David,
I can’t speak for the average album buyer but I can try to pick out the ones that would have had the most
immediate appeal to me 30 years ago, when I thought Cecilia was the best song on Bridge Over Troubled
Water. The first 10 are in order of occurrence.

I 01 Nothing’s Gonna Bring Me Down 1
Good hooks, nice breezy song. How come I don’t hear any bongo drum?
A shortened version could be low-cost video-just shoot scenes in the song. The lamp shades and soap are a
bit harsh in a happy song.

I 03 Bozo Weirdo...... 2
Great hook, plays in my head when the stereo is off. For some reason, I find the horns intrusive. Maybe
something else to go with the keyboards.

I 08 The Crash 3
Moody pop with hook, story & message.
How about a very stark arrangement. Money No Object, a Mark O’Connor fiddle solo.

I 12 Back In Your Arms Again 4
A strong hook in a happy love song. Nice quirky bits, but readily comprehensible to all.
Throw in a more heavy duty guitar solo and it could be a single.

I 13 Paddy Chayefsky 5
The first 4 minutes of dirge are beautiful...but too damn long. Cut that down and leave most of the banjo part in.
However, the uncut version would make a splendid bonus track.

II 01 Hellbound Train 6
Catchy, Jewel sounds great. Nothing wrong with a traditional.
Bring the banjo up front and give it more mandolin for company.
This would be the Money No Object video. (Animated mostly, Nina Paley drawing, I can just SEE it.)

II 03 Wondering 7
Nice little hook, has more of a rock feel than some of the others.
How about some nice rock electric guitar.

II 12 The Bob Dylan Blues 8
Lots of easy-to-catch lines, a bit dark but not disturbing.
IF you had some bongo in Nothing’s Gonna Bring Me Down, you could quote it on the first verse. Isn’t some harmonica obligatory in any song that mentions Dylan?

II 13 Toughest Whore In Babylon 9
Good hooks, can hear the song when the stereo is off. That’s annoying because this may be my least favorite song on A Fine Mess.

II 14 Church Of No Religion 10
Zooms right along and once in a while a line jumps out at you.
Maximum intensity called for. This would be a song to try to get in one take, live in some club maybe.

Okay, 10 down, we need 2 more. There are 3 more or less tied here: a CSN song, a Randy Newman song and a real nice dark one. This being commercial, I guess go with the CSN for sure. If the set seems too dark, go with the Newman; otherwise I like Last Faithful Lover better.

I 10 Why 11
Crosby, Stills & Nash song. In a Money No Object world, they’d come over and chip in some harmonies.

I 05 If Ever I Thought 12?
Randy Newman song. Catchy but not too mass-market.
Maybe use piano for more than accent.

II 05 Last Faithful Lover 12?
Got sort of a hook, but perhaps too disturbing for the mass-market crowd.

I'll vote in the poll also, of course.

Dave Tahija