Songs Still Missing From Spotify (Updated 2024)

Updated March 2024

Since I posted this in March 2017, I've slowly been able to delete some titles.  But the rest of the songs listed below are still missing on digital streaming sites. Some of these have popped up on Spotify, but then disappeared. Okay, you can find them on YouTube, but in my world of Playlists, Spotify is king. Or maybe Amazon Music or Apple is your King.  Either way, outside of Garth Brooks whose music is on Amazon, none of these are on Spotify, Amazon or Apple.  

If they ever show up, they'll appear on my Tracks Of My Life playlist. That playlist contains songs, some popular, others more obscure, that have meant something to me at one point or another in my life.  These titles below are pretty obscure, but did chart at one point. And my playlist has to contain the original recordings.  No remakes.

This list will continue to be updated as I find more missing songs, or these end up on Spotify.

Missing from Spotify:

Alexander O'Neal - s/t Debut Album (#92 Pop, #21 R&B, 1985)

Bell & James - Livin' It Up (#15 Pop, #7 R&B, 1979)

Chairmen of the Board -  Give Me Just A Little More Time (#3 Pop, #8 R&B, 1970)

Funkadelic - Knee Deep (#1 R&B, #77 Pop, 1979)

Garth Brooks - If Tomorrow Never Comes (#1 Country, 1989) (On Amazon)

John Stewart - Gold (#5, 1979)
John Valenti - Anything You Want  (#37 Pop, #10 R&B, 1976)

Michelle Shocked - Anchorage (#66 Pop, 1988)

Moby Grape - Omaha (#88, 1967)

Neil Sedaka - That's When The Music Takes Me (#27, 1975)

Pake McEntire - Savin' My Love For You  (#3 Country, 1986)

Peter Wolf - Lights Out (#12 Pop, 1984)

P.M. Dawn - Set Adrift On Memory Bliss (#1 Pop, #16 R&B, 1991)

S.O.S. Band - Just Be Good To Me (#55 Pop, #2 R&B, 1983)

An Album/Song A Week: Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart was the greatest Rock singer in the World for one year, 1971.  Every Picture Tells A Story, released in May 1971 was no fluke.  Stewart had been moving towards his greatest moment for a couple of years.  His first solo album came out in late 1969, and he followed that with the great Gasoline Alley a year later.  Then there was his work with the Faces.  Their first album in 1970, and second in early 1971.  If that wasn't enough, a 3rd Faces album came out late in 1971.  In other words, Rod Stewart was busy.  But even better, all of these albums are very good.  

It all comes together on Every Picture Tells A Story.  Everything that made Stewart unique was on display.  There are three Stewart originals, all excellent, and 5 covers.  The songs feel fresh.  Acoustic guitars, mandolins all coming up against the heroic drumming of Micky Waller.  Rod's Faces bandmates appear and Ron Wood is a featured player.  "Maggie May's" mandolin break remains one of music's iconic moments.  Stewart's vocals are at a peak here.  Spurred on by the best set of songs he ever put together.  

The reward were huge.  In the U.S., the album spent 4 weeks at #1.  "Maggie May" also topped the Hot 100.  

Rock historians will tell you that Stewart never made another album as essential as this one.  That's true.  But even for most musicians, it would have been the high point of anyone's career.  In fact the 1972 follow-up, Never A Dull Moment, is almost as good.  And he would release quality albums and top-notch singles for years after.  The idea that after Every Picture Tells A Story, that Rod Stewart sold his Rock and Roll soul and went Hollywood is just foolish.  1971 was Rod's year no doubt.  But he's given us so much more in the decades after.  But Every Picture Tells A Story was just too epochal for most critics.

Playlist for 6/25

Mel McDaniel - I'm Countryfied

Mel McDaniel - Oklahoma Wind

Mel McDaniel - Stand Up

Mel McDaniel - Let It Roll

Mel McDaniel - Just Can't Sit Down Music

Don Williams - I Believe In You

Don Williams - Expressions

Don Williams - Country Boy

Don Williams - One Good Well

An Album/Song A Week: "Fool" - Elvis Presley

My Dad had a very small album/8-track collection.  Most of it was bought while we lived in Germany from 1971-75.  I lived a Military family life until he retired in 1977.  Elvis Presley was his favorite singer.  He had more records by him than any other singer.  He also loved Country music as well.  But he had a real soft spot for Pop singers.  Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis, Neil Diamond, Shirley Bassey.  All took up space with his Country albums in a little cabinet next to the stereo which was located in the living room.  

