Top 120 Songs Under 120 Seconds (ILM Poll #95)

Respect to the other 5 "Velocity Girl" voters for their discerning taste. A fully-realized song that just happens to end way earlier than you expect it to.

So, Stone Roses completely ripped off Velocity Girl, right? That was my first impression after listening

I love Velocity Girl but I also think Stone Roses have their own magic

https://i.imgur.com/kpGgcZ4.jpg
44. Pixies - Allison (1:17)
0.5625 points
8 votes

the sexiest frank black pic

xp for a second I was very confused and thought you were talking about the band Velocity Girl and not the song. did the band get their name from the song?

Yep!

I don't know if the Roses ever came out and said that they'd been inspired by 'Velocity Girl' for 'Made of Stone', but I've heard countless people comment on the similarity between the two over the years. Sounds obvious to me.

https://i.imgur.com/MuDPnHZ.jpg
43. The Castaways - Liar, Liar (1:50)
0.5670 points
9 votes (1)

love the guitar solo on allison

never heard this before, but I love that video

I mean the castaways

https://i.imgur.com/7zZSfvg.jpg
42. The Microphones - I Felt Your Shape (1:55)
0.5826 points
5 votes

no big deal but the version of Captain Beefheart's "Frownland" in the Spotify playlist is some weird bootleg version instead of the one from Trout Mask Replica

confused the hell out of me, which was pretty cool - I could not figure out what it was

also I am totally loving the playlist, thanks so much KM

isolating any song from the glow, pt 2 diminishes its power, but "i felt your shape" is one that still stands tall on its own

no big deal but the version of Captain Beefheart's "Frownland" in the Spotify playlist is some weird bootleg version instead of the one from Trout Mask Replica

oh shit, sorry! on spotify it's either that or another version from the Grow Fins comp. is that one closer to the Trout original?

https://i.imgur.com/hFNOrp8.jpg
41. David Lynch & Alan Splet - In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) (1:38)
0.5859 points
10 votes

xp hmm no those are both instrumentals and the Trout version has vocals and is 1:40 or so

chalk it up to a Spotify fail and carry on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9lpLm7jwQY

also HELL YES to "In Heaven"

thanks! i was talking trash on frownland upthread (or actually, in a baseball thread, because i posted there on accident yesterday), and it was all based on a weird version of it. d'oh. i will delete the instrumental version from the playlist

