XFM London Names Its Top 100 Best British Songs Of All Time

This past Monday, May 25th, was a Bank Holiday in the UK, and London’s alternative rock radio station, XFM, used the occassion to name its Top 100 Best British Songs of All Time. The list will certainly trigger some arguments. Led Zeppelin’s overplayed ”Stairway To Heaven,” which still tops the polls of American radio best of lists, did not even make the cut. In fact, only one Led Zep song, “Whole Lotta Love,” made the XFM list. And not until number 51.

I like this list much more than usual suspects that American radio stations play in their holiday weekend Best ofs. The XFM list is, as one would guess, very heavy on Mod and alternative bands and very light on classic-rock dinosaurs. In addition, bands like The Jam, Oasis, and The Verve appear much more often on this list than they would on a list compiled by an American radio station. There isn’t a bad song on the list, IMHO, and the XFM list would make for a great iPod playlist.

I am somewhat surprised that The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” a seminal and influential song to be sure, finished at number 100 in the list. Surely, it should be higher up? Perhaps because it has been played so often on the air that the voters have grown weary of it? But that’s a minor quibble. I think that this list is one of the finest Best of lists I’ve ever seen.

The Top 100 were voted on by XFM London listeners and the station’s DJs. Here is the list:

1. Oasis – Live Forever
2. Oasis – Don’t Look Back In Anger
3. Oasis – Wonderwall
4. The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection
5. Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
6. The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony
7. The Who – My Generation
8. Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
9. The Clash – London Calling
10. Oasis – Champagne Supernova
11. The Smiths – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
12. Muse – Knights Of Cydonia
13. Pulp – Common People
14. The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter
15. Blur – Song 2
16. The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset
17. The Jam – A Town Called Malice
18. The Beatles – Hey Jude
19. The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil
20. The Stone Roses – Fool’s Gold
21. Blur – Parklife
22. David Bowie – Life On Mars
23. The Smiths – This Charming Man
24. The Stone Roses – I Wanna Be Adored
25. Radiohead – Paranoid Android
26. The Jam – Going Underground
27. Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict A Riot
28. Radiohead – Creep
29. Muse – Plug In Baby
30. Elbow – One Day Like This
31. The Beatles – Come Together
32. The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black
33. The Who – Baba O’Riley
34. Manic Street Preachers – Motorcycle Emptiness
35. Muse – Time Is Running Out
36. Coldplay – Yellow
37. Manic Street Preachers – A Design For Life
38. New Order – Blue Monday
39.  John Lennon – Instant Karma!
40. Muse – Hysteria
41. Oasis – Supersonic
42. The Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now
43. Snow Patrol – Run
44. The Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again
45. David Bowie – “Heroes”
46. Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
47. Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen
48. The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
49. David Bowie – Jean Genie
50. The Libertines – Don’t Look Back Into The Sun
51. Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love
52. Stereophonics – Dakota
53. The Jam – That’s Entertainment
54. Oasis – Cigarettes And Alcohol
55. Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees
56. Muse – Supermassive Black Hole
57. The Beatles – All You Need Is Love
58. Sex Pistols – Anarchy In The UK
59. Muse – Starlight
60. Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
61. Oasis – The Masterplan
62. Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
63. Muse – Feeling Good
64. The Specials – Ghost Town
65. Ash – Girl From Mars
66. The Stone Roses – She Bangs The Drums
67. The Who – Who Are You
68. Oasis – Slide Away
69. The Clash – Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
70. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
71. Arctic Monkeys – When The Sun Goes Down
72. Oasis – Rock ‘N’ Roll Star
73. The Jam – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
74. Primal Scream – Rocks
75. Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love With Someone…
76. Ocean Colour Scene – The Riverboat Song
77. Primal Scream – Loaded
78. The Beatles – Revolution
79. The Cure – Close To Me
80. The Kinks – Lola
81. Feeder – Just A Day
82. Coldplay – Clocks
83. David Bowie – Space Oddity
84. The Verve – The Drugs Don’t Work
85. Blur – The Universal
86. Feeder – Buck Rogers
87. The Rolling Stones – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
88. The Beatles – Strawberry Fields Forever
89. Radiohead – Karma Police
90. Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall Part 2
91. The Stone Roses - Made Of Stone
92. Blur – Country House
93. Stereophonics – Pick A Part That’s New
94. The Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar
95. Radiohead – High And Dry
96. The Jam – Eton Rifles
97. The Rolling Stones – Ruby Tuesday
98. The Stone Roses – Waterfall
99. Paul Weller – You Do Something To Me
100. The Kinks – You Really Got Me

For more on this, see the article on the XFM London Web site.

Phil Spector Gets 19 Years To Life In The Murder Of Actress Lana Clarkson

More than six years since the February 3, 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson (pictured above top in a Reuters photo), Phil Spector (pictured above bottom in an AP photo) was finally sentenced for the crime on Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Clarkson, who met Spector on the night of her murder, was shot to death in the foyer of Spector’s mansion. Spector, who had a long history of abusive treatment of women as well as a history of recklessly waving firearms around, received a sentence of 15 years to life for the murder charge and four years for the firearms charge.

