The RevEx Alternative Xmas Holiday Party!
/Tired of the same old Christmas and holiday songs? Then check out the RevEx Alternative Xmas Holiday Party! You won’t regret it, but your Republican uncle might!
The Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge
/With the loss of Donald Trump in the election, the Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge has ended and the Post-Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge has begun! You can see the videos on my Facebook or Instagram. Sampler videos will appear here and on our YouTube.
Here are the songs performed for the original Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge:
Day 1 - A song that you sing in the shower: Post Malone & Swae Lee, *Sunflower*
Day 2 - A song with a color in the title: White Stripes, *Blue Orchid*
Day 3 - A song by your favorite musician: Duran Duran, *Hungry Like the Wolf*
Day 4 - A song you’ve auditioned with: Tim Curry, *I Do the Rock*
Day 5 - A song you love to sing at karaoke: Kendrick Lamar and MC Eiht, *m.A.A.d. City*
Day 6 - A song that makes you cry: Crash Test Dummies, *Superman's Song*
Day 7 - A song that is a challenge for you: Blackalicious, *Alphabet Aerobics*
Day 8 - A classic song: Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, *It Takes Two*
Day 9 - A song you’ve performed for an audience: Childish Gambino, *Bonfire*
Day 10 - A song about love: Skid Row, *I Remember You*
Day 11 - A song about a broken heart: U2 & B.B. King, *When Love Comes To Town*
Day 12 - A song from your dream role in a musical: *Keeping the Faith* from *Movin' Out* the Billy Joel jukebox musical
Day 13 - A song from the album you’re taking to a desert island with you: *Parents Just Don't Understand,* by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince from *He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper*
Day 14 - A song you’d love to be played at your wedding: Harry Connick Jr., *Recipe For Love*
Day 15 - A song that’s a cover from another artist: Frente, *Bizarre Love Triangle,* originally by New Order
Day 16 - A song by a female vocalist: Girls Alound, *Love Machine*
Day 17 - A song by a male vocalist: Atmosphere, *Fortunate*
Day 18 - A song that has a lot of meaning for you: The Nightwatchman, *Flesh Shapes the Day*
Day 19 - A song that gives you all the feels: Tom Petty, *Walls*
Day 20 - A song that helps you when you’re down: OPM, *Heaven Is A Halfpipe*
Day 21 - A song with a good memory attached: Sir Mix-A-Lot, *Posse On Broadway/Buttermilk Biscuits*
Day 22 - A song from before you were born: Sly & The Family Stone, *Everyday People*
Day 23 - A song by an artist that you admire: Public Enemy, *He Got Game/911 Is A Joke*
Day 24 - A song by an artist no longer living: Prince, *Sometimes It Snows In April*
Day 25 - A song that reminds you of something you would rather forget about: Primitive Radio Gods, *Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand*
Day 26 - A song that meant a lot to you when you were young: Beastie Boys, *Paul Revere*
Day 27 - A song you never get tired of: Audio Two, *Top Billin'*
Day 28 - A song no one would expect you to like: Martina McBride, *My Baby Loves Me*
Day 29 - A song that you used to love but don’t listen to much anymore: Goldie Lookin' Chain, *Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do*
Day 30 - A song you want to sing that didn’t fit these categories: Rob Zombie, *Feel So Numb*
Day 31 - May the Fourth be with you: Weird Al Yankovic, *Yoda*
Day 32 - A song by an artist you've already performed during this challenge: Prince, *Kiss*
Day 33 - A hidden gem from a popular artist: Huey Lewis & the News, *Bad Is Bad*
Day 34 - A song that gets kinda philosophical: Too Short, *Life Is Too Short*
Day 35 - A Little Richard song: *Jenny Jenny*
Day 36 - Decades - 1950s: Bill Haley & His Comets, *Rock Around the Clock*
Day 37 - Decades - 1960s: The Crystals, *Then He Kissed Me*
Day 38 - Decades - 1970s: The Blues Brothers, *Rubber Biscuit*
Day 39 - Decades - 1980s: Slick Rick, *Children's Story*
Day 40 - Decades - 1990s: Placebo, *Pure Morning*
Day 41 - Decades - 2000s: Rage Against the Machine, *Renegades of Funk*
Day 42 - Decades - 2010s: Brockhampton, *STAR*
Day 43 - An artist whose name starts with a number: 2 Live Crew, *Banned In the USA*
Day 44 - An artist whose name starts with the letter A: Atmosphere, *Sunshine*
Day 45 - An artist whose name starts with the letter B: Baz Luhrman - *Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)*
Day 46 - An artist whose name starts with the letter C: Cake, *The Distance*
Day 47 - An artist whose name starts with the letter D: Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip, *Thou Shalt Always Kill*
Day 48 - An artist whose name starts with the letter E: Electric Six, *Jimmy Carter*
Day 49 - An artist whose name starts with the letter F: Flight of the Conchords, *Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros*
Day 50 - An artist whose name starts with the letter G: The Game, *Big Money*
Day 51 - An artist whose name starts with the letter H: Hootie & the Blowfish, *Only Wanna Be With You*
Day 52 - An artist whose name starts with the letter I: INXS, *Pretty Vegas*
Day 53 - An artist whose name starts with the letter J: Jidenna, *Long Live the Chief*
Day 54 - An artist whose name starts with the letter K: Kendrick Lamar, *DNA*
Day 55 - An artist whose name starts with the letter L: Lauryn Hill, *Lost Ones*
Day 56 - An artist whose name starts with the letter M: Marilyn Manson, *Disposable Teens*
Day 57 - An artist whose name starts with the letter N: NWA, *Fuck the Police*
Day 58 - An artist whose name starts with the letter O: Ol' Dirty Bastard, *Shimmy Shimmy Ya*
Day 59 - An artist whose name starts with the letter P: Public Enemy, *911 Is A Joke*
Day 60 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Q: Queen, *I Want To Break Free*
Day 61 - An artist whose name starts with the letter R: Rage Against the Machine, *Killing In the Name Of*
Day 62 - An artist whose name starts with the letter S: Sublime, *April 26, 1992*
Day 63 - An artist whose name starts with the letter T: Tom Petty, *The Last DJ*
Day 64 - An artist whose name starts with the letter U: U2, *Bullet the Blue Sky*
Day 65 - An artist whose name starts with the letter V: The Vines, *Get Free*
Day 66 - An artist whose name starts with the letter W: The Who, *My Generation*
Day 67 - An artist whose name starts with the letter X: X-Ray Specs, *Germ-Free Adolescent*
Day 68 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Y: YG & G-Eazy & Macklemore, *FDT Pt. 2*
Day 69 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Z: ZZ Top, *Gimme All Your Lovin'/Jesus Just Left Chicago*
Day 70 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 1: N.W.A., *Express Yourself*
Day 71 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 2: Eddy Grant, *Gimme Hope Jo'anna*
Day 72 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 3: Billie Eilish, *You Should See Me In A Crown*
Day 73 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 4: Creedence Clearwater Revival, *Fortunate Son*
Day 74 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 5: Faith No More, *We Care A Lot*
Day 75 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 6: Dolly Parton, *9 to 5*
Day 76 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 7: Melle Mel, *White Lines*
Day 77 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 8: Green Day, *Know Your Enemy*
Day 78 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 9: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Hamilton Cast, *My Shot*
Day 79 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 10: LCD Soundsystem, *North American Scum*
Day 80 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 11: David Bowie, *I'm Afraid of Americans*
Day 81 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 12: Madonna, *Express Yourself*
Day 82 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 13: Public Enemy, *MKLVFKWR*
Day 83 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 14: Rage Against the Machine f. Howard Beale, *The Ghost of Tom Joad*
Day 84 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 15: Bob Dylan, *A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall*
Day 85 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 16: Sex Pistols, *Anarchy In the U.K.*
Day 86 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 17: Hamilton Cast, *Guns and Ships*
Day 87 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 18: Run the Jewels & Zack De La Rocha, *Close Your Eyes (And Count To F*ck)
Day 88 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 19: The Doors, *Peace Frog*
Day 89 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 20: Gil-Scott Heron, *The Revolution Will Not Be Televised*
Day 90 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 21: NOFX, *You're Wrong*
*Day 91 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 22: The Coup & Justin Sane, *Your Parents' Cocaine*
Day 92 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 23: Prince, *P Control*
Day 93 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 24: Billy Bragg, *The Price of Oil*
Day 94 - Moldy Peaches, *Anyone Else But You*
Day 95 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 25: Kimya Dawson, *Loose Lips*
Day 96 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 26: The Nightwatchman, *The Road I Must Travel*
Day 97 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 27: Anti-Flag, *1 Trillion Dollars*
Day 98 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 28: Hamilton f. Jonathan Groff, *You'll Be Back*
Day 99 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 29: Danny Brown, *Radio Song*
Day 100 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 30: P*ssy Riot, *Make America Great Again*
Day 101 - Iris DeMent, *Let the Mystery Be*
Day 102 - Busta Rhymes, *Woo-Hah! Got You All In Check!* (Reimagined)
Day 103 - Meryn Cadell, *The Sweater*
Day 104 - The Go-Go's, *Throw Me A Curve*
Day 105 - LL Cool J, *My Rhyme Ain't Done*
Day 106 - Janelle Monae, *Dance Apocalyptic*
Day 107 - Major Lazer f. Pharrell, *Aerosol Can*
Day 108 - Georgia Satellites, *Keep Your Hands To Yourself*
Day 109 - Young MC, *Bust A Move*
Day 110 - Edwyn Collins, *The Magic Piper (Of Love)*
Day 111 - A Tribe Called Quest, *Can I Kick It*
Day 112 - Stone Temple Pilots, *Wicked Garden*
Day 113 - Digital Underground, *The Return of the Crazy One*
Day 114 - The B-52's, *Roam*
Day 115 - Eric B & Rakim, *Microphone Fiend*
Day 116 - The Struts, *Kiss This*
Day 117 - Lizzo, *Truth Hurts*
Day 118 - The Monkees, *Randy Scouse Git*
Day 119 - Childish Gambino f. Problem, *Sweatpants*
Day 120 - John Cougar Mellencamp, *Jackie O*
Day 121 - Beastie Boys, *Rhymin' and Stealin'*
