Thursday, April 14, 2011

#893 Reel 2 Real - "I Like To Move It"

No, i'm serious. And i realize its now in a Disney movie of something, but back in 1994 when this some came out, producer Eric Morillo was having all kinds of success producing records for Strictly Rhythm Records. This song was his most popular and perhaps one of the very first crossover house/mainstream songs of the 90s. The first time i heard this song was in March 1994. Dark, crowded Baltimore warehouse...played by DJ Moby.....i had it stuck in my head for months afterwards. That night i had stuck in my head forever.

#894 Ready For The World - "Oh Sheila"

So you may wonder when i began making lists of music and countdown etc. Well it began in 1985. I was a huge fan of the Top 40 and I loved especially the big year end countdowns. My uncle supplies me with oodles of 45s so i had lots of music even back then. Well, in 1985 at the age of 8, i made my very first top 100 of the year. The number one song? "Oh Sheila" by Ready for the World. Why? Not sure, I was 8!

#895 Abba - "Take A Chance On Me"

I love Sweden. I love their cars, their hockey players, and most of all, their rock bands! ABBA is one of the bands you just can't not like. This song is from 1978 and accorinding to the interweb, "The song's origins sprang from Ulvaeus, whose hobby was running. While running, he would sing a "tck-a-ch"-style rhythm to himself over and over again, which then evolved into "take-a-chance" and the eventual lyrics" Yeah ABBA! Another ABBA song is on the list but it won't be dancing into the countdown til much much later.

Monday, March 7, 2011

#896 Drake - "Forever " feat Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem

I know Drake is about pop rappy and played out as you can get. He's the Canadian Vanilla Ice (no Vanilla Ice was NOT Canadian!) but he does have a kinda cool voice, and i have a secret (not anymore) affinity for Kanye West. How is it that he's the only person on Earth that takes him seriously and i dont think he's aware the rest of us dont!!!
Plus, the 4 verses of this song go very well together for some reason to me. Despite that i really dont like any of the 4 of these rappers, they collaborated to make a good song.
This may not be on the chart in a few years...it could be the newness of it, who knows. But Eminem's verse is pretty beast.

#897 Zombie Nation - "Kernkraft 400"

Everyone loves zombies! Everyone loves delicious techno synth beats! What a combo. Whether you heard this song grooving in some club in the 1990s or whether you heard it when your favourite sports team scored a goal, theres no denying the infectiousness of the song. Jock Jams...Rave .........Til Dawn....Jarrod's countdown....the trifecta!!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

#898 Stereo Mc's - "Connected"

Actually coming in surprisingly low on the chart. This 1992 song made the Billboard Hot 100 and catapulted the MCs to a decent amont of fame. I remember seeing these cats at HFStival 1993. (Sam, Rachel?)

The MCs made some damn good dance music, and according to Sam Goldsmith...still are!!! I thought there was a video for this, but apparently not, so heres a live take of it!

#899 Miami Sound Machine - "Conga"

The 80s hit parade continues with one of the only real Cuban/Salsa kind of songs on the countdown. No, not a big Gloria Estefan fan but this track would make anyone want to dance. This song put Gloria and her band on the map to make many more singles and for Estefan to have a solo career as well.

#900 Cameo - "Word Up"

Ahh yes, we're into 900 and why not start with a song that was quite popular and quite influential. Perhaps Cameo didn't make up the phrase "word up" (it came from a TV Show) but they certainly made it popular in the 1980s. Some of us old folks still use it today.
I got to see these guys perform this song a couple years back at a jazz festival. It was awesome and i checked "see cameo play word up" off my bucket list!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

#901 Mother Mother - "Neighbour"

So in my journeys of trying to hear every song ever made, i run into some random shit. Some bad, some good. When i found Canada's Mother Mother, i found a gem. Quirky New Pornographer-esque lyrics and bands like the Dodos and Freelance Whales have taken the same sound and had more ma...instream (indie-mainstream) success.

Either way, this song, the last of the first 100 songs, is well, about a neighbor who likes to watch! :) This is not the official video btw.

#902 Afghan Whigs - "Be Sweet"

So can we say that the Afghan Whigs are the best thing to ever come from Cincinnati? I feel like we can. Greg Dulli is one of the most interesting people and songwriters in recent times.
The Whigs were a prominent force in 1990s alternative rock and its a true shame they don't exist any longer. Dulli does tour solo and perhaps does some classics in his set. He also has a new band, the Twilight Singers.
This is the first of 3 songs by Afghan Whigs in the list.......one more and we've made it through 100!!!!

