Operations Manager Bug's top ten songs of all time.....

Well when i tried to think of my most favorite songs of all time i had some trouble, i had about one hundred favorite songs.... So i decided to narrow that list down to ten by figuring out which song influenced me the most. Here's what i came up with...

1) Led Zeppelin- The Rover
I picked this because i am a huge zeppelin fan and the rover was one of the first songs i learned to play on guitar and was my favorite zep song growing up.

2)Pink Floyd- Comfortably numb
I have way too many HAZY memories of this classic tune...

3)Yes- Owner of a lonely heart
I choose this one cause my dad allways used to play this cd whenever i was in the car with him when i was little and i would allways ask him to play this song... plus i could probablly sing ever lyric in it...

4)Def Leopard- Let's Get Rocked
this was playing in my dads car if #2 wasn't.....

5)Phish- You Enjoy Myself
i am a big phish fan and this song i feel shows a couple different sides of the band all in one song.. its just amazing....

6)Simon & Garfunkel- Mrs. Robinson
i love the graduate and this song both.. its a classic...

7)Black Sabbath- Iron Man
this is also a classic.. bad ass rock from some crazy dude who bites heads off bats!!!!

8)Led Zeppelin- No Quarter
this song is so dard and haunting... it sort of spotlights John Paul Jones who was an extremely talented multi- instrumentalist who was almost hidden in the shadows of Jimmy Page & Robert Plant.

9)Pixies- Where is my Mind?
I find i ask my self this question all the time... Love this song..

10) Phish- Farmhouse
This one just means alot to me and reminds me of trips i have taken to Maine in the past and the feeling there...

well here are my top ten..... What are yours??? go to www.wtmd.org to vote for your top ten...

Tyler's Top 10 Songs

Hey eveyone, this is my list in no order really. I guess that's just a way of chickening out but it was hard to pick these songs let alone put them in order.

1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles
2. Dazed and Confused - Led Zeppelin
3. Life On Mars - David Bowie
4. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
5. Today - Smashing Pumpkins
6. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder
7. #41 - Dave Matthews Band
8. Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
9. So What - Miles Davis
10. Yer Blues - The Beatles

The Underwriting Guy's Top 10 Songs of All Time

I tried to vary it up with songs I grew up hearing and those I grew into. I am sure I will second guess these 10 after seeing more lists, but I am pleased with what I have come up with.

1. Boogie On Reggae Woman - Stevie Wonder
2. Ground On Down - Ben Harper
3. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
4. Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles
5. Humble Mumble - Outkast
6. Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan
7. The Stone - Dave Matthews
8. Reba - Phish
9. Case of You - Joni Mitchell
10. I Second that Emotion - Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

Melissa'a Top Ten Songs... Ever!

As we get prepared at WTMD for the Top 897 Songs of All Time I'm always interested to see what other people come up with. On the other hand, I constantly scrutinize my own decisions.
That being said, here are my pick for the Top 10 Songs of All Time.

1. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding
2. Yesterday - The Beatles
3. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills & Nash
4. ABC - Jackson 5
5. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag - James Brown
6. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
7. Raspberry Beret - Prince
8. Change In Pocket - Pretenders
9. Sabotage - The Beastie Boys
10. Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes

So, what are YOUR Top 10 Songs of All Time? Submit them and see where they place in our countdown starting Feb 1st.

Morning Guy's Top 10 Of All Time

...The following represent times where I've held onto these songs for dear life.