Day 122 - Duran Duran, *The Chauffeur*
Day 123 - Pusha T f. Kendrick Lamar, *Nosetalgia*
Day 124 - Joss Stone, *Fell In Love With A Boy*
Day 125 - Digable Planets, *Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)*
Day 126 - Faith No More, *Mother*cker*
Day 127 - Biz Markie, *Just A Friend*
Day 128 - Trixter, *Give It To Me Good*
Day 129 - Tricky, *Vent*
Day 130 - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, *I Love Creedence*
Day 131 - Shawn Brown, *Rappin' Duke*
Day 132 - Soul Asylum, *Black Gold*
Day 133 - A$AP Rocky, *L$D*
Day 134 - Prince, *Starfish and Coffee*
Day 135 - Vanilla Ice, *Ice Ice Baby*
Day 136 - T. Rex, *Bang a Gong (Get It On)*
Day 137 - Future, *Mask Off*
Day 138 - lovelytheband, *broken*
Day 139 - Urban Dance Squad, *Deeper Shade of Soul*
Day 140 - Dead Milkmen, *Bitchin' Camaro*
Day 141 - Afroman, *Drive Better Drunk*
Day 142 - Duran Duran, *New Religion*
Day 143 - Gil-Scott Heron, *Whitey On the Moon*
Day 144 - The Coup, *We've Got A Lot To Teach You, Cassius Green*
Day 145 - King Missile, *Detachable Penis*
Day 146 - Beastie Boys, *Slow Ride*
Day 147 - Blondie, *Dreaming*
Day 148 - Run-DMC, *It's Tricky*
Day 149 - Alexis Rose, *A Little Bit Alexis*
Day 150 - PM Dawn, *Set Adrift On Memory Bliss*
Day 151 - Garth Brooks, *Hard Luck Woman*
Day 152 - Black Sheep, *The Choice Is Yours*
Day 153 - Monkees, *I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone*
Day 154 - Nicki Minaj, *Barbie Dreams*
Day 155 - Cracker, *Low*
Day 156 - House of Pain, *Jump Around*
Day 157 - Jesus & Mary Chain f. Hope Sandoval, *Sometimes Always*
Day 158 - Lil Wayne f. Cory Gunz, *6 Foot, 7 Foot*
Day 159 - White Stripes, *Hotel Yorba*
Day 160 - Busta Rhymes & Eminem, *Calm Down*
Day 161 - Chris Rock, *No Sex In the Champagne Room*
Day 162 - Poison Clan, *Spoiled Rotten*
Day 163 - EMF, *Unbelievable*
Day 164 - Das EFX, *They Want EFX*
Day 165 - Stryper, *Honestly*
Day 166 - Danny Brown, *Grown Up*
Day 167 - Lily Allen, *LDN*
Day 168 - Fetty Wap & Monty, *My Way*
Day 169 - Nada Surf, *Popular*
Day 170 - Hamilton, *The Ten Duel Commandments*
Day 171 - Lenka, *The Show*
Day 172 - Outkast & Kelis, *Dracula's Wedding*
Day 173 - Rob Zombie, *Dragula*
Day 174 - Whodini, *Freaks Come Out At Night*
Day 175 - Ramones, *Pet Sematary*
Day 176 - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, *Nightmare On My Street*
Day 177 - Oasis, *The Hindu Times*
Scott Leifer: Scared To Life
/Check out the rockin’ new video from our friend Scott Leifer, “Scared to Life”!
Latest Edition of The RevEx 100 Now Available!
/Check out the latest edition of The RevEx 100 playlist with new music from: CHIKA, Chloe x Halle, Phoenix, Pharrell, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Big Sean, Nipsey Hussle, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, Beyonce, Tricky, Oh Land, Princess Nokia, BLACKPINK, Selena Gomez, The Struts, Albert Hammond Jr., Robbie Williams, Black Thought, Pusha T, Swiz Beatz, Killer Mike, Run the Jewels, 2 Chainz, DaBaby, Ghost of Vroom, Paris, Janelle Monae, beabadobee, Conway the Machine, Method Man, Djo, Wallows, Travis Scott, Young Thug, M.I.A., Cadenza, GuiltyBeatz and the Aubreys.
And check out RevEx Radio, with tons more great new music!
And RevEx Radio 2020, with all our favorite songs of the entire year!
RevEx Social Distancing Small Table Show, Episode 95: "The Choice Is Yours 2020"
/You can get with Biden, or you can get with Trump!
Scott Leifer: "Night Rangin' f. Joe Merrick (Night Ranger Tribute)"
/The latest video from our friend Scott Leifer:
The RevEx 100 Playlist has WAP!
/Check out the latest edition of The RevEx 100 playlist with new music from: Charlie Xile, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, blink-182, Midnight Oil, Kylie Minoque, Starrah, Bartees Strange, Jada Kingdom, Burna Boy, Stormzy, Ciara, Ester Dean, Peaches, Nas, Hit-Boy, the Killers, Snoop Dogg, Teezo Touchdown, Fred Flipstone and Chelsea Peretti!
And check out RevEx Radio, with tons more great new music!
And RevEx Radio 2020, with all our favorite songs of the entire year!
Professor Rex Sings Every Song Ever At Karaoke Vol. 3 - Tom Petty (36 songs)
/Okay, so I’m trying to sing every song ever. Here’s a themed compilation of a portion of the songs I’ve already recorded myself performing live. These songs are all Tom Petty.
As of volume 3, there are now 77 songs posted on my YouTube channel. The full videos exist, but I'm only sharing a snippet of each because of copyright and length issues.
The RevEx 100 Playlist: Kesha Covered What?
/Check out the latest update to the RevEx 100 Playlist! Featuring amazing new music from John Prine, Dame D.O.L.L.A., DaBaby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Baby, Chloe x Halle, Christine and the Queens, Folk Uke, Jesse & Joy, Ruth B., The Killers, IDLES, AJR, The Streets, John Ellison, The Fiery Furnaces, Dirty Projectors, Noname, Public Enemy, Willie Nelson, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Kesha, Eric Church, CRICKETS, Megan Thee Stallion, BLACKPINK and Ben Folds. Seriously, Ben Folds?
The Post-Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge
/What started out as the 30 songs in 30 days karaoke challenge has morphed into the Post-Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge:
The world has ended. The music needs to be saved. One man, alone in a post-apocalyptic bunker which may make him the last human being alive, has pledged himself to to save all of popular music through karaoke! That man is Post-Apocalyptic Professor Rex!
Here's the list of songs he's saved so far!:
Day 1 - A song that you sing in the shower: Post Malone & Swae Lee, "Sunflower"
Day 2 - A song with a color in the title: White Stripes, "Blue Orchid"
Day 3 - A song by your favorite musician: Duran Duran, "Hungry Like the Wolf"
Day 4 - A song you’ve auditioned with: Tim Curry, "I Do the Rock"
Day 5 - A song you love to sing at karaoke: Kendrick Lamar and MC Eiht, "m.A.A.d. City"
Day 6 - A song that makes you cry: Crash Test Dummies, "Superman's Song"
Day 7 - A song that is a challenge for you: Blackalicious, "Alphabet Aerobics"
Day 8 - A classic song: Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, "It Takes Two"
Day 9 - A song you’ve performed for an audience: Childish Gambino, "Bonfire"
Day 10 - A song about love: Skid Row, "I Remember You"
Day 11 - A song about a broken heart: U2 & B.B. King, "When Love Comes To Town"
Day 12 - A song from your dream role in a musical: "Keeping the Faith" from "Movin' Out" the Billy Joel jukebox musical
Day 13 - A song from the album you’re taking to a desert island with you: "Parents Just Don't Understand," by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince from "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper"
Day 14 - A song you’d love to be played at your wedding: Harry Connick Jr., "Recipe For Love"
Day 15 - A song that’s a cover from another artist: Frente, "Bizarre Love Triangle," originally by New Order
Day 16 - A song by a female vocalist: Girls Alound, "Love Machine"
Day 17 - A song by a male vocalist: Atmosphere, "Fortunate"
Day 18 - A song that has a lot of meaning for you: The Nightwatchman, "Flesh Shapes the Day"
Day 19 - A song that gives you all the feels: Tom Petty, "Walls"
Day 20 - A song that helps you when you’re down: OPM, "Heaven Is A Halfpipe"
Day 21 - A song with a good memory attached: Sir Mix-A-Lot, "Posse On Broadway/Buttermilk Biscuits"
Day 22 - A song from before you were born: Sly & The Family Stone, "Everyday People"
Day 23 - A song by an artist that you admire: Public Enemy, "He Got Game/911 Is A Joke"
Day 24 - A song by an artist no longer living: Prince, "Sometimes It Snows In April"
Day 25 - A song that reminds you of something you would rather forget about: Primitive Radio Gods, "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand"
Day 26 - A song that meant a lot to you when you were young: Beastie Boys, "Paul Revere"
Day 27 - A song you never get tired of: Audio Two, "Top Billin'"
Day 28 - A song no one would expect you to like: Martina McBride, "My Baby Loves Me"
Day 29 - A song that you used to love but don’t listen to much anymore: Goldie Lookin' Chain, "Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do"
Day 30 - A song you want to sing that didn’t fit these categories: Rob Zombie, "Feel So Numb"
Day 31 - May the Fourth be with you: Weird Al Yankovic, "Yoda"
Day 32 - A song by an artist you've already performed during this challenge: Prince, "Kiss"
Day 33 - A hidden gem from a popular artist: Huey Lewis & the News, *Bad Is Bad*
Day 34 - A song that gets kinda philosophical: Too Short, *Life Is Too Short*
Day 35 - A Little Richard song: *Jenny Jenny*
Day 36 - Decades - 1950s: Bill Haley & His Comets, *Rock Around the Clock*
Day 37 - Decades - 1960s: The Crystals, *Then He Kissed Me*
Day 38 - Decades - 1970s: The Blues Brothers, *Rubber Biscuit*
Day 39 - Decades - 1980s: Slick Rick, *Children's Story*
Day 40 - Decades - 1990s: Placebo, *Pure Morning*
Day 41 - Decades - 2000s: Rage Against the Machine, *Renegades of Funk*
Day 42 - Decades - 2010s: Brockhampton, *STAR*
Day 43 - An artist whose name starts with a number: 2 Live Crew, *Banned In the USA*
Day 44 - An artist whose name starts with the letter A: Atmosphere, *Sunshine*
Day 45 - An artist whose name starts with the letter B: Baz Luhrman - *Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)*
Day 46 - An artist whose name starts with the letter C: Cake, *The Distance*
Day 47 - An artist whose name starts with the letter D: Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip, *Thou Shalt Always Kill*
Day 48 - An artist whose name starts with the letter E: Electric Six, *Jimmy Carter*
Day 49 - An artist whose name starts with the letter F: Flight of the Conchords, *Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros*
Day 50 - An artist whose name starts with the letter G: The Game, *Big Money*
Day 51 - An artist whose name starts with the letter H: Hootie & the Blowfish, *Only Wanna Be With You*
Day 52 - An artist whose name starts with the letter I: INXS, *Pretty Vegas*
Day 53 - An artist whose name starts with the letter J: Jidenna, *Long Live the Chief*
Day 54 - An artist whose name starts with the letter K: Kendrick Lamar, *DNA*
Day 55 - An artist whose name starts with the letter L: Lauryn Hill, *Lost Ones*
Day 56 - An artist whose name starts with the letter M: Marilyn Manson, *Disposable Teens*
Day 57 - An artist whose name starts with the letter N: NWA, *Fuck the Police*
Day 58 - An artist whose name starts with the letter O: Ol' Dirty Bastard, *Shimmy Shimmy Ya*
Day 59 - An artist whose name starts with the letter P: Public Enemy, *911 Is A Joke*
Day 60 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Q: Queen, *I Want To Break Free*
Check out any of these videos on my FB page.
