MOG

1. Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighting." I don't know how many of you watch the video links, but you don't want to miss this one, which is actually even weirder than the song itself.

2. Al Green, "Take Me to the River." You need to wash in the water after that Carl Douglas video.

3. Phoebe Snow, "Poetry Man." Get ready, because shuffle play has coughed up a trio of brilliant women singers. Snow's career took a backseat to family life for several decades, but she's more than a one-hit wonder.

4. Dolly Parton, "I Will Always Love You." How it was supposed to sound, before Whitney offered up her precursor-to-American-Idol version.

5. Minnie Riperton, "Lovin' You." I'm not sure anything is supposed to sound like this, but it's pretty cool, anyway.

6. James Brown, "The Payback." Stop me if you've heard this one, because I've told it many times. I taught a course on the 1970s back in the day, and we spent some time on the music of the era. I wanted my students to understand the difference between disco and funk, but I don't have the musical vocabulary to explain it. So I brought samples. First I played a disco song ... I forget which one ... as it played, I pounded the lectern with the beat, so the students would see how regular it was. Then we talked about beats-per-minute and dancing and flow, stuff like that. Then I said that funk was not disco, and while I might not be able to put it into words, I could demonstrate. At which point I started this song. I talked over the first part, but when it hit that first break into the immortal guitar riff, I stopped. I let the students listen for a bit ... then I said, "that is funk." The students seemed to think it was funny that a middle-aged white guy knew the song at all. I've never been sure if this is 1973 or 1974, but I'm always looking for an excuse to play it. The video is at the top of the post.

7. Barry White, "You're the First, the Last, My Everything." I didn't get Barry White for a long time ... thought he was kind of a joke, with his smooth-talking intros and string-drenched music. But a weird thing happened when Ally McBeal featured a dorky lawyer whose favorite singer was White. White made the lawyer cool, and in a nice reversal, Ally McBeal made Barry White cool.

8. Blue Öyster Cult, "Dominance and Submission." This was an odd band, college kids playing at metal who cranked out music that was actually good ... they were no Spinal Tap. "Dominance and Submission" was an odd song ... it's not about what you think, or maybe it is. And then radios appear. The video is just a fan's tribute, but you get to hear the song, which is what matters.

9. Randy Newman, "Louisiana 1927." "They're tryin' to wash us away."

10. The Raspberries, "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)." Sometimes an artist hits it big once and is then forgotten, or remembered only for their hit. Other times, an artist will carry on for a long time, produce many fine works, but one time they'll come up with something so perfect it dwarfs the rest. The Raspberries were a fine band, without whom there would be no power pop. But this was their greatest recording. "Well I know it sounds funny, but I'm not in it for the money. No, I don't need no reputation, and I'm not in it for the show. I just want a hit record, yeah! Wanna hear it on the radio. Want a big hit record, yeah, one that everybody's got to know." With this, they got their wish. Except it peaked at #18. And the band broke up. Rather than link to two fan videos, I'll go with something different ... this video link is for Raspberries lead singer Eric Carmen's solo hit, "All By Myself," as done by the immortal Bridget Jones.