If you were DJ for just one afternoon
Jim Crompton
Professor of Practice, Petroleum Engineering Department at Colorado School of Mines
At the end of this troubled year, I wanted to do something more optimistic. Actually, this is my 100th blog so a celebration is in order. Thanks to all of you who have honored me by reading a few articles. I had a lot of fun putting this together (though my wife kept shutting my door saying I played the music too loud. I guess you can put that down to my hearing getting worse or just maybe I was enjoying it too much.) If I could find the headphones she gave me that might be the solutions to that problem. I hope you enjoy this and just maybe go into your room and put your own list together but remember close the door and rock out.
Your choice of music tells a lot about you. In a couple of past articles, I have shared a few of my favorite songs and artists but this time I am going all the way. I heard on a radio station that they were raffling off a chance to be their DJ for a two-hour show. I didn’t win the raffle but if I had here is my playlist of songs. I recognize that they are a bit dated (actually very dated!) and a bit eclectic, but that is me. Some you may never have heard of, and some are well known favorites.
You can tell I am more of a folk-rock person than heavy-metal. In taking the time over the holidays to research this list really took me back. It was a good mental health exercise. Golden Oldies for sure. You probably think I stopped listening to new music in the 1980s and you would probably be right, but I am still listening to that same music. I am not claiming that these songs are the greatest of all times, just that they are my favorite 50 songs. I would love to hear yours as well.
My shout out to the internet and to Wikipedia for all the details (I sent Jimmy Wales a small donation this year to thank him for Wikipedia). These records and collections that bring these great songs back to life if only for five minutes. Those are five minutes worth spending every once in a while.
OK here is the list in reverse order and in three parts (50-31, 30-11 and top 10). I have added linked to videos if you really want to get into my DJ session. ?Don’t you wish I would have won the competition, but probably not. ??
50) Mrs. Brown you have a Lovely Daughter (Herman’s Hermits) – 1965, I actually was a fan of Herman’s Hermits before I was a fan of the Beatles. ?Herman's Hermits are an English beat rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. ?Peter Noone was already an experienced actor on the popular British TV soap opera Coronation Street. Produced by Mickie Most, they charted with number ones in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. ?I have selected two of their songs as my personal favorites but there were a long list of their hits including: "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" (said at the time to be "the fastest-selling song in history"), "Listen People", and "Leaning on a Lamp Post". ?Signature transatlantic Herman's Hermits chart hits include "I'm into Something Good" (1964), their covers of both "Silhouettes" and "Wonderful World" plus "Just a Little Bit Better" (all 1965), "A Must to Avoid" (1965/66), "This Door Swings Both Ways" (1966), "East West" (1966/67), "No Milk Today" (UK 1966/US 1967), "There's a Kind of Hush" (1967) and "I Can Take or Leave Your Loving" (1968). https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Herman%27s+Hermits+Songs&&view=detail&mid=8261219159E908FFC8A18261219159E908FFC8A1&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DHerman%2527s%2520Hermits%2520Songs%26FORM%3DVDVVXX
49) The End of the World (Herman’s Hermits) - 1965 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Herman%27s+Hermits+Songs&&view=detail&mid=87F5BD7DA039ACC2AD3487F5BD7DA039ACC2AD34&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DHerman%2527s%2BHermits%2BSongs%26FORM%3DVARSQP
48) You were on my mind (We Five) – 1965 I bet most of you reading this weren’t alive when this song came out. It was the only real hit the band had but I remember it. "You Were on My Mind" is a popular song written by Sylvia Fricker in 1961. It was originally recorded by Ian & Sylvia, but better-known versions were recorded by We Five. ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-7QHWJOzbE
47) Love is a Rose (Linda Ronstadt) – 1977 This song was written by Neil Young. My very first concert at Red Rocks was to listen to Linda Ronstadt. That alone earns her this place on my playlist. ?https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=geronimo%27s+cadillac&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dgeronimo%2527s%2bcadillac%26FORM%3dHDRSC4&view=detail&mid=D9A2E5371DE90B0BF63ED9A2E5371DE90B0BF63E&&FORM=VDRVRV
46) Father and Son (Cat Stevens) - 1970 ?My Dad always worked so hard at his jobs (often more than one) to support our family. I don’t think I got to spend enough time with him when I was young and he died before I retired so missed spending time with him at the end of his life, but then again, I probably followed the same model and wasn’t there enough for our daughters when they were growing up. This one has a special meaning for me. Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; 1948), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in his career, Islamic music. He returned to making secular music in 2006. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Other top hits include: “Morning has broken”, “The First Cut is the Deepest”, and “Moonshadow”.
