273. For Your Love by The Yardbirds 1965

The Yardbirds - For Your Love (1965) (Full ...

Is 1965 my favourite year? Sure is looking like it. And the Yardbirds are one of my favourite bands of all time. There is just something really special about them. Kinda pop kinda heavy. Always looked cool and distant. And they had some great players. But they also did pop songs from the pop writers of the day. The guys who wrote this went on to form 10CC.
For Your Love was another song Little Murders covered. We started playing it 1982 with Rod, Mick and Chris in the band. I never played the middle bit because I could never get the right feel. And it's the sound I've always wanted to play. Very rock and roll middle part with a bit of little finger action. Also luckily for me I had Mick barclay singing behind cos I could never have reached those high notes on the chorus. Started me wondering what I actually did on the song.
One night we were playing at the Prospect Hill Hotel in Kew on a Monday night. It was part of a residency. Monday nights were incredibly huge. There were pillars in the centre of the room that guys would climb. This particular night one of the guitarists from Uncanny X-Men (who we had often played with around Melbourne) came down and asked to join us on stage for a song. We've never had a guest guitarist. And we hadn't practiced but he came out and played For Your Love with us. And it sounded so wrong. Not because he was playing badly but because we had in a few short months become a very tight band. Another guitar playing stuff sounded just weird. It was a horrible feeling. Put me right off. Took a break soon after to compose ourselves for the next set.

272. I'm So Free by Lou Reed 1972

Lou Reed - I'm So Free - YouTube

From the Transformer album. In 1972 I kept switching favourites. Which is what I love about good albums. Play one track to death and then move onto another. As a teenager this happened a lot with girls too. Fascinated by one and then suddenly your head gets turned and bang ..a lot of tears and feeling bad. This song connects with another of those youth camps I went on. It sounds like I went on tons but in total it must have been 5.
Anyway one year we went on a camp to Cowes. In summer. I was going out with a girl called Lynne. We had got together because another girl Gwenda had broken my heart. Anyway going out with Lynne was great. All innocent stuff. Kissing. Holding hands. Meeting at the Blackburn library to study. But there were new girls at the youth club. And my head was turned and I decided to break up with Lynne. Took me 3 days to find the right moment and just before the bus left to come home I told her.
Callously I was in the back of the bus singing "I'm So Free" by Lou Reed while she was pretending to be happy enough down the front. Turned out though she wasn't pretending. She didn't mind breaking up. Oh yeah she was sad for 5 minutes but that was it. I had no reason to feel bad. But now I felt bad in other ways. By the end of the bus trip I was trying to get her to talk to me but she was having none of it.
I then spent the next four weeks trying to get her back.

271. My Face by Henry Badowski 1980

Henry Badowski "My Face" - YouTube

My friend Chris Hunter put me onto this song. There were two Hunters in my life. This was the one I met as a teenager through Vic B. He was the one I formed Subway with. The later Chris Hunter joined Little Murders from the Cuban Heels and played bass for us for two years. 1982-84. Chris now lives in India with his wife and young son. The other Chris lives in Vermont with his wife and two daughters. I never see either of them. But it did used to be hard knowing two Chris Hunters.
Anyway Chris went on and on about this song. He told me the guy used to be in the Police but was kicked out before they became big. Having believed this for so long today I find out this was Henry Padovani. Thank you Wikipeadia.
The song is an obvious pastiche of Gary Numan who was huge at the time. I liked a few of gary numan's songs. well I can count three songs. But I loved this pastiche of his sound. Henry really has a go at Gary in the lyrics. I guess it's a comment on Gary's vanity. And his posing. But I like just like the tune. And it was one of the songs on my favourite mixtapes. It was full of obscure 45s. Played it until it got all twisted and died.

270. Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction 1990

Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing (Video)

Released the same year as Kylie's Better The Devil this was another record that served the Lizard lounge for many many years. Incredibly exciting song and guaranteed to get the dance floor jumping. We only played the remix version of this song. And the only other song from the band we played regularly was Jane Says.
A lot of people loved this band. Really loved up. Except for the two tracks mentioned above I never cared for them at all. I tried to listen to the album it was on but it was just a horrible bunch of tuneless squealing noise to me. Over egged and overrated. Even the theme song to Entourage gets painful after a while. I think the key to my dislike of this band is the voice. If I can't listen to the voice I haven't got much chance of liking the records. Being a not so tuneful singer myself I guess I might be shooting myself in the foot. When they came to Melbourne that's all anybody talked about for weeks. I had to keep telling everyone I wasn't interested in going. Really.
Anyway none of this takes away this fabulous record when happily his delivery and the great remix and the general feel of the song comes together to make one of the best alternative dance songs ever made. And the level of excitement it creates when the needle drops into the groove hasn't dissipated. Brilliant.

269. Better The Devil You Know by Kylie Minogue 1990

Kylie Minogue - Better The Devil You Know

When the Lizard lounge started in 1990 I decided we would play absolutely anything and everything that would make the night fun while at the same time didn't want to make it too corny. Heavy and light. The Doors, Stone Roses and Kylie. and hip hop and rap music. It all came together to make a memorable night that exploded during the Nineties. This was a formula initially tried out at the very successful Barbarella's night club a few years previous and at the Beehive. They didn't last long but Lizard went for over 10 years over 3 nights.
One of the first things I started doing was going round the record labels asking for stuff to play. I was never into Kylie finding it all a little gloopy but when festival gave me a copy of this on 12 inch it was fabulous. I guess this was the turning point in her career because after this she just kept on releasing fantastic dance pop records which fitted in with our dodgy music policy. And she looked different too. She had gone through some kind of metamorphisis after dating Michael Hutchence and was now...well a lot more racy. Of all the records to come this was about my favourite.
Rod our guitarist was backing her on Hey Hey It's Saturday one night so I got him to get me her autograph. He got Mick Harvey from the Bad Seeds to ask. So I've got an autograph "to rob from kylie".cool?
 The video was shot in a building next door to the Espy. The same one my friend Tania used to live in. A luxurious flat overlooking St. Kilda beach.

268. Pissed Off 2 am by Alejando Escovedo 1996

Alejandro Escovedo - Pissed Off 2 am ...


I first heard this song on a sampler I bought called Beyond Nashville: The Twisted heart Of Country Music. In a double album full of great songs , some of which I'll no doubt mention here, this one really stood out for me. I guess the first thing that I connected to were the lyrics. Not that the music was any less brilliant. Nor the performance. The character in the song is coming home at 2 am. His partner is asleep. The lights are off. When you play in a band or DJ in a nightclub there always seems to come a point in the relationship when the balance tips to one side. Usually when you first get together you're out together and they come to the shows. Then they get a bit sick of coming to the shows. Not because they don't like what you do. But they're not performing. Unless of course they're in the band. They start off coming regularly but time takes it's toll. And they start to miss just going out to other things. Like restuarants and films on a Saturday night. And it's early in the morning and they've been asleep for hours while you stumble in with beer on your breath banging your equipment down the hallway. In the mood to do something which usually ends up being watching Rage on TV until dawn.
And on it goes. Anyway I love this song. When I first heard it I tried for ages to get an album of his but I couldn't find one anywhere. Had to wait for the internet age.

267. Janie Jones by The Clash 1977

Janie Jones - The Clash - Manchester 77 - YouTube

The first track off the best debut album ever. This was the song that introduced me to the Clash. I'd been reading about them in NME. A band with no drummer making the front page of a major music paper? My band started doing photo shoots when we didn't have a bass player. Everything was new and just go ahead and do it. So when I finally went down to Brashes to buy this album I couldn't wait to get home and put it on. And band theres Janie Jones bursting out the speakers. And I knew this band was so much better than the Pistols. And they looked cooler. And as a mate of mine said ...an album full of great songs. Listening to this album changed the way I wrote songs. I started off with Dylanist narrative but the Clash's short sharp pop songs became my first real blueprint for writing.  Not that I ever wrote anything political. Mostly it was songs like "Nothing To Do In The City" which is basically the whole song in one line. But I had plenty to do. The punk bands hadn't taken over yet but there were bands like The Sports we'd follow around everywhere. The Tiger Lounge had great bands on all the time. The Kingston. Plenty to do really.
Plus there was the very Englishness of singing about a guy that fancies Janie Jones. Infamous semi-legendary sixties madame.
I put this on cassette really quick. It was also the best driving around town music too. Especially when your car is an old clapped Datsun with the only thing going for it being the sound system.

