I'm Not Scared may chart belatedly for me soon, as I'm playing the Introspective Deluxe at the mo, though Eighth Wonder's version was fab. Protection is fab, Freiheit is gorgeous and a chart-topper for me - the orchestration and melody reminded me of Paul McCartney. I dont own that 10CC album! Daybreaker made my charts in 1974, and should have been a hit!

 

I agree about Say Hello Wave Goodbye being brilliant, though Tainted Love and Torch are right up there too. Howard Jones finest moment by far was Hide & Seek, peaked at 2 sadly in my charts, as did Say Hello Wave Goodbye. They only have to clash with one other great to miss out!

248. Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears (1985)

 

 

There's a room where the light won't find you

Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down

When they do I'll be right behind you

 

An American number 1 single for Tears For Fears,it was kept off the top of the UK chart by 'We Are The World' by USA for Africa but managed to win the Brit Award for best single the following year. It combines lyrics about political greed with a radio friendly pop sound.

 

 

Another great song from Tears for Fears, it, Pale Shelter, Mad World, Change and Sowing The Seeds Of Love are all great singles from that group. Don't like 'Shout' as much from them.

247. Echoes - Pink Floyd (1971)

 

 

And no one sings me lullabies

And no one makes me close my eyes

So I throw the windows wide

And call to you across the sky

 

A twenty four minute epic from Pink Floyd's sixth album 'Meddle' occupying the whole of side two. I first heard it when I bought a Pink Floyd best of double CD in the 90s. I suppose a lot of people who bought the original album in 1971 would have taken some form of stimulant before settling down to listen to this. The instrumental section in the middle is the highlight and sounds ahead of its time.

 

246. The Man Who Told Everything - Doves (2000)

 

 

Lives have been wrecked

And I've picked up my cheque

 

Taken from Doves debut album 'Lost Souls'. I love the guitar chords that run through this song. Towards the end they are played by the string section. A slightly different mix was a top 40 single.

 

 

245. San Jacinto - Peter Gabriel (1982)

 

 

Something moving in

I taste it in my mouth and in my heart

 

From Peter's fourth album which like the previous three had no title. This song is from the point of view of a native American whose culture and land is being lost to modern Americans.

 

244. Order Of The Universe - Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (1989)

 

 

Rock gives sisters a way to speak their mind

Without this gift of rock and roll

We'd all be wasting time

 

The third and final song on my chart by the unofficial Yes. This one has a heavy rock sound to it with plenty of guitars and drums and also a choir. Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman are currently again in the unofficial Yes (with Trevor Rabin) while Steve Howe is in the official Yes. Bill Bruford has retired.

 

 

243. Plague Of Ghosts - Fish (1999)

 

 

The bloated corpses of unsolved murders and old revolutions pirouette and dance amongst the swirls and eddies in their final procession down the muddy river to the delta where they're thrown up by the surf onto sterile beaches or are trapped in the roots of mangrove cathedrals of the islands that gather in the bay

 

Another epic now,this is the second longest song on my countdown,Fish's magnum opus,clocking in at 25 minutes,6 seconds. Some of the lyrics are spoken rather than sung. It's taken from Fish's sixth solo album 'Raingods With Zippos'. There is only an instrumental version on youtube so I've put the whole album here. I'm sure many of you will be eager to listen to it so you need to go to 30.36 on the clip to find the start.

 

242. Insomnia - Faithless (1995)

 

 

Oh,if I could only get some sleep

Creaky noises make my skin creep

I need to get some sleep

I can't get no sleep

 

A classic 90s dance track,this is the longer nine minute version. Sister Bliss' keyboard part is legendary. It only got to number 27 the first time but when it was re-released a year later,it reached number 3.

 

241. Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand - Primitive Radio Gods (1996)

 

 

Jan lays down and wrestles in her sleep

Moonlight spills on comic books

And superstars in magazines

 

This will be familiar to anyone who takes part in the BJSC as it was my fourth entry. Primitive Radio Gods are an American alternative rock group who are still going. This was a minor hit here,reaching number 74. It contains a sample from the 1964 song 'How Blue Can You Get' by BB King. I like the piano part in the middle in particular.

