My favorite Pink Floyd song is Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun. It’s neither a Syd Barratt tune or one from one of their huge albums, but I love it to bits. It’s just so enigmatic and mysterious, I play it to death.
Who else here has an odd choice for favorite song by a major band?
Moose the Mooche says
For years my favourite Pink Floyd song was Fat Old Sun. Partly, I must admit, because I had no knowledge that anybody else liked it.
Gilmour brought it back from the dead in 2006 in his live shows. Bless him.
Paul Wad says
My favourite Floyd song has always been Comfortably Numb, so it has really irked me that it’s become so ubiquitous over the past few years, which is, of course, my right as a music snob. Until a few years ago yer average person in the street would have known exactly one song by Pink Floyd.
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey is my favourite song by The Beatles, although my favourite Beatles song has changed many times over the past 35 years. It’s been this one for a few years now though. Sounds fantastic loud.
On a similar theme, my brother-in-law has long found it odd that Zooropa is my favourite U2 album, but I just find the others a tad dull.
Iain McKinney says
I was so looking forward to telling you all that EGSTHEFMAMM was my favourite HJH song! I thought I was the only one!
Four Sticks is my favourite Led Zeppelin tune, mind you.
Mousey says
Well my favourite Floyd song is Bike, when it really should be Arnold Layne or See Emily Play.
My favourite Rolling Stones song is She’s A Rainbow
Tiggerlion says
Almost.
The Rolling Stones – The Lantern
Rigid Digit says
A mix of contrariness and snobbery:
Beatles: Night Before
Stones: Mixed Emotions
Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition
Alice Cooper: Pain
Queen: Keep Yourself Alive
My favourite Led Zeppelin track at the moment varies between Achilles Last Stand (from Presence) and Wearing and Tearing (from Coda)
(I know it may not have “fitted”, but it would’ve markedly improved the experience of In Through The Out Door)
Sitheref2409 says
You are correct on Queen. My fave as well.
Douglas says
Norwegian Black Metallurgists 1349 do a stonking version of Set The Controls – not on YouTube but you can give the platter a spin on Spotify.
These are my favourite tracks by specific artists:
– Jesus & Marychain – their cover of Ambition
– Abba – That’s Me
– Hendrix – live version of Killing Floor
fitterstoke says
Stones: Jigsaw Puzzle
Led Zeppelin: current favourite is actually Tea for One, which I still maintain contains Pagey’s best recorded slow blues solo – although sometimes it’s Achilles Last Stand (as per Mr Digit above) – I’ve never quite understood why Presence is so undervalued….
Favourite Pink Floyd is too obvious to fit with the O.P. (Echoes)
Here’s one to knock them back on their heels – my favourite Soft Machine toon is Nettle Bed from “7”……gasps around the room….
Mousey says
I LOVE Nettle Bed!
(note to self – must FINALLY work out how to play that riff sometime)
fitterstoke says
At one point back in the day, I had a Shergold six-string bass & many hours were spent trying to get the riff up to speed….
DougieJ says
at the risk of being contrarian in a thread about contrarianism, something that I find tiresome is this constant need to pick sides or pick The Best.
Don’t get me wrong, when I became an avid NME reader in the early 80s I used to pore over their periodical Best Albums of All Time etc with an unhealthy devotion. I came to notice, for example, that Revolver or The White Album used to rate higher in the list than Sgt. Pepper. That, I think, was primarily fashion – in the early-mid 80s, at least in an indie mindset, there was naturally more of a focus on canonical material that could be seen as being the progenitors of the current zeitgest, while Pepper was seen as representing the birth of prog and ‘Big Rock’.
In recent years, and particularly with its recent anniversary, Pepper has come to be seen in a much more nuanced way (e.g. it is not the fable of pixies and goblins of some people’s imagination but in fact contains a great deal of gritty 60s kitchen sink social commentary), and is probably, as things stand, again seen as the fabs’ artistic pinnacle.
But does that mean that I have to declare Pepper ‘superior’ to all other releases by the Beatles and rivals? No. Just different, in a wonderful way.
fitterstoke says
Know what you mean….smacks a bit of the NME at its most Stalinist (you can like this but you can’t like that…)
But if yer favourites are genuine, then arguably, they are not “contrarian”….For example, I didn’t choose Jigsaw Puzzle to wind anyone up, or to show off my arcane knowledge….just happen to love the slide playing….
DougieJ says
Very fair point, and it’s one I’d wholeheartedly endorse. What works, works, whether it is from a favoured genre or artist or not.
Tiggerlion says
Can – Mother Sky
Markg says
Vince Black says
With you 100% on Purple Heather, which is particularly contrarian as it’s not a Van composition. I love it, especially the string arrangement and the fab piano solo
Tony Japanese says
My current mood at the moment –
Beatles – You’re Going To Lose That Girl
Rolling Stones – Mother’s Little Helper
Pink Floyd – Time
Rigid Digit says
Bruce Springsteen
Brilliant Disguise
or
Girls In Their Summer Clothes
(Do I have to choose one?)
