Little Richard is the greatest vocalist in rock and roll history.  He is the man that was James Brown’s #1 influence, the man Paul McCartney copied, the man who first employed Jimi Hendrix, and the man that arguably started rock and roll with the second he let out his primal rock and roll roar for the first time.  Little Richard had the voice of a super-being out of a comic book.  His vocal chords were just blessed with the most perfect construction necessary to start a world wide revolution, and they did.  Oh yea, he also played a mean piano as you can see in the glorious video below.  Yea, this was an odd early 90s promo video for the John Goodman movie King Ralph, but God bless that movie for giving Little Richard another spotlight to elevate his classic hit “Good Golly Miss Molly,” to an absurd level of perfection.  He just tears the roof off, proving that even at an advanced age, he hadn’t lost a lick of talent.  Richard’s voice really was one of the most remarkable miracles in the history of music, and there is no one that can take away from him.  Watch the hell out of this video below and just try to find someone with a better voice.  It’s impossible.

Did you know “Piece of my Heart” was originally recorded by Aretha Franklin’s older sister Erma?  I didn’t even know Erma existed and had a music career.  Thanks Wikipedia.  Well, we all know Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company’s classic version.  The video I have below is the most hard rocking and punkiest take I’ve ever seen.  Janis and the boys deliver this one with some extra kick and funk, blasting it out for hard core blues addicts.  The tempo is super-charged, and the atmosphere is damned manic, I’ve never seen a Janis performance like this.  The next bonus song, “To Love Somebody,” is taken from the Dick Cavett Show in 1969.  This one is just a pure showcases for Janis’s unbelievable talent and energy.  It reminds you that Janis was, and remains, the greatest female rock vocalist, and in the overall top 5 of greatest rock vocalists ever.  I have her as #5.  I came out about this number extremely scientifically, having gone through the long process of spontaneously coming up with the concept as I’m writing this sentence.  This is bound to be fun, so stay tuned tomorrow and watch me pull #4 out of my ass.

How about that keyboard reflecting in Ray Charles’s sunglasses?  That’s rock and roll, or more specifically, the blues.  This legendary scene, from the “Blues Brothers” movie, is and irreplaceable document of blues rock awesomeness.  The Blues Brothers were a group formed by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, two SNL geniuses who loved the blues and came up with this brilliant concept for a Chicago based blues group.  The dark suits, hats, and shades are icons of TV and movie magic.  It’s just another example of the insane role that the likes of Aykroyd and Belushi were on in the late 70s/early 80s when it came to dominating the coolest ideas of global comedy.  The original Blues Brothers band consists mostly of the first SNL band, and they really cook.  It’s a reminder of how huge SNL was in the late 70s that even the band members got starring roles in a blockbuster feature film.  The movie, directed by hot 80s director John Landis, is a crazy car crashing romp of great music and fantastic dance sequences, evidenced below.  Check it out.

Now that my countdown is complete, I thought it’d be fun to look back at the whole list, organize it, link it up, and add a fresh comment or two for posterity’s sake.  So, without further ado, here it is, part 1 of my youtube countdown featuring the last 25 songs to appear on the list.

#100.  The Beatles, All You Need is Love – Is it my favorite Beatles song?  Not technically, but I think it’s their greatest triumph.  FYI, this video was originally in black and white until the art gurus at Apple colorized it based on photographs from the event.

#99.  The Beatles, Nowhere Man – The song that inspired me to become a Beatle slave, and a musician myself.  Fun fact, not many songs have a guitar solo after the first verse.

#98.  Tribalistas, Ja Se Namorar – 21st century island cool Brazilian pop at its finest.

#97.  Carl Perkins and Friends, Rockabilly School – One of the greatest TV concerts in rock and roll history.  Does anyone have a magic pair of blue suede shoes so I can travel back in time and be at this show?

#96.  Simon and Garfunkel, The Sounds of Silence –  You get to see S & G in all their young nerdy early 60s glory in this vid…Amazing. Read more »

Soul week comes to a close with part 87 of my ever expanding youtube countdown.  Today, I have my favorite Michael Jackson cut of all time, “Leave Me Alone,” from Bad. Released in 1987, “Leave Me Alone” was actually left off the American version of Bad, but was later added as a bonus track.  This, I’ll never understand.  It was clearly the best song from the session, representing a clear, concise, and true message from the King of Pop.  It’s basically his banner, more than “Billie Jean,” or “Beat It,” and he should have played it at every live show.  Actually, I don’t think he ever performed it live, which is a shame, because its the hardest rocking piece of funk MJ ever came up with.  The thing that grabs me most are first few seconds.  That 80s snyth keyboard intro is nothing less than hardcore 80s psychedelia.  In fact, this whole song is the closest Jackson ever got to psychedelia.  It’s a swirling, paranoid, personal, foray into his inner demons set to pop music, and it rules.  Anyway, enjoy the music video, which is also one of Jackson’s best.

