belle." The following year saw the release of the band's third LP, Making Movies. Perhaps the best of the first three albums, the seven track offering included "Tunnel Of Love," "Romeo And Juliet," and "Solid Rock."

In 1982, Dire Straits released the very thematic Love Over Gold. There were only five tracks on the album, but each was massive in its scope. The lead track was the epic "Telegraph Road," which was over 14 minutes long. It told the story of one area from its founding by one man scores of years earlier, leading up to the present day, which saw reflections of a man out of a job and perhaps soon to be out of a love. "Industrial Disease" was a satirical take on pratfalls plaguing corporations in the early 1980s. On Love Over Gold the average track time was over eight minutes. In 1983, Dire Straits released the Twisting By The Pool EP. In 1984, the group released the live double album Alchemy, which was an excellent showcase for the band's handiwork and proved that Mark Knopfler was getting only better with his guitar playing as the years passed. Alchemy includes the track "Two Young Lovers," which was not released in any of their studio albums. Also not on their studio albums was the instrumental "Going Home," the theme from the motion picture Local Hero.

The next year, Dire Straits released what was to become their hallmark album - Brothers In Arms. Sting contributed to this album, co-authoring with Mark Knopfler on "Money For Nothing," another excellent biting satire told in character by a New York City appliance store employee. Sting also provided supporting vocals for the track, including the famous "I want my MTV." Unedited, the song spanned over eight minutes. Its video, featuring an invisible Mark Knopfler with headband, is viewed as one of the best. (When "Weird Al" Yankovic did a Beverly Hillbillies-related parody of "Money For Nothing," there was one stipulation. Mark Knopfler said that he would have to play guitar for the track - and he did.) The album also included the radio-friendly hits "So Far Away" and "Walk Of Life," as well as the deeply emotional title track. To date, Brothers In Arms has sold over nine million copies in the United States. In 1991, the band would release its final studio effort, On Every Street. This offering was another great album from the band, but unfortunately was buried by most of the angst-ridden rock and one-hit wonder rap of the day. On Every Street was heavy on slow blues, with some country and progressive elements thrown in as well. Highlights from the album were "Calling Elvis," "On Every Street," "Heavy Fuel," the humorous "My Parties," and "Planet Of New Orleans."

Mark Knopfler continues to be productive. In September 2000 he released Sailing To Philadelphia, a large collection that included contributions from James Taylor and Van Morrison. Sir Mark (he was recently knighted) embarks on a North American tour later this month.

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Don Henley - Dirty Laundry - this track accurately depicted much of modern journalism, especially the broadcast variety. A masterful lyrical performance.

Don McLean - American Pie - the title track off of his hit album from 1971, "American Pie" skillfully told of the heartbreak of losing music icons of the day(for those who don't know - the loss of Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly in a 1959 plane crash - it would become known as "The Day The Music Died") and the chronology of one man and his generation. In the song were large amounts of musical allusions, usually only titles, but all was masterfully woven to create one of rock and roll's indomitable classics.

Eagles - Hotel California - by the middle and late 1970s, the hippies of the 1960s made it clear that they weren't driven by love and fellowship of man. Most were driven by sex and drugs, as suspected by many when the global cultural revolution heaved years earlier. This was highlighted in the title track from the group's 1976 album Hotel California. California came to be seen as a place of excess, especially by band members, and the state, as a hotel, became a creative symbol.

Foo Fighters - Everlong, Monkey Wrench, My Poor Brain

Most of the work of Jimi Hendrix. In a tragically short career, he displayed fire not evident in guitarists to that point, and is argued by many to be the greatest of all time. His rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock remains one of the most recalled live performances of any song by any artist ever.

John Paul Jones's 1999 instrumental album Zooma. Known best as the bassist of Led Zeppelin, Jones gave fans of bass and of instrumental rock something to cheer with the solo release. Excellent riffs permeate the album, which is highlighted by "Zooma," "Grind," and "Snake Eyes," which ends in classical fashion (literally, by way of the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jones). It featured selections which only need words to become mainstream rock hits, as well as tracks that screamed of the Zeppelin days.

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More on this topic later.

[shonen-knife4-life]

Wowie Zowie! When you mentioned "Zooma" it rememnded me of Neil Young. Forgot about him!
Maybe it's my twisted mind but I always seem to appreciate individual songs more when they're on singles. So my choice for Neil Young would be "Expecting To Fly"

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There you stood on the edge of your feather,
expecting to fly.
While I laughed, I wondered whether
I could wave goodbye,
Knowin' that you'd gone.
By the summer it was healing,
we had said goodbye.
All the years we'd spent with feeling
ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry.

