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Post by Albie on Aug 7, 2014 1:13:30 GMT -5
8. Honey (Classic Club Mix)
First, I have to say, I do love the Classic Club Dub as well but this one holds a special place in my heart. If ever a Mariah remix made the original so much better, surely it was this one. I mean, “Honey” was ok but I never thought it was all that special – until this. I love Mariah in her upper register but the original beat just wasn’t showcasing that well enough for me. The second verse on this mix to me is just fantastic. This is another song where there needs to be despair and need and Mariah conveys it well in her vocals – background signing included. Those extended “Honey” notes around 3:15 minutes along with Mariah’s runs and then the ‘I can hardly wait’ that follows’ with the ‘do-do-do’ are just heavenly. There’s no denying the ‘its like honey’ parts after 4:50 minutes. Mariah really lets loose on this one and I love every second of it. There’s so much going on vocally towards the end of this song that I just can’t – especially the outro – wooh. So, Morales slaps a classic beat on it and you can call it a wrap. I need it, need it, need it!
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Post by Albie on Aug 7, 2014 1:20:45 GMT -5
7. My All (Morales Classic Club Mix)
Let’s face it. The original version is simply fantastic. Which is why it was not necessary for Mariah to record entirely new vocals for the verses and chorus – but did she add some fabulous new vocals still? Oh, yeah she did! This mix was so great that it eventually took over for the original on most of my local stations. I recall hearing this on the dancefloor many years later and it absolutely killed. Don’t even get me started on how much I love the ‘just one more night’ parts. This is a song that I fully pretend I have Mariah’s vocal abilities when I’m jamming out in the car and just go for those background vocals. Another fabulous production by Mr. Morales and I really like how they kept to the integrity of the original while creating something else just as beautiful. Especially bringing in that Spanish guitar element after 7:00 minutes. Nicely done!
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Post by Albie on Aug 7, 2014 1:29:35 GMT -5
6. Dreamlover (Def Club Mix)
This remix is out of control. Too freaking good. I swear there were parts where Mariah was singing like there was no tomorrow. But the thing that really kicks it up is the beat. As much as I love the original, this brings a bit of a haunting sound to it – especially the first minute or so. Then, we get a basic, classic house beat but it works so well. Now, the re-recorded vocals. So amazing! She brought it up to sultry here and its so nice. The background vocals on the first few choruses are so underplayed but so fitting. I don’t have to mention that I live for a good sax so I love the bits we get around 4:00 minutes in. The ‘come and take me away’ parts are beautiful from Mariah. I love that the haunting sort of parts come back around 6:00 minutes in followed by some awesome whistle notes after about 7:00 minutes and great background vocals. That note at 10:15 and then again at 10:30 minutes. All the while, the beat is kicking and you can’t help but dance. This is a dance remix indeed.
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Post by Albie on Aug 7, 2014 1:43:21 GMT -5
Countdown Extra: Favorite Mariah Carey album track"Mine Again" & "Didn't Mean To Turn You On" (tie)
I just couldn't decide here so since we've got one ballad and one upbeat song, I left it at a tie. I don't know how well these songs would have done if they had been released as singles but personally I cannot skip either of these songs whenever they come on. Love.
