The four hundred and eighty-fourth song: Human Fly - The Cramps
While the influence of punk on Human Fly is clear, its country roots are as obvious and interesting. The music is calmer, more suiting to country if not for the harder guitars and the hissed vocals that stay clipped through. It's a different, unsettling sound that I don't think we've heard as often, but creates an atmosphere of its own.
The four hundred and eighty-fifth song: Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) - The Jacksons
While we move into disco here, for me this Michael and Randy Jackson-penned work falls flat. There's often a big push on repetitive calls to dance in disco, with a comparatively simple song surrounding it, but the fact that this has an eight minute version that, I suspect, repeats itself a lot, grates. I was hoping there'd be more to the song, but it stays where it starts and doesn't really seem worth it.
The four hundred and eighty-sixth song: (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Even without the title, there's something quite British about this song, with Elvis Costello's vocal performance standing out as being that bit different. It's a nice, almost happy song that talks as much about the movies set in Chelsea as the desire to stay away. There's something quite entrancing and good about it - I'll get to more one day.
The four hundred and eighty-seventh song: One Nation Under a Groove - Funkadelic
There's somethign a bit lackluster about this batch, and as much as Funkadelic tries to set up a world to dance away, the music is too mellow to really get me going. It's a fine beat, but the whole thing again feels a bit flimsy without offering much to enjoy. It picks up halfway through the song, where it picks up and brings in a nice bridge, but it struggles to really get out of the funk it starts with
The four hundred and eighty-eighth song: Das Model - Kraftwerk
There is something incredibly German about this song. We already expect the electronic melodies of Kraftwerk - in fact, I'd argue this is more melodic than other songs of theirs - but the almost-monotone, deadpan delivery of the lyrics by Emil Schult is exactly what you'd expect, creating a distance between you and the song and making it feel more mechanical. It's what suits the Kraftwerk style and brand, but there is also some humanity that comes through the otherwise dispassionate observations.
The four hundred and eighty-ninth song: Shot by Both Sides - Magazine
There's a darkness throughout this song, a commentary originally based on DeVoto's political beliefs, but possibly something that applies now. It's a hard, angry punk song that works well for me and works as a punk brand.
The four hundred and ninetieth song: Public Image - Public Image Ltd
As a follow up to the Sex Pistols, here John Lydon tries to make a statement on his own public image changing, with the expectations others have of him. I'm not sure musically that's entirely successful - while the song feels lighter than their work, there is so much punk in there that it's hard to separate out. As a message, however, it's quite effective, and the song stays good to listen to regardless of its origins.
The four hundred and ninety-first song: Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers
While we have another punk number here, the Northern Irish lens the music is filtered through makes for an interesting point of view. Stiff Little Fingers writes about the Troubles, but is formed by people from both sides, and there's a lot of substance here talking about the problems that are happening. It's a powerful number that really brings out what's happening and shows how music can comment on the world around it.
The four hundred and ninety-second song: (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais - The Clash
Fusing punk with reggae, it feels like the Clash is trying to make a statement about commercialization with a bit of scattershot approach, addressing several different places. It's not the most powerful as a song - the nearly shouted lyrics not fitting in with the relaxed reggae rhythm. While it's a bold experiment, it doesn't create a working whole through the song.