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

[Simster]

The list is a waste of time, if only for the fact that NME does this every f***ing year and modifies it slightly to appeal to the latest group of kiddies reading it.

Largely good songs, but there are hundreds of good songs out there. And "She Bangs The Drums" wouldn't be in my top 5 Stone Roses tracks, never mind top 20 of all time.

 

[Hiney]

18. Missing The Smiths & The Cure

 

[DTES]

It's this magazine that knows nothing about music. 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. For your information, this is FACTUALLY the top songs of all time in the UK:

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

I'm not saying it's what I like, but it's better than somebody's opinion.

You're right. After all, everybody bought Candle in the Wind because of the quality of the song and its place at the top of the list has nothing to do with the fact it was released in memory of Diana and for charity.

 

[Marxo]

All these best of lists change all the time and always have glaring omissions and ridiculous inclusions. Many songs from the likes of The Kinks, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to name but a few are surely more worthy than many included there. As far as best selling singles, sales aren't the same as quality and singles are mostly the province of teenagers.

 

[Timbo]

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.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Poor NME. Another pointless list to fill its empty pages. I give it another 18 months max before it becomes a monthly magazine in partnership with Uncut.

 

[Seasider78]

Hard to take these lists seriously when dizzee rascal appears above songs by James brown or marvin Gaye

Lazy journalism

 

[Icy Gull]

It's this magazine that knows nothing about music. 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. For your information, this is FACTUALLY the top songs of all time in the UK:

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

I'm not saying it's what I like, but it's better than somebody's opinion.

That is a truly DIRE collection with the stand out being Unchained Melody by Robson and Jerome being up there by them rather than the Righteous Brothers, who's version IS an all time classic. On a personal note Mull of Kintyre is my most hated song in the whole wide Universe.

There is no accounting for taste

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

That is a truly DIRE collection with the stand out being Unchained Melody by Robson and Jerome rather than the Righteous Brothers. On a personal note Mull of Kintyre is my most hated song in the whole wide Universe.

Two Boney M songs in there! This has to be a wind up.

 

[Weststander]

Great to see Joy Division and New Order featuring in several collections.
Were class, as well as ... Atmosphere, Temptation, New Dawn Fades etc.

Shows the non-lemming-like musical tastes of Sussex folk.

I suspect similar straw polls in the likes of Sunderland, Barnsley, Norwood ... would throw up big support for obvious big selling or macho Rock, Heavy Metal, Stones, Oasis, etc.

Another plus about living in Sussex & Brighton.

 

[Weststander]

Atmosphere is without doubt extraordinary but I still find something quite magical about LWTUA. I have listened to it more than any other song and yet everytime I hear the intro I feel some kind of elation inside. Whichever song is your favourite of theirs though there can be no doubt about their genius.

Both give goose bumps. Occasionally played on daytime radio, with the car stereo volume immediatley whipped up.

Thanks to individualists like Jeremy Vine, who love that era.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

It's this magazine that knows nothing about music. 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. For your information, this is FACTUALLY the top songs of all time in the UK:

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

I'm not saying it's what I like, but it's better than somebody's opinion.

Incorrect, your list is of released SINGLES, not songs as in the title

 

[Acker79]

Have
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'
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'
15. The Beatles – 'A Day In The Life'
17. Bob Dylan – 'Like A Rolling Stone'
18. The Beach Boys – 'God Only Knows'
19. Madonna – 'Like A Prayer'

Don't Have
6. The Stone Roses – 'She Bangs The Drums'
7. The Smiths – 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'
14. Sex Pistols – 'God Save The Queen'
16. The Cure – 'Boys Don't Cry'
20. The Stone Roses – 'I Am The Resurrection'




Have
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
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

Don't Have
5) Rivers of Babylon - Boney M (I have a version by the melodians)
10) Mary's Boy Child - Boney M (had this on a christmas album, but had issues with it when transferring to a new external hard drive)
I do have a Boney M megamix.

 

[Norman Potting]

Just the one I'm glad to say - what a rotten list!

No room for "Roxette", shame on them!

 

[ifuhatepalacestandup]

It's this magazine that knows nothing about music. 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. For your information, this is FACTUALLY the top songs of all time in the UK:

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

I'm not saying it's what I like, but it's better than somebody's opinion.

have 100% of these lol

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have all twenty, but it's hard enough choosing 20 albums let alone 20 songs.

My top songs are mainly quite personal for one reason or another and have soundtracked periods of my life, and are subject to frequent change.

1. Swastika Eyes - Primal Scream
2. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
3. There is a light that never goes out - The Smiths
4. Dry the Rain - The Beta Band
5. Albion - Babyshambles
6. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
7. Let Down - Radiohead
8. History - The Verve
9. Angel - Massive Attack
10. Belfast - Orbital

I played Swastika Eyes at a wedding reception once.

 

[Beach Hut]

Twelve

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

17. Missing Dizzee, Ronettes and The Cure. My wife has The Cure and Dizzee in her collection though.

 

[kevo]

Eleven for me... Not too bad a list, imho - except for Madonna, Jackson and Rascal...

 

[Albumen]

As I mentioned earlier, how do people define their music 'collection'? To me, if it's been downloaded for free it's just been emotionlessly added and stolen from the artist (so I don't), and paid downloads just seem a little distant from me (but I still do a little). My collection is vinyl and CD, anything else is virtual data.