Click to listen to the 'Listen To Me: Buddy Holly' album

Buddy Holly, who would have been 75 this year, was rock & roll's master of less is more. His perfectly crafted songs deliver big emotional payoffs while being models of minimalism: two or so minutes, three or so chords, a handful of impeccably honed lyrics. Listen to Me: Buddy Holly, the year's second all-star Holly covers album (Rave On Buddy Holly came out in June), has a slightly oddball lineup (Natalie Merchant, the Fray). But most of the contributors succeed by honoring Holly's no-frills greatness with chiming pop rock (Jeff Lynne's "Words of Love"), torchy twanginess (Chris Isaak's "Crying, Waiting, Hoping") and, um, emo (Patrick Stump's urgent "Everyday"). The loveliest moment is Brian Wilson's "Listen to Me," which envelops Holly's tune in billowing harmony vocals. The prize for most spirited, though, goes to Ringo Starr, who bashes through "Think It Over" in a very Holly-esque one minute and 48 seconds.

Related:
• Exclusive Download: Brian Wilson Covers Buddy Holly
• Buddy Holly's Widow Embraces Wave of Tributes

“V.T.T.L.O.T.F.D.G.F.”

Quite a few musicians have utilized initials for song titles -- Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T.," Abba's "S.O.S.," Donald Fagen's "I.G.Y.," etc. But the more curiously initialed tune has to be "V.T.T.L.O.T.F.D.G.F.," short for "Voyage to the Land of the Freeze-Dried Godzilla Farts." Fishbone's original guitarist, Kendall Jones, explained to Rolling Stone, "When Norwood [Fisher] wrote it, he introduced it to the band saying, 'Man, I've been hearing about all these Nazi right-wing groups on the news saying the Holocaust was staged. So what if America said it never dropped two atom bombs on Japan, that it was actually Godzilla popping a couple off?' Only Norwood would come up with something that out." The same year "V.T.T.L.O.T.F.D.G.F." was released, the film Godzilla 1985 appeared in North America.