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The MonaLisa Twins Anthology- You pick the songs!
Okay- let’s say the Twins asked you to select the songs for a “Best of” Anthology CD. To simplify, let’s say you get to pick 20 songs- 10 covers and 10 originals. You are also in charge of placing the songs in order from start to finish. Please share your selections!
I will be looking forward to putting everybody’s selections into my music player’s playlist and giving it a listen. Of course, with 92 quality songs (on the jukebox page it says 94- but I think I caught the Twins in a rare mistake) it’s impossible to make a bad list. What do you feel like would be the very best selections?
Here are mine:
1) Still a Friend of Mine
2) Revolution
3) While My Guitar Gently Weeps
4) God Only Knows
5) Club 27
6) Close to You
7) Time of the Season
8) Morning Has Broken
9) California Dreaming
10) The Wide, Wide Land
11) This Boy is Mine
12) Once Upon a Time
13) Bus Stop
14) Two of Us
15) This Boy
16) That’s Life
17) Count on Me
18) If I Fell
19) You Really Got Me
20) In It for Love3 Bonus Selections:
21) White Room
22) Won’t You Listen Now
23) Twist & Shout78 minutes and 24 seconds for an 80 minute CD
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15 Replies
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A nice pick Tim. Wouldn’t go astray in any jukebox rotation. Personally I’d find it very difficult to make my picks. Too much of a perfectionist and would suffer anxiety issues worried I’d left out something very important to me or included something I subsequently considered not worthy of my first twenty. I guess the problem here is they are all worthy of a top 20 pick as the Twins have no filler in ther albums. We get top quality every time with them.
However, I’ll give it a day or two and do my best. In the meantime your selection will have to do as my best as I don’t know what to leave out to include something else at this stage. As it is an anthology, does this mean it’s a double album and consequently we could squeeze in 24 picks? As it stands, my pick would have to start with ‘Still a Friend of Mine’ and number two ‘You’re Going to Lose That Girl’. That’s the best I can do for now.
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Actually- the 23 songs I placed will fit on a single CD. If you make it a double CD you can get an additional 20 songs. The 10 song, 35 minutes of music standard was created for vinyl. With CDs you can get many more minutes of music. On the Beatles 1, which was made for CD, there are 27 songs. Of course from the artist’s standpoint, writing and recording more than 12 songs is too time consuming and costly. But for an anthology- let’s use all the space we have!
I listened to my selections via the music player app I have on my phone and was amazed at how well the originals played beside the covers. This is a fantastic CD and showcases the Twins originals in a way that really brings them out! My wife listened to it this morning on her way to work and thinks it’s a great for helping fans to appreciate their great originals. She said that she has a greater appreciation for their work though listening to it like this. -
If I did one my list would certainly include Hotel California. Since everything I have is on my iPod, I put them all in one playlist and hit random. Then I’m surprised when the next song plays since I don’t know what it’s going to be. That’s my preference because as far as I’m concerned they’re all the very best selections.
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Hey Steve,
I also love Hotel California! Hard to believe they were only 14 when they recorded that. I think The Commissioner is one of the most incredible songs in their catalog. It has fabulous energy but it isn’t representative of their music- that’s why I didn’t include it. I think Hotel California fits into the same category- fantastic song but a mid 70’s classic and they’ve since focused on the 60’s. That’s why I left it off.
That’s what I was thinking but who knows- my thinking could be all wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.
There was a CD released in 2000 called Beatles 1 that included all 27 songs on one CD that reached #1 in either the US or England. I looked at that list of songs and didn’t see Strawberry Fields Forever, I am the Walrus or Across the Universe and didn’t think about it again for 15 years. In the meantime it sold 31 million records worldwide and it did it all without my support or blessings. The nerve of that record!
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I’m with you on your criteria for your anthology Tim. It would probably leave enough material for a best of ‘and others’ type CD. There are numbers from their 2007 concert that would be suitable, plus recordings like ‘Hotel California’ as you have mentioned.
It seems untenable that the double A-Sided ‘Strawberry Fields’ and ‘Penny Lane’ only reached #2, beaten to first place by Engelbert Humperdinck’s ‘Release Me’. It also seems unpardonable that this double A-Side was the first Beatle’s release to not reach #1 in the UK in four years. Penny Lane is included in the Bearle’s number #1 album presumably because it was number 1 in the US for a week. Very strange!