1. The Police- Message in a Bottle
Who hasn't "felt like a castaway, an island lost at sea?" Nobody could speak better to isolation and loneliness than Sting during the early Police days. He certainly spoke to a ten year old living in a strange land.
2. U2- 40
I love concert closing, hold up your lighter songs. With the exception of maybe Peter Gabriel's "Biko", no song comes as close as "40." And this tune really embodies what the band and Bono the man and the humanitarian are all about. If there was ever an anthem, a prayer, an embodiment that rock and roll CAN change the world...this one's it.
3. The Talking Heads- Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)
Shawn Colvin reinterpreted the song with the emotional depth and femininity it needed, but going back, I get more out of David Byrne's wonderfully strained vocals now than ever before.
4. Wilco- Jesus, Etc.
Though not ABOUT the event, the poignant strings and the words "tall buildings shake, voices escape singing sad, sad songs" had a haunting, yet comforting, post 9/11 resonance to me than any other song, even stuff on Bruce's "The Rising" (sorry, Steve).
5. Nick Drake- Northern Sky
Without a doubt, the most beautiful love song ever written. The piano, holy organ and Nick's kind, ghostly voice rise the music to cloud-level heights; spirit lifting, life affirming.
6. John Lennon- Imagine
No explanation needed.
7. The Clash- Straight to Hell
The Eastern scene of commercialism and Western abandonment Joe Strummer paints make this the Clash's quietest, yet angriest song they ever wrote- the slow, mean burn of reality.
8. Van Morrison- Into the Mystic
My wannabe gypsy soul and imagination has been rocked to life many times by this this tune.
9. Al Green- Let's Stay Together
If there was ever a song I WISH I could sing, this one would be it. It's the deepest, simplest profession of love you could ever say to somebody, yet Al is a bit plaintive: "Why, why some people break up...Then turn around and make up...I just can't see." I know.
10. Joni Mitchell- Amelia
I have a love of flying and this song always did it for me. But, it's less about a trail blazing pilot as it is lost chances and close calls in other aspects of the human condition. It's dramatic, vivid and beautiful. Typical Joni.

...and very, very honorable mentions to:
1. Bruce Cockburn- Lovers in a Dangerous Time
2. Ron Sexsmith- Strawberry Blonde
3. Tom Waits- Whistle Down the Wind
4. Ricki Lee Jones- Flying Cowboys
5. Red House Painters- Have You Forgotten?
6. Patty Griffin- Moses
7. Peter Gabriel- Secret World
8. Lyle Lovett- If I Had a Boat
9. The Sundays- My Finest Hour
10. Thomas Dolby- The Flat Earth

What songs keep coming back to you? Click here and let us know.

It's Tough Narrowing it Down!

This is tougher than I thought it would be. When we decided to do this massive countdown everyone at WTMD knew it would hard to narrow down our own personal lists. After all, what is the "greatest" song criteria? I decided to go with my gut on a lot of my picks. Here they are:

1. Born to Run -Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band
   The perfect Rock and Roll teenage song that lasts forever!
   
   
2. Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash
   Talk about a song that pulls you in every time and reminds you about the most simple and hardest conflict everyone faces from time to time.
   
   
3. Disco Inferno - The Trammps
   This was a big conversation in our house this weekend. We agreed that Disco is a valid musical period in our history that should be recognized-but-come on-The Greatest Disco Song?! I picked this one because it sums it all up (mindless dancing, all great disco tunes were long long long songs, true escapism) and no one has really been able to cover it with justice. Tina Turner came close though.
   
   
4. Blue Monday - New Order
   This song really took the underground club scene into the daylight.
   
   
5. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday
   Others may choose God Bless the Child, but for my money, this is the greatest song Billie ever sang!
   
   
6. What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
   The eternal question of man kind don't you think?
   
   
7. Like a Prayer - Madonna
   Yep, Madonna. Remember the "shocking" content of this song and the video that went along with it? Now a days it's pretty tame, but back then it was one of the first salvos in the culture war.
   
   
8. Rocket Man - Elton John
   A total fan of early Elton John, I just can't see a list without this song on it.
   
   
9. Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
   If Born to Run is about surviving by escaping, Jungleland is about surviving, or not, by staying. Amazing how you can tell two different stories about the same thing.
   
   
10. Let it Be - The Beatles
    No explanation needed!

Be sure to cast your vote--we need to hear from a lot of people to make sure the list is a true reflection of our listeners thoughts! Just click here!

Countdown to 897

During WTMD's February Fund Drive, we'll be counting down the Greatest 897 Songs of All-Time...and we need your votes. You can vote for your Top 10 Songs of All-Time here.

Here's my list for the Top 10 Songs of All-Time:

1. Bob Dylan "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
2. The Verve "Bittersweet Symphony"
3. Bob Marley "No Woman, No Cry"
4. Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone"
5. Pearl Jam "Alive"
6. Billy Joel "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"
7. Johnny Cash "Folsom Prison Blues"
8. Dave Matthews Band "Two Step"
9. Jay Z "99 Problems"
10. Ben E. King "Stand By Me"

What's Your Top 10?

