Great, unforgettable tracks from the past - part eight

A song written by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and which has at least four versions of the song, all released in 1970. The more well-known version of the song was created by Matthews Southern Comfort, a British country rock/folk rock band that was formed the same year the song was released. It is a song that is very easy to recognize due to its first 17 seconds setting the mood for the remaining 4 minutes and 12 seconds of the 4-minute and 29-second long song. A track that makes you listen to what is being sung, as well as the lovely slide guitar action happening.

Evoking themes of urban decay, deindustrialization, unemployment, and violence in inner cities, the song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as riots were occurring in British cities. Internal tensions within the band were also coming to a head when the single was being recorded, resulting in the song being the last single recorded by the original seven members of the group before splitting up. It is a song that has a certain haunting quality to it, yet it is filled with a great deal of playfulness and humor.

A song that has not only a haunting atmosphere but a march-like procession to it, like a Lit de parade procession, its video by Anton Corbijn captures that. It is not a happy song or a feel-good song. It is a deep, dark reflection on the hardship of life and the internal battle of pending abandonment. It is a fascinating song that simply grabs you as it refuses to let you go; it makes you want to put it on repeat. If you love it, you should watch the 2007 movie "Control," where it plays a large part.

The voice of Art Garfunkel can easily be one of the greatest voices ever in modern music. It is a voice that moves and captivates as well as tickles the tear canals in more ways than one, not only with this beautiful song from the 1978 British animated adventure drama film "Watership Down." The song was written, produced, and arranged by Mike Batt, a British songwriter, for Watership Down, with original director John Hubley requesting a song about death. The song was not only featured on the soundtrack of the movie but also on the Garfunkel album "Fate for Breakfast" (1979) as well as on the US version of the "Scissors Cut" (1981) album.

A powerful, fast-paced guitar-heavy fountain of energy, coupled with the wonderfully sensitive and surrendering vocals by Martina Topley-Bird, coupled with the band FTV, who are smashing their guitars and banging their drums on this one, and to great effect as well. What most people do not know is that this track (lyrically speaking) is essentially a cover of a song made by none other than Public Enemy called "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos"; their version is a bit different and not even remotely as energetic as the Tricky version. There is a very interesting long read on the website Sound on Sound about the making of this track that is recommended for those seeking a bit more.

It's no surprise that this track has been sampled repeatedly in modern dance music, and we all lovingly blame The Bucketheads (Kenny Dope Gonzales) and Victor Simonelli for that. Interestingly, it's actually a cover of Rufus & Chaka Khan's original with the same name, released a year before the Chicago version that came out in 1979, but with more beat, flair, and disco added, along with a much more impressive horn section than the original. The vocals by Peter Cetera are unmistakable, and that horn section is eye-wateringly good.

Listen to all the tracks.