Triumphant Tracks!

Your classic Triumph has broken down in the middle of nowhere and all you have downloaded are five songs. Fortunately they’re the best five songs ever. And they don’t have to be about motorcycles in any way.

This is our desert island discs thread. One post with songs per person (replies to other people are ok) with five (not four, not six - five) links to YouTube (or whatever), preferably with something to say why each song is on the list. Link to the actual version you like (studio, live, remaster etc). If you change your mind go back and edit your post. Too many or too few songs will mean the post is removed! Additional lists posted will be removed! Songs other people have already chosen is fine. Concept albums and classical pieces are often broken up into parts or movements. Each is considered a song if that’s the case. The judges decision of the rules is final.

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Being cheeky - delete me

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In no particular order…

Last Chance Texaco by Rickie Lee Jones

No matter what I’m doing, when I hear this song it takes me away to another place. Which is making it quite difficult to write this sentence… I’ve been listening to it for nearly 40 years and never tire of the gently wistful lyrics or the sense of resigned loneliness. The album’s well-known, commercial offering was Chuck E.'s In Love but this is far better song.

Perfect Stranger by Cheap Trick

If I ever need cheering up, this always does the (cheap) trick. I knew very little about them until a few years ago when I heard the Rockford album from 2006. It’s full of great, catchy rock/pop tunes but I defy anyone not to be tapping theiir foot at least when this song in particular is playing. Why Cheap Trick aren’t more famous over here in the UK is beyond me.

Starship Trooper by Yes

I make no apologies for being a prog fan. I’ve never worried about what’s fashionable and what isn’t, and judging by the outfits most of Yes wore in the 70’s, neither were they. I was tempted to pick Gates of Delirium as it’s nearly 22 minutes long but really I could’ve chosen any number of tracks. This one has strong memories of being in my late teens with good friends and a whole lifetime in front of me. The Yes Album got a regular airing, as did many others.

Tom Sawyer by Rush

Another band with a ton of songs I couldn’ve chosen from. Brilliant musicians creating compelling music. Once again, this is a song reminiscent of a time and a place. Locked in to my personal history. Sung by a man whose voice, thankfully, got a little less strangled with each album. It’s hard to believe all that noise comes from just three guys. Sublime bass lines underpinned by outrageous drum technique and topped with the industrious genius of Alex Lifeson’s guitar.

Grace by Jeff Buckley

As talents go who are snuffed out too soon, Jeff Buckley is right up there with Nick Drake as far as I’m concerned. This surely wasn’t the peak of his career. Inspiring of many, equalled by none. Without Jeff there would be no Muse (you can take that either way). No one really seems to agree on what happened that fateful night in the river but the outcome is the same for everyone - a new star extinguished just as the light began to shine brightly. The story and the song, and the thought of what could’ve been, never fail to send a shiver down my spine.

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It’s a reply, you’re alright.

Does this mean continentals can’t reply? :see_no_evil:

If we call it ‘Desert Planet Discs’ some wag will post the soundtrack to Dune.

Just because I like it…

A great cover, possibly better than the original…

In the light of current events… sadly no “bring on the night live version” on youtube…

Glorious, could be my obituary…

Late at night, with a good whisky and a cigar, just forgetting about the turmoil and mayhem in the world…

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Changed the first one to this. Burt Bacharach and Herb Albert with The Venerable Sir James Bond. Reminds me of being smaller when things were simpler, but the drumming…

I thought I’d pick more rock music - Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Pink Floyd etc - but this one, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Rydeen, maybe they did all that Amiga and Atari computer game music. Good drumming again from them in their older days.

Solar Stone, Seven Cities. A few erm…‘party’ attendances and found House music. It moved onto Trance which is great to enjoy in a large room (Creamfields, Torture Garden, Bulldog etc) or alone when spannering or painting.

This slot nearly had Gary Moore with his Parisienne Walkways as he’s gone now and it makes me miss things. But I do like a lot of classical things and Summer Watson is so talented so she makes my list along with Beethoven Moonlight Sonata - Mal di Luna.

Last but very not least is Mozart Requiem - maybe slightly different to what some are used to - but defo a favourite of the workshop played very loud.
Quite hard to pick just 5 but there it is. Looking forward to yours :sunglasses:…over…

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I agree with your number five - JUST didn’t make my cut. Just fantastic… RES!

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I can’t possibly pick a top five as it’s constantly changing, possibly depending on my mood or what I had for breakfast, who knows.

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It was hard to choose just 5 but here’s mine. :metal:

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
A track that stirs my sole, brings back happy memories of that time and of course it was also used for that epic TV series Miami Vice. :sunglasses:

Foo Fighters - Everlong
Simply my favourite song by my favourite band of all time.

Rush - Jacob’s Ladder
My Brother introduced my to Rush in the 70s and I became a bigger fan than he ever was. These days I like to play my Rush records in preference to streaming because there’s just something about vinyl.

The Cure - A Forest
Memories of putting a tape in my Sony Walkman and losing myself to the music.

Carpenters - Yesterday Once More
Do I need to explain?

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A Forest - could have been on mine, too.