The RevEx 100 Playlist: Protest Music!
/Check out the latest update to the RevEx 100 Playlist! Featuring amazing new music from Bright Eyes, Jessie Reyez, Dolly Parton, the Foxies, Run the Jewels, YG, Erasure, Mr. Bungle, Meek Mill, Mickey Guyton, RZA, Rufus Wainwright, Leon Bridges, Gorillaz, Bully, Naked Giants, Michael Stipe, Sports Team, Trey Songz, Nasty C, Pharoah Monch, Tee Grizzley and Terrace Martin! Whew!
Announcing the RevEx 100 Playlist!
/Even before coronavirus hit, there was a massive amount of quality new music being produced. With artists across the world quarantined, even more music is being produced now. To accommodate this, we’re expanding our RevEx 50 playlist, the basis for the Rev 50 in 15 podcast, is now the RevEx 100!
The idea behind our primary playlist, the RevEx 100, is to collect an eclectic mix of new and ground-breaking music. The old genre boundaries are quickly falling and the new music landscape is chaotic, let us find some of the best new music and deliver it to you. The list has no boundaries in terms of genre or concept, it’s open to any new music (that is available on Spotify, since that’s where we host the list). The list is specifically hand-picked and, with some exceptions for artistic or intellectual reasons, we choose progressive or non-political music and artists. While this playlist isn’t safe for work, it is pretty safe for people who share our values of fairness, equality, diversity and trusting the voice of the artist. This list is updated every week.
Listen to the RevEx 100!
100 songs doesn’t last long and there are more good songs than we can dig into, so we also provide RevEx Radio, which not only includes all the songs in the RevEx 100, but also includes many more songs (it’s a 400 song playlist) that includes other songs from the RevEx 100 artists, other popular artists and some obscure gems. This is also a list that is updated weekly, although this one is NOT regularly checked for content, so you may find some offensive songs on this list.
Listen to RevEx Radio!
Finally, more than 400 songs worth listening to come out each year, so RevEx Radio 2020 collects all the songs that appear and drop off of the other two playlists. The 2020 list includes every song that appeared on the other two lists for the entire year.
Listen to RevEx Radio 2020!
RevEx Loves Aretha!
/Check out our latest video, this one is a tribute to Aretha Franklin, one of the great American voices, by RevEx and friends at karaoke!
And check out our brand new "RevEx Loves Aretha!" playlist on Spotify!
"Again" (Lyrical Collage) (With Footnotes)
/As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...
This time, for the song “Again (Lyrical Collage),” which was formerly known as "Oi." This song is the second of my tracks that fits the concept of "lyrical collage" remade with slightly different lyrics and an original beat. The idea behind a lyrical collage is to take the original lyrics of a variety of different songs and fit them into a coherent rap song with a new sound and feel. In this case, the theme is double, all the songs are punk or ska songs and the lyrics are political/social commentary. There isn't much more to add, other than to give you the citations for each of the lyrics...
I know I'm artificial, but don't put the blame on me
I was reared with appliances, in a consumer society
X-Ray Spex, "Art-I-Ficial"
Go to work, it's such a drag
Face the boss, he's such a nag
The Ramones, "The Job That Ate My Brain"
All my life has been the same
I've learned to live by hate and pain
The Jam, "The Modern World"
I need sex, I need love, I need drink
I need drugs, I need food, I need cash
I need you to love me back
Buzzcocks, "I Need"
Now pass the blame and don't blame me
Just close your eyes and count to three
Madness, "Shut Up"
I see my place in American waste
Faced with choices I can't take
Black Flag, "American Waste"
Some people are bad and they don't give a damn
What they do or who they hurt
They go through their lives and don't apologize
For the shit that they've disturbed
The Vandals, "People That Are Going to Hell"
I got something to say and I’ll say it again
I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again
I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again
Anti-Flag, "Resist"
Screechin' useless martyrs hangin’ naked upon the cross
They would have you believe the lie they shriek that all is lost
MC5, "Future Now"
Can it be true? They got nothing else to say
Do you think? They want it that way
Johnny Thunders, "Short Lives"
The benevolent and wise are being thwarted, ostracized
What a bummer, the world keeps getting dumber
NOFX, "Idiots Are Taking Over"
I can still see people dying, now who takes the blame?
The numbers are different, the crime is still the same
The Specials, "War Crimes"
And they're planning while I sleep
And even as we speak, to strike when I am weak
Reel Big Fish, "Everyone Else Is An Asshole"
All the power's in the hands of people rich enough to buy it
While we walk the street, too chicken to even try it
The Clash, "White Riot"
Illegal to dance, forbidden to cry
You do what you're told and never ask why
The Damned, "I Just Can't Be Happy Today"
I got something to say and I’ll say it again
I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again
I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again
The chorus again.
These are all reasons why I'll be exploding tonight
And why this chip on my shoulder feels like a mile wide
Less Than Jake, "Short Fuse Burning"
It's time to taste what you most fear
Right Guard will not help you here
Dead Kennedys, "Holiday in Cambodia"
And the people have the power, to redeem the work of fools
From the meek the graces shower, it's decreed the people rule
Patti Smith, "People Have the Power"
Still you defend the system that perpetuates your hate
Against All Authority, "Louder Than Words"
Why can't I ask any questions of what you say is true
Am I supposed to believe anything or just everything said by you?
Suicidal Tendencies, "Pledge Your Allegiance"
I ain't equipment, I ain't automatic
You won't find me, just staying static
Sex Pistols, "Problems"
I got something to say and I’ll say it again
I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again
I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again
The chorus again
Not as much but with such intensity
I'd like to be what they would not want me to be
Bad Brains, "I"
To the tension of a world on the wane
I shuffle around on wooden boards, now no longer afraid
Gang of Four, "I Will Be A Good Boy"
I got something to say and I’ll say it again
I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again
I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again
The chorus again.
RevEx Loves Prince!
/Okay, this one is more than two months in the making. We sat down and listened to all 39 studio albums from Prince and various compilations and singles and came up with RevEx Loves Prince!, our playlist that not only features the best of Prince's songs from his albums, but includes non-album tracks, remixes, live tracks, covers by Prince, songs written by Prince for other artists, artists developed by Prince and select cover versions of songs written by Prince. If you like Prince, you're really gonna love this playlist...
Every Prince Song on Tidal Ranked: 100-1
/In the last week, I listened to every Prince album and single on Tidal. And I ranked them all. Somewhere between a combination of "I like" and "most popular" and "most important" or some other such ranking. Some albums aren't on Tidal, including: The Black Album, The Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder, Crystal Ball, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, The Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, and 20Ten. This means that great songs are missing from the list (see: Pussy Control, Guitar, The One U Wanna C, Gold, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and others). Here they are in reverse order...
100. "3121" (3121)
99. "Mr. Nelson" (HITnRUN Phase One)
98. "Wall of Berlin" (Lotusflow3r): Oh, I do love the metaphor here and Prince is doing virtuoso things with the instruments here.
97. "Pope" (The Hits 2): Prince rappping + Bernie Mac + weird metaphors equals a solid B-side.
96. "Push" (Diamonds and Pearls): This one is basically an extended jam that allows the New Power Generation players a chance to work out with Prince, with the key being the note-for-note matching of Prince and Rosie Gaines that is really something to behold.
95. "Ronnie, Talk to Russia" (Controversy): Prince has always been political. Before this one, though, most of his politics were about sex and race. Here, he gets super explicit about it, but stays ridiculously catchy. This is how musicians should preach when they preach.
