"Perfect" Songs?

ctviggen · « **on:** 14 Apr 2007, 05:19 pm »

I have some songs that for some reason resonate with me. Here are three songs I think are darn near perfect (artist, song, album):

Rosanne Cash, September When It Comes, Rules of Travel. Every time Johnny joins in, it makes my neck hairs stand on end.

Ray LaMontagne, Empty, Till the Sun Turns Black. There is just something about this song. I can picture the beginning perfectly in my mind. It's like I'm there, in that land he's painting with his words. There's a lot of stuff going on, but it's in no way overwhelming. It's simply fantastic.

Neil Diamond, Captain of a Shipwreck, 12 Songs. OK, maybe I wasn't so sure about this song when I first heard it. After practicing our wedding dance (a Rhumba) to this song many, many times, I absolutely love this song. The words are great and it's a very simple presentation.

Anyone else have recommendations for "perfect" songs?

acresm22 · « **Reply #1 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 05:53 pm »

I'll start with two that come to mind quickly, both from the same album:

Dire Straits: On Every Street (album...On Every Street)
Dire Straits: Iron Hand (album...On Every Street)

mcrespo71 · « **Reply #2 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 06:11 pm »

Wonderwall Oasis
Live Forever Oasis
Here Comes the Sun The Beatles
Salt of the Earth The Rolling Stones
Ballad of El Goodo Big Star

chadh · « **Reply #3 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 09:20 pm »

Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits

Chad

PhilNYC · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 09:26 pm »

The Final Peace - Jeff Beck
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Jeff Beck
Gibraltar - Weather Report
Little Wing - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Unforgetable Fire - U2
She Talks to Angels - The Black Crows

ZLS · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 09:51 pm »

When A Man Loves A Woman-Percy Sledge
Lush Life-Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane
There Is Always One Moew Time-Johnny Adams
At Last-Etta James
Georgia On My Mind-Ray Charles or Willie Nelson(You pick; I can't)

eric the red · « **Reply #6 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 10:15 pm »

Chicago 'Wishing You Were Here' is a perfectly crafted pop song as are 'Dialogue 1/2'
2 votes for 'Wonderwall'
Dire Straits first album is nothing but net 'Down To The Waterline' 'Six Blade Knife' 'Water Of Love' are stand outs
Dire Straits 'Private Investigation'
Dire Straits 'Fade To Black' and 'You And Your Friend' from OES
SRV 'Tin Pan Alley'
Eric Clapton 'The Core'
A bunch of Sade's songs
Anything off REM 'Murmur'
The Who 'The Music Must Change'
The alternate take of 'Flamenco Sketches' off Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue is absolutely beautiful
'Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys' off of Traffic On The Road
'Are You Going With Me' off Pat Metheny's Off Ramp
'Good Vibrations'
'Fly Like An Eagle'
'Born To Run'
'Hollywood Nights'
The whole Pink Floyd 'Wish You Were Here' while driving home from the Oregon Coast after the Super Bowl
Van Halen's 1984 while working in a cannery in Alaska in '84
Cranking 'Quadrophenia' on the deck speakers after a great salmon season on the F/V Silverbow in '91
A bunch of songs by Lyle Lovett
Little Feat 'A Day At The Dog Races'
there are tons...music is a good thing

Thelonious Monk · « **Reply #7 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 10:31 pm »

"Ten Years Gone", "No Quarter" and "Achilles Last Stand" by Led Zeppelin
"The Last Song" by X-Japan
"Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix
"Little Wing" covered by Stevie Ray Vaughan
"April In Paris" by Thelonious Monk
"Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Magic Bus (live at Leeds)" by The Who
"Fred Jones Pt 2" by Ben Folds
"Happier" and "Demons" by Guster (in particular, the live versions from On Ice)
"In The Name Of God" by Dream Theater
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys

honorable mentions:
most songs by The Beatles
"Tornado Of Souls" by Megadeth; would have been perfect, but they sort of ruin the whole rhythm towards the end.
everything by Massive Attack

arthurs · « **Reply #8 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 10:42 pm »

Quote from: ctviggen on 14 Apr 2007, 05:19 pm

Ray LaMontagne, Empty, Till the Sun Turns Black. There is just something about this song. I can picture the beginning perfectly in my mind. It's like I'm there, in that land he's painting with his words. There's a lot of stuff going on, but it's in no way overwhelming. It's simply fantastic.

