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| Steve Miller (2009) by photographer Tim Brown |
This is my third music-list blog. And most probably the last one.
The two previous ones compiled lists of my preferred songs (list of 2000 in 2022 and list of 2000 to 2100 in 2025).
The list below includes 50 songs and a bonus one (Grateful Dead!).
It is always a pleasure for me to start researching the history of my music and come across songs that I had known before but had forgotten; or stumble on new ones of the singers/bands that had been my favorite ones.
I now realize more than before how much impact the West Coast USA music continues to have on me. Obviously linked to my high school and student days.
When I headed to Nijmegen university in September 1969 the first wave of Flower Power was in full swing in the Bay Area around San Francisco. The ‘Summer of Love’ happened already in 1967, spawned by the counter culture of doing stuff differently like ‘make love not war’, free concerts, and new radio stations that played the revolutionary music of icons like Jefferson Airplane and the Youngbloods.
Long haired hippies/students were all over and the music magazine ‘Rolling Stone’ was founded by Jann Jenner. In his excellent book ‘The Masters’ from 2023, he interviews Jerry Garcia a.o. and the conversation with Jerry shows how a counterculture musician like him grew up, learned how to play and lived a life from week to week without knowing how to foot the bills.
All of the prominent Frisco Singers/Bands have found their place in my lists…like CCR, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Santana, Moby Grape, Grateful Dead, Youngbloods, Steve Miller, Sly & Family Stone, Janis Joplin and also Neil Young and Van Morrison who both moved to Frisco in the early seventies.
Interestingly the Grateful Dead never was a popular band in Europe. It never had a Top 10 record in the charts. The ‘Dead’, driven by Garcia and Weir played mainly all over the USA often ‘on campus’ and regularly for free at mass concerts. Money was not the driving mechanism. I turned into a big fan of the Grateful Dead after I bought a CD of Jerry Garcia when I worked and lived in Rome in 2012. And now I love to hear the very distinct guitar solos by Jerry Garcia from his life performances. Two of these are included here: ‘Sugaree’ and ‘Sitting in limbo’.
My list is not priority based. I believe it is pretty diverse, and includes some stunning live performances.
I sense that over the years many of the songs I selected are more thoughtful…texts do matter more than before (examples are the songs by the Kinks and the live version of ‘Ballerina’ by Van the Man!
Here we go then:
Nr. | Performers | Title song |
2101 | Steve Miller Band | Look on yonder Wall (2010) |
2102 | Dire Straits | Sultans of Swing / Live at Odeon Studio in London (1983) |
2103 | Samuel E. Wright | Under the Sea / from Disney’s movie ‘ Little Mermaid’ (1989) |
2104 | Buena Vista Social Club / Ry Cooder | El Quarto de Tula (1996) |
2105 | Ze Ramalho | Negro Amor (2008) |
2106 A | Charles Castronovo | Maria Mari (2010) |
2106 B | Tehran Napolitan Ensemble | Maria Mari (2026) |
2107 | CALEXICO | Fortune Teller (2012) |
2108 | Bonnie Raitt / Richard Thompson | Dimming of the Day / Live in Stockholm (1994) |
2109 | Bryan Adams | You belong to me (2015) |
2110 | Elijah Turner | Your Mama don’t like me (1937) |
2111 | Woong San | Yesterday (2007) |
2112 | Geoffrey Oryema | Makambo (1990) |
2113 | Calvin Wilson Road ( A.I. supported ) | Wayfaring Stranger / Traditional Appalachian folk duet (2024) |
2114 | Christopher B. McCarthy | A Horse and Rider (2006) |
2115 | Brenda Lee / Willy Deville | You’ll never know (1996) |
2116 | Grateful Dead | Sugaree / Live at Pembroke Pines, Florida (1977) |
2117 | KINKS | 20th Century Man (1971) |
2118 | Hank Williams | Ramblin’ Man (1951) |
2119 | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Girl from the North Country (2022) |
2120 | Alison Moorer | A soft Place to fall (1998) |
2121 | Jodlerklub Wiesenberg | Blume (2016) |
2122 | Frank Zappa | Water Melon in Easter Hay (1979) |
2123 A | Everly Brothers | Gone gone gone (1964) |
2123 B | Robert Plant / Alison Krauss | Gone gone gone (2007) |
2124 | SPIRIT | I got a Line on you (1984 Version) |
2125 | POCO | Another Time around (1974) |
2126 | Brian Ferry | If not for you (2007) |
2127 | William Prince | The Spark (2019) |
2128 | Elvis Presley | Anything that’s Part of you (1962) |
2129 | Gene Clark | Polly (1973) |
2130 | Lisa Gerrard / Denez Prigent | Gortoz A Ran (1999) |
2131 | Charles Dumont / Edith Piaf | Les Amants (1961) |
2132 | Randy Newman | Rider in the Rain (1977) |
2133 | Allman Brothers Band | Back where it all begins (1994) |
2134 A | Bo Diddley | The Rhythm that shook the World (1955) |
2134 B | Rolling Stones / Bo Diddley | Who do you love / Live in Miami (1994) |
2135 | Koko Taylor / Willy Dixon | Wang dang doodle (1964) |
2136 | Delmar Radio ( A.I. supported ) | La Paloma / Cancion de Nostalgia Cubana (2024) |
2137 | Calvin Wilson Road ( A.I. supported ) | The Lily of the Valley / Traditional Appalachian folk duet (2024) |
2138 | Jesse Young | Four in the Morning / Live at Mill Valley, CA. (1996) |
2139 | Ink Spots | Java Jive (1940) |
2140 | KINKS | Underneath the Neon Sign (1975) |
2141 | Hank Locklin | Send me the Pillow (1958) |
2142 | Ry Cooder | Drive like I never been hurt (2008) |
2143 | Billy Bacon & Forbidden Pigs | Bordertown (1995) |
2144 | Jesse Young / Steve Miller | Get together / Live from home during corona period (2020) |
2145 | FRANCO & TP OK Jazz Band | Si tu bois beaucoup (1965) |
2146 | Johnny Guitar Watson | Three Hours past Midnight (1956) |
2147 | Boz Scaggs / Duane Allman | Loan me a Dime (1969) |
2148 | Robert Plant / Alison Krauss | Through the Morning, through the Night (2007) |
2149 | Van Morrison | Ballerina / Live at Horsens, Denmark (2010) |
2150 | Ry Cooder | Theme from movie Southern Comfort (1981) |
BONUS | Jerry Garcia Band | Sitting in Limbo / Live at Capitol Theatre, Port Chester N.Y. (1980) |