266. God Save The Queen by The Sex Pistols 1977

It's still incredible how exciting 1977 was for music. For me and a few others. Everything changed. There was a trickle of overseas releases that turned into a flood that seemed at the time to wash away the old guard. In reality it didn't do that. they were still around. It probably just wrecked the careers of some up and coming old wave bands.  But bands like Supertramp still became big at the same time this was all happening. The Sex Pistols were IT though. They were the ones to knock down the doors. Steal all the column inches in the NME. And in the end become the first casualty limping to a sad end in San Francisco.
This was their second single. I picked it up in Box Hill Brashes. I still remember the excitement of seeing it in the racks. I was astonished because it came out really quick. Often you would wait ages for a new release from overseas. Got it home and was just knocked out by how good it was. Especially the guitar playing and Johnny's sneering vocals. Even the the artwork was totally different to what I was used to. I started putting two cheap amps together to make a Steve Jones sound. By now I had an Ibanez Les Paul. Great guitar. Stolen a few years later.
My band Subway tried to find a bass player and we asked Rob Wellington. He said no but came back a few weeks later and offered to be the guitarist. He was a cool guy with good connections. So he was in. He started pulling the band into shape. He changed our name to the Fiction. Got me to be just the singer. Eased Chris out of the band. And for our first gig in April 1978 we played Bernhardts for the Pulp magazine benefit show. All the Melbourne punk bands played. Boys Next Door, Young Charlatans, News. Brilliant night. Brilliant times.

265. All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix 1968

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower - ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEO ...

I remember hearing this in my first year of high school and realising there was a lot more to the world than comic books. Most radio hits were just pop songs but this blasted away the speakers and took us to another place. A place i wasn't sure I wanted to go to yet. I was quite happy with my Monkees and Beatles records.  But I did love this song. And later on when I bought a Dylan chord book I found it an easy song to play. Obviously not the Hendrix bits but the rhythm bit. In a Dylan way.
 So back to 77. Subway started rehearsing. All thoughts of that Bayswater gig out of our heads.
 After a chance meeting with Bruce Milne and our descent into Punk Rock.  Ken and Leonie left the band. We got our frind Chris Hunter to play guitar and started practicing in Vic's bungalow. All Along The Watchtower was one of the covers we did. I 've got a tape somewhere and it's just me screaming. We were never going to be a cover band.
Chris got us our first (or second if you count the Bayswater thing) gig at a party in Hawthorn. We asked Geoff to come and play bass but he didn't show up on the night. So we played 2 guitars and drums. Cleared the room in one song. During the break I noticed Chris was reluctant to get back on stage. But we did. At one stage I put the microphone in the speaker box and got some pretty loud feedback. That brought the party back to see what was happening. For about 30 seconds. Still now I was in a punk band. We played Watch tower. And never again. Actually that was Subway's last gig too. We had lasted 2 gigs. Fantastic.