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Never quite got in to Tom Waits. Maybe I should explore his back catalogue sometime.
I nearly chose Hallelujah from Jeff Bukley and I agree about it being a better version than Leonard’s. Much like with Tom Waits, I’ve never been grabbed by Mt Cohen’s voice. There’s a bunch of extremely popular artists like that for me - Van Morrison being another one.
Orpheus is my pick from your list. Beautiful song and a fantastic album.
I hadn’t heard the Chet Baker song before but I’m already reaching for the single malt.

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You’re right, it is difficult to choose just five but that’s part of the agonising fun. :slight_smile: That’s a damn fine list though. Brothers In Arms is my favourite song on the album. I’d have to choose Learning to Fly from the Foos but Everlong is perhaps their most classic track. Interesting pick for Rush. I nearly chose Spirit Of Radio from that album. The Carpenters wrote so many great songs. Not to everyone’s taste but undeniably talented. The one I didn’t know is A Forest. I haven’t got a Spotify account but I found it on Youtube. Got to give these things a fair crack of the whip but I’m not really much of a Cure fan, except for Lullaby. That’s a brilliant song.

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Asking for a numpty friend :wink:, is it as easy as copying a YT link to upload a video?

Yes, exactly that. It’s just a link back to YouTube so you can copy/paste it from your browser address bar or hit the ‘share’ button on the YouTube page that’ll let you copy it that way. Two ways to do the same thing.

@Octoberon - Rush is the the pick of the bunch here… followed by Jeff n’ Rickie… you can keep Cheap Trick and about 90% of Yes output… wouldn’t come close to my top 100 songs

@Vulpes mix is interesting, but not my fav TW’s number… and I prefer Jeff’s cover of Alligator Wine… but his “Lover, should have come over” is sublime! Can’t argue much with Russians or Orpheus, just not in my 5.

@Iron Starts very strong with BB, whilst the rest are entertaining, the only other I would look out again is Summer Watson.

@geoffb - All good solid songs that come up in my play list… top 5 is a tough gig though…

I better think hard about mine…

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Ok…

I found the Bhundu Boys via John Peel and Andy Kershaw (bike race fan), a breath of fresh, joyous air… The album Muchiyedza is fantastic with other great songs… the sound scape created is beautiful and happy feeling… some great musicianship!

This has to be just about my favourite cover version, took a pretty good song by Phish and totally made it their own… the tone, the feel… everything!

Next track was a real tough one to choose, this overtook a lot of quality songs (like Tracy Chapman’s Baby can I hold you) It was 1977 and Peter’s first single since leaving Genesis (I was only about 8 or 9 at the time, I didn’t realise musician’s could do that… I thought they were in a band and that was that!) And I could have chosen so many of his tracks, but this again, has a joyous feel to it… And I love this video, stitched together from years of performing it. It’s a class track for me.

Ok, Classic Rock at it’s finest… I chose this song from the hundreds of others because of a couple of reasons… 1) It perfectly defines the genre, awesome lead singer (no vocal correction) solid guitar work, driving back line and crowd chant-able chorus, it can’t be bettered! and 2) It was the first major song we nailed in our band and it’s stayed in our set ever since. It always, always get’s folk going.

Argghh, this is so difficult… you just can’t choose 5… too many other great songs in the gutter. But this kinda says it all (do bikes class as drugs?)

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They wouldn’t have hit my top five but definitely some very fine choices there. I’m not the world’s greatest fan of the African sound but I can see (hear) what you mean about the Bhundu Boys song.
There’s little to top the joyousmess of those beats, except perhaps the skipping of Peter Gabriel and his band. Always good to see Tony Levin, too. I can’t help wondering what the band thought when Peter, assuming it was him, suggested they all skip about during the song. They did it though, and didn’t even look ridiculous - no small feet. And speaking of Little Feat, Sample in a Jar is another new song to me but right up my street. Traversing that rock/pop genre, if there’s even such a thing, and adding an edge to it. Funnily enugh, it reminded me of a raw Cheap Trick in some ways.
Nothing (dirt) cheap about the AC/DC song. A stone cold classic. Bon is missed in my house the same way as Alex Harvey, another who died of too much sex, drugs and rock-n-roll.
We’ll not see the likes of Ian Dury again. The Blockheads are playing just down the road soon. I keep wondering whether to get tickets or if it’ll just be a night spent waiting to hear that London punk growl than never arrives.

You’re dead right about this being difficult. I keep having moments of ‘oh god, what about x song!’ I may have to take more time and revisit my list, even if it’s just for my own peace of mind about the songs I chose.

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A woman singing.Always a sucker for a great voice, Tracey Chapman, Joan Armatrading, Joplin, Nina Simone.

A band Rockin out. Motorhead, The Clash, Deep Purple, Rush, Stones, Beatles, Bo Diddley, Talking Heads, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc.

Little Boxes - YouTube Reynolds-Topic

A folk Singer, Neil Young, Waterboys, Eminem, Ebony Buckle, Dylan, Simon. Malvina Reynolds,The Pogues.

Dance all night and do it again tomorrow,
William Orbit, Cream, Billy Nasty, Carl Cox.

Country, You know who they are…

Not enough places, What about Motown, Blues,Zappa,Floyd, Classic ,Scottish??? So lets just call this a sample. :grinning:

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