Wow, couldn't agree more on this song....a real work of art.....

Joules · « **Reply #9 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 11:21 pm »

This is just to cool !!!

ELP - from the begining
King Crimson - Epitaph
Dvorak - Symphony No. 9
Chi il Bel sogno di doretta (Rondine)

As just a start - - -

ecramer · « **Reply #10 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 11:31 pm »

Knocking on heavens door - Bob Dylan - Pat Garrett & billy the kid soundtrack - the right song in the right place a moment of pure genius from bloody Sam and Bob

Song to the Siren - I always wondered what it was that was calling Tim Buckley to move along so soon. With tim singing it almost perfect the This mortal Coil version is perfect

Amsterdam crown - Dayna Kurtz - been there done that a long time and another life ago.

The Heart of Saturday night - Tom Waits - Hell we've all been there or at least i have , Time to go crank up that ol 55 or was that a six of colt 45 i cant remember lets just cruise for a while. aa

arthurs · « **Reply #11 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 11:42 pm »

Damien Rice - "The Blowers Daughter"

Gary Jules - Serpent-in-Claw

Katie Melua - "I cried For You" and "Nine Million Bicycles"

Van Morrison - "Sometimes We Cry"

YoungDave · « **Reply #12 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 11:46 pm »

I would suggest that Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg wrote a lot of great tunes - "Over the Rainbow" (from Wizard of Oz) must surely be one of them.

Rock 'n' Roll is fine and likely is here to stay, and the singer/songwriter generation has made some OK stuff, too, but one must not forget the great professional songwriters of the '30's and 40's.

Cheers,
YDY

Zero · « **Reply #13 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 12:01 am »

My *ultimate* favorites;

Van Morrison - I'll be your lover, too
Chopin - Nocturne n F# minor
Chopin - Waltz n C# minor
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Little Wing

mcrespo71 · « **Reply #14 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 12:02 am »

How could I possibly forget God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

PhishPhan · « **Reply #15 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 12:56 am »

Sweet Thing, by Van Morrison
The Divided Sky, Rift, Maze, and Reba, all by Phish
Flamenco Sketches, by Miles Davis
G.B.A. by Xavier Rudd
Tongue n' Groove, by Steve Kimock Band
Empty House, and What's Done, by Trey Anastasio
Nothing Too Fancy, by Umphrey's McGee
Orion's Belt, and Lands End, by The String Cheese Incident
Dream Brother, by Jeff Buckley
Day is Done, by Nick Drake
Thick as a Brick, Jethro Tull

Daryl · « **Reply #16 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 02:13 am »

I like 'Take this Waltz' and 'Anthem' by Leonard Cohen on the albums 'I'm Your Man' and 'The Future'.

The heart of Saturday Night.....I have a Shawn Colvin album (Cover Girl) with this song and I love it.

God only knows........Actually written by Neil Diamond and you should hear his version on the album 'I'm Glad Your Here With Me Tonight'.

I don't think the Beach Boys can compare.

(as Monk points out below I'm wrong about Neil Diamond writing God Only Knows.)

Thelonious Monk · « **Reply #17 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 02:31 am »

Quote from: mcrespo71 on 15 Apr 2007, 12:02 am

How could I possibly forget God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

yeah, you monster!

i'd like to add "Octopus's Garden", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "In My Life" and "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles. in my life is probably the closest thing to a perfect song i've ever heard, but each and every one of the four deserves credit.

i think i'm going to steal the beatles anthology from my uncle and watch it.

edit: uhhh. incorrect. neil diamond covered god only knows about 10 years after the beach boys released the single.

WEEZ · « **Reply #18 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 02:42 am »

There are so many...

"Down So Low"; (Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth- from 'Living With The Animals')
"The Prayer"; (Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli- from 'These Are Special Times')
"The Firebird"; (The Atlanta Symphony Telarc Recording)
"The Planets" (The Boston Symphony Deutsche Grammophon Recording)

And just about any version of "Rock And Roll Hootchie Koo...(Rick Derringer, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter's White Trash...it doesn't matter)

many more....

WEEZ

Charles Calkins · « **Reply #19 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 02:45 am »

Yo Weez my son!!!
Great choice of great music. Way to go son!!!!

Cheers
Charlie