“Pleasant Street / You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (live 1968) – Tim Buckley

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Talk about intense. From the posthumously released live album “Dream Letter: Live in London 1968,” Tim Buckley could go from a whisper to a scream at the drop of a pin. A great acoustic performance of an already great song that segues into a Supremes song at the end. Most of the people from my generation are more familiar with Tim’s son Jeff, who like his father, died tragically at a young age.

FYI – Buckley was director Hal Ashby’s first choice to play Woody Guthrie in “Bound for Glory,” until Buckley died of a heroin overdose in 1975. David Carradine did a fine job, but I always wonder what Buckley would have done in the role. Ashby paid tribute to Buckley by using Buckley’s “Once I Was” during Bruce Dern’s suicide scene in “Coming Home.”

“Mercy” – Wire

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The sound of paranoia and imminent dread … Kind of what Black Sabbath would’ve sounded like had they gone to grad school and worried about writing their theses … OK, it’s actually better than that.  I always thought this would be great to use in a film where the lead character gradually realizes they are in a world of s–t they can’t get out of.

“Dragula” – Rob Zombie

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Always liked Rob Zombie. When he was still doing music, he reminded me a lot of Alice Cooper. Like Cooper, Zombie knew how to wrap his metal and psychotronic film obsessions around a catchy beat and pop sensibility. Zombie also has a sense of humor and humility which seems to have eluded other Cooper-wannabes . For a while, Zombie’s film directing career was pretty interesting (“The Devils Rejects”) until he started making “Halloween” remakes.

“The Devil Came from Kansas” – Procol Harum

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO_NSWFmEdc

From Procol Harum’s eternally awesome album “A Salty Dog,” comes this terrific psychedelic blues classic.  I love the multi-layered vocals drizzled over the acid-drenched lead guitars.  I realize “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (and, on occasion, “Conquistador”) are the Procol Harum songs of choice on classic rock radio, they really are a band that’s worth exploring in greater detail.

“Oh Well” – Fleetwood Mac

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There was a time in the late 1960s when people turned to Fleetwood Mac because they thought the Rolling Stones were too pop (yes, this was during the “Beggar’s Banquet” / “Let it Bleed” years). Of course, this is ironic, considering that Fleetwood Mac achieved their biggest success by embracing pop in the mid-late 1970s. While “Rumours” is one of the deservedly massively popular albums of all time, I really dig their early blues-purist roots. This is Fleetwood Mac, pre-Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham/Christine Mcvie. Great hard-edged British blues.

“Oh Virginia” – John Phillips

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As much as I believe John Phillips should be roasting in hell right now, this is a beautiful song. And yes, that is Keith Richards playing guitar and singing backup.  From Phillips’ posthumously released “Pay, Pack, and Follow,” an album that was intended to be released on the Rolling Stones’ record label in the late 1970s.

“The Killing Moon” – Echo and the Bunnymen

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I resisted this band for several years solely based on their stupid name. With the exception of Monty Python (in VERY small doses) and Spike Jonze’s “Being John Malkovich,” I’m fairly resistant to whimsy. However, this is easily one of my favorite 100 songs of all time. This is one of the most awesomely majestic melancholy songs of all time.  A song reminiscent (and ultimately better) than the Zombie’s “Time of the Season.”  A total freakin’ classic!

“The Beast in Me” – Nick Lowe

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A haunting and gorgeous original by Nick Lowe. Lowe’s ex-father-in-law Johnny Cash’s cover is probably the most famous version of this song, but there’s something I find a lot more compelling about this one. Was used to great effect on an episode of “The Sopranos.”

“Ha Ha Ha” – Flipper

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJCKwqyR7KY

The San Francisco punk legends once spraypainted on their tourbus: “Flipper suffered for their music, now it’s your turn.” Well said … except for the fact that I love Flipper. If anyone knows where I can track down their legendary cover of Rick James’s “Super Freak,” you’ll be my new best friend.

“Celebrity Skin” – Hole

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Courtney Love has gotten an incredibly bad rap over the years. No matter what her association with Kurt Cobain (personal, professional, or otherwise), she’s a terrific artist in her own right and this song is proof positive of this.  A wonderful “f–k you” to everyone who thought she was riding in on the coattails of Cobain.  Love, love, love this song!!!!