Ten greatest songs of all time, arguably (pt. 4/1000)
The Dr. Rhythm Top 10 is music that represents talent, artistry, innovation and unique style. We encourage you to research and discover this music on your own.
Mouse over selection for more, listen to examples though Amazon below.
The Beatles
"A Day in the Life"
The last song on the Sgt. Pepper's album, A Day in the Life is still a mystery to this day. The lyrics are fascinating, the orchestration is incredible and the happy, goofy middle section leaves listeners confused and delighted for days. The end was recorded with multiple pianos, basically one chord played by many, which makes it last for 45 seconds. To top it off, the Beatles put sound where no had put sound before, the run-out groove. That little circle at the middle of the record where the needle would go after the record was over. Brilliant.
Don Mclean,
"American Pie"
Don McLean has a nice big house in Maine, and it is because of this song. People are still trying to interpret the lyrics. Some people think that there are references to the Stones' Altamont fiasco, others say its about the Kennedy assassination. McLean has said it is about the plane crash that took Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. Either way it is an American classic and more so a rock classic.
Prince,
, "Kiss"
Oh come on. You like Prince and you know it. He has lasted through the ages. Kiss is a Prince classic. His falsetto voice, unusual body, hairy chest and outrageous musical arrangements are all criteria for a pop classic. Get over it, Prince rules.
Louis Armstrong, "What a Wonderful World"
This song was written by George Douglas and Bob Thiele, but made famous by the dark, scratchy voice of Louis Armstrong. Though many others have sung after him, Armstrongs voice seems to give it a more intimate and charming character. The lyrics are beautiful, and despite the crassness of Armstrongs voice, it does the lyrics justice.
Buddy Holly and the Crickets, "That'll Be the Day"
Buddy Holly is one of the greatest rock and roll artists of all time. His voice was peppy and fun, his music was lively and rhythmic, he had the formula for success. His tragic death left us wanting more, and in many ways opened the door for the Beatles to walk into international stardom. Buddy Holly was who the Beatles wanted to be like, add in some Skiffle, R & B and some beat poetry you have yourself the fab four. This song is a great example of this influence.
Joe Cocker, "With a Little Help from my Friends"
It was a Lennon/McCartney song, a Ringo venture, but Joe Cocker made it "his" at Woodstock 1969. Find that video and you will see. Perhaps one of the greatest performances in the modern era.
Elvis Presley, "Blue Suede Shoes"
It was simple, but still a great song. Though this version proves that Elvis had the flavor of the era. Carl Perkins', the original songwriter, version is not nearly as fun and exciting as Elvis's. And that was really what music needed, a boost from the previous generation. Thanks EP!
The Eagles, "Desperado"
Desperado is a classic, nostalgic song. With images of the American frontier, the wild west and cowboy living. It is very well orchestrated, but does not overwhelm the song. A brilliant musical work.
ABBA,
"Fernando"
There was something in the air that night that made the Swedish pop band from the 70s and 80s make this song. The ABBA melodies are dangerously catchy, so much so that they often take a good dose of C-SPAN and whiskey just to get them out of my head. Bravo. The Spanish tinge of ABBA is to die for.
Little Richard, "Long Tally Sally"
Little Richard really was the co-king of rock and roll, right there with Chuck Berry. But society would not have it. But on our top 10 Little Richard reigns. Long Tally Sally is another R & B great, fun and energetic coupled with all of LR's shouts, screams and calculated whoops.
Compose Music All High Tech Like : There is a new design prototype recently released by Yanko Design that makes composing music easier and more natural. Yanko Design is a web magazine that is about the "cutting edge and the classic, the new and the rediscovered." The 'Compose' device was created by Ouyang Xi, He Binbin, Zeng Li and Li Bo and is a stand-alone device that allows you to sing into a microphone and convert your voice into written notes which can be edited, orchestrated and played back through an onboard synthesizer.
The Compose device looks like a high-tech clipboard. Look at the pictures here - (http://www.yankodesign.com/2008/08/18/compose-music-all-high-tech-like/). The pen is also a microphone and once the melody is recorded you put the pen back into its dock. The computer then analyzes the audio and converts it into musical notation.
Now keep in mind this is just a concept design and there is no evidence that this works or has actually been created as a prototype. Though, the question remains if this is something useful. Is this a product for the casual musician? OR is this something that could appeal to professional songwriters and composers?
