The Ecstatic Truth, Pt. 13
200 The Supremes - You Can’t Hurry Love
W: Holland/Dozier/Holland
P: Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
This song takes every good element of “Baby Love” and improves upon it. It’s harder, it’s faster, the stomp is more insistent, the singing is fiercer, and every possible emotional level has been pushed up to the limit! Man, this is a great song.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=S8HS82PI
199 The Notorious B.I.G. - Gimme the Loot
W: Wallace
P: Easy Mo Bee
If you are going to make an argument for Biggie as the G.O.A.T. I think this must be included in the discussion. The beat is so bare you can only listen to Biggie and “Shorty” do verbal gymnastics in one of the nastiest throw downs of all time. And, just in case you didn’t get the point, the chorus pounds you in the head harder than any heavy metal singer ever has.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=DQ0QCJA0
198 Cornershop - Brimful of Asha (Fatboy Slim Remix)
W: Singh
P: Fatboy Slim
In 4 all-too-brief minutes Cornershop and Fatboy Slim capture the joy of listening to and making records, instantly creating a community between musicians and music lovers everywhere, all of whom share the love of the record.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=NYPE1O2F
197 Pavement - Cut Your Hair
W: Malkmus
P: Pavement
I know this may be an obvious choice because this song was Pavement’s biggest hit, but I think it was a hit for good reason. It is, obviously, more accessible than most of their other work, but I don’t think the quality lacks because of this. Especially in the context of the album this song comes off like the culmination of all of their more mainstream leanings.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=P6OI244O
196 Nas - N.Y. State of Mind
W: Martin/Jones
P: DJ Premier
I have the same reaction every time I hear this song: awwwwwwwwwwwwww shit! I would include a choice quotable, but I don’t want to take up space typing out the entire song.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=GIG223OW
195 Van Morrison - Into the Mystic
W: Morrison
P: Van Morrison
No song better captures the heart of Van Morrison than “Into The Mystic.” Its about love, its about wanderlust, its about giving up all things to the muse and relishing the closeness one can feel with the world. Poignant and beautiful, this is a song I think everyone should hear.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=EAV8AU7Y
194 Slick Rick - Mona Lisa
W: Walters
P: Slick Rick
This is one of the most entertaining pieces of virtuoso rapping ever recorded. I can’t gush about this song enough, especially Slick Rick’s double duty as himself and alter ego MC Ricky D. He makes rapping this well sound too easy, it’s almost unfair. Rappers could base their entire careers interpolating lines from this one song alone.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=T6JKLXIL
193 OutKast - Roses
W:Benjamin/Patton/Boykins
P: Dojo5 and Andre 3000
I don’t care if you think Andre isn’t the best singer, you’ve at least got to admit that he oozes charisma. The fuzzy synth-bass feels like honey has been dripped over the entire song, and Big Boi exudes confidence with a verse that is at once technically proficient and ultra-cool, something that few rappers outside of Rakim and Big Daddy Kane can pull off well.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=S5HIXVM3
192 Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
W: W.K.
P: Andrew W.K.
Three simple reasons why this is my favorite Andrew W.K. song: its faster, its harder, and its even more melodic than his other material. The entire song sounds like the inside of an erupting volcano.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=ES4B4AGP
191 John Lennon - Imagine
W: Lennon
P: John Lennon and Phil Spector
Spector was always known for his trademark “Wall of Sound,” but he makes this song work by stripping everything away, leaving only the hauntingly hollow piano and John’s beautiful vocal.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=K90P26QG
190 Prince & The Revolution - She’s Always In My Hair (Extended Version)
W: Prince/Coleman/Melvoin
P: Prince & the Revolution
Prince is always this funky, but he isn’t always this HyPnOtIc. The ringing electronic cymbal stimulates the ears and when anything breaks out suddenly it feels like a miniature explosion all to itself. You never really know where the melody is going to go against, which is made all the more astounding when you realize how much of the song is sung with harmonies!