While I always knew who Elvis Presley was,  even as a small kid, the Elvis I heard the most was not from the 50's, but his post-68 comeback phase.  "In The Ghetto" being the first song from him that I remember. 

So, the 70's Elvis is what was lodged in my brain for the longest time.  Buy 1973 Elvis wasn't rocking much anymore.  His albums were mostly Pop, Country, Gospel.  And his albums were becoming a patchwork of live cuts, leftovers and a few new cuts.  But his popularity was still high.  In January he did a charity concert called Aloha from Hawaii.  It was broadcast live in Asia, then shown on tape in Europe.  Oddly, the concert didn't air here in the states until April.  But it was a ratings hit when it aired.  And the album went to #1 in the States.  The last album by Elvis to appear at #1.  

But there were problems at home.  In October '73 he divorced Priscilla.  And there were issues even before that date.

"Fool" is an original song from one of those patchwork albums called Elvis.  In the U.S. it was the B-side to the Aloha cover of James Taylor's "Steamroller Blues".  In England the sides were flipped.  Listen to this song, one of his saddest, and it pretty much tells the tale of Elvis' broken marriage.  Being the lead cut on the Elvis album may have had something to do with why I heard the song so much.  Chartwise "Fool" peaked at #15 in England.  "Steamroller Blues" got to #17 in the States.  While "Fool" peaked at #12 on the AC chart.  

I think it's one of his best ballads of the 70's.  And I still hear it quite often, more than "Steamroller Blues" on the SiriusXM Elvis Channel.  But it also reminds me of my Dad.  Those weekends where he would be relaxing in the living room playing his albums.  He always would say Elvis was "the man" and he was right.  But my Dad will always rank higher than any other man. 

Playlist for 6/18

Boney M - Nightflight to Venus

Don Ray - Garden of Love 

Steve Cropper - Fire It Up

Jackie Wilson - Nobody But You

Johnny Paycheck - Mr. Hag Told My Story

Bellamy Brothers - Country Rap

Bellamy Brothers - s/t

Bellamy Brothers - Two and Only

Bellamy Brothers - Sons of the Sun

Bellamy Brothers - You Can Get Crazy

Bellamy Brothers - When We Were Boys

Bellamy Brothers - Howard & David

Bellamy Brothers - Rebels Without A Clue

2021 CMT Music Awards

Best Father's Day Songs

Great Father's Day Songs:
Alan Jackson - Drive (For Daddy Gene)
Beyonce - Daddy Lessons
Brad Paisley - He Didn't Have To Be
Bruce Springsteen - Independence Day
Bruce Springsteen - My Father's House
Cat Stevens - Father and Son
Conway Twitty - That's My Job
Dan Fogelberg - Leader Of The Band
Dolly Parton - Daddy's Working Boots
Drive-By Truckers - Outfit
Elton John - Last Song
Elvis Presley - Don't Cry Daddy
Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes
Everclear - Father of Mine

George Strait - Best Day

George Strait - So Much Like My Dad

Harry Chapin - Cat's In The Cradle

Holly Dunn - Daddy's Hands

James Brown - Papa Don't Take No Mess

Jimmie Rodgers - Daddy and Home
John Lennon - Beautiful Boy
John Prine - Paradise
Johnny Cash - Boy Named Sue
Keith Urban - Song For Dad
Loudon Wainwright III - Father and A Song
Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father
Madonna - Oh Father
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
Marc Cohn - Silver Thunderbird
Mike & The Mechanics - Living Years
Nas - Daughters
Paul McCartney - Put It There
Paul Simon - Father and Daughter
Queen - Father To Son
Reba McEntire - Greatest Man I Never Knew
Simon & Garfunkel - Silver Haired Daddy of Mine
Steve Goodman - My Old Man
Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
Tori Amos - Winter

Waylon Jennings - Between Fathers and Sons
Will Smith - Just The Two Of Us
Winstons -Color Him Father
Zac Brown Band - My Old Man

An Album/Song A Week: "Good Timin'" - Beach Boys

When one thinks of Summer music the first name that comes to mind is usually the Beach Boys.  And why not?  Someone once wrote that the genius of Brian Wilson was he made cars, girls, Summer and the beach seem like the most important things in the world.  And to some, they were.  

