Heart of Rock and Soul Poll: the 1001 Greatest Singles Part 4: 901-925

a-my bay-beee does the hankey-panky-ah

That song is even better if you imagine a very sad dude listening to it on a walkman.

Swinging Doors

Steely Dan for a cheap kick.

1. "Reeling in the Years," 2. "Heart and Soul," 3. either T. Rex or the McCoys. I love a couple of songs by the Sheppards--"Island of Love" and "Never Felt This Way Before"--but don't remember how the one listed above goes.

"Gee," easy.

"Goin Back To Cali" over "Reelin' in the Years."

2 classic Hag songs. I voted "December", which I still find a devastating look at a working man's Christmas.
Outside of that it's Steely Dan, T. Rex, Standells, Crows and Tavares

"Goin Back To Cali" over "Reelin' in the Years" "Dirty Water"

Isaac Hayes. So much of what subsequently evolved in R and B derived directly from "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".

Train Kept-a-Rollin' is like the ultimate rock and roll launched the careers of how many bands: Yardbirds, Zeppelin, PM Dawn, Aerosmith, Autechre, Boston... wow.

"Dirty Water" by a hair over lots of other things, though not the Dan (might be my least favorite big Steely Dan hit).

"If We Make it Through December" over LL and the Dan.

"Gee" definitely has special resonance for me: it's a big highlight of the first disc on Rhino's '94 Doo-Wop Box, which was an enormous revelation. Not as in a surprise--I bought the box because I knew I'd love it--so much as the ways I wound up loving it, the specific contours. Going grocery shopping when I was 19 at 2 a.m. with it on headphones is still one of my fondest memories of being a music lover.

David Sedaris in a recent piece (from the book Heavy Rotation) pointed out that anyone can be doing anything at 19 and whatever music is on will change their lives, and it's true, but "Gee" in particular just colored in that sense of possibility so well. It's raw, gawky, an absolute thrill--one of those records where it's obvious everyone involved is working beyond themselves, every second of it completely right. It's probably my favorite uptempo doo-wop record.

I've wanted that Doo Wop box so badly but it's so pricey. I should just do it; I waited years to buy the first Stax singles box for the same reason and that was ultimately way worth it. My library has the Doo Wop 2 Box which I've enjoyed. The Shout Factory two-disk The Only Doo-Wop Collection You'll Ever Need is great too, and more affordable.

ugh, Daniel Handler, not David Sedaris.

The end of the fourth disc of the first Doo-Wop Box gets iffy--latter-day reunion cuts really don't need to be there--but the rest is stuff you'll want to listen to forever.

The liner notes were as amazing to me as the music itself, too: all those stories of all those one-shot groups, still affecting in aggregate all these years later.

herbie over t-rex and blue velvet. love these polls btw

Voting "Train Kept A Rollin," for inventing very very very very very hard rock

Next 9, no order:

902 1973 Merle Haggard- If We Make it Through December
904 1969 Isaac Hayes- By the Time I Get to Phoenix
905 1972 T. Rex- Bang a Gong (Get it On)
906 1966 Standells- Dirty Water
908 1965 McCoys- Hang on Sloopy
909 1983 Herbie Hancock- Rockit
911 1966 Tommy James and the Shondells- Hanky Panky
914 1961 Ernie K-Doe- Mother-in-Law
919 1968 Intruders- Cowboys to girls

The Steely Dan or Taveres, then Merle again, then...?

"Going Back To Cali" always sounded really soggy to me, though, compared to several other LL singles (which may or may not show up higher in the book)

oh man i don't think it's soggy at all. it's lean and cool. and didn't sound like anything else at the time.

These are just going to get harder and harder, aren't they.

I'm voting "If We Make It Through December," but it's tough not to vote for Steely Dan or "Bang a Gong" or 3-4 others.

"Reeling in the Years."

.... probably followed by the Standells. Again, a number of things I don't know, but also a number of things I'm middling on. Marsh's tastes really aren't that closely aligned with my own, I guess, at least when you get down to specific songs. (I know, there are still 900 songs to go, but my assumption is that I part ways with him more the higher up the list this goes.) I still love the book, though.

re: "919 1968 Intruders- Cowboys to girls" - I like this, but a Canadian disco group named Sweet Blindness actually did a disco cover which at least in the early '80s I preferred. I should see if someone posted it on youtube. I wouldn't bet money that it holds up great, but I'd like to find out.

<o>1963 Bobby Bare- 500 Miles From Home[/i]

I assume this has nothing to do with the Proclaimers, correct?

HTML skills in full effect there! Different brackets, different opening and closing letters.... [Wow/>

i'm gonna vote intruders y'all.

this is a real nice stretch of the book. lots of doo wop. making these lists has allowed me to realize how much i like or doo wop.

anyway here's my top 5:

Intruders- Cowboys to girls
Merle Haggard- If We Make it Through December
Ernie K-Doe- Mother-in-Law
Isaac Hayes- By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Crows- Gee

Cowboys to girls" - I like this, but a Canadian disco group named Sweet Blindness actually did a disco cover

I have a 45 of this! Bought it at a flea market or somewhere years ago just for the song; had no idea who Sweet Blindness were, until now.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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

I should have voted for Hag's "...December."