Even More Crappy Lists From Music Magazines

Top 10 Best Songs Ever Recorded, from Q Magazine's 1001 Best Songs Ever.

1. One - U2
2. I Say A Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
4. A Day In The Life - The Beatles
5. In The Ghetto - Elvis Presley
6. My Name Is - Eminem
7. Creep - Radiohead
8. Independent Women Part 1 - Destiny's Child
9. Live Forever - Oasis
10. River Deep Mountain High - Ike and Tina Turner

U2 SONG IS BEST ONE EVER

U2's bittersweet meditation on love, One, has been named the greatest song ever recorded.
Music experts placed the tune, which had only a brief and unremarkable spell in the charts, above efforts by Elvis and The Beatles.

It topped the list in a special edition of respected music magazine Q honouring the 1001 Best Songs Ever.

U2 guitarist The Edge said: "When we named it, I always knew it would be number one at something."

The song was recorded at the tail end of 1990, roughly halfway through the band's - so far - quarter century career, as they tried to reinvent themselves with the Achtung Baby album.

The band, yearning to leave behind the earnest flag-waving of old had headed to the Berlin studios where David Bowie recorded Heroes.

"We all went out into the big recording room - a huge, eerie ballroom full of ghosts of the war - and everything fell into place," The Edge told the Q special.

The song - which peaked at number seven in the chart and managed just six weeks in the top 75 - is a favourite at weddings and was recorded to dramatic effect by the late Johnny Cash.

Beatles: Down at No 4
Q's writers and a selection of well-known musicians cast their votes for the list of great songs.

Runner-up was Aretha Franklin's I Say A Little Prayer, written by the renowned songwriting partnership Bacharach and David.

Nirvana came third with Smells Like Teen Spirit, the rock anthem which briefly made them possibly the world's biggest band.

And The Beatles' epic production A Day In The Life - a segue of a Lennon tune connected to a McCartney track with the aid of producer George Martin's euphoric string arrangement - was fourth.

The Fab Four have seven other tracks in the top 1001, including Something, In My Life and Paperback Writer.

Radiohead have the highest number of entries in the list with nine songs - the highest, Creep, at number seven.

Editor in chief of the special edition, Paul Trynka, said: "Our writers and experts weren't asked to name the most historic songs of all time - rather it was the songs they enjoy hearing; songs you can use every day, whether that be on your Walkman or your brand new iPod."

Rolling Stone - 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

It's certainly a thrill: 'Sgt. Pepper' is best album
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY

To everyone's complete lack of surprise, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been anointed the best album ever in a new Rolling Stone poll.

Rolling Stone chose the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as the top album of all time, but editors say Pepper "wasn't a slam dunk."

The Beatles' consecrated 1967 classic tops "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time," a collector's issue on stands Friday. Though typically the odds-on favorite for such rankings, Sgt. Pepper wasn't a slam-dunk.

"There was a horse race," says Rolling Stone music editor Joe Levy. "Early on, any number of albums in the top 10 were in the lead. The final result is no shock, but there's a reason for that. The Beatles, after all, were the most important and innovative rock group in the world. And Sgt. Pepper arguably set the tone for what an album could be."

Top 10 albums

1. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
3. The Beatles, Revolver
4. Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
5. The Beatles, Rubber Soul
6. Marvin Gaye, What's Going On
7. The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street
8. The Clash, London Calling
9. Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde
10. The Beatles, The Beatles (The White Album)

The Beatles have four albums in the top 10. Predictably, the list is weighted toward testosterone-fueled vintage rock. The top solo female is Joni Mitchell, whose 1971 Blue is No. 30.

The newest entry is this year's Elephant by the White Stripes, landing at No. 390. The most current disc in the top 20 is Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough, Nevermind. Recent albums by Coldplay and The Strokes also made the cut, as did all three Eminem releases and a wide range of hip-hop.

"A classic record proves itself over time," Levy says, "so it's gratifying and surprising to see so many newer records on the list, considering they're competing against such beloved and titanic records as Rubber Soul and Dusty in Memphis."

Rolling Stone asked musicians, critics, historians and key industry figures to rank their 50 favorites. The 273 participants included Beck, U2's The Edge, Jackson Browne, Art Garfunkel, Missy Elliott and members of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Linkin Park and The Doors. The Ernst & Young accounting firm devised a point system to weight votes for 1,600 submitted titles.

Voters were invited to identify favorites from any period or genre, allowing a smattering of country (Johnny Cash), jazz (Miles Davis) and seminal blues (Howlin' Wolf). The list also accommodates greatest hits collections and live recordings; four James Brown picks include two sets of hits and Live at the Apollo (1963). Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams, The Drifters and Loretta Lynn, who flourished during the era of 45s, are represented only by hits compilations.