120 Sleater-Kinney - Little Mouth (1:45) 5 0.3036
119 Randy Newman - Dayton, Ohio - 1903 (1:53) 5 0.3042
118 James Brown - Think (from 'Live at the Apollo') (1:58) 5 0.3078
117 Beastie Boys - Flute Loop (1:55) 7 0.3126
116 Arthur Russell - Eli (1:56) 4 0.3141 1
115 Beck - Hollow Log (1:54) 4 0.3144
114 Neil Young - Till the Morning Comes (1:21) 6 0.3147
113 The Clash - Koka Kola (1:48) 5 0.3177
111 Minor Threat - Straight Edge (0:46) 5 0.3195
111 The Sea Nymphs - On the Dry Land (1:46) 3 0.3195
110 The Beach Boys - Caroline, No (a cappella, Pet Sounds, Disc 3) (1:54) 5 0.3237
109 The dB's - Big Brown Eyes (1:59) 6 0.3243
108 Boards of Canada - Olson (1:32) 5 0.3246
107 Liz Phair - Glory (1:30) 5 0.3258
106 Prince - I Wonder U (1:40) 6 0.3261
105 Elastica - Vaseline (1:20) 5 0.3285
104 Maurice Williams - Stay (1:34) 4 0.3288
103 Buddy Holly - Words of Love (1:56) 6 0.3297
102 Roxy Music - Tara (1:47) 5 0.3309
101 Minutemen - Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing (1:31) 5 0.3318
100 Fats Domino - Walking to New Orleans (1:58) 4 0.3342
99 Noname - Self (1:35) 4 0.3384
98 Cardiacs - Horsehead (1:21) 4 0.3411
97 The Beach Boys - Our Prayer (1:10) 5 0.3432
96 V/A - Knight Rider Theme (1:17) 5 0.3495
95 DEVO - Too Much Paranoias (1:57) 5 0.3549
94 Neutral Milk Hotel - Communist Daughter (1:57) 5 0.3573
92 Captain Beefheart - Frownland (1:39) 5 0.3672
92 Napalm Death - You Suffer (0:02) 8 0.3672
90 Hüsker Dü - Never Talking To You Again (1:41) 7 0.3675
90 Lizzy Mercier Descloux/Rosa Yemen - Rosa Vertov (1:48) 5 0.3675
89 Scott Walker - 30 Century Man (1:28) 5 0.3681
88 Raymond Scott - Lightworks (1:40) 5 0.369
87 Bikini Kill - In Accordance to Natural Law (0:28) 4 0.372 1
86 John Barry Orchestra - James Bond Theme (1:50) 8 0.3729
85 Roger Miller - Dang Me (1:51) 4 0.3816
84 John Lennon - Hold On (1:52) 6 0.3819
83 Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack (1:55) 5 0.3837
82 The Dicks - Dicks Hate the Police (1:58) 4 0.3855
81 Eddie Cochran - C'Mon Everybody (1:58) 6 0.3894
80 J Dilla - Stop (1:39) 4 0.3912
79 The Byrds - Time Between (1:54) 6 0.3939
78 Solange - Rise (1:42) 8 0.3999
77 Meat Puppets - Lake of Fire (1:57) 7 0.4002
76 Neil Young - Cripple Creek Ferry (1:33) 7 0.4086
75 Minutemen - Viet Nam (1:30) 5 0.4107
74 Dead Kennedys - Nazi Punks Fuck Off (0:58) 7 0.4155
73 Super Furry Animals - God! Show Me Magic (1:50) 6 0.4173
72 De La Soul - Transmitting Live from Mars (1:12) 7 0.4188
71 Sebadoh - License to Confuse (1:46) 7 0.4263
70 Daft Punk - Nightvision (1:44) 7 0.4281
69 The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside (1:49) 6 0.4419 1
68 Jorge Ben - Balanca Pema (1:29) 6 0.4455 1
67 Crass - Do They Owe Us A Living? (1:24) 9 0.4548
66 Kenickie - Come Out 2nite (1:58) 6 0.4572 1
65 Vince Guaraldi - Linus and Lucy (Lost Cues, Vol. 2 version) (1:20) 6 0.4614
64 The Undertones - Here Comes the Summer (1:43) 7 0.4806
63 Moondog - Lament 1 (1:45) 7 0.4809
62 Delia Derbyshire - Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO (1:44) 6 0.4827 1
61 Bill Wells & Maher Shalal Baz - Duck (1:05) 7 0.4836 1
60 Bjork - Frosti (1:41) 9 0.4878
59 Yo La Tengo - Return to Hot Chicken (1:40) 9 0.4899
58 Neil Young - Love in Mind (1:56) 7 0.4917
57 Guided by Voices - As We Go Up, We Go Down (1:37) 8 0.4983
56 Delfonics - Ready or Not Here I Come (1:59) 8 0.4995
55 Public Enemy - Show 'Em Whatcha Got (1:56) 7 0.5031 1
54 Belle & Sebastian - Simple Things (1:46) 7 0.5112
53 Vaselines - Molly's Lips (1:44) 9 0.5163
52 The Boo Radleys - Lazy Day (1:34) 7 0.5223
51 Minutemen - This Ain't No Picnic (1:58) 9 0.531
50 The Clash - White Riot (1:56) 9 0.5388
49 Paul McCartney - Junk (1:54) 8 0.5424
48 The Clean - Beatnik (1:57) 9 0.5457
47 Primal Scream - Velocity Girl (1:22) 6 0.5556 1
46 Cat Stevens - The Wind (1:42) 9 0.5574
45 Joao Gilberto - Desafinado (1:58) 7 0.5607
44 Pixies - Allison (1:17) 8 0.5625
43 Castaways - Liar, Liar (1:50) 9 0.567 1
42 The Microphones - I Felt Your Shape (1:55) 5 0.5826
41 David Lynch & Alan Splet - In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) (1:38) 10 0.5859

( can't even really imagine what's to come

Amusing progression in the number of votes there: 7 - 8 - 9 - 5 - 10. Microphones voters were clearly passionate. Pretty sure this is the first time I've heard them!