#903 Butthole Surfers - "Dracula From Houston"

My guess is that you probably have no idea how awesome the Butthole Surfers are. Sure, they had that song Pepper in 1996 and they have a funy name, but if you understood how awesome Gibby Haynes and company were and how many great records they put out....man, you'd certainly be hipper than you are now! Get on that.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

#904 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Heads Will Roll"

Well we finally have our first repeat artist of the list! Not really such an honor considering its only the 900's and this is the second and final Yeah Yeah Yeah's song on the chart. Just coming out last year, its one of the newer songs on the list too.
This video was nominated for a VMA and if you grab the single, there are many cool remixes of it by Passion Pit, James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins and more. Off with your head!!!!!

#905 Flyleaf - "All Around Me"

So perhaps i have an affinity for loud rocking bands with female vocalists. Sure, maybe i saw Evanescence at their 99cent show at 930 Club when they first came out (but disregarded them as humans midway through the show and left).

But Flyleaf is a decent band. I even had the chance at meeting singer Lacey at Merriweather a few years ago. Nice girl, great voice, and i can get behind it sometimes, when i'm feeling all angry and such! Even if the video is a bit bloody!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

#906 The Cardigans - "Lovefool"

I need to seriously count the Swedish bands on the Top 1000. It has to be close to 50 songs on here but the Swedes. This one from 1996, an excellent indie kinda poppy song sung by a beautiful Swedish woman! Score!

This was by far the Cardigans' most popular hit, even ending up on Romeo and Juliet's soundtrack. The Cardigans do have some other quality songs so i suggest you check Nina and Co. out sometime!

#907 Social Distortion - "Highway 101"

Ahh, Social D!!! Its hard to imagine someone not liking Mike Ness and company. Although SxDx was formed in the 1970s (!!!!) they didnt really blast onto the alternative music scene until 1990's "Ball and Chain". For the next 20 years they have been putting out quality music relati...vely nonstop. In fact, they are currently touring as we speak, playing in Baltimore in November i believe!

This is the first of six songs from Social Distortion in the top 1000 and its from 2004's album Sex, Love and Rock & Roll.

#908 The Killers - "Mr. Brightside"

So the Killers may be sort of lame now, but they did make a great record back in 2003. In fact, a cool indie moment of mine is seeing the Killers open (yes, open) for a tiny band called Stellastarr*.

Yeah, no one was there and the Killers were completely unknown except for a couple people knowing "Somebody Told Me". Well this song was a favourite of mine for a while and i still think it deserves some praise now!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

‎#909 Ryan Adams - "Shakedown on 9th Street"

One of the most prolific songwriters of the 1990s-2000s perhaps is Ryan Adams. From rock to country to just jamming out Grateful Dead style, Adams has a very unique twist on all of the above. Though i never noticed it really until i saw his live show. He's much more into the Dead than i previously imagined, and perhaps a little Shakedown could be an ode to part of that. Either way, one of Ryan's more rocking songs....

#910 Neil Young - "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)"

There aren't a whole lot of songwriters better than Neil Young. This defintely one of my favourites. A lot of memorable lines in this one, like 'rock and roll will never die' and "its better to burn out than to fade away" which was infamously quoted in Kurt Cobain's suicide note. (you know you write deep shit when someone quotes you in their suicide note!)

Looking for the acoustic version? its called "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" See he's clever too! and Canadian! and since Young needs to be heard live to be appreciated fuilly, here is a historic performance of this song.

Monday, February 7, 2011

#911 Voxtrot - "Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, & Wives".

Finally a song about women i can get with!!! Voxtrot, a Texas outfit put out a great EP and a great album a few years back but have been silent for a while, which is a shame.

Great melodies, a great voice and lyrics that just grab you and hold you still. More Voxtrot to come in the Top 1000.

#912 3 Doors Down - "Loser"

Ok so i may catch some shit for this one, but come on, despite the alt-rock ness of this song, its a good one. Written about cocaine addiction, it has a serious undertone to it and is quite well written.

Interesting side note, this song holds the record for most weeks at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. 21 weeks at number one and it earns you number 912 on Jarrod's list and the only 3 Doors Down song to make the top 1000 (though its not the only song called "Loser" on the list!

