Writer/blogger/dog show aficionado Joe has just published his fourth edition of his Five-year List, a compilation of his 100 favorite songs (updated twice every decade to keep up with the Joneses. Or should I say The Smiths?). Joe was kind enough to place Sweet Jessica, by my former band Singer Bad Dancer, at #96.

It’s a pretty diverse list, including plenty of 1990s alternative and angst rock, as well as a few surprises (see #57). Here’s the 5YL for 2007, courtesy of PV Days:

1. Tread Lightly (Kirsty MacColl)
2. Clouds (The Choir)
3. She Divines Water (Camper Van Beethoven)
4. Fairytale of New York (The Pogues)
5. Heroin (The Velvet Underground)
6. Ana Ng (They Might Be Giants)
7. Tiger Woods (Dan Bern)
8. Ever After (Terry Scott Taylor)
9. Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash)
10. Cut Your Hair (Pavement)
11. Foot of Pride (Bob Dylan)
12. Scarborough Fair (Simon and Garfunkel)
13. Adoration (Cranes)
14. Faces in Cabs (Mark Heard)
15. Heaven (Squeeze)
16. Tangled Up in Blue (Bob Dylan)
17. Norwegian Wood (The Beatles)
18. How to Grow Up Big and Strong (Ideola)
19. Hate My Way (Throwing Muses)
20. Check It Out (The Nields)
21. All Her Favorite Fruit (Camper Van Beethoven)
22. Mercy of the Flame (Mark Heard)
23. Cloudburst at Shingle Street (Thomas Dolby)
24. Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
25. Insanely Jealous (The Soft Boys)
26. Divorce Song (Liz Phair)
27. Ducks on a Pond (The Incredible String Band)
28. Nemesis (Shriekback)
29. Goodbye Earl (Dixie Chicks)
30. I’ve Been Tired (Pixies)
31. Sacrificial Bonfire (XTC)
32. Madonna of the Wasps (Robyn Hitchcock)
33. Synchronicity II (The Police)
34. I’m Going to Go Back There Someday (The Muppet Movie)
35. Tear My Stillhouse Down (Gillian Welch)
36. Royal Café (American Music Club)
37. Euromad (T Bone Burnett)
38. Democracy (Leonard Cohen)
39. 4th of July (Aimee Mann)
40. February (Dar Williams)
41. If I Had a Rocket Launcher (Bruce Cockburn)
42. Calistan (Frank Black)
43. Million (Servant)
44. Tombstone Blues (Bob Dylan)
45. Speak Soft (The Swoon)
46. The Burning Down (King’s X)
47. Fake Palindromes (Andrew Bird)
48. Mr. Blue Sky (ELO)
49. Moving the Goalposts (Billy Bragg)
50. 75 Septembers (Cheryl Wheeler)
51. Your Mother Should Know (The Beatles)
52. Bodhisattva (Steely Dan)
53. Nightswimming (R.E.M.)
54. When Everyone Wore Hats (Daniel Amos)
55. Red Dragon Tattoo (Fountains of Wayne)
56. The Black Angel’s Death Song (The Velvet Underground)
57. Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (Perry Como)
58. I Don’t Believe You (Bob Dylan)
59. Video Killed the Radio Star (The Buggles)
60. See How We Are (X)
61. Interstellar Satellite (Crumbächer)
62. Heads Carolina, Tails California (Jo Dee Messina)
63. Suddenly I See (KT Tunstall)
64. 1000 Umbrellas (XTC)
65. The Girl I Can’t Forget (Fountains of Wayne)
66. Subterranean Homesick Blues (Bob Dylan)
67. Strong Points, Weak Points (Daniel Amos)
68. A Mission in Life (Stan Ridgway)
69. Sweet Lullaby (Deep Forest)
70. Everybody Dances (Ideola)
71. Unto the Lamb (Russ Taff)
72. Jerusalem (Sinéad O’Connor)
73. Wrong (The Maggies)
74. Who Can Hold Us? (Adam Again)
75. Eagle Song (The Imperials)
76. Precious Things (Tori Amos)
77. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (Crash Test Dummies)
78. My Wandering Days Are Over (Belle & Sebastian)
79. Happier (Jennifer Trynin)
80. Untitled (R.E.M.)
81. Work for Food (Dramarama)
82. If I Had a Boat (Lyle Lovett)
83. I Saw a Bird (Dar Williams)
84. Strike While the Iron Is Hot (Vigilantes of Love)
85. Why Not Me (The Judds)
86. Bruises (Lisa Germano)
87. Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba (The Seventy Sevens)
88. Incandescent Blue (Bruce Cockburn)
89. My Finest Hour (The Sundays)
90. Uncle John (Bryan Phelps)
91. Twenty Four Hours (Joy Division)
92. Dad I’m in Jail (Was [Not Was])
93. Sanctuary (Daniel Amos)
94. The Ocean (Dar Williams)
95. Thanksgiving Day Parade (Dan Bern)
96. Sweet Jessica (Singer Bad Dancer)
97. Dreamworld (Midnight Oil)
98. Chalkhills and Children (XTC)
99. The Ballad of El Goodo (Big Star)

100. I’ve Been Waiting (Matthew Sweet)

Published: Thursday, 28 February 2008 Tags: music list 100 top pioneer valley days

Comments

‘A visitor‘ left this comment on 9 Mar 08
I love so many of the songs you listed here! Many of them I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard them for the first time.

‘A visitor‘ left this comment on 3 Mar 08
I had to laugh at the “90s angst rock” comment in light of the final song cut from this list (a.k.a. #101), which was “Father of Mine” by Everclear. I believe that if you go to any online dictionary to look up the definition of “90s angst rock,” it just plays an mp3 clip of that song. Now I’m kinda sorry it missed the cut. 🙂

Published: Thursday, 28 February 2008 Tags: concotion cd mp3 download music violin rock