Punk + R&B

What do you get when you put together Al Green with The Smiths and X?
Joan Wasser thinks she has the answer. Or rather, she thinks her new solo project,
Joan As Police Woman, IS the answer.
With her debut Real Life Joan enters as a unique voice, in sound and songcraft.
Most recently playing violin in Rufus Wainright's backing section, Joan has also been attached to rock bands Dambuiders and Black Beetle.
Does Punk + R&B = Joan As Police Woman? Take a listen and you decide.

See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me

There are only two movies I stop whatever I am doing or have planned and just watch them if I find them clicking through the cable. Tommy is such a great movie! Highly under rated. I mean everyone talks about the beans and Elton John's boots but the best parts are in the front end of the movie at Uncle Ernie's Holiday Camp! The Camp with A Difference!

And you really can’t beat the simplistic social commentary and the “revolutionary” idea of a Rock Opera!

I think I saw Tommy in the theater like 15 times...I'm serious about that number! I was in the 8th grade when it came out and it's been great to watch Eric Clapton, Roger Daltry, Tina Turner and the fabulous Ann Margaret frozen in time all these years! I was fiddling about on Youtube and found the original trailer. I love the old style, pre "In A World Gone Mad," announcing style. So semi civilized British! And I used to be a big Jersey Shore Pinball player too! I've played that Kicking Bronco machine in the clip.

Oh the other movie I stop my day to watch? Animal House--I was ATO at AU in the 80s.

Marrrrrrvelous Mouse

Hey, did you hear the new Modest Mouse track with Johnny Marr yet? WOW! When Johnny guested on the Talking Head's NAKED ("Nothing But Flowers"), I thought the combination of an eccentric vocalist like David Byrne and Johnny's sharp, world beat, melodic, guitar from another planet was a perfect marriage. Of course, just like his pairing with another wonderfully bizarre voice (Morrissey), his stint as a Talking Head was temporary....But, now, it seems the gig is permanent with Isaac Brock and company. Isaac voice cuts a dynamic, high trebled and original swath through indie rock's path...check out the strings, the rhythm guitar and the multi-layered leads on the new single DASHBOARD- thanks to a big assist from, perhaps, the most underrated guitarist of his generation...Johnny Maar.

The Man Behind The Music

When Preparing for New Music Tuesday this week I realized that I KNEW Grant-Lee Phillips!
OK, not personally, but as a fan of Gilmour Girls and someone who knows ALL the characters and their excentricities. Phillips played the Town Troubadour for 6 seasons on the quirky Dram-edy.
His new album Strangelet is on the way at the End of February, but here is Grant-Lee playing with a Gilmour Girls montage

Company for the Holiday!

As we close out 2006, I got the treat of hosting Will Hoge in the TMD studios.
He is a true gentlemen and even played a brand new track for us! Will said a new album should be out around March.
And here's something I found...
Will and his band covering Derrek and the Domino's 'Bell Bottom Blues.'



Hope you have a fun and safe New Year's Eve. See you in the 2007!

Where's the Candy, Regina?

I had fun sharing the best of Morning Sessions with you today. I'm curious...Regina Spektor talked about the making of her video for "On the Radio", she said it was shot in a chocolate factory assembly line and she even wore a hair net...albeit, briefly. I don't know, call me dense, but I don't see any candy in this video, do you?

Maybe Regina made off with the chocolates and handed them out to the adoreable kids in the video :) I hope you have a spectacular New Year. Peace.

Damien: TMD's CD of the Week

With stunning portraits captured in his songs, it is awesome to be able to dive deeper into the mind of Damien Rice. His new cd '9' is the CD of the Week.
We were first introduced to this album with the song '9 Crimes' that begins with the gentle voice of Lisa Hannigan, Rice's singing partner. Found this cool video for the song. Tell me what you think of it!

The Hardest Working Man in Show Business Moves to That Great Gig in the Sky

Merry Christmas to you and yours from your TMD family. Thanks for listening. Thanks for your support. And especially, thank you for loving the music. So, it is a bittersweet Christmas morning for music lovers everywhere- you may have heard by now that James Brown died.

While, of course, it's a sad benchmark..the Godfather of Soul's music celebrates life, energy and something burning inside us all. He just had IT! James Brown channeled the human condition in his growl, his wail, his grunts, his feet. He lived it all- the spiritual, the carnal, the jubilation...the blues. Here's a great link on the history of a music icon as important and as American as Elvis and Chuck Berry, from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Peace and love from everyone at TMD.