Spector’s first murder trial, in 2007, was declared a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

Spector will not be eligible for parole until he is 88 years old. Good riddance to old garbage!

Lana Clarkson’s mother, Donna Clarkson, who attended both trials and the sentencing, has filed a wrongful death suit against Spector, which will proceed in civil court.

Spector produced some of the greatest musical artists of the second half of the twentieth century, including The Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner, The Beatles, and The Ramones. Tales of bizarre behavior have circulated around Spector for years, and culminated in the cold-blooded killing of Lana Clarkson in 2003.

Spector plans an appeal.

Fore more on the sad saga of Phil Spector, see the articles from BBC 6 Music and the Los Angeles Times.

UK Musicians Demand That The British National Party Stop Selling Their Music

A very disturbing story involving artistic freedom has emerged in the UK, pitting some of Britain’s top musical talents against the far-right British National Party (BNP). The Featured Artists’ Coalition and Musicians’ Union have sent a letter to The Times of London calling for legal rights over the sale and reproduction of their music. Among those who have signed the letter are Blur’s Dave Rowntree, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, and Billy Bragg (pictured above in a photo by Wombat). The BNP has been  selling music to raise election funds, and many of the artists whose music is being sold for this purpose are livid and are seeking legal recourse.

The artists’ letter to The Times of London reads in part:

“We would, on behalf of our joint membership of over 31,000 members, like to have our opposition to the BNP’s politics and morals formally noted.

“In the lead up to the European elections, it has come to our attention that the BNP is selling compilation CDs through its website in order to raise funds for campaigning. Many of the musicians featured on these . . . have no legal right to object to their music being used in this way.”

Even 91-year-old Dame Vera Lyne, best known for her World War II-era song “The White Cliffs of Dover,” has locked horns with the BNP, threatening legal action against them earlier this year when it came to her attention that the BNP’s commercial partner, Excalibur, was selling her music to raise funds.

Under current UK law, musicians have no legal recourse to stop their music from being sold once it is sold by a wholesaler to a particular retailer.

Nigel McCune of the Musicians’ Union told The Times of London:

“There is nothing as it stands to stop the BNP from acting in this way and there is nothing that the performers can do to prevent it. If a moral right came in you would then be able to test how far you could stretch it.

“Billy Bragg, for example, could find his track New England for sale on a BNP website raising money for something that he has spent his entire musical life campaigning against. We would like to think that there should be a framework in this country sufficient to prevent something like that happening.”

In a statement to The Times of London, a BNP spokesman said:

“They’ve already made there (sic) money haven’t they? Once that music’s gone through a distributor. They’re politicizing themselves to a high degree by doing this and we wouldn’t really be concerned by that. It’s up to us what we sell – we’re not changing.

“There’s no suggestion through this that artists support the BNP or otherwise. They’re barking up the wrong tree to be honest.”

To read the full article on The Times of London’s Web site, click here.

Best of luck to The Featured Artists’ Coalition and the Musicians’ Union in their fight against the BNP. It is appalling that an artist’s music can be sold against their will to support an organization like the BNP.

Exclusive Interview With Onetime Playboy Model And Pro Wrestler Turned Singer Christy Hemme Of The Rock Band HEMME Is Now Online On The Main Powerline A.D. Site

Last week, Powerline A.D. met with TNA wrestler Christy Hemme at a hotel in midtown Manhattan to discuss her up-and-coming music career with the rock band HEMME. It was a wide-ranging interview that, in addition to discussions of Hemme’s music, also touched on her past as a Playboy cover girl and model, a Juggy Girl on Comedy Central’s The Man Show, her wrestling career, her thoughts on the film The Wrestler, her love of motorcycles, and several other topics. She is extremely passionate about her music and very determined to succeed with her band. We came away from the interview quite impressed with her. She seems to be very driven in every aspect of her life.

To read Powerline A.D.’s exclusive Q&A with Christy Hemme of HEMME, click here.

HEMME’s debut EP, which is titled Where Are You?, can now be purchased on iTunes.

To listen to HEMME’s first single, “Don’t Give Up,” click below:

To watch an interview that Christy Hemme did last week with ArtisanNews Service, click below:

She’s got really striking eyes, doesn’t she? What a stunner!

For additional information on Christy Hemme and HEMME, go to:
http://www.christyhemme.com/ch01/
http://www.myspace.com/hemmepowered

Pixie Lott Performs “Mama Do” And Is Interviewed On UK Breakfast Show GMTV

Pixie Lott, the subject of Powerline A.D.’s most recent exclusive Q&A, appeared this week on the London-based breakfast program GMTV. Pixie, looking and sounding fantastic, performed her forthcoming single, “Mama Do,” which is being released on June 8th in the UK, and was interviewed by one of the program’s hosts. Pixie briefly told the story of how she was discovered and also revealed that she is a supporter of West Ham United. Very cool. Up The Hammers!

You can watch the interview and performance on the GMTV Web site or by clicking below:

Pixie will be touring Britain with the UK girl group The Saturdays. The tour starts next Tuesday, June 2nd, in Glasgow, Scotland.

