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Terre Roche
New York, New York, USA. Musician-writer-teacher-member of The Roches.
- 1. Robert William Scott, "Allegheny." He wrote "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother." One of my guitar students tracked this down for me. Partly because of the song and partly because of the arrangement, it’s one of my all-time favorite recordings.
- 2. Mark Knopfler and James Taylor, "Sailing to Philadelphia." My brother Dave and his daughter Oona played it at a family party. It tells the story of Mason & Dixon who decided where the U.S. was to be divided. Mysterious, heartbreaking and gorgeous.
- 3. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, "Hawaii '78." The transcendently genuine voice of his people in Hawaii and on this song tells the story of his family.
- 4. David Massengill, "My Name Joe." In today's world where there is so much discussion about immigrants, this song should be brought to the foreground. It tells the story of an illegal immigrant who works in a kitchen. That's as much as I'll tell you so as not to botch up the beautiful artistry of David's storytelling ability!
- 5. Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Pie Jesu." Not sure what the words mean but this is one of my all time favorite melodies! Check out Charlotte Church's rendition and be prepared to feel that soft spot in your chest!
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Debbie Kruger
Byron Bay, Australia. Journalist, Author, PR Consultant.
- 1. Augie March, "The Cold Acre." A gorgeous, sweeping breathy song from Australia's most interesting songwriting band.
- 2. Don Walker, "Get Along." Another Australian song; Cold Chisel's chief songwriter wrote this originally for the late Slim Dusty but Walker's own version is more profound.
- 3. Elton John, "Better Off Dead." Elton's latest album The Captain & The Kid took me way back to Captain Fantastic and I rediscovered this brilliant piece of foot-stomping pop.
- 4. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, "Born Secular." My favorite song on Rabbit Fur Coat; the vocals are sublime.
- 5. Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy." I'm still not sick of this; an absolute modern classic that makes me dance while I drive.
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Christopher Wofford
Trumansburg, New York, USA. Writer.
- 1. Amnesty, "Free Your Mind." A nearly lost funk gem; a raw, soulful triumph from the Golden Age of Funk. Epic in musical scope and feeling, a classic.
- 2. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, "Lush Life." The definitive rendition of the Billy Strayhorn classic, sophisticated and warm.
- 3. Hem, "My Father’s Waltz." Beautiful and spare countrypolitan waltz. Like a soft lullaby on a dark and snowy night.
- 4. Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg, A Special Christmas Box (Uncensored version). Sidesplitting parody of sexy 80s/90s R&B, with the most addictive, catchiest chorus of the holiday season: "It’s my dick in a box!"
- 5. Neil Young, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." A sad and strange song; to sing it is to actually feel heartbreak. Puts a lump in your throat and really takes something out of you. Stunning.
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Tonio K.
Los Angeles, California, USA. Songwriter-Artist.
- 1. Randy Newman, "Great Nations of Europe." Put it on for Thanksgiving and can't stop listening.
- 2. Bob Dylan, "Rollin' And Tumblin'" and "Nettie Moore." Messages from another world.
- 3. Beck, "Nausea." The only current one I'm currently into on a repeat basis.
- 4. Jose Alfredo Jimenez, "Cuatro Caminos." Realized it's the song from the end sequence of The Wild Bunch. Not this version, but the song. (Jimenez is great; what would we call him, the Mexican Hank Williams?)
- 5. James Brown, Live At The Apollo. Just count the whole album as one song (it sort of is); have had it on the CD turntable for a couple of months now ...Coincidence?
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P.F. Sloan
Los Angeles, California, USA. Legendary Songwriter-Artist.
- 1. Bob Dylan, "Thunder On the Mountain." It pleases.
- 2. Frank Black, "Let's See If It Lasts." It pumps!
- 3. Ludwig Von Beethoven, "Piano Concertos." It's perfect.
- 4. Roy Orbison, The Essential Roy. All cuts but "Running Scared." It plays.
- 5. Carlos Guitarlos, "Damn' Atchafalaya." It pimps.
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Kathy Archbold
London England. Artist.
- 1. Bob Dylan, “If You See Her, Say Hello.” It goes straight to my heart every time.
- 2. Evan Dando, "Rudy With A Flashlight." Does anyone have a better voice than his? An absolutely gorgeous version of Rainer Placek's song.
- 3. Wilco, "Shot In The Arm." Grown up, realistic and still joyous; the pain of being alive.
- 4. The Cure, "Just Like Heaven." As short and intense as the adrenalin rush when life is treating you good.
- 5. Joe Strummer, "Unknown Immortal." From the Walker soundtrack. Poignantly prophetic song from an immortal, much missed songsmith.
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Noah Stone
Los Angeles, California, USA. Singer-songwriter.
- 1. Jane Siberry, "Lena Is a White Table." A bizarre argument between two people over directions and whether or not Lena should go to school. But Lena is a table. It's very of its time (1980s) but I love songwriting like this.
- 2. Joanna Newsom, "Emily." It begins, "the meadowlark and the chim charee and the sparrow," so you know you're in for something original.