"Artists whose best works were singles are not going to be well represented," Levy notes. For example, he adds, "Disco is under-represented because it's a singles-driven genre."

We gathered up a few interesting statistics from the Rolling Stone "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list:

Artists with the most entries in Rolling Stone's 500 best albums:

Beatles: 11
Bob Dylan: 10
Rolling Stones: 10
Bruce Springsteen: 8
The Who: 7
David Bowie: 6
Elton John: 6

5 each: The Byrds, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Otis Redding, U2

4 each: Madonna, Bob Marley, Elvis Costello, Grateful Dead, James Brown, Police, The Smiths, Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, Prince, Roxy Music, Simon & Garfunkel, Sly & the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads.

Decade by decade breakdown: 50s or before: 29 albums (5.8% of total 500 list) 60s: 126 (25.2%, but 55% of the top 20 70s: 183 (36.6%) 80s: 88 (17.6%) 90s: 61 (12.2%) 00s: 13 (2.6%).

Albums by men or male-led groups: 439 (87.8%)

Women or female-led groups: 47 (9.4%)

Mixed groups (with more or less equal female and male lead singers): 14 (2.8%)

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
The Beatles' consecrated 1967 classic tops "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time," a collector's issue on stands Friday.

One of my pet peeves. A collectors issue that isn't even on the f*cking stands yet. Rolling Stone is the worst purveyor of such nonsense, but others do it as well.

:mad: uuuurgh

I hate Sgt Pepper. It is so dated now.

Originally posted by markie:
I hate Sgt Pepper. It is so dated now.

yeah a day in the life is such a horrible song :roll:

Originally posted by markie:
I hate Sgt Pepper. It is so dated now.

not too mention so over-rated…it's not even the best Beatles album.

Its good and there are other good songs, but fixing a whole and when I'm sixty four dont belong on the best album ever. Dark saide of the moon forms a much better contiguous album


 
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:02

 review  
 
2.
 
With a Little Help from My Friends (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:44

 review  
 
3.
 
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (Lennon/McCartney) - 3:28

 
4.
 
Getting Better (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:47

 
5.
 
Fixing a Hole (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:36

 
6.
 
She's Leaving Home (Lennon/McCartney) - 3:35

 review  
 
7.
 
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:37

 
8.
 
Within You, Without You (Harrison) - 5:05

 
9.
 
When I'm Sixty-Four (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:37

 review  
 
10.
 
Lovely Rita (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:42

 
11.
 
Good Morning, Good Morning (Lennon/McCartney) - 2:41

 
12.
 
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band… (Lennon/McCartney) - 1:18

 review  
 
13.
 
A Day in the Life (Lennon/McCartney) - 5:33

Originally posted by pollard:

Originally posted by markie:
I hate Sgt Pepper. It is so dated now.

yeah a day in the life is such a horrible song :roll:

thats my favourite beatles song.

I love the Beatles…don't get me wrong. But I get a little tired of these lists that put them way up at the top. It's a little to predictable. Like I said…they're wonderful, they wrote incredible tunes, etc., but there are a lot of other records out there that will stand the test of time as well as the Beatles.

Bunnyman raises a question I have…I know the Beatles are great, but what exactly is it that has brought them such singular fame and influence? Wow, they're just pop songs. But was that particularly innovative at that particular time?

I'm not disparaging the Liverpudlians, just honestly curious as to their unmatched stated influence.

Originally posted by Bagster:
Bunnyman raises a question I have…I know the Beatles are great, but what exactly is it that has brought them such singular fame and influence? Wow, they're just pop songs. But was that particularly innovative at that particular time?

I'm not disparaging the Liverpudlians, just honestly curious as to their unmatched stated influence.

IMHO of course

In Britain they were the figurehead for the merseybeat thing,which even I'm too young to remember.

In the US they were the figurehead for the British invasion.

A good band? Absolutely.
One of the best? Not really.
A good band in the right place at the right time basically.

Just like for me, Joy Division will always be the band I think of regarding the start of the manchester thingie. Are they the most talented band to come from manc? Probably not, but they were the band that I first remember from when it started.

The beatles wrote their own songs, which does not seem to be that common for music groups at the time.

Didnt the Sex pistols kick off the whole Manchester thing?

I guess my question arises from the almost universal acknowledgement that the Beatles are the most seminal band in rock n' roll. As you mention, Joy Division inspired Manchester, the Stones inspired their type of rock n' roll, etc. But the Beatles seem to hold the preeminent seat, virtually across genres. Regardless of our personal tastes.

the best 5 english bands ever.