For further information on Pixie Lott, see:
http://www.pixielott.com
http://www.myspace.com/pixiesongs
http://www.youtube.com/user/pixieofficial

Chris Cornell’s “Climbing Up The Walls” Backs Very Sexy Esquire.com Video Featuring Megan Fox

Transformers star Megan Fox (pictured above in an Esquire photo by Greg Williams) is featured in an incredibly sexy video on Esquire.com that is backed by the song “Climbing Up The Walls” by Chris Cornell. The song is featured on Cornell’s album Scream. The video is a must-watch. Trust me. But it is probably Not Safe For Work, so view it at your own discretion.

The name fits. Megan is a fox!

To watch the video, which was shot by Greg Williams on the Red One camera, click here.

Megan Fox is also the subject of the cover story in the June 2009 issue of Esquire. To read the article and to view 12 photos of Fox that were shot by Greg Williams, click here.

If you want to hear Chris Cornell’s “Climbing Up The Walls” without watching the Megan Fox video, click below:

Megan Fox is my new favorite actress. Damn!

NME.com Runs Comprehensive, Multi-Part Interview With James Dean Bradfield And Nicky Wire Of Manic Street Preachers

NME.com has posted a great five-part interview with James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers. In the interview, they discuss their new album, Journal For Plague Lovers, and many other topics.

In one part of the interview, James Dean Bradfield discussed people’s perceptions of Richey Edwards:

“I do sometimes get a tiny bit fed up of people trying to imagine what kind of person he would be now, or I get fed up of people imagining what he actually did, did he disappear or is he living in a monastery somewhere… and I get fed up with this kind of horrible tacky TV movie version of what the possibilities of Richey being or what he was or what he would think or what he would feel. And it was kind of, after all those years of just letting kind of those things wash over you, ultimately we’d let enough time elapse that there wouldn’t be anything tasteless about doing this.”

To read the full interview, click on the individual links below:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

In other Manics news, the cover of the new Journal For Plague Lovers album (pictured directly above), which was designed by Jenny Saville, has been deemed offensive by several UK supermarkets because they say it looks like it has been splattered with blood. The album is being displayed in those supermarkets, which include Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda, and Morrisons, in a plain slipcase. Concerning this development, James Dean Bradfield told BBC 6 Music:

“You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CD’s, but you show a piece of art and people just freak out.”

Nicola Williamson, Sainsburys’ music buyer, defended Sainsburys’ use of the slip cover, telling BBC 6 Music:

“We felt that some customers might consider this particular album cover to be inappropriate if it were prominently displayed on shelf. As such, the album will be sold in a sleeve provided by the publisher.”

For more on this story, see the article from BBC 6 Music.

Earth to Queen: No To Lambert!

Adam Lambert is everywhere. And if that isn’t annoying enough, news is still circulating that he may join rock legends Queen.

Lambert was on Larry King the other night claiming he as invited to sing with them. Of course, being interviewed by Larry is like being interviewed by a potato. A seasoned rock journalist should have been on hand for a smackdown.

Then you have, Brian May — of all people — telling everyone and anyone that he wants this kid to be a part of Queen. He reportedly told Rolling Stone:

“Amongst all that furor, there wasn’t really a quiet moment to talk. But [drummer Roger Taylor] and I are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with him (Lambert) at some point.”

As Freddie Mercury was perfectly flamboyant in a rock sort of way, Lambert is flamboyant in a Liberace sort of way. Lambert joining Queen would turn into the ultimate Vegas show. They might as well have Rip Taylor throwing confetti during May’s guitar solos.

When I caught Lambert and Kris Allen (and everyone else for that matter) sing “We Are the Champions” with Queen on American Idol (during the finale), I was kind of embarrassed for the band. To me, they are bigger and better than American Idol.

I may be an old Queen fan who misses Freddie’s presence but at least having Paul Rodgers in the band is still a rock show and not a sideshow.

Maybe bassist John Deacon needs to come back (70s bathing trunks and all) to talk some sense into the two remaining members of the band.

The Guardian’s Web Site Features Previously Unseen Photos Of John And Yoko’s Bed-In For Peace

The Web site of the UK newspaper The Guardian is currently featuring previously unseen photos of the Bed-In For Peace staged by John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal in 1969. The photos are by Gerry Deiter and are featured in an exhibition called Give Peace A Chance: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-In For Peace which is being shown at The Beatles Story in Liverpool, England until August 15th. Among those featured in the photos are acid guru Timothy Leary and comedian/activist Dick Gregory.

To view the photos on The Guardian‘s Web site, click here.

Muse Reveal Title Of New Album

UK-based prog rockers Muse have revealed that the title of their new album will be The Resistance. The new album will be Muse’s fifth studio effort.

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has stated that the album will contain orchestral bits and he told an Australian magazine:

“There’s a new song in three parts, which I have been working on sporadically for many years. As a large percentage of the composition is orchestral… I’ve been arranging the orchestral elements myself, which is taking a long time.”

Muse will be opening for U2 on their upcoming North American tour.

For more on this story, see the article from XFM London.

For further info on Muse, see:
http://www.muse.mu
http://www.myspace.com/muse