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=VGSY64HJ
189 Martha & The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack
W: Holland/Dozier/Holland
P: Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
Holland, Dozier, and Holland were one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Motown songwriting teams because they understood that when you have a gorgeous melody you really only need a rhythm track to back you up. The Vandellas’ harmonies make this one of the teams’ prettiest and most enthusiastic efforts.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=LYK9RUJ8
188 The Zombies - Time of the Season
W: Argent
P: Rod Argent and Chris White
The Zombies primarily made sophisticated pop songs, and this is one of their darkest. The vocal is icy without being frigid, the organ churns and bubbles frustration and angst, and the disarming rhythm provided by the combination of drums, hand claps, and breaths is absolutely captivating.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=LQYVEQK9
187 Ramones - Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
W: Ramone
P: Tony Bongiovi and Tommy Erdelyi
Regardless of the fact that the Ramones were one of the first punk bands, they still remain one of the best and this song is proof. Punk is, at its roots, more of a rejection of pretensions than a middle finger to authority, and with the cavalcade of handclaps and bells on this record it is easy to see why.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=PDW2Y7JO
186 Eels - Novocaine for the Soul
W: Everett/Goldenberg
P: E
This song is (or at least should be) the anthem of painkiller addicts everywhere. That may not be something to want to be, but the fact remains that it still makes for a killer record.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=EVPJVRJN
185 Bob Dylan - Blowin’ in the Wind
W: Dylan
P: John Hammond
How depressed must a man be before he writes this song?
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=ULJZMOTV
184 OutKast featuring Goodie Mob - Mainstream
W: Benjamin/Patton/Barnett/Burton/Wade/Brown/Murray
P: Organized Noize
“Mainstream” is my favorite song off of my favorite OutKast album (“ATLiens”) so you know it had to make this list. I wish that I could rap like they do on this song. The verses sound more like jazz solos than raps especially during Khujo’s verse. It is also one of the saddest and most bitter songs in OutKast’s entire catalogue.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=CKWKT0QY
183 Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
W: Byrne/Frantz/Weymouth
P: Tony Bongiovi
When David Byrne says he’s “tense and nervous and [he] can’t relax,” he means it. This song works because it is the sonic opposite of every other Talking Heads song: where most of their songs try to clutter the sound with texture, this song tries to leave only the most important of sounds to increase the impact of the lyrics.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=P5Q87N2A
182 Eric B. and Rakim - Follow the Leader
W: Barrier/Griffin
P: Eric B. and Rakim
This song has one of the fattest bass sounds of all time, but it doesn’t even matter once Rakim comes on the mic. This is his best performance ever and he sounds like a machine gun of knowledge. He shines so bright, he can’t help but compare himself to a star. If you still think hip-hop beats are boring after listening to the perfectly timed accents in this song, you’ll never get it.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=435YU7Q5
181 Van Morrison - Moonshine Whiskey
W: Morrison
P: Van Morrison and Ted Templeman
On this adventure, the muse takes Van to the drunken abyss of the deep south, onto a dance floor, into the river, and right back to the south again in an ecclesiastic orgasm of spirituality, sex, and dance.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=8RN8YZYC
180 Gang Starr featuring Nice & Smooth - DWYCK
W: Elam/Martin/Mays/Barnes
P: DJ Premier
This song is the very definition of “live.” As in “done live.” As in “feels live.” As in “damn, that is LIVE, man!”
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=2IB2MYZG
179 Prince & The Revolution - Kiss
W: Prince
P: Prince & the Revolution
This slinky song is the ultimate in cool because of Prince’s hilarious vocals. He runs through every trick in the book as if he has just invented them on the spot with a sly wink. Ooh, you got me this time Prince, you got me this time.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=OMJ0VL1R
178 The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman
W: Dobbins/Garrett/Holland/Bateman/Gorman
P: Brainbert
What is amazing about this record is that it is so perfect I can never decide if I think it feels 100% spontaneous or 100% written. Want to know a secret? One of the songwriters was a postman before joining up with Motown.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=93JQNIOC
177 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Redemption Song
W: Marley
P: Bob Marley & the Wailers
This song is better than “Imagine.” And so you don’t ask - yes, I mean it.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=2NZAKBFM
176 The Rolling Stones - Salt of the Earth
W: Jagger/Richards
P: Jimmy Miller
Just a warning: I may record a cover version of this song.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=82F4UBFR
And that is all for today. Stay tuned fans and friends, 175-101 coming tomorrow and then we are right into the top 100.