I tried so hard to stand
as I stumbled and fell to the ground.
So hard to laugh as I fumbled
and reached for the love I found,
Knowin' it was gone.
If I never lived without you,
now you know I'd die.
If I never said I loved you,
now you know I'd try,
Babe, now you know I'd try.
Babe, now you know I'd try,
Babe.

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[nappy4eva]

Here's some more songs that I've been listening to lately that have really got me thinking. They're old, but that's okay...
Joan Baez - Joe Hill
Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The Wind
The Beatles - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Simon and Garfunkle - Sound of Silence
Gene Pitney - A Town Without Pitty
Judy Collins - Both Sides Now
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man

These are songs that my dad listens to! But hey, it's still good music.

A little more recently, I'm currently loving the song Robert Mile - Children (Dream mix). Someone said it was a great song in this thread and I downloaded it - I've heard the song numerous times before, but could never find the artist/title since it was instrumental. But now I have it! Yay! I also love the song Moby - Rushing. Thanks for the great suggestions of songs to download everybody! Keep 'em coming.

A bump for this - I'll have some more input before retiring.

[Dovobis]

Before thinker whips out another book, I'll add a new one.

Coldplay - Trouble
Coldplay - High Speed

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The greatest in rock came together in 1968 in the form of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and the late John Bonham, otherwise known as Led Zeppelin. From 1969 to 1982, the band released nine studio albums: Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin III, Untitled/Led Zeppelin IV (Robert Plant calls it The Fourth Album), Houses Of The Holy, Physical Graffiti, Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda. Their most groundbreaking tracks include:

Dazed And Confused - this track, completely written by Jimmy Page, showcased the wonders of a violin bow when used on an electric guitar. It became legendary as a live track, several times exceeding 30 minutes in length. However, "D&C" was no longer a tour staple after Page suffered a hand injury(his hand was slammed in a train door) around the start of the '75 tour.

Black Mountain Side - a short instrumental piece (two minutes, seven seconds) on the debut album, this track featuring Page's acoustic tuned like a sitar as well as tabla drums(played by Viram Jasani) was also coupled with "White Summer," another instrumental classic. Oftentimes on the '80 tour there would be a great long selection: White Summer/Black Mountain Side/Kashmir.

Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin's only U.S. Top 5 in the single format, "Whole Lotta Love" jacked everyone up a few notches and quickly became timeless, especially for the large amount of wailing and some lyrics that were rather risque for the day.

Heartbreaker - Hey fellas, have ya heard the news? You know that Annie's back in town?!? I need say no more.

Moby Dick - an instrumental primarily fueled by the drums of John Bonham, this selection also became a live performance legend. For a boxed set, Jimmy Page mixed "Moby Dick" with "Bonzo's Montreux," a 1976 drum instrumental released on Coda.

Immigrant Song - fast and furious, and about Vikings, though a lot of people never really understood what Plant was singing. Like the men sung about in the song, the band were legendary conquerors of their arena.

Since I've Been Loving You - pure heavy blues, this was the most enduring in popularity, along with "Immigrant Song," of the selections of Led Zeppelin III.

That's The Way - full of heart, this song was included in the soundtrack of the motion picture Almost Famous - the first time a Led Zeppelin song has been included in a motion picture soundtrack, besides, of course, The Song Remains The Same.

Black Dog - Robert Plant called this a "do it in the bath" kind of song. The guitar sound on the track ("throaty" and extremely echoey) was never quite done the same way again.

Stairway To Heaven - the greatest song ever recorded. It, rather than "Good Vibrations," was "the rock and roll symphony." An epic in four parts, the masterful performance by all band members made sure that nothing would ever top those eight minutes of glory.

When The Levee Breaks - this was another of the great blues selections and a powerful end to a powerful album (Untitled, 1971.).

The Song Remains The Same - the work on the Stratocaster here is excellent, and the vocals were as well.

The Rain Song - this work should have been The Second Coming of Stairway. Although popular and heavily played on tour, especially during 1973 and 1980, it is underappreciated as a masterpiece.

D'yer Mak'er (Jamaica for the non-translation inclined) - the drum sound on this track is exquisite. The somewhat tropical beat made some wonder if Led Zeppelin was going to "go reggae," as Led Zeppelin III left those not understanding of the master plan wondering if Led Zeppelin would "go acoustic." This song has often been mistakenly pronounced "DIE-er Maker."

No Quarter - another heady lengthy selection, "No Quarter" was driven by the vulnerable mellotrone as well as good guitar and vocal work.

In My Time Of Dying - hard blues rock, the title says it all. The track was the longest Led Zeppelin recorded, as far as studio versions go.

Kashmir - groundbreaking in the concept of symphonic rock, it also had heavy Eastern influences, prevalent in a masterful vocal performance and grand guitar and keyboard work.

