The two hundred and twenty-ninth song: White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

So far, I don't think we've heard many female rock singers on the list, especially with psychedelic rock. It works really well, as it creates a different atmosphere, possibly giving the ethereal effect they were shooting for. It's about the effects of psychedelic drugs and the vision that come - indeed using a lot of Lewis Carroll imagery. It's heavy in places, short and powerful, properly creating that imagery.

The two hundred and thirtieth song: Purple Haze - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

A bit more normal rock, this sounds like a Jimi Hendrix song from the beginning. There are again strong drugs references, but what stands out here isn't the lyrics, but the aggressively pushy guitars, a volume that at times seems to strain the recording equipment, distorting the sound and the hard and suggestive vocals. It's something that we're used to these days, but thinking about it, this was new at the time, and created its own controversy with it. It makes it works still, even if it's not revolutionary - it's more a great example of it.

The two hundred and thirty-first song: I’m a Man - The Spencer Davis Group

I swear there's some video game music at the start there - a sinister chord that sounds vaguely familiar. The music, with its sudden outbursts, creates a sense of urgency that comes through everywhere. It's not necessarily fast, but everything sounds a bit hurried - not in the way it was composed, but in the way it comes across. It also includes some R&B, mixing it with rock in a way that creates an interesting mix of genres that makes things even more open. A great slice of sound, to paraphrase the book.

The two hundred and thirty-second song: Venus in Furs - The Velvet Underground

We're moving between a lot of underground areas that we would have seen at the time, and now The Velvet Underground takes us to a world of sex instead. The music sounds distinctly Middle Eastern, creating this exotic aspect, and references to leather point you further in that direction. It's sexual and charged all the way through, slow and deliberate vocals added to that experience.

The two hundred and thirty-third song: Fire - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

We don't usually get two songs by the same artist in these batches. It still has a signature sound in the guitar chords, but sounds clearer. Certainly on fire, but also less with that druggy haze. It has a sexual tension (even if that wasn't where the idea came from) that comes through in more of his songs, but is very clear here and yet it has fun with it. It doesn't take itself seriously with the request, just enjoys it instead.

The two hundred and thirty-fourth song: Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

A rocky ballad about life in London and walking along the Thames, it strikes a chord from having done similar walks. Sure, times have changed, but there's this enjoyment of life that's present in the song and sounds quite happy. It's such a happy and optimistic song about something very simple, which is very enticing and what makes this pleasant to listen to.

The two hundred and thirty-fifth song: Ode to Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry

As we're going back into country, lyrics start to matter far more than sound. The melody is very simple, although the guitar and violin are used effectively to create the mood and atmosphere here. It mixes this dark story about Billie Joe commiting suicide with the mundane chatter at dinner time - pass the black eyed peas. It makes for really effective story telling even when, in places, it sounds bizarre. There are a lot of open questions by the narrow bridge - why did he jump and what did he and the narrator throw off the bridge the day before? Not knowing adds to this, creating this unsettling atmosphere around the song.

The two hundred and thirty-sixth song: The Dark End of the Street - James Carr

The title of this song already says a lot, and as a soul song, you know this isn't going to be such a simple distraction either. So much of it is about the worries of the singer as he cheats on his wife, hiding at the dark side of the street. It's sad and haunting, setting up the scene so well throughout that most of your emotions about this come into play.

The two hundred and thirty-seventh song: Suzanne - Leonard Cohen

We go back to folk now - almost as if we go back in time. It makes for a sweet song about a platonic relationship, one that I'm more familiar with from the Dutch cover made a few years later. It's a subdued happiness - as you tend to get with folk - one that suits this type of relationship. It's thankful and wistful, in a really sweet way.

The two hundred and thirty-eighth song: Respect - Aretha Franklin

Peter asked just now if we even needed to play this - but you really need to be in all of this to really get into it. There's a lot of energy in this song, as well happiness and excitement. It sounds upbeat and excited, not demanding, but deserving of respect. It's strong, it's a great statement, and there's a reason it became the main anthem for civil rights movements.

The fourty-first album: #41 Stan Getz & Jaoa Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto

Time for some more bossa nova - the Brazilian jazz that I believe we have mostly heard on the songs list. It starts off with the gentle Girl from Ipanema, which has bene discussed before as a nice, gentle song that works nicely in the context of the album.