By 1979, the Beach Boys were past their hit-making years.  In 1976 they had a nostalgia filled Top Ten album with 15 Big Ones.  That was an album full of mostly remakes of classic songs.  They even had a #5 hit with Chuck Berry's "Rock and Roll Music".  1977's very odd Beach Boys Love You, was basically a Brian Wilson solo album.  It's become something of a cult classic among Beach Boys die-hards.  If you are curious as to Brian's state of mind in 1977, then give it a listen.

So, 1979's L.A. (Light Album) was billed as a back to Beach Boys style album.  But it felt more like a collection of solo songs.  The first single was something else indeed.  A nearly 11 minute disco song called "Here Comes The Night".  It failed to go Top 40 and most critics hated it.  But I didn't and still defend it today.  It's a remake of the same song from their 1967 album Wild Honey.  Once that song bombed, "Good Timin'" was released.  It sounded more like a Beach Boys single than almost anything they released in the 70's.  It was first recorded in 1974, but unreleased, and vocally overdubbed in 1978 for their next album.

It didn't make much of a dent on the charts either.  Peaking at #40.  But I've always been fascinated by it.  It's a gorgeous 2 minutes of everything that make the Beach Boys great.  Whenever I see article of the most underrated Beach Boys singles I look to see if it's listed.  Usually it's not.  But it's worth 2 minutes of your life.  And it sounds like Summer.  The single was released in April '79, and was gone from the charts by July.  But it reminds me of the Summer of '79.  And that's the magic of a great Beach Boys summer song. 

Playlist for 6/11

Sonny Rollins - Next Album

Sonny Rollins - Falling In Love With Jazz 

Randy Weston - Spirits Of Our Ancestors

Morgan Wade - Reckless

Maria Muldaur/Tuba Skinny - Let's Get Happy Together

Todd Snider - First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder

John Hiatt & Jerry Douglas - Leftover Feelings

Greta Van Fleet - Battle at Garden's Gate

Peter Frampton - Forget the Words

Fitz - Head Up High

Riding the Rock Machine:British Seventies Classic Rock - Various

Pink: All I Know So Far (2021 Documentary) 

43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors 

Todd Rundgren Best of Music Poll

It's been awhile since I participated in one of these online polls.  This time the subject was 3-time Rock Hall nominee, Todd Rundgren.  Rules: list Top 30 Todd (or with his various groups) tracks, Top 10 Todd (or group) Albums and Top 10 Albums he Produced for other artists.

1. Hello It's Me

2. I Saw The Light

3. We Gotta Get You A Woman

4. Can We Still Be Friends

5. Open Your Eyes (Nazz)

6. It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference

7. Couldn't I Just Tell You

8. Bang The Drum All Day

9. Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel

10. Love Is The Answer (Utopia)

11. Something To Fall Back On

12. Just One Victory

13. A Dream Goes On Forever

14. Forget All About It (Nazz)

15. Love In Action (Utopia)

16. Good Vibrations

17. Izzat Love? 

18. Tin Foil Hat (w/Donald Fagen)

19. Love of the Common Man

20. Want Of A Nail 

21. Be Nice To Me

22. Wolfman Jack

23. Cold Morning Light

24. Too Far Gone

25. Lost Horizon

26. Utopia Theme (Utopia)

27. Hope I'm Around

28. Not Tonight (New Cars)

29. Love In Action (Utopia)

30. Chance For Us (w/Daryl Hall)

Top 10 Todd Albums

1. Something/Anything?

2. Runt: Ballad of Todd Rundgren

3. Runt

4. Hermit of Mink Hollow

5. Nazz - s/t

6. A Wizard, A True Star

7. Nearly Human

8. Nazz Nazz - Nazz

9. Oops! Wrong Planet

10. Faithful

Top 10 Productions

1.  Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf

2.  New York Dolls - s/t

3.  Skylarking - XTC

4.  Straight Up - Badfinger

5.  Forever Now - Psychedelic Furs

6.  We're An American Band - Grand Funk Railroad

7.  War Babies - Hall & Oates

8.  Next Position Please - Cheap Trick

9.  Sparks - s/t

10. Stage Fright - Band (Engineer: Yes/Producer? Maybe?)

An Album/Song A. Week: "Life Is A Highway" - Tom Cochrane

You often read or hear people on their musical memories:  weddings, first date, high school.  But I don't hear enough about their musical memories regarding the birth of their children.  My son was born on June 6th, 1992, and I'm here to tell you that I remember just about every musical memory of the last days leading up to his birth.  VH-1 was at its peak in the early 90's.  It played music videos!  Often videos that MTV would only sporadically play or skip altogether.  That's because VH-1 was supposed to be the Adult Contemporary version of MTV.  