W: Holland/Dozier/Holland
P: Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
This song takes every good element of “Baby Love” and improves upon it. It’s harder, it’s faster, the stomp is more insistent, the singing is fiercer, and every possible emotional level has been pushed up to the limit! Man, this is a great song.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=S8HS82PI
199 The Notorious B.I.G. - Gimme the Loot
W: Wallace
P: Easy Mo Bee
If you are going to make an argument for Biggie as the G.O.A.T. I think this must be included in the discussion. The beat is so bare you can only listen to Biggie and “Shorty” do verbal gymnastics in one of the nastiest throw downs of all time. And, just in case you didn’t get the point, the chorus pounds you in the head harder than any heavy metal singer ever has.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=DQ0QCJA0
198 Cornershop - Brimful of Asha (Fatboy Slim Remix)
W: Singh
P: Fatboy Slim
In 4 all-too-brief minutes Cornershop and Fatboy Slim capture the joy of listening to and making records, instantly creating a community between musicians and music lovers everywhere, all of whom share the love of the record.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=NYPE1O2F
197 Pavement - Cut Your Hair
W: Malkmus
P: Pavement
I know this may be an obvious choice because this song was Pavement’s biggest hit, but I think it was a hit for good reason. It is, obviously, more accessible than most of their other work, but I don’t think the quality lacks because of this. Especially in the context of the album this song comes off like the culmination of all of their more mainstream leanings.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=P6OI244O
196 Nas - N.Y. State of Mind
W: Martin/Jones
P: DJ Premier
I have the same reaction every time I hear this song: awwwwwwwwwwwwww shit! I would include a choice quotable, but I don’t want to take up space typing out the entire song.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=GIG223OW
195 Van Morrison - Into the Mystic
W: Morrison
P: Van Morrison
No song better captures the heart of Van Morrison than “Into The Mystic.” Its about love, its about wanderlust, its about giving up all things to the muse and relishing the closeness one can feel with the world. Poignant and beautiful, this is a song I think everyone should hear.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=EAV8AU7Y
194 Slick Rick - Mona Lisa
W: Walters
P: Slick Rick
This is one of the most entertaining pieces of virtuoso rapping ever recorded. I can’t gush about this song enough, especially Slick Rick’s double duty as himself and alter ego MC Ricky D. He makes rapping this well sound too easy, it’s almost unfair. Rappers could base their entire careers interpolating lines from this one song alone.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=T6JKLXIL
193 OutKast - Roses
W:Benjamin/Patton/Boykins
P: Dojo5 and Andre 3000
I don’t care if you think Andre isn’t the best singer, you’ve at least got to admit that he oozes charisma. The fuzzy synth-bass feels like honey has been dripped over the entire song, and Big Boi exudes confidence with a verse that is at once technically proficient and ultra-cool, something that few rappers outside of Rakim and Big Daddy Kane can pull off well.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=S5HIXVM3
192 Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
W: W.K.
P: Andrew W.K.
Three simple reasons why this is my favorite Andrew W.K. song: its faster, its harder, and its even more melodic than his other material. The entire song sounds like the inside of an erupting volcano.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=ES4B4AGP
191 John Lennon - Imagine
W: Lennon
P: John Lennon and Phil Spector
Spector was always known for his trademark “Wall of Sound,” but he makes this song work by stripping everything away, leaving only the hauntingly hollow piano and John’s beautiful vocal.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=K90P26QG
190 Prince & The Revolution - She’s Always In My Hair (Extended Version)
W: Prince/Coleman/Melvoin
P: Prince & the Revolution
Prince is always this funky, but he isn’t always this HyPnOtIc. The ringing electronic cymbal stimulates the ears and when anything breaks out suddenly it feels like a miniature explosion all to itself. You never really know where the melody is going to go against, which is made all the more astounding when you realize how much of the song is sung with harmonies!