- 3. The Beatles, "Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows." The Love album should have been a disaster but it's not. These songs seem fresh and alive. The drum track from "Within You" works almost too well with "Tomorrow Never Knows."
- 4. Sufjan Stevens, "Chicago." This song thrills me. "If I was crying in the van with my friend, it was for freedom from myself and from the land."
- 5. Camille, "Ta Douleur." I saw Camille play her first show in the U.S. and it was the most innovative and exciting performance I have seen in years. She should be huge right now. That she's not is a testament to something rotten in the state of major labels.
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Frank Yu
Beijing, China. Microsoft Program Manager & Radio D.J.
- 1. Pink Martini, "Que Sera Sera." The most existential and most beautiful version of this song; all pain, no gain.
- 2. Metisse, "Boom Boom Ba." I first heard this zippy song on the TV series "Dead Like Me," with its mix of dark comedy and tragedy but in this case fun.
- 3. Dagon Tabernacle Choir, "Carol of the Old Ones." I really love the Ukranian "Carol of the Bells," which in itself was an edgy Christmas carol. This version sings about the impending doom of the mankind and the coming darkness; great Christmas antidote.
- 4. OST, "Wild Signals." Close Encounters of the Third Kind Collectors Edition. This song depicts the first conversation between man and aliens using music as a communication tool.
- 5. Gary Jules, "Mad World." Soulful. Once you hear it you can't forget it.
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Steve Jenkins
Reading, Berkshire, England. Free-faller.
- 1. Tom Petty, "Free fallin'." Just love it, everything about it and I guess 'cause I'm a "bad boy" too.
- 2. Traveling Wilburys, "End of the Line." The Wilburys at their best.
- 3. Syd Barrett, "Bob Dylan Blues." Knew the lyrics long before it was released and it sounds just as I imagined it would.
- 4. Tom Petty, "You Don't Know How It Feels." One of my favourite Petty numbers. It's just delivered so effortlessly.
- 5. Paul Zollo & Art Garfunkel, "Being In This World." A great song, great lyrics and I dig the philosophy behind the title.
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D.H. Almarzouqi
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Human Resources Analyst.
- 1. Damien Rice, "The Blower's Daughter." His voice is raw and pure.
- 2. R.E.M., "E-bow The Letter." The lyrics.
- 3. Smashing Pumpkins, "Stand Inside Your Love." The lyrics.
- 4. Frank Sinatra, "As Time Goes By." It's Ol' Blue Eyes - need I say more?
- 5. Billie Holiday, "It Had To Be You." A classic, a legend.
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Bouvet Forclaz
Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-designer.
- 1. Ace Cannon, "Summertime." The best inside 500 versions that I have listened to this song.
- 2. Dusty Springfield, "The Look of Love." I love the sensual voice that she has here.
- 3. Bob Dylan, "Like a Rolling Stone." Always cheers me up.
- 4. The Eagles, "Hotel California." All on the rip of this guitar.
- 5. Astor Piazzolla, "Cité Tango." I've got this one in my blood.
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Rafa Garcia
Madrid, Spain. Web Developer.
- 1. Marvin Gaye, "What´s Going On." Marvin always found the smoothest way to sing the most beautiful things.
- 2. The Beatles, "A Day In The Life." When talent and ambition crossed their paths, music became a new religion.
- 3. Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven." A symphony for the 20th century.
- 4. Van Morrison, "Listen to the Lion." For personal and sentimental reasons, I want to ride on one of Van´s song when I´m just dust.
- 5. Camarón de la Isla, "La Leyenda del Tiempo." The perfect mixture of our amazing Flamenco music and the poetry of Lorca, sung by the best cantaor that ever existed.
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Marcus Dicks
Westlake Village, California, USA. Graphic Artist.
- 1. Keane, "Bad Dream." The transition from the pseudo-intro to the verse is almost religious, like a wave of windblown sound washing over you.
- 2. Arctic Monkeys, "The View From The Afternoon." Just paying attention to the drum work on this track would be enough if the guitar & vocals weren't so masterfully organic and driving.
- 3. The White Stripes, "The Nurse." The eerie marimba carries the melody to a tune about not trusting the people closest to you.
- 4. The Raconteurs, "Blue Veins." Been a long time since anyone in the rock world has been brave enough to do a stripped-down, bare bones blues song like this. And it rocks!
- 5. The Strokes, "Vision of Division." I seem to be in the minority in liking this song, but there's something about the half time drums with the rapid fire guitar bursts that gets right to me.
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James Wm. Dawson
Toronto, Canada. Data Architect.
- 1. John Lennon, "Imagine." Speaks to a better place.
- 2. Gordon Lightfoot, "Christian Island." Speaks to a really nice place.
- 3. Louis Armstrong, "What A Wonderful World." Speaks to a better place.
- 4. Judy Garland, "Over The Rainbow." Speaks to a better place.
- 5. Various Artists, "Oh Canada." Speaks to a wonderful place.
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Big Al Davies
Wales, UK. Office Worker & Musician.
- 1. Nick Drake, "River Man." ." The strings and poor, poor, late lamented Nick Drake, if you haven't heard this then go and download now..