Freddy Steady says
@rigid-digit
Good call on “Girls in their summer clothes.” Makes me feel sad, that track.
Markg says
I always thought that Brilliant Disguise was great…gonna post E Costello version up in case it’s fallen off radars!
Markg says
Black Celebration says
I know it’s a bit contrarian-by-numbers of me but my god – Tomorrow Never Knows is an amazing track. Over the years I have tended to skip over it. Hear it now and it’s not twee and 60s-ish – it’s timeless.
Markg says
I thought for years that was a Phil Collins track!
DrJ says
Favourite U2 song is Numb.
Favourite Radiohead song is Let Down
Favourite R.E.M. song is Daysleeper
Tony Japanese says
Definitely agree with your Radiohead choice. It’s the vocals towards the end that do it for me.
ganglesprocket says
With you on Let Down. I swither between that and Lucky…
Moose the Mooche says
I bet you had the Help album. I did and Lucky was almost the only decent thing on it.
Mind you, it was for charidee.
Milkybarnick says
Oooh, Lucky is probably mine too. That or Black Star.
seanioio says
Another up for Let Down, it is an outstanding track & the high point of what is a top notch album. I have never found anyone else who agreed but now I can see 3 of you! Great stuff! 🙂
Leicester Bangs says
Radiohead — Talk Show Host
Iron Maiden — Flash Of The Blade
SteveT says
My favourite Costello songs are almost certainly contrarian. Satellite and Miss Macbeth from Spike,
All Grown up and After the Fall from Mighty Like a Rose and Still from North.
For Richard Thompson I would choose Turning of the Tide.
For the Beatles Two of Us.
DogFacedBoy says
No-one likes anything from North except Still
duco01 says
My copy of North had a free 3-track DVD on it, which contained the title track, “North”, which wasn’t on the CD, and is easily my favourite track on that (expanded) album.
Podicle says
For groups I’m into my choices aren’t particularly contrarian:
Beatles: Rain
Stones: Sway, or Torn and Frayed
Who: Love Ain’t for keeping
Zep: Archilles, or Bron Y Aur
Hendrix: Axis Bold as Love
It’s songs I like by artists I don’t particularly know that can be a bit more unusual, e.g
U2: Thrill Me Hold Me etc
Lando Cakes says
For Pink Floyd, Green is the Colour. It’s just blooming lovely.
DrJ says
On a similar vibe: the older I get, the more I feel that Wot’s…Uh The Deal is my favourite Floyd song.
Gary says
Quite rightly so.
Hawkfall says
My favourite Motown song is by a white guy – There’s a Ghost in my House by R Dean Taylor.
I know.
Milkybarnick says
It’s a tremendous record – the cover by the Fall isn’t bad either (although I did hear Tony Blackburn cut it off during Pick of the Pops a few years back).
John Walters says
Beatles – Don’t let me down
The Four Seasons – The Night
Neil Young – Old Man
Beach Boys – Sail on Sailor
Animals – Sky Pilot
Tull – Locomotive Breath
Fleetwood Mac – Need Your Love So Bad
deramdaze says
It’s good to be contrarian, otherwise you’re just Tony Blackburn playing the same 50 songs you’ve played for 50 years.
“Anyone For Tennis” – The Cream
“I Don’t Believe You” – Bob Dylan
“This Is Where I Belong” – The Kinks
“The Inner Light” – The Beatles
“Scene Through the Eye of a Lens” – The Family
“Dogs” – The Who
“Tally Man” – Jeff Beck
“Yes, The River Knows” – The Doors
mikethep says
Not Pressed Rat and Warthog?
Bartleby says
Dogs is marvellous
Markg says
seanioio says
A few;
Radiohead – Let Down
As mentioned above this is a standout track on a wonderful album
The Beatles / HJH – Don’t Bother Me
It’s just great!
Madonna – Gone
The route I always wish she would take. Grow old gracefully Madge. Please
New Order – Your Silent Face
Them at their best IMHO
Oasis – Rockin’ Chair
All of their best tracks are b-sides
Bob Dylan – Farewell Angelina
Always the track I go to with him
Dexys Midnight Runners – Plan B
Just brilliant
Pet Shop Boys – Can You Forgive Her
It is a popular one but never made a best of etc.
R.E.M. – Make It All Okay
I still think Around The Sun is a strong album – it has some fantastic tracks on it.
Baron Counterpane says
No one has nailed truly contrarian until someone tells us their favourite Clash song is [insert name of any track from Cut The Crap other than This Is England].
duco01 says
I count myself as a Clash fan, but I’ve never actually heard “Cut the Crap”. This is because I’ve always assumed that it’s a stinker. Not just a regular common or garden stinker, either. But a huge stinker. Imagine if King Kong and Godzilla had a high-intensity farting competition in your back garden, right? Well, THAT much of a stinker.
Wheldrake says
Springsteen – Thunder Road (piano version from Live 75-85)