Been a while huh? Really needed life to settle down again before picking this up.
The five hundred thirty-fourth song: Master Blaster (Jammin’) - Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder doing reggae is somewhat predictable. It's a lot better taking through his filter, with the influence adding its jauntiness to a Stevie Wonder track, but I also felt done with it long before the song ended.
The five hundred thirty-fifth song: Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime - The Korgis
I only really know the chorus of this song, the few lines having been used more bombastically in other covers of the track. There's something thoughtful about the way it's played here, small and subdued, with the subdued vocals, the simple arrangement for the synthesizer and simple repeating motives. It's calm, but enjoyable, but it feels like later versions work better.
The five hundred thirty-sixth song: I’m Coming Out - Diana Ross
It's good timing that we're getting this song included around pride. It's a joyous celebration that obviously fits a number of situations, but was written with the LGBTQ+ community in mind and the power and pride in it works well. It's a good song to get pumped up with and draw on that strength. The chorus especially really drives that point home, working especially well here to get the power in, even making up for the disco repetition that would otherwise get annoying.
The five hundred thirty-seventh song: Back in Black - AC/DC
An odd sort of tribute song to thir former lead singer, Back In Black's lyrics don't really stand out to me as much. Instead, it revolves around the guitar riffs, prominent through, supplemented with exuberant drums that really throw it all out there. There's a lot to it here to find in there, even if the shouty lyrics feel like an afterthought.
The five hundred thirty-eighth song: Let My Love Open the Door - Pete Townshend
While I would never have expected another hard rock track to follow AC/DC here, Pete Townshend does stray from The Who's sound to something more poppy, a happy synthesizer track underlying some simple, nice love song lyrics. None of it is too complicated, but it is a pleasant and happy track to listen to that cheers me up immensely.
The five hundred thirty-ninth song: Geno - Dexys Midnight Runners
With ska approaching, the pop rock track - new wave, apparently - borrows from a number of influences that I know from shows from that era, but never really went into. Not that it really works for me, there's a lackluster sound that never really grabbed me in any of it. Give me the earlier punk sounds instead than what this turned into.
The five hundred fourtieth song: Guilty - Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb
Guilty is a smooth pop ballad, exactly the song you expect from these two big artists. That means the skill is there, of course, from the start, but it also pushes it into a predictability that means that there's not much new to find in there. Technically proficient, sure, but not very inspired. I really don't find much more to go for in here.