OS won't let me enter tabular data, come to find out. It was prettier as a table.

Quite an eclectic mix, Rich. And I could see how it would have been prettier as a table.

Oh my Rich, being I'm a jazz fan if I had to cut out all the songs past 8 minutes long I would have to throw out half my collection. But, you're right when it comes to mainstream music.

don't forget half of the Rush catalog...

also,
Chameleon by Herbie Hancock
Kashmir by Led Zepplin
The Phantom of the Opera by Iron Maiden
The Low Spark of High Heels Boys by Traffic part deux

and numerous others I can't think of or won't subject you to.

Thanks for the inspiration though.

What no In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida -15:5

Sorry, 17:5

Songs I would listen to that did not make the 8 minute cut.

Take me to the River - Talking Heads - 5:33
Mountain Dance - Dave Grusin- 6:16
Blue Rondo a la Turk - Dave Brubeck- 6:44
Hey Jude - Beatles - 7:04
Ball and Chain - Janis Joplin - 7:59

Style, I don't know what to do with this OS format. Words are one thing, but power of presentation! Yeah, man, that's where I'm at.

Dang, I think don't have a single track repping for the jazz world. We're different in that way, Greg. I listen to jazz occasionally, but I never learned to love it. I am awed by your jazz knowledge, and pleased to hear how much you love the form.

Aaron, my failure to have heard your collection is more a matter of timing. While those are songs of my generation, I wasn't listening so much.

I became much more of a pop music listener in the '80s, '90s, and naughts. So, my list skews young and recent; it also skews towards songs I have on my iPod, not songs I played the hell out of 40 plus years ago as a tween.

But, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Baby! Ahh, now there's a song I played the hell out of. I did buy into the music of my generation that much. And Credence. What about Run Through The Jungle? How long is that?

This was a clever idea. I can't say I know all these since I our tastes only partially overlap. It did get me thinking though.

Anything significant about eight instead of ten or seven? :-)

Good question, McG. I didn't give it any particular thought, where to cut it off. Eight seemed to make a good and complete list. Looking at it more analytically now, there's only one track numbered in the 9's, but (and you'll have to trust me on this) the list doubles if I take it all the way down to 7:00. So, eight minutes is sort of the knee of curve for some reason. (And now that I think of it, song lengths likely follow Benford's Law, an interesting property of certain naturally occurring amounts I may post about sometime.)

There's a lot going on in my list, including a mix tape given to me by my hip hop son, those Hindu and Buddhist chants that make me crazy to visit Penang island again, two entries by Dylan, and American Pie, just to show my 70's bona fides.

The two tracks I'll recommend today are James McMurtry's signature Choctaw Bingo, a rough and ready look at a white trash family reunion and an Americana delight; also, there's Randy Pease's Orpheus And The Gig From Hell, a dramatic talking folk ballad that is well worth a listen or two.

I'm not kidding about wasting 8 minutes on a song. Eight minutes is a long time. A song better be good if it is going to get to drone on in my ears for that length of time.

Scratch the idea that song lengths follow Benford's Law. What was I thinking? While there is sort of a "knee" in the curve, it isn't a logarithmic curve. It almost looks normal, I suspect.

Wow. I'm going to have to go find most of these and see what you're appreciatin'. I've heard some of 'em.

I have only ever heard of, never mind heard, the Dylans and the Who song and of course the Don McLean. I barely recognize even the names of the artists. Big old musical world out there, huh?

Here's one I bet Rich doesn't know - "Mocking Bird" by Barclay James Harvest.
http://www.progarchives.com/video.asp?id=350

Scruffus, for you I recommend the Joanna Newsom.

GeeBee, you were right you stumped the band. Nice, dramatic operatic rock. Just say no if they're too punk, but you might enjoy NoFX.

No Rich I wouldn't find them too punk - very eclectic tastes here. Once saw BJH (the linked band) and Link Wray on consecutive nights. Fittingly, the Link Wray show was the last place (actually, off the rugby field, the only place) I ever got in a rumble.

Heart, Barracuda (I think that one is more than 11 minutes)

Interesting mix!