Beyond that, it all stays very pleasant and gentle - as much as we get from jazz, but holding my interest more than other jazz albums have done. Bossa nova is quickly growing on me, not giving me something I'd listen to all the time, but working well as semi background music that still makes its presence known. This is probably one of the best demonstrations of that.

The twenty-ninth book: #29 Pamela - Samuel Robertson

Oh god... this was a drag for the past few weeks. Pamela is meant to be the perfect woman of the 18th century - pure, demure, protecting herself and then marrying the man who kidnapped here after he's sick for a day or two because of her absence. To me, she's gullible and, most of the time, just plain wrong. I realise it's a 250 year difference and everything has changed, but this just made me think of her as stupid several times during the book.

Written entirely in letters, the format felt a bit off putting as well. Sure, we see her thoughts, but they just make me like her less. Her actions aren't defensible in my eyes, the people she trusts were reprehensible to her before, and forgiveness comes a bit too quickly. Some books can get moralising - this isn't something that always pays off, and it doesn't here for sure.

The fourtieth album: #40 James Brown - Live at the Apollo

Moving into some soul, James Brown is an energetic performer, something that comes out from the start of the performance. It seems like it's not as wild as the studio performances could get, it's there in the music and vocals. What probably adds to the tamer sounds at times is that there are still a lot of harmonies in the songs, which makes for quieter moments, although James Brown often manages to pull these out to become grander.

The crowd reactions reflect this, getting wild at times and going along with the quieter bits. They're not quite sensitive - James Brown never lets them stay small - but it does go up and down. At the same time, James Brown doesn't really seem to interact with the crowds much. You'd expect to hear a response to some crowd reactions in the song too, but all of that feels fairly scripted. It seems a bit odd and unfortunate, but it's probably that type of set that he's going through here. In the end, despite all the other trappings, the entire album comes down to the sound of James Brown voice, and that is magnetic.

The two hundred and nineteenth song: The End - The Doors

Yeah, a bit of a worry as we saw the first song of the year was twelve minutes long. It's a sign of how the song works, really. It takes time to get started, but because a long drawn out folk rock sounding song, sounding quite haunting. Rather than being loud, it uses the rock sounds mostly for occasional effect while drawing you into something smaller most of the time. At the same time, lyrically, it feels like it's trying a bit too hard sometimes, trying to sound deep, but a lot of the time the message doesn't really reach me either. It's possible this would have worked better live, perhaps I wasn't as wowed with the charisma involved, but this doesn't feel like it has the impact it should have. It's an impressive feat of recording, with a a big, known ending, but it doesn't quite reach the heights this is meant to have for some.

The two hundred and twentieth song: Electricity - Captain Beef heart & His Magic Hand

Experimental rock is, by its nature, a mixed bag. Here, I can see what they're going for, and parts of it sound good. The vocals, at the same time, are so off putting that it feels like the strained parts are just constantly off putting. I know that's part of the point, but it doesn't make for a good sound. Sure, it's good that they were experimenting, trying new things and growing, but so were the Beatles at the time, and they made it sound a lot better. Captain Beefheart was an interesting person, and that influenced a lot of the song - drugs must have been involved - but that doesn't make it work for me.

The two hundred and twenty-first song: Corcovado - Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

It feels like we haven't had one of these songs for ages. Frank Sinatra still sounds as good as always, and the orchestra suits him. It's a legit style, one that I probably appreciate more now having heard what surrounded him at the time. Sure, it doesn't have the energy of rock, but it feels like we don't quite need it here. Just a quiet day in the mountains, good to relax to. Bossa Nova, with its smaller group of musicians, suits Frank Sinatra well, and it makes for a great quiet companion piece.

The two hundred and twenty-second song: Heroin - The Velvet Underground

Here is the first song recorded that is unambiguously about drug use. It's a big achievement, and notable just as much being on the top ten albums of all time, apparently. It doesn't start as impressive - again, there's some lead up time in the seven minutes - but by trying to be simpler than The End, it can have more of an impact. It takes a neutral tone on the subject - not really condoning it, but part explaining why - which makes it all the more impressive. The flat vocals, surrounded by more manic music, makes this all the more clear. It's not about your emotions, it's about the surroundings around you. It works really well, especially when the speed changes kick in as, it feels, the drug takes hold. And at the end, the music becomes discordant, the viola out of place and you can feel the crash coming. It's an amazing bit of story through song, one where theme, lyrics and music really strengthen each other.