A good portion of my time was spent switching back and forth among video channels.  There was a 24 hour Country video channel at that time as well (no longer around).  As the due date got closer, more anxiety begins to set in.  And contractions become more frequent.  Which means many sleepless nights. A Often I got up with my wife late at night and sat in front of the TV watching music videos.  "Life Is A Highway" was first released in 1991 in Canada where Cochrane was born.  It didn't debut on the Hot 100 until May of 1992.  But I had heard it before.  If VH-1 didn't play it before it charted than I must have heard it on the radio.  By June of 1992, it was moving up the U.S. charts and started to become a VH-1 staple.  It's the song my wife & I refer to as the pregnancy song.  Even after my son was born, the song became synonymous with the early months of his birth.  

Tom Cochrane never had another hit in the States.  But "Life Is A Highway", which ended up peaking at #6,  became a hit again for the Country group Rascal Flatts in 2006 after it was featured in the animated movie Cars.  But the original has place firmly in our family's heart.  Whenever I hear it today, the Summer of '92 comes roaring back.  

Playlist for 6/3

St. Vincent - Daddy's Home

Olivia Rodrigo - Sour

Parker Millsap -  Be Here Instead

Rhiannon Giddens w/Francesco Turrisi - They're Calling Me Home

Melissa Carper - Daddy's Country Gold

Carrie Underwood - My Savior

Langhorne Slim - Strawberry Mansion

Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg

Pat Metheny - Bright Size LIfe

Pat Metheny - 80/81

Pat Metheny - Road to the Sun

Weezer - Van Weezer

Zappa (2020 Documentary)

B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head

Best Summer Songs

Consider this a never-ending list of my favorite Summer songs.  I've also included songs that may not be about Summer, but have the feel of the season.

All Summer Long - Beach Boys
All Summer Long - Kid Rock
Beautiful Morning - Rascals
Boys of Summer - Don Henley
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
California Girls - Beach Boys
California Sun - Rivieras
Cruel Summer - Bananarama
Crystal Blue Persuasion - Tommy James & The Shondells
Dancing In The Moonlight - King Harvest
Dancing In The Street - Martha and the Vandellas
Daydream - Lovin' Spoonful
Everybody Loves The Sunshine - Roy Ayers
Fourth of July - Dave Alvin
Fun, Fun, Fun - Beach Boys
Good Times - Chic
Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
Grazing In The Grass - Friends of Distinction
Groovin' - Rascals
Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly & The Family Stone
I Live For The Sun - Sunrays
In The Summertime - Mungo & Jerry
Island In The Sun - Harry Belafonte
It's A Great Day To Be Alive - Travis Tritt
Lazy Day - Spanky and Our Gang
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett

Melting In The Sun - ELO
Miserlou - Dick Dale

Mr. Blue Sky - ELO

Night Moves - Bob Seger

No, Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems - Kenny Chesney

One Summer Dream - ELO

Other Side of Summer - Elvis Costello
Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon
Rockaway Beach - Ramones
Saturday In The Park - Chicago
Sealed With A Kiss - Brian Hyland
See You In September - Happenings
School's Out - Alice Cooper
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Sitting In The Park - Billy Stewart
Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny
Soak Up The Sun - Sheryl Crow
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
Steal My Sunshine - Len
Stoned Soul Picnic - Fifth Dimension

Suddenly Last Summer - Motels

Summer and Lightning - ELO
Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy
Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra
Summer Nights - John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John

Summer - Bobby Goldsboro
Summer - War
Summer Breeze - Isley Brothers
Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts

Summer Looks Good On You - Cheap Trick
Summer In The City - Lovin' Spoonful
Summer Madness - Kool & The Gang
Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams
Summer Rain - Johnny Rivers
Summertime - Billy Stewart
Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey
Summertime Summertime - Jamies
Sunny Afternoon - Kinks

Sunshine On My Shoulders - John Denver
Surf City - Jan & Dean
Surfin' U.S.A. - Beach Boys

Theme From "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith

Theme From "Summer of '42" - Peter Nero
Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer - Nat King Cole
Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson

Toes - Zac Brown Band
Under The Boardwalk - Drifters
Vacation - Go-Go's
Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles
Wipe Out - Surfaris