- 2. The Beatles, "Two Of Us." They were splitting when hey did this but Lennon and McCartney are still able to sing together.
- 3. Martin Newell, "The Wicked Witch." A very late song against Margaret Thatcher but a good reminder that she was an evil witch, and a great song with a nursery rhyme chorus.
- 4. John Martyn, "Solid Air." A song about Nick Drake and as fragile as the inspiration.
- 5. Warren Zevon, "Werewolves of London." I love the piano, the lyrics, well all of it, but why didn't this song get into the movie American Werewolf in London?
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Rob Pongi
Tokyo, Japan. "Computer Geek" & Producer.
- 1. Deerhoof, "Wrong Time Capsule." Don't get caught in the big, evil money machine!
- 2. detroit7, "Kiss The Moon." Incendiary rocker from the very hot Tokyo trio: detroit7.
- 3. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Don't Forget Me." Emotional, powerful, and unforgettable.
- 4. David Bowie, "Everyone Says 'Hi'." And 'Hi' to you Mr. David Bowie!
- 5. Shonen Knife, "Chinese Disco." 'It's alright to enjoy yourself.'
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Paul Collins
Orlando, Florida, USA. Musician.
- 1. Bob Dylan, "One Of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)." This song really grabs at the idea that indeed sooner or later the truth of life has to be revealed.
- 2. Leonard Cohen, "Famous Blue Raincoat." My hair still raises when I play this song.
- 3. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, "Wheels of Steel." If you listen to this song and do not start to dance then you're not a friend of mine.
- 4. Led Zeppelin, "Poor Tom." ." This is a great song which highligts Johns off-beat drummin' style. And there is a great harp ending.
- 5. Led Zeppelin, "Stairway To Heaven."
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Kasper Tornbjerg
Aarhus, Denmark. Student.
- 1. Scissor Sisters, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'." I was charmed by this song the first time I heard. The sheer irony that this song makes you move your feet gets me every time.
- 2. Joan As Police Woman, "Eternal Flame." This song is wonderfully off. It sounds like it shouldn't work at all, but it really does.
- 3. Razorlight, "Hold On." Perfect for a sunny morning. Really lifts your mood.
- 4. Spoon, "The Way We Get By." The most criminally overlooked band in the world. This song has been continually rocking my world for the last year.
- 5. The Streets, "Never Went To Church." It's really quite moving. You've got to love Mike Skinner's frank lyrics.
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Vincent Boiteau
Barcelona, Spain. Photographer.
- 1. Jay Epoch, "Red Eye Flight." Progressive tribal.
- 2. Booka Shade, "In White Rooms." Killer bassline.
- 3. Nouvelle Vague, "Fade To Grey." Trip-Hop take.
- 4. Deep Dish, "Dreams." Old school house with disco beats.
- 5. Stardust, "The Music Sounds Better With You." French touch house.
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Joshua Zollo
North Hollywood, California, USA. Kid.
- 1. The Beatles, "Nowhere Man." I like the song and the music.
- 2. Jesse McCartney, "Right Where You Want Me." It's a great song and I love the music.
- 3. The Beatles, "Yellow Submarine." I like the Beatles.
- 4. Hannah Montana, "Best of Both Worlds."
- 5. High School Musical, soundtrack, "We're All In This Together." I like the movie, so I like the song.
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Ben Zollo
Highland Park, Illinois, USA. Writer.
- 1. Beck, "Nausea." My favorite song to listen to while speeding on an open highway.
- 2. The Raconteurs, "Level." Jack White, The White Stripes front man, is able to break out of his shell by substituting the limitations of a two-piece ensemble for a band that includes the complementary vocals of Brendon Benson, creative input from band mates, and, of course, a bass player.
- 3. Ben Harper, "Get It Like You Like It." Favorite line: "They keep telling me that Jesus walked on water, when he should’ve surfed."
- 4. The Black Keys, "When the Lights Go Out." A slow blues riff, passionate vocals and a textured drum line creates a timeless sound.
- 5. Bob Dylan, "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum." The youthful guitar sound meshes surprisingly well with Dylan’s hardened vocals in a playful song.
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Christine V.
Lyon, France. Training Consultant.
- 1. Sufjan Stevens, "Chicago." A new sound in my radio.
- 2. Patrice, "Sunshine." His voice is both desperated and optimistic.
- 3. America, "A Horse With No Name." An old one, but still a perfume of wild west.
- 4. Aaron, "U-Turn." Another story of voice, so full of emotion...
- 5. Katie Melua, "On The Road Again." I love the way she appropriated this famous song.
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Paul Zollo
Hollywood, California, USA. Rabble-rouser.
- 1. Randy Newman, "The World Isn't Fair." Brilliant and hilarious, like Randy. Can't get enough of it.
- 2. Ben Sidran, "Face Your Fears." Reminds me what's important, and it swings.
- 3. Van Morrison, "Madame George." A miracle of a song.
- 4. Christina Aguilera, "Hurt." An astounding song with an astounding performance. Kills me every time I hear it, and I hear it a lot.
- 5. Corinne Bailey Rae, "Turn Your Records On." As exultant as it gets; absolute joy and authentic soul.
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