The two hundred and twenty-third song: Chelsea Girls - Nico

Another song that gives an impression of drug culture of the time, the flat vocals from Nico - not as strong a singer - add the same lack of emotion as we saw in Heroin. Here it's more about the external effects of the drug use. However, this song has a flaw - one Nico hated as well. The strings and flute were added everywhere, and they want to add a certain amount of the grandiose that the song neither deserves nor needs - keeping it smaller would have made for a more effective story. It's a shame it's there, but it's what we have to live with here.

The two hundred and twenty-fourth song: For What It’s Worth - The Buffalo Springfield

Just from the name, you're right - country, folk rock, and at least not a seven minute epic. I do mostly know this from covers - "Stop, hey, what's that sound" is one of those lyrics that stuck with me. It's a lot smaller than other covers, though, with less loud vocals and less instruments, making it more bluesy than later performances would have. It makes for something pleasant and smooth to - to listen to rather than dance to. The lyrics themselves are about a riot, making it more against the establishment than before, but the song doesn't quite bear that out in the music. It's still a good achievement.

The two hundred and twenty-fifth song: The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield

Here's one of those Burt Bacharach classics - again, a name we haven't heard in a little while. It is a fairly basic love ballad, but the sultry musical sound, together with delicate vocals that get it just right, make it sound really good. It's all measured, giving you just enough of everything, but it makes for a good combination of sounds and song.

The two hundred and twenty-sixth song: I’d Rather Go Blind - Etta James

And we move to some more soul - a lot more variation right now than the rock binges we've had in previous stretches of songs. Here, it sounds quite happy, one of those simple love songs that finds an interesting melody to run with. It becomes stirring, pulling you into the hurt and desire that plays throughout the song and tries to entice the man back.

The two hundred and twenty-seventh song: (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher - Jackie Wilson

Technically a soul song, this song swings quite a bit, putting the energy into an energetic love affair that makes it feel like a special thing for everyone. There's a lot of powe rin the song that even the occasionally strings can't pull down, making for a great sound together. And it's the vocals that really make it stand out. Jackie Wilson makes it so much bigger and feel so real that the song makes you that excited yourself.

The two hundred and twenty-eighth song: Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles

As almost seems required at this point in time, we end with the Beatles. This is a trip down memory lane. The song is made to sound like that - some of the instruments are made to sound so much older. It's about getting away from the adult world, going to that place in your childhood where it's all innocent. The big band influences come through here as well - using those instruments to increase the impression. As psychedelic rock, it really is trying to carry you away to this other world.

The fourtieth TV show: #776 Keeping Up With the Kardashians

This is pretty odd. We've joked a lot about this show and how we feel forced to watch it as it's on the list. We started with a fair amount of apprehension and annoyance at how long this would take us.

Now, I cna't say I love the show - I will be happy that I won't need to watch another episode of it ever again - but it's not quite as bad as it seemed. Kim, the center of the whole thing, can seem quite boring at times. Her family livens it up a lot, though. Khloe's more sarcastic attitude and emotional involvement resonated with both of us and her comments on the situation really made the show a lot more entertaining - her and Caitlyn (Bruce during the episodes we watched) are the most interesting people on the show in that they make the family seem more human. Scott adds to that later as well.

The best episodes, then, were the ones where it's about the family, where it's about family hanging out and annoying each other. Seeing Kris buy chickens for fresh eggs - and the annoyances those cause - is far more interesting than worries about big photo shoots. We watched the big wedding special - most of it passed us by because the arguments on whether he was part of the family worked well.

It was fun enough to watch, and worth the time we spent on it in the end.

The thirty-ninth album: #39 Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

Welcome back from the holiday break! I was hoping to cover some songs over the break but never quite got to it.

