Here is a list of all the songs that I have both the original and a cover of on my i-tunes:

Original:I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King
Cover: I Feel the Earth Move by Mandy Moore
Which version I like better: Probably the original, though I do love Mandy's comtemporary take on it as well.

Original:Home Again by Carole King
Cover:Home Again by Vonda Shepard
Which version I like better: The original is great, but I prefer the cover, because I just love Vonda.


Original:Help Me by Joni Mitchell
Cover:Help Me by Mandy Moore
Which version I prefer: The original. Mandy just can't a hold a candle to Joni.

Original: Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel
Cover: Mrs. Robinson by Indigo Girls
The original. No one does it better than Paul & Art; though Emily & Amy do a fine job paying tribute to the legendary 60's tune!

Original: New York State of Mind by Billy Joel
Cover: New York State of Mind by Adam Pascal
Which version I prefer: The cover. Of course Billy's is a classic, but Adam has a much better voice.

You've Got a Friend by Carole King (wow, everyone covers Carole King!)
You've Got a Friend by James Taylor
Which version I prefer: No contest, definetely the cover. I grew up listening to and loving JT's version, and it wasn't until I was a senior in college that I found out that he didn't write it!

1. How did you get into 29? Kashmir
Oh recommendation of a friend

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22? LCD Soundsystem
'North American Scum'

3. What's your favorite lyric by 33? Starky
"And if we make it through the wreckery
Who's gonna take you home tonight
We are glass, I see through you she said
We break when we take mystery to bed
I hear her cry deny you are the wreckery
But I can't lie
I need to see the image near to me
I want to set your heart alight"
'The Wreckery', Starky

4. How did you get into 49? Cut Copy
Mmm I think it was just general buzz at the time. But before they became popular..
That was a good time.

5. How many albums by 13 do you own? Fleetwood Mac
Just the one - Greatest Hits, plus a couple of random songs here and there

6. What is your favorite song by 50? Pure Reason Revolution
HOLY CRAP
EASILY
‘The Twyncyn/Trembling Willows’
Easily.

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad? Incubus
Nahh not really.. maybe 'Drive'.

8. What is your favorite song by 15? Billy Joel
Oh wow.. That's such a hard choice..
At the moment, maybe 'Goodnight Saigon', or 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant', 'Longest Time', or I don't know.. anything off his Greatest Hits is pretty great.

9. What is your favorite song by 5? The Cooper Temple Clause
Oh fudge. That's also really REALLY hard.
Maybe 'Connect', 'Head', 'Promises Promises', 'Blind Pilots' or 'Talking To A Brick Wall' at the moment

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy? Porcupine Tree
Like everything I know.
But probably 'Normal'

11. What is the worst song by 40? The Kooks
I don't know.. haven't heard anything bad, although I've only dabbled.

12. What is your favorite song by 10? The Presets
Mmm.. 'Are You The One?'
Yeah.. Leave it at that before I list another 8.

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30? Elton John
Oh.. road trips come to mind.
Many road trips
And lunch times at school with a couple of friends haha.

14. What is your favorite song by 38? The Beatles
How could anyone ever choose... EVER
Um. 'Eleanor Rigby', 'Yesterday' and 'Blackbird' cos I'm listening to it :)

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy? "Weird Al" Yankovic
Hahha heaps of it. It's Weird Al.. It's like his purpose.. to make you laugh


16. Is there a song by 25 that makes you sad? The Offspring
None, really. It's not meant to be sad stuff

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23? The Raconteurs
'Steady As She Goes'
Hahaha we used to try and sing that with all vocals.. many memories.

18. What's your favorite lyric by 11? Gotye
Hard. Anything from 'Heart's A Mess'
Specifically...
'Pick apart
The pieces of your heart
And let me peer inside
Let me in
Where only your thoughts have been
Let me occupy your mind
As you do mine'

and

'Your heart’s a mess
You won’t admit to it
It makes no sense
But I’m desperate to connect
And you, you can’t live like this'

19. Who is a favorite member of 1? Red Hot Chili Peppers
Anthony, John, Flea, Chad.. They're awesome.. How could I choose..

