Maybe I have too much time on my hands but I've thought about doing this for a while and resolved to do it having listened to most of xfm's
Top 1000 Songs of all time over Christmas.
This is much harder than it sounds and I have struggled mightily in a number of areas. For example, when it comes to a favourite band or album, which tracks do I choose and in what order? In the case of my favourite band, I would probably have 10-15 songs from each. This would become a little dull.
As a result, I decided to have one rule - only one song per band. Yes, this is a little arbitrary and in a few cases (The Smiths, Cure, Jam, Pink Floyd, Arctic Monkeys...) ends up being representative of what I like rather than nailing the best song. I have probably got it wrong in a few cases but it does allow for a little more breadth.
When I look at my list, it certainly tells a story about me and my life since I started taking notice of music in the late 1970s. Most, if not all, conjure up a memory of a time or place that goes beyond an appreciation for the music or lyrics themselves. It is quite narrow in terms of genre and certainly misses out on any number of classic songs and bands that will probably indicate that my music taste is shallow and predictable. I can live with that.
I am clearly a lyrics man. The ability to read, play or write music is quite clearly beyond me and leaves me in awe of those that can pick up an instrument and play it, let alone put together a unique arrangement with drums, guitar, keyboard and whatever else. I reserve my jealousy for the lyric writers. I have a reasonable command of the English language and can put together a cogent sentence every now and then and yet I am light years away from the likes of "punctured bicycle, on a hillside desolate".
I will add them over the next few weeks (knowing my reliability, it could take months). Let me know what you think