We're coming back to jazz on our first album of 2017, sounding more avant garde than before. Disjointed is the main impression I get from the first track, Solo Dancer, although it slowly melds into a more coherent whole. It never quite meshes in a conventional way, it keeps sounding uncomfortable, but it wavers. It certainly sounds different, especially from other albums of the time I've listened to, and it takes jazz out of the comfortable corner I feel it was in before in the albums I listened to.

With that it does also feel like there's a lot more experimentation there, already like some of the more complex classical pieces I've listened to. There's growth that now demands you listen far more than before. It's a mess, but one that ends up going somewhere.

The seventeenth classical recording: #9 Josquin des Prez - Missa Pange Lingua

As we go back to the early runs, we also go back to choral music. The voices sound well together, working as five linked movements that work through the different parts of the sound. It's relaxing and meditative, putting you in that state of near emptiness by carrying you through there. It's concordant - quite different from before and pleasing.

The thirty-ninth TV Show: #532 Silent Witness

There are a bunch of crime shows on this list, and a lot of them on TV. One thing that is already becoming clear when it comes to these, is that they need their own angle to have them stand out. For a lot of them, it's the force of character of one of the leading roles, while others pick a specific area to focus on. The latter is less seen these days - we more tend to see them follow the Sherlock Holmes model - but here it's present. Silent Witness focuses on solving crimes using forensic evidence and while it has a central characters in the first few season, once Amanda Burton leaves it becomes an ensemble piece. This is its weakness - as another part of the story is how it impacts the main character, diluting it makes things a bit less effective. For that reason, we focused on early seasons and the hand over.

These have been incredibly engaging, darker and more difficult to watch than most other shows. The reality of this work is messy, that comes through, but the stoyrlines themselves also embrace it. All are two parters, with the cliffhanger at the end of the first part usually including another death that makes things worse. It's engaging and rarely fails to shock - at least so far.

The sixteenth classical recording: #439 Jules Massenet - Manon

The last in my catchup list, here's another opera - a comedic one this time. It's (again) a forbidden love story, but one taking on some different elements from the previous love story. Starting at a bawdy inn rather than a fancy party does that to you. It's all lighter and more open to play and discussion - it sounds more fun, to listen to, to watch and even to perform. The characters are more flawed, and at times hypocritical, which adds more complexity because they don't have to be as dramatic. It works quite well to set them up right.

Despite the lighter touches, the quality of the music still comes through. It's not as memorable, perhaps, but supports the setup so well it works throughout, whether it's to encourage chaos or tenderness. It's been a very entertaining listen, even if just because it's not all quite as you'd expect beforehand.

The two hundred and eighth song: Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys

While this song may be best known by its refrain, the song switches between several styles - and even mixing them at several points - creating a complex combination of sounds that doesn't quite come across by just lifting out a single aspect. There is undoubtably an exchange here between Brian Wilson and the Beatles, both experimenting with creating bigger sounds, even if this song sounds like the biggest example of it, being bigger than any other song in the amount it works to create. It works as it though, with this being its own magnum opus. Don't just think of the refrain - it's almost the most boring part of the track - listen to everything that surrounds it.

The two hundred and ninth song: Dead End Street - The Kinks

Coming down to the ground, this is a poppy song about how life isn't great for everyone. It's a lamenting anthem, complete with several shouts, that indicates how much life... well, just sucks for some. It sounds good, but it's the incisive lyrics that dominate and leave the lasting impression, supported by the instruments and a sad trombone.

The two hundred and tenth song: The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore - The Walker Brothers

We really have different streams of music here - while the Beatles and Beach Boys, together with the following acts, are creating their own young sound, here there's a different sound, more led by producers - it's not quite Phil Spector, but the sound definitely feels inspired by that style of music. It still sounds good, creating a great atmosphere, but where before the music supported the lyrics, here it feels the reverse. It still sounds good, but there's almost an interesting counterpoint here.

The two hundred and eleventh song: Season of the Witch - Donovan

Apparently, early on, Donovan was known as the British Dylan, a moniker he was trying to shake at this time. The instruments here seem a lot smaller than the last few songs we listened to, instead getting a guitar, bass and drums together (there is probably a bit more, but it's kept small), creating a simple rock song that relies on the vocals to really take off. There's a crescendo that comes in, but the song doesn't reach the same heights for me as its contemporaries do, not quite making an impact to quite the same extent.

