Pick one from 50 of my favorite songs

It seems like a joke option, but Bea's rendition of "What'll I Do" really is stunning.

It's really not a joke, I swear!

Anyone repping for Ken Nordine is a friend of mine!

'Steppin' Out'

Crap, left off Witold Lutosławski's Paganini variations.

For the non-believers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxJsl4e0Xmg

Gaspard de la nuit, duh.

Not that I know everything that’s on it, but I love this list. Would make for a truly wonderful (and wonderfully long) mixtape. Do you have a playlist for this? Cause I feel like making one right now...

I'll make one!

William DeVaughn, "Be Thankful For What You Got [Tom Moulton Remix]" - this one was on my list, so i'll vote for it.

lots of amazing songs on here obviously. in particular, green eyes is one of my very fav badu songs

Oh wow, that’d be awesome!

xp

trying to decide between

eddie kendricks - goin up in smoke
machine - there but for the grace of god go i
theo parrish - solitary flight

btw eric this is self-indulgent, for shame

Damn straight it is.

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/ephender/playlist/3rFssocfFZDVm8fmQiFkcY?si=o13A_EOwQbSz6l4-aKJtww

(There's maybe 8 to 10 that aren't avail on Spotify. And I just combined two of the nominees into one by posting Bea Arthur's version of "Where Do You Start.")

I know about 9 of these, but I love all 9, so I'll definitely want to hear that playlist too!

Tempted to go with "Breakaway" even if it's not my favorite, cause that's a very underrated song, and the one I was most surprised to see

The ones that aren't on Spotify:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5XRQ1WeAqw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llH_V20LBO8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsfDyITYLnA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyYrjPvD2Nw

Also, this is how to sweeten a song without betraying it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH_Lg51NgW4

I know it's esoteric but I couldn't vote for anything above Gaspard de la Nuit

this is a pretty good list

Getting "Le Gibet" into my repertoire for a few years was a lifetime achievement for me.

I have obsessed about Ondine/Le Gibet/Scarbo, but especially Le Gibet

Le Gibet is the saddest, most desolate piece of music I have ever heard. And it's also kinda proto-jazz?

Here's what I accidentally left off:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsso9SEHtmQ

What virtuosic was invented for, and I got kind of up to speed on what the kid wearing glasses performed.

The variation that starts at 1:47 is just everything I respond to in a brutally short space of time.

not sure what they're playing but that video is great

It's massively disorienting, but when it locks in, it's epic.

Thanks for making that playlist, Eric! Been listening to a lot of it today, lots of great stuff as expected (and some that doesn’t seem to be for me, sorry Ken Nordine and Underworld). I was happy to be reminded of Amel’s “I Do Take” (aka the song she didn’t play when I saw her live a couple of years ago, damn) and be acquainted with “Changin’” and (the) Michael Gordon. The one that surprised me most was “Flowerz”, which I had completely forgotten about - absolutely gorgeous. But it’s “Be Thankful” I’ve been playing in all available versions (including those of the beautiful Massive Attack cover), so that might get my vote. Still have more to listen to though.

“Changin’” is just the perfect end-of-night disco come down tear jerker. Gut-wrenching changes.

That Ken Nordine is admittedly a little more esoteric than his average track, but it hypnotizes me. I still don’t know what it’s about but I assume the lyrics are an approximation of the utter catatonia the song reduces me to.

love the inclusion of “I do take” as well!

lots of interesting choices and songs I don’t know

I'm pretty sure "I Do Take" was my #1 song of whichever year it came out (2013? 2014?), but it has somehow since disappeared from my iTunes and I hadn't heard it in a while, so big thanks for reminding me of that one!

It’s a stunning song

Peggy Lee because Lieber & Stoller are genius and you couldn’t ask for a better performance.

B-b-but isn’t that one of those songs were they thought they had the golden take and the engineer forgot to hit record?

This will likely be "Central Park in the Dark" but there's a lot of great music here.

I'll have to check out the songs I haven't heard, but the Joe Jackson is a favorite.

i think i'm going to have to listen to all of these because the ones i've heard (with the exception of the joe jackson!) are super great

might take me a couple weeks

i mean, joe jackson is probably super great, but i heard it during a phase of my life when i was really not into minor keys and i don't think i'll ever get over that

xpost: it's peggy lee, I'm sure every take feels golden with her.

Voted for "Flowerz" but enjoying all of this

Oh, also, I don't think this one's on Spotify either:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na_krzyoOWM

i was excited to listen to Sun Ra and Theo Parrish, then i realized it said "Sa Ra", and that Theo Parrish isn't in fact a soul jazz artist from the 70's (I think my brain wiring got confused because he did that Black Jazz compilation).

Anyway, that William DeVaughn remix achieves the impossible task of being more smooth than the original, so that might have to be my vote.

that William DeVaughn remix achieves the impossible task of being more smooth than the original

It really does.

But votes for the original version are fine by me.

Also, if you're considering a vote for Bea Arthur singing "What'll I Do," maybe also consider a vote for Sarah Vaughan absolutely devastating the masses with her version of "The Nearness of You."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvltHaGjj1A

I was on a plane yesterday and drifting to sleep and all of the sudden, my randomized music stopped playing. I got incredibly tense, expecting something catastrophically loud to burst thru my earbuds. Once I was awake enough to check my phone, I realized it was "Gaspard de la Nuit: Le Gibet." Not what you'd want to hear on a plane.

voted Arvo Pärt cos it almost makes me cry even tho couldn't gaf about about some dead perp mofo apparently called Benjamin Britten!

Central Park In The Dark

this is one fly list of songs

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Voted “Flowerz” over “Be Thankful” and “Solitary Flight”.

(Disclaimer: I kept the classical out of it, cause I tend to keep away from the classical, but god, “Gaspard de la nuit” is gorgeous)

Thanking you again for all this wonderful music.

Welcoming you!

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

If I had had two votes my second would have gone to the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor

I (and Bea Arthur) thank you for your votes

“Wheel Me Out” deserved better.

As did most of the other 0-votes.

This being ILM, these blanks surprised me the most:

Erykah Badu, "Green Eyes"	0
Was (Not Was), "Wheel Me Out"	0
Amel Larrieux, "I Do Take"	0
Larry Heard Presents Mr. White, "The Sun Can't Compare"	0
Theo Parrish, "Solitary Flight"	0

‘Steppin Out’ is peerless though...as is the whole ‘Night and Day’ album