The two hundred and ninety-fourth song: Up Around The Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival
In what sounds like clear country rock, this is more wholesome music than we hear from most rock bands, especially with the harder guitar sounds used here. It sounds like it's about people having a good time. It's not too complicated, but it's the contrast that makes this song appear here, even if it isn't amazing.
The two hundred and ninety-fifth song: Layla - Derek & The Dominos
Here's the contrast to that, in a way, with a heavy, recognisable guitar focus that I feel a lot were inspired by later. There is a lot of raw emotion in this declaration of love, apparently inspired by Eric Clapton's future wife, then still married to George Harrison. There's a lot of that coming through in the music, in part because of the way the track is build up between the different instruments and with all the overdubbing. It has so many layers on which it works - the music, the lyrics, the meaning - and it deserves to sound as grandiose as it does. Not counting the second half though - while the piano sounds fine and big, on the whole it's a bit tacked on and unnecessary.
The two hundred and ninety-sixth song: War Pigs - Black Sabbath
The promise of Led Zeppelin has come true. We enter the 1970s and metal arrives. An angry anthem, there's a strong anti-war message here that feels powerfully underlined by the heavily tuned, dark guitars. It's a sound I'm partial to and here it strikes you hard. It would have been harder at the time, as this is the first time we've really heard this sound for the list. It's been hinted at, but it's now pushed through as we move past the friendly rock from the Beatles and the happier mood of the sixties to the conflicts in the seventies.
The two hundred and ninety-seventh song: When the Revolution Comes - The Last Poets
It's a pretty big whiplash in tone. My first worry was where to place this, but it seems to be a precursor to rap - a spoken word song with a basic backing track - a poem read out over a beat. The revolutionary message of course comes across strongly, the lyrics making it clear where they see things going, but the shock of the change in sound is weird and it feels like the genre isn't developed far enough yet to be good musically. Lyrically, though, it works.
The two hundred and ninety-eighth song: Band of Gold - Freda Payne
A poppy song about heartbreak, this goes back to more what we'd expect from the charts. A sotry about a woman whose marriage basically strands on her wedding night. It's good to hear some soul and the lyrics are deeper than othe rlove songs, with quite a lot to discover in there for you.
The two hundred and ninety-ninth song: Love the One You’re With - Stephen Stills
A nice folk song, there's a positive message in here that may sound trite and go against all of Hollywood's advice, but you get a nice, harmonious song that swings and really just feels good. It could be a maudlin song, but it's upbeat, happy and encouraging and pushes folk to be more uptempo than I associate it with.
The three hundredth song: Fire & Rain - James Taylor
Speaking of emotion pouring out through an album, the sadness and depression James Taylor went through during the writing of this song somes through in the performance. It's hard to say why, but there's a sadness in his voice that defines your mood even when the music steps up. It stays incredibly focused and knowing the backstory makes that clearer. It's an incredibly touching song and even if you don't know the exact circumstances, the specific emotion also feels recognisable and the support from that works, somehow.
The three hundred and first song: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
Let's end on a high, though, and that's what you get from Diana Ross. I barely need to explain it, really, but there's something exciting and uplifting about this love song, its promise to find her lover no matter want and support him. It's got a big and infectious refrain, the spoken word versions good for setting the scene but really just preparing the large, sweeping sections.