The five hundred eighteenth song: Outdoor Miner - Wire
I'm not sure whether it's the time I'm listening at or something else, but Outdoor Miner's subdued, straightforward slow song doesn't quite fit the post punk feel you'd expect from that moniker. It's a pleasant poppy song, something that could fit into a soundtrack somewhere around track eight. It works well enough, without a bigger impact.
The five hundred nineteenth song: Rapper’s Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
While this isn't where rap started, it's what broke the genre to the world. It's been parodied, sampled and referenced so often that this feels like a parody, but the evolution of funk or disco works here - the music sound is there, but the rap changes it into something more interesting, removing the repetition or longer dance breaks and pushes it further. With the benefit of hindsight this feels a bit simple and commercial, but I do see how this becomes impressive.
The five hundred twentieth song: California Uber Alles - Dead Kennedys
On the other side, California Uber Alles is a highly political song, written with some quite high brow allusions to Shakespeare and Orwell that comment on the governor of California and his actions. It's dark and aggressive, militaristic in places, and it feels like a challenge that stays that aggressive.
The five hundred twenty-first song: Typical Girls - The Slits
Typical Girls is a female led rock song, which feels like it was even rarer at the time - I know we have BLondie ocmic up, but the rock and punk scene has it as the exception, often restricted to the vocalist. Here, the entire band is, with a sound that feels as unique. The guitars and bass as mostly toned down, the drums a bit different, but the slurred punk vocals are there and it feels loose, an anthem that challenges standards and sets its point of view. I can't say this is the best performance out there, but it has its own unique side.
The five hundred twenty-second song: Atomic - Blondie
I'm not sure what this song is trying to say, Debbie Harry's improvised vocals more an instrument than creating that much meaning for the song. That feels a bit futuristic for the time, relying on synths and electric guitars to creating an ongoing beat that just occasionally gets interrupted by some musical flourishes, vocals and the rest that comes in. That, at the same time, fills the room, creating an environment more than anything.
The five hundred twenty-third song: Gangsters - The Specials
The story behind this song - the Specials were blamed for the damage another English band did to a hotel room - feels slightly undercut by the message. Rather than a statement, the early ska vocals feel a tad whiny and the punk vocals seem a bit off compared to the ska sound. It's an odd mix that doesn't always work well and doesn't come into its own until the second half of the song, when it all meshes better. It's a decent experiment and something different from what we've been used to.
The five hundred twenty-fourth song: Cars - Gary Numan
It feels like we had a Gary Numan song in the last batch, and we're in his big stage, with new wave coming in as it is. The first minute and a half have the actual vocals, a commentary on the security while you're in a car and that feeling of immortality - something I've noticed mostly as a regular pedestrian. The music itself continues for another two and a half minutes, a good electric sound that follows those new wave roots further and (aside from synths being a bit out of date) feels like it would now, or at any time. It's good, but it's the first section that works best, while the instrumental part threatens to become a tad too self indulgent in its length.
The five hundred twenty-fifth song: Babylon’s Burning - The Ruts
More reggae punk here, but while The Specials had the reggae vocals, The Ruts' Malcolm Owen sings with a hard rock voice, loud and shoulty in a way that even punk doesn't always have. It lends an aggression to the song that suits the message far better and continues to dominate the track. It feels like a more impressive feat and everything else follows suit - loud guitars, the constant drums and an anger that is felt throughout.
The five hundred twenty-sixth song: Message in a Bottle - The Police
Listening to these songs in context really bring out some of the influences you didn't really think of before hand, and the reggae intro of Message in a Bottle stands out a lot more here. The sound is dropped in the chorus, thankfully, as while it makes the verses sound different, I also wonder whether it adds that much to the song. The driving and desperate chorus feels like the more interesting part of the song, the music underscoring the longing despair that well. It works so well, becoming memorable and interesting as a track still worth listening to.