45) "Uncle John's Band" is a song by the Grateful Dead that first appeared in their concert setlists in late 1969. The band recorded it for their 1970 album Workingman's Dead. Written by guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter, "Uncle John's Band" presents the Dead in an acoustic and musically concise mode, with close harmony singing. I never was a “deadhead” growing up, but this song is just one of my favorites. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=uncle+john%27s+band+nj&view=detail&mid=E841F20F1EF0C2D1B3F0E841F20F1EF0C2D1B3F0&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3duncle%2bjohn%2527s%2bband%2bnj%26form%3dANNTH1%26refig%3dfc7f500bf9694377aa75cca0d7aa7f1a%26sp%3d1%26qs%3dAS%26pq%3duncle%2bjohn%2527s%2bband%2b%26sk%3dPRES1%26sc%3d8-18%26cvid%3dfc7f500bf9694377aa75cca0d7aa7f1a ?
44) Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) - 1965 How could I ever leave out this classic. Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk-rock duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including "The Sound of Silence" (1965), "Mrs. Robinson" (1968), "The Boxer" (1969), and "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970)—reached number one on singles charts worldwide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAEppFUWLfc
43) I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain (James Taylor) - 1970 James Vernon Taylor is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide. I also like “Carolina on my Mind”, How Sweet it is to be Loved by You”, and “Will you still Love me tomorrow.” https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Fire+and+Rain&view=detail&mid=4B74BBC0E25441A286FC4B74BBC0E25441A286FC&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dFire%2band%2bRain%26%26filters%3dsid%253a%252287d9c276-34f5-a833-7751-1963b61806c7%2522%2bcatguid%253a%2522LCRQ_4F05E0F138763C3CADA9_4786f994-017d-4f47-b445-b5ac17783687%2522%2bsegment%253a%2522generic.carousel%2522%2beltypedim1%253a%2522Song%2522%26FORM%3dLCHLRE
42) So Far Away (Carole King) - 1971 More folk rock music from my favorite kind of music when I was growing up. I even liked John Denver and Peter, Paul and Mary for a while. Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of all time, King is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005. King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years. I bought this album. King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=so+far+away+carole+king&view=detail&mid=D65789D1BD70BBBD662BD65789D1BD70BBBD662B&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dso%2bfar%2baway%2bcarole%2bking%26form%3dANNTH1%26refig%3dc5fc8b8de1254c09b7d9f5f0e53855ac%26sp%3d1%26qs%3dEP%26pq%3dso%2bfar%2baway%2bcarole%2bking%26sc%3d8-23%26cvid%3dc5fc8b8de1254c09b7d9f5f0e53855ac
41) Time after Time (Cyndi Lauper) - 1984 Time After Time (1947 song) "Time After Time" is a jazz standard with lyrics written by Sammy Cahn and music by Jule Styne in 1946. The first recording was on November 19, 1946 for Musicraft by Sarah Vaughan with the Teddy Wilson Quartet: Wilson on piano, Charlie Ventura on tenor saxophone, Remo Palmieri on guitar, and Billy Taylor on double bass. But I am not going back that far. I picked the Cyndi Lauper version.
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
领英推荐
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
40) Send in the Clowns (Judy Collins) – 1975 Judith Marjorie Collins is an American singer-songwriter from Denver, Colorado and musician with a career spanning seven decades. She is known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records for her social activism, and for the clarity of her voice. Collins is a Grammy Award-winning artist who has released 28 studio albums, four live albums, numerous compilation albums and four holiday albums. I have had the chance to hear this amazing performer in person a couple of times, the last time in my hometown Colorado Springs, not usually a big stop on a concert tour, and each time my reactions are “goosebumps, a lump in the throat, and tears. Memories flood my heart. So beautiful.” ??She also is the inspiration for Steven Still’s Suite Judy Blue Eyes I list a little later on my list. ?I also love “Someday Soon” and “Both Sides Now.” ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCE-Bijdvv0
39) Both Sides Now (Judy Collins) – 1967 The song was written by Joni Mitchell but I like the version by Judy Collins from her Wildflowers album a lit bit better. ?https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Both+Sides+Now&&view=detail&mid=E2BE94E47D3E1D059FE2E2BE94E47D3E1D059FE2&&FORM=SVRTCV
To show you just how much of a geek I am here is a version of this song by Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Both+Sides+Now&&view=detail&mid=94B8E64E5E5BA901054E94B8E64E5E5BA901054E&&FORM=VDRVRV
38) Wildfire (Michael Martin Murphey) – 1975 I am taking a small step out of my folk music list here with a country song. I have seen Michael Martin Murphey a couple of times at small venues here in Colorado Springs including the local Boot Barn. I know Murphey lives in California and was born in Texas, but he is a big favorite here in the Rocky Mountains. ?Another great Murphey song is Geronimo’s Cadillac. Murphey is my favorite “Outlaw” cowboy singer and songwriter. Murphey did a charity concert here in the Springs right after the two wildfires that happen here several years ago (Black Forest and Waldo Canyon) that made a big difference to how we all were feeling.?This one has very special meaning to me. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Wildfire+by+Michael+Martin+Murphy&&view=detail&mid=438F1813FC8A48798663438F1813FC8A48798663&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DWildfire%2Bby%2BMichael%2BMartin%2BMurphy%26FORM%3DHDRSC4
37) Geronimo’s Cadillac (Michael Martin Murphey) ?- 1972 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=geronimo%27s+cadillac&&view=detail&mid=E4987E9FF26298F2B075E4987E9FF26298F2B075&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dgeronimo%2527s%2Bcadillac%26FORM%3DHDRSC4
36) Try and Love Again (Eagles) – 1976 ?When everyone thinks of the Eagles you almost always get Hotel California as the song. I don’t know about you but I am getting tired of hearing that song, but I do like the Eagles. ?“Try and Love Again” is one of my favorite Eagles songs-written and performed by Randy Meisner. Meisner was the bands original bassist for the band, but they had many lineup changes over the years except for Don Henley. ?The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in North America. Founding members Glenn Frey (guitars, vocals), Don Henley (drums, vocals), Bernie Leadon (guitars, vocals) and Randy Meisner (bass guitar, vocals) were recruited by Linda Ronstadt as band members, some touring with her, and all playing on her third solo album, before venturing out on their own on David Geffen's new Asylum Records label.
