I always enjoy it when I find a new author. Currently we are on holiday and our apartment has a small library and I'm getting stuck into a novel by James Lee Burke. I am enjoying "In the Moon of Red Ponies". An American thriller it does contain a considerable amount of what I would refer to as "American slang writing" that is sometimes difficult to understand. Nevertheless Burke is an author I would like to read more by.
So here we go with my favourite tracks from number six to 10
6 There Only Was One Choice by Harry Chapin
Chapin has had a considerable influence on my life and the character I am. His lyrics have always resonated deeply with me and this is is epic song weighing in at over 14 minutes. The lyrics are complex and wonderful. It's a violent, but at the same time tender song:
"Hello my country I once came to tell everyone your story. Your passion was my poetry, and your past my most potent glory. Your promise was my prayer your hypocrisy my nightmare and your problems filled my present. Are we both going somewhere?"
7 Meet Me On The Corner by Lindisfarne
No great reasons for this one, just a damn good pop/rock song that never dims
8 American Pie by Don McLean
This always reminds me of how wonderful songs can be. A true all time classic with such strong lyrics. This one also goes back to my college days. I believe I first heard it on a juke box in a pub and was stunned by the power of the lyrics and the hidden meanings within the song.
9 There But For Fortune by Phil Ochs
Ochs is another of my favourite American singer-songwriters and this is such a simple song with such a stunning message. I also love the Joan Baez version of this song.
10 Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg
Another superb American songwriter, now sadly no longer with us. This comes from the wonderful "Innocent Age" album and is a tribute to his father.
"He earned his love through discipline, a thundering velvet hand, his gentle means of sculpting souls took me years to understand. The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old, but his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul. My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man, I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band."
And now my favorite five albums of all time:
1 Once Again by Barclay James Harvest
2 Hunky Dory by David Bowie
3 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
4 Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield
5 Aladdin Sane by David Bowie
Hows That? Three Bowie albums in my top five.