11. Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Meatloaf
Unlike other artists whose work I consistently bought (see TK sidebar, above), Meat Loaf burst onto the rock scene like a Bat Out of Hell with one transcendent, explosive, almost-perfect record, so good you felt there was nothing more to say. Sure, Meat (or should I say Mr. Loaf) bowed to commercial interests and put […]
12. Wonderful Tonight, Eric Clapton
If music is about romance, this is about the most romantic song I know. Also, the slowest slow-dance number since the Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes for You (the “shrub-de-bup” song) or, going further, Golden Teardrops, which doesn’t move at all. It would be a crime, not to mention awfully uncomfortable, to dance to Wonderful […]
13. No Woman, No Cry, Bob Marley & Wailers
I first heard this song on New York island radio in 1976, adopted it as my own in a little incident in Antigua that winter, and have never heard it since without, first, smiling, and by its end, feeling I’m a better person. Of course I’m not, but that’s the effect Bob Marley has had […]
14. The Boxer, Simon & Garfunkel
The climax of Simon & Garfunkel’s career (see Sidebar, below), The Boxer has, in spades, everything that made one of the rock era’s two greatest duos so great: harmonies that melt your heart, folk-rock purity, insinuating rhythm, literate lyrics and an intriguing story you think you understand, but don’t, really. Humility the listener can identify […]
15. Lyin’ Eyes, The Eagles
Lyin’ Eyes has the peaceful, easy rolling rhythm that’s an Eagles trademark and the cool, non-emotional tone of Southern California – a dotted line runs from the Beach Boys in the ‘60s to the Eagles in the ‘70s. The story is as old as the Hollywood hills, but never in rock music has it been […]