#450 - "Manic Depression" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Have You Ever Been Experienced - The fifth of nine Hendrix songs on the list, "Manic Depression" has a great guitar progression for a slow song and some of Jimi's best lyrics.
#449 - "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The first of two Band songs on the countdown, "Dixie" was a great song performed by a band that in no way supported the overall message of the song or it's politics. That being said, it's one of the best-written songs of the classic rock era.
#448 - "Desire" - U2 - Rattle & Hum - The fifth of sixteen U2 songs in the top 1000, "Desire" is the biggest hit off of the band's transition album that landed smack in the middle of their two greatest and most successful LPs.
#447 - "Who Do You Love" - George Thorogood And The Delaware Destroyers - Move It On Over - The second and highest-charting GT song in the top 1000, "Who Do You Love" is the band's amped up cover of an old blues classic that brought a good song into the modern era and made it great.
#446 - "Do The Evolution" - Pearl Jam - Yield - The twelfth of twenty-five Pearl Jam songs on the list, "Do The Evolution" features one of the band's greatest guitar riffs, one of it's greatest solos and the band's most rebellious punk lyrics to that point by far. In short, great tune.
#445 - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond: Part 1" - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - The fourth of fourteen Floyd songs on the countdown, "Shine On" was the band's tribute to it's original lead singer Syd Barrett and provides the centerpiece to one of their best albums track to track.
#444 - "With A Little Help From My Friends (Live)" - Joe Cocker - Live At Woodstock - The third and highest-charting Cocker song in the top 1000, "With A Little" is one of the rare covers that vastly surpasses the original, as this song was used not only as the highlight of the Woodstock festival (the respectable one), but as the greatest TV theme song of all time, The Wonder Years.
#443 - "Working Class Hero" - John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band - The third of five Lennon songs on the countdown, "Working Class Hero" is the legend's bitter song about the failures he sees in the world and what it would take to save us from ourselves.
#442 - "A Day In The Life" - The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The eleventh of twenty-two Beatles songs on the list, "A Day In The Life" is the experimental rock climax of the band's most widely acclaimed (if not best) album. The song itself is really more of a series of shorter songs that vary back and forth in style and sound leading to a thundering crescendo with a full orchestra playing the sounds of the end of the world.
#441 - "Square One" - Tom Petty - Highway Companion - The tenth of 17 Petty songs on the list, "Square One" is the rock great's latest brilliant song and one of his most heartbreaking ballads with a sharp tearjerking chorus as it's highlight.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Top 1000 Bands #450-#441
450 - The Good, The Bad & The Queen - A new band from various members of Blur and other Brit-pop bands, The Good had a great debut album and if they stay together, a bright future.
449 - Suicidal Tendencies - One of the best and most successful aggro punk bands of the early 80's, ST had a big hit with "Institutionalized".
448 - Bonnie Raitt - One of the great blues rock artists of the 70's-90's, Bonnie had a series of huge hits in the early 90's when she was at her peak.
447 - Roxy Music - One of the first great art rock bands to make it big in the 70's, Roxy Music had a series of hits in the art pop scene that never really caught on.
446 - Mott The Hoople - One of the best glam rock bands of the 70's, Mott The Hoople never had a huge hit until Bowie gifted them their best song "All The Young Dudes".
445 - The Dead Boys - A great '77 punk band that didn't manage to cross over to the mainstream but nonetheless were among the most important bands of the era.
444 - Richard Cheese - One of the funniest men in rock n roll, Richard Cheese takes super-macho hard rock songs and sings them as cheesy lounge songs. It sounds horrible, but it really works. The worse the song, the better.
443 - The Scorpions - One of the few metal bands in the 80's that I have any respect for, The Scorpions had a series of great songs that would have fit better in the 70's, especially "Rock You Like A Hurricane".
442 - Foreigner - A vastly successful classic rock band from the late 70's and early 80's who had a ton of hits, but not many songs that transcended their genre.
441 - Econoline Crush - An underrated late 90's rock band that didn't have any major hits but managed to be one of the few original artists from a grim period in rock history.
449 - Suicidal Tendencies - One of the best and most successful aggro punk bands of the early 80's, ST had a big hit with "Institutionalized".
448 - Bonnie Raitt - One of the great blues rock artists of the 70's-90's, Bonnie had a series of huge hits in the early 90's when she was at her peak.
447 - Roxy Music - One of the first great art rock bands to make it big in the 70's, Roxy Music had a series of hits in the art pop scene that never really caught on.
446 - Mott The Hoople - One of the best glam rock bands of the 70's, Mott The Hoople never had a huge hit until Bowie gifted them their best song "All The Young Dudes".
445 - The Dead Boys - A great '77 punk band that didn't manage to cross over to the mainstream but nonetheless were among the most important bands of the era.
444 - Richard Cheese - One of the funniest men in rock n roll, Richard Cheese takes super-macho hard rock songs and sings them as cheesy lounge songs. It sounds horrible, but it really works. The worse the song, the better.
443 - The Scorpions - One of the few metal bands in the 80's that I have any respect for, The Scorpions had a series of great songs that would have fit better in the 70's, especially "Rock You Like A Hurricane".
442 - Foreigner - A vastly successful classic rock band from the late 70's and early 80's who had a ton of hits, but not many songs that transcended their genre.
441 - Econoline Crush - An underrated late 90's rock band that didn't have any major hits but managed to be one of the few original artists from a grim period in rock history.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
New Shit This Week
DVDs:
Buy:
Charlie Wilson's War - One of the best written movies of 2007, Charlie Wilson's War is like a great episode of The West Wing. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is awesome, as always in a hilarious supporting role.
Rent:
The Orphanage - Supposedly, this is 2007's Pan's Labyrinth. I don't know enough about it to justify a purchase, but I can't wait to see it.
Cloverfield - I don't know how well it's going to hold up on a small screen, but it was a hell of a ride in theaters.
The Savages - Another PSH movie comes out this week. I haven't seen this one, but it's supposed to be pretty damn good. Laura Linney is also supposed to be excellent in this film.
Skip It:
One Missed Call - Another day another shitty remake of a Japanese horror film. Enough already.
CDs:
BUY:
Flight Of The Conchords - Flight Of The Conchords - I love the show and their music is seriously fucking funny, especially "Robots".
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell - One of the latest blog superstars, Tokyo Police Club have a great sound and their full length debut is worth a cheap purchase.
Borrow:
Billy Bragg - Mr. Love And Justice - Billy's a pretty reliable musician, but not enough to justify a purchase unheard.
Buy:
Charlie Wilson's War - One of the best written movies of 2007, Charlie Wilson's War is like a great episode of The West Wing. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is awesome, as always in a hilarious supporting role.
Rent:
The Orphanage - Supposedly, this is 2007's Pan's Labyrinth. I don't know enough about it to justify a purchase, but I can't wait to see it.
Cloverfield - I don't know how well it's going to hold up on a small screen, but it was a hell of a ride in theaters.
The Savages - Another PSH movie comes out this week. I haven't seen this one, but it's supposed to be pretty damn good. Laura Linney is also supposed to be excellent in this film.
Skip It:
One Missed Call - Another day another shitty remake of a Japanese horror film. Enough already.
CDs:
BUY:
Flight Of The Conchords - Flight Of The Conchords - I love the show and their music is seriously fucking funny, especially "Robots".
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell - One of the latest blog superstars, Tokyo Police Club have a great sound and their full length debut is worth a cheap purchase.
Borrow:
Billy Bragg - Mr. Love And Justice - Billy's a pretty reliable musician, but not enough to justify a purchase unheard.
Friday, April 25, 2008
New Movies This Week
SEE IT:
Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - I loved the original movie and while the buzz on the sequel isn't quite as good, I still intend to see it the first chance I get.
Baby Mama - The trailers and commercials don't excite me too much, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the stars and creative talents behind it, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
SKIP IT:
Deception - Wow, talk about bad buzz. This movie will be forgotten by the end of the weekend and probably for good reason.
Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - I loved the original movie and while the buzz on the sequel isn't quite as good, I still intend to see it the first chance I get.
Baby Mama - The trailers and commercials don't excite me too much, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the stars and creative talents behind it, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
SKIP IT:
Deception - Wow, talk about bad buzz. This movie will be forgotten by the end of the weekend and probably for good reason.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Modern Rock Update
Albums:
The Kooks debuted at #41.
Apocalyptica debuted at #59.
Modern / Mainstream Rock Charts:
#1:
Modern: Seether - "Rise Above This"
Mainstream: 3 Doors Down - "It's Not My Time"
Debuts:
Modern:
#19 - Weezer - "Pork And Beans"
Mainstream:
#18 - Motley Crue - "Saint Of Los Angeles"
#20 - Drowning Pool - "Enemy"
The Kooks debuted at #41.
Apocalyptica debuted at #59.
Modern / Mainstream Rock Charts:
#1:
Modern: Seether - "Rise Above This"
Mainstream: 3 Doors Down - "It's Not My Time"
Debuts:
Modern:
#19 - Weezer - "Pork And Beans"
Mainstream:
#18 - Motley Crue - "Saint Of Los Angeles"
#20 - Drowning Pool - "Enemy"
Top 1000 Songs #460-#451
#460 - "Alright" - Supergrass - I Should Coco - The first and only Supergrass song on the list, "Alright" is one of the best Brit-pop songs ever written and one of the best songs of the 90's that most people have never heard.
#459 - "Flagpole Sitta" - Harvey Danger - Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone - The first and only Harvey Danger song on this countdown or anywhere, "Flagpole" is one of the best songs from the ska fad that dominated 1996.
#458 - "Brass In Pocket" - The Pretenders - The Pretenders - The third of five Pretenders songs on the list, "Brass" is the band's biggest hit, though I prefer some of their harder rocking songs. The lyrics are a huge bright spot for this particular song.
#457 - "Violet" - Hole - Live Through This - The third and highest-charting Hole song in the top 1000, "Violet" is the song that best illustrates the rumor that Kurt Cobain wrote all of Hole's first few albums as this song is almost a de facto Nirvana song with it's slow-fast dynamic and it's brilliant chorus.
#456 - "Are You Gonna Go My Way" - Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way - The first and only Kravitz song on the list, "Are You" was his breakthrough hit and proof of his guitar chops from when he was smart enough to rip off Hendrix instead of aiming for The Beatles.
#455 - "Even Better Than The Real Thing" - U2 - Achtung Baby - The fourth of sixteen U2 songs on the list, "Even Better" was one of the biggest hits that the band had on their Joshua Tree follow-up, though it did foreshadow the lesser paths that they would go down in the 90's with it's experimental direction.
#454 - "Thunderstruck" - AC/DC - The Razor's Edge - The sixth of nine AC/DC songs on the countdown, "Thunderstruck" was the band's last great song, which is not to say that they've fallen as far as most great metal bands from the 80's, but it's been awhile since they've been in their prime. "Thunder" is a blues rock monster that could have sprung from the great Zep themselves if they had survived.
#453 - "I Can't Stand It" - The Velvet Underground - What Goes On - The seventh and highest-charting Velvet Underground song, "I Can't Stand It" is the band's best bluesy art rock song with a fantastic chorus and a great build throughout the song.
#452 - "People Who Died" - The Jim Carroll Band - Catholic Boy - The first and only JCB song in the top 1000, "People" was one of the great punk songs to come out of the New York '77 scene and the song provided the theme music to the Jim Carroll bio-pic "The Basketball Diaries".
#451 - "Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac - The sixth of seven Mac songs in the top 1000, "Landslide" is one of the most moving folk ballads ever written and one of the best acoustic songs of the 70's.
#459 - "Flagpole Sitta" - Harvey Danger - Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone - The first and only Harvey Danger song on this countdown or anywhere, "Flagpole" is one of the best songs from the ska fad that dominated 1996.
#458 - "Brass In Pocket" - The Pretenders - The Pretenders - The third of five Pretenders songs on the list, "Brass" is the band's biggest hit, though I prefer some of their harder rocking songs. The lyrics are a huge bright spot for this particular song.
#457 - "Violet" - Hole - Live Through This - The third and highest-charting Hole song in the top 1000, "Violet" is the song that best illustrates the rumor that Kurt Cobain wrote all of Hole's first few albums as this song is almost a de facto Nirvana song with it's slow-fast dynamic and it's brilliant chorus.
