NME: The best songs of the last 60 years: How many do you have in your collection?

[Super Steve Earle]

It's a typical NME readership list for their demographic. I've only got 3 and that's because I have a 'Best of Beach Boys ' on vinyl.
I don't recall 3 of the titles, although partly because I don't know Stone Roses stuff.

 

[Mackenzie]

1. Joy Division – 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
2. Pulp – 'Common People'
3. David Bowie – 'Heroes'
4. The Beach Boys – 'Good Vibratons'
5. New Order – 'Blue Monday'
6. The Stone Roses – 'She Bangs The Drums'
7. The Smiths – 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'
8. The Specials – 'Ghost Town'
9. Dizzee Rascal – 'Fix Up, Look Sharp'
10. Oasis – 'Wonderwall'
11. The Rolling Stones – 'Sympathy For The Devil'
12. The Ronettes – 'Be My Baby'
13. Michael Jackson – 'Billie Jean'
14. Sex Pistols – 'God Save The Queen'
15. The Beatles – 'A Day In The Life'
16. The Cure – 'Boys Don't Cry'
17. Bob Dylan – 'Like A Rolling Stone'
18. The Beach Boys – 'God Only Knows'
19. Madonna – 'Like A Prayer'
20. The Stone Roses – 'I Am The Resurrection'

17 in mine, missing Dizzee Rascal, The Ronettes and Madonna.

That looks suspiciously like Attila's playlist at Withdean.......are you sure you haven't got the two mixed up?


(12)

 

[n1 gull]

Atilla never played Madonna. I miss his music. I'm surprised Amy Whitehouse isn't in that list

 

[BadFish]

Russ Abbot's version was better

Lol. Hard to believe that Russ doesn't appear on the list.

 

[fataddick]

Atilla never played Madonna .

He should do. That would make for an interesting biopic.

 

[n1 gull]

He should do. That would make for an interesting biopic.

that is funny

 

[BadFish]

It's a typical NME readership list for their demographic. I've only got 3 and that's because I have a 'Best of Beach Boys ' on vinyl.
I don't recall 3 of the titles, although partly because I don't know Stone Roses stuff.

Give it a crack you might just like it!

 

[Paddy B]

Strange that extraordinary 'Atmosphere' always got more votes in their live & John Peel era & nowadays it's the inferior & populist LWTUA than wins the day

Agreed and Blue Monday is far from the best NO song

 

[Lower West Stander]

The Beach is soooooo much better than Blue Monday....

 

[BadFish]

There is a light that never goes out isn't even The Smiths best song!

Anyway, it's all a load of pretentious bollocks, typical of the NME. What makes one song better than another? Music is surely there just to be enjoyed by whoever is listening to it. Personally I think Good Vibrations is one of the worst songs I've ever heard, doesn't stop it being somebody elses favourite.

I always think that these lists aren't meant to be an absolute. They are meant to prompt discussion and they manage this well (4 pages is testament to that).

I have 19 of them (missing the ronnettes) and none of The Complete Badgers list.

I don't agree with the idea that these lists are in someway false because they change every year. If you asked me to write my list every year it would change, in fact it would probably change on a daily basis

 

[hans kraay fan club]

That looks suspiciously like Attila's playlist at Withdean......

No it doesn't. The Withdean top 20 had Teenage Kicks at numbers 4, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 18.

