Create an album of lesser-known gems by any artist

  • Here is my Rolling Stones list:


    Sad, Sad, Sad

    Crazy Mama

    When the Whip Comes Down

    Child of the Moon

    No Expectations

    Coming Down Again

    Star Star

    Jiving Sister Fanny

    Dead Flowers

    She's a Rainbow

    Sweet Virginia

    Salt of the Earth

  • Bowie! I can definitely do that one. I'll get to it...

    Here it is. I decided to weight it to latter stuff, in particular to include a few very good covers


    Pablo Picasso

    The Next Day

    Never Get Old

    The Loneliest Guy

    I'd Rather Be High

    Cactus

    Dollar Days

    Try Some Buy Some

    Love Is Lost

    Quicksand

    I Can't Give Everything Away

    Always Crashing In The Same Car (Live at the BBC 2000 version)

    Abandon all reason

  • Pretty good, although I would have thought Dead Flowers was one of their best loved tracks, same for Sweet Virginia which I actually saw them play. I would add Rain Fall Down, which I love.

  • Pretty good, although I would have thought Dead Flowers was one of their best loved tracks, same for Sweet Virginia which I actually saw them play. I would add Rain Fall Down, which I love.

    Fair. Definitely Stones fans would list those two among classics. I think that casual fans wouldn't really know those two songs unless they had those albums. Other songs on those albums get more radio exposure or inclusion on playlists. Rain Fall Down is great too. Maybe you should make a second Stones list?

  • I can't believe XTC haven't had the treatment yet. Much of what XTC did is reasonably unknown unfortunately.


    To be honest, 12 random XTC tracks would do a good job, but here's my take.


    Harvest Festival (Apple Venus)

    Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss her (Big Express)

    No Language in our Lungs (Black Sea)

    Roads Girdle the Globe (Drums and Wires)

    Pale and Precious (Dukes of Stratosphear)

    Melt the Guns (English Settlement)

    Ladybird (Mummer)

    Bungalow (Nonsuch)

    Chalkhills and Children (Oranges and Lemons)

    Another Satellite (Skylarking)

    This is Pop

    Playground (Wasp Star)

    I Wonder Why The Wonderfalls (Theme Tune to TV series Wonderfalls, Andy Partridge)


    The last one is a cheat because it's a solo Andy Partridge song, which was the theme to the excellent, and short lived tv series Wonderfalls.


    If anyone wants any XTC pointers, just let me know. They are a national treasure, and Andy Partridge is up there with the greatest songwriters of all time, in my opinion

  • Damn, I didn't think of them. Now I have to do one too and avoid your choices. You're right, as long as you avoid the 3 obvious hits pretty much any track meets the task of being 'lesser-known gems'. But you've quite rightly included several I'd have definitely put in. I might allow myself one of yours though. I'll get working on it.

    Abandon all reason

  • Fair. Definitely Stones fans would list those two among classics. I think that casual fans wouldn't really know those two songs unless they had those albums. Other songs on those albums get more radio exposure or inclusion on playlists. Rain Fall Down is great too. Maybe you should make a second Stones list?

    I had been thinking about this. There is not a great deal from the 60s era in this list, however.


    Rain Fall Down (as I suggested it, I think it would be a good opener)

    Before They Make Me Run

    Continental Drift

    Keep Up Blues

    Prodigal Son

    Worried About You

    Rocks Off

    Lies

    You Got The SIlver

    Sway

    She Was Hot

    Can't You Hear Me Knocking

  • Here is one for Paul McCartney (no WIngs).


    Despite Repeated Warnings

    Tug Of War

    The Pound Is Sinking

    Put It There

    Flaming Pie

    Deep Deep Feeling

    Scared

    Wanderlust

    Come On To Me

    Early Days

  • Here's my XTC one. Mozo I'm aiming to sidestep yours (I'd love to include Seagulls and Pale) and while I agree about Andy Partridge's writing I'm going to show Colin Moulding more love than you did.


    Love At First Sight

    The Meeting Place

    Yacht Dance

    Runaways

    Wrapped In Grey

    I Remember The Sun

    River Of Orchids

    Beating Of Hearts

    Boarded Up

    Your Gold Dress

    Your Dictionary

    Wake Up


    The challenge is now on for foxfeeder to come up with a third album of different tracks.

    Abandon all reason

  • Because XTC were one of those bands who had such an abundance of b-sides I've done an album of some:


    Tissue Tigers

    A Dictionary Of Modern Marriage

    Washaway

    Egyptian Solution

    Smokeless Zone

    Pulsing Pulsing

    Dance With Me Germany

    Red Brick Dream

    Blame The Weather

    Gold

    Dear God

    Don't Lose Your Temper

    Abandon all reason

  • I have not explored enough XTC albums, so this is great for me.

  • This is also great. But isn't Dear God fairly well known? I had heard the song and seen the video long before I heard the whole album.


    Thanks also for your other list. More to explore.

  • These are also great. Before They Make Me Run was my alternative option for a Some Girls selection.

  • I detect a particular emphasis on the Tug of War album, which is one of my favourites. That said, how could you leave out What's That You're Doing? A far superior collaboration with Stevie Wonder than the other one they did on that album.

  • This is also great. But isn't Dear God fairly well known? I had heard the song and seen the video long before I heard the whole album.

    I did hesitate over it and felt it might be a bit of a cheat but as I knew it originally as a b-side, and like almost everything post-Settlement here in the UK they're practically invisible, I plumped for including it. But I am aware it gained a fair bit of traction in the US. I think it may have subsequently become an a-side on one side if not both sides of the pond. So yeah I'm probably slightly off-piste there.


    By 'album' you presumably mean Skylarking but again, I never knew it as a track on that - I think it was addeed to later editions as a result of its popularity. Consider 'Jump' (a Mummer b-side) as a replacement.


    Yes if you feel you need to explore more XTC my and Mozo's lists are a good primer.

    Abandon all reason

  • A footnote to XTC: in my list, Your Dictionary is one of the saddest songs they ever did. It's a reflection of the breakup of Andy Partridge's marriage, and while (very) grimly humorous in a way, it's acidly despondent. But it poses an interesting question: would it get airplay, indeed has it ever had any? I wonder because it spells out words that are generally unbroadcastable, but doesn't actually say them.

    Abandon all reason

  • I detect a particular emphasis on the Tug of War album, which is one of my favourites. That said, how could you leave out What's That You're Doing? A far superior collaboration with Stevie Wonder than the other one they did on that album.

    Yes. I love Tug Of War; my second favourite album by him after Band On The Run (although that is tecnhically with Wings. I am very fond of What's That Your Doing but it didn't seem to fit well with my other choices! Maybe another list by Paul is in order.

  • Here you go Dr John. A McCartney album which opens with What's That Your Doing:


    What's That You're Doing

    Temporary Secretary (I saw him play this song)

    You Want Her Too

    On My Way To Work

    Get Out Of My Way

    That Day Is Done

    Confidante

    Somedays

    Slidin'

    I Don't Know

    Calico Skies


    These are all arbitrary. If I were to try the Wings stuff, most of it would be Band On The Run, but here goes;


    Old Siam Sir (I have always loved this song).

    Spirits Of Ancient Egypt

    Beware My Love

    Mamunia

    Don't Let It Bring You Down

    No Words

    I've Had Enough

    Every Night

    Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)

    Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People