I would guess that a product like this would be so expensive that it could not be viable in the global market. However, it would be great to have something like this in an education setting. Students of music could learn theory, rhythm and harmony much easier. Children could also have hours of fun trying to create simple songs with relative ease and little musical background. Moreover, this product could be a liaison between the beginner and the professional. It is never a bad thing if more people are creating music, no matter if it is good or bad.
We will keep our eye on this one, though chance would say that tablet PCs and laptops would still have the edge on a product like this, however, we greatly appreciate the concept.
Music and Copyright law : Now this is not so much a "technology" issue, but it does affect users of modern digital technology. A few weeks ago we mentioned that a Pennsylvania woman, Stephanie Lenz, was issued a notice to remove her video on YouTube of her child dancing to a portion of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy."
Universal Music Group was subsequently counter-sued by Lenz who is represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil liberties group. UMG has argued that copyright holders should not have to consider fair use when issuing take-down notices. Essentially, Lenz had no right to sue UMG for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Well last week a San Jose judge said that copyright holders do have to consider fair use because it is "a lawful use of copyright." Essentially, if you put up a video of some friends dancing at a bar (and Lord only knows why you would do that) you would have a good argument in favor of fair use for whatever music was playing in the background.
However, there is a catch. Lenz still has to prove the UMG was acting in "bad faith." Basically, she has to show that UMG knew that the video was fair use, and acted with that knowledge. Since fair use is determined case by case and has very unclear and arguable interpretations, Lenz most likely will not win her lawsuit.
As Judge Fogel put, "she won the battle, but she'll probably lose the war." Well at least there is a precedent and we can rest easy that our drunken bar, strip club and bachelor party videos are safe from corporate harassment. Thank God!
In good musical health,
Dr. Rhythm
"Does the US have their own musical instrument? "
Ask the Doctor - 8.01.08 (want to ask the doctor? click here
Dear Dr. Rhythm,
Are there any musical instruments that originated in the US. Someone told me the banjo and Sousaphone are the only American musical instruments, but I have a hard time believing them because they are often wrong. Let me know. Thanks.
RT
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Dear RT,
Your friend was only partially correct but at least had the right idea. The banjo, though developed in America, is really an adaptation of several different African instruments. The best suspect is the Senegalese halam, or xalam, which used a hollowed gourd and skin to form a drum. Strings made from the tendons of an animal would run across the top of the skin creating a percussive plucking sound while played.
The Sousaphone is of course an adaptation of the tuba which is an adaptation of a European instrument called the Serpent. The Serpent was most likely a variation of various horns coming from the Middle East or Africa.
As for musical instruments uniquely American. There are several but none of them really appear often in popular culture. Harry Partch invented many instruments one of the more innovative was the Cloud Chamber Bowls. Though many of Partch's instruments were also variations of other more common Western instruments, the Bowls were a series of modified Pyrex bowls that had been cut and tuned.
In fact this is a common trend in the world of instrument building. It is an American innovation to take everyday items and fashion them as musical instruments. The Cloud Chambers Bowls are one example. Other examples include taking junk items like tin cans, brake drums, pipes, hubcaps, or even sea shells. In the modern era anything that makes sound is fair game. Look at Björk who worked with percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Glennie plays all sorts of weird instruments including standard terra cotta flower pots.
Electronic musical instruments are more likely characterized as true American innovations, but keep in mind most instruments are adaptations of some instrument before them. One example is the Moog synthesizer, which was invented by Robert Moog, one of the first modular analog synthesizers.
So as you can see, to say anything is uniquely American is hard to do because everything has a predecessor. But the importing of African slaves in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries did bring quite a few innovations to this country.
In good musical health,
Dr. Rhythm
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"Is Obama Ludicrous?"
Dear Dr. Rhythm,
What's the deal with Obama and Ludacris? He keeps changing his mind. Does he like Ludacris, does he not like Ludacris? He said once that he listens to Ludacris in his iPod! I mean what's up?
JM
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Dear JM,
I hear you, I cannot figure it out either. I wrote in a previous article several months ago that if we only knew what was in the iPods of our presidential candidates then this would be a different election. Well, now at least we know one artist in Obama's. Does this not concern a few people? Music is not just music, it is a part of us mind, body and spirit. You do not just listen to anything, you make choices, similar to how you choose which clothes to wear and how to fashion your hair. Music is fashion.
Oh well. Chances are this will only help Obama in the long term. I try to remain partisan on this website but when it comes to music there are no boundaries. Obama was wrong, he needs to admit that and let the voters determine how damaging this situation really is.
