20 best British songs

stickyfiddle · September 2023

Why do people love Lola? Our drummer keeps suggesting it but it's stupidly boring and no-one under 30 knows it.

Offset · September 2023

Reverend said:

Baphomet is a killer song. They were too heavy for the time, got loads of stick from the press but massively influential with the likes of Metallica and Megadeth, as well the whole black and death metal scenes later on.

Saw them in the late 90s and then seen them loads since they came back about 15 years ago.

Yep, Baphomet was a cracking track as was Angel Witch but they were awful when I saw them. Admittedly the venue was the size of a broom cupboard - think it was in the back of London boozer...?

Sporky · September 2023

GoFish said:
Waterloo Sunset

I don't think any song should be included if there's a cover better than the original (see also Just Like Heaven).

GoFish · September 2023

Sporky said:

GoFish said:
Waterloo Sunset

I don't think any song should be included if there's a cover better than the original (see also Just Like Heaven).

Cathy Dennis''s ill -fated cover doesn't count

But some of the other great pop songs she has written should.

I guess we'd cover for both these if we say that we are listing songs, not performances. it's a bit legalistic though.

Besides, why argue over Just like Heaven when we have Friday I'm in Love?

Sporky · September 2023

I should put more smileys in my posts.

Waterloo Sunset is jolly good, and it is the song we are putting forward, as you say.

I forgot New England.

Sporky · September 2023

stickyfiddle said:
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

I was going to say that but I wasn't sure if this was a safe place.

prowla · September 2023

Hmmm - george harrison

they'd have to evoke an image of Britishness or capture a point in time in Britain...

Bus Stop - The Hollies
Something In The Air - Thunderclap Newman
Nights In White Satin - Moody Blues
White Room - Cream
Cum On Feel The Noize - Slade
London Calling - The Clash
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
The Day We Caught The Train - Ocean Colour Scene
Wonderwall - Oasis
Arthur - Rick Wakeman
Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
Try Me - UFO
In A Big Country - Big Country
Stand On Your Liver - Adam Ant
A View To a Keel - Duran Duran
Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - George Harrison
Jet - Wings

Vintage65 · September 2023

idiotwindow said:

Incidentally, there is a world of difference between a list of 20 favourite British songs (which is what the OP's list is) and a list that attempts to list (as objectively as possible) a list of the best British songs. No reasonably objective list will have Clapton's Let it Grow or The Hollies' Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress anywhere near it. The latter isn't even in a top 20 list of the best songs by The Hollies.

It's also criminal to leave out The Kinks

RocknRollDave · September 2023

No Depeche Mode yet?!

RocknRollDave · September 2023

Nothing by THE JAM?!

WYNIR0 · September 2023

Sporky said:

WYNIR0 said:

no "just like heaven" by The Cure? Fail.

Not when they also did "Push".

I'm not sure Just Like Heaven is even one of the Cure's best twenty songs. Though it is better than most of the things on most of the lists posted thus far...

etc

Greatest love song ever written IMHO Sporks old pal.

Sporky · September 2023

RocknRollDave said:

No Depeche Mode yet?!

I'd considered Enjoy The Silence - not my favourite of theirs, but a superb bit of pop songwriting.

Sporky · September 2023

WYNIR0 said:

Greatest love song ever written IMHO Sporks old pal.

Wotcher!

I was probably a bit harsh with "not in their top 20" - it is a jolly good song.

rlw · September 2023

stickyfiddle said:

Why do people love Lola? Our drummer keeps suggesting it but it's stupidly boring and no-one under 30 knows it.

Because its a great song and pretty much on topic .....................

rlw · September 2023

Pick four by any five of the following

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks. The Animals, Cream, The Move, etc.

You don't really have to go past 1975 for a very impressive list. In fact, you could do this by decade and it would be easier.

Tannin · September 2023

@distressed said:

Tannin said:

to drink rakija

Which kind?

Well .. are we telling the truth here?

All of them.

Here in Tasmania, we can only get one kind, Badel Travarica, plus Badel slivovitz (remembering that slivovitz is in fact a type of rakija).

They cost, respectively, $75 and $78 a bottle. In Croatia, we pay €9 or €10. (Say about $16 or $18.)

Oh, and you can buy at least six different ones at any supermarket (often many more than 6). Not to mention that your next-door neighbour's uncle makes it and he's been doing it since 1964 and is really good at it. He'll sell you 5 litres of the real stuff (better than you can buy in a shop) for 20 or 30 Euros, or swap you for some vegetables you pickled, or maybe just give it to you as a thankyou for mowing his lawn.

Mrs Tannin and I were just remarking that if we gave up drinking for a year or so, we would not only be healthier, we could afford to buy a return ticket to Croatia .. er ... and drink a lot of €10 rakija.

