So, I could not in good faith start a series of “Top 5s” without paying omage to the movie (and to a far lesser extent, the book) that inspired me, High Fidelity. For those of you unaware, John Cusack’s character, Rob, often likes to categorize life into tidy Top 5 lists. Anyone who has attempted their own lists, has inevitably come to the conclusion that the list is never tidy, and never complete.
However, it is a fun exercise, and it does reflect how you are feeling at any given moment. Some lists are ever-changing; they are a day-to-day evolution, with no true final answer. For instance, while my Top 3 favorite movies rarely ever change, 4 and 5 frequently do.
Qualifications:
- The song must be the first from a full-length LP. This means no EPs, singles, second-side first tracks, or first tracks from the second disk from a double LP.
- The song should make you excited to listen to the rest of the album, so it can’t just be a great song on an otherwise crap album. Basically, you shouldn’t want to put the album away, after listening to a very distinct high point, right at the beginning. (This is the “don’t climax too quickly rule”).
The List
- “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces” Whatever and Ever, Amen, Ben Folds Five: When I first bought this album in high school, this was immediately one of my favorite tracks. In fact, it was one of only a few tracks I really enjoyed upon first listen. However, years later, it remains one of my favorite tracks by Ben Folds and Whatever and Ever, Amen is easily my favorite album of either Ben Folds Five, or Ben Folds. Over the course of several years, the other tracks found their way into my heart, one-by-one, but they never replaced my first love off the album.
- “Safe European Home” Give ’em Enough Rope, The Clash: In High Fidelity, rob lists “Janie Jones” from the Clash’s debut album in his Top 5 Side 1s Track 1s. However, I always thought their follow-up album, Give ’em Enough Rope was a much better listen, albeit, not as “ground-breaking” or influential. It’s not my favorite Clash album, but I think it’s way underrated, and I love this first track. “Safe European Home” is a powerful number to kick off an equally powerful album. The incorporation of fast-paced ska and reggae rhythms were a signature for the group throughout their career, and especially so on this track.
- “Stacked Actors” There is Nothing Left to Lose, Foo Fighters: To paraphrase those mildly-amusing Dos XX ads, “I don’t often listen to the Foo Fighers, but when I do, it’s this album.” There are very few weak points on this album, which makes “Stacked Actors” that much better. Or rather, it’s one of the best songs on their best album. The song starts off pretty hard, but it’s just a tease, as it continually takes you through fast paced peaks, and slow, melodic lows.
- “Next to You” Outlandos d’ Amour, The Police: Like the aforementioned Clash, The Police started as a punk band and ended their careers as much, much more. Unlike the Clash, their debut is not so much seen as their masterpiece as much as it is “just another album.” Once again, I strongly disagree with the critics, and enjoy hearing the beginning stages of their musical evolution from punk-band to 80s pop-rock icons. “Next to You” is one of their fastest paced songs, and a real ass-kicker. While the album itself has some gapping holes (most of Side 2, for instance), it also has some great tracks, including “Roxanne,” a song that barely cracked the Top 40, but has become one of the band’s most recognizable hits.
- “Jacqueline” Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand: While their big hit, “Take Me Out,” may never be replicated by the band, Jacqueline is the epitome of what Franz Ferdinand is about. It’s sexy, seductive, playful, and at the end of the day, rocks your socks off.