264. Paperback Writer by The Beatles 1966

The Beatles-Paperback Writer - YouTube

1976 With the end of my folk trio Feathers I began to look for some kind of band to play songs. basically it was a safety in numbers thing. Well safety in noise too. We'd already recruited a lead guitarist in Ken and now we looked for a drummer and bass player. Our bass player was a freind called Geoff who didn't really play bass but he managed to get one. The drummer was a friend of my mate DJ called Vic Bolgarow. He played drums in his own bungalow. He got very excited about his records he put on his vintage record player. He was tall. The man for the job. We started rehearsing in the backyard of Ken's place. Bought a small PA from Tandy electronics and rugged up against the cold..rocked out.
We found a new name in Subway. And played our first gig at the Bayswater Youth Club. Near the train station. There was lots of kids there but no one was really interested in us. We did a shocking cover of this song. It's basically one chord. And that's what we played. We should have listened more carefully. This needs a brilliant bass player. Actually our covers were always bad which is why I kept writing songs. No one could compare them to other artists. Anyway we got through it. At last I was in a rock band. Kinda.
Paerback writer is a pure magic. It was purely a single at first. Showing the great wealth of songwriting. I've said it before but I really love singles. 3 minutes of joy. We played this song a lot at Rubber Soul. I think I still have Ronny's copy in my record box. They all carry the smell of pubs.

263. The Last Time by The Rolling Stones 1965

Rolling Stones - The Last Time (1965)

After failing to get a gig at the Gardenvale Pizza Hut my little trio, Feathers, decided to get in a guitarist who could play. This was 1976. The guitarist was a guy called Ken Hamilton who lived behind the church where I used to go to a youth club in Blackburn North. He was already quite good (and he had a 12 string) and so we went for another Pizza Hut. this was in Templestowe. No audition this time, just turn up on Saturday night and play the gig. So we got there and the place was full. Mostly with childrens partys. so there were balloons and kids flying everywhere. And requests. Lots of requests. Trouble was all our songs bar about 3 were originals. And still quite depressing. One cover I had been practicing was The Last Time by the Rolling Stones. I had bought the Rolling Stones for easy guitar book and this was one of the few I could play with my rudimentary technique. So for my second live singing performance I absolutely murdered this song. I was so out of tune the memory still torments me. I felt the walls cave in on me. It didn't stop me wanting to sing but it made me want to get some drums, bass and electric guitars to protect me.  So that was the last night of Feathers. We didn't need the second voice of Ian so I let him go. Which means in those days I just didn't ring him. And started looking for a band.
The Easy Guitar book certainly travelled the city. I leant it to one girl who kept it for 6 years and then Poz had it for about 10 years. It did me well. I guess I learnt to play the guitar with it. Jamming along with Keith,Brian, Mick, Charlie and Bill.

262. Working Class Hero by John Lennon 1970

Working Class Hero - John Lennon - YouTube

My first band was a little  folk trio called Feathers, a name a pinched from one of David Bowie's bands. almost the same line up, one girl and two boys. Leonie m my girlfriend at the time and Ian Knee, a friend of mine. I didn't sing many of the songs. I just wrote them. We did it to go on a radio talent show which we won with one of my songs. "Helpless Sparrow". Our prize was a bunch of 45 singles, none of which were any good.
Our first "gig" was an audition to play at a pizza parlour. Gardenvale pizza Hut on the corner ofNepean highway  and North road which is now Panasonic Sales. There were only a few people there and we weren't hired but I did get to sing my first song in public. Working Class Hero. Looking back our set was quite a depressing bunch of songs about death and prostitutes. At the time I had a bit of a Leonard Cohen fixation. Also I was the only one playing an instrument and with my limited skills it must have been a bit of a drone. Not Pizza Hut material.
I loved this song. My copy of the album didn't have the swear words on it which was a bit uncool. Though when singing it I liked to put them back in. John Lennon was a big hero of mine. Until Bowie came along and took over.

261. Fog On The Tyne by Lindisfarne 1971

Lindisfarne - Fog on the Tyne - YouTube

In 1973 me and my friends Al and Geoff (who later became our first road crew) got tickets to Slade at the Royal Showgrounds. I think it was the most exciting thing to ever happen to me until that point in time. Yes I'd seen bands before but this was like a festival. However the only two bands I knew were Slade and Status Quo. Out of six bands. Anyway it was wet and miserable and the support bands were killing me with prog rock when Lindisfarne came on. Never heard of them. But they took that crowd of sharpies and glam rockers and had them jigging all around the place. They were really impressive. And the songs were totally memorable. Especially this song which was the definite highlight of their set and really of the day. The crowd were singing along to a song they'd just heard.
We soon went looking for Lindisfarne albums over the next few weeks. I picked up this one. By far the best of their albums still there were a few good songs on the others. Lady Eleanor was a pretty majestic song. Sadly Australia was the bands undoing. They broke up soon after.

260. Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) by The Monkees 1967

Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)‏ - YouTube

Another song that Little Murders covered. This was back in the early days. The first time we played this was 1981 at the Tote or as it was called then Le Tote. Before that The Tote was a pub that served food and a bunch of teachers would drink at on a Friday night once or twice. My one endearing memory of that time was a fabulous bowl of small potatoes covered in garlic.

The Tote as a live venue was quite different. same room as where the bistro used to be. But walking in there at first it looked like a huge pit. The first few times we played there we were the only band. later we had other mod bands like 5:15 support us. One night our friend Johnny was going to meet us at the Tote and didn't turn up. We had just been with him so we thought he'd piked it and went home. We stood out the front of the Tote calling him all these names. Turns out he'd been hit by car and was in hospital. Boy did we feel bad later on.

Any way I loved the Monkees and Little Murders have covered a few of their songs. Who cares if they didn't play on their records. Doesn't lessen their value one bit. I like what I hear. Great tunes. How do I know it was the first time we played it. Cos I always get nervous introducing new songs into the set and they kinda sear themselves into my memory. I've probably spent a week before learning the melody and lyrics.

259. Here Today Gone Tomorrow by The Ramones 1977

Ramones - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - YouTube

 

For a while in 1983 Little Murders covered this Ramones song. The first time we ever played it was at Macys in Toorak Road South Yarra. Mick let me wear this brilliant military jacket like something off Sergeant Pepper. Didn't know where he got it from but it was bright greeen. I felt like Hendrix kinda. I think the idea to cover here Today was also his idea. I hadn't taken much notice of the Ramones after the first two albums. But after his recommendation I went back to it and got back on the Ramones track. My girlfriend and her brother loved the song too. In fact it was loved by just about everyone I knew. And it was fun to play.

Mick ended up in a Ramones cover band for one night at the Jump Club. It was called either the Joeys or the Marones. Paul Thomas was in there too. Fantastic night. Top songs. The Ramones were really something. Never got to see them live though. It's sad to look at this cover now and and realise three of the brothers are no longer with us.

258. I'm Waiting For The Man by Velvet Underground 1967

The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting for the Man

I heard Lou Reed before I heard Velvet Underground. I knew about them but I didn't have any access to their stuff living in Nunawading in the early seventies. Transformer, Berlin..had all the Lou Reed solo albums until it all got a bit dodgy so it was a welcome relief when I finally find a copy of the Velvet Underground first album in a second hand store. The banana one. This was better than I ever expected. It was a very raw sound, pounding drums, heavy rhythm guitar and those dry vocals. Loved it. But behind it all was this amazing songwriting. These are twisted pop songs. Lots of hooks and melodies and great lines.
David Bowie used to perform this song live so Waiting For The Man was the song I was really looking for. I wasn't disappointed, but then again nothing from the Velvet's would disappoint me. (except the short stories set to music like The Gift). Later on in the 90s I was in New York City in Times Square listening to this song on a walkman. It really does capture the rythmn of the inner city. Even better at sunset.
On our last album Dig For Plenty the last song Velvet is my kind of homage to the VU. But in a Little Murders power pop way.

257. In The Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett

Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour - YouTube

I was first introduced to this song by The Jam when they covered it on their debut album. Wasn't that big on soul then. Just Glam Rock and Punk which I believe sounded pretty similar in many ways. But then as I was getting into the Mod thing I started listening to more and more soul music finally grabbing myself an original version of the song. Can't say I warmed up to it straight away but the more I got into soul the more I realised just how great a song it was. The small spaces between beats. The feel. The power.
Eventually I sat down and learned how to play it on guitar and soon it was added to the Little Murders set list. It's a great song to sing and play. And I'm a sucker for a two chord verse. Gives it more umpth! After that it was a regular in my DJ sets at the Rubber Soul though I have to admit sometimes I'd would speed it up just a touch.
All in all it's a stone classic soul song.