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🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾
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Post by 🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾 on Aug 7, 2014 2:50:25 GMT -5
Thank you for commenting 🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾 (sorry, I don't know what to call you)! You and KonamIII always have such insight and I really appreciate it. Tagging me is fine! :) I use the star symbol much in the same way Prince used that unpronounceable symbol in the early 90s. Most know me here as Disco. 15. We Belong Together (Peter Rauhofer Reconstruction Club Mix) Peter Rauhofer has such a decidedly dark sound to his productions and he did not disappoint here. I mean, to produce two versions of the same song – that’s cool. I absolutely love Part 2 but I’m not including on the countdown to keep things simpler for me. I totally love the original version of ‘We Belong Together’ but I love the way this brings an even bigger sense of despair and need to the song. Again, the vocals are mostly similar to the original but it works so well – the tone of the vocals versus the beat matches up well for me. And that extended note after the second verse just locks it in. When this came on in the club, the floor went crazy. Not a bad sign. I liked this one and part 2. I prefer part 2 as it was more anthemic. I liked the dark productions on both mixes. When we had a dance station in San Francisco, they used to play the edit of this mix. 12. Emotions (12" Club Mix) This. I mean, seriously, this is ALL about that intro. Could it be any better? No. That intro alone catapults this song for me but the rest of it is not bad at all. The vocals are pretty much as the original but C&C put a nice, simple touch on the beat that gives it a life all its own. This is my second-favorite C&C remix and I always appreciate how the smallest tweaks and effects work so well on their productions. Everything after the 5:00 minute mark is just perfection. She had me feeling emotions! Clivilles and Cole did an outstanding job on this one. The intro is perfection. 11. Can't Take That Away (Morales Revival Triumphant Mix) The intro to this song is so pretty. Way to be inspirational. This is another example where I just love the match-up between the tone of the vocals and the tone of the beat. It flows so well and its all so uplifting. Plus, there’s a harmonica (maybe its not a harmonica but, again, not the best with instruments)! What adds even more to the beauty of this song is the background vocals. Mariah has great background vocalists but this is a stand-out for me. You know I live for the ad-libbing so I probably don’t even have to mention it at this point but, yeah (about 9:00 minutes in and she’s still going). It does sound like a harmonica. I like both this and the regular club which was in David's typical style at the time. It was produced in that style Joey Moskowitz was producing with Junior Vasquez. This one is so epic with the re-recorded vocals and Deep House/Disco production. 10. Through The Rain (Maurice Joshua Club Mix) There were a ton of remixes of this song but this is my absolute favorite. Maurice Joshua tends to have really smooth, silky productions and I thought this was another great example. I feel like Mariah’s vocals are so tender and soft and they go well with a sound like this. I also really appreciate the background vocals and runs that are included here. After about 5:30 minutes in its just pure fun. It’s a very housey classic sort of sound that I really enjoy. To me, this is how this song was meant to sound. The original isn’t my total favorite but this brings it where it should be for me. And I absolutely love the last minute of this song. I liked the Hex Hector & Mac Quayle mix as well as the Soda Club one, but I do appreciate what they did with this one. Maurice's remixes are especially noteworthy as he assembled several vocalists including Andrea Love, Byron Stingily (of Ten City and "Get Up" fame), Donica Thornton, Jocelyn Winston, Kim English (of "Everyday" and "Unspeakable Joy" fame), and Latanza Waters (of "Stand Up" fame) to record the backing vocals. 9. Say Somethin' (David Morales Club Mix) Another remix that I just thought turned out super fun. I appreciate the slightly re-recorded vocals too because it added to the fun tone to the mix. This song actually picks up after the two verses with the nice background vocals and the riffing and runs begin. I especially love the parts at around 5:30 minutes and after that. If it weren’t for the parts after 6:00 minutes I would say the radio mix is just fine but I love Mariah’s vocals at that point. Plus those whistle notes after 7:30 minutes are not to be missed – although if you’re not listening close enough you just might miss them. It’s the vocal show that I don’t think she gave on the original that elevates this song for me. The ‘meat’ of the song is over for a while but the last two minutes are so good. This was one that I didn't care for all that much in its album version. I didn't skip it when I listened to the album, but if I am listening to this song, it's the Morales edit. This mix with re-sung vocals was apparently done nearly a year and half before this song was really made into a single as there had been plans to make this the lead single from that album. The main bassline and riff of the mix was inspired by David's own "How Would You Feel" that was out at the time. Peter Rauhofer's mix of HWYF was the one that was getting played