Almost-Always

Put the right letters together and make a better day

The alphabet game was, for me at least, more fun than the 10-random-songs game. So even though I still haven't managed to check out all of the cool recommendations people made the last time through the alphabet, I'm starting this bit again.

(The idea here, generally, is an alphabetical list of songs from my iTunes collection. Feel free to compare and contrast with your own list from the same alphabetical range and to let me know, in comments, what's missing. The list below, for example, does not include "Alone," by Heart. You might point out this omission, thus potentially prompting an interesting discussion of the relative merits and demerits of early vs. later Heart, possibly getting someone who's heard it to chime in to let us know whether or not the new Ann Wilson collection of protest songs is any good. That sort of thing.)

"Almost Blue," Chet Baker
"Almost Blue," Elvis Costello*
"Almost Crimes," Broken Social Scene
"Almost Like Being in Love," Nat King Cole
"Alone," Jeffrey Gaines
"Alone," Susan Tedeschi
"Alone With You," Texas
"Alphabet Street," Prince
"Altar of Whatever," Huffamoose
"Always a Use," Madeleine Peyroux
"Always for You," The Album Leaf

* The video here is from Mrs. Costello. As close as I could find.

Comments

[Mark]

"Alone + Easy Target", Foo Fighters

[julia]

you asked for it.

Asleep at the Wheel The Wallflowers
Accentuate the Positive Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Ain't No Mountain High Enough Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell
Appalachian Stomp Bill Monroe & Blue Grass Boys
Away in a Manger Bing Crosby
Act Naturally Buck Owens
All I Have To Do Is Dream Everly Brothers
ABC Jackson 5
Ave Maria Jose Carreras/Mahalia Jackson
Ain't No Sunshine Otis Redding
A Christmas Carol Tom Lehrer
A Case of Coors Austin Lounge Lizards
Ain't No Sunshine Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
A Day In The Life Beatles
At Last Stevie Nicks
Another Nail for my Heart Squeeze
Almost Like Being In Love Sonny Rollins & the Modern Jazz Quartet
America Simon & Garfunkle
A Simple Desultory Phillipic Simon & Garfunkle
Afraid to Fall Josh Rouse
Amanda Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
A Teenager in Love Ricky Nelson
A Few Old Country Boys Around Randy Travis/George Jones
Arrangement in Black & White Dorothy Parker
After Apple-Picking Robert Frost
Are You Lonely for Me Baby Otis Redding/Carla Thomas
Ain't No Sunshine Neville Brothers
Angels Would Fall Melissa Etheridge
Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell
An Acceptable Level Of Ecstasy Lyle Lovett
A Kiss To Build A Dream On Louis Armstrong
Ain't No Sunshine Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy Kid Creole & the Coconuts
A Case Of You Joni Mitchell
All Along The Watchtower John Cougar Mellencamp
A Little Help From My Friends Joe Cocker
Another Somebody Done Somebody BJ Thomas
AND I LOVE YOU SO Harry Belafonte
Angelina Harry Belafonte
Alone Again (Naturally) Gilbert O'Sullivan
All Those Years Ago George Harrison
Atomic Dog (Orig) George Clinton & Parliament Fu
Aqua Boogie George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
All Right Now Free
Ain't No Woman Like The One I Temptations
Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Four Tops
Age of Aquarius Fifth Dimension
At Last Eva Cassidy
Ain't No Sunshine Eva Cassidy
A Tisket A Tasket Ella Fitzgerald
Angel of the Morning Dusty Springfield
All of Me Duke Ellington
A Bushel and a Peck Doris Day
Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) Doors
American Pie Don McLean
All She Wants To Do Is Dance Don Henley
Ain't No Mountain High Enough Diana Ross & The Supremes
And I Love Her Diana Krall
All Good De La Soul/Aretha Franklin
Afternoons and Coffeespoons Crash Test Dummies
A Night in Tunisia Charlie Parker
Anticipation Carly Simon
And I Love Her Bob Marley
And When I Die Blood Sweat & Tears
Angry Young Man Billy Joel
And So It Goes Billy Joel
Allentown Billy Joel
A Matter Of Trust Billy Joel
Ain't No Sunshine Bill Withers
After You've Gone Bessie Smith
A Mississippi Moan Bessie Smith/Muddy Waters
At This Moment Billy Vera & The Beaters
All I Know Art Garfunkle
All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) Andrews Sisters
All of My Life (Berlin) Andrea Marcovicci
African Drums Zakir Hussain
Ain't No Sunshine Al Green
Acoustic Alchemy Best of Smooth Jazz Guitar
Amazing Grace Aaron Neville

[wanderingoutlaw]

Gosh, julia, you covered a lot more than "almost" to "always"!

In this range, I only have two--Almost Blue (by Costello) and Alone (by Heart). That's the only Heart tune in my itunes collection and I have no opinion on anything to do with Heart.

[wintermute]

Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers
The Alternative Polka - Weird Al

[cjmr]

"All This Time", Sting/Police
"Ah, Lord God", recorded by Don Marsh
"America", Simon and Garfunkel
"At the Zoo", Simon and Garfunkel
"A Thousand Years", Sting
"Amazing Grace" and "Ave Maria in A minor", as recorded by Charlotte Church
"Along Comes a Woman", Chicago
"Anthem", Rush
"Angel's Flight", Shadowfax
"After the Thrill is Gone", Eagles
"Abide with Me", recorded by the St. Olaf choir
"As Long as You Follow", Fleetwood Mac
"All About Soul", Billy Joel
"An Innocent Man", Billy Joel
"And so it Goes", Billy Joel
"Allentown", Billy Joel
"All for Love", Rod Stewart
"All Four Seasons", Sting
"All Hail the Power"
"Awesome God" (instrumental), recorded by Don Marsh
"All Creatures of our God and King", recorded by Fernando Ortega
"Alive", Echelon
"Already Gone", Eagles
"All I Wanna do is Make Love to You", Heart
"Alone", Heart

Yeah, I have weird tastes in music.

[cjmr]

Oh wait, was I only supposed to do "alxxx" songs? I did all my "A"s.

[julia]

Oh dear. RTFM error. Sorry.

Look on the bright side. The list at work is a lot longer.

[Andrew Brown]

Alaric 's Premonition - Tom Constanten
Alcohol - The Kinks
Alibi - Elvis Costello
Alice Blue Gown - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Captain Beefheart & Alice i Blunderland - the Magic Band
Alien Invasion - Henry Kaiser And David Lindley
Alimony - Ry Cooder
Alio modo Fuga a 2 Clav - Academy of St Martins in the Fields under Neville Marriner
Alison - Elvis Costello & the Attractions (Live)
Alison Gross - Steeleye Span
All Along The Watchtower - Phil Lesh and Friends
All Along The Watchtower - Bob Dylan
All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
All Around My Hat - Steeleye Span
All around this world - John Kahn - Jerry Garcia
All Down the Line - Rolling Stones
All I Can Do - Hubert Sumlin
All I Got - Bert Jansch
All I Have To Offer You Is Me - Commander Cody And The Lost Planet Airmen
All I Really Want To Do - The Byrds
All I See - Linda Thompson
All My Life - Benny Goodman
All My Money Gone - Lee Green
All My Money Gone Blues - Roosevelt Sykes
All My Tears - Emmylou Harris
All My Whole Life - Magic Sam
All Night Long - Clifton Chenier
All Night Long - Magic Sam
All Night Long Blues - The Zen Tricksters
All of Me - Django Reinhardt
All Of You - Bill Evans (Take 2)
All of Your Might - Jay Farrar
All Our Past Times - The Band (With Eric Clapton)
All Over Now - Deadstring Brothers
All That You Dream - Paul Barrere And Fred Tackett
All Tomorrow's Parties - The Velvet Underground
All Too Soon - The Duke Ellington Orchestra
All Your Love - Magic Sam
Alla Danza Tedesca - Alban Berg Quartet (Allegro Assai)
Alla Marcia - Alban Berg Quartet , Assai Vivace
Alla Siciliana - Sonnerie
[thirty or more tracks labelled 'Allegro' and similar removed here]
Allemanda Partita No. 2, BWV 1004 - Morimur
Allez-Vous-en - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Alligator - Grateful Dead - >
Almost Gothic - Steely Dan
Almost Rosey - Tori Amos
Alone And Foresaken - Emmylou Harris with Mark Knopfler
Althea - Phil Lesh and Friends >
Always - Benny Goodman
Always Late - Jerry Garcia And David Grisman

[Theo]

Alone in a Crowd - Los Lobos
Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers
Always Wrong - the Neurotic Outsiders

[hapax]

ZOMG, cjmr, I desperately want your playlist. Except the Charlotte Church. She gives me the heebies.

[Chris Koeberle]

Just in between "Almost B..." and "Always F..." I have 47 tracks. The good ones:
"Alone", Dinosaur Jr.
"Alone in a Crowd", Catch 22
"Alpha Beta Parking Lot", Cake
"Alpine Way", Decoder Ring
"Alright", Baboon
"Alsatian Cousin", Morrissey
"Alternateen", Wally Pleasant
"Altruisme", Da Sound Industry

...I have two covers of "Always Crashing in the Same Car" and I don't have the original? Gah. Oh well, between the covers I prefer the Eleven Shadows version - it's actually quite nice.

[cjmr]

hapax, the Charlotte Church is more 'I want a recording of someone with the same voice range as me singing these so I can practice with it' than 'I want a recording of Charlotte Church singing'.

[he of many names]

Fred, are you saying that Diana Krall is in fact Mrs. McManus??? The lucky, lucky bastard!

[85% Duane]

"Alone", Heart.

Those Heart chicks are teh major hot. Discuss.

[Corinne]

Already Over Me - Rolling Stones
Always - Bon Jovi
Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson (x 3 different solo versions)
Always On My Mind, live - Willie Nelson, featuring Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora
Always Suffering - Rolling Stones

Despite appearances here, there really are more than 3 artists in my music collection...

[Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little]

"Almost Like Love," Yes, is now stuck in my head. It has the usual sort of 97% nonsensical Yes lyrics, and a beat that makes it absolutely impossible for me to resist singing along with them no matter how silly I feel making those words come out of my mouth. However, it must be said that "Making us laugh just like a Shakespeare revolution" is one of the coolest lines I have ever heard.

Re: Heart - I recall an interview in which one of the band members said--and this is of course a paraphrase--"When we were growing up, all the girls our age wanted to marry the Beatles. But what we wanted was to be the Beatles." Heart will always have a soft spot in my heart for that. Actually, not a soft spot. More of a "Yeah you right grrrl!" spot.

I've always wanted to play bass. Curse my tiny hands!

[Toby]

"All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands", along with everything else by Sufjan Stevens.

[Toby]

Oh, wait, that's not actually in the given range. Oops.

[hilker]

"Alpha and Omega," Boards of Canada
"Alpha Phase," Global Communication
"Alphabet Aerobics (Cut Chemist 2½ Minute Workout)," Blackalicious
"Always," Amon Tobin
"Always Returning," Brian Eno

[Paul]

"America Deceived" by E.A. Blayre III (banned from radio and bookstores).
Final link (before Google Books bends to gov't demands and censors the title):
America Deceived (Book)

[cjmr's husband]

And Paul loses the thread! But at least this time he's only one letter off. Assuming he was trying to sell a book-on-tape.

[cjmr's husband]

"Alone", Heart
"Along Comes Mary", The Association
"Along Comes Larry", by someone else
"Alternative Girlfriend", Barenaked Ladies
"Alternative Polka", Weird Al Yankovic

Not that I have much to add to everyone else's lists, but the BNL reference ought to generate better spam than Paul.

[hapax]

Well, I don't have much I'd particularly recommend in the designated range. But if we allow fudging a bit (a la Paul), I could suggest:

"All Around My Hat" Steeleye Span
"All Gall" Flanders & Swann
"Alma" Tom Lehrer
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" Monty Python
"Am I Alone and Unobserv'd?" The Lamplighters
"America" Simon & Garfunkel

[wintermute]

I have never heard America by Simon and Garfunkel, but I will wager that it is not a fraction as good as the Spinal Tap song of the same name.

[cjmr]

*must rip Tom Lehrer CDs* Thanks, hapax.

How many months now have we been having, "Final link (before Google Books bends to gov't demands", et. al. spam?

[cjmr's husband]

At a rough guess, since Amazon finally bent to gov't demands.

[Tonio]

"Always With Me, Always With You" - Joe Satriani

[wintermute]

How would Google censoring the title "America Deceived" prevent him from spamming people's blogs with the link? Maybe Fred should censor it instead...

[damnedyankee]

You suck, Paul. Your book sucks.

It wasn't censored. It SUCKS!

Back to the music...

[Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little]

Wintermute - Yes covered "America," too, wayyy back in their dawn years. It's jazzy. For some odd reason they omit the moon verse, though.

[patter]

"Already" Julie Payne (www.juliepayne.net)

[cminus]

Woo! My computer got unfutzed just in time for this game to begin again!

"Almost Gothic," Steely Dan
"Almost Ready," Dinosaur Jr.
"Almost Seems (Too Late To Turn)," Clannad
"Alone With You," The Outfield
"Alpha Beta Parking Lot," Cake
"Already Dead," Beck
"The Alternative Polka," Weird Al Yankovic
"Always," Mayfield Four
"Always On My Mind," Pet Shop Boys
"Always Something There To Remind Me," Naked Eyes
"Always The Sun" The Stranglers
"Always With Me, Always With You," Joe Satriani

Most recommended: The Stranglers. Also highly recommended: Steely Dan and Cake, plus Naked Eyes if you're feeling nostalgic for the 80s.

[cminus]

I have never heard America by Simon and Garfunkel, but I will wager that it is not a fraction as good as the Spinal Tap song of the same name.

I actually own both songs, and it turns out I gave them the same ranking.

Spinal Tap does lead on playcount, but only by one: 15-14.

[vanya]

"Alone & Forsaken" - the Mekons
"Alone Together" - the Strokes
"Along came Betty" - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers
"Als ich der versuchung wiederstand" - Die Sterne
"alternate route to Vulcan Street" - Super Furry animals
"Alto Songo" - Afro cuban All stars
"Always Late with your kisses" - Dwight Yoakam

I have yet another version of "America" - a John Fahey guitar instrumental. But I'm going to play by the rules and not go beyond alw.

[Todd Larason]

"Almost Blue by Ian Curtis", TISM
"Almost Full Moon", Enigma
"Almost Real", Rollins Band
"Almost Unreal", Roxette
"Alone Again With the Dawn Coming Up", KLF
"Alone in Kyoto", Air
"Alone", Heart
"Alone", Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
"Alone, and Yet Alive", D'Oyly Carte Opera Orchestra
"Along Comes Mary", Bloodhound Gang
"Along in the Sun and the Rain", Woody Guthrie
"Along the Way", Bad Religion
"Alpha Beta Parking Lot", Cake
"Alpha Surfari", Man or Astro-Man?
"Alphabet Town", Elliott Smith
"Already Met You", Superfine
"Alsatia's Lullaby", Julia Migenes & Hans Zimmer
"Alsatian Cousin", Morrissey
"Also Sprach Zarathustra", The Portsmouth Sinfonia
"Although Indigent, Rural Families Have Little to Say in the Matter, Third Rate
Public Education has Kept them Ignorant and Thus, Great Sources of Ridicule!", David Cross
"Altogether", Slowdive
"Aluminium", The White Stripes
"Always Alone", Johnny Cash
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", Monty Python
"Always See Your Face", Love
"Always Something There To Remind Me", Naked Eyes
"Always on My Mind", Pet Shop Boys
"Always", Erasure
"Always", Leonard Cohen

Nothing really stands out there right now, either positive or negative.

[Andrew Farrell]

Alpha Rats Nest - Mountain Goats
Alphabet Aerobics
Alphonse Mambo - Mountain Goats
Alright - Supergrass
Alright Hear This - The Beastie Boys
Alternate Route To Vulcan Street - Super Furry Animals
Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers (er, three times on different comps)
Aluminum - The White Stripes
Always On My Mind - Pet Shop Boys (has no-one got Elvis?)
Always Missing You - Merle Haggard

[Kitty]

This is ill. I have 12 songs beginning only with the word "All." In the AL to AM I have more than 50.

All Creatures of our God and King
All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, both of those from Joselin Grove Choral
All I have to do is dream -- Everly Brothers
All My Loving -- Beatles
All of Me -- Frank Sinatra singing
All of You -- Ella Fitzgerald (Those two are ripe for a mash-up)
All she wants to do is rock - Wynonnie Harris
All summer long -- Beach Boys
All things bright and beautiful (two versions -- King's College Cambridge and Mormon Tabernacle Choir
All through the night -- Sinatra
All we like sheep have gone astray -- Ormandy + Mormon Tabernacle "Messiah"
All you need is love -- Beatles.

Please, please don't every use the letter S. There are more than 150 songs on that one.

[clay]

Almost - Sarah Harmer
Almost Blue - Elvis Costello
Almost Blue - Elvis Costello
Almost Blue - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Almost Blue (Live In Sydney) - Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Almost Crimes - Broken Social Scene
Almost Home - Hem
Almost Ideal Eyes - Elvis Costello
Almost Ideal Eyes - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Almost In Love - Dolly Parton
Almost True - Yo La Tengo
Alone - Bee Gees
Alone - The Freddy Jones Band
Alone - Susan Tedeschi
Alone Again Or - Love
Alone Again Or (Alternate Mix) - Love
Alone And Forsaken - Neko Case
Alone And Forsaken - Neko Case
Alone But Not Lonely - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Alone Down There - Modest Mouse
Along Came Bialy - Producers Soundtrack
Along For The Ride - Mates Of State
Alphabet Lost And Found - They Might Be Giants
Alphabet Of Nations - They Might Be Giants
Already Dead - Beck
Already One - Neil Young
Alright For Now - Tom Petty
Altar Boy - Rickie Lee Jones
Alternative To Love - Brendan Benson
Aluminum - The White Stripes
Always - Rilo Kiley
Always - U2
Always Friends - Grant-Lee Phillips
Always Something - Yo La Tengo
Always The Same, Always The Best - Robinella And The CC Stringband

Repeats are live versions.

Items of interest that people may not be aware of:

Hem is an excellent band that makes the most beautiful music in the world. Mates of State are very, very catchy. Love is over-rated. (Yeah, I said it.) It's interesting that Brandon Benson ended up next to the White Stripes, because he and Jack White formed the Raconteurs together.

Actually, while some of these particular songs are betther than others, I could safely recommend any group on here. Even the Bee Gees.

[Josh D]

Aloha Oe - Elvis Presley
Along the Wall - Leigh Nash
Always Gonna Get Ya - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

[Andrew Farrell]

I have 12 songs beginning only with the word "All."

Yeah, but how many do you have between "Almost" and "Always"? :)

[the opoponax]

Boo. I don't have anything between almost and always, except for two songs that begin with "always" --

Always Frank - Kevin Blechdom

and

Always on My Mind - 2 renditions of this, one by Willie Nelson alone, and one a duet between Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.

I do have LOTS of "All", though. Too bad you guys missed out, eh?

[the opoponax]

Some of yall need a serious course in either spelling or alphabetization.

ALL comes before ALMOST, and thus is not in range, at all, period. I have a lot of songs that begin with "All", too. But I didn't mention any of them, because they come before Almost.

And, yeah, "America" is the next song in my library after "Always on My Mind". Such a good song.

[Linkmeister]

Hard to believe, but of 908 songs I have only one which fits within the prescribed range:

"Almost Like Being In Love" performed by Marion Bell & David Brooks, from Brigadoon.

[Nick Lamb]

Notably...

Alone Again With The Dawn Coming Up from "Chill Out" by the KLF
Aluminum or Glass: The Memo from "Dispepsi" by Negativland

“Would an advertising executive understand where the homeless live
Would he know about the bubbles in his glass
Would the bubbles in his glass understand what the man's golf cart is
Do they know you can die frozen underneath an overpass?”

(and, stretching the point)
Alwayz into somethin' by N.W.A

[Ian Mathers]

Alms - The Futureheads
Alone - Low
Alone in the Make-Out Room - The Broken Family Band
Already - Nik Kershaw
Already There - The Verve
Always - Blink-182
Always - Flying Saucer Attack
Always After You ('Til You Started After Me) - The Walkman
Always Be Closing - Readymade
Always Coming Back to You - Atmosphere
Always Right - Mojave 3

[Jon H]

Almost In Love - Dolly Parton (before iTunes bends to gov't demands and censors the title)

[borealys]

Almost - Sarah Harmer
Alright - Kinnie Starr
Aluminum - Barenaked Ladies

All fine songs. All Canadian, too. Heh.

[Joellen Chang]

chloronitrate observingly stylonurus aboundingly rickstick ravendom epicyte dermatoneural
David K. Miller, D.C.
http://www.house.gov/etheridge/