20. Is there a song by 14 that makes you happy? Lior
'Daniel', 'This Old Love'

21. What is a good memory involving 27? Flobots
Hahahah singing 'Handlebars' at possibly the most inopportune times ever.


22. What is your favorite song by 16? Damien Rice
'Volcano' I think.. at the moment at least.

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47? Fuel
'Shimmer' yay. Love it.

24. What is your favorite album by 18? Michael Jackson
Ohh.. 'Thriller' But his 'History' album was good cos it was a good collection.

25. What is your favorite song by 21? José González
'Down The Line'

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26? Foo Fighters
Can't remember... I remember hearing 'Generator' and 'Learn To Fly' Maybe.. I really don't remember.

27. What is your favorite album by 3? Radiohead
I loved 'In Rainbows' .. but of course 'OK Computer' as well.

28. What is you favorite song by 2? Muse
Wow.. Um. 'Map of the Problematic', 'Hyper Music', 'Time Is Running Out', 'Starlight', 'Hysteria', 'Knights of Cydonia'.. This is ridiculous!

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32? Lostprophets
'Can't Catch Tomorrow (Good Shoes Won't Save You This Time)'

30. What is you favorite song by 8? Elbow
Um.. Um... um... just everything off 'The Seldom Seen Kid' really.

31. How many times have you seen 17 live? Dane Cook
Never.. he's only just come to Australia for the first time this week.

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy? Spice Girls
Like.. anything. I play it for nostalgia..

33. How did you get into 12? The Decemberists
Good question.. hmm.. I think it was when I heard 'The Engine Driver' and I quite liked it

34. What is the worst song by 45? Blur
Hmm dno..

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34? Sufjan Stevens
'Casimir Pulaski Day' ... love it

36. What is the first song you ever heard by 48? Demetri Martin
Probably like 'Some Jokes' or something.

37. How many times have you seen 35 live? The Killers
Never..

38. What is you favorite song by 36? Nine Inch Nails
'The Hand That Feeds'

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28? John Frusciante
Disregarding all previous Red Hot Chili Peppers stuff, I think it was 'I Will Always Be Beat Down'

40. What is you favorite album by 7? Elliott Smith
'Figure 8' or 'XO'

41. Is there a song by 31 that makes you happy? Mew
'Snow Brigade' !

42. What is your favorite album by 41? Nirvana
'Nevermind'

43. What is your favorite song by 24? Karnivool
'Themata'

44. What is a good memory you have involving 46? Cut Copy
Dancing like an idiot with mates.. I guess

45. What is your favorite song by 42? Starsailor
'in The Crossfire'

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy? Kaiser Chiefs
Anything off 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob'
Whole thing has good memories, so it makes me happy

47. What is your favorite album by 4? Coldplay
I loved 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' before 'Viva La Vida' came out.. still do.
They're both great.

48. Who is a favorite member of 37? Whitley
Whitley himself.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43? Basement Jaxx
I think 'Where's Your Head At'

50. What is your favorite song by 20? Eminem
Umm..'Without Me' .. I'm surprised this is no. 20.. I think i must have left my music on after listening to Elliott Smith...

The guys:

1. James LaBrie (Dream Theater, MullMuzzler, Ayreon, Winter Rose, James LaBrie)



2. Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth, Ayreon)



3. Billy Joel (Billy Joel)



4. Ben Folds (Ben Folds, Ben Folds Five)



5. Morten Veland (Sirenia, Tristania)



6. Joshua Levi Ian Gentzke (Lux Interna)



7. Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot, Sinergy, Northern Kings, Delain)



8. Neil Diamond (Neil Diamond)



9. Alexander Frank Spreng - a.k.a. Asp (ASP)



10. Tommy Shaw (Styx)



Honorable mentions (no particular order): B.J. Thomas, Bob Seger, Dave Gahan, Ian Anderson, Robert Plant, James Hetfield, Dennis DeYoung.


