Soundtrack of 2009

Every measurable/ important unit of our lives seems to have a sound track- I think calendar years are the same. These were the best of the tracks I came across in 2009- some are new, some are old, but they were all new to me. This is my sound track for 2009 (with links to the songs on you tube)- I hope you enjoy it. These songs are all available either on disk in the shops or by download from iTunes or elsewhere.

1)      “Trouble” by Ray la Montagne – a lovely acoustic track recommended by Samantha Ronson-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZkaj37kA0

2)      “Living next door to Alice” by Smokie- a classic of the 1970s- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdXPQiukoYE

3)      “I am” by Novel- another of Samantha Ronson’s recommendations- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCQznwvMrdE

4)      “Hard Rock Hallelujah” by the Finnish group “Lordi”- this track won Eurovision in 2006 and the video is the kind of over the top offering that  would do def leppard proud…  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M6px6Ynm90 .If you prefer the Eurovision version, you can find that here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6VzdtmrP6Y

5)      My fifth choice is another Eurovision song- “The Worrying Kind”- by The Ark-  (Sweden’s entry for 2007) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEOAmUE6AAs – a song, video and group that showcases all that is good about glam rock and classic rock, from the riffs and singability to the androgenous singer, Ola Salo (Marc Bolan and Freddie Mercury eat your hearts out).

6)      “The Weakness in Me”- Joan Armatrading- another 70s classic, there’s something achingly real about this song- no idea why. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pjMwzujbHE

7)      Seventh on my list is “She’s like the Wind” by the late Mr. Patrick Swayze- a lot of singers and pop stars want to be actors and vice versa ( Phil Collins, Will Smith, Eminem and Sting all spring to mind). Judging by this track, it is a real shame that Patrick Swayze did not record more songs- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVi4PUx8bXk

8)      I learnt this year that I am about the only person on the planet not to know all about “The Offspring”- it is rare to find a new group that you love and when you do, of course, it is wonderful because you can then work through their back catalogue- much like a miner finding a new seam of coal –the track that turned me on to The Offspring was this one- “The Kids Aren’t alright”- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbkUqRQY14E   For some reason, if you listen to the guitar pattern from 0:20 to 0:39 in this clip, it is almost identical to that used in the Buffy the Vampire theme tune (0:06 to 0:44 and onwards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X7WEZ8PkF0  )

9)      My penultimate choice is another acoustic song: the political and yet compassionate track “Dear Mr President” by “Pink”- you can find that here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eRApNHSRRk

10 ) Finally, the last of my 2009 soundtrack tracks is “The Schemers, the scroungers and the rats” by London-based punk rockers/acoustic-ska band “ The King Blues”- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omWmPEUOzDc from their sterling album “Save the World, get the girl”