The Big 4 Of The Greatest Songs Ever

[rockinstephen]

Here are 2 great songs that almost never get mentioned:

1. "Salisbury" by Uriah Heep

2. "Crazy Eyes" by Poco

If you haven't heard these, please do yourself a favor and listen!

 

[surfsup1955]

#1 Unchained Melody - Righteous Bros
#2 Crazy - Patsy Cline
#3 Any song from the Aja album - Steely Dan
#4 Any song from Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

 

[telemnemonics]

Uhh, you do realize that The Jackson Five, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Beatles...were commercial pop, no?

A perfect pop song is a hell of a lot harder to pull off than a socially conscious protest song. Pop is the highest art form. It has to be two things: catchy as hell in order to grab a large number of consumers; and well played and constructed with an instantly appealing chorus. In other words, a pop song has to be good and also accessible enough to reach a large audience. That ain't easy. If it were, we'd all have numerous number one hits and gold records on our walls.

Against my better judgement which tells me not to feed the Trolls, I have to consider that the discussion belings to all of us.
The post where @Moonraker5 said music is an American invention, in perfect troll harmony, inspired my review of the fact that many scholars believe Blues and Jazz are the only true American art forms invented in the USA.
Which is interesting if combined with the idea that socially conscious protest songs are easier than pop tunes.
Scholars also consider Blues at birth to have been a sort of sign language which on closer inspection IS socially conscious protest formed into pop treats in order to avoid lynching for offensive content.

Anyhow, personally I seem to find African American sources in any American music I love, so despite the trolling I’m going to bite with this classic piece of brilliantly orchestrated socially conscious protest pop.

 

[telemnemonics]

I did seen an honorable mention of Stevie Wonder but gotta say his work and Ray Charles are massive foundation stones for popular music, both have epic catalogs of great work.
I love guitar playing but bought every Ray Charles album I could find when developing my guitar playing style.

 

[turfdoc]

Come on, man. That song is awful. Have you seen the new GET BACK film? Well, watch closely as the boys play "One After 909" on the roof. You'll actually see people jumping off the roof.

Oh sorry....so.....you wanted the list of songs that 'others' approve of. OK, in that case, you want:
1) White Christmas
2)Moon River
3)Superstition
4)Hotel California

See, everybody is happy now and no one is jumping off a roof...

 

[turfdoc]

Dude, I wanted to learn about Jazz. I wanted to love jazz. So I watched the Ken Burns nine hour documentary about jazz and noticed not once did they mention Kenny Gorelick - the man who has sold more jazz records than any jazz artist ever.

I did my jazz research and learned that Kenny G's "Songbird" is the biggest selling and best jazz recording in history. I listened to the song and to be honest did not like it. If that's jazz's best, then clearly jazz isn't for me.

You mention Miles Davis. You recommend "Kind Of Blue." If I wanted to listen to a blues record I'll listen to The Beatles "Yer Blues."

Trust me, jazz Is Not for you.

 

[OhioTennMac]

Let's do it. Let's look at the four greatest songs ever made. No explanation is needed to explain why these are The Big Four. The fact is they just are the four greatest songs ever made.


#4.
"Heat Wave" - Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

#3.
"I Found Out" - John Lennon

#2.
"Memphis Tennessee" - Johnny Rivers

and the greatest song ever made....

#1.
"Ballroom Blitz" - The Sweet

Who decided these were the greatest?

 

[TeleRooo]

Let's do it. Let's look at the four greatest songs ever made. No explanation is needed to explain why these are The Big Four. The fact is they just are the four greatest songs ever made.


#4.
"Heat Wave" - Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

#3.
"I Found Out" - John Lennon

#2.
"Memphis Tennessee" - Johnny Rivers

and the greatest song ever made....

#1.
"Ballroom Blitz" - The Sweet

Ballroom Blitz??? I guess your into GLAM Rock........................

 

[Sullivan121]

And coincidentally, so is "Another One Bites the Dust". Really.

You beat me to it

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

9 pages and not a single mention of Captain & Tennille OR Minnie Riperton…

 

[Double Stop]

9 pages and not a single mention of Captain & Tennille OR Minnie Riperton…

Don’t worry. Eventually every song that’s ever been recorded will inevitably end up in this thread which should’ve been called “Name Every Song In The World Four At A Time”.

 

[jefffed]

I

I wouldn't have thought Giant would make anyone's list but i probably would have chosen something from "Three friends" not that Octopus is bad by any means. I have had the pleasure of seeing them a few times in person

 

[oldunc]

I did seen an honorable mention of Stevie Wonder but gotta say his work and Ray Charles are massive foundation stones for popular music, both have epic catalogs of great work.
I love guitar playing but bought every Ray Charles album I could find when developing my guitar playing style.

It would be nice if guitar players would realize that they are first of all musicians (or should be) and that any sort of musician can be a source or an inspiration.

 

[telemnemonics]

It would be nice if guitar players would realize that they are first of all musicians (or should be) and that any sort of musician can be a source or an inspiration.

Interestingly, guitar was the first instrument I got serious with because it’s so easy to get and teach yourself.
Truth here, I bought a bassoon and soon returned it!
Saxes were much more instinctual to me.
So after 4-5 years playing guitar I got bored with all the guitar cliche and the mechanical nature of plucked strings.
Then after some years playing reeds and bowed strings, I returned to guitar with a different mindset gained by thinking in other instruments that were more fluid.

Classic organ trio stuff made me love the B-3 sound and period styles but my mind stayed in the legato vocal thinking.
Now I’m back to only guitar because the sheer hours and energy keeping up on reeds and violin/ cello was killing me.
But that thinking changed my approach to guitar.

 

[Brad Pittiful]

bill haley and his comets - rock around the clock

sweet - ballroom blitz

ramones - blitzkrieg bop

stooges - i want to be your dog

 

[nrand]

4. Gimme Some Lovin - Spencer Davis Group
3. Crimson and Clover - Tommy James and the Shondells
2. Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
1. Help - Beatles


If you ask me next week the list will be different..

 

[Gary135r]

Let's do it. Let's look at the four greatest songs ever made. No explanation is needed to explain why these are The Big Four. The fact is they just are the four greatest songs ever made.


#4.
"Heat Wave" - Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

#3.
"I Found Out" - John Lennon

#2.
"Memphis Tennessee" - Johnny Rivers

and the greatest song ever made....

#1.
"Ballroom Blitz" - The Sweet

4. Sex Farm
3. Anything Zamfir
2. Pete Best drum solos
And number one: One (is the loneliest number). Well, because it is. Duh.

 

[Gary135r]

That's a good song. But not a Big Four song. Slots in at around 53.

But she's a ten

 

[Gary135r]

You just nailed all the reasons the only answer is Michael Jackson.

Or Berry Gordy

 

[oldunc]

There's something very disturbing about this thread. Do people have any idea who wrote the songs they're listening to? Or understand the difference between a song and an arrangement? Do bands even write songs? Well, jazz bands sometimes, if we accept pieces without lyrics as songs. Other obvious questions are, I suppose, outside of the spirit that TDPRI discussions seek to maintain, but are nevertheless hard to avoid. Think John McEnroe.