The girls:

1. Miki Berenyi (Lush)



2. Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Agua de Annique, Ayreon)



3. Sabine Dünser - may she RIP (Elis, Erben der Schöpfung)



4. Marjan Welman (Elister, Ayreon, Autumn)



5. Floor Jansen (After Forever, Ayreon)



6. Morgan Kibby (The Romanovs)



7. Helen Trevillion (Helen Trevillion)



8. Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn, Odin Dragonfly, Ayreon)



9. Lisa Kelly



10. Anette Olzon (Nightwish, Alyson Avenue)



Honorable mentions (no particular order): Rachael Sage (who was sadly neglected previously and, while I like her more for songwriting than singing still deserves to be here), Aria Tesolin, Vibeke Stene, Kari Rueslåtten, Tori Amos, Jenn Manganiello (Tearwave), Sharon den Adel, Jessicka, Lana Lane, Ingrid Michaelson, Vanessa Carlton, Jessica Heine, Grace Slick, Kethelin Cocchi (Keys Of The Light), Jessica Thierjung (Lyriel), Siouxsie, Molly Pasutti (window to the next world), Greta Salpeter (The Hush Sound), Sandra Schleret, Johanna DePierre, Simone Simmons, Katherine Blake, Tarja Turunen - who, while tremendously overrated, can be great given the right material.

Comment if you want...or not, but thanks for reading that anyways.

Have you ever noticed how some bands transcend generations, and other's are forgotten?

Well, I thought I'd have a look at the top selling albums of the 70's, and see how many listens the artists have on last.fm. I'd imagine the majority of people on here would be under 40, and unlikely to have been fans of these artists first time around. I've ignored compilations and if a band has more than one album in the top 20, I've only taken the best selling.


1. Pink Floyd- The Wall (23 Million Sales) - 1,155,765 listeners
2. Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO) (22 Million Sales) - 1,095,992 listeners
3. Fleetwood Mac- Rumours (19 Million Sales) - 476,636 listeners
4. Boston- Boston (17 Million Sales) - 299,912 listeners
5. Eagles- Hotel California (15 Million Sales) - 605,623 listeners
6. Meat Loaf- Bat out of Hell (14 Million Sales) - 225,325 listeners
7. Van Halen- Van Halen (10 Million Sales) - 454,352 listeners
8. Billy Joel- The Stranger (10 Million Sales) - 485,076 listeners
9. Carole King- Tapestry (10 Million Sales) - 150,571 listeners
10. Stevie Wonder- Songs in the Key of Life (9 Million Sales) - 513,278 listeners
11. Aerosmith- Toys in the Attic (8 Million Sales) - 862,193 listeners
12. Simon & Garfunkel- Bridge Over Troubled Water (8 Million Sales) - 716,708 listeners
13. Michael Jackson- Off the Wall (7 Million Sales) - 820,341 listeners
14. Foreigner- Double Vision (7 Million Sales) - 317,054 listeners
15. Jackson Browne- Running on Empty (7 Million Sales) - 126,146 listeners
16. Elton John- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (7 Million Sales) - 687,028 listeners
17. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young- Déjà Vu (7 Million Sales) - 230,920 listeners
18. AC/DC- Highway to Hell (6 Million Sales) - 824,241 listeners
19. The Cars- The Cars (6 Million Sales) - 252,042 listeners
20 . The Rolling Stones- Some Girls (6 Million Sales) - 1,076,044 listeners

Looks like singer/songwriters are quickly forgotten, as soon as the next one comes along. Both Carole King and Jackson Browne, only having listener numbers comparable to a second rate indie band today. Other then that, most bands seem to have fairly respectable listening numbers today.

On the converse, lets see which bands are in the top 100 on last.fm, whose heyday was in the 70's who aren't on the earlier list.

17 - Queen - 1,171,861 listeners
24 - David Bowie - 1,049,031 listeners

Neither of them had an album in the top 50.

In the top 50 best selling albums, we come across artists, such as Boz Scaggs and Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band who only have 46,020 and 32,270 listeners respectively. The latter are no one album wonders either. Having 3 albums in the top 50.

So, will the kids of 30 years from now, be eagerly discovering Coldplay and Radiohead? I for one, hope they remain in the 00's.