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=VGSY64HJ
189 Martha & The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack
W: Holland/Dozier/Holland
P: Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
Holland, Dozier, and Holland were one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Motown songwriting teams because they understood that when you have a gorgeous melody you really only need a rhythm track to back you up. The Vandellas’ harmonies make this one of the teams’ prettiest and most enthusiastic efforts.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=LYK9RUJ8
188 The Zombies - Time of the Season
W: Argent
P: Rod Argent and Chris White
The Zombies primarily made sophisticated pop songs, and this is one of their darkest. The vocal is icy without being frigid, the organ churns and bubbles frustration and angst, and the disarming rhythm provided by the combination of drums, hand claps, and breaths is absolutely captivating.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=LQYVEQK9
187 Ramones - Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
W: Ramone
P: Tony Bongiovi and Tommy Erdelyi
Regardless of the fact that the Ramones were one of the first punk bands, they still remain one of the best and this song is proof. Punk is, at its roots, more of a rejection of pretensions than a middle finger to authority, and with the cavalcade of handclaps and bells on this record it is easy to see why.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=PDW2Y7JO
186 Eels - Novocaine for the Soul
W: Everett/Goldenberg
P: E
This song is (or at least should be) the anthem of painkiller addicts everywhere. That may not be something to want to be, but the fact remains that it still makes for a killer record.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=EVPJVRJN
185 Bob Dylan - Blowin’ in the Wind
W: Dylan
P: John Hammond
How depressed must a man be before he writes this song?
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=ULJZMOTV
184 OutKast featuring Goodie Mob - Mainstream
W: Benjamin/Patton/Barnett/Burton/Wade/Brown/Murray
P: Organized Noize
“Mainstream” is my favorite song off of my favorite OutKast album (“ATLiens”) so you know it had to make this list. I wish that I could rap like they do on this song. The verses sound more like jazz solos than raps especially during Khujo’s verse. It is also one of the saddest and most bitter songs in OutKast’s entire catalogue.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=CKWKT0QY
183 Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
W: Byrne/Frantz/Weymouth
P: Tony Bongiovi
When David Byrne says he’s “tense and nervous and [he] can’t relax,” he means it. This song works because it is the sonic opposite of every other Talking Heads song: where most of their songs try to clutter the sound with texture, this song tries to leave only the most important of sounds to increase the impact of the lyrics.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=P5Q87N2A
182 Eric B. and Rakim - Follow the Leader
W: Barrier/Griffin
P: Eric B. and Rakim
This song has one of the fattest bass sounds of all time, but it doesn’t even matter once Rakim comes on the mic. This is his best performance ever and he sounds like a machine gun of knowledge. He shines so bright, he can’t help but compare himself to a star. If you still think hip-hop beats are boring after listening to the perfectly timed accents in this song, you’ll never get it.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=435YU7Q5
181 Van Morrison - Moonshine Whiskey
W: Morrison
P: Van Morrison and Ted Templeman
On this adventure, the muse takes Van to the drunken abyss of the deep south, onto a dance floor, into the river, and right back to the south again in an ecclesiastic orgasm of spirituality, sex, and dance.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=8RN8YZYC
180 Gang Starr featuring Nice & Smooth - DWYCK
W: Elam/Martin/Mays/Barnes
P: DJ Premier
This song is the very definition of “live.” As in “done live.” As in “feels live.” As in “damn, that is LIVE, man!”
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=2IB2MYZG
179 Prince & The Revolution - Kiss
W: Prince
P: Prince & the Revolution
This slinky song is the ultimate in cool because of Prince’s hilarious vocals. He runs through every trick in the book as if he has just invented them on the spot with a sly wink. Ooh, you got me this time Prince, you got me this time.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=OMJ0VL1R
178 The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman
W: Dobbins/Garrett/Holland/Bateman/Gorman
P: Brainbert
What is amazing about this record is that it is so perfect I can never decide if I think it feels 100% spontaneous or 100% written. Want to know a secret? One of the songwriters was a postman before joining up with Motown.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=93JQNIOC
177 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Redemption Song
W: Marley
P: Bob Marley & the Wailers
This song is better than “Imagine.” And so you don’t ask - yes, I mean it.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=2NZAKBFM
176 The Rolling Stones - Salt of the Earth
W: Jagger/Richards
P: Jimmy Miller
Just a warning: I may record a cover version of this song.
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=82F4UBFR
And that is all for today. Stay tuned fans and friends, 175-101 coming tomorrow and then we are right into the top 100.