#913 Beck - "Cold Brains"

Beck has 9 songs in the countdown and this is the first one. From the Mutations album, "Cold Brains" was the first single and really set the tone for this record. Mutations was the follow-up to Odelay which was Beck's most popular record. It was received not anywhere near as well as Odelay and ...didnt have nearly as many hits, but i think it could be just as good....ok maybe not.

But we salute the Beck anyway cause he is just freaking awesome!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

#914 Hocus Pocus - "Here's Johnny"

Hocus Pocus is a Dutch techno outfit from the early 1990s. This, for you young people, is what early east coast NYC (esp Brooklyn) raver parties were sounding like.

While many cities like Baltimore and Philly ended up embracing breakbeat and drum and bass, NYC, Chicago and Detroit could be heard playing this stuff right up to the new millenium.

This ones a banger for sure!

#915 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - "Relax"

Well, i guess when i heard this song in 1984 i didnt think much of its meaning, and i certainly never saw this video!!! But either way, Frankie Goes To Hollywood was pretty much a one-hit wonder. Their one big hit , Relax, remains quite an awesome song, 26 years later!

Feel free to comment on this doozy of a video.

Monday, January 24, 2011

#916 Feist - "One Evening"

Canadian singer Leslie Feist came onto the scene in about 2004 and was proclaimed the best new girl indie singer around. With a smooth rangey vocal style and and awkward whimsical song structure,

Feist has a number of hits and a few making this countdown. She's also a member of Broken Social Scene. I like this song, kinda disco-ey and i like songs that seem to tell a bit of a story, k?

#917 Dubwise - "Hold Me Real Tight"

Whether it was one the first Fever: Time to get Ill Mixtape, or being played by Scott Henry or another DJ late at night or early in the morning, this song was always a classic on the dancefloor in the early-mid 1990s.

Though I heard this many times on many nights, perhaps the best was... in or around 1998, years after this song came out and disappeared, Scott played this song at the bitter end of a Sunrise Festival...7am, total sunlight, people everywhere, but for one last time, we were all in high school again....aint it crazy how music can do that to you?

#918 Bill Withers - "Lean On Me"

So while you may find some songs on this countdown you have never heard of, this is not one of them. From 1972, but covered, sampled, played in movies and live countless times.

It just makes you happy, doesnt it!? And Withers' delicious voice doesn't hurt either! Its timeless, and its better than Livin on a Prayer, wouldn't you say?

#919 Bon Jovi - "Livin' On A Prayer"

Ok, so this could be one of the songs that could be surprising that its this low on the countdown. Sure, lts basically a classic song all around.
Sure, its still played at every frat boy bar and played by every college rock cover band (usually between Jessie's Girl and Don't Stop Believin') but come on, to think there arent 900 some better songs out there is sophmoric. I still have a warm place in my heart for Bon Jovi and this song.

I remember when Slipper When Wet came out...unlike some people who was BORN when this song was number 1 on the Billboard Charts!!! (you know who you are!)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

#920 Cat Stevens - "Peace Train"

Sure, Cat Stevens may be on some sort of terrorist watch list, but maybe we have all forgotton about the peace train he wanted to ride on! Well, this song back in 1971 was definitely one of many war protesting songs of that time. But its its not I am a fan of all war protest songs.

What makes a good war protest song into a great one? Hand clapping, of course!

ALL ABOARD!!!!!

#921 Beastie Boys - "Ch-Check It Out"

There are TEN Beastie Boys in the top 1000 and this is the first. Most of them are from the 80s or 90s but i like this newer one in particular.

Cause even i like to turn this mother fuckin' party out.
I do, i really do

#922 O.A.R. - "Crazy Game of Poker"

Well, many of you may know that jam-rock bands are not my thing, but sometimes these guys can write a good song. Now, if their fans could just learn behave more like people and less like intoxicated zoo animals, we'd be closer to being friends.And i like bands to put their band name in the lyrics of their songs. :)
Also, since jam bands rarely make videos cause who wants to watch a 20 minute music video not done by Michael Jackson? no one! so heres a live version

#923 Pink Floyd - "Hey You"

From the first of 15 U2 songs, to the first of 9 Pink Floyd songs. This one from 1979's The Wall record. This video "Reel 13" is totally creepy but never actually made it into the movie The Wall. The song, as with most of the songs on the Wall, is pretty creepy in general! Songs are getting ...much better dont you think?