In July 2008, I went to the NYC show of the Ten out of Tenn tour. I, of course, went to support Butterfly Boucher (already an avid, and she's already been highlighted as August 2007's Featured Artist), but I left the venue with the intent of friending everyone on MySpace who performed.

One pianist, singer-songwriter's songs stood out from the rest of the others. Those two songs were "Beautiful Day for Bad News" and "Brown Eyes" by Andy Davis. Loving songs instantly and live like that is a pretty incredible experience. What was the icing on the cake is that when I was waiting to talk to Butterfly, Andy shook my hand and thanked me for coming out.

After all that, I downloaded his Let The Woman album from Amazon, and it's already become one of my most played albums since the beginning of the year, some songs already up to being played over a dozen times. This 10-song album is filled with piano- and guitar-pop melodies over smart lyrics and smooth vocals.

Some songs are Billy Joel-esque (but, god, so much better), but then there's "Their Love is Not Their Business," which has a subtle reminders of Radiohead's "Everything in Its Right Place."

I can't recommend Andy Davis enough, and recently USA Today confirms that he's worth the download, stating that "Beautiful Day for Bad News" is the Pick of the Week.

Go ahead, friend Andy Davis on MySpace now and buy his album. I promise you won't regret it!

So I working on some ultimate tag stations at the moment, the majority of them for decades.

The best songs of the 00s will feature up and coming new acts likeThe Ting Tings to Mgmt, as well as new tracks by veteran artists from Neil Diamond to Madonna. It will feature all my fav songs of the decade so far, as my taste is very diverse there will hopefully be something for everyone. Expect everything from the likes of My Chemical Romance, Britney Spears, The Killers and Bruce Springsteen to appear in this decade

The 90s will be full of Grunge, Britpop, Rap, loads of cheesy music and all those one hit wonders from Chesney Hawkes to The Rembrandts.

Expect to hear everything from The Smiths to Wham in my best songs of the 80s

The 70's will be feature such diverse acts as The Bee Gees, David Bowie and The Sex Pistols.

Two artists who feature in a lot of my decades are Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, expect to hear the tracks that made them famous in my best songs of the 60s decade as well as The Four Seasons, The Beach Boys, Aretha Franklin and ofcause The Beatles to name a few

The 50s will feature such icons as Buddy Holly and Bill Haley as well as early songs from Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash

Then there's the best songs of the 40's and before there you will find early blues, folk, old musical songs and classic wartime tracks expect to hear the likes of Woody Guthrie on this station.

You won't have to worry about Christmas songs turning up in those stations as it will have one of it's own the best christmas songs station will feature everything from classics by Bing Crosby to more contempary stuff like Mew. A few Christmas songs will show up in the decades stations but only the really good ones like Fairytale of New York.

My other station will feature classical music from Mozart to Beethoven as well as classic film scores from the likes of Danny Elfman and John Williams, Opera music will feature heavily here although artists like Pavarotti will also pop up in the decade stations.

One final station will be everything combined in one, although I might not put all the Christmas songs on this station and that station will be called "All The Best".

At the moment these stations are in their early stages and I will be adding songs to them constantly but i hope you can find some enjoyment out of them.




Here's a list of the artists with music with a vast selection of their music already added to my stations


The JamEelsRadioheadHugh GrantBob DylanJohnny CashGirls AloudSugababesKelly ClarksonLindsay LohanR.E.M.Buddy HollyThe KinksDuffyThe Blues BrothersRoy OrbisonMichael JacksonMadonnaNeil YoungCrosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFrankie Valli & The Four SeasonsU2SuedeSteely DanSupertrampTears for FearsSuper Furry AnimalsJames Dean BradfieldManic Street PreachersElvis PresleySqueezeBruce SpringsteenDusty SpringfieldJohn CaleBillie the Vision & The DancersBritney SpearsPatti SmithRamonesPixiesParamoreP!nkOrchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkMorrisseyCarole KingCarly SimonBilly JoelCarpentersBelinda CarlisleThe CureAnnie LennoxThe Jackson 5EurythmicsNick Cave and the Bad SeedsGreen DayCounting CrowsJamesDaphne & CelesteThe Dresden DollsThe Click FiveHellogoodbyeThe Beach Boys and Hairspray


Plus many more, I will add any new bands added to my stations here. The next 3 bands to be added will be The Everly BrothersBlur and The Band

Well, I omitted groups (any act that contains more than one person such as TLC), so it may not be accurate. Oh, and artists that appear twice (such as Shanice and Shanice Wilson) will only be counted once. With those things out of the way, it comes down to these 66 artists...

