From MOJO ULTIMATE JUKEBOX: THE 100 SINGLES YOU MUST OWN (a 6″ x 6″, 68-page booklet given away w/ MOJO #113, April 2003):
“My Top 10” by Nick Tosches [listed chronologically]
1. The Rocketeers: “Gonna Feed My Baby Poison” (Herald Records, b-side of “Foolish One”, 1953)
2. Chuck Higgins and His Joyboys with Daddy Cleanhead: “Broke” (Specialty Records, b-side of “I’ll be There”, 1955)
3. Billy Gayles with Ike Turner’s Rhythm Rockers: “I’m Tore Up” (Federal Records, 1956)
4. Phil Phillips with The Twilights: “Sea of Love” (Mercury Records, 1959)
5. The Miracles: “Shop Around” (Tamla Records, 1960)
6. Martha and The Vandellas: “Heat Wave” (Gordy Records, 1963)
7. Bob Dylan: “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (Columbia Records, 1965)
8. The Contours: “First I Look at the Purse” (Gordy Records, 1965)
9. The Rolling Stones: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (London Records, 1968)
10. Rod Stewart: “Hot Legs” (Warner Bros. Records, 1978)
Note: Where pertinent, I’ve substituted the original American record labels for the British counterparts that were included in the MOJO publication. And I’ve also added a few relevant details, corrected one spelling error (not Nick’s, I’m certain), and included the respective years of release.
Sharing this particular list more widely seems the best way to acknowledge my enormous debt to its creator.
RIP Nick Tosches (b. 23 October 1949; d. 20 October 2019), a great master of the English language and an inspiring author of books.
https://www.eastportlandblog.com/category/tom-kipp/
Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island
https://www.amazon.com/Stranded-Rock-Roll-Desert-Island/dp/030681532X/
And of course anyone interested in the art of biography should read his two great masterpieces of the form!
Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story
https://www.amazon.com/Hellfire-Jerry-Lee-Lewis-Story/dp/0802135668/
Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams
https://www.amazon.com/Dino-Living-Dirty-Business-Dreams/dp/038533429X/
Finally, I found this brief (6-minute) clip very helpful yesterday, as it was just what I wanted to hear from Nick Tosches as word spread that we’d lost him.
It’s a pleasantly low-key chat about a young photographer’s work re: one of Nick’s great subjects, i.e. The True Legends (Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Sonny Rollins, Wanda Jackson, et al.) of American Music!“Q&A: Nick Tosches On The Dullness Of The Forthcoming Apocalypse, And Other Topics” by ANDREW HAMLIN – SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