94. "Strollin" (Diamonds and Pearls): After the filthy funk of Cream, this light pop confection messes with your senses. Are we still listening to the same album? Is that note he just hit humanly possible?
93. "Like a Mack" (HITnRUN Phase One): The guest on this one, Curly Fryz, is another great Prince find. Never heard of this woman, but she both raps and sings here and it meshes super-well with Prince's funk/EDM hybrid music.
92. "4ever" (Lotusflow3r)
91. "Shut This Down" (HITnRUN Phase One)
90. "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night" (Sign o' the Times): Prince said "oh, you think I can't recreate a live show in one song? Watch me."
89. "My Little Pill" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale): This is creepy and weird. I love it.
88. "Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful" (Lotusflow3r)
87. "Million $ Show" (HITnRUN Phase One): Oh, I like the retrospective nature of this song, particularly for his last album cycle.
86. "The Truth" (The Truth): After the previous few releases were all Vault-related things with odds and ends that mostly amounted to Prince's worst releases, this outtake of acoustic songs from Crystal Ball is much, much more interesting. This one has Prince getting philosophical and pulling it off.
85. "The Max" (Love Symbol Album): On this one, I kind of picture Prince as a gangster, with a hard -er, and he and his NPG friends are in Zoot Suits and are going to beat up you and your friends and take your dates home (willingly).
84. "Fallinlove2nite" (HITnRUN Phase One): The album version, without the duet by Zooey Deschanel, shows that the song is no gimmick, but that it is still improved a lot by her addition.
83. "Crimson and Clover" (Lotusflow3r): Probably Prince's best cover song.
82. "Tamborine" (Around the World In A Day): Ramping up the Eastern influence of the early parts of the album. This whole album is such a radical departure for Prince.
81. "The Future" (Batman): People, including Prince, seem to hate the Batman soundtrack. Shaun of the Dead is right, though, it is a good album. This song is a solid rocker with samples from the movie. It sticks in your head.
80. "PretzelBodyLogic" (Plectrumelectrum): 3RDEYEGIRL adds to the Prince legacy on this album. He was always great at spotting talent and getting the best out of it. Still true.
79. "Alphabet St." (Lovesexy): Such a weird quirky little hit. We quoted it endlessly "...to Tennessee" was part of our slang for a year. And for the second album in a row, Prince brings in an unknown female rapper to provide an interesting spark.
78. "This Could B Us" (HITnRUN Phase One): HITnRUN finds Prince getting trip-hoppy and dubsteppy at times, like on this, a much superior version to the one released a year earlier.
77. "Nothing Compares 2 U" (The Hits 1): It makes tons of sense to stick this on a Greatest Hits album, considering its massive success. But it's bold to take a song that was an iconic hit for someone else and rework it into your signature sound and promise it's going to be a hit. Prince wins. Again.
76. "Little Red Corvette" (1999): This song always made me a little uncommfortable, like I was seeing inside a private moment where I wasn't supposed to be invited.
75. "Housequake" (Sign o' the Times): The best Parliament-Funkadelic song that wasn't written by Parliament-Funkadelic. I defy you to stand still when this song comes on.
74. "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" (Prince): A pretty perfect break-up song for the era.
73. "X's Face" (HITnRUN Phase One): Prince was listening to Yeezus and trap before making this one.
72. "Soft and Wet" (For You): One never forgets that Prince did funk. And did it better than just about anyone else ever.
71. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" (Prince): Prince's first perfect song is about as representative a summer 70s pop-disco song as one could imagine. One of those songs that immediately takes you back to a specific time and always works to establish the era when used in movies.
70. "I Wonder U" (Parade): This one is masterful in its beautiful simplicty.
69. "FALLINLOVE2NITE" (FALLENLOVE2NITE): Zooey's vocals greately improve this song.
68. "Let's Pretend We're Married" (1999): Basically an update of his earlier up-tempo disco style sexy jams, but in a more new wave and experimental direction. He also really, really uses his voice as an instrument here, doing things that other human beings can't do.
67. "Girl" (The B-sides): Wait, was he just singing about the West Wing? Why are my pants off?
66. "4 the Tears in Your Eyes" (The B-sides): Mid-80s spiritual New Wave Prince? Hell, yes.
65. "Walk Don't Walk" (Diamonds and Pearls): Yep, Prince can even make a great song out of car horns beeping.
64. "RocknRoll Love Affair" (HITnRUN Phase Two): There is literally nothing wrong with this song.
63. "When Doves Cry" (Purple Rain): One of the most iconic videos ever. One of the most original sounding pop tracks ever. A really uncomfortable commentary on parents and their relationships with their children that struck really, really close to home.
62. "Forever In My Life" (Sign o' the Times): I don't know what genre this song is, electro-soul, maybe? But it's a powerful, powerful moment. In anyone else's career, this would probably be a highlight. For Prince, it's an obscure album track on his weird experimental album that everybody overlooks. Crime.
61. "Paisley Park" (Around the World In A Day): Another game-changer for me. This was kind of a hippie mysticism that I could believe in. I hear things like the Beatles in this song.
60. "Annie Christian" (Controversy): If you thought Prince could be weird before you got to this song, you had no idea. Both experimental in terms of content and sound, this is the first time you have to really think that Prince is on some other level shit.
59. "Free Urself" (Free Urself): Yay! Hippie Prince is back!
58. "Life Can Be So Nice" (Parade): People slept on this album and movie a bit, but songs like this show that it has some of Prince's most inventive work, instrumentally.
57. "The Ladder" (Around the World In A Day): A.k.a., Purple Rain II. It's basically the same song, just moreso.
56. "Love 2 the 9's" (Love Symbol Album): When you make that playlist of Prince songs to make love to, make sure this one is on the list.
55. "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" (The B-sides): I really hope there are a lot of gems like this in the Vault.
54. "2 Y. 2 D." (HITnRUN Phase Two): This album suite just keeps on giving. This one is a classic, owing both to 70s/80s Prince and James Brown. It's hard to deny.
53. "77 Beverly Park" (Lotusflow3r): Wow, it's amazing how good the Lotusflow3r album is. Prince has made a comeback album here like few in anyone's career. This is maybe Prince's best instrumental song. It's just pure beauty.
52. "Pink Cashmere" (The Hits 1): The one new song that appeared on the Hits 1 album isn't as great as the amazing sounds around it, but damned if it doesn't feel like it is when you listen to it in sequence.
51. "Cinnamon Girl" (Musicology): Alternately rocking and melodic, this song about, let's say terrorism?, is pretty great.
50. "Computer Blue" (Purple Rain): What for many is the worst song on the album would still be a standout on many other albums. It also has the sexiest moment on the album, which is saying a lot, with Wendy & Lisa's intro.
49. "Partyman" (Batman): Jack Nicholson somehow makes the song even funkier. This is a party song extraordiare.
48. "Dirty Mind" (Dirty Mind): I think this is where Prince really starts becoming unique. There were elements of it before, but this song is singular in its vision and its a predictor of the genius to come.
47. "Comeback" (The Truth): Wow. This is why you keep listening to later Prince albums, despite their multitudes and lack of quality control. This song is simple, but beautiful.
46. "Hardrocklover" (HITnRUN Phase One): Oh, wow, this is Prince at his sexiest. It both calls back to his Purple Sex God days, but is filtered through the many years and advances in technology that have happened since. And it this is all meant as a compliment. In the biggest way possible.
45. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (Diamonds and Pearls): This one is like an early 80s Billy Joel piano ballad written by Bruce Springsteen. With Prince's voice. It's even better than it sounds.
44. "Darling Nikki" (Purple Rain): I remember a sleepover at my friend's house where there were no parents. My friend's older sister took each of us into her room individually to listen to the song. We didn't do anything, but quite a few fantasies were spawned in that moment. Later the song was ruined for me in that way because I grew really close to a woman named Nikki who is basically my little sister. That and the Foo Fighters cover. Awkward. Also, this was the song responsible for the Parents Resource Music Center, Tipper Gore's rise to fame, and the Parental Advisory sticker's existence.
43. "Baltimore" (HITnRUN Phase Two): The last important single of Prince's life is one that will grow in its legendary status over time. It's a great song. He killed it live when I saw him perform it in Baltimore.
42. "Around the World In A Day" (Around the World In A Day): My mind is instantly blown the second I hear the opening music and Prince scream. I also learned that my family was racist and I still remember the look on my Uncle's face when I played this at a family gathering. I was baffled that anyone could hear this music and be racist.
41. "I Would Die 4 U" (Purple Rain): This song has pretty much everything, doesn't it? Romantic, dancy, packs a wallop, original to a fault. Just great.
40. "My Name Is Prince" (Love Symbol Album): At this point in his career, Prince has started deciding to stop making up new kinds of music and is just mastering things that other people invented, and doing it better than they are. Here he puts a boast rap over the most unlikely backing track you can think of it. It works. Well.
39. "When You Were Mine" (Dirty Mind): This is where my mind starts getting blown. I had the Dirty Mind album on cassette for most of my life. And I listened to it quite a few times. And I totally forgot this song, which I rediscovered through one of my all-time favorite bands, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, whose indie electronic pop version of the song is one of my favorite things ever. I forgot that Prince wrote it and recorded it first.
38. "Shockadelica" (The B-sides): And it is on this tune that I realized that Prince invented autotune (with his Camille character). And the horrorcore hook on this one is hard to get out of your head.
37. "Screwdriver" (HITnRUN Phase Two): A bit rockabilly, a bit punk, a bit hip hop, a bit funk, a bit perfect.
36. "The Morning Papers" (Love Symbol Album): There's some kind of story going on throughout the Love Symbol album. Doesn't matter, the songs stand up alone. This is a celebratory lover song that showcases Prince's amazing ability to turn a phrase and use words you wouldn't think of to tell you the story he wants you to hear.
