The four hundred and sixty-fifth song: Stayin’ Alive - The Bee Gees
Running the albums list about a decade behind the songs list leads to some pretty schizophrenic takes on some bands. I suppose Jive Talkin' was in between anyway, but Stayin' Alive is a sign of the disco the Bee Gees are known for while the album list showed us the original prog rock they were known for. It's clear to see why Stayin' Alive feels like it endured, it sounds oog, feels unique and it swings. It's one of the big songs of the big reinventions of a band in music and it keeps entertaining.
The four hundred and sixty-sixth song: Wonderous Stories - Yes
Wonderous Stories is a decent prog rock track, bells and all, with some vocals whose profoundness get lost in the mix of all the other instruments playing - creating, I suppose, an otherworldly feel, but on the whole feeling a bit much for me. It sounds like this is one of their more accessible songs, but it's one where a bit less could have meant a lot more, as I got lost in the layers on this one.
The four hundred and sixty-seventh song: Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
There is something classic about Go Your Own Way's chorus. While it feels like you could loud with it (and I am sure many karaoke performers would have done so), the restraint on it in this song feels more effective. There's a heavy drum and bass riff that keeps playing, but the lyrics stay away from the aggression of the break up lyrics, which creates the right atmosphere to keep it a bit more than that.
The four hundred and sixty-eighth song: “Heroes“ - David Bowie
Moving on to another classic song, Heroes is a song of strength and positivity instead. It's a song of conquering, moving forward and doing the right thing. It's inspiring, perhaps at times cheesy in the lyrics, but the music brings out the message that much better. Its link to the Berlin wall, when a meeting there inspired this song, grounds it in a way that brings some reality to the song. It may not always immediately change the world, but it somehow works to feel inspirational.
The four hundred and sixty-ninth song: Exodus - Bob Marley & The Wailers
While I struggle with the sound of reggae, there is also something inspiring about the way it is not afraid to involve politics and social issues in its lyrics - an approach that, at least at the time, was rare in other genres, with the obviously punk exception. Here, Exodus starts off with a fine rhythm and sounding fine, bringing across its message of political opponents of the regime being driven out. However, it soon comes down to being repetitive - well performed and tight enough, but still not enough to fill the seven and a half minutes this song brings. I would have preferred a radio edit.
The four hundred and seventieth song: River Song - Dennis Wilson
I'm still not quite sure what this song is. There are some wall of sound elements in the full sound of the track, clearly coming from a Beach Boys member, but at the same time the song rejcts that for a more natural life. It's beautiful in its adoration of nature, but also feels a bit disconnected at times, in a way I can't quite fathom. It's good, but different from where it came from.
The four hundred and seventy-first song: Whole Lotta Rosie - AC/DC
Unlike these last few songs, AC/DC has no pretensions of making music about anything deep. Whole Lotta Rosie is a hard rock song about a one night stand with Rosie, a big woman who is, to quote the book, has "the enthusiasm and endurance to do it (...) around the clock". It's not ambitious, it's a song that works in stadium, giving room for guitars and heavy drumming and drives forward. It's not sophisticated or special, but it comes in and does what it needs to do.
The four hundred and seventy-second song: Black Generation - Richard Hell & The Voidoids
Looking at punk, it feels like a lot of it was dominated by British bands. Richard Hell & The Voidoids, however, were based in New York and Blank Generation ties into the tradition. Going against the media and their peers, rather than authority, it feels like more of a commentary on how people go through their life. There's a happier beat to it even if the lyrics are more dismissive and there's something that really appeals to me in here.
The four hundred and seventy-third song: Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf
In the book, this is described as being not so much a heavy meatal song as it's a symphony. While built out of several parts, Bat out of Hell works as a single whole, leading from one section to another as it tells its story. It feels suitably epic and while there were rock songs before and after that do this, the way it's constructed makes it a short story told in song. Meat Loaf's I'd Do Anything For Love is similar to this (and can be referenced by this) but it all has this symphonic rock feel, fusing Meat Loaf's operatic performance with these metal songs to create something amazing and big.
The four hundred and seventy-fourth song: Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
As trite as it sounds, the titular lust for life feels like it comes through in the music. Iggy Pop's darker vocals subdues it, putting some doubt on it, but there's some sort of excitement in them. Perhaps it's the music written by David Bowie, sounding upbeat while still recognisably punk, that creates this, but there's something that riles you up and brings up this feeling. It's a classic, maybe not how you'd expect, but as a song to close out the write up of 1977, this says a lot about the year.