1. Pink Floyd
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Radiohead
4. The Who
5. Joy Division


see, not even on there ;)

The best thing that ever happened to Joy Division was the singer hanging himself, allowing for the one guy in the band with a decent singing voice to take over. The singing in Joy Division was gawd awful.

Originally posted by sonickteam2:
the best 5 english bands ever.

1. Pink Floyd
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Radiohead
4. The Who
5. Joy Division


see, not even on there ;)

you eeeeeeediot. You forgot the Clash. Personally I would take the Smiths and the Sex Pistols over radiohead and joy division, clash over the who. But the Beatles over Led Zep.

Originally posted by mankie:
A good band? Absolutely.
One of the best? Not really.
A good band in the right place at the right time basically.

RIGHTO, mank

precisely the way i feel about Nirvana as well.

You dont think that grunge thing would've happened anyway? I do.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
The best thing that ever happened to Joy Division was the singer hanging himself, allowing for the one guy in the band with a decent singing voice to take over. The singing in Joy Division was gawd awful.

ahh you are such a clown.

<img src="http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/images/clown.jpg" alt=" - " />

No one, not even George Martin, who helped create their music, can articulate what is so special about the Beatles. Nor is it easy to explain why their mystique continues to grow, recruiting new fans with each generation. Perhaps the timeless fascination with the Beatles and their music defies explanation, but a few factors do shed some light on the group's lasting appeal.

The Beatles redefined the parameters of rock and roll music and demonstrated that its possibilities were limitless. Once albums like "Rubber Soul," "Revolver," and "Sgt. Pepper" conquered the charts it was clear that rock and roll could be just about anything that anyone wanted it to be. The Beatles may have been partially shaped by Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry, but they did not confine themselves to that early form of teen rock and roll for very long. As those pioneers had captured the frivolous teenage spirit of the fifties, the Beatles bent and shaped their music to match the mood of '60s youth, which had moved from the malt shop and teen hop to the more dangerous battlefields of sit-ins and political demonstrations.

The Beatles revolutionized studio recording methods, proving that there was no sound, mood or effect that could not be achieved if all possibilities were explored. Today, many of those innovations are taken for granted, but the Beatles had to imagine or invent them on the fly. "We didn't have any magic or electronic boxes to plug into," their engineer Geoff Emerick points out. "We had to make it all mechanically ourselves. Most of the gadgets you can buy today are just based on the things we used to do mechanically. The artificial double tracking and the flanging and all that sort of stuff." The Beatles added their own experimental innovations, including endless tape loops that combined multiple layers of sound, backward effects, and the introduction of instruments like the sitar, the mellotron and the synthesizer. They did not hesitate to bring any instrument or musician into their sessions, whether it was a lone horn player, a string quartet, or a full symphony orchestra. After the Beatles, the only limitations were those of imagination, creativity and effort. The Beatles even managed to break the long-standing three-minute time limit rule that had applied to virtually all previous hit singles by clocking in with the 7:11 "Hey Jude." And, along the way, they invented the modern outdoor stadium concert.

The Beatles seldom, if ever, repeated themselves. Unlike many rock and roll singers who preceded them, they did not attempt to continually recycle the sound or "formula" of their first hit over and over, a mindless strategy that was followed by far too many artists and producers in the '50s and early '60s, and which spawned a legion of one-hit wonders. Each new Beatles record, particularly after their first two albums, showed significant creative growth.

The Beatles "died young" by calling it quits while still at their peak. They didn't dwindle down to a second- or third-rate act. Despite 25 years of solo work, they are still frozen in that 1960s image, the top group in the world with lots of remaining potential, albeit unrealized - enough to fuel decades of "what ifs."

The Beatles' music has been made more special by the group's lasting breakup. When they closed shop at Abbey Road in 1970, it was really for good. There was no reunion album, no reunion concert, no one-off charity gig. When Lennon died in 1980, all chance of a real reunion died too. Fans may enjoy "Free As A Bird," but the Beatles can never really come together again. That leaves a finite body of work comprising 13 albums and 22 singles that represent all of the real music the Beatles ever produced together for public consumption. The "Anthology" packages of outtakes, demos, and home recordings lends insight into the creation of that music, but does not really enhance it. That finite status adds a special preciousness to the Beatles' music.

http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/wiener.htm

Originally posted by markie:

Originally posted by sonickteam2:
the best 5 english bands ever.

1. Pink Floyd
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Radiohead
4. The Who
5. Joy Division


see, not even on there ;)

you eeeeeeediot. You forgot the Clash. Personally I would take the Smiths and the Sex Pistols over radiohead and joy division, clash over the who. But the Beatles over Led Zep.

ok, i KNEW i would forget one, take out JD and put in Clash. and Led Zeppelins songs are MUCH more musically….something, than the Beatles.
no arugments on Pink Floyd being #1?