As for ‘Across the Universe’, John wanted it released as a single but the group opted for ‘Lady Madonna’ instead. ‘Across the Universe’ was consequently given to the Wildlife Fund of Great Britain by John for release on a charity album in 1969. The Phil Spector overdubbed version wasn’t released until 1970, on the ‘Let it Be’ album. Of course John wasn’t happy with what others were doing with his material. The same goes for ‘Strawberry Fields’ which John identified as his highest achievement as a member of the Beatles. I must admit it has always been one of my all time Beatles favourites and so easily transports me back to so many enjoyable periods of my youth.
It’s a great pity that such a talent was so tragically taken away from us in 1980!
We are fortunate indeed that MLT have chosen the path they have, and in the process may have sacrificed easy fame and fortune to maintain their artistic integrity. We know that with the backing they have from the super star Papa Rudi and the caring and supportive Michaela, we will always get to appreciate their music the way they intended it. We can also assist them achieve their very positive vision through our support of the MLT Club.
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Howard- thanks for the wonderful history lesson regarding Across the Universe. I think at some point I knew much of that but it all seems fresh and new the way you tell it. You have a great gift for conveying a lot of information in a few short paragraphs.
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Tim – This would be a daunting task to say the least. I’m not sure I could improve much on your list. Suffice to say I’d buy this immediately. I might slide ‘You’re Going To Lose That Girl’ into one of the bonus slots. It was my You Tube initiation into MLT World. Other than that I’d be fine with yours.
Seattle Bob
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01- No More Worries Company
02- One More Time
03- Bus Stop
04- Close To You
05- The Wide, Wide Land
06- God Only Knows
07- I Don’t Know Birds That Well
08- In It For Love
09- Two Of Us
10- All About Falling in Love
11- Count On Me
12- Wonderful Tonight
13- When We’re Together
14- Won’t You Listen Now
15- Sweet Lorraine
16- In My Life
17- Club 27
18- Still A Friend of Mine
19- Knocking On Heaven’s Door
20- Ain’t No Sunshine
Running Time: 72 minutes
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Oh Lordy…. Welps… This is too difficult .. I place them all as Equals… Can’t rightfully choose but I’d go for a boxset of All of the songs…. ????????????????????????????????❤️????????????☮️✌️…. LOL… For the sake of this posting .. I Will choose and make my list later today… OK… Got to get to bed… It’s 1:32 Am… Kinda past my usual bedtime…. Gnite Eh !?
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Hey Claude,
Loved your list! I know this was time consuming so I appreciate your taking the time. It’s amazing that our lists have 11 different songs. I think that shows just how good their catalog is. gave it a listen and enjoy it every bit as much as mine.
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What are you doing up at 1:32am Jacki? You artists are all the same! Don’t worry about your picks too much. They don’t have to be set in concrete!
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lol…sometimes i just can’t fall asleep….watch tv….warm milk…
I rank all MLT songs equally but for this posting, I’ll just conjure what comes to mind…
1. Club 27
2. Wide Wide Land
3. Two of Us
4. I don’t Know Birds That Well
5. Still A Friend of Mine
6. Once Upon A Time
7. Waiting For The Waiter
8. Sweet Lorraine
9. In It For Love
10. Count on Me
11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
12. California Dreaming
13. Drive My Car
14. When I’m 64
15. God Only Knows
16. Mercedes Benz
17. You Really Got Me
18. White Room
19. Johnny B. Good
20. For What Its Worth
So , this is today’s choices from me….lol ;D
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That’s not a bad selection Jacki, For What Its Worth!
I’d love to see your selection this time next week!
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Without looking at anyone else’s list so I am not influenced, here are my top 20 picks (10 origs, and 10 covers) arranged in an order I might like to listen to them.
1..Club 27
2..Sweet Lorraine
3..Time of the Season
4..You Really Got Me
5..Close to You
6..Count on Me
7..Still A Friend of Mine
8..White Room
9..While My Guitar Gently Weeps
10…Hey Bulldog
11..Drive My Car
12..In it for Love
13..Alone
14..The Wide, Wide, Land
15..Nothings In Vain
16..I don’t know Birds that Well
17..San Francisco
18..God Only Knows
19..Best Years of our Lives
20..Yesterday
Could change next week.
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Nice selections Jacki and Jung. You really can’t go wrong with what ever you select from their catalogue though as they are all so good. Getting them in the right order is the main headache and the order can change anytime without notice!
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