35. "Pop Life" (Around the World In A Day): A drastically under-rated pop song that satirizes itself by being exactly what it is complaining about. Brilliant inception-y stuff.
34. "Take Me With U" (Purple Rain) : One of the top 5 most romantic songs ever. Ever.
33. "She's Always in My Hair" (The B-sides): The best Purple Rain song not to appear on Purple Rain.
32. "Peach" (The Hits 2): Prince was very, very smart about the new tracks added to his first Hits collection. This one is just stanky.
31. "Sign o' the Times" (Sign o' the Times): As much as I loved what Prince had done before, this album, more than anything else he ever did, and more than most others ever did, contributed to me being the person I am today. Starting with this song, which was a revelation to me. You could be totally talking about important issues, preaching even, didactic even, and still be funky and cool. This song channels the spirit of hip hop more than anything Prince had done before and is a bridge to him actually rapping later. And the sounds are so innovative and different. And the album is all over the map. It's a sprawling mess. A brilliant mess. No two songs seem to even be in the same genre as each other. And there are so few artists who ever could even cover all these songs, much less came up with them all for an album whose message is "I'm a freak and I'm not like you and I'm going to make you love me anyway, as I am, not as you want me to be." Man, that's powerful.
30. "Sexy MF" (Love Symbol Album): This is a song I've quoted endlessly since it came out. It's a jazz funk rap thing with amazing solos that can't help but make you dance or fuck. If you hear me quote this song, somebody has REALLY gotten my attention. It's amazing how much of my dialog in life was written by Prince.
29. "Electric Chair" (Batman): Another good rocker, this one a simple meditation on crime and punishment, gets this album off to a very good start. If you don't think these Batman songs are amazing, I suggest you check out Prince performing this one, and killing, on Saturday Night Live when it first came out. Amazing.
28. "Jack U Off" (Controversy): Bubble gum pop funk porn music? Not really a better way to describe it.
27. "Starfish and Coffee" (Sign o' the Times): Literally one of my favorite things ever. I was 15 years old and listening to the weirdness of this song (which I just learned had an accompanying Muppet video version), I realized that Prince was a fucking weirdo. And he was the most popular person on the planet. I was a fucking weirdo and if the world would let him release this song on a hit album, then I could be the weirdo I was and the world wouldn't kill me or ridicule me for it. Literally, that's the impact this song had on me.
26. "America" (Around the World In A Day): This jams so hard. The interpolation of America the Beautiful is just amazing.
25. "Face Down" (Emancipation): By far, this is the best song on Emancipation. Made the whole thing worth buying for me, back in the day. This is as much attitude as Prince shows in his post-symbol era.
24. "Delirious" (1999): Still, to this day, this is one of the most infectious and catchy beats ever.
23. "Diamonds and Pearls" (Diamonds and Pearls): One shouldn't be able to create ANOTHER fantastic, epic ballad, after having already created Pruple Rain. But with the addition of Rosie Gaines, he damned sure did it.
22. "Black Sweat" (3121): When you hear this song, you immediately think "this is a great Prince hit from one of his earlier albums," but it was from one of his last. But it could have early fit on one of his 80s albums.
21. "Hot Thing" (Sign o' the Times): The best bassline ever. And one of the greatest, most experimental musical songs. Especially at the end. One of the highlights of my life was seeing him experiment with this song live in Baltimore.
20. "Batdance" (Batman): Maybe the strangest #1 hit ever? This is basically an early EDM song, mixed with samples of the other songs on the album, an interpolation of the original show's theme, some random ass Prince guitar and ad libs, and quotes from the movie. And somehow it's all entertaining as fuck. This was my sons' first Prince song that they loved, not surprisingly. Oh, and that insane video with the dancers in the crazy-ass Batman outfits is a spectacle you shouldn't miss. My personal music was greatly influenced by this song, too, since it is assembled from lyrics from multiple songs that go together to fit a bigger whole.
19. "Cream" (Diamonds and Pearls): Prince sang a lot about sex, but rarely in as funky a way as this one. This video is also a one of the most epic and Prince things to ever happen.
18. "Controversy" (Controversy): Oh, what a perfect song about the media and how it treats celebrity. On this album, Prince starts finally getting out of his own heart and pants (and those of his song subjects) and starts adding his cultural critic persona, which was one of his key, and under-rated, elements.
17. "Musicology" (Musicology): This is, by far, the best song of the post-The Hits/The B-Sides era. The idea isn't original in the Prince catalog, but it's rarely been done better. This song is a party. And one you want to go to.
16. "The Cross" (Sign o' the Times): I'm not spiritual or religious. Except when I listen to this song. It's so powerful, I'm among the converted while it is on.
15. "Automatic" (1999): This is probably the first time where Prince heavily dipped into electro-hip hop kind of stuff. And it's amazing. You can hear this being played in a New York Club in the mid-80s while everyone is dancing and sweating and high as hell on coke, coming on right after Kraftwerk and before Thelma Houston.
14. "Gett Off" (Diamonds and Pearls): Something that is hard not to do while listening to this song. My greatest Prince-related achievement was unlocked to this song.
13. "Erotic City" (The B-sides): The perfect funk song. The perfect 70s hook. One of the greatest whistles ever. This song feels like drugs.
12. "Kiss" (Parade): I imagine in the five minutes or so it took Prince to write this perfect song, Prince thought to himself "yep, I just made a million dollars."
11. "Sometimes It Snows In April" (Parade): This is some Inception shit. Prince singing about the death of his character from the movie. The character died in April. Just like Prince did. Biggie did this kind of thing.
10. "The Beautiful Ones" (Purple Rain): Soon to become one of my karaoke staples, this is one of the most beautiful, profound, and personal songs ever. All at once. This is a love song. Both a love song to someone and a universal song about love itself.
9. "U Got the Look" (Sign o' the Times): Man, what an amazing fucking song. Ridiculously funky. Super duper sexy (Sheena Easton at her best). Amazing fucking percussion from Sheila E. And the beginning of what I describe as Prince's sexy feminist strain of songs. He fucking loves women and this song is a great example. He had the power to turn his vision on any woman and find the beautiful things in her, her uniqueness. He loved women, both sexually and emotionally. He sets himself up as a bit of the heel here, letting Sheena knock him back down to size ("Oh, please") without losing her interest. It's a declaration that traditional gender rules don't matter any more and that a smart, straight (or bi) man knows that a sexy, strong, powerful woman is wonderful for many, many reasons. And he's willing to give them equal footing, or even be submissive, while at the same time being masculine and powerful. What a balance.
8. "I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man" (Sign o' the Times): This is just another perfect song, one I love to sing at karaoke. It's just a great rock song and a great song about break-ups and love and lust. And then it gets just kinda crazy and bridges the kind of extended instrumental jam that would be at home anywhere from a Doors song to a Jack White concert.
7. "1999" (1999): This is where my Prince story began. This song changed my life. Before this, I'm not sure I knew what having a "favorite song" could mean. There was nothing I did not love about this. The catchiness, the apocalyptic imagery, the sexuality, the philosophy, the synths, the lyrics, the teamwork, the weirdness. The first time I saw this video, Prince was my favorite artist.
6. "Purple Rain" (Purple Rain): The best ballad ever.
5. "Baby I'm A Star" (Purple Rain): This is my Prince go-to at karaoke. Like it works at a Prince show, I establish myself at a new place, by announcing my talent by performing this song, cockiness and bravado and all. And then I rap. My musical showmanship and sense of challenging the audience comes directly from Prince. So does a lot of my voice.
4. "Rasberry Beret" (Around the World In A Day): Just a perfect pop gem. Amazing music, amazing video, and just enough sass and attitude to melt anyone. The use of green screen and the dancing in the video still are among the most memorable images I've ever seen.
3. "Mountains" (Parade): Wow, an extension of Raspberry Beret that is somehow better than its predecessor.
2. "Let's Go Crazy" (Purple Rain): Picture this scene. Three high school boys driving around in a puke green Nova with a poster of a giant cockroach taped to the inside ceiling. They're driving around in 1988, probably cradling Keystone Lights or warm Mad Dog 20/20. The tall one in the front seat who would grow up to be a bearded, tattooed, rapper-writer in the nation's capitol turns and recites the opening monologue to Let's Go Crazy from memory. Much merriment ensued. (And no one got arrested or hurt. That night). Also, this song established Prince as a rock star, too. This is straight up rock and roll, as good as it gets. Also, this established Prince as one of the greatest guitarists ever. Also, this song firmly established the Prince-Jimi Hendrix parallel forever. Also, from the first note of this song, through the end of the album, everything is perfect. There are no mistakes. There are no bad choices. This is the best album ever. Also, I once sold a copy of this album to a stripper for $50 at the Banana Stand. Her coked-out boyfriend tried to steal my cat.
1. "7" (Love Symbol Album): If you added up the parts of this song, you would get nothing like the masterpiece it is. The story, which seems like a twisted version of Aladdin, with weird demonic laughter, Eastern elements, a random love story, some kind of apocalyptic whatever, and Prince's standard funk and hip hop elements from this period. It's epic and celebratory and WTF. And it may be my favorite song ever.
Check out the full list:
Every Prince Song on Tidal Ranked: 200-101
/In the last week, I listened to every Prince album and single on Tidal. And I ranked them all. Somewhere between a combination of "I like" and "most popular" and "most important" or some other such ranking. Some albums aren't on Tidal, including: The Black Album, The Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder, Crystal Ball, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, The Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, and 20Ten. This means that great songs are missing from the list (see: Pussy Control, Guitar, The One U Wanna C, Gold, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and others). Here they are in reverse order...
200. "Arboretum" (One Night Alone...)
199. "Tick, Tick, Bang" (Graffiti Bridge): Rumor is there is a punk version of this song, recorded by Prince. That must be much more interesting than yet another glam song.
198. Under the Cherry Moon (Parade)
197. "Life 'o' the Party" (Musicology)
196. "Young and Beautiful" (One Night Alone...)
