Tim Rose Top Ten

OK, so this is where I start getting really opinionated. There never has been a Tim Rose compilation album released but, then, do real fans actually agree with much of what is on compilation albums? Here's one that doesn't, so with that in mind, I've compiled my favourite ten tracks. They are listed below. What I now want is for other fans to e-mail me their ten favourites. I'll try to put them on this site and compile a complete list of the tracks people most like. Perhaps a record company will actually take notice someday. Please note that the list is not in order of preference, but simply chronological order.

Morning Dew Co-written with Bonnie Dobson, this is the song that stays in many people's minds as being Tim's one big hit. Surprisingly, it wasn't a hit - he never managed to chart in the UK with any of his singles. The driving guitar and barked-out vocals make this an essential in any Tim Rose collection. Don't let anyone try to tell you that the Jeff Beck Group version on his Truth album, with Rod Stewart on vocals, is better. It most certainly isn't.

Hey Joe Who needs the Hendrix version when Timmy does this so well? OK, so what's missing is the soaring guitar, but instead, there's Bernard Purdie's machine gun-paced drumming and the vocals are just outstanding. It's a shame that the versions of these two songs recorded for The Musician CD don't match up to the originals.

Long Haired Boy Never appeared on an album and had a rather unsettling melody that guaranteed it wouldn't get much airplay as a single, but it consisted of a sound that was well in advance of much of the stuff coming out in 1968. Produced, unlike any of the rest of Tim's work, by Al Kooper.

Apple Truck Swamper Weird, with a swirling, syncopated rhythm and a strange lyric about characters from another world. That's why it's so good that I have to pick it over Hello Sunshine, a happy song that should have been a hit single and Roanoke, a solid country song with a heavy rock beat that the Byrds and others would have died for.

Sympathy The Rare Bird song is delicately handled by Tim, proving that although he can rock with the best of them, his voice can sound fragile and caring, with a full range of emotions.

The Day I Spent With You I know I've omitted tracks like Goin' Down in Hollywood and If I Were a Carpenter from the fourth album, but I did restrict this list to ten songs. This one shows that Tim's ability to hold a rock lyric and its rhythms together in perfect phrasing is of the highest standards.

Empty People The Unfinished Song album is short and generally rock-oriented, with solid guitar playing by Andy Summers. However, the standout track has to be this gentle balad, with an uneasy sound, using heavy echo on Tim's voice. There's a mocking feel to the fade that emphasises Tim's thoughts on many of the people that have surrounded him in the record business, and in life, throughout the years.

Dance On Ma Belle I get the feeling that Tim was being re-marketed as a country musician for The Gambler album and I just don't like country music. However, prejudice aside, this is a lovely piece of music in waltz-time, which is a rare commodity in pop music. Nicely sung and not over-produced as some of the other tracks are. This song, although not on Haunted, forms part of his current live set.

Come Away, Melinda The song that drew many people to Tim Rose after they heard it on the CBS Rock Machine sampler. This song used all the power and tenderness that exemplify Tim's voice to send an anti-nuclear message to a generation. I wonder if Tim was influenced by French composers and artistes such as Jacques Brel when interpreting songs like this and Maman? The best version is the live one on the Haunted album - sparse and beautifully sung.

American Son The title track of his most recent CD grabs you immediately as a stand-out track on a great album. The Norwegian musicians have pulled out the stops to create a beautiful sound to match the superbly crafted lyrics. Especially noteworthy is the keyboard playing of producer, Kato Aadland, while the lyric does suggest that we need to listen to others rather than live with our own dogma.