more and it brought out the riff more. David's SS mix incorporated a similar type of sound. The part after the second verse is very similar to the "My All" mix. 7. My All (Morales Classic Club Mix) Let’s face it. The original version is simply fantastic. Which is why it was not necessary for Mariah to record entirely new vocals for the verses and chorus – but did she add some fabulous new vocals still? Oh, yeah she did! This mix was so great that it eventually took over for the original on most of my local stations. I recall hearing this on the dancefloor many years later and it absolutely killed. Don’t even get me started on how much I love the ‘just one more night’ parts. This is a song that I fully pretend I have Mariah’s vocal abilities when I’m jamming out in the car and just go for those background vocals. Another fabulous production by Mr. Morales and I really like how they kept to the integrity of the original while creating something else just as beautiful. Especially bringing in that Spanish guitar element after 7:00 minutes. Nicely done! The vocals were only partially re-recorded for the verses and chorus. I loved the hard chunky beats combined with the melodic House elements. The radio edit of the mix is so perfect with the intro with the chimes leading into the guitar and vocalizing from the original. My local stations played that edit instead of the original too. I had to buy one of the imported editions of the CD maxi as none of the U.S. ones contained the edit. 6. Dreamlover (Def Club Mix) This remix is out of control. Too freaking good. I swear there were parts where Mariah was singing like there was no tomorrow. But the thing that really kicks it up is the beat. As much as I love the original, this brings a bit of a haunting sound to it – especially the first minute or so. Then, we get a basic, classic house beat but it works so well. Now, the re-recorded vocals. So amazing! She brought it up to sultry here and its so nice. The background vocals on the first few choruses are so underplayed but so fitting. I don’t have to mention that I live for a good sax so I love the bits we get around 4:00 minutes in. The ‘come and take me away’ parts are beautiful from Mariah. I love that the haunting sort of parts come back around 6:00 minutes in followed by some awesome whistle notes after about 7:00 minutes and great background vocals. That note at 10:15 and then again at 10:30 minutes. All the while, the beat is kicking and you can’t help but dance. This is a dance remix indeed. I loved how dark the intro was and then it led into this nu-Disco/classic House sound. Everything about this was perfect. I like the Def Tribal mix as well.
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Post by Zeebz on Aug 7, 2014 14:23:26 GMT -5
I'm loving these choices so far, Albie! :)
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Post by Albie on Aug 8, 2014 0:01:53 GMT -5
Thanks Zeebz & 🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾. I'm so excited for the top 5 lol!
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Post by Albie on Aug 8, 2014 0:04:25 GMT -5
5. Loverboy (Club of Love Mix)
Well, for starters the intro is heavenly. And then you’ve got Mariah’s vocals on this; so flirty and sultry. I honestly wish these were the original vocals to the song. The original version is alright for me but this remix is really what the song should be. Its pure fun which is what I think the lyrics evoke. I much prefer the way the chorus flows in this version versus the original. The words are clearer also. I think Morales did a great job capturing the essence of the song, musically. Its all so simple too which makes me really appreciate the power of a great vocal performance by Mariah. There are hardly any background vocals in this one. That note at about 4:55 minutes and then when the beat drops again at about 5:20 its all just so fun! I love the lower parts that Mariah sings in after about 7:00 minutes with all her great yet simple runs and ad-libs. The flirtatiousness! But really this mix ranks so high because it completely overshadows the original in every way possible.
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Post by Albie on Aug 8, 2014 0:30:54 GMT -5
4. Heartbreaker/If You Should Ever Be Lonely (Junior's Heartbreaker Club Mix)
Ok, so I love “Heartbreaker” in its original form. A highlight for me from Mariah’s work. But this is so much better! Another absolutely fun song. The re-sung vocals are so good. They work so well with the insistent beat that Junior crafted. Its all about the chorus with those hard piano keys to it. So nice and almost dark but still fun. This sounds so great on the dance floor. But really what did it for me is the mixing in of “If You Should Ever Be Lonely”. I have no idea where that song came from but its fantastic and the mix between these two songs works so well. I love Mariah’s vocals leading into the transition for “If You…”. But really, how great does Mariah sound on this other song? I love the disco sort of feel to “If You…” – a genre that I think suits Mariah quite well. And then the build-up back to “Heartbreaker” remix is so strong and intense – Mariah returns fierce with excellent runs and riffs – 7:45 minutes is a highlight. Another song with awesome background vocals. And again the desperate sound of Mariah’s vocals towards the end are so perfect and then balanced out with the mixing back in of “If You…”. Lastly, another of my absolute favorite whistle notes at 9:00 minutes in. Perfect work from Mariah and Junior.