195. "When Will We B Paid"
194. "The Continental" (Love Symbol Album): I always thought of this one as the name of some kind of dance. It didn't really catch on.
193. "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife" (Emancipation)
192. "Arrogance" (Love Symbol Album): The most notable part of this one is the "A-double-A-double-arrogant" chant and "pimp rag, tootsie pop, and a cane" and the feeling that it's channeling Morris Day or Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
191. "The War" (The War): Unlike John Lennon, when Prince got experimental, it's still very listenable.
190. "Xpectation" (Xpectation): Most notable for the use of instruments to make odd sounds, often sounding like an excerpt from a Charlie Brown cartoon.
189. "Xhalation" (Xpectation): Prince gets into big band jazz. This is the best of the unremarkable bunch.
188. "Another Lonely Christmas" (The B-sides): If I were going to listen to a Christmas song, it'd be this one, with its weird lyrics about hating the number 9.
187. "I Love U in Me" (The B-sides): See "Damn U."
186. "Lady Cab Driver" (1999): An otherwise solid song gets crazy towards the end as Prince does the first of what can only be described as rap. While a woman squeals in delight behind him.
185. "Do It All Night" (Dirty Mind): Much like, "I Feel For You," this one has a kind of swinging boogie piano remeniscient of some of the stuff that Billy Joel and Elton John were doing at the time. Impressive in the middle of all this other stuff.
184. "Feel U Up" (The B-sides): Anyone who asked to "Feel U Up" would seem kind of creepy. With Prince, you say "Thank U."
183. "The Rest of My Life" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
182. "Elephants & Flowers" (Graffiti Bridge)
181. "Partyup" (Dirty Mind): Ah, our first introduction to the pre-Bruno Mars that was Morris Day. He's only here as a co-writer, but Morris Day is probably Prince's most important protege.
180. "FunkNRoll" (Plectrumelectrum)
179. "Northside" (The Slaughterhouse)
178. "Bambi" (Prince): There's some pretty metal guitar in here, surprisingly for Prince in 1979.
177. "Irresistible Bitch" (The B-sides): Here, Prince melds Gil Scott Heron and Sly Stone and you're like, yeah, okay.
176. "I Feel For You" (Prince): The Chaka Khan version is better, which is often something that happens with songs Prince writes, but this one is still worth putting on a playlist or two.
175. "Thieves In the Temple" (Graffiti Bridge): The metaphor of this song, the thieves, kinda blew my mind at the time. I was like, literally, nobody other than Prince would have said it that way.
174. "Something In the Water (Does Not Compute)" (1999): Prince's fascination with technology and computers was absolutely an early reason I was attracted to him (I made my career in related areas). He quickly realized that anything, including computers, could be an instrument and maximized what he could do with that. Me, too. I was also really into nerdy things at the time and the idea that you could be a big fat nerd like Prince and still be the sexiest man alive was a goal to aspire to.
173. "Escape" (The B-sides): The hook repeats the phrase "glam slam" and is much better than Prince's song of that same name.
172. "Crazy You" (For You): After the funky sex of Soft and Wet, this next one has a breezy, but sensual, quality. Prince is wasting no time establishing the sex symbol thing.
171. "If Eye Could Get Ur Attention" (If Eye Could Get Ur Attention)
170. "Marz" (Plectrumelectrum)
169. "When We're Dancing Close and Slow" (Prince): One of the most seductive voices I've heard is on this song. This is why straight men often said over the years that if they had to go gay for a day, Prince would be the way to go
168. "Welcome 2 the Dawn" (The Truth): Almost sounds like it could have been on Around the World In A Day, if the instrumentation were a bit more funky and Eastern-influenced.
167. "Papa" (Come)
166. "Slave" (Emancipation)
165. "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance" (Musicology)
164. "So Blue": A simple, but beautiful, acoustic ballad.
163. "Solo" (Come)
162. "17 Days" (The B-sides)
161. "Black Muse" (HITnRUN Phase Two)
160. "Sarah" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
159. "S&M Groove" (The Slaughterhouse): A flashback to early NPG sounds (and 70s/80s funk).
158. "In Love" (For You): I forgot that Prince did pretty amazing disco.
157. "Condition of the Heart" (Around the World In A Day): See "International Lover."
156. "Free" (1999): And now one of those recurring moments, where Prince turns in a totally pop direction and just gets sublime. This one is almost a lulabye.
155. "Eye No" (Lovesexy): This is the first time, on an album, I think, that Prince really gets into the big band kind of sound, like he's on a stage with 30 people. It's an amazing thing to see live, regardless of the song content.
154. "Horny Toad" (The B-sides): Prince: "What do you mean I can't make a sexy, funky song about a frog?" The Revolution: "That song's about a toad." Prince: "Shut up and dance."
153. "It" (Sign o' the Times): The song, about sex, is much less notable for its topic or lyrics than it is for the totally experimental musicianship behind it. The song is jagged and jarring like sex can be. It's a thing that should be comforting and fun, but sometimes, it's not. This song captures that sonically.
152. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" (Sign o' the Times): This song was a revelation to me at the time. I never knew it was okay to mess around with gender roles. Prince made me realize that it was totally fine.
151. "The Other Side of the Pillow" (The Truth)
150. "FunknRoll (Remix)" (Art Official Age): This is so much better than the 3RDEYEGIRL version. The other version is good, but the alternate instrumentation here is an improvement.
149. "Don't Play Me" (The Truth): Prince is angry here, but he downplays it, which creates an interesting effect.
148. "Strange Relationship" (Sign o' the Times): After the last song, this is exactly the phrase that every listener was thinking. Good joke, Prince, good job with the sequencing. When this album was out at the time, I lived in a small town called Perry, Fla., living in a house trailer with one end that had been crushed in a storm and the open end allowed cold air to get into the trailer. Needless to say, I was an outcast in the school at the time. I met this guy named Preston. Preston, at 16, dressed exactly like Prince. He wore a long overcoat, the frilly shirts, everything. He wrote like Prince. He used the letter U for "you" and Ur for "you're." He wrote songs with sexy Prince lyrics that were basically rewrites of other songs by other artists, just with new words. Oh, he was the whitest kid in school. We became fast friends. In the tiny redneck town we lived in, I'm shocked he didn't get murdered or something.
147. "The Flow" (Love Symbol Album): Very old school rap vibe, but with Prince.
146. "Big City" (HITnRUN Phase Two)
145. "Right Back Here in My Arms" (Emancipation)
144. "D.M.S.R." (1999): I can see a young Bruno Mars hearing this song on vinyl and deciding exactly what he was going to do for the rest of his life.
143. "All the Critics Love U In New York" (1999): For funsies, Prince turns into Andy Warhol on this one.
142. "Blue Light" (Love Symbol Album): Prince can do light reggae better than you, too.
141. "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" (The B-sides): And on this song, Prince invents Alicia Keys.
140. "The Plan" (Emancipation): Prior to this song, there isn't a lot of instrumental music on Prince's albums. This one makes it clear that was a bad idea, one he fixes later.
139. "The Question of U" (Graffiti Bridge): Apparently this was supposed to be on the Parade album, which sounds much more connected to it, stylistically, than this album does. I think of it as "funky blues."
138. "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" (The B-sides): And on this song, Prince invents Snoop Doggy Dogg.
137. "When She Comes" (HITnRUN Phase Two): There are so many incongruous elements here, this song is hard to describe. Prince has never sounded more like Elvis than on parts of this song.
136. "Joy In Repitition" (Graffiti Bridge): This is Prince getting deeply meta. At this point, having listened to 12 Prince albums in a row, you do see repetition. As prolific as Prince is, there have to start being repeated themes and sounds. This is Prince telling us that he knows that and he doesn't care. Also, this is an album made up largely of outtakes from earlier albums, and necessarily echoes those earlier albums (a fourth soundtrack?), sounds, and themes. But it also reflects his growing disdain with the record industry. And the song sounds repetitious and has no joy, pumping up the irony.
135. "BoyTrouble" (Plectrumelectrum): 3RDEYEGIRL start rapping on this one. It's a good idea.
134. "New Position" (Parade)
133. "The Gold Standard" (Art Official Age)
132. "Thunder" (Diamonds and Pearls): Here's Prince randomly talking about Jesus again. Here's me singing along with him again.
131. "Vicki Waiting" (Batman)
130. "Christopher Tracy's Parade" (Parade)
129. "Breakfast Can Wait" (Art Official Age)
128. "Trust" (Batman)
127. "Groovy Potential" (HITnRUN Phase Two): Pretty accurate title. Very good use of autotune.
126. "Uptown" (Dirty Mind): This isn't the first Prince song I heard, but the mix of funk, new wave, rock, and R&B here, expanded elsewhere, is what attracted me to Prince early on.
125. "Still Would Stand All Time" (Graffiti Bridge)
124. "For You" (For You): There aren't a lot of careers introduced more interestingly than this track. In the album credits, Prince is credited for creating sounds (instruments, vocals, etc.) 29 different ways. On his first album.
123. "Come" (Come)
122. "Do Me, Baby" (Controversy): Prince remade this song a lot. It was never my favorite song on the album, his sexy, funky, extended love ballad, but damn if he didn't do it better than anyone else.
121. "$" (Lotusflow3r)
120. "affirmation I & II" (Art Official Age)
119. "Daddy Pop" (Diamonds and Pearls): Every album or two, Prince almost completely reinvinted his sound. Up to this point. This type of large band, almost sounding live, but impeccably recorded. He played with the sound before, but it kind of settles into the bulk of what he did live from this point forward. This song isn't a major milestone, but it is catchy and is the type of thing that I've seen many, many other bands try to recreate live. In the present.
118. "Girls & Boys" (Parade): A nice funky little number, that he would do a better version of on the Batman soundtrack called "Partyman."
