The two hundred and seventy-seventh song: Sister Morphine - Marianne Faithfull
The eerie vocals of Marianne Faithfull make this partially Rolling Stones-penned song the chilling song that it is. As a song about addiction, this was apparently prescient for her later life, but on its own it also stands out as something that strikes me as somewhat harrowing. It's dark, and while the melody was written first, the lyrics overpower that in the sentiment and sound of them.
The two hundred and seventy-eighth song: Okie from Muskogee - Merle Haggard
Here's a country song that, as so many relies on the lyrics to stand out. And the tone of them... One of the best I can look at for this one is where we place King of the Hill - it is sympathetic with those living in a smaller mid western town, but also makes fun of them, a sympathetic look at the flaws if you will. It sounds decent, but is hard enough to read that you can always find something in the lyrics.
The two hundred and seventy-ninth song: Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
Heartbreaker is a song that suits my tastes more closely. It's a really good rock sound, heavy and hard, taking all of that on board without pushing it too far. The (later edited in) guitar riff feels a bit out of place, but makes for a good solo, setting up the guitar even more as its own individual sound and focus.
The two hundred and eightieth song: Is That All There Is? - Peggy Lee
We just took a break to wash some fresh cherries, bought a few hours ago at Borough market, and it has made for a great break to jump from Led Zeppelin's hard rock to this gentle pop song that harkens back to the big band days. This sounds good, the story being told well, but with the happier music contrasting with a depressing set of lyrics, all speaking of disappointment. It's an obvious contrast, but works well. It has a sense of humour about things that works well as an anthem to keep going, regardless of what life throws at you.
The two hundred and eighty-first song: Sweetness -Yes
While I understand Yes later really becomes one of the faces of prog rock, here it feels like we're listening to a Beatles song, a love song that experiments a bit with its sounds, but in this case draws from its influences. It takes a lot from the Beach Boys harmonies as well, and in that sense we're seeing the groundworks of post-Beatles rock emerge, going towards its own style.
The two hundred and eighty-second song: Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley
Elvis had an impressively long career, where he keeps up with musical trends and does his best to seek out contemporary sounds. While it has big band influences, Suspicious Minds is bringing in a lot of rock as well, using his voice to meld the sounds quite well. His voice is as strong as ever and it shows why there was a comeback here - it brings you along to sound that good.
The two hundred and eighty-third song: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills, & Nash
This is a suite - a collection of linked songs as we see more often in the classical list, but is clearly a rarity in modern music. What we're getting here are a lot of complex harmonies that sound amazing, the guitar underlying the song feeling unnecessary for the first two parts as the harmonies do so much already. Aside from the harmonies, the most impressive part here really are the four parts of the song, creating a unified sound that's still all different that doesn't otherwise come out in that many performances. The final section, with a release, especially comes out naturally while creating an upbeat coda that wouldn't otherwise fit in.
The two hundred and eighty-fourth song: Pinball Wizard - The Who
So somehow, during a late night TV showing, I have seen the movie this song was a part of. It's an absolutely bizarre piece of watching, but the music is very good even if the subject is odd. The lyrics, too, are clunky, but the sound, call and response and so on, sound good and as much as we had a concept album here, it works out. There's so mch energy put into this that it convinves you based on that alone.
The two hundred and eighty-fifth song: Je t’aime…moi non plus - Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg
These ballads make for a weird change of pace when listening in an era where rock dominates. Dominating love scenes around the world, this sounds sensual and close and while nothing happened in the recording booth, Birkin and Gainsbourg are clearly close enough that they bring those feelings into the recording and it sounds real and convincing. Part of the song, after all, is just empassioned moaning, other parts just whispered, which is really enough to be convincing.