I felt your shape was my number 2. Elverum has a few songs that hit me like two tons of bricks, and I felt your shape is one of them

that track is great

is "In Heaven" the first track to get ten votes?

my first listen to "Ziwzih Ziwzih" and "Duck" = in heaven

:) I hope Delia D appears again. She was one very few acts to appear twice on my own ballot.

Thanks again, by the way, Karl Malone!

never have gotten into the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, guess I should

other thoughts on listening through the playlist:

I retract all criticism of "Show "em Whatcha Got", it's a perfect call to arms/statement of purpose and immediately makes me flash back to when the album came out and I bought it on cassette so I could listen to it on my boombox in the back seat of the car (with rechargeable batteries) while I delivered pizzas

I guess I really need to get a copy of Love Is Overtaking Me, it's the only Arthur Russel record I haven't gotten to yet

similarly, I need to dive into post-1967 Byrds

oh and "In Heaven" is the perfect closing track if any of you listen before tomorrow. it only takes two hours!

I just checked my ballot and somehow I didn't vote for 'In Heaven'. I definitely meant to but must have missed it when I was chopping around potentials. Balls. Also it's 5am and I really should go to sleep.

it's not really a track in the usual sense, but "Countdown To Armageddon" feels even more incendiary than "Show 'em Whathca Got"

Ready Or Not and Lazy Day placing were the highlights for me today. I'm enjoying the whole roll-out though. Wish I wasn't so busy at work so I could check out some of the songs I don't know. I'll be catching up with the playlist as soon as I can.

Aw hell I forgot to put the Microphones on my ballot! That one definitely would’ve placed highly for me.

A #1 vote for "Show 'Em Whatcha Got?"

― Chris L, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 5:36 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you forget that whiney posts to ilx ;)

yay on The Boo Radleys making the cut. "Lazy Day" is such a great way to open an album

?? my & wikipedia's copy opens with spaniard, lazy day is #13.

Typical, I go to sleep and two of my top 10 place.

In Heaven was my number 10. It's an extraordinarily beautiful and weird piece of music no matter the context. I've not even seen Eraserhead. Actually, Cardiacs kind of cover it at the end of one of their early albums, but they leave out the 'you got your good thing' refrain. The full version is really quite something.

Liar Liar was my number 9. It's one of those pieces of music that I think I've always known, so it was nice to put a name to the face. Endlessly evocative of some fictional halcyon time (the sixties) that I will never be able to visit. Except in song, obviously

I did a fully ranked ballot. Liar Liar scraped in at #50, nudging out Allison at #51, so it amuses me to see that order of precedence reflected here.

Allison is great but Trompe Le Monde was my vote

Loads more great stuff in yesterday's rollout, so many classic songs I had to leave off my ballot.

I first heard of 'In Heaven' through the Pixies version on their B-sides comp but you can't beat the original.

I love all three Neil Young songs here but I don't think the one I voted for will place given that it's an outtake from Harvest.

No real idea what will make the top 40 although we've not had any Wire yet so I'm assuming they'll show up.

I can think of two or three locks, but we still have 40 to go!

we may need a moment to consider one lock for the top

Checked back, and I didn't follow a strict one-song-per rule--I had a couple of repeat artists, including Neil Young. So I did have "Cripple Creek Ferry." "Liar, Liar" is either the greatest song on Lenny Kaye's Nuggets compilation, or one of the two or three greatest. I think it turns up in Something Wild. A few things I though for sure would make it haven't turned up yet, so--I may be way off here--I think a number of mine might land in the Top 40.

Close...There's a Debbie Harry cover of "Liar, Liar" in Demme's Married to the Mob. The original is in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Didn't think much of the movie, but I liked that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-qrTxvqV-Y

"Married to the Mob" soundtrack is awesome. For a time the only place to get Eno's cover of William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water."

and the original issue of Q. Lazzarus - Goodbye Horses

I think that whole movie's awesome. Underrated and underseen.

there has got to be some wire, some ramones, some beatles and some eno in the top 40, i'd guess.