#456 - "Are You Gonna Go My Way" - Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way - The first and only Kravitz song on the list, "Are You" was his breakthrough hit and proof of his guitar chops from when he was smart enough to rip off Hendrix instead of aiming for The Beatles.
#455 - "Even Better Than The Real Thing" - U2 - Achtung Baby - The fourth of sixteen U2 songs on the list, "Even Better" was one of the biggest hits that the band had on their Joshua Tree follow-up, though it did foreshadow the lesser paths that they would go down in the 90's with it's experimental direction.
#454 - "Thunderstruck" - AC/DC - The Razor's Edge - The sixth of nine AC/DC songs on the countdown, "Thunderstruck" was the band's last great song, which is not to say that they've fallen as far as most great metal bands from the 80's, but it's been awhile since they've been in their prime. "Thunder" is a blues rock monster that could have sprung from the great Zep themselves if they had survived.
#453 - "I Can't Stand It" - The Velvet Underground - What Goes On - The seventh and highest-charting Velvet Underground song, "I Can't Stand It" is the band's best bluesy art rock song with a fantastic chorus and a great build throughout the song.
#452 - "People Who Died" - The Jim Carroll Band - Catholic Boy - The first and only JCB song in the top 1000, "People" was one of the great punk songs to come out of the New York '77 scene and the song provided the theme music to the Jim Carroll bio-pic "The Basketball Diaries".
#451 - "Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac - The sixth of seven Mac songs in the top 1000, "Landslide" is one of the most moving folk ballads ever written and one of the best acoustic songs of the 70's.
Top 1000 Bands #460-#451
460 - Midnight Oil - A second-rate U2 that hit it big in the 80's with a lesser form of politically themed alt rock songs, the band had a huge hit with "Beds Are Burning".
459 - Ikara Colt - One of the many "next big thing" bands that crashed and burned, Ikara Colt did have a couple great albums even if no one really appreciated them.
458 - Chevelle - A monster of the modern and mainstream rock charts, Chevelle has released hit after hit with their watered-down Tool sound. It's not bad, but it's definitely a derivative sound.
457 - Nas - One of the premier rappers of the 90's, Nas has never been the sales juggernaut that his rival Jay-Z is, but his albums frequently approach that level of quality.
456 - Spinal Tap - One of the best fake bands of all time, Spinal Tap actually released a pair of albums in support of their mockumentary lampooning rock n roll in the 70's and 80's.
455 - Mastodon - Mastodon is the best artist in a new genre of metal that is popular among the alt rock crowd. Their music is loud and fast like Metallica in their prime with some elements of The Mars Volta added in for flavor.
454 - Judas Priest - One of the legendary metal bands of the late 70's, Judas Priest inspired all of the good metal bands of the last 30 years with their loud and heavy sound.
453 - Shiny Toy Guns - A brand new indie rock band that released their debut album recently to much acclaim. Their sound is fun and their genre is part electronic and part indie dance rock with a little bit of XTC thrown in.
452 - The Distillers - A punk band that frequently sounds unnervingly close to Hole, The Distillers is one of the best female-fronted punk bands of the 21st century.
451 - Ben Harper - This singer-songwriter has produced a 15 year career of solid songs that hop from genre to genre.
459 - Ikara Colt - One of the many "next big thing" bands that crashed and burned, Ikara Colt did have a couple great albums even if no one really appreciated them.
458 - Chevelle - A monster of the modern and mainstream rock charts, Chevelle has released hit after hit with their watered-down Tool sound. It's not bad, but it's definitely a derivative sound.
457 - Nas - One of the premier rappers of the 90's, Nas has never been the sales juggernaut that his rival Jay-Z is, but his albums frequently approach that level of quality.
456 - Spinal Tap - One of the best fake bands of all time, Spinal Tap actually released a pair of albums in support of their mockumentary lampooning rock n roll in the 70's and 80's.
455 - Mastodon - Mastodon is the best artist in a new genre of metal that is popular among the alt rock crowd. Their music is loud and fast like Metallica in their prime with some elements of The Mars Volta added in for flavor.
454 - Judas Priest - One of the legendary metal bands of the late 70's, Judas Priest inspired all of the good metal bands of the last 30 years with their loud and heavy sound.
453 - Shiny Toy Guns - A brand new indie rock band that released their debut album recently to much acclaim. Their sound is fun and their genre is part electronic and part indie dance rock with a little bit of XTC thrown in.
452 - The Distillers - A punk band that frequently sounds unnervingly close to Hole, The Distillers is one of the best female-fronted punk bands of the 21st century.
451 - Ben Harper - This singer-songwriter has produced a 15 year career of solid songs that hop from genre to genre.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #470-#461
#470 - "Don't You Forget About Me" - The Simple Minds - Glittering Prize - The first and only Simple Minds song on the list, "Don't You" is best known as the song that plays at the end of 80's classic "The Breakfast Club" and features one of the best choruses of the decade.
#469 - "Kick Out The Jams" - The MC5 - Babes In Arms - The first and only MC5 song on the countdown, "Kick" is one of the great songs in all of proto-punk and is one of the first songs to truly embrace the possibilities of punk sounds and styles.
#468 - "High & Dry" - Radiohead - The Bends - The third of eight Radiohead songs in the top 1000, "High & Dry" is the band's best pure ballad and features an incredible chorus.
#467 - "Keep The Car Running" - The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - The third and highest-charting Arcade Fire song on the list is the band's first single from their second album, 2007's best album Neon Bible. The song borrows from John Cafferty, Bruce Springsteen and The Hooters to create the band's most accessible sound to date.
#466 - "No Rain" - Blind Melon - Blind Melon - The first and only Blind Melon song in the top 1000, "No Rain" is one of the great one-hit wonder songs of the 90's. The band is making a comeback now, though obviously they'll be doing it without lead singer Shannon Hoon, whose death ended the band during their original run.
#465 - "All I Know" - The Screaming Trees - Dust - The fifth of six Screaming Trees songs on the countdown, "All I Know" was the band's "breakthrough" hit as it enjoyed a lot of airplay on MTV during the grunge hey-day of the early 90's. Unfortunately, success didn't follow for the band, though their music continued to be excellent.
#464 - "Southern Cross" - Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young - Daylight Again - The second of three CSNY songs on the list, "Southern Cross" features the band's most sweeping and best chorus as well as some of the best vocal performances in their catalog.
#463 - "Michael" - Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - The third of six Franz songs in the top 1000, "Michael" is the most highly-charged and frenetic song that the band has ever recorded with an insane breakdown chorus that's among the best constructed of the 21st century.
#462 - "Don't Stop" - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - The fifth of seven Fleetwood Mac songs on the countdown, "Don't Stop" is the hopeful song on an album that's best-known for it's peppy songs about heartbreak and betrayal. The song is still a staple on easy listening, adult contemporary and classic rock stations.
#461 - "Fire" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Rare As Love - The fourth of nine Hendrix songs on the list, "Fire" features a remarkably simple guitar hook paired with lyrics that for once in rock history are LESS dirty than they appear and a great chorus and you have one of the great rock songs of the 60's.
#469 - "Kick Out The Jams" - The MC5 - Babes In Arms - The first and only MC5 song on the countdown, "Kick" is one of the great songs in all of proto-punk and is one of the first songs to truly embrace the possibilities of punk sounds and styles.
#468 - "High & Dry" - Radiohead - The Bends - The third of eight Radiohead songs in the top 1000, "High & Dry" is the band's best pure ballad and features an incredible chorus.
#467 - "Keep The Car Running" - The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - The third and highest-charting Arcade Fire song on the list is the band's first single from their second album, 2007's best album Neon Bible. The song borrows from John Cafferty, Bruce Springsteen and The Hooters to create the band's most accessible sound to date.
#466 - "No Rain" - Blind Melon - Blind Melon - The first and only Blind Melon song in the top 1000, "No Rain" is one of the great one-hit wonder songs of the 90's. The band is making a comeback now, though obviously they'll be doing it without lead singer Shannon Hoon, whose death ended the band during their original run.
#465 - "All I Know" - The Screaming Trees - Dust - The fifth of six Screaming Trees songs on the countdown, "All I Know" was the band's "breakthrough" hit as it enjoyed a lot of airplay on MTV during the grunge hey-day of the early 90's. Unfortunately, success didn't follow for the band, though their music continued to be excellent.
#464 - "Southern Cross" - Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young - Daylight Again - The second of three CSNY songs on the list, "Southern Cross" features the band's most sweeping and best chorus as well as some of the best vocal performances in their catalog.
#463 - "Michael" - Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - The third of six Franz songs in the top 1000, "Michael" is the most highly-charged and frenetic song that the band has ever recorded with an insane breakdown chorus that's among the best constructed of the 21st century.
#462 - "Don't Stop" - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - The fifth of seven Fleetwood Mac songs on the countdown, "Don't Stop" is the hopeful song on an album that's best-known for it's peppy songs about heartbreak and betrayal. The song is still a staple on easy listening, adult contemporary and classic rock stations.
#461 - "Fire" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Rare As Love - The fourth of nine Hendrix songs on the list, "Fire" features a remarkably simple guitar hook paired with lyrics that for once in rock history are LESS dirty than they appear and a great chorus and you have one of the great rock songs of the 60's.
Top 1000 Bands #470-#461
470 - The Dictators - One of the great proto-punk bands, The Dictators served as a bridge band between the classic rock era and the punk era with their great songs like "I Live For Cars And Girls".
469 - Kansas - One of the most popular bands of the classic rock era, Kansas had a string of classic songs that eventually got too melodramatic for their own good.
468 - Thin Lizzy - A great blues rock band from the 70's who had big hits with "Jailbreak" and especially "The Boys Are Back In Town".
467 - The Silversun Pickups - A modern rock band with metal stylings, The Silversun Pickups are one of the most recent bands to be added to this list and for good reason. Their breakthrough album is one of the best of recent years.
466 - Evanescence - A highly successful modern rock band, Evanescence is capable of creating one great rock song per album but unfortunately much of their other songs end up sounding derivative.
465 - Hot Hot Heat - A cool indie dance rock outfit that had a huge breakthrough hit with "Bandages" and continues to make fun songs like "Harmonicas And Tambourines".
464 - Better Than Ezra - A 90's alternative band that had a series of small hits and one massive hit called "Good".
463 - R.E.O. Speedwagon - One of the most popular bands of the 1980's, I enjoy a couple of Speedwagon's songs, though listening to more than a few of them in a row is quite tedious.
462 - Ne'er Do Well - Ne'er Do Well is my friend Ryan Stoick's band. They don't have an official album out so far but he's been feeding me the demos and tracks as they get them prepared. So far I've liked what I've heard. They have a ways to go before they find their own voice and a lot of their music is really down-tempo and depressing, but it's promising and hopefully they can build on it in the future.
461 - Brother Cane - One of the lesser-known 90's bands, Brother Cane managed to have a series of great singles before they broke up. One of the best hard rock bands of the mid-90's.
469 - Kansas - One of the most popular bands of the classic rock era, Kansas had a string of classic songs that eventually got too melodramatic for their own good.
468 - Thin Lizzy - A great blues rock band from the 70's who had big hits with "Jailbreak" and especially "The Boys Are Back In Town".
467 - The Silversun Pickups - A modern rock band with metal stylings, The Silversun Pickups are one of the most recent bands to be added to this list and for good reason. Their breakthrough album is one of the best of recent years.
466 - Evanescence - A highly successful modern rock band, Evanescence is capable of creating one great rock song per album but unfortunately much of their other songs end up sounding derivative.
465 - Hot Hot Heat - A cool indie dance rock outfit that had a huge breakthrough hit with "Bandages" and continues to make fun songs like "Harmonicas And Tambourines".
464 - Better Than Ezra - A 90's alternative band that had a series of small hits and one massive hit called "Good".
463 - R.E.O. Speedwagon - One of the most popular bands of the 1980's, I enjoy a couple of Speedwagon's songs, though listening to more than a few of them in a row is quite tedious.
462 - Ne'er Do Well - Ne'er Do Well is my friend Ryan Stoick's band. They don't have an official album out so far but he's been feeding me the demos and tracks as they get them prepared. So far I've liked what I've heard. They have a ways to go before they find their own voice and a lot of their music is really down-tempo and depressing, but it's promising and hopefully they can build on it in the future.
