One of my favorite ways to recommend a song to somebody is to say "It's in my Top Ten". I've been doing this for years without ever determining what exactly my Top Ten consists of. Seems like I ought to give it a shot.
Movies are easy. Here's my Top Five, in no particular order.
1. Seven Samurai
2. Mulholland Drive
3. The Searchers
4. Blade Runner
5. Chinatown
Music, though... that's a problem. I suspect that I've put several hundred songs in my Top Ten in my long career as an Opinionated Music Fan. These things usually happen in momentary bouts of enthusiasm, when I try to convey my appreciation of a song I'm momentarily taken with to someone who hasn't heard it.
There are problems. I have to exclude all Beatles songs, because otherwise my Top Ten would consist of only Beatles songs. Same for the Rolling Stones. So please take to for granted that I'm not ignoring those bands, their excellence just swamps the competition.
This moment's Musical Top Ten, in no particular order:
1. I Can See For Miles - The Who
2. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
3. All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
4. Don't Worry Baby - The Beach Boys
5. Don't Bring Me Down - Eric Burdon & The Animals
6. Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
7. Eight Miles High- The Byrds
8. Tom Traubert's Blues - Tom Waits
9. Dimming of the Day - Richard Thompson
10. Tin Soldier - Small Faces
Of course you realize this list will be completely different next week - or this afternoon, for that matter.