 

 

240. Waterfall - Electric Light Orchestra (1975)

 

 

Without the friends and lovers

You could never go on living

 

ELO's fifth album 'Face The Music' is the one where the classic ELO sound emerged and this is what they kept to for the remainder of the 70s. 'Waterfall' is a ballad starting with the piano. The drums come in and then the guitar and strings. It's a great song with the backing vocals harmonising so well with the lead vocal and I like the guitar sound Jeff uses here.

 

239. Fading Lights - Genesis (1991)

 

 

We know sometime we must reach the final page

Still we carry on just pretending

That there'll always be one more day to go

 

As the final track on the 'We Can't Dance' album,this could be considered to be Phil Collins' last song before departing Genesis and the lyrics are almost like a resignation letter but they were actually written by Tony Banks. I think they are more about old people looking back on their lives. After about four minutes of vocals,there's a lengthy instrumental section before the vocal returns at the end.

 

238. RAMelia (Tribute To Amelia) - RAM & Susana (2013)

 

 

Yet the twinkles in your eyes

Keep shooting stars across the skies

I'll miss you,love

 

The fourth and final song on my chart that I have discovered from Buzzjack. After listening to all 99 BJSC winners and reviewing them on the other thread,this was the song that got the highest score and I still love it. It starts with a beautiful vocal accompanied by piano,then the strings,and then the trancey bit. When you find out it's a tribute to Ram Boon's wife who died suddenly,it makes the song even more emotional. I have since found a longer eight minute version but this is the shorter edit most of you will know.

 

 

 

 

237. Everything Counts (12 inch single) - Depeche Mode (1983)

 

 

The grabbing hands

Grab all they can

Everything counts in large amounts

 

The first single from their third album 'Construction Time Again'. Dave Gahan sings the verses while Martin Gore sings the chorus. It's one of the few Depeche Mode 80s songs that they have continued to perform live in the 21st Century. While the shorter version is very good,it's this 12 inch version that I prefer.

 

 

 

236. Beat Box (Diversion 1) - The Art Of Noise (1984)

 

 

The original version of this was the Art Of Noise's debut single in 1983. While not charting in the UK,it was popular in American hip hop clubs and got to number 1 on the US dance chart and number 10 on the black singles chart. The American audience were surprised when they found out the Art Of Noise were white. Diversion 1 is one of many remixes of the song. The drum beat is sampled from Yes drummer Alan White.

 

 

235. Johnny Johnny - Prefab Sprout (1985)

 

 

Ooh Johnny Johnny Johnny why don't you join the foreign legion

Ooh Johnny Johnny Johnny you're still in love with Hayley Mills

 

Prefab Sprout have made a great contribution to my chart with 11 songs but this is where it ends. This gorgeous song is my favourite by them. The album version was called 'Goodbye Lucille #1' but as those words don't appear in the lyrics,the title was changed for the single release.

 

234. The New Kings - Marillion (2016)

 

 

While the diggers of the diamonds we wear

Labour underground for dear life

On your knees,peasant,and kiss this ring

You're working for the new king

 

A sixteen minute track from Marillion's most recent album 'f*** Everyone And Run' which is also the title of the first part of the song. It refers to Russian oligarchs or other greedy,powerful people around the world. There's a great flow to the song all the way through. The kids of Mrs Bond's class receive a credit for the "greed is good" line.

 

 

Insomnia is fab, even when I was younger, I was familiar with it and the keyboard part of it is what I would have most associated with the sound of electronic dance music. I remember I liked hearing it again in 2005 on music channels (it was re-released in a slightly remixed version then), and it was also good hearing it again on the radio in 2015 in the form of Avicii's remix of it.

233. (How To Be A) Millionaire (Bond St. Mix) - ABC (1984)

 

 

Maybe these luxuries can only compensate

For all the cards you were dealt at the hands of fate

 

This has the same hard drum sound as the Art Of Noise song I reviewed earlier and another thing it has in common is that it was a much bigger hit in the US (number 20) than it was here (49).

 

 

 

This ABC song sounds brilliant for its time! The bit after 4:05 sounds more like something from a 90s rave song than a 80s track!

 

Everything Counts is great, especially that 12' version. I like its repetitive bassline throughout it which actually makes it sound a bit like proto - deep house I think. The flutey sounds are great in it too. Of course the lyrics are great too, about greed.