461 - Brother Cane - One of the lesser-known 90's bands, Brother Cane managed to have a series of great singles before they broke up. One of the best hard rock bands of the mid-90's.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #480-#471
#480 - "Capital G" - Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero - The fifth of seven NIN songs on the list, "Capital G" is one of the best protest songs of the Bush Administration (and there have been A LOT) and serves as the centerpiece of their brilliant concept album, Year Zero.
#479 - "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - The eleventh of twenty-four Zeppelin songs on the countdown, "Babe" has an epic heavy metal hook (which Chicago stole for their best song) and is just about as good as blues rock gets.
#478 - "Piano Man" - Billy Joel - The fourth and highest-ranking Billy Joel song in the top 1000, "Piano Man" is Joel's autobiographical masterpiece that paints a vivid picture of life in a Los Angeles piano bar for a man with far too much talent to spend time in such a place.
#477 - "We Will Rock You" - Queen - New Of The World - The first of six Queen songs on the list, "We Will Rock You" is the most famous stadium rock song in the world and is still used to this day to rile up crowds at sporting events throughout the world.
#476 - "Love Is The Drug" - Roxy Music - Heart Still Beating - The first and only Roxy Music song in the top 1000, "Love Is The Drug" is the crossover hit that made the band known to most of the people who have heard of them. They've made a lot of fantastic songs over the years, but this was their biggest and best.
#475 - "Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Scream - The third of four Siouxsie songs on the countdown, "Hong Kong Garden" is the band's most radio friendly song (not that this means they got any airplay) and features their best beat and instrumental performances.
#474 - "Hungry Heart" - Bruce Springsteen - The River - The sixth of eleven Springsteen songs on the list, "Hungry Heart" is one of the Boss' best written songs as it turns a despicable cad who abandons his family into a sad figure of pity.
#473 - "Refugee" - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes - The ninth of seventeen Petty songs on the countdown, "Refugee" was one of the band's big breakthrough hits as they became one of the biggest acts of the 80's with their Damn The Torpedoes album.
#472 - "Fire Woman" - The Cult - Sonic Temple - The first of two Cult songs in the top 1000, "Fire Woman" was the band's most successful song and features their lead singer's brilliant histrionics at their peak.
#471 - "Bright Future In Sales" - Fountains Of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers - The first and only FOW song on the list, "Bright Future" is by far my favorite song by the quirky indie rock band because of it's great lyrics and chorus.
#479 - "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - The eleventh of twenty-four Zeppelin songs on the countdown, "Babe" has an epic heavy metal hook (which Chicago stole for their best song) and is just about as good as blues rock gets.
#478 - "Piano Man" - Billy Joel - The fourth and highest-ranking Billy Joel song in the top 1000, "Piano Man" is Joel's autobiographical masterpiece that paints a vivid picture of life in a Los Angeles piano bar for a man with far too much talent to spend time in such a place.
#477 - "We Will Rock You" - Queen - New Of The World - The first of six Queen songs on the list, "We Will Rock You" is the most famous stadium rock song in the world and is still used to this day to rile up crowds at sporting events throughout the world.
#476 - "Love Is The Drug" - Roxy Music - Heart Still Beating - The first and only Roxy Music song in the top 1000, "Love Is The Drug" is the crossover hit that made the band known to most of the people who have heard of them. They've made a lot of fantastic songs over the years, but this was their biggest and best.
#475 - "Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Scream - The third of four Siouxsie songs on the countdown, "Hong Kong Garden" is the band's most radio friendly song (not that this means they got any airplay) and features their best beat and instrumental performances.
#474 - "Hungry Heart" - Bruce Springsteen - The River - The sixth of eleven Springsteen songs on the list, "Hungry Heart" is one of the Boss' best written songs as it turns a despicable cad who abandons his family into a sad figure of pity.
#473 - "Refugee" - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes - The ninth of seventeen Petty songs on the countdown, "Refugee" was one of the band's big breakthrough hits as they became one of the biggest acts of the 80's with their Damn The Torpedoes album.
#472 - "Fire Woman" - The Cult - Sonic Temple - The first of two Cult songs in the top 1000, "Fire Woman" was the band's most successful song and features their lead singer's brilliant histrionics at their peak.
#471 - "Bright Future In Sales" - Fountains Of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers - The first and only FOW song on the list, "Bright Future" is by far my favorite song by the quirky indie rock band because of it's great lyrics and chorus.
Top 1000 Bands #480-#471
480 - Kiss - One of the most popular rock bands of all time, Kiss has always had an asterisk next to their name as far as I'm concerned because their music is for the most part... not very good. They have a handful of songs that I think are quite good, but other than that... let's just say that there's a reason I don't want them in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.
479 - Bad Brains - One of the big names of hardcore punk in the late 70's and early 80's, Bad Brains had a lot of great albums but never had any crossover success, not that they wanted any.
478 - The Misfits - We're talking about Glenn Danzig's Misfits here. Without him, the band is worthless, especially with the right-wing hack that currently fronts the band. With Danzig in tow, the Misfits were one of the tightest punk outfits around during hardcore's hey-day in the early 80's.
477 - The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - An indie band with a fantastic album to their name, the band has yet to release it's follow up, though it is expected in 2008.
476 - Coheed And Cambria - One of the most popular Modern Rock artists these days, Coheed And Cambria seem to release one hit single per album, but don't bother trying to figure out what the hell is going on in any of them, as their music is all part of a dense story that stopped making sense after the first note.
475 - Flyleaf - A rock band with Christian leanings, Flyleaf is the rare band with that description that makes tolerable music. Their lead singer has an incredible range and their music is sort of an amped up version of Evanescence.
474 - Jerry Lee Lewis - One of the first major stars of rock n roll, Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the finest rock piano players of the 1950s. He had a string of huge hits until his career was taken down by a scandal that would likely send him to prison in 2008.
473 - The Damned - The forgotten band of '77 punk, The Damned never had any big hits, but it's not because they didn't make great music. "New Rose" is one of the greatest punk songs ever written and the band has a history of making consistently great music.
472 - Maroon 5 - The latest "non-offensive" rock band to tear up the charts, Maroon 5 actually outdid most of these artists by having a successful follow-up album that has also produced a massive number of hits.
471 - Journey - One of the most popular rock bands of the late 70's and early 80's, Journey knew a lot about making rock music with pop crossover potential. What they didn't know, unfortunately, was how to make their lead singer sing as though he still had testicles. Steve Perry's vocal performances are amongst the most irritating in the history of all music.
479 - Bad Brains - One of the big names of hardcore punk in the late 70's and early 80's, Bad Brains had a lot of great albums but never had any crossover success, not that they wanted any.
478 - The Misfits - We're talking about Glenn Danzig's Misfits here. Without him, the band is worthless, especially with the right-wing hack that currently fronts the band. With Danzig in tow, the Misfits were one of the tightest punk outfits around during hardcore's hey-day in the early 80's.
477 - The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - An indie band with a fantastic album to their name, the band has yet to release it's follow up, though it is expected in 2008.
476 - Coheed And Cambria - One of the most popular Modern Rock artists these days, Coheed And Cambria seem to release one hit single per album, but don't bother trying to figure out what the hell is going on in any of them, as their music is all part of a dense story that stopped making sense after the first note.
475 - Flyleaf - A rock band with Christian leanings, Flyleaf is the rare band with that description that makes tolerable music. Their lead singer has an incredible range and their music is sort of an amped up version of Evanescence.
474 - Jerry Lee Lewis - One of the first major stars of rock n roll, Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the finest rock piano players of the 1950s. He had a string of huge hits until his career was taken down by a scandal that would likely send him to prison in 2008.
473 - The Damned - The forgotten band of '77 punk, The Damned never had any big hits, but it's not because they didn't make great music. "New Rose" is one of the greatest punk songs ever written and the band has a history of making consistently great music.
472 - Maroon 5 - The latest "non-offensive" rock band to tear up the charts, Maroon 5 actually outdid most of these artists by having a successful follow-up album that has also produced a massive number of hits.
471 - Journey - One of the most popular rock bands of the late 70's and early 80's, Journey knew a lot about making rock music with pop crossover potential. What they didn't know, unfortunately, was how to make their lead singer sing as though he still had testicles. Steve Perry's vocal performances are amongst the most irritating in the history of all music.
New Movies This Week
See It:
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Judd Apatow is on a hell of a run. I can't think of a movie he's ever made that I didn't like. This one is getting good reviews and I'll be seeing it the first chance I'll get.
Forbidden Kingdom - Jackie Chan and Jet Li in a martial arts film that has gotten decent reviews but would be fun even if it wasn't.
88 Minutes - I'm curious about this movie, but I imagine I'll have to wait until it's on DVD to see it.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Judd Apatow is on a hell of a run. I can't think of a movie he's ever made that I didn't like. This one is getting good reviews and I'll be seeing it the first chance I'll get.
Forbidden Kingdom - Jackie Chan and Jet Li in a martial arts film that has gotten decent reviews but would be fun even if it wasn't.
88 Minutes - I'm curious about this movie, but I imagine I'll have to wait until it's on DVD to see it.
Modern Rock Update
Albums:
Nine Inch Nails new instrumental album, which as been available online for free in part or for five dollars for the full album, debuted at #14.
Ashes Divide debuted at #36.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds debuted at #64.
The Breeders debuted at #98.
Modern / Mainstream Rock:
#1's:
Modern: Puddle Of Mudd - "Psycho"
Mainstream: Three Doors Down - "It's Not My Time"
Debuts:
Modern:
#15 - Flobots - "Handlebars"
Mainstream:
#20 - Sevendust - "Prodigal Son"
Nine Inch Nails new instrumental album, which as been available online for free in part or for five dollars for the full album, debuted at #14.
Ashes Divide debuted at #36.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds debuted at #64.
The Breeders debuted at #98.
Modern / Mainstream Rock:
#1's:
Modern: Puddle Of Mudd - "Psycho"
Mainstream: Three Doors Down - "It's Not My Time"
Debuts:
Modern:
#15 - Flobots - "Handlebars"
Mainstream:
#20 - Sevendust - "Prodigal Son"
Thursday, April 17, 2008
New Shit This Week
DVDs:
Buy It:
Juno - One of 2007's best and one of the most cleverly-written movies of all-time, Juno is a fun indie film that crossed over and became a huge hit.
Rent It:
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - A sharp and well-peformed film with a brilliant script and lots of great plot twists. It's not quite good enough for a full-price purchase but when I can get this used I absolutely will.
Lars And The Real Girl - An indie film that's gotten good reviews, I'll watch this one when I get a chance, but the buzz hasn't been good enough to buy without seeing first.
Skip It:
Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem - I loved the Alien movies. I loved the Predator movies. Alien Vs. Predator? Sucked ass. And the sequel is supposed to be worse. I won't be finding out.
In The Name Of The King - Two words: Uwe Boll.
CDs:
BUY:
Frank Black - Svn Fngrs - It's been a few months, so it must be time for another Frank Black album. This one is only an EP, but he's one of the most consistently great artists in all of rock n roll, so this one is definitely worth the purchase.
Phantom Planet - Raise The Dead - Imagine if Weezer kept making music like their first album and eventually explored heavier sounds. That's pretty much where Phantom Planet is right now and they've never been better.
BORROW:
Apocalyptica - Worlds Collide - Ignore the single, it's the worst song on the album. Their instrumental metal songs are outstanding, though not quite enough to recommend at full price.
Buy It:
Juno - One of 2007's best and one of the most cleverly-written movies of all-time, Juno is a fun indie film that crossed over and became a huge hit.
Rent It:
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - A sharp and well-peformed film with a brilliant script and lots of great plot twists. It's not quite good enough for a full-price purchase but when I can get this used I absolutely will.
Lars And The Real Girl - An indie film that's gotten good reviews, I'll watch this one when I get a chance, but the buzz hasn't been good enough to buy without seeing first.
Skip It:
Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem - I loved the Alien movies. I loved the Predator movies. Alien Vs. Predator? Sucked ass. And the sequel is supposed to be worse. I won't be finding out.
In The Name Of The King - Two words: Uwe Boll.
CDs:
BUY:
Frank Black - Svn Fngrs - It's been a few months, so it must be time for another Frank Black album. This one is only an EP, but he's one of the most consistently great artists in all of rock n roll, so this one is definitely worth the purchase.