In The Light - when you feel that you can't go on, listen to "In The Light." You'll find you're not alone on your feelings and you'll also find the song is exceptional.

Down By The Seaside - though released in the middle of the decade, this track was recorded in 1971 (it could have been released on Untitled) and features quintessential '70s sounds in every manner.

Achilles Last Stand - the powerful lead track from the 1976 album Presence, in the opinions of many this was another of the harbingers of metal.

Carouselambra - this effort of over 10 minutes was probably the most reliant on synth,. Like most of Led Zeppelin's longer works, this is mythologically influenced, and is a real treat to listen to.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird

Madness - Our House - this 1983 track was a triumph in ska.

Mannfred Mann - Blinded By The Light

Police - Roxanne - this song helped restore the fact that a trio of bass, guitar, and drums can be a musical force.

Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale - a triumph of the organ in rock and roll.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody - the varying tempos and somewhat nonsensical parts of the song make this selection timeless. Wayne's World propelled this track back to No. 2 on the U.S. charts in 1992.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge, Californication, Otherside

Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil - it showed that 'Ol Scratch can be anyone, anytime.

Smash Mouth - Walkin' On The Sun - this retro-sounding hit revealed much of society to its core.

The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again

Todd Rundgren - I Saw The Light - most think it's just another '70s love song, but listen past the lyrics (but don't completely ignore them) into the actual music. It's actually pretty complex. Every time I hear it I pick up something else.

Counting Crows - A Long December

Creed - My Own Prison

Cypress Hill - (Rock)/(Rap) Superstar - listening to either version clearly sheds light on the baseness of the music industry.

Garbage - Stupid Girl - this song illustrates those who try to be something more by pretending but actually become nothing.

Green Day - Good Riddance

Moby - Natural Blues

No Doubt - Don't Speak

Rammstein - Du Hast

Most of the catalogue of Smashing Pumpkins.

Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

Violent Femmes - Kiss Off

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And that's all I have to say about that.

[Unregistered]

A lot of great songs were mentioned in this thread.
I can't believe The Beatles were mentioned only twice. Chicken named Stawberry fields and Nappy picked LSD.
Mine is A Day In A life.
Lennon and George Martin had only primative tools making that stuff. They deserve much more credit for those brilliant efforts.

Metal Girl - I'm familiar with Spanish Train. It's a wonderful ballid.

Nice thread!

[shonen-knife4-life]

Originally posted by thinker
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Dazed And Confused - this track, completely written by Jimmy Page,

(huge snip)
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H-o-o-o-ld on there...

The melody and the guitar riff for Dazed & Confused were lifted from jake Holmes' 1967 original...




Only the lyrics were changed and the volume raised on the LZ version.
Here are the original lyrics (as I hear them...to the melody of..um..Dazed & Confused)



I'm dazed and confused since days ago
Am I being choosed, well I'd just like to know
Give me a clue as to where I am at
Feel like a mouse and you act like a cat

I'm dazed and confused, hangin' on by a thread
I'm being abused, I'd be better off dead
and I can't stand this teasin', I'm startin' to crack
If you're out to get me, you're on the right track

Yeah I'm dazed and confused and it's all upside down
Am I bein' choosed, do you want me around?
Secrets are fun to a certain degree
But this one's no fun 'cause its secret's on me.

Well, what I meant by that was the album version, ahem.

[shonen-knife4-life]

oh







and

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V I see this thingy's back

[nappy4eva]

Resurrected from the dead! Sorry, I couldn't help myself! Any additions to the list of ingenious songs? This was a really great thread (if I don't mind saying so myself), and I found a lot of amazing songs from what others posted.

I have two additions to make:
Kansas - Dust in the Wind
Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust, On Both Sides Now

What else?

Odyssey- Native New Yorker

old but good

In no particular order:

Brian Eno - No One Receiving

Xtc - Complicated Game

Rem - Welcome to the Occupation

Joe Jackson - Biology

Strawbs - Hero and Heroine

Rheostatics - Record Body Count

Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

U2 - In God's Country

Bruce Cockburn - Silver Wheels

King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man

Japan - The Art of Parties

Bad Religion - Faith Alone

Beatles - Across the Universe

Rolling Stones - Paint it Black

Elvis Costello - Goon Squad

Rheostatics - Self Serve Gas Station

The Clash - London Calling

David Sylvian - Red Guitar

Peter Gabriel - Red Rain

Xtc - Millions

Rem - Daysleeper

Yes - Heart of the Sunrise

Dead Kennedy's - Holiday in Cambodia

Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Art, Empire, Industry

Talking Heads - The Great Curve

Simon and Garfunkle - The Sounds of Silence

And hundreds/thousands more that few have heard that I don't have time to list. Not to mention instrumentals.