256. My Back Pages by Bob Dylan 1964

Bob Dylan - My Back Pages - Another Side Of ...

Didn't really hear this song until the seventies when i was staying at my brother David's place in England. I loved Dylan's greatest hits but it was taking me a long time to get into him. My brother had a copy of Dylan's greatest hits volume 2 and it was that record that made me want to go back and find more Dylan gradually scooping up all the albums. Even learning to fall for Blood On The Tracks which I had avoided for ages. You have to remember my first taste of Dylan was Lay Lady Lay which used to make me nauseous. First time I head it my friend had pinched a bunch of school milk (it used to be free) and we'd drunk half a dozen cartons each. Sickening. And his voice didn't help either. Horrible. The sound made me dizzy. 

So when I really heard Dylan and his work in the sixties and his real nasal voice it was magical. And then you started reading the lyrics. and you just thought wow! And here I was at 18 thinking about my past. And did I really get what he was singing about? And did it matter?

255. Out of My Mind by Buffalo Springfield 1966

Buffalo Springfield - Out of My Mind - YouTube

This song was recorded in August 1966 so that's 45 years ago, which is pretty amazing when you listen to it and there are bands out there trying their hardest to get a sound like this. I heard of Buffalo Springfield through a track called Mr. Soul which was one of the singles I got from our 3AK radio announcer.  I loved that track so one day in the early seventies when I saw their first album in the bargain bin at K-Mart for 99 cents I bought myself a copy.
With all my brothers leaving home to get married and me just living with my Mum and my sister who shared a room for some strange reason I never questioned so I ended up with the master bedroom.  I did my best to turn it into a groovy pad. I had posters everywhere, my own artwork, my records and my stereo. And I had a bunch of downer songs I liked to play late at night. Never been much of a sleeper and often would stay up to one even in High School. Can't stand sleeping. It seems such a waste. Anyway I used to play this song a lot. It was Neil Young. Perfect for late nights. But it was different to his popular stuff which was around at the time. Something haunting. And great lyrics for a teenager. Used to love all this depressing stuff. Even tried tried drinking black coffee for a while too. But that was horrible.

254. Ghosts of Princes in Towers by The Rich Kids 1978

rich kids - ghosts of princes in towers‏ - YouTube

What Glen Matlock did next after the Sex Pistols. When I first heard this song it knocked my socks off. A great piece of power pop that showed that Glen Matlock could really write. Obviously after hearing the before and afters of the Sex Pistols. he knew his way around a good tune. Unfortunately if memory serves me well the rest of the album didn't go anywhere and of course Midge Ure went off to join Ultravox.

The late 70s really was a fabulous time for singles. A lot of the albums coming out from the punk bands weren't really that great (some would have to wait for their third release to get back on track) but the fab singles just kept on coming. I went through a stage of just having the singles and getting rid of albums with fodder on them. 30 years later I went looking for them on the internet. I was fascinated by singles. One weekend back then I went to Lorne with my girlfriend Angela. Instead of packing swimming stuff I filled her boot with a portable record player I borrowed from work and boxes of singles.

 This is why they invented the Ipod.

253. Keys To Your Heart by The 101ers 1976

The 101'ers - Keys to Your Heart

I was a massive Clash fan so I went about the business of trying to get all their singles as they came out. I think it was in 78 down in Missing Link when I saw this single in the racks. I'd read about Joe Strummer's previous band and how it was a ramshackle bunch of misfits. And how he left them because they were the old way. So I wasn't prepared for just how bloody good this single actually was. It was marvellous. And wasn't so far removed from the Clash if a bit slower than their stuff. Oh yeah and it was a love song. But Joe's voice is no different so this could easily have been one of the Clash's later songs if administered with a bit of polish.
That was the summer my girlfriend and I drove to Sydney to check out there scene. We stayed at Leonie's sister's house near the beach. I sang this song so much her neice started singing it too. Apparently for the next six months going Keys..keys!
being so close to the beach one day we spent a few hours there and got completely roasted. Had to lie on beds for a few days it was so bad. Managed to get to a few gigs. But nothing that blew my mind. A lot of big venues near the beach. I did pick up an excellent Sex Pistols poster at a shop in the city.