Phantom Planet - Raise The Dead - Imagine if Weezer kept making music like their first album and eventually explored heavier sounds. That's pretty much where Phantom Planet is right now and they've never been better.
BORROW:
Apocalyptica - Worlds Collide - Ignore the single, it's the worst song on the album. Their instrumental metal songs are outstanding, though not quite enough to recommend at full price.
Top 1000 Songs #490-#481
#490 - "Devil's Haircut" - Beck - Odelay - The fifth of nine Beck songs on the list, "Devil's Haircut" was one of Beck's first big hits and is one of his best-written.
#489 - "Got The Life" - Korn - Follow The Leader - The first of three Korn songs on the countdown, "Got The Life" was the band's biggest hit and represents the peak of their career. The video for the song is one of the all-time classics.
#488 - "The Spirit Of The Radio" - Rush - Permanent Waves - The second of three Rush songs in the top 1000, "Spirit" is the band's best-written song but not quite their best overall.
#487 - "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - The fourth of seven Fleetwood Mac songs on the list, "Go" is a relationship kiss-off song written by a band member and then sung by the person it was written about, which has to be one of the most awkward scenes in rock history.
#486 - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" - AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - The fifth of nine AC/DC songs on the countdown, "Dirty Deeds" was one of the band's first big hits and features some of their nastiest and best lyrics.
#485 - "Cocaine Blues (Live)" - Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison - The third of six Johnny Cash songs in the top 1000, "Cocaine Blues" is best known for it's live performance during one of the best live albums of all time. Singing a song about murdering your wife and running away to Mexico is one thing. Singing it in a room full of people who actually did makes it electrifying.
#484 - "It's Good To Be King" - Tom Petty - Wildflowers - The eight of seventeen Petty songs on the countdown, "King" was one of his biggest solo hits coming off of his classic Wildflowers album. The chorus is a particular highlight.
#483 - "So Alive" - Love And Rockets - Love And Rockets - The first and only Love And Rockets song on the list, "So Alive" was the band's biggest hit and one of the best post punk songs of the 80's with it's slick lyrics and kick to the head of a chorus, Love And Rockets frequently left their preceding band Bauhaus in the dust.
#482 - "Vasoline" - Stone Temple Pilots - Purple - The fifth of six STP songs in the top 1000, "Vasoline" is a piledriving and brilliant modern rock song from one of the genre's best artists. This is possibly the band's best written song as well.
#481 - "Party Up" - DMX - And Then There Was X - The second and highest-charting DMX song on the list, "Party Up" is one of the best dance-rap songs ever written and features one of the best first verses and choruses of the genre.
#489 - "Got The Life" - Korn - Follow The Leader - The first of three Korn songs on the countdown, "Got The Life" was the band's biggest hit and represents the peak of their career. The video for the song is one of the all-time classics.
#488 - "The Spirit Of The Radio" - Rush - Permanent Waves - The second of three Rush songs in the top 1000, "Spirit" is the band's best-written song but not quite their best overall.
#487 - "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - The fourth of seven Fleetwood Mac songs on the list, "Go" is a relationship kiss-off song written by a band member and then sung by the person it was written about, which has to be one of the most awkward scenes in rock history.
#486 - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" - AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - The fifth of nine AC/DC songs on the countdown, "Dirty Deeds" was one of the band's first big hits and features some of their nastiest and best lyrics.
#485 - "Cocaine Blues (Live)" - Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison - The third of six Johnny Cash songs in the top 1000, "Cocaine Blues" is best known for it's live performance during one of the best live albums of all time. Singing a song about murdering your wife and running away to Mexico is one thing. Singing it in a room full of people who actually did makes it electrifying.
#484 - "It's Good To Be King" - Tom Petty - Wildflowers - The eight of seventeen Petty songs on the countdown, "King" was one of his biggest solo hits coming off of his classic Wildflowers album. The chorus is a particular highlight.
#483 - "So Alive" - Love And Rockets - Love And Rockets - The first and only Love And Rockets song on the list, "So Alive" was the band's biggest hit and one of the best post punk songs of the 80's with it's slick lyrics and kick to the head of a chorus, Love And Rockets frequently left their preceding band Bauhaus in the dust.
#482 - "Vasoline" - Stone Temple Pilots - Purple - The fifth of six STP songs in the top 1000, "Vasoline" is a piledriving and brilliant modern rock song from one of the genre's best artists. This is possibly the band's best written song as well.
#481 - "Party Up" - DMX - And Then There Was X - The second and highest-charting DMX song on the list, "Party Up" is one of the best dance-rap songs ever written and features one of the best first verses and choruses of the genre.
Top 1000 Artists #490-#481
490 - Robert Plant - The lead singer of Led Zeppelin had his own solo career in the 80's. It's not my favorite stuff. Some of the music is pretty bad, but when he's hitting on all cylinders it's almost as good as Zeppelin in their prime.
489 - Peter Frampton - One of the biggest stars of the 70's, Peter Frampton was about as big as it got when Frampton Comes Alive came out. He hasn't really had any success since that album, but the hits were quite good.
488 - The Von Bondies - "C'mon, C'mon" is one of the best garage rock songs ever written. The band also has a handful of other great songs, but so far no follow-up and the band is still best known for the lead singer's fight with Jack White.
487 - Dido - One of the most popular singer-songwriters of the early 21st Century, Dido was pretty big about five years ago, but like many pop singers she's faded in recent years.
486 - The Marshall Tucker Band - The MTB has produced some of the best songs of the Southern Rock genre, especially "Heard It In A Love Song" and the all-time great blues rock classic "Can't You See".
485 - Fu Manchu - In a world where Queens Of The Stone Age doesn't exist, Fu Manchu would be the premier desert stoner rock band. Their music is consistently great, though they've never caught on with mainstream audiences.
484 - Huey Lewis And The News - One of the biggest bands of the 1980's, Huey Lewis created the soundtrack of the decade with some of the best pop rock songs ever written. The band didn't last into the 90's as they died with their genre.
483 - Local H - One of the more underground of the great grunge bands of the 90's, Local H had a series of great singles including "All The Kids Are Right" and "Bound To The Floor".
482 - Veruca Salt - One of the best riot grrl bands of the 90's, Veruca Salt had two huge hits with "Volcano Girl" and "Seether".
481 - Mission Of Burma - A legendary indie rock band that takes forever to record a new album, Mission Of Burma has made some of the best albums of the 80's and early 90's.
489 - Peter Frampton - One of the biggest stars of the 70's, Peter Frampton was about as big as it got when Frampton Comes Alive came out. He hasn't really had any success since that album, but the hits were quite good.
488 - The Von Bondies - "C'mon, C'mon" is one of the best garage rock songs ever written. The band also has a handful of other great songs, but so far no follow-up and the band is still best known for the lead singer's fight with Jack White.
487 - Dido - One of the most popular singer-songwriters of the early 21st Century, Dido was pretty big about five years ago, but like many pop singers she's faded in recent years.
486 - The Marshall Tucker Band - The MTB has produced some of the best songs of the Southern Rock genre, especially "Heard It In A Love Song" and the all-time great blues rock classic "Can't You See".
485 - Fu Manchu - In a world where Queens Of The Stone Age doesn't exist, Fu Manchu would be the premier desert stoner rock band. Their music is consistently great, though they've never caught on with mainstream audiences.
484 - Huey Lewis And The News - One of the biggest bands of the 1980's, Huey Lewis created the soundtrack of the decade with some of the best pop rock songs ever written. The band didn't last into the 90's as they died with their genre.
483 - Local H - One of the more underground of the great grunge bands of the 90's, Local H had a series of great singles including "All The Kids Are Right" and "Bound To The Floor".
482 - Veruca Salt - One of the best riot grrl bands of the 90's, Veruca Salt had two huge hits with "Volcano Girl" and "Seether".
481 - Mission Of Burma - A legendary indie rock band that takes forever to record a new album, Mission Of Burma has made some of the best albums of the 80's and early 90's.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #500-#491
#500 - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin - Respect - The first of two Aretha songs on the list, "Natural Woman" is one of the great soul songs ever written and is among her biggest hits.
#499 - "The New Pollution" - Beck - Odelay - The fourth of nine Beck songs on the countdown, "New" is one of Beck's bigger hits and was one of the high-points he achieved at the peak of his career.
#498 - "Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf - Move Over - The first and only Steppenwolf song in the top 1000, "Born To Be Wild" is the definitive song of the 1960's and was legendarily featured in the movies "Easy Rider" and "Lost In America".
#497 - "Everybody Knows That You Are Insane" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze - The ninth of sixteen Queens songs on the list, "Everybody" is a throbbing and sweeping song that is among the best off of the band's best album.
#496 - "Can't Stop" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way - The third of five RHCP songs on the countdown. When I first heard "Can't Stop" I knew it would be a #1 hit and it was. The song opens with a Morello-lite guitar lick and classic RHCP funk lyrics and tops it all off with a great chorus.
#495 - "Crocodile Rock" - Elton John - To Be Continued - The fifth of eight Elton John songs in the top 1000, "Crocodile Rock" is one of Elton's biggest hits and one of his most fun songs, though let's face it, it's a little funny to hear him lusting over "Little Suzy" now that we know what we do.
#494 - "On The Turning Away" - Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - The third of fourteen Pink Floyd songs in the top 1000, "On The Turning Away" is one of the band's least known songs, as it wasn't on a major album, but it's among their best-written and most moving songs.
#493 - "Nuthin' But A "G" Thang" - Dr. Dre - The first and only Dre song on the list, "Thang" was the launching point for the career not only of Dre but of Snoop Dogg, two of the greatest rappers of all-time. The beat is classic Dre and the lyrics and chorus are among the best and most well-known in rap history.
#492 - "Superunkown" - Soundgarden - Superunknown - The second of eleven Soundgarden songs on the countdown, "Superunknown" provided the title for the band's legendary album, but it wasn't a big hit in and of itself. The song showcases the band at it's peak with great verses and a building chorus that falls off a cliff with an incredible vocal performance from grunge's greatest singer Chris Cornell at it's climax.
#491 - "Your Time Is Gonna Come" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - The tenth of twenty-four Zeppelin songs in the top 1000, "Your Time" is one of the few great Zeppelin songs that didn't become huge hits. The song features a great organ solo at the beginning and a less-thumping sound that would preview their next three albums and show the promise that the band could become beyond just being another blues rock band.
#499 - "The New Pollution" - Beck - Odelay - The fourth of nine Beck songs on the countdown, "New" is one of Beck's bigger hits and was one of the high-points he achieved at the peak of his career.
#498 - "Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf - Move Over - The first and only Steppenwolf song in the top 1000, "Born To Be Wild" is the definitive song of the 1960's and was legendarily featured in the movies "Easy Rider" and "Lost In America".
#497 - "Everybody Knows That You Are Insane" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze - The ninth of sixteen Queens songs on the list, "Everybody" is a throbbing and sweeping song that is among the best off of the band's best album.
#496 - "Can't Stop" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way - The third of five RHCP songs on the countdown. When I first heard "Can't Stop" I knew it would be a #1 hit and it was. The song opens with a Morello-lite guitar lick and classic RHCP funk lyrics and tops it all off with a great chorus.
#495 - "Crocodile Rock" - Elton John - To Be Continued - The fifth of eight Elton John songs in the top 1000, "Crocodile Rock" is one of Elton's biggest hits and one of his most fun songs, though let's face it, it's a little funny to hear him lusting over "Little Suzy" now that we know what we do.
#494 - "On The Turning Away" - Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - The third of fourteen Pink Floyd songs in the top 1000, "On The Turning Away" is one of the band's least known songs, as it wasn't on a major album, but it's among their best-written and most moving songs.
#493 - "Nuthin' But A "G" Thang" - Dr. Dre - The first and only Dre song on the list, "Thang" was the launching point for the career not only of Dre but of Snoop Dogg, two of the greatest rappers of all-time. The beat is classic Dre and the lyrics and chorus are among the best and most well-known in rap history.
#492 - "Superunkown" - Soundgarden - Superunknown - The second of eleven Soundgarden songs on the countdown, "Superunknown" provided the title for the band's legendary album, but it wasn't a big hit in and of itself. The song showcases the band at it's peak with great verses and a building chorus that falls off a cliff with an incredible vocal performance from grunge's greatest singer Chris Cornell at it's climax.
