Heart of Rock and Soul Poll: the 1001 Greatest Singles Part 25: 376-400

Cameo vs The Who vs James Carr vs MFSB = Cameo

376 1955 Bo Diddley I'm a man
377 1963 Jaynettes Sally go 'round the roses
381 1959 Ray Price Heartaches by the number
383 1963 Jack Nitzsche The Lonely surfer
385 1978 Jackson Browne Running on empty
395 1965 Who I can't explain

^^^ these are great but the next batch are transcendental:

382 1965 Beatles Day tripper
389 1961 Patsy Cline I fall to pieces
390 1953 Drifters Money honey
394 1967 James Carr The Dark end of the street
396 1986 Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer
398 1972 Spinners Could it be I'm falling in love
400 1987 Bruce Springsteen Brilliant disguise

I will vote for "I Fall To Pieces" because it's up there in my favorite performances ever; and now on the 5th straight listen it might even be #1, well for right now anyway. The song opens sounding like it's playing on a radio in a gas station in some dusty West Texas town, those chocolate mountains so far away across the desert: the desolate isolation is purifying: it renders your soul self-aware: you can hear yourself. And what do you hear? The wind, speaking his or her name---here it's pedal steel, piercing and sad. And Cline is so self-assured despite the heartbreak. You'd almost think she's numb to the pain, except for the vibrato: listen to how she sings "fall", her voice quivering. The Jordanaires are perfect angels here, lifting their sister up. I'd change nothing on this performance.

Cameo vs The Spinners for me.

I choose Spinners for the honey-like sound sensation + the strings. I'd choose a Rick James track over a Cameo one on most days.

I Can't Explain, over Bruce, Buddy, Jackson & Fats

Bob Seger Roll me away

Huh???? (Not that the '80s Bruce song up there is much better.)

Songs I might vote for: Jaynettes, Jackson Browne, Spinners, Cameo, Who, Guess Who, Bo, Beatles, maybe more. (How does "TSOP" go again? I can never place it from the title, but I know I like it. Phil Dellio wrote a great joke about the title once, I think.)

Still don't care about Patsy Cline.

James Carr and Springsteen are a great pairing.

Oriels.

The Spinners song is so epic and golden and sweet, especially at the very end, the bit that starts with "I walk around with my head in my hands..." I had checked out the Atlantic records box set from the library about 4 months after meeting my husband & got totally addicted to this song...speaks to you in that moment. Disgusting but true. Maybe 20 years from now I'll call an oldies station with my request & tell that story over the airwaves & disgust the world even further. Actually, I heard a woman on the radio request "Rubber Band Man" recently, saying it was her & her husband's song since way back & I thought it was very sweet. Maybe The Spinners universally do this to saps like me.

prefer 'i'll be around' but still voted spinners

"TSOP" narrowly over "Sally Go 'Round the Roses"

'Sledgehammer', a smidgen ahead of 'Word Up'. I might've considered 'Day Tripper' if it wasn't totally overshadowed by its AA side.

Orioles, Ray Price, J. Browne, Beatles, Seger, Holly, MFSB, James Carr, Spinners, P. Cline. But voting for Cameo.

The Spinners song is so epic and golden and sweet...

― we are normal and we want our freedom (Abbott), Friday, November 13, 2009 6:20 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

Yeah, and christ! this song (The Spinners' "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love") - the strings, and then in the second half the horns and then the clavinet - just brilliant, so lush and seductive.

Nevertheless, in terms of lush seductive soul I'd also vote for "Love's Theme" by Love Unlimited Orchestra, which avoids the whole spoken out self questioning/soppy surprise at love blossoming (of The Spinners' "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love"). "Love's Theme" takes it - without words - straight to first great embrace, kiss, time in bed, declarations of love, etc etc and has the strings soaring majestically throughout.

I read that as "kiss time in bed" and it made me smile.

^ : )

It's getting tough, innit? Trying to vote here is reminding me of why I don't make many lists myself, in that deciding that pretty much my favorite Beatles song is maybe not as good as one of my favorite Patsy Cline songs or The Orioles or Bo Diddley… Usually, I break ties with some quick, subjective and sentimental thinking, but I don't think I can do that here, as all of those songs (save the Cline one) have been part of my music listening for as long as I can really remember.

I cheated and peeked ahead, so I know the next 25 are strong...Jack Nitzsche for this group, followed by the Spinners and the Who.

"Money Honey" by a nostril over "Dark End Of The Street."

389 1961 Patsy Cline I fall to pieces
398 1972 Spinners Could it be I'm falling in love
399 1965 Guess Who Shakin' all over
400 1987 Bruce Springsteen Brilliant disguise

Owen Bradley, Thom Bell, Randy Bachman and Bruces' singular greatest achievements, to my ears. The deciding factor for me : while I can still find artists who do convincing facsimiles of three of these artists, I can't think of anyone currently recording who approaches the genius of Thom Bell's arrangements. The multiplicity of hooks in "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" is awe-inspiring.

Top tier for me is: Spinners, Nitzche, Jaynettes, MFSB, Cameo, somewhat in that order.

I eventually went with Spinners too btw

Brilliant Disguise, easily.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Phil Dellio wrote a great joke about the title once, I think.)

Gotta quote the whole paragraph: Philiadelphia International's undisputed anthem, however, was "T.S.O.P.", an almost wordless showcase for the label's house musicians. Dubbing themselves MFSB for the occasion - Malcontent and Frustrated Second Bananas - the band roared through a sideways version of "Love Train"'s instrumental track, while a trio of females blurted out "M-F-S-B, everyone's accusing me!" every so often. "T.S.O.P." single-handledly defined "The Sound of Philadelphia", even if twenty years later we still can't figure out what the title's acronym stood for.

<3 that book!

"I Can't Explain" for me, thanks

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