117. "Head" (Dirty Mind): Prince isn't allowed to sing about this stuff, is he?
116. "Xtraloveable" (HITnRUN Phase Two)
115. "June" (HITnRUN Phase One)
114. "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" (Graffiti Bridge): This is another one of those seemingly casually tossed of Prince songs that sounds like a hit for anyone else, but isn't even one of the better songs on the album it's on.
113. "Play in the Sunshine" (Sign o' the Times): I can't imagine a song title in the entire collection that is more evocative of the sounds that go along with this. This is what playing in the sunshine feels like, in music form.
112. "Letitgo" (Come): It's often the smallest things that make a Prince song work. On this one, for instance, a tiny double tap on what sounds like a wood block makes the song stick in your brain.
111. "Jughead" (Diamonds and Pearls): Prince isn't playing with the record company executives here. His anger translator, Tony M. takes the lead, and Rosie Gaines throws in some impressive rapping, too.
110. "Round and Round" (Graffiti Bridge): Prince said "I'm taking the best song I wrote for the album, and I'm just gonna sing back-up and make Tevin Campbell a star." It worked.
109. "My Medallion" (The Chocolate Invasion)
108. "Shake" (Graffiti Bridge): The instrumentation makes this Time song one of the album's best, and what, the Time's third or fourth best song.
107. "Stare" (HITnRUN Phase Two)
106. "Live 4 Love" (Diamonds and Pearls): In this song, Prince invents all live rap shows in 2015.
105. "Colonized Mind" (Lotusflow3r)
104. "Ain't About 2 Stop" (HITnRUN Phase One): On many songs, what you see is Prince throwing together disparate ideas he has. When he's at his best, they all work, no matter how weird. Just below that is this type of song, where a lot of the ideas work, some are perfect, and a few fail, resulting in a net positive. Without Rita Ora, this might have been a great song, but too much pop added into what was otherwise a really weird, interesting song.
103. "Man in a Uniform" (The Truth): This is a funky, quirky little number that seems unlike anything else I've heard in the Prince catalog up to this point.
102. "Incense and Candles" (3121): This starts off as another sexy jam, but then gets very rhythmic with autotune and hardcore hip hop flows. The diversity makes it strong.
101. "The Arms of Orion" (Batman): This is a deeply sappy duet that with Sheena Easton at this time sounds like her "Somewhere Out There" duet with Kenny Loggins, but with better lyrics and imagery.
Check out the full list:
Every Prince Song on Tidal Ranked: 300-201
/In the last week, I listened to every Prince album and single on Tidal. And I ranked them all. Somewhere between a combination of "I like" and "most popular" and "most important" or some other such ranking. Some albums aren't on Tidal, including: The Black Album, The Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder, Crystal Ball, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, The Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, and 20Ten. This means that great songs are missing from the list (see: Pussy Control, Guitar, The One U Wanna C, Gold, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and others). Here they are in reverse order...
300. "The Word" (3121)
299. "Love Machine" (Graffiti Bridge): It's almost as if the joke of the Time was starting to wear thin pretty quickly.
298. "The Marrying Kind" (Musicology)
297. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" (Sign o' the Times)
296. "Here" (MPLSound)
295. "affirmation III" (Art Official Age)
294. "The Sacrifice of Victor" (Love Symbol Album): If there is supposed to be some kind of story about Victor that I'm supposed to care about, I never got it.
293. "When 2 R in Love" (Lovesexy)
292. "Courtin' Time" (Emancipation): Prince does New Orleans jazz.
291. "Love" (3121)
290. "AintTurninRound" (Plectrumelectrum)
289. "Curious Child" (Emancipation)
288. "Saviour" (Emancipation)
287. "...Back 2 the Lotus" (Lotusflow3r)
286. "Look at Me, Look at U" (HITnRUN Phase Two)
285. "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life" (Musicology)
284. "No More Candy 4 U" (MPLSound)
283. "Revelation" (HITnRUN Phase Two): Smooth jazz, if you like that.
282. "Space" (Come)
281. "Dance 4 Me" (MPLSound)
280. "Te Amo Corazón" (3121)
279. "Nagoya" (C Note)
278. "Dreamer" (Lotusflow3r)
277. "2045: Radical Man" (The Slaughterhouse)
276. "Copenhagen" (C Note)
275. "Get On the Boat" (3121)
274. "Melody Cool" (Graffiti Bridge): An often under-rated thing about Prince is how cool the names he comes up with are.
273. "1000 X's & O's" (HITnRUN Phase One)
272. "Mr. Happy" (Emancipation): This one has a hint of the old weirdness of Prince, but doesn't quite elevate itself enough to be noticed.
271. "Ol' Skool Company" (MPLSound)
270. "Chocolate Box" (MPLSound)
269. "Venus De Milo" (Parade)
268. "3 Chains o' Gold" (Love Symbol Album): I guess this is the centerpiece of the movie story on the album? Not sure it makes sense as part of the album. Especially 16 songs in.
267. "And God Created Woman" (Love Symbol Album): Prince somehow always seems to be putting women on some kind of pedestal while also recognizing them as unique individuals. Weird.
266. "Art Official Cage" (Art Official Age)
265. "Gamillah" (The Chocolate Invasion)
264. "Boom" (Lotusflow3r)
263. "Call My Name" (Musicology)
262. "Baby" (For You): Is this Mariah Carey? How is he hitting some of these notes?
261. "Loose!" (Come)
260. "New World" (Emancipation)
259. "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" (MPLSound)
258. "Positivity" (Lovesexy)
257. "Have a Heart" (One Night Alone...)
256. "U Know" (Art Official Age)
255. "Dear Mr. Man" (Musicology)
254. "Adore" (Sign o' the Times): See "Slow Love."
253. "Anna Stesia" (Lovesexy)
252. "Release It" (Graffiti Bridge): Standard number by the Time.
251. "Love Like Jazz" (Lotusflow3r)
250. "Hello" (The B-sides)
249. "Fascination" (The Truth)
248. "From the Lotus..." (Lotusflow3r)
247. "I'm Yours" (For You)
246. "Groove On" (Emancipation)
245. "I Wish U Heaven" (Lovesexy)
244. "Scarlet Pussy" (The B-sides): Prince is the only dude who can say "pussy" and it doesn't make me feel icky.
243. "Da, Da, Da" (Emancipation): Scrap D. isn't terrible at rapping on this one, but he's not a standout, either. Not a shocker we don't hear much from him elsewhere.
242. "Race" (Come)
241. "Power Fantastic" (The B-sides)
240. "Let's Work" (Controversy)
239. "PlectrumElectrum" (Plectrumelectrum)
238. "Time" (Art Official Age)
237. "Xpand" (Xpectation)
236. "Xpedition" (Xpectation)
235. "Xcogitate" (Xpectation)
234. "Xemplify" (Xpectation)
233. "Xogenous" (Xpectation)
232. "Xotica" (Xpectation)
231. "Way Back Home" (Art Official Age)
230. "Wow" (Plectrumelectrum)
229. "Sexuality" (Controversy): Might be the first recorded example of the signature Prince squeal. As iconic as Michael Jackson's "jum on," he would do it better on other songs, but this is the first time I think it was on record.
228. "Glam Slam" (Lovesexy)
227. "Soul Sanctuary" (Emancipation): As with most of Emancipation, this one almost is a good song, but not quite.
226. "Just As Long As We're Together" (For You): Prince released a lot of filler music, he was so prolific (and you'll probably still be hearing new Prince music for the rest of your life), but he establishes with this early filler song a pattern that would always be there: even his filler songs are listenable, if not memorable, and better than much of what is on the radio during their time.
225. "One of Us" (Emancipation): That this is the best cover on Emancipation isn't a compliment.
224. "Damn U" (Love Symbol Album): See "Insatiable."
223. "International Lover" (1999): See "Do Me, Baby."
222. "Slow Love" (Sign o' the Times): See "Condition of the Heart."
221. "It's About That Walk" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale): Sort of like a Harry Connick Jr. song.
220. "What It Feels Like" (Art Official Age)
219. "Jam of the Year" (Emancipation)
218. "Reflection" (Musicology)
217. "Grafitti Bridge" (Graffiti Bridge): It tries to be "Purple Rain" or "The Ladder," but fails.
216. "God" (The B-sides): The beginning of this song has what I think is the highest note Prince ever released on an album. Worth hearing that, otherwise a standard Prince gospel song (meaning one that no one else could sing well).
215. "New Power Generation" (Graffiti Bridge): A weird combo of introduction of his new band and a kind of philosophy, it contains the oddly compelling entreaty to "lay down your funky weapons." I don't know that that means, but I'm doing it.
214. "In This Bed I Scream" (Emancipation): Interesting musical ideas, but the lyrics are redundant.
213. "When Eye Lay My Hands on U" (The Chocolate Invasion): Very edgy instrumentation. Not a standout song otherwise.
212. "Insatiable" (Diamonds and Pearls): See "Scandalous."
211. "Scandalous" (Batman): See "Adore."
210. "Dreamin' About U" (Emancipation): There is some interesting acoustic guitar work here, but that's about it.
209. "Do U Lie?" (Parade)
208. "This Could Be Us" (Art Official Age)
207. "I Wanna Melt with U" (Love Symbol Album): The best part of this is what I call the Ghostbusters part, when the cats and dogs start living together.
206. "200 Balloons" (The B-sides): An rightful deletion from the Batman soundtrack. The elements here work better elsewhere.
205. "Anotherloverholenyohead" (Parade)
204. "Peace" (The Slaughterhouse): The end of this is really entertaining. Not so much before that.
203. "We Can Funk" (Graffiti Bridge): When two of the funkiest musicians ever, Prince and George Clinton get together and have a song with this title, you wish it were funkier, but this one hits its peak during Prince's whispered rap.
202. "White Mansion" (Emancipation): This one almost feels like a fully developed song. Almost.