 

[BadFish]

Readers Top 20

1. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
2. Nirvana - Teen Spirit
3. The Clash - London Calling
4. The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
5. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
6. Oasis - Wonderwall
7. The Strokes - Last Night
8. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
9. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
10. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
11. The Killers - Mr Brightside
12. The Who - My Generation
13. Pulp - Common People
14. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
15. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
16. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
17. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
18. Oasis - Live Forever
19. Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
20. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby

 

[Acker79]

Readers Top 20

1. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
2. Nirvana - Teen Spirit
3. The Clash - London Calling
4. The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
5. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
6. Oasis - Wonderwall
7. The Strokes - Last Night
8. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
9. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
10. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
11. The Killers - Mr Brightside
12. The Who - My Generation
13. Pulp - Common People
14. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
15. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
16. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
17. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
18. Oasis - Live Forever
19. Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
20. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby

Have
1. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
5. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
6. Oasis - Wonderwall
9. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
12. The Who - My Generation
13. Pulp - Common People
15. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
16. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
17. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
18. Oasis - Live Forever
20. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby


Don't Have
2. Nirvana - Teen Spirit (I have the weird al spoof, and the muppet barber shop version)
3. The Clash - London Calling
4. The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
7. The Strokes - Last Night
8. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
10. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
11. The Killers - Mr Brightside
14. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
19. Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen

 

[Barnet Seagull]

Music is a form of Art. You don't have to agree or get it. The approach I take is to have an open mind and try to interpret why something is considered to have more artistic value that something else. In the example of the NME, I can quite understand why a number of the songs are there even if I don't think they are the best songs I've ever listened to. If you can understand why there may be inherent value in the songs you may find out more about them, learn to appreciate them or in the case of Joy Division you might still think they're utter cock.

 

[DumLum]

I've never read NME but it sounds like total shite. I've only actually heard of 7 of those songs and certainly don't own any. Shambles of a list lacking any credibility I'm afraid.

Wot no westlife?!

I think you will find when it comes to music you may lack some credibility.

 

[BadFish]

Music is a form of Art. You don't have to agree or get it. The approach I take is to have an open mind and try to interpret why something is considered to have more artistic value that something else. In the example of the NME, I can quite understand why a number of the songs are there even if I don't think they are the best songs I've ever listened to. If you can understand why there may be inherent value in the songs you may find out more about them, learn to appreciate them or in the case of Joy Division you might still think they're utter cock.

Lol you were doing so well up until the last sentence.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

1. Joy Division – 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
2. Pulp – 'Common People'
3. David Bowie – 'Heroes'
4. The Beach Boys – 'Good Vibratons'
5. New Order – 'Blue Monday'
6. The Stone Roses – 'She Bangs The Drums'
7. The Smiths – 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'
8. The Specials – 'Ghost Town'
9. Dizzee Rascal – 'Fix Up, Look Sharp'
10. Oasis – 'Wonderwall'
11. The Rolling Stones – 'Sympathy For The Devil'
12. The Ronettes – 'Be My Baby'
13. Michael Jackson – 'Billie Jean'
14. Sex Pistols – 'God Save The Queen'
15. The Beatles – 'A Day In The Life'
16. The Cure – 'Boys Don't Cry'
17. Bob Dylan – 'Like A Rolling Stone'
18. The Beach Boys – 'God Only Knows'
19. Madonna – 'Like A Prayer'
20. The Stone Roses – 'I Am The Resurrection'

17 in mine, missing Dizzee Rascal, The Ronettes and Madonna.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The only way you can determine the best songs is by sales figures, as clearly public opinion has to be the greatest single factor in any such debate.

Rubbish!

The best song is the one that has been played the most.

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[Mellotron]

Lol you were doing so well up until the last sentence.

EXACTLY what I was going to say! Spot on til then.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

1) Candle in the Wind - Elton John
2) Do they know it's Christmas? - Band Aid
3) Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
4) Mull of Kintyre - Wings
5) Rivers of Babylon - Boney M
6) Relax - Frankie goes to Hollywood
7) She Loves You - The Beatles
8) You're the one that I Want - Grease
9) Unchained Melody - Robson and Jerome
10) Mary's Boy Child - Boney M

Are we THAT camp, as a country?

I don't read the magazine, but Q Radio generally play a decent back catalogue of classics mixed in with a few modern gems. NME to me is almost as bad as Kerrang. It's preaching to the kids, and most of the time they're both wrong.