> what about those songs you just absolutely love & adore... the ones > that sound like an old friend,, that cause that sudden rush of pleasure > when they start,, that have you cranking up the volume, and hitting the > repeat button. > > the songs that feel like coming home
The second side of 'Miles of Aisles' in its entirety: Cactus Tree Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire Woman of Heart and Mind A Case of You Blue To me these performances of these five songs are the heart and soul of Joni's work up to that point in time. She reveals her deepest feelings here and it's goose bump stuff. You're So Vain - Carly Simon Always crank it up and sing along - real loud! There's something totally liberating about it. Your Love is Lifting Me Higher - Bette Midler Another crank it up and let the intensity flow through you song. Orgasmic. When the Sun Comes Out - Barbra Streisand Another goose-bump, orgasmic torcher sung as only the young Streisand could. I'll Be Seeing You - Billie Holiday Quiet, heart-rending, longing. Melancholy, exquisite, elegant, soulful. Day Is Done - Peter Paul and Mary Makes me cry everytime. Peter Yarrow's voice is sweetly soulful and so is the song. Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane Grace Slick's powerful voice rhythmically chanting over a pulsating beat. Sixties flower-power distilled into a 3 or so minute song. Sara - Fleetwood Mac My favorite Stevie Nicks song. Another one that used to make me cry but has less power over me now. Still a beautiful melody, haunting production and lyrics that evoke regret and a sweet melancholy. If I Loved You - Barbra Streisand Barbra's covers on the first Broadway Album were about as close to perfection as you can get. I've always loved this Rogers and Hammerstein song from one of my favorite musicals, 'Carousel'. Barbra doesn't oversing it but still manages to bring it to an intense emotional climax with exquisite control and just enough power. It's Too Late - Carole King The first Carole King single I bought back in high school. Fell in love with her. A simple, to the point song about a relationship that is ending. A great song by one of the great pop song writers. Rickie Lee Jones - Stewart's Coat The first RLJ song that I learned all the lyrics too and still my favorite. A sweet song about falling in love and learning how healing it can be. The story of my life. The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews After a montage of breathtaking aerial shots of the Austrian Alps, the camera finds Julie walking across an Alpine meadow. As the shot zooms in on her she spreads her arms in a gesture of absolute joy, turns around once, taking in the surrounding splendor and in her miraculously clear-as-a-bell soprano voice, comes out with 'The hills are alive with the sound of music.' Oh God! I saw it 7 times when I was a kid and I'm *waiting* for a restored re-release. The dvd is great but there's nothing like seeing it on the big screen. Cabaret - Liza Minelli Say what you like about Liza, when this movie came out in 1972 it was one of the most incredible movie musicals I'd ever seen and she was bursting at the seams with charm, energy and talent. She threw everything she had into the role of Sally Bowles and she was brilliant. Her rendition of the title song at the end of the film followed by the reflections of the audience with the swastikas scattered on uniforms throughout the crowd is both show-stopping and chilling. Laura Nyro - Christmas in My Soul To me this is the pinnacle of Laura's output. I know many disagree but this song takes me to places and moves me in too many ways to count. Some of it's dated, sure, but the sentiments she expressed are still relevant today. Soul stirring as only Laura can do it. This Street That Man This Life - Cowboy Junkies One of the most chilling and heart-breaking songs I've ever heard. Lyrics like 'that man wears his skin/like a dancer's wears a veil/that man stalks his victims/like a cancer stalks a cell/that man's soul has left him/his hearts as deadly as a rusty nail/that man wears his skin/like a veil' re-enforce my belief that Michael Timmons is a lyricist on a par that approaches Joni & Bob. And then there's Margo. The voice that interprets his melancholy words with exquisite perfection. Hour of Gold - Emmylou Harris Emmylou is a great songwriter. Just listen to 'Red Dirt Girl' if you don't believe me and this song in particular: 'But the world will be my witness/when they excavate my heart/and find the image of your face/imprinted there like some Shroud of Turin/that neither time nor tundra could erase.' The breaking of her voice breaks my heart with words like that. She amazes me time and again. Linda Ronstadt - Prisoner in Disguise Great J D Souther song sung as only Linda can. I think Linda has one of the great voices of our time. With the right song, she is unbeatable. Patsy Cline - Sweet Dreams Speaking of great voices, this was one of the all-time greats. She may have been classified as a country singer but Patsy stands up there with any of the great singers in pop music. This was recorded in the last sessions she did before that damn plane crash took her away from us. She was in top form and this is one of the all time great heartbreakers. Dusty Springfield - The Walls Are Much Too Thin Started with 'The Look of Love' and changed my mind. I love this song. Dusty was one of a kind. To me she defines the term 'Blue-Eyed Soul.' This song about a girl who hears talk about the boy she loves through the thin walls of her apartment building is sung with such soul and heartbreak, it just gets to me. I didn't really listen to Dusty until a couple of years ago when I picked up the cd of 'Dusty in Memphis' and became completely smitten with her. Can't get enough of her now. Another one of the greats. Dionne Warwick - Are You There With Another Girl Dionne had a unique, sophisticated sound and style that was none-the-less soulful. This song is supposed to be about a girl suspecting that her boyfriend is cheating on her but it is so campy that is just plain fun to sing along to. I love it. Dionne was one of the first artists I started collecting when I was a teenager and I still love her early stuff. Judy Garland - Over the Rainbow No matter how many times I see 'The Wizard of Oz' or hear that rendition of 'Rainbow' I am still enchanted by it everytime. One of the few moments in those MGM musicals that Judy made in the 30s when she wasn't belting a song out in that show-stopping voice. She becomes the simple Kansas farm girl pouring her heart out to her dog and the sunbeams bursting through the gray clouds. Quiet, gentle, longing and heartfelt with a voice that was smoother and softer than velvet. Sigh. Ok, that's enough for now. As usual, I've written way too much. Pardon my self-indulgence. Mark E in Seattle