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Post by Albie on Aug 8, 2014 0:47:54 GMT -5
3. Fantasy (Def Club Mix)
If you’ve ever heard this remix even remotely then I probably don’t have to say much because the song speaks for itself. There is not a bad thing about this remix. This is a Mariah/Morales mix at its finest. My local stations loved mixing this back when it was out – they almost always played the whole thing. I am so in love with the dark tone – starting with those sirens. I loved a good siren sound back in the 90’s (well, now too I guess). But then the fantastic Mariah vocals kick in and the haunting sound only gets better. Even the background vocals have a decidedly darker tone than what the original presented (needless to say that original version of this song is some of her best work). I’m so in love with the way Mariah sang the verses too – especially the second verse. There such a fervent sound to it. Ok, but the real kicker for me is that this remix is really like 4 different songs. Morales even managed to get in a bit of the bridge from the original which leads into this completely different and outstanding other beat. How fun is this beat that kicks in around 6:15? Plus, Mariah’s just riffing like only she can. Just when you think we’re doing, right around 8:30 minutes this then leads into the Sweet Dub Mix” which I’ve already raved on about at length. This whole remix was incredible.
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Post by Albie on Aug 8, 2014 1:05:26 GMT -5
2. Anytime You Need A Friend (C&C Club Version)
Ok, I’m sorry but there is NOTHING like the intro to this song. Nothing. To me, there is just no better signing than this. Its honestly 1½ minutes of perfection. I mentioned earlier that “Emotions” remix was my second favorite by C&C because this is my absolute favorite Mariah remix of theirs. Those two did flawless work on this. The “anytime you need me, any time you want me” background vocals are awesome. And I can’t get enough of that ever-present yet almost unnoticed organ sound all throughout. Mariah’s vocals are so pure and powerful. Its really hard to rank these last few songs because the quality of the re-recorded vocals is so high with all of these. She did an outstanding job here. The background vocals are great around 4:45 minutes in. Mariah loves to let loose towards the end of songs and this one is no exception. I love what she did with those ‘don’t ever be lonely’ lines and right after 7:00 minutes leading to that extended note. And, of course, let the scatting begin around 8:00 minutes. No one does it like her. She didn’t just take me to church – she took me to heaven. One of my favorite MC whistle notes ever at 9:50 minutes. If my number one song on this countdown didn’t exist – this would for sure be #1.
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Post by Albie on Aug 8, 2014 1:17:15 GMT -5
1. Always Be My Baby (Always Club Mix)
Let me just begin by saying “Always Be My Baby” original version is in my top 5 of her all-time best songs. But as soon as I heard this – I was in love. This is superb. This is such a different production and sound from what I was used to from the Mariah/Morales efforts. I love the entire first minute or so with the beat just building up – a bit darker and almost tribal sounding. I don’t know what makes this sound but whatever that sound is that starts around 1:17 – that’s how the radio edit begins. I first heard this on the radio on my one of my favorite stations ever (Groove 103.1 in LA) and immediately wanted to own it – from those sounds alone (I wouldn’t own this song for nearly a decade when I found it on import). Then Mariah jumps in with her beautifully re-recorded vocals. Everything about this production and sound was mesmerizing to me. I didn’t think she could improve on the way she sang the verses originally but I love how she flows on the verses in this. Then the chorus. It all sounds so original. If I didn’t know this was a remix I’d think this is just how this song goes. That’s always a highlight for me on a remix. I love the way she re-sang the ‘do do do’ parts too – which were some of my favorite bits from the original. Love her vocals around 4:20 leading into that breakdown which, again was so tribal-sounding. Its so different and I love it. Her runs after the beat drops again around 5:00 minutes in and then again after about 5:45 and when the background vocals kick in – so perfect. Another one of my favorite parts kicks in about 8:40 minutes with the “come on baby, come on” – just love that. More Mariah sultriness. It’s just a jam, the vocals are on-point and its so different from the original – so different it really removes itself from it. I will never understand why this was not included on the Remixes album of 2003. This is my absolute favorite – there is nothing I dislike about it.