#491 - "Your Time Is Gonna Come" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - The tenth of twenty-four Zeppelin songs in the top 1000, "Your Time" is one of the few great Zeppelin songs that didn't become huge hits. The song features a great organ solo at the beginning and a less-thumping sound that would preview their next three albums and show the promise that the band could become beyond just being another blues rock band.
Top 1000 Bands #500-#491
500 - Slipknot - One of the most popular, if not one of the best, metal bands of the last 10 years, Slipknot's music is usually loud and pointless, but every once in awhile they come up with something worth listening to, especially on their most recent album.
499 - The All-American Rejects - One of the most popular "emo rock" groups of the day, AAR creates great pop music with fantastic hooks, but they've never made anything that could really be considered art.
498 - Starsailor - One of the best inde rock bands of the late 90's and the new century, Starsailor's music is sweeping and epic but still accessible to non-prog friendly audiences.
497 - John Fogerty - The lead singer of CCR has had a great deal of success as a solo artist, creating such hits as "Centerfield" and "The Old Man Down The Road". He's also an important figure in rock history as he successfully defeated the labels who had the gaul to sue him for stealing songs that he himself had written.
496 - Tracy Chapman - The premier singer-songwriter of the late-80's, Tracy had big hits with "Fast Car" and "For My Lover". Her career hasn't gone so well lately, and she hasn't had a hit in years.
495 - Jewel - One of the biggest stars of the mid-90's, not even Jewel can keep her songs straight in her head, but that didn't stop her from making some of the most unique pop songs of the decade.
494 - The Go-Go's - The 80's punk band that everyone had a hard time taking seriously, The Go-Go's created some truly great 80's New Wave music before splitting off at the end of the decade.
493 - Phil Collins - The second lead singer of Genesis has split off to have an incredibly successful solo career. While I do like quite a few of his songs, too many of them are just plain awful for me to rate him any higher than this on the list.
492 - Blink 182 - A pop-punk band that was among the most successful punk bands to ever make it big on MTV, Blink 182's music was pure fluff, but they did have a knack for hooks, some of which are enough to save their songs from their juvenile lyrics.
491 - Silverchair - The ultimate hit-or-miss band, Silverchair has tried on so many different hats over the year that they have to be measured using the same tactics as a hitter in baseball. Their batting average is around .250, but at least they're willing to try new things and sometimes it works.
499 - The All-American Rejects - One of the most popular "emo rock" groups of the day, AAR creates great pop music with fantastic hooks, but they've never made anything that could really be considered art.
498 - Starsailor - One of the best inde rock bands of the late 90's and the new century, Starsailor's music is sweeping and epic but still accessible to non-prog friendly audiences.
497 - John Fogerty - The lead singer of CCR has had a great deal of success as a solo artist, creating such hits as "Centerfield" and "The Old Man Down The Road". He's also an important figure in rock history as he successfully defeated the labels who had the gaul to sue him for stealing songs that he himself had written.
496 - Tracy Chapman - The premier singer-songwriter of the late-80's, Tracy had big hits with "Fast Car" and "For My Lover". Her career hasn't gone so well lately, and she hasn't had a hit in years.
495 - Jewel - One of the biggest stars of the mid-90's, not even Jewel can keep her songs straight in her head, but that didn't stop her from making some of the most unique pop songs of the decade.
494 - The Go-Go's - The 80's punk band that everyone had a hard time taking seriously, The Go-Go's created some truly great 80's New Wave music before splitting off at the end of the decade.
493 - Phil Collins - The second lead singer of Genesis has split off to have an incredibly successful solo career. While I do like quite a few of his songs, too many of them are just plain awful for me to rate him any higher than this on the list.
492 - Blink 182 - A pop-punk band that was among the most successful punk bands to ever make it big on MTV, Blink 182's music was pure fluff, but they did have a knack for hooks, some of which are enough to save their songs from their juvenile lyrics.
491 - Silverchair - The ultimate hit-or-miss band, Silverchair has tried on so many different hats over the year that they have to be measured using the same tactics as a hitter in baseball. Their batting average is around .250, but at least they're willing to try new things and sometimes it works.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
New Movies This Week
See It:
Smart People - The best film of this week is only barely worth watching. I like the stars of the movie, though it's gotten rotten reviews so it probably isn't very good.
Skip It:
Prom Night - The one millionth horror re-make of the last ten years, Prom Night is a huge hit for some unexplainable reason.
Street Kings - This derivative pile of crap has an average cast and I have no reason to see it. Oh yeah, and the reviews are horrid too.
Smart People - The best film of this week is only barely worth watching. I like the stars of the movie, though it's gotten rotten reviews so it probably isn't very good.
Skip It:
Prom Night - The one millionth horror re-make of the last ten years, Prom Night is a huge hit for some unexplainable reason.
Street Kings - This derivative pile of crap has an average cast and I have no reason to see it. Oh yeah, and the reviews are horrid too.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Modern Rock Update
Albums:
Debuts:
#2 - R.E.M. - Accelerate
#14 - The Black Keys - Attack And Release
#19 - Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow
#26 - Theory Of A Deadman - Scars & Souvenirs
#27 - Moby - Last Night
Modern / Mainstream:
#1:
Modern: Puddle Of Mudd - "Psycho"
Mainstream: Puddle Of Mudd - "Pyscho"
Debuts:
Modern:
#11 - The Raconteurs - "Salute Your Solution"
#12 - Death Cab For Cutie - "I Will Possess Your Heart"
#14 - Disturbed - "Inside The Fire"
Mainstream:
#20 - Avenged Sevenfold - "Afterlife"
Debuts:
#2 - R.E.M. - Accelerate
#14 - The Black Keys - Attack And Release
#19 - Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow
#26 - Theory Of A Deadman - Scars & Souvenirs
#27 - Moby - Last Night
Modern / Mainstream:
#1:
Modern: Puddle Of Mudd - "Psycho"
Mainstream: Puddle Of Mudd - "Pyscho"
Debuts:
Modern:
#11 - The Raconteurs - "Salute Your Solution"
#12 - Death Cab For Cutie - "I Will Possess Your Heart"
#14 - Disturbed - "Inside The Fire"
Mainstream:
#20 - Avenged Sevenfold - "Afterlife"
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
New Shit This Week
DVDs:
BUY:
There Will Be Blood - One of the best movies released in 2007, There Will Be Blood is a cinematic masterpiece with incredible cinematography, a great story, an Oscar-worthy supporting performance by Paul Dano and one of the all-time greatest cinematic peformances from Daniel Day-Lewis in his Oscar-winning role. The only downside is that this movie wasn't released in Blu-Ray for reasons I can't possibly fathom.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - Proving that American audiences are still a bunch of damn idiots, this movie flopped in theaters, despite being one of the funniest movies of the year. Now it's out on DVD in a new director's cut. Knowing that it's an Apatow production, that means that the new cut of the movie is probably 3 hours long with 8 hours of deleted scenes and they're all hilarious. Even the music is outstanding as instead of merely being Weird Al-style parodies, the songs in the movie are almost credible and some could pass as actual hits from their respective eras.
Rent It:
P2 - A surprisingly good suspense thriller that did a decent amount at the box office and is worth a look on DVD.
Lions For Lambs - A huge flop that got lousy reviews, but I'm still curious enough to give it a look.
Reservation Road - The trailer made it look pretty good and the cast is first rate. Strange that it didn't get much of a push in theaters, though.
Resurrecting The Champ - It got decent reviews, so it should be worth a look at least.
CDs:
Buy It:
The Duke Spirit - Neptune - One of my favorite indie bands that no one's heard of, I didn't even know that this album was coming out because it got no advance press. Still, I intend to buy it as soon as I can find a place to do so.
Borrow It:
Tapes N Tapes - Walk It Off - One of the first blog sensations to actually survive to a second successful album, Tapes N Tapes isn't quite on my purchase list yet, but if this one's as good as the first they'll be there next time around.
The Breeders - Mountain Battles - Bad reviews are what's going to keep me from buying this one, but if I like it I might buy it later on.
Foals - Antidotes - Tapes N Tapes are the old blog sensation and Foals are the new ones. Now they fight each other in a steel cage death match to see which band is allowed to survive long enough to breed.
Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - A former member of A Perfect Circle founded this band. Sadly, it wasn't MJK, but I'm sure it's probably still pretty good.
BUY:
There Will Be Blood - One of the best movies released in 2007, There Will Be Blood is a cinematic masterpiece with incredible cinematography, a great story, an Oscar-worthy supporting performance by Paul Dano and one of the all-time greatest cinematic peformances from Daniel Day-Lewis in his Oscar-winning role. The only downside is that this movie wasn't released in Blu-Ray for reasons I can't possibly fathom.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - Proving that American audiences are still a bunch of damn idiots, this movie flopped in theaters, despite being one of the funniest movies of the year. Now it's out on DVD in a new director's cut. Knowing that it's an Apatow production, that means that the new cut of the movie is probably 3 hours long with 8 hours of deleted scenes and they're all hilarious. Even the music is outstanding as instead of merely being Weird Al-style parodies, the songs in the movie are almost credible and some could pass as actual hits from their respective eras.
Rent It:
P2 - A surprisingly good suspense thriller that did a decent amount at the box office and is worth a look on DVD.
Lions For Lambs - A huge flop that got lousy reviews, but I'm still curious enough to give it a look.
Reservation Road - The trailer made it look pretty good and the cast is first rate. Strange that it didn't get much of a push in theaters, though.
Resurrecting The Champ - It got decent reviews, so it should be worth a look at least.
CDs:
Buy It:
The Duke Spirit - Neptune - One of my favorite indie bands that no one's heard of, I didn't even know that this album was coming out because it got no advance press. Still, I intend to buy it as soon as I can find a place to do so.
Borrow It:
Tapes N Tapes - Walk It Off - One of the first blog sensations to actually survive to a second successful album, Tapes N Tapes isn't quite on my purchase list yet, but if this one's as good as the first they'll be there next time around.
The Breeders - Mountain Battles - Bad reviews are what's going to keep me from buying this one, but if I like it I might buy it later on.
Foals - Antidotes - Tapes N Tapes are the old blog sensation and Foals are the new ones. Now they fight each other in a steel cage death match to see which band is allowed to survive long enough to breed.
Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - A former member of A Perfect Circle founded this band. Sadly, it wasn't MJK, but I'm sure it's probably still pretty good.
Top 1000 Songs #510-#501
#510 - "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock N Roll)" - AC/DC - High Voltage - The fourth of nine AC/DC songs on the list, "Long Way" is one of the epic "making it in the biz" songs of all classic rock and is such an iconic song that it was selected as the song to be performed at the end of the film School Of Rock.
#509 - "Molly's Chambers" - Kings Of Leon - Youth And Young Manhood - The first and only Kings Of Leon song on the countdown, "Molly's Chambers" was the band's breakthrough hit when it was featured in an ad for The Gap. The song is by far the band's most fun and their best written.
#508 - "All My Life" - The Foo Fighters - One By One - The seventh of ten Foo Fighters songs in the top 1000, "All My Life" was the band's first single off of what is widely regarded as their worst album. The chorus and the patented Foo Fighters screaming verse are the highlights for certain, as this is among the band's best.
#507 - "Hotel Yorba" - The White Stripes - White Blood Cells - The third of ten White Stripes songs on the list, "Hotel Yorba" was one of the band's first hits and features one of their most exciting choruses to date.
#506 - "God" - Tori Amos - Under The Pink - The second and highest-charting Tori Amos song in the top 1000, "God" is a poignant song about questioning faith and the status quo. It's not the best song with this theme, but it's still one of the most thought-provoking songs ever written.
#505 - "Been Caught Stealing" - Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual - The second and highest-charting Jane's Addiction song, "Stealing" was the band's biggest hit and the biggest alternative rock between R.E.M. and Nirvana.
#504 - "Personality Crisis" - The New York Dolls - Rock N Roll - The first and only NYD song on the list, "Personality Crisis" is the definitive proto-punk rock song. It's loud, it's technically flawed and it sounds like they grabbed some guy off the streets and let him be the lead singer. In other words... it's fucking awesome.
#503 - "Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots - Purple - The fourth of six STP songs on the list, "Big Empty" was the band's first truly great song as their own band versus the band that their label wanted them to be, "Big Empty" was also featured on the brilliant Crow Soundtrack.