The two hundred and twelfthsong: Friday on My Mind - The Easybeats

Just looking at the title, I was expecting a simple wall of sound style song, but instead we get a bass line reminiscent of Paint it Black, leading into a rock sound that has a nice energy to it - not high or frantic, but enough to set up some excitement. It carries that through, not quite reaching other heights with its lyrics, but working well musically. I think I should probably keep this around for my Friday afternoon anthem, carrying me through into the weekend.

The two hundred and thirteenth song: I’m a Believer - The Monkees

We need to get back to this when we reach this show during the TV writeups, but this is a big enough song that it stands out. I mostly know it from later versions - making this recording sound quite subdued - but it creates a pleasing sound. Of course, The Monkees members themselves don't have quite as much of an influence on the end result as other bands of the time did, but it makes for a more polished, consistent sound that, of course, was also more manufactured rather than reflecting personality. Mostly, it's an infectious, happy song, and that's what works so nicely here.

The two hundred and fourteenth song: Dirty Water - The Standells

Although not exclusive, this is the year of the rock bands, manufactured or not, and this last third of 1966 really seems to reflect it. Dirty Water goes back to more of a raw sound, more towards the hard rock we've heard from the Rolling Stones before, as well as the punk sounds we've heard in previous batches. Here singing a song 'admiring' dirty Boston. Musically it doesn't go to special places, but the sound and commentary enhances the sound of the song and becomes the real star. Knowing that this wasn't written by the band, who stayed in LA, but instead by their manager, removes little from that impact.

The two hundred and fifteenth song: I Feel Free - Cream

Cream is apparently the first succesful supergroup, made up of more bluesy performers doing rockier stuff. Here, it takes psychedelic rock, roughly at the intersection of rock and blues. It sounds good, smoother than most, relaxing while still bringing in the urgency rock often seems to instill in me. It's a nice challenge as a song that really has its own appeal in sounding slightly different.

The two hundred and sixteenth song: You Keep Me Hangin’ On - The Supremes

We're getting away from the rock bands we've had so far, and the white male look of all bands, and go to The Supremes, with their more produced sound that focuses on creating simpler pop. It's still a fairly straightforward love song - or break up song. It layers its instruments quite well for the standard uniform sound. It works well and just creates a good song, with its own good pop sound. More interesting is that the rock influence is in there, that meant that many rock groups later decided to cover it.

The two hundred and seventeenth song: Happenings Ten Years Time Ago - The Yardbirds

We're getting back to another hard rock sound with heavy guitar riffs and clear drums, although with a clear vocal line over it, rather than the rawer voices other bands would prefer. The contrast sounds really good, creating a more ethereal sound. That's what probably drives the song most for me, this clear constrast between the two elements (the music getting interrupted by what sounds like sirens and explosions, mostly well created through the instruments and some loose comments) that sounds slightly odd. This is a precursor of heavy metal, and the band a precursor of Led Zeppelin. This feels like a real step towards it, and is notable enough that way.

The two hundred and eighteenth song: Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles

And we end 1966 with a familiar band, but not a familiar sound. The Beatles were getting more experimental through time, and this seems to be a clear example of John Lennon experimenting with a new sound and creating something that's difficult to place. It's psychedelic rock, something that has started to infiltrate previous song, but here we get a disconcerting song that feels like it's thrown a lot together. For me, it doesn't always work as a song, although it's an experience for sure (just quite off putting at times). It is a consistent sound, just not one that I feel I've heard before and one I'm not sure I'll hear again. It's a song to experience, one that stands on its own, and that I feel I can't question too much. I just had to listen to it.

The fifteenth classical recording: #580 Gustav Holst - The Planets

A fifty minute piece, rather than the two and a half hours from before? It feels like a cakewalk now. These are seven connected sections, one for each of the astrological planets (so no Earth) and before Pluto was discovered. They are linked in motives and sound different - Mars is bombastic, Venus gentle, Mercury more ethereal. They make for quite pleasing, varying sounds that made me sit up every time a new planet came along as they sounded so different. You can mostly tell which planet is being covered based on the music being played, which feels like a special achievement on its own.