So there you have it. My Top 25 Mariah Carey remixes ever. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. And I can’t express how difficult this actually was. I just love a Mariah remix so to have to rank them was quite an effort but it was fun. Thanks for hanging with me!
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🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾
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Post by 🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾 on Aug 8, 2014 3:08:32 GMT -5
Great list overall! It is definitely hard to narrow it down to just 25. Some other Mariah mixes I really love that you may or may not have heard: Bringin' On The Heartbreak (Deep Influence Anthem)Butterfly (Meme's Extended Club Mix Part 1 & 2)Butterfly (Sambatterfly)Fly Like A Bird (Tracy Young Mix) (unreleased) I'm That Chick (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Anthem) (unreleased) I Want To Know What Love Is (Love To Infinity Radio Mix)Make It Happen (C+C Extended Mix) (this is different from the one based on the album version) We Belong Together (Peter Rauhofer's 'Mariah Miracle' Mashup) (a private mix he produced for his own sets) 4. Heartbreaker/If You Should Ever Be Lonely (Junior's Heartbreaker Club Mix) Ok, so I love “Heartbreaker” in its original form. A highlight for me from Mariah’s work. But this is so much better! Another absolutely fun song. The re-sung vocals are so good. They work so well with the insistent beat that Junior crafted. Its all about the chorus with those hard piano keys to it. So nice and almost dark but still fun. This sounds so great on the dance floor. But really what did it for me is the mixing in of “If You Should Ever Be Lonely”. I have no idea where that song came from but its fantastic and the mix between these two songs works so well. I love Mariah’s vocals leading into the transition for “If You…”. But really, how great does Mariah sound on this other song? I love the disco sort of feel to “If You…” – a genre that I think suits Mariah quite well. And then the build-up back to “Heartbreaker” remix is so strong and intense – Mariah returns fierce with excellent runs and riffs – 7:45 minutes is a highlight. Another song with awesome background vocals. And again the desperate sound of Mariah’s vocals towards the end are so perfect and then balanced out with the mixing back in of “If You…”. Lastly, another of my absolute favorite whistle notes at 9:00 minutes in. Perfect work from Mariah and Junior. [/p][/quote] I love the original version and the remix with Da Brat and Missy Elliott! The sample from "Attack Of The Name Game" worked so well. This set of Junior mixes is noteworthy because it came at a time when some in the industry felt he was "over" as his sound with the various programmers and engineers he worked with hadn't evolved or changed that much for a while and he just was not being commissioned to do remixes by major labels as much. Somehow this came along and it reinvigorated interest in Junior and he made a comeback. The interpolation of Val Young's "If You Should Ever Be Lonely" during the slow part was brilliant. I liked the main version and the dub, but I really liked the unreleased Hard Dub version which was based on the alternate Hard mix. That one had ad libs and high notes not heard in the other versions. It also has some really cool buildups, breakdowns, and drama moments. 3. Fantasy (Def Club Mix) If you’ve ever heard this remix even remotely then I probably don’t have to say much because the song speaks for itself. There is not a bad thing about this remix. This is a Mariah/Morales mix at its finest. My local stations loved mixing this back when it was out – they almost always played the whole thing. I am so in love with the dark tone – starting with those sirens. I loved a good siren sound back in the 90’s (well, now too I guess). But then the fantastic Mariah vocals kick in and the haunting sound only gets better. Even the background vocals have a decidedly darker tone than what the original presented (needless to say that original version of this song is some of her best work). I’m so in love with the way Mariah sang the verses too – especially the second verse. There such a fervent sound to it. Ok, but the real kicker for me is that this remix is really like 4 different songs. Morales even managed to get in a bit of the bridge from the original which leads into this completely different and outstanding other beat. How fun is this beat that kicks in around 6:15? Plus, Mariah’s just riffing like only she can. Just when you think we’re doing, right around 8:30 minutes this then leads into the Sweet Dub Mix” which I’ve already raved on about at length. This whole remix was incredible. The darker tone makes sense given all the private turmoil that was going on in Mariah's first marriage. The happy production of the original with the lyrics dreaming for an escape that is just a fantasy was basically a cry for help. Within that context, the song takes on a totally different meaning. The original was AMAZING as was the rap remix, but all of the Morales mixes were fantastic! 