35) The House of the Rising Sun (Animals) – 1964 A real Oldie but Goodie. The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rhythm-and-blues and rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced front-man Eric Burdon, as exemplified by their signature song and transatlantic number-one hit single "The House of the Rising Sun" as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", "It's My Life", "Don't Bring Me Down", "I'm Crying", "See See Rider" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." The band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm-and-blues-oriented album material and were part of the British Invasion of the US. If you have ever visited the French Quarter in New Orleans, you can get a taste for the kind of place the song is about. I guess I included this song for the time we spent in New Orleans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJkr0DWbhTk
34) Tupelo Honey (Van Morrison) – 1971 ?This is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and the title song from his 1971 album, Tupelo Honey. The title derives from an expensive, mild-tasting tupelo honey produced in the southeastern United States. Morrison's albums have performed well in Ireland and the UK, with more than 40 reaching the UK top 40. With the release of Latest Record Project, Volume 1 he scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades. Eighteen of his albums have reached the top 40 in the United States, twelve of them between 1997 and 2017. He has received two Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was knighted for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Tupelo+Honey+by+Van+Morrison&&view=detail&mid=2BF53A470F53CC3FEB6D2BF53A470F53CC3FEB6D&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DTupelo%2BHoney%2Bby%2BVan%2BMorrison%26FORM%3DHDRSC4
33) The Load Out/ Stay Just a Little Bit Longer (Jackson Browne) - 1978 You will notice I don’t have any heavy metal bands, Rolling Stones, ZZ Top or San Francisco Psychedelic bands like Jefferson Airplane. I also don’t have any Bruce Springsteen but this is the closest I get with a Jackson Browne hit from 1978. This recording is over 9 minutes long so be prepared. Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his first successes writing songs for others, writing "These Days" as a 16-year-old; the song became a minor hit for the German singer and Andy Warhol protégé Nico in 1967. He also wrote several songs for fellow Southern California bands Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (with whom he was briefly a member in 1966) and the Eagles, the latter of whom had their first Billboard Top 40 hit in 1972 with the Browne co-written song "Take It Easy". ?It would be the 1977 album Running on Empty, however, that would be his signature work, peaking at number 3 on the album chart, and remaining there for over a year. Both a live album and a concept album, the songs on the album explore the themes of life as a touring musician, and the album was recorded both on stage, and in places touring musicians spend time when not playing, such as hotel rooms, backstage, and in one case on a moving tour bus. The album produced two Top 40 singles, "Running on Empty" and "The Load-Out/Stay", and many of the other tracks became popular radio hits on the AOR format.?https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Stay+Just+a+Little+Bit+Longer+Jackson+Brown+Live&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dStay%2bJust%2ba%2bLittle%2bBit%2bLonger%2bJackson%2bBrown%2bLive%26FORM%3dVDMHRS&view=detail&mid=3F3D9B33DAC141407F493F3D9B33DAC141407F49&&FORM=VDRVRV
32) After the Gold Rush (Neil Young) – 1970 ?I have always been a Crosby, Stills and Nash fan with Neil Young a sometimes fan depending on the song but this one stuck with me. Neil Percival Young OC OM (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, musician, humanitarian and activist. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and others. Since the beginning of his solo career with his backup band Crazy Horse, Young has released many critically acclaimed and important albums, such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, Harvest and Rust Never Sleeps. He was a part-time member of Crosby, Stills & Nash but always had problems getting along with this band mates.. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=After+the+Gold+Rush+Neil+Young&&view=detail&mid=3CC7E6FD2FA7C7B52A783CC7E6FD2FA7C7B52A78&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DAfter%2Bthe%2BGold%2BRush%2BNeil%2BYoung%26FORM%3DHDRSC4
31) American Pie (Don McLean) – 1971 I wrote about this tune in my blog The Day the Music Died so check that on out for more details. ??https://donmclean.com/about-american-pie/
More songs from the playlist next time.
Masters Student at Northwestern University
2 年You definitely didn't follow the same model. I would have a harder time trying to remember a game you weren't.
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2 年Thanks, Jim. Agree with most choices. Hope that you and family are all well; Happy New Year.