I’m feeling quaint today. That is, I’m in a bit of an 80’s way, which doesn’t exactly compute with my standard MO. Maybe it’s because anything 80’s is now at least 20 years old and that’s my watermark for feeling nostalgic.

I permed my hair, had two piercings in my left ear and wore short sleeve shirts rolled up to the shoulder, had a haircut like George Michael. I didn’t roll cigarettes into my sleeve — it was a little too James Dean for me — and that was not the look I was going for. (See above.)

Besides, I smoked Dunhills and the box hardly fit into my sleeves.

I drank too much, smoked too much dope, nearly destroyed my hearing from too much loud music in radio station studios, barrooms and headphones. I made a fool of myself over too many beautiful girls who thought I was, well, a fool. I spent $100,000 during that decade and made about $15.

Yeah, those were good old days.

Yes – Owner Of A Lonely Heart
The Rolling Stones – Start me Up
Roxy Music – Avalon
The Police – Bombs Away
Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
David Bowie – Cat People
Genesis – Throwing It All Away

Lately, Fusion 45 has been treated a little bit like a young tree in the corner of the backyard. Now going on 3 years old, it’s somewhat mature and strong but not yet ready to be left alone. Unfortunately, the bushes on the other side of the yard — i.e., my new job, the kid’s all-star baseball games, etc. — have taken up too much of my attention. So, today I’m back to “water the tree.” as it were, with a bold statement about the best songs by the Rolling Stones.

Even though much video of the Stones has been captured over the years, it wasn’t until Waiting On A Friend was plastered all over MTV 1981 that they truly stepped into the video age (though the truly atrocious Start Me Up video could be credited, as well). But it was the far more artsy narrative of Waiting On A Friend that stood. And let’s face it: the slinky, pseudo-reggae groove, the tightly-knit harmonies of Mick and Keef and ripping sax solo from Sonny Rollins — yes, Sonny Rollins! — makes it one of their great ones…certainly one of the best late-era Stones songs.

Sympathy For The Devil, overplayed though it may be, needs to be included on the list of their three best songs, simply because of its iconic place in rock history. Remember that it was released in late 1968, not too long before the Manson murders, perhaps the nadir of what were tumultuous times in our world. As penetrating as it was lyrically, if you look at their live performance of the tune in their movie, Rock And Roll Circus, they were decidedly aloof.

Widely considered one of the Stones great artistic achievements, Let It Bleed was the record that saw Brian Jones fading from the picture, with Mick Taylor edging his way into perspective. Though Midnight Rambler and You Can’t Always Get What You Want are pointed to as the songs indicative of the album’s creative genius, Monkey Man is a melding of the raw blues at the Stones roots, overlaid with the psychedelia of the 1960’s.

These are the three best songs by the Rolling Stones.

Rolling Stones – Waiting On A Friend
Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil
Rolling Stones – Monkey Man

I’m feeling quaint today. That is, I’m in a bit of an 80’s way, which doesn’t exactly compute with my standard MO. Maybe it’s because anything 80’s is now at least 20 years old and that’s my watermark for feeling nostalgic.

I permed my hair, had two piercings in my left ear and wore short sleeve shirts rolled up to the shoulder, had a haircut like George Michael. I didn’t roll cigarettes into my sleeve — it was a little too James Dean for me — and that was not the look I was going for (see above.)

Besides, I smoked Dunhills and the box hardly fit into my sleeves.

I drank too much, smoked too much dope, nearly destroyed my hearing from too much loud music in radio station studios, barrooms and headphones. I made a fool of myself over too many beautiful girls who thought I was, well, a fool. I spent $100,000 during that decade and made about $15.

Yeah, those were good old days.

Offered without prejudice:

Yes – Owner Of A Lonely Heart
The Rolling Stones – Start me Up
Roxy Music – Avalon
The Police – Bombs Away
Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
David Bowie – Cat People
Genesis – Throwing It All Away