#502 - "Wild, Wild Life" - The Talking Heads - True Stories - The third of ten Talking Heads songs on the countdown, "Wild" was one of the band's last great singles before they called it quits and split off into their own bands. I especially like the lyrics and chorus on this one.
#501 - "Beautiful Day" - U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind - The third of sixteen U2 songs in the top 1000, "Beautiful Day" was something of a comeback song for the band, who had mired in weird techno music for a few albums before they unleashed this Joshua Tree worthy track as the first single on their incredibly successful Leave Behind album. The chorus is among the band's best.
#509 - "Molly's Chambers" - Kings Of Leon - Youth And Young Manhood - The first and only Kings Of Leon song on the countdown, "Molly's Chambers" was the band's breakthrough hit when it was featured in an ad for The Gap. The song is by far the band's most fun and their best written.
#508 - "All My Life" - The Foo Fighters - One By One - The seventh of ten Foo Fighters songs in the top 1000, "All My Life" was the band's first single off of what is widely regarded as their worst album. The chorus and the patented Foo Fighters screaming verse are the highlights for certain, as this is among the band's best.
#507 - "Hotel Yorba" - The White Stripes - White Blood Cells - The third of ten White Stripes songs on the list, "Hotel Yorba" was one of the band's first hits and features one of their most exciting choruses to date.
#506 - "God" - Tori Amos - Under The Pink - The second and highest-charting Tori Amos song in the top 1000, "God" is a poignant song about questioning faith and the status quo. It's not the best song with this theme, but it's still one of the most thought-provoking songs ever written.
#505 - "Been Caught Stealing" - Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual - The second and highest-charting Jane's Addiction song, "Stealing" was the band's biggest hit and the biggest alternative rock between R.E.M. and Nirvana.
#504 - "Personality Crisis" - The New York Dolls - Rock N Roll - The first and only NYD song on the list, "Personality Crisis" is the definitive proto-punk rock song. It's loud, it's technically flawed and it sounds like they grabbed some guy off the streets and let him be the lead singer. In other words... it's fucking awesome.
#503 - "Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots - Purple - The fourth of six STP songs on the list, "Big Empty" was the band's first truly great song as their own band versus the band that their label wanted them to be, "Big Empty" was also featured on the brilliant Crow Soundtrack.
#502 - "Wild, Wild Life" - The Talking Heads - True Stories - The third of ten Talking Heads songs on the countdown, "Wild" was one of the band's last great singles before they called it quits and split off into their own bands. I especially like the lyrics and chorus on this one.
#501 - "Beautiful Day" - U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind - The third of sixteen U2 songs in the top 1000, "Beautiful Day" was something of a comeback song for the band, who had mired in weird techno music for a few albums before they unleashed this Joshua Tree worthy track as the first single on their incredibly successful Leave Behind album. The chorus is among the band's best.
Top 1000 Bands #510-#501
510 - The Fray - The latest non-threatening "next best thing" to take the world by storm and then potentially disappear forever. We'll have to see, but so far the band is doing pretty well as an American version of Coldplay.
509 - Blind Faith - They only released one album together, but Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood's late 60's collaboration Blind Faith managed to put together some of the most interesting music of the early days of classic rock.
508 - Porcupine Tree - The Pink Floyd comparisons are way off, but they do have a great deal of prog cred to their name after releasing a series of solid albums.
507 - The Soup Dragons - An early 90's Brit Pop band that hit it big with their cover of the Stones' "I'm Free" and their own "Divine Thing".
506 - Wyclef Jean - One of the original members of the Fugee's, Wyclef Jean has made a solo career with is pop reggae sound, creating classics like "Bubblegoose", "Gone Til November" and "If I Was President".
505 - The Vines - The least of the "the" bands that were everywhere in the early 21st century, The Vines were always good for one great song... per album. The band started out as a Nirvana knock-off but have since found their own, significantly lesser style.
504 - The National - One of the breakthrough indie bands of 2007, The National has a sound sort of like an indie version of Interpol. There's definitely a Joy Division influence, but it's more like background vocals than the music itself like so many other JD bands.
503 - Strata - A relatively new indie band with a few fantastic albums to their name, Strata had a breakthrough hit with "Cocaine".
502 - Gnarls Barkley - The biggest splash that indie rock made in 2006, Gnarls Barkley hit the pop charts with their crossover smash "Crazy". Surprisingly, the band isn't a one-hit wonder as their second album was just released to great reviews.
501 - Mute Math - While they technically consider themselves a Christian-rock band, the band transcends their genre to create top-quality indie rock that's starting to cross over to the rock charts.
509 - Blind Faith - They only released one album together, but Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood's late 60's collaboration Blind Faith managed to put together some of the most interesting music of the early days of classic rock.
508 - Porcupine Tree - The Pink Floyd comparisons are way off, but they do have a great deal of prog cred to their name after releasing a series of solid albums.
507 - The Soup Dragons - An early 90's Brit Pop band that hit it big with their cover of the Stones' "I'm Free" and their own "Divine Thing".
506 - Wyclef Jean - One of the original members of the Fugee's, Wyclef Jean has made a solo career with is pop reggae sound, creating classics like "Bubblegoose", "Gone Til November" and "If I Was President".
505 - The Vines - The least of the "the" bands that were everywhere in the early 21st century, The Vines were always good for one great song... per album. The band started out as a Nirvana knock-off but have since found their own, significantly lesser style.
504 - The National - One of the breakthrough indie bands of 2007, The National has a sound sort of like an indie version of Interpol. There's definitely a Joy Division influence, but it's more like background vocals than the music itself like so many other JD bands.
503 - Strata - A relatively new indie band with a few fantastic albums to their name, Strata had a breakthrough hit with "Cocaine".
502 - Gnarls Barkley - The biggest splash that indie rock made in 2006, Gnarls Barkley hit the pop charts with their crossover smash "Crazy". Surprisingly, the band isn't a one-hit wonder as their second album was just released to great reviews.
501 - Mute Math - While they technically consider themselves a Christian-rock band, the band transcends their genre to create top-quality indie rock that's starting to cross over to the rock charts.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #520-#511
#520 - "Children Of The Revolution" - T. Rex - Tanx - The first of two T. Rex songs on the list, "Children" is one of the great glam rock songs of all-time, as the band hit it's theatrical peak with this classic.
#519 - "No Woman, No Cry" - Bob Marley - Legend - The first and only Marley song on the countdown, "No Woman" is the greatest reggae song ever written and one of the best songs of the 70's.
#518 - "Down By The Water" - P.J. Harvey - To Bring You My Love - The third of four Harvey songs in the top 1000, "Water" is one of the darkest indie rock songs of the 90's and features Harvey as she tears through her apocalyptic lyrics.
#517 - "Last Nite" - The Strokes - Is This It - The third and highest ranking Strokes song on the countdown, "Last Nite" was the band's first big hit and by far their most successful with it's pulsing beat and brilliant chorus.
#516 - "Daughter" - Pearl Jam - Vs. - The 11th of twenty-five Pearl Jam songs on the list, "Daughter" was the band's first big hit off their second and best album. It's not their best ballad, but it was representative of the band at it's all-time peak.
#515 - "You Get What You Give" - The New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed, Too - The first and only New Radicals song in the top 1000 is also their only hit. I don't know why they didn't achieve any further level of success. After all, ripping off U2's sound hasn't hurt Coldplay's career. Maybe it was that lameass "Beck and Hanson" verse at the end of the song.
#514 - "Crash Into Me" - The Dave Matthews Band - Crash - The third and highest-charting DMB song on the countdown, "Crash" was the band's breakthrough hit and by far the best adult contemporary song of the modern rock scene.
#513 - "Closer To The Heart" - Rush - A Farewell To Arms - The first of three Rush songs on the list, "Closer" was one of the band's first hits and is among their best written and most philosophical.
#512 - "Verse Chorus Verse" - Nirvana - Assorted - The fourth of fifteen Nirvana songs on the countdown, "Verse" was never released on an official Nirvana album, but it's one of their catchiest songs and features some of the band's best verses and... umm... chorus.
#511 - "Champagne Supernova" - Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory - The third of six Oasis songs on the list, "Supernova" was one of the band's biggest hits and showcases the band at their most Beatle-ist.
#519 - "No Woman, No Cry" - Bob Marley - Legend - The first and only Marley song on the countdown, "No Woman" is the greatest reggae song ever written and one of the best songs of the 70's.
#518 - "Down By The Water" - P.J. Harvey - To Bring You My Love - The third of four Harvey songs in the top 1000, "Water" is one of the darkest indie rock songs of the 90's and features Harvey as she tears through her apocalyptic lyrics.
#517 - "Last Nite" - The Strokes - Is This It - The third and highest ranking Strokes song on the countdown, "Last Nite" was the band's first big hit and by far their most successful with it's pulsing beat and brilliant chorus.
#516 - "Daughter" - Pearl Jam - Vs. - The 11th of twenty-five Pearl Jam songs on the list, "Daughter" was the band's first big hit off their second and best album. It's not their best ballad, but it was representative of the band at it's all-time peak.
#515 - "You Get What You Give" - The New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed, Too - The first and only New Radicals song in the top 1000 is also their only hit. I don't know why they didn't achieve any further level of success. After all, ripping off U2's sound hasn't hurt Coldplay's career. Maybe it was that lameass "Beck and Hanson" verse at the end of the song.
#514 - "Crash Into Me" - The Dave Matthews Band - Crash - The third and highest-charting DMB song on the countdown, "Crash" was the band's breakthrough hit and by far the best adult contemporary song of the modern rock scene.
#513 - "Closer To The Heart" - Rush - A Farewell To Arms - The first of three Rush songs on the list, "Closer" was one of the band's first hits and is among their best written and most philosophical.
#512 - "Verse Chorus Verse" - Nirvana - Assorted - The fourth of fifteen Nirvana songs on the countdown, "Verse" was never released on an official Nirvana album, but it's one of their catchiest songs and features some of the band's best verses and... umm... chorus.
#511 - "Champagne Supernova" - Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory - The third of six Oasis songs on the list, "Supernova" was one of the band's biggest hits and showcases the band at their most Beatle-ist.
Top 1000 Bands #520-#511
520 - Robert Palmer - A big star in the 80's thanks to his creative videos, Robert Palmer had a good run of pop hits before flaming out thanks to overexposure.
519 - Prodigy - The biggest band in industrial techno, Prodigy had a couple of big hits and a few solid albums. They're still around to this day, though not nearly as popular as they were in their "Firestarter" days.
518 - The Butthole Surfers - An underground punk band that had a big hit with "Pepper", though the song was completely uncharacteristic of the band's previous achievements.
517 - Shinedown - The current reigning champ of the monster ballad, Shinedown has produced several solid albums that don't quite escape mediocrity, but certainly aren't awful either.
516 - The Fixx - An 80's New Wave band that had a bunch of great songs but only one major hit "One Thing Leads To Another".
515 - Madeline - Among the best artists that I've learned about through the Pierre concert scene, Madeline is a singer-songwriter with great lyrics and a smooth voice.
514 - Albert Hammond, Jr. - The guitarist for the Strokes has released one solo album so far and it was one of the best of the year it came out. The music isn't much like the Strokes', but it's among the best indie rock of recent years.
513 - Otis Redding - The R&B legend who was one of the biggest stars of the 60's before his untimely death, Otis created some of the most memorable songs of the decade, including his biggest hit "Sittin' By The Dock Of The Bay".
512 - Three Dog Night - Another of the major bands of the 60's, Three Dog Night had a series of hits on the pop charts. Good stuff, but nothing groundbreaking as far as I'm concerned.
511 - Badfinger - The first band that the Beatles signed to their label, Badfinger's sound could best be described as... The Beatles'. Still, they had a handful of great classic rock singles before they broke up.
519 - Prodigy - The biggest band in industrial techno, Prodigy had a couple of big hits and a few solid albums. They're still around to this day, though not nearly as popular as they were in their "Firestarter" days.
518 - The Butthole Surfers - An underground punk band that had a big hit with "Pepper", though the song was completely uncharacteristic of the band's previous achievements.
517 - Shinedown - The current reigning champ of the monster ballad, Shinedown has produced several solid albums that don't quite escape mediocrity, but certainly aren't awful either.
