Tagged as: Classic

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Holy crap, either/or got redesigned! Also, holy crap, there’s a new post! But enough of that, let’s talk about one of America’s (the band, not the country) most famous songs.

The group seem to have the market on classic, road tripping Americana music cornered, which is perfectly encapsulated by this tune. It’s so darn iconic, much like their other, equally iconic tunes.

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So this song floated by my head courtesy of something on TV, so here it is on either/or! Luckily, it takes a little more than just a chance encounter with a piece of music for it to appear on this here site: we have standards, y’know. Otherwise, I’d be posting about ad jingles all day long.

INXS was one of Australia’s most prominent rock bands. While they were certainly well-known for their music, the band is also inexorably linked to frontman Michael Hutchence, his personal life and unfortunate suicide in 1997. Here is one of the band’s most famous works: a gorgeous rock ballad with shades of country guitar, and singing that almost sounds like Elton John without the flamboyance. In a good way, trust me.

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Having not been alive in 1978, my only exposure to this song was the version they played on my local, classic songs radio station. As such, when I got my hands on Rafferty’s City to City, which featured Baker Street, it sounded different to the version I remembered. In a story not too dissimilar to yesterday’s Dandy Warhols post, a bit of internet sleuthing gave me a concrete reason for the inconsistency: the single version of this song was sped up, which not only made it faster but also pitched the key up half a tone. To me, it gives it more zest, but that could just be because this was the first version I heard.

This remains a classic, no matter which version you prefer. That saxophone riff, oh boy. Devilishly sexy.

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Our post on Portugal. The Man (bugger that grammatically irritating name) reminded me that we need more T. Rex on this here music blog. As such, I must oblige! After Get It On, this is probably T. Rex’s most famous song. It’s brimming with British glam rock goodness: hard rock, and then crazy high falsettos during the chorus. What’s not to love?

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I do love iconic riffs, particularly if they aren’t performed by a guitar. A lot of people associate well-known riffs with guitar, and while that is indeed the case for a lot of songs, there’s a sizeable handful of them that employ other instruments to equal or greater effect. So, where am I going with this long-winded explanation? Aside from the obvious purpose of taking up room in this post, it’s also to introduce this song’s rather memorable synthesised organ riff. One of Dire Straits most famous songs, it is as catchy now as it ever was.

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Here’s another classic bit of rock that was always floating around my childhood. Clearly I am a child of the 70s, despite being born in the late 80s. While it does follow a fairly typical rock progression for the time, it’s the almost scat-like/reggae-esque singing throughout that makes this song indubitably iconic. Everyone remembers this song as a result: it’s hard to think of any other song with singing like this that’s entered popular consciousness.

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There are really no other words that I can use to describe this song than simply ‘delightful’. Why? Just listen to it! It’s just a wonderful, innocent tune that’s very much a product of its time. Sure, some people may think it to be rather quaint, but I prefer to think of it as charming. A perfectly pleasant way to close out the working week.

A Little Bird Told Me by Evelyn Knight on Grooveshark

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When I was a kid, the general aura that Meat Loaf albums physically conveyed was that of a hardcore metal band. As such, I never actually connected this song (and others) to Meat Loaf, and is now just a perpetually amusing fact for me.

Anyway, despite the fact that Meat Loaf is a bit nuts these days, there’s no denying that this is just archetypal classic rock ballad, full of passion, grandeur and general battiness.

You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) by Meat Loaf on Grooveshark

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There’s a little indie game coming out later this year called Grand Theft Auto 5. Yeah, you probably haven’t heard of it, it’s pretty underground. Anyway, in its initial trailer, this song was used. Somehow, it’s sleazy, psychedelic and majestic all at the same time. Praise be for the 60s! If you ever need a tune to accompany you while walking down the street and give you an elevated sense of bad-assery, then your search is well and truly over.

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake - Original by Small Faces on Grooveshark

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This weekend past, I played Guitar Hero until my arms fell off. As such, I’m currently typing this with my nose. Having not played it in a long while, I was pleasantly reminded of the large collection of classic rock tunes housed within the third instalment, including this song by the Who.

This doesn’t seem like the kind of song that’s about to be commandeered by CSI: Whatever City Has Crime anytime soon, but it is still unequivocally the Who: what with those delightful harmonies and jangly guitar hooks, it is just a colossal bit of classic rock.

The Seeker by The Who on Grooveshark