201. "We Gets Up" (Emancipation): Prince does his James Brown impression.
Check out the full list:
Every Prince Song on Tidal Ranked: 391-301
/In the last week, I listened to every Prince album and single on Tidal. And I ranked them all. Somewhere between a combination of "I like" and "most popular" and "most important" or some other such ranking. Some albums aren't on Tidal, including: The Black Album, The Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder, Crystal Ball, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, The Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, and 20Ten. This means that great songs are missing from the list (see: Pussy Control, Guitar, The One U Wanna C, Gold, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and others). Here they are in reverse order...
391. "Orgasm" (Come): Pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
390. "Segue #2" (Love Symbol Album): Yay, Kirstie Alley is back for some reason?
389. "Hypnoparadise" (The Slaughterhouse)
388. "One of Your Tears" (The Truth): And on this song, Prince invents Kanye West's inappropriate lyrics fascination.
387. "Animal Kingdom" (The Truth): This is a weird vegetarian advocacy song that doesn't inspire me towards vegetarianism. At one point, Prince does an impression of Beaker from the Muppets, it seems.
386. "Lolita" (3121)
385. "La, La, La Means I Love U" (Emancipation): Prince chose poorly as to what songs to cover on Emancipation. He doesn't do a bad job with them, they just aren't great songs.
384. "Sexmesexmenot" (The Chocolate Invasion)
383. "Let's Have a Baby" (Emancipation)
382. "Objects in the Mirror" (One Night Alone...)
381. "The Dance" (3121)
380. "Underneath the Cream" (The Chocolate Invasion)
379. "Golden Parachute" (The Slaughterhouse)
378. "Better with Time" (MPLSound)
377. "A Million Days" (Musicology)
376. "One Kiss at a Time" (Emancipation)
375. "A Case of U" (One Night Alone...)
374. "Breakdown" (Art Official Age)
373. "Pearls B4 the Swine" (One Night Alone...): Some things just aren't things you should sing about, like bagels and cream cheese.
372. "Joint 2 Joint" (Emancipation)
371. "Betcha by Golly Wow!" (Emancipation): Doesn't add much to the original, which I didn't like that much anyway.
370. "U Make My Sun Shine" (The Chocolate Invasion): Not a bad song, but when you've written this song 50 times already...
369. "Emale" (Emancipation): The name of this song, like a lot of the album, is a bit stretched and tortured. The rest of the song isn't much better.
368. "The Human Body" (Emancipation)
367. "Osaka" (C Note)
366. "Y Should Eye Do That When Eye Can Do This?" (The Slaughterhouse): Prince was much harder earlier, on Diamonds and Pearls, this rapping seems kinda silly.
365. "Empty Room" (C Note)
364. "Tokyo" (C Note)
363. "Sleep Around" (Emancipation)
362. "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" (3121)
361. "Sex in the Summer" (Emancipation)
360. "Circle of Amour" (The Truth)
359. "I Can't Make U Love Me" (Emancipation): Prince improves upon the original, which I never liked.
358. "Dark" (Come)
357. "The Daisy Chain" (The Slaughterhouse)
356. "Emancipation" (Emancipation)
355. "Dionne" (The Truth)
354. "Lemon Crush" (Batman)
353. "Segue #1" (Love Symbol Album): The story on the album now contains Kirstie Alley. Okay.
352. "It's Gonna Be Lonely" (Prince)
351. "Gotta Broken Heart Again" (Dirty Mind)
350. "My Love Is Forever" (For You)
349. "The Latest Fashion" (Graffiti Bridge)
348. "Xosphere" (Xpectation)
347. "New Power Generation (Pt. II)" (Graffiti Bridge)
346. "With You" (Prince)
345. "The Holy River" (Emancipation)
344. "Valentina" (MPLSound)
343. "AnotherLove" (Plectrumelectrum)
342. "Private Joy" (Controversy)
341. "Avalanche" (One Night Alone...): The most interesting part of this song is the line "Abraham Lincoln was a racist," the rest puts me to sleep.
340. "Sweet Baby" (Love Symbol Album): Sickeningly sweet.
339. "Old Friends 4 Sale" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
338. "West" (N.E.W.S.)
337. "What Do U Want Me 2 Do?" (Musicology)
336. "East" (N.E.W.S.)
335. "Clouds" (Art Official Age)
334. "On the Couch" (Musicology)
333. "Props 'n' Pounds" (The Slaughterhouse)
332. "North" (N.E.W.S.)
331. "Still Waiting" (Prince): This one's a little bit country, a little bit R&B.
330. "Pheromone" (Come)
329. "TicTacToe" (Plectrumelectrum)
328. "Silicon" (The Slaughterhouse)
327. "She Spoke 2 Me" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
326. "Fury" (3121)
325. "Sister" (Dirty Mind): Prince really isn't allowed to sing about this stuff, is he? And that demo-quality and discordant guitair is just as effective as the insane lyrics.
324. "Sexy Dancer" (Prince): Is the part when he starts breathing heavy about halfway through the song supposed to make me feel tingly?
323. "Satisfied" (3121)
322. "Style" (Emancipation)
321. "South" (N.E.W.S.)
320. "Supercute" (The Chocolate Invasion)
319. "The Love We Make" (Emancipation)
318. "My Computer" (Emancipation)
317. "Somebody's Somebody" (Emancipation)
316. "WhiteCaps" (Plectrumelectrum)
315. "U're Gonna C Me" (One Night Alone...)/(MPLSound)
314. "Judas Smile" (The Chocolate Invasion)
313. "Here on Earth" (One Night Alone...)
312. "One Nite Alone..." (One Night Alone...)
311. "StopThisTrain" (Plectrumelectrum)
310. "5 Women" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
309. "When the Lights Go Down" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
308. "High" (The Chocolate Invasion)
307. "There Is Lonely" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
306. "Vavoom" (The Chocolate Invasion)
305. "Extraordinary" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale)
304. "3rd I" (The Truth)
303. "Damned if I Do" (Emancipation)
302. "FixUrLifeUp" (Plectrumelectrum)
301. "Dance On" (Lovesexy)
Check out the full list:
The Great American Rock 'n' Roll Revival: One Million Pieces of Perfect Pop Culture #1
/Note: You can listen to our Spotify playlist that recreates this album.
Thank God for the Columbia House Record Club.
Probably the first cassettes, of what would one day grow to be a collection of 10,000+, that I ever obtained were from one of these type of ads that came in the Sunday paper or in a magazine or something like that. For those too young to know about this deal, here's what it was: You basically signed a contract saying that if Columbia House (or one of the many imitators) sent you X number of albums for a penny, you had to by X number of other albums at inflated prices with ridiculously high shipping. They often offered a bonus, that if you bought another album at full price, right now, you could get 1-4 extra free albums. Then you would proceed to never fulfill your part of the bargain, and then go ahead and do the whole thing over again with a different name or from your new address or whatever. In other words, this was one of the main ways how poor people grew their album collections for many decades before the Internet.
The first time I did it was probably in 1985, and while it wasn't one of the full 12-for-a-penny orders like in the pic above, it soon sent me the first few cassettes I owned. I can't remember everything that I got, but I want to say that it included Foreigner "Records," Duran Duran's "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (now immortalized in a tattoo on my neck), something or another with Phil Collins (probably Genesis?), and, most importantly for this post, the Great American Rock 'n' Roll Revival.
That's a vinyl version, but mine was cassette, naturally. It was this new thing, a double-length cassette, that put two vinyl records onto one cassette. This was literally my first real world understanding (that I can remember) of why math was important, it helped me understand that different medium had different storage sizes and various other mathematical things that are obvious now that weren't when I was like 11 or 12.
I was relatively new to listening to music and hadn't taken it seriously before that. And along with the Duran Duran album (which I've now listened to in at least five different formats), this album changed my life. Here's the full track list.
The name is a bit misleading, as it was a pretty narrow scope of 60s rock n roll that was represented on the album, but man, what a selection. Certain artists are over-represented (Dion and/or the Belmonts appear nine times, for instance), but nothing here sucks. And this album is loaded with classic songs, and for almost all of them, this is the first time I heard them. At that point in my life, my musical interests came from three places: 1. MTV and video shows. 2. Top 40 radio shows such as Casey Kasem and Rick Dees, 3. What my parents listened to around the house, which had a relatively focused scope (Beatles, Elvis, Doors). So a lot of the music from the 60s that wasn't made by the biggest superstars was new to me. This album not only introduced me to these particular great songs and numerous artists that would become among my all-time favorites (the Beach Boys, Dion, Del Shannon), it also helped me discover entire genres (doo-wop, surf rock, girl groups, Motown, 60s rock crooners), which I would then go and listen to in depth, but it would also introduce me into the concept of listening to an album without any prior knowledge of what was on it, a tactic I still use extensively today and one that has added great diversity and depth to my music knowledge.
There were subtle influences of this album on my politics, too. What I saw on this album, at a young and impressionable age, was that it didn't matter who you were if you made great music--the singers here are young and old, white and black, female and male, diverse. It's not perfect, and there are some subtle hints of older values which I would reject here and there (particularly in terms of gender: the world 'girl' is tossed around a bit casually), but for the most part, this album is basically a 60s dance night where nearly everybody is welcome and I took that message to heart. In retrospect, it's obvious that there are some exceptions, but this album was pretty forward-thinking in terms of the time period of the music (which makes sense, since the compilation was released in 1980).
The album also introduced my ears to a bunch of different ways to make musical sounds that were interesting. Doo wop, in particular, was all about people making sounds with their voice that imitated instruments in various ways. There was a lot of what would be considered revolutionary by the standards of the late 70s/early 80s, much the way that punk songs often were throwbacks to garage rock song structures/styles. This music, at my age, my lack of experience, and intellectual development at the time was nothing short of revolutionary in its affect on me. I literally listened to this album hundreds of times. And I learned a ton from the experience.