516 - The Fixx - An 80's New Wave band that had a bunch of great songs but only one major hit "One Thing Leads To Another".
515 - Madeline - Among the best artists that I've learned about through the Pierre concert scene, Madeline is a singer-songwriter with great lyrics and a smooth voice.
514 - Albert Hammond, Jr. - The guitarist for the Strokes has released one solo album so far and it was one of the best of the year it came out. The music isn't much like the Strokes', but it's among the best indie rock of recent years.
513 - Otis Redding - The R&B legend who was one of the biggest stars of the 60's before his untimely death, Otis created some of the most memorable songs of the decade, including his biggest hit "Sittin' By The Dock Of The Bay".
512 - Three Dog Night - Another of the major bands of the 60's, Three Dog Night had a series of hits on the pop charts. Good stuff, but nothing groundbreaking as far as I'm concerned.
511 - Badfinger - The first band that the Beatles signed to their label, Badfinger's sound could best be described as... The Beatles'. Still, they had a handful of great classic rock singles before they broke up.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #530-#521
#530 - "Dolls (Come On Baby Let's Have A Good Time)" - Primal Scream - Riot City Blues - The second and highest-ranking Primal Scream song on the list, "Dolls" was first brought to my attention on the soundtrack of the PS3 game Motorstorm. I've really gotten into the band's quirky Brit-Pop style since I first learned of them and this is their best song I've heard so far.
#529 - "Shattered" - The Rolling Stones - Some Girls - The sixth of twenty Stones tunes in the top 1000, "Shattered" was one of the band's best songs of the late 70's, as it seemed to embrace some of the '77 punk sound that was all the rage at the time.
#528 - "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" - Death Cab For Cutie - Plans - The second of three Death Cab songs on the countdown, "I Will Follow" is one of the saddest emo songs ever written, and that's saying something if you consider the genre. Oh, and the video? Just about the saddest thing you'll ever see in your life.
#527 - "Welcome To The Black Parade" - My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - The second and highest-ranking MCR song in the top 1000, "Parade" is the best Queen song written since the death of Freddie Mercury, with it's pompous lyrics and Bohemian-style movements and shifts.
#526 - "Sex Type Thing" - Stone Temple Pilots - Core - The third of six STP songs on the list, "Sex Type Thing" is a pulsing hard rock song that is popular among frat boys for the wrong reasons and everyone else because of it's great pace and solid beat.
#525 - "Longview" - Green Day - Dookie - The sixth of nine Green Day songs on the countdown, "Longview" was the band's breakthrough hit on MTV (which was still relevant at the time), and showed that they were capable of more than just the short and goofy 2 minute punk songs that Blink 182 would later achieve a great deal of success with. The chorus on this song is among their best.
#524 - "Lost Cause" - Beck - Sea Change - The third of nine Beck songs in the top 1000, "Lost Cause" is the best ballad in Beck's career and a huge departure from the type of rock we're used to hearing from him. The album it's on is a bit of a downer, but this song is one of his best.
#523 - "Civil War" - Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion I - The second of eight GNR songs on the list, "Civil War" was one of the band's last great epic songs and by far their most overtly political, as Axl, Slash and the boys tear through 20th century politics and question the point of our struggles.
#522 - "Holiday" - Green Day - American Idiot - The seventh of nine Green Day songs on the countdown, "Holiday" is the band's most political song and the best song off of their best album. It's just too bad that the album didn't convince more people to remove it's target from power.
#521 - "Ring Of Fire" - Johnny Cash - Greatest Hits - The second of six Johnny Cash songs in the top 1000, "Ring Of Fire" was his cover of June Carter's original. Cash flavored the song with mariachi music and created one of the first great songs of country or rock n roll.
#529 - "Shattered" - The Rolling Stones - Some Girls - The sixth of twenty Stones tunes in the top 1000, "Shattered" was one of the band's best songs of the late 70's, as it seemed to embrace some of the '77 punk sound that was all the rage at the time.
#528 - "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" - Death Cab For Cutie - Plans - The second of three Death Cab songs on the countdown, "I Will Follow" is one of the saddest emo songs ever written, and that's saying something if you consider the genre. Oh, and the video? Just about the saddest thing you'll ever see in your life.
#527 - "Welcome To The Black Parade" - My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - The second and highest-ranking MCR song in the top 1000, "Parade" is the best Queen song written since the death of Freddie Mercury, with it's pompous lyrics and Bohemian-style movements and shifts.
#526 - "Sex Type Thing" - Stone Temple Pilots - Core - The third of six STP songs on the list, "Sex Type Thing" is a pulsing hard rock song that is popular among frat boys for the wrong reasons and everyone else because of it's great pace and solid beat.
#525 - "Longview" - Green Day - Dookie - The sixth of nine Green Day songs on the countdown, "Longview" was the band's breakthrough hit on MTV (which was still relevant at the time), and showed that they were capable of more than just the short and goofy 2 minute punk songs that Blink 182 would later achieve a great deal of success with. The chorus on this song is among their best.
#524 - "Lost Cause" - Beck - Sea Change - The third of nine Beck songs in the top 1000, "Lost Cause" is the best ballad in Beck's career and a huge departure from the type of rock we're used to hearing from him. The album it's on is a bit of a downer, but this song is one of his best.
#523 - "Civil War" - Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion I - The second of eight GNR songs on the list, "Civil War" was one of the band's last great epic songs and by far their most overtly political, as Axl, Slash and the boys tear through 20th century politics and question the point of our struggles.
#522 - "Holiday" - Green Day - American Idiot - The seventh of nine Green Day songs on the countdown, "Holiday" is the band's most political song and the best song off of their best album. It's just too bad that the album didn't convince more people to remove it's target from power.
#521 - "Ring Of Fire" - Johnny Cash - Greatest Hits - The second of six Johnny Cash songs in the top 1000, "Ring Of Fire" was his cover of June Carter's original. Cash flavored the song with mariachi music and created one of the first great songs of country or rock n roll.
Top 1000 Artists #530-#521
530 - Idlewild - An indie rock band with some political leanings, Idlewild has been creating great rock for a decade now.
529 - The View - An indie dance rock band who just made a major breakthrough with their last album, though they haven't quite made it to the mainstream yet.
528 - Guster - An indie band that's been churning out solid rock music for awhile now, the band had a decent amount of success with their last album.
527 - The Used - A screamo band that had a great debut album, a solid debut single from their second album and.... not a whole lot since. Still, the promise is there if they can stop whining so damn much.
526 - JJ72 - An Irish grunge band that didn't enjoy a lot of success but they still made a lot of great music before calling it quits.
525 - James Taylor - A legend of the singer-songwriter genre, James Taylor was one of the most successful artists of the 1970s. I like a handful of his songs, but for the most part his music is just too timid for my tastes.
524 - Motley Crue - The best of the hair bands of the 80's, Motley Crue is still somewhat around, though they are nowhere near as relevant as they were during their "Shout At The Devil" days. It's not very hip of me to rank them so high on this list, but I don't care. Not all of their music is pure crap.
523 - Fort Minor - Linkin Park has never been one of my favorites, but every once in awhile they do put together a song that I like. Usually when they do it's because they focus on the rapper in the group rather than the screamer. Well, this band is the rapper's side project and some of it is among the best rap produced in the 21st century. Too bad he doesn't focus on this band instead.
522 - Great White - Not so much a hair metal band as a Zeppelin disciple, Great White had a couple of great classic rock songs, especially their cover of "Once Bitten".
521 - The Presidents Of The U.S.A. - In the mid-90's, the Presidents achieved a great deal of notoriety for their quirky indie rock songs, especially "Lump" and "Peaches". They also created the theme song for the Drew Carey Show.
529 - The View - An indie dance rock band who just made a major breakthrough with their last album, though they haven't quite made it to the mainstream yet.
528 - Guster - An indie band that's been churning out solid rock music for awhile now, the band had a decent amount of success with their last album.
527 - The Used - A screamo band that had a great debut album, a solid debut single from their second album and.... not a whole lot since. Still, the promise is there if they can stop whining so damn much.
526 - JJ72 - An Irish grunge band that didn't enjoy a lot of success but they still made a lot of great music before calling it quits.
525 - James Taylor - A legend of the singer-songwriter genre, James Taylor was one of the most successful artists of the 1970s. I like a handful of his songs, but for the most part his music is just too timid for my tastes.
524 - Motley Crue - The best of the hair bands of the 80's, Motley Crue is still somewhat around, though they are nowhere near as relevant as they were during their "Shout At The Devil" days. It's not very hip of me to rank them so high on this list, but I don't care. Not all of their music is pure crap.
523 - Fort Minor - Linkin Park has never been one of my favorites, but every once in awhile they do put together a song that I like. Usually when they do it's because they focus on the rapper in the group rather than the screamer. Well, this band is the rapper's side project and some of it is among the best rap produced in the 21st century. Too bad he doesn't focus on this band instead.
522 - Great White - Not so much a hair metal band as a Zeppelin disciple, Great White had a couple of great classic rock songs, especially their cover of "Once Bitten".
521 - The Presidents Of The U.S.A. - In the mid-90's, the Presidents achieved a great deal of notoriety for their quirky indie rock songs, especially "Lump" and "Peaches". They also created the theme song for the Drew Carey Show.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #540-#531
#540 - "Freedom Of Choice" - Devo - Freedom Of Choice - The fifth and highest-ranking Devo song on the list, "Freedom Of Choice" uses Devo's typically quirky style to sing a punk song about democracy inaction.
#539 - "Jesus Built My Hotrod" - Ministry - Ministry (Psalm 69) - The first and only Ministry song on the countdown, "Hotrod" is the band's heaviest and most popular song, as it was featured prominently on the brilliant "X-Games Soundtrack".
#538 - "House Of The Rising Sun" - The Animals - Greatest Hits - The third and highest-charting Animals song in the top 1000, "House" is a cover of an old blues song and was one of the biggest and best songs from the original British Invasion.
#537 - "The Wind Cries Mary" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? - The third of nine Hendrix tunes on the countdown, "Mary" is one of the band's best electric blues ballads and features a slowed-down tempo that allows the lyrics to shine.
#536 - "Undone - The Sweater Song" - Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album) - The fourth of five Weezer songs on the list, "Undone" is one of the cheesiest titles for a popular song of the 90's, but if you ignore that the lyrics don't make any literal sense and just enjoy the atmosphere, you'll notice that it's a brilliant pop song.
#535 - "Over The Hills And Far Away" - Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy - The ninth of twenty-four Zeppelin tunes in the top 1000, "Over The Hills" is the perfect mid-career song for the band as it is right in between the blues rock of their early years and the heavy metal of their last few albums.
#534 - "Echo" - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Echo - The seventh of seventeen Petty songs on the countdown, "Echo" is the saddest Petty song in their catalog, as it's a heartbreaking ballad from the band's album that was created in response to a brutal divorce. Not the most uplifting stuff, but very moving.
#533 - "Hells Bells" - AC/DC - Back In Black - The third of nine AC/DC songs on the list, "Hells Bells" is a song so heavy that it's easily to believe that it's Metallica when you first hear it. The song is also used prominently at the Metrodome during Vikings games, so it gets bonus points for that.
#532 - "LDN" - Lily Allen - Alright, Still - The first and only Lily Allen song in the top 1000, "LDN" is a very deceptive pop song about how things are often darker than they appear at a casual glance. This theme is used perfectly within the song itself as you will think you're listening to a very different song if you pay attention to the lyrics versus if you don't.
#531 - "Teenagers" - My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - The first of two MCR songs on the list, "Teenagers" is a goth burlesque song about teenage rebellion and the reactions it gathers.
#539 - "Jesus Built My Hotrod" - Ministry - Ministry (Psalm 69) - The first and only Ministry song on the countdown, "Hotrod" is the band's heaviest and most popular song, as it was featured prominently on the brilliant "X-Games Soundtrack".
#538 - "House Of The Rising Sun" - The Animals - Greatest Hits - The third and highest-charting Animals song in the top 1000, "House" is a cover of an old blues song and was one of the biggest and best songs from the original British Invasion.
#537 - "The Wind Cries Mary" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? - The third of nine Hendrix tunes on the countdown, "Mary" is one of the band's best electric blues ballads and features a slowed-down tempo that allows the lyrics to shine.