252. Stand By Me by Ben E. King 1961

Ben E. King - Stand by me‏ - YouTube

Although I first heard this song sung when John lennon sang it on his Rock and Roll album I really fell for it when I got the version by Ben E. King on a big soul album I picked up in the UK in 1979. Not only a great song but a great delivery. It wasn;t long before I got the Little Murders to include in our setlist where it became a bit of crowd favourite. I might have picked it because it was easy to play with only 4 chords and no changes whatsoever. But our crowds loved to sing the wo-oh bits in the chorus.. This led to Mods getting up on stage and singing the bits during the chorus. Which further led to the audience staying on stage dancing along with us. Our gigs in the early eighties always had the audience getting up with the band. We really did become one with the audience. It was absolutely brilliant. yes it was almost exclusively guys but I guess we were pretty much that sort of band. The rest of the band got pretty sick of the song. One night at the Tiger lounge Steve started changing the speed through the song so I knew it was time to put it to bed.
I had a few nice compliments about my singing on it which made me feel good at the time cos I'm not a singer as such. But I seemed to get away with our soul covers. And when we started dropping them in the set no other band on the scene were really doing them. This song pretty much brings back some of those good times.

251. Marquee Moon by Television 1977

Television - Marquee Moon

After reading the passionate review of the album this song is on in the NME I just had to go out and get it. In 1977 week after week something brilliant would turn up in the music papers or down at Missing Link records. It was an incredibly exciting time. And the initial thrash of punk started to give way to all these amazing groups and records. From two minute one three chord wonders we had a 10:40 epic which still had the freshnes and newness of punk. And despite it's length it still was over too soon.
In 1990 I went to New York armed with Television and Velvet Underground records on my Sony Walkman. Just walking through New York your senses are just heightened. Miriam and I walked down Fifth Avenue, dropped into a bar in Soho and came out when the streets were dark and strangely empty. It was about 5 blocks to our hotel. We walked Manhattan, slightly tipsy, avoiding the alleyways. In my head, this song. One of those times I wish I could have really soundtracked my life and have this come out of a third floor window.

250. The Painter by I'm from Barcelona 2006

29 in the band. All the way from Sweden. What's not to like? I love that idea. I love this song.
Can't remember when I first heard this song but I've played it a lot since. Just feels good.
Each year I put together a film for the kids who graduate from my school. A kind of mixture of photos and events and then the kids act out what they'll think or what they hope to become when they are older. Needless to say this song with it's "Don't Give Up On Your Dreams" refrain as soundtracked it a few times. They dress up as film stars, car salesmen, novelists. It's quite amazing the different things they hope to be when they become adults. Odd things like stunt men and tightrope walkers. Movie stars and travel writers. What did I want to be when I was in Grade 6? I wanted to play football for Manchester United and England.How do people lose their dreams? why do drummers sell off their kit. Our drummer keeps buying more kits! Why do people give up on music? I can't for one second imagine not playing music. I live and breathe it. I love playing guitar despite my limited skills. I love writing songs. I've got friends who write songs and play fantastic guitar but they no longer want to share. I'm always trying to get them to play. How do you play in a band for years and then just stop? I don't get it. Maybe it's what I read in a book the other day. To some people music really isn't the be all and end all. Well...to some people anyway.