Miriam Makeba 03/04/32
Tina Turner 11/26/39
Ruth Pointer 03/19/46
Elton John 03/25/47
Stevie Nicks 05/26/48
Billy Joel 05/09/49
Stevie Wonder 05/13/50
Alexander O'Neal 11/15/53
Jermaine Jackson 12/11/54
La Toya Jackson 05/29/56
Stephanie Mills 03/22/57
Babyface 04/10/58
Prince 06/07/58
Madonna 08/16/58
Michael Jackson 08/29/58
Cherrelle 10/13/58
Jody Watley 01/30/59
Keith Sweat 07/22/61
Taylor Dayne 03/07/62
Robin S 04/27/62
Oleta Adams 05/04/62
Paula Abdul 06/19/62
Caron Wheeler 01/19/63
Vanessa Williams 03/18/63
Whitney Houston 08/09/63
Neneh Cherry 03/10/64
Pebbles 08/29/64
Karyn White 10/14/65
Lisa Stansfield 04/11/66
Janet Jackson 05/16/66
Johnny Gill 05/22/66
R. Kelly 01/08/67
Chanté Moore 02/17/67
Toni Braxton 10/07/67
Céline Dion 03/30/68
Ralph Tresvant 05/16/68
Bobby Brown 02/05/69
Cathy Dennis 03/25/69
Mariah Carey 03/27/70
Ginuwine 10/15/70
Diana King 11/08/70
Mary J. Blige 01/11/71
Erykah Badu 02/26/71
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes 05/27/71
Missy Elliott 07/01/71
Patra 01/22/72
Shanice 05/14/73
Lauryn Hill 05/25/75
Tracie Spencer 07/12/76
Tevin Campbell 11/12/76
Shakira 02/02/77
Usher 10/14/78
Aaliyah 01/16/79
Brandy 02/11/79
P!nk 09/08/79
Mya 10/10/79
Ashanti 10/13/80
Monica 10/24/80
Christina Aguilera 12/18/80
Beyoncé 09/04/81
Britney Spears 12/02/81
Ne-Yo 10/18/82
Dazario 10/28/82
Ciara 10/25/85
Red Simba 01/03/88
Rihanna 02/20/88

So to calculate the average age, (1) I copied the data into Excel, (2) highlighted all the dates, and then (3) I see my answer at the bottom tab. The average age of individual artists in my top 100 is 41. More specifically, the average birthdate is March 27, 1967 so Chanté Moore would be the closest to that date of birth. Also coincidentally, March 27 was the day I joined last.fm.

random fact: Miriam Makeba and Rihanna are the oldest and youngest artist on the list respectively and they are both actually tied at #90 with 84 plays.

breakdown by decade
1930s: 2
1940s: 4
1950s: 11
1960s: 21
1970s: 18
1980s: 10

Alice in Videoland ~ Radiosong
Alien Ant Farm ~ Smooth Criminal
Die Ärzte ~ Friedenspanzer
Barenaked Ladies ~ Why say anything nice
The Beach Boys ~ Kokomo
The Beatles ~ Please Mr Postman
Billy Joel ~ We didn´t start the Fire
The Black Lips ~ Off The Block
Bloodhound Gang ~ Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss
The BossHoss ~ Word Up
The Cure ~ Friday i´m in Love
Dog Eat Dog ~ Pull My Finger
Falco ~ Egoist
Fatboy Slim ~ Funk Soul Brother
Garbage ~ Sex is not the Enemy
The Gossip ~ Standing in the Way of Control