#536 - "Undone - The Sweater Song" - Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album) - The fourth of five Weezer songs on the list, "Undone" is one of the cheesiest titles for a popular song of the 90's, but if you ignore that the lyrics don't make any literal sense and just enjoy the atmosphere, you'll notice that it's a brilliant pop song.
#535 - "Over The Hills And Far Away" - Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy - The ninth of twenty-four Zeppelin tunes in the top 1000, "Over The Hills" is the perfect mid-career song for the band as it is right in between the blues rock of their early years and the heavy metal of their last few albums.
#534 - "Echo" - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Echo - The seventh of seventeen Petty songs on the countdown, "Echo" is the saddest Petty song in their catalog, as it's a heartbreaking ballad from the band's album that was created in response to a brutal divorce. Not the most uplifting stuff, but very moving.
#533 - "Hells Bells" - AC/DC - Back In Black - The third of nine AC/DC songs on the list, "Hells Bells" is a song so heavy that it's easily to believe that it's Metallica when you first hear it. The song is also used prominently at the Metrodome during Vikings games, so it gets bonus points for that.
#532 - "LDN" - Lily Allen - Alright, Still - The first and only Lily Allen song in the top 1000, "LDN" is a very deceptive pop song about how things are often darker than they appear at a casual glance. This theme is used perfectly within the song itself as you will think you're listening to a very different song if you pay attention to the lyrics versus if you don't.
#531 - "Teenagers" - My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - The first of two MCR songs on the list, "Teenagers" is a goth burlesque song about teenage rebellion and the reactions it gathers.
Top 1000 Bands #540-#531
540 - Hootie And The Blowfish - One of the biggest acts of the late 90s, Hootie is one of the biggest and most popular one-album wonders in all of rock history. Their music was mostly tepid, but usually more than tolerable and a lot of fun.
539 - Louis XIV - A gimmicky indie rock band with a great first album and a below average second album. They're probably done for good, but you never know.
538 - Chris Cornell - The lead singer of Soundgarden has had a couple of middling solo albums to date, but when he's good, he's outstanding ("Sunshower").
537 - The Jackson Five - One of the biggest artists in Motown's stables, The Jackson Five managed to make cloying pop music that was well-written and memorable, allowing them to transcend the gimmicky nature of the band's existence.
536 - The Cribs - An up-and-coming indie rock band, The Cribs had a few decent albums before they really broke through with their most recent "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever".
535 - Slayer - One of the greatest metal bands of the 80's, Slayer's music is thick to the point of being impenetrable, but if you don't mind your metal black as night, they're a good band to start with.
534 - The Whigs - An indie rock band with two outstanding albums to their credit. They should make a breakthrough pretty soon, at least onto alternative rock.
533 - Candlebox - A massively successful mid-90's band that had a lot of forgotten songs. They were definitely a grunge knock-off band, but that doesn't mean that their music was terrible.
532 - Teenage Fanclub - One of the many "next big things" that totally weren't, Teenage Fanclub weren't a failure because of a lack of quality, they just didn't have a very marketable sound. Their albums are quirky and weird, but definitely interesting.
531 - Broken Social Scene - The latest victim of the blog curse of a sophomore slump, Broken Social Scene's second album was almost as good as the original, but nowhere in the same world as the hype demanded it to be. At the moment, the band has split off into a multitude of successful solo acts, from the tremendously successful Feist to the critically beloved Jason Collett and Kevin Drew. The band hasn't officially broken up, though, and should probably be disappointing music snobs again in no time.
539 - Louis XIV - A gimmicky indie rock band with a great first album and a below average second album. They're probably done for good, but you never know.
538 - Chris Cornell - The lead singer of Soundgarden has had a couple of middling solo albums to date, but when he's good, he's outstanding ("Sunshower").
537 - The Jackson Five - One of the biggest artists in Motown's stables, The Jackson Five managed to make cloying pop music that was well-written and memorable, allowing them to transcend the gimmicky nature of the band's existence.
536 - The Cribs - An up-and-coming indie rock band, The Cribs had a few decent albums before they really broke through with their most recent "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever".
535 - Slayer - One of the greatest metal bands of the 80's, Slayer's music is thick to the point of being impenetrable, but if you don't mind your metal black as night, they're a good band to start with.
534 - The Whigs - An indie rock band with two outstanding albums to their credit. They should make a breakthrough pretty soon, at least onto alternative rock.
533 - Candlebox - A massively successful mid-90's band that had a lot of forgotten songs. They were definitely a grunge knock-off band, but that doesn't mean that their music was terrible.
532 - Teenage Fanclub - One of the many "next big things" that totally weren't, Teenage Fanclub weren't a failure because of a lack of quality, they just didn't have a very marketable sound. Their albums are quirky and weird, but definitely interesting.
531 - Broken Social Scene - The latest victim of the blog curse of a sophomore slump, Broken Social Scene's second album was almost as good as the original, but nowhere in the same world as the hype demanded it to be. At the moment, the band has split off into a multitude of successful solo acts, from the tremendously successful Feist to the critically beloved Jason Collett and Kevin Drew. The band hasn't officially broken up, though, and should probably be disappointing music snobs again in no time.
April Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees
Inducted into my rock n roll hall of fame for the month of April, 2008 were:
Sonic Youth
Iggy Pop
Simon And Garfunkel
Paul Simon
Faith No More
The web page will be updated shortly.
Sonic Youth
Iggy Pop
Simon And Garfunkel
Paul Simon
Faith No More
The web page will be updated shortly.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Modern Rock Update
Albums:
Panic At The Disco debuted at #2.
Counting Crows debuted at #3.
The Raconteurs debuted at #7 with no promotion whatsoever.
The B-52's debuted at #11.
Pennywise debuted at #98.
Modern / Mainstream Charts:
#1:
Modern: The Foo Fighters - "Long Road To Ruin"
Mainstream: Puddle Of Mudd - "Pyscho"
Debuts:
Modern:
#19 - Linkin Park - "Given Up"
Mainstream:
#5 - Disturbed - "Inside The Fire"
Panic At The Disco debuted at #2.
Counting Crows debuted at #3.
The Raconteurs debuted at #7 with no promotion whatsoever.
The B-52's debuted at #11.
Pennywise debuted at #98.
Modern / Mainstream Charts:
#1:
Modern: The Foo Fighters - "Long Road To Ruin"
Mainstream: Puddle Of Mudd - "Pyscho"
Debuts:
Modern:
#19 - Linkin Park - "Given Up"
Mainstream:
#5 - Disturbed - "Inside The Fire"
New Movies This Week
See It:
Leatherheads - George Clooney's latest film (starring and directing), Leatherheads is a football-themed farce... coming out in the opening week of baseball season. Nonetheless, it does look funny, so I'll be there tomorrow.
The Ruins - The trailer makes it look like a piece of shit, but the book it's based on got tons of raves and the cast is pretty impressive, so maybe this ends up being more like Descent than The Hills Have Eyes.
Skip It:
Nim's Island - This is a kid's film and it doesn't look particularly interesting to me. I'll see it if it turns out to be a hit, but otherwise, I'll pass.
Leatherheads - George Clooney's latest film (starring and directing), Leatherheads is a football-themed farce... coming out in the opening week of baseball season. Nonetheless, it does look funny, so I'll be there tomorrow.
The Ruins - The trailer makes it look like a piece of shit, but the book it's based on got tons of raves and the cast is pretty impressive, so maybe this ends up being more like Descent than The Hills Have Eyes.
Skip It:
Nim's Island - This is a kid's film and it doesn't look particularly interesting to me. I'll see it if it turns out to be a hit, but otherwise, I'll pass.
New Shit This Week
DVDs:
BUY:
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street - Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are manic and hilarious in Tim Burton's brilliant adaptation of the classic play. Sadly, this one didn't do well in theaters, but my copy of the 2-disc DVD is already in the mail.
RENT:
The Good Night - I've seen a trailer for this film and it looks intriguing. I know nothing else about it, so a rental it is.
SKIP IT:
Alvin And The Chipmunks - It's hard to say if this is the worst 100 million + hit from last year (Wild Hogs being the competition), but it was pretty damn awful. Not even Jason Lee and David Cross could save it from it's own suck.
CDs:
BUY IT:
R.E.M. - Accelerate - The second-best album of 2008 so far (The Raconteurs being the best), Accelerate is the band's best album in at least a decade, as it features the return of the band's fire and fury, something that's been long absent from the band's music.
BORROW IT:
The Black Keys - Attack & Release - Supposedly, this is their best album, but even if it is, I wouldn't buy it without a listen first.
Moby - Last Night - Moby's not on my "must buy" list by any means, but I'll check this one out as it's supposed to be a nice return to his music from the turn of the century.
BUY:
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street - Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are manic and hilarious in Tim Burton's brilliant adaptation of the classic play. Sadly, this one didn't do well in theaters, but my copy of the 2-disc DVD is already in the mail.
RENT:
The Good Night - I've seen a trailer for this film and it looks intriguing. I know nothing else about it, so a rental it is.
SKIP IT:
Alvin And The Chipmunks - It's hard to say if this is the worst 100 million + hit from last year (Wild Hogs being the competition), but it was pretty damn awful. Not even Jason Lee and David Cross could save it from it's own suck.
CDs:
BUY IT:
R.E.M. - Accelerate - The second-best album of 2008 so far (The Raconteurs being the best), Accelerate is the band's best album in at least a decade, as it features the return of the band's fire and fury, something that's been long absent from the band's music.
BORROW IT:
The Black Keys - Attack & Release - Supposedly, this is their best album, but even if it is, I wouldn't buy it without a listen first.
Moby - Last Night - Moby's not on my "must buy" list by any means, but I'll check this one out as it's supposed to be a nice return to his music from the turn of the century.
Top 1000 Songs #550-#541
#550 - "Tempted" - Squeeze - East Side Story - The first and only Squeeze song on the list, "Tempted" is the band's best-known song and pretty much their one big hit. The lyrics are the highlight for sure.
#549 - "American Pie" - Don McLean - American Pie - The first and only McLean song on the countdown, "American Pie" was the singer's big hit. He had other hits over the years... but no one remembers any of them.
#548 - "Everybody Hurts" - R.E.M. - Automatic For The People - The seventh of twelve R.E.M. songs in the top 1000, "Everybody Hurts" is the band's biggest hit since "Losing My Religion" and features some of the most moving lyrics in their library.
#547 - "Tangerine" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - The eighth of twenty-four Zeppelin songs on the list, "Tangerine" is one of the band's most subtle and poetic songs, performed acoustically on their third album.
#546 - "Limp" - Fiona Apple - When The Pawn - The second and highest-ranking song for Fiona Apple in the top 1000, "Limp" is a bluesy kiss-off song to an ex with a brilliant, snappy chorus.
#545 - "Ms. Jackson" - OutKast - Stankonia - The first of three OutKast songs on list, "Ms. Jackson" was the band's breakthrough hit with it's clever lyrics and smooth chorus.
#544 - "In Your Honor" - The Foo Fighters - In Your Honor - The fifth of ten Foo songs on the countdown, "In Your Honor" is the best song off of the band's double album, but it was never released as a single because of the extended instrumental intro.
#543 - "Cut Your Ribbon" - Sparta - Wiretap Scars - The third and highest charting Sparta song, "Cut Your Ribbon" is one of the most emotional punk songs ever written and is a passionate kiss-off to whomever is pissing the band off.
#542 - "I Got ID" - Pearl Jam - Merkin Ball - The tenth of twenty-five Pearl Jam songs in the list, "I Got ID" was never on an official Pearl Jam CD, but it's one of their most successful songs to date.
#541 - "Learn To Fly" - The Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left To Lose - The sixth of ten Foo songs in the top 1000, "Learn To Fly" is best known for it's insane video (a Foo Fighters specialty), but it also features a great chorus and solid lyrics.
#549 - "American Pie" - Don McLean - American Pie - The first and only McLean song on the countdown, "American Pie" was the singer's big hit. He had other hits over the years... but no one remembers any of them.
#548 - "Everybody Hurts" - R.E.M. - Automatic For The People - The seventh of twelve R.E.M. songs in the top 1000, "Everybody Hurts" is the band's biggest hit since "Losing My Religion" and features some of the most moving lyrics in their library.
#547 - