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On Facebook, I've been posting my all-time favorite songs. I will collect them here, for posterity. These are in no particular order, and will likely be more or less than 75. The links are to videos.

These are the songs that make my heart sing...

1. "Hot Knife," Fiona Apple
(I love the simplicity of the music, and intricacy of the vocals. That's her sister singing harmonies with her, btw.)

2. I think "Hot Knife" is the newest song in my list. Here's the oldest. Bill Haley's "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock." The song was written in 1952 and recorded by Haley in 1954. He took R&B and jump blues and added a bit of rockabilly, and brought rock and roll to the masses.

I love the high energy, the drumming, the sax-amplified sound, and the classic guitar solo.

Here's the earliest recording of "Rock Around the Clock," by Sonny Dae and the Knights, if you want to hear what Bill Haley did for the song.

3. Yes! Old school progressive rock. Elaborate, intricate and sometimes overblown. These were some incredibly talented musicians. Chris Squire is an underrated bassist, and it's hard to beat Steve Howe on guitar. Bruford was a drumming pioneer, though I kinda like the way White smoothed out his lines when he took over.

Favorite Yes track: "Yours Is No Disgrace". Here's the studio version.

Here's a live version, from '72, I think. Howe just tears it up!

This one is live in a TV studio, and is from just after Howe joined the band, and before Bill Bruford and Tony Kaye left the band.

4. Bob Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm." Yes, I know you hate Dylan, but you only need to listen to the first minute.

5. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 swing-style song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was originally recorded by the Canadian group The Four Lads on August 12, 1953. Many artists have recorded it, but They Might be Giants's version is the most well-known. TMBG's version is a pretty straight cover of the Lads's, but up-tempo.

6. John, Paul and George picked up Ringo in 1962, and were playing a fresh kind of pop music. The Rolling Stones came together in 1962. They were a blues band. The Who came became the Who in 1964, and had an R&B sound. So... pop, blues, R&B. But where was the rock? The Kinks, in 1964. "You Really Got Me."

See also "All Day and All of the Night".

To sum up, first recordings:
Beatles, pop, 1963
Rolling Stones, blues, 1964
Kinks, rock, 1964
The Who, R&B, 1965

7. The first time I saw the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit," I was like, *shrug*. The second time, I was like, huh. The third time was "ah... yyyeah!"

The song that broke the alternative wave. It almost single-handedly ushered in a new era of rock. Rock had been in a downward spiral since the seventies. College radio had been bubbling up, but it took Nirvana to bring Alternative to the masses.

The song is so well put together. Simple but effective. Fast-slow-fast. But the slow parts hold the promise of the rocking parts. The guitar and vocals are both loose, wobbling over the bass line, and then there's a quick build to the powerful attack. It really builds excitement between the choruses.

8. "Anything at All," by Firewater.

9. "La Villa Strangiato" by Rush. Many of you will be pleased to note the lack of vocals. Others will be distracted by Geddy's bare chest, and fail to notice the Rickenbacker. Best comment in the comments: Poll: Which is better, Neil`s drumming, or his mustache?

Of the music itself, Alex's guitar playing is stronger than ever, Geddy's bass playing is excellent, as always, and Neil's drumming is just stellar. What really makes the piece, for me, is the composition. It's a complex structure, and it stands on its own, as music. Some instrumentals can seem like they're missing something, but this one is fully formed.

10. While "You Really Got Me" was an early progenitor of garage rock, The Who's "My Generation" was punk. Frantic drumming, aggressive bass, angry bluesy vocal delivery, and those awesome "fuck you" lyrics!

Ronnie Wood and Alice Cooper on The Who 'My Generation'

And speaking of punk... Patti Smith "My Generation"

Part 2