2. Anytime You Need A Friend (C&C Club Version) Ok, I’m sorry but there is NOTHING like the intro to this song. Nothing. To me, there is just no better signing than this. Its honestly 1½ minutes of perfection. I mentioned earlier that “Emotions” remix was my favorite by C&C because this is my absolute favorite Mariah remix of theirs. Those two did flawless work on this. The “anytime you need me, any time you want me” background vocals are awesome. And I can’t get enough of that ever-present yet almost unnoticed organ sound all throughout. Mariah’s vocals are so pure and powerful. Its really hard to rank these last few songs because the quality of the re-recorded vocals is so high with all of these. She did an outstanding job here. The background vocals are great around 4:45 minutes in. Mariah loves to let loose towards the end of songs and this one is no exception. I love what she did with those ‘don’t ever be lonely’ lines and right after 7:00 minutes leading to that extended note. And, of course, let the scatting begin around 8:00 minutes. No one does it like her. She didn’t just take me to church – she took me to heaven. One of my favorite MC whistle notes ever at 9:50 minutes. If my number one song on this countdown didn’t exist – this would for sure be #1. This one is off the charts! I like the "You Used To Hold Me"-esque chants. C+C did a great job on it. 1. Always Be My Baby (Always Club Mix) Let me just begin by saying “Always Be My Baby” original version is in my top 5 of her all-time best songs. But as soon as I heard this – I was in love. This is superb. This is such a different production and sound from what I was used to from the Mariah/Morales efforts. I love the entire first minute or so with the beat just building up – a bit darker and almost tribal sounding. I don’t know what makes this sound but whatever that sound is that starts around 1:17 – that’s how the radio edit begins. I first heard this on the radio on my one of my favorite stations ever (Groove 103.1 in LA) and immediately wanted to own it – from those sounds alone (I wouldn’t own this song for nearly a decade when I found it on import). Then Mariah jumps in with her beautifully re-recorded vocals. Everything about this production and sound was mesmerizing to me. I didn’t think she could improve on the way she sang the verses originally but I love how she flows on the verses in this. Then the chorus. It all sounds so original. If I didn’t know this was a remix I’d think this is just how this song goes. That’s always a highlight for me on a remix. I love the way she re-sang the ‘do do do’ parts too – which were some of my favorite bits from the original. Love her vocals around 4:20 leading into that breakdown which, again was so tribal-sounding. Its so different and I love it. Her runs after the beat drops again around 5:00 minutes in and then again after about 5:45 and when the background vocals kick in – so perfect. Another one of my favorite parts kicks in about 8:40 minutes with the “come on baby, come on” – just love that. More Mariah sultriness. It’s just a jam, the vocals are on-point and its so different from the original – so different it really removes itself from it. I will never understand why this was not included on the Remixes album of 2003. This is my absolute favorite – there is nothing I dislike about it. It was interesting how the only similarity between the original and the remixes was just the lyrics. The re-interpreted melody was sheer brilliance. I think they really had to do it like this because the vocal stretch just wouldn't have turned out that well (they would have had to slow down the vocals to make it work at a House tempo).
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Post by Albie on Aug 9, 2014 10:21:31 GMT -5
Thank you 🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾 for your comments. Oh my gosh the LTI mix of "I Want To Know What Love Is" is so awesome. I realized I don't have it on my iPod and I had totally forgotten about it or it would have been on this countdown. You're right it is hard to narrow down to 25 but its even harder to rank them within those 25. Thanks for taking the journey with me.
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