249. Birthday by Sugarcubes 1987

Sugarcubes Birthday English‏ - YouTube

This song was just so different it really was quite amazing to hear it when it first came out. At first I recall not even liking the song but gradually that changed and I ended up falling in love with it and Bjork's voice. Well Bjork's whole look. She was like an instant Indie queen. Made a lot of the indie singers look completely out of date. I can't say I was  a big Sugarcubes fan. There was that annoying male singer who seemed to stomp over the records. But they do have a great best of album.
I really loved Bjork's first three solo albums though. They do carry some kind of emotional impact. It's something to do with the combination of her voice and the strange melodies. I spent a lot of time listening to her music on my walkman.
Actually got to see her live. At what used to be called the Glasshouse in Melbourne. First time I took binoculars to a gig so I could see her. Couldn't work out how she could reproduce those albums on stage with a minimal band but the whole show seemed to be carried by her voice and an accordian player. wonderful.
I do talk a lot about her voice. But I'm enthralled by it.

248. When I Was Young by The Animals 1967

Eric Burdon & the Animals - When I Was Young
Number 2 in Australia when I was young. This song was just mind blowing for this pre-teenage mind. The guitar that sounds like a dive bomber. The sitar and violin competing with each other. Eric Burdon introduced me to the Love Generation moreso than perhaps The Beatles who on Peppers were quite conventional really. I just loved listening to this record. And singing along
It must have been quite strange to be singing along to a song called When I Was Young when I was only 11 or 12 myself but there you go. In 1967 I was in Grade 6 at Box Hill State School. We were living on Whitehorse Road so I'd walk to school each morning past the hospital and through the park. What do I remember about state school. Hot Dogs at the canteen on Fridays, games in the shelter sheds, the teacher reading us "The Hobbit", Monday marching and wishing I was in the drum squad. The day I let go of the glass door in the wind and it slammed shut and just exploded. The sickening smell of free milk on a hot day. My Mum coming to the door of my classroom when I forgot my lunch or my glasses.

247. Jumping Jack flash by The Rolling Stones 1968

jumping jack flash

High School in the sixties and guys were forming bands left right and centre. When I hear this song the first thing I think about is all those bands playing Jumping Jack flash.  every band played it. It was the sound of rock and roll. I used to listen to these bands with envy. I desperately wanted to be in a band but I didn't play guitar and neither did any of my friends. Eventually I went down to a music shop near the railway line in Box hill and bought a cheap electric guitar and a coronet amp. The most I think I did with it is pose in front of the mirror or get my mum to take photos of me posing. Eventually I started to learn to play guitar but I was really crap at playing other peoples songs so I would write my own. And when I got a band together it was a group called Feathers with me writing the songs and playing guitar while my girlfriend and a mate Ian Knee sang. But it was all a bit folky. We did win a talent show with one of my songs thogh. "Helpless Sparrow" The winners got to play at a shopping centre but we piked out. And I started looking for a drummer. Eventually I found Vic and we started Subway.
The coronet lasted for ages. In Little Murders I would connect it an old Yamaha amp and make a stack. then one night I threw my guitar at it in a Pete Townshend moment and that was the end of it. also snapped a machine head of the guitar.
The song also reminds me of Ronny W and Rubber Soul. Ronny dancing was a force of nature. And he loved the Stones. He'd get really excited. He'd put on the song then almost vault over the DJ box to start dancing. leaving me to find the next record.

246. I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria 2008

This song just happens to be the number one played song on my computers “most played “list. I do love vinyl and I do love CDs. But I also love ITunes.  I’ve got instant access to all my music collection at my fingertips. 25 000 songs I think it was at last count. I can play them anywhere in the house using the network. I carry them around with me on my IPod.  All my music in my pocket.  Brilliant.  And now with cloud I’m going to able to have access to it everywhere. In theory,

What about the song. Despite the risqué subject matter, this is a family favourite. Driving down the Hume highway singing along to this as we head towards Sydney. It’s quite infectious. I really like Ida’s voice. I actually entered a competition and won tickets to her show. Couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go with me though. So I didn’t go. I got put off by the fact it was sponsored by Smash Hits, the kids video show. A pity really cos I quite like the album and the live tracks on YouTube are pretty good.