In mainland Australia there are many more to choose from. Sometimes we mail-order all sorts of interesting rakijas from Melbourne.

PS: Most of the countries in South-east Europe make rakija (spelling it in various ways) and I think they all claim to be "the original" one. We haven't really got around to sampling many from outside Croatia. Not sure our livers could stand it, to be honest!

Sporky · September 2023

I think I tried some of that in Hungary.

It was not to my taste. To the point that I think I should probably be a little scared of anyone who can enjoy it, because they must be a lot tougher than I am!

distressed · September 2023

Tannin said:

@distressed said:

Tannin said:

to drink rakija

Which kind?

Well .. are we telling the truth here?

All of them.

Here in Tasmania, we can only get one kind, Badel Travarica, plus Badel slivovitz (remembering that slivovitz is in fact a type of rakija).

They cost, respectively, $75 and $78 a bottle. In Croatia, we pay €9 or €10. (Say about $16 or $18.) Oh, and you can buy at least six different ones at any supermarket (often many more than 6). Not to mention that your next-door neighbour's uncle makes it and he's been doing it since 1964 and is really good at it. He'll sell you 5 litres of the real stuff (better than you can buy in a shop) for 20 or 30 Euros, or swap you for some vegetables you pickled, or maybe just give it to you as a thankyou for mowing his lawn.

Mrs Tannin and I were just remarking that if we gave up drinking for a year or so, we would not only be healthier, we could afford to buy a return ticket to Croatia .. er ... and drink a lot of €10 rakija.

In mainland Australia there are many more to choose from. Sometimes we mail-order all sorts of interesting rakijas from Melbourne.

PS: Most of the countries in South-east Europe make rakija (spelling it in various ways) and I think they all claim to be "the original" one. We haven't really got around to sampling many from outside Croatia. Not sure our livers could stand it, to be honest!

Oh yes, that's exactly what my Croatian friend told me when she moved to Australia few years ago, only two kinds of store bought rakija of poor quality, and insanely expensive.

Here in Balkans, when you move towards rural areas and smaller towns, almost every household produces decent to quality rakijas for home uses, due to less strict laws. There are also tons of legal top shelf stuff from smaller manufacturers, you can buy real psychedelic stuff for up to 30-40 euros a bottle max.They are made from plums mostly (šljivovica, and this is usually the stronger rakija, up to 55%), and also from quinces, apricots, pears, apples... and also travarica, with assorted herbs. In the Croatian seaside (Dalmatia and Istria) there also rakijas made of locust bean, myrtle and such stuff, they are also great but with greater amount of sugar.

Fuck, now I'm craving some quality rakijas

But I tend to avoid them in recent years due to high sugar amount, I drink mostly vodka. But there are some real ayahuasca experiences with real quality ones.

stickyfiddle · September 2023

rlw said:

stickyfiddle said:

Why do people love Lola? Our drummer keeps suggesting it but it's stupidly boring and no-one under 30 knows it.

Because its a great song and pretty much on topic .....................

It's just a plodder. Next to zero energy and doesn't go anywhere. I've just never seen the point

Paul_C · September 2023

Some favourites:

Dire Straits - Tunnel of Love

Hazel O'Conner - Will You

Silver Sun - Lava

Terrorvision - Oblivion/Perseverence (can't decide)

Blur - End of a Century

Supergrass - She's So Loose

Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives

The Freshies - I Can't Get Bouncing Babies by The Teardrop Explodes

The Beautiful South - Dumb

Jessie J - Price Tag

Small Faces - Afterglow

Juliet Turner - Take The Money & Run

Siouxsie And The Banshees - Happy House

Killing Joke - Wardance

Muse - Plug In Baby

The Jam - Strange Town/When You're Young

Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick

XTC - Mayor of Simpleton

Laura Marling - Blow by Blow

ELO - Shangri-La

Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction - Untamed Stare

Offset · September 2023

Sporky said:

RocknRollDave said:

No Depeche Mode yet?!

I'd considered Enjoy The Silence - not my favourite of theirs, but a superb bit of pop songwriting.

^^ Yep - it's a brilliant song and my fave DM track.

ICBM · September 2023

Twenty of my favourites, in I think approximately chronological order, but only one allowed per artist. No apologies for being very mainstream choices, that’s because they are great songs which have stood the test of time.

The Beatles - In My Life
The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil
Ralph McTell - Streets Of London
Fleetwood Mac - Man Of The World
The Who - Behind Blue Eyes
Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven
Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
Pink Floyd - Time
Queen - Brighton Rock
Elton John - Candle In The Wind
Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
The Clash - London Calling
Dire Straits - Tunnel Of Love
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
Tears For Fears - Mad World
Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
Wham! - Careless Whisper
Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin

Too many great songs left out for it to be possible to say they're anywhere near the best though.

Kilgore · September 2023

Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Sandy Denny.

You Really Got Me - The Kinks

Stepping Out - Joe Jackson

How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees

In My Life - Beatles

True - Spandau Ballet

Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who

Beautiful Ones - Suede

Enola Gay - OMD

Daniel - Elton John

Up The Junction - Squeeze

Wild Horses - The Stones

1952 Vincent Back Lightning - Richard Thompson

Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello

Reflections of My Life - Marmalade

Father and Son - Cat Stevens

Life on Mars - Bowie

Space Age Love Song - A Flock of Seagulls

West End Girls- Pet Shop Boys

Man of the World - Fleetwood Mac

PeteC · September 2023

Great thread …. I am sure this list would be different on any chosen day of the week but today the ones that spring to mind are ……

1 Wont get fooled again - the Who

2 Whole lotta love - Zep

3 Maid in Heaven - Be Bop Deluxe

4 God Save the Queen - Sex Pistols

5 No More Heroes - Stranglers

6 Neon Nights - Sabbath

7 Dakota - Stereophonics

8 A Day in the Life - Beatles

9 Waterfront - Simple Minds

10 Day of the Eagle - Robin Trower

11 Deal with the Preacher - Bad Company

12 Running up that Hill - Kate Bush

13 Red Rain - Peter Gabriel

14 Woke up Laughing - Robert Palmer

15 Woman in Chains - Tears for Fears

16 In a Rut - The Ruts

17 Getting Tighter - Deep Purple

18 Can you dig it? - Mock Turtles

19 pyjamarama - Roxy Music

20 Watcher of the Skies - Genesis

I quite like the Beach by All Saints too but only because … William Orbit

Sporky · September 2023

PeteC said:
I quite like the Beach by All Saints too but only because … William Orbit

I think that one is a glorious combination. Same as his Madonna album, and his stuff with Beth Orton. He's the common factor, but his best stuff has the best contributing partners.

Jonathangus · September 2023

I'm not sure about the other 19, but I'm fairly sure Ace of Spades should be on the list.

RustySpanner · September 2023

Waterloo Sunset - Kinks.
Some of Shelley's Hangups - Blyth Power.
Floating Anarchy - Here and Now.
Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson.
Pink Moon - Nick Drake.
St Domonic's Preview - Van Morrison.
New Rose - The Damned.
I am the Resurrection - The Stone Roses.
Songs that make Sophie fizz - Martha Tilston.
I've had enough - The Who.
Taking Tiger Mountain - Brian Eno.
If there is something - Roxy Music.
Matty Groves - Fairport Convention.
Albatross - Fleetwood Mac.
Dry The Rain - The Beta Band.
Them's the vagaries - Half Man Half Biscuit.
Right to decide - Hawkwind.
Rudi can't fail - The Clash.
Seagulmania - The Astronauts.
The most beguiling eyes - Clive Gregson and Christine Collister.

I've excluded the Smiths and The Beatles, or else there'd be nothing else.

guitars4you · September 2023

No Status Quo so far and nothing by Graham Gouldman be it 10CC or other - Are the BeeGees allowed in a British listing - And what about The Police

guitars4you · September 2023

Mungo Jerry - In the summertime
Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
Pink Floyd - Shine on you crazy diamond
Tears for Fears - everybody wants to rule the world
Squeeze - Cool for cats
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Make me smile (Come up and see me)
Duffy - Warwick Avenue
Mark Ronson feat Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Ian Dury and the Block heads - Hit me with your Rhythm Stick
The Who - Can you see the real me
The Who - Squeeze Box
Slade - Goodbye to Jane
John Lennon - Stand by me - Think my only cover in this list
David Bowie - Let's Dance
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Sade - Smooth Operator
The Specials - Ghost Town
Sailor - Girls Girls Girls
The Animals - We gotta get out of this place

Sporky · September 2023

As everyone else seems to be doing "songs of your youth", I'll have another go.

Too Much Kissing - Senseless Things
Happy - Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Clear Blue Skies - Mega City Four
You And I - Kingmaker
Tomorrow's Tears - Cranes
Teardrop - Massive Attack
Frozen - Curve
You Made Me Realise - My Bloody Valentine
Ten Storey Love Song - Stone Roses
Big Ship - Cardiacs
I Am The Sun - Dark Star
I Kicked A Boy - The Sundays
Black Metallic - Catherine Wheel
Dipping - Bleach
Breathe - Prodigy
Walking In My Shoes - Depeche Mode
Suzanne - Moose
All Of Us - Slowdive
The Killing Jar - Siouxsie And The Banshees
For Her Light - Fields Of The Nephilim

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20 best British songs

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