Part 86 kicks your ass.  It’s soul week at williesimpson.com, and I got the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, in two incredible clips.  The first is a dancing lesson not meant for beginners.  It’s James in full 70s flair, just announcing steps and performing them with utter mastery.  I don’t know who this tape is supposed to help, outside his own potential backup dancers who were never in his league anyway.  It’s both really funny and truly spellbinding to see the master of dance just strut his magic.  Clip two is another rare clip of James performing his classic “Get Up Offa That Thing.”  This is a hard stomping dance funk explosion of a song.  I really believe James was the Mozart of funk and soul.  An artist without peer, a true genius plugged directly into God’s inspiration.  There is just no other explanation for his dazzling gifts.  So get up offa that thing folks, and dance till you feel better, and happy Friday.

Part 85 my soul people, back with more Marvin Gaye like I promised.  This time, its a special performance of “Sexual Healing,” sung live at the 1983 Grammys.  This was Marvin’s last worldwide smash hit, eventually peaking at #3 on the Billboard 100 after dominating the R&B charts.  There is a lot of tragedy and joy to be found in the creation of this record.  It’s a reflection of Marvin attempting  to embrace a healthier more peaceful life through sobriety, exercise, and uh..sex.  Sadly, just as he was in the midst of his triumphant comeback, he was gunned down by his father in one of the more bizarre rock and roll assassinations.  It reminds me a lot of John Lennon’s demise after he completed Double Fantasy. It’s really painful to think of the three icons; Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, and Bob Marley, all dying in the early 80s.  They left a tremendous void.  Anyway, this song was almost entirely produced by Marvin himself outside of the rhythm guitars.  It’s a true masterpiece that touched on elements of doo-wop, snythpop, reggae, funk and gospel.  This performance, a lot like the song, is a triumph.  Marvin reminds the music elite that he is an absolute God, taking them to school by defining what pop music is and can be.  RIP Marvin.

Soul week grooves on with part 84 of my youtube countdown.  Today I have Marvin Gaye, the Prince of Soul, singing “The National Anthem” at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.  For my money, this is the greatest National Anthem ever, slightly better than Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic Woodstock performance.  Marvin managed to turn the normally stuffy and militaristic anthem into a smooth soul jam complete with the most seductive beat and vocal delivery ever achieved for the song.  There is just too much to love about this video.  I love the way he sexualizes the song, driving every woman in the crowd absolutely crazy.  I love the way the NBA arena reflects off his large sunglasses.  Most of all, I love the way he squeezes all that emotion from his performance to the point where he looks like he is going to cry.  The most amazing feat of the song is that Marvin’s version somehow reflects the entire history of cultural cool that America has produced in its history, not just its military glory and political power.  It’s almost a personal anthem, reflecting Marvin’s sad yet sexy soul.  Whatever it is, its a pure wonder, and an essential listening experience.  Enjoy.  Oh, PS, expect more Marvin this week.

Happy Tuesday everybody, part 83 of my countdown is all about soul.  In fact the rest of the week is soul week here at williesimpson.com.  I officially kick things off with Al Green’s soulful classic, “Tired of Being Alone,” from his 1971 LP, Al Green Gets Next to You. This song is like a bridge from classic Motown pop to sophisticated 70s soul.  It features that familiar Motown sound with the syncopated brass and steady drumming, but is differentiated with less busy production that allows for Al’s voice to soar seductively in an emptier space.  It’s a work of genius.  This clip is a priceless rare performance of a young Al singing live in full 70s soul glam.  It’s Al in his utter prime which is kind of redundant because he has rarely been out of his prime in his sprawling hall of fame career.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for some classic Marvin Gaye.

I want you to “Get on the Good Foot” for part 54 of my youtube countdown with me and James Brown.  This is a rare clip of James in the 1970s absolutely ripping up the stage with his smoother than smooth smash, “Get on the Good Foot.”  His band is tight, his moves are unmatchable, and the energy is downright serious, almost as serious as his mustache.  Gotta love the moment at 1:50 when he gives a Black Power salute and everyone just shuts up until he starts jamming again.  Also, I’m mesmerized by the opening 3 seconds when you see James in the studio looking completely unsatisfied with whatever is going on.  You can tell what an insane perfectionist the man was, possessed with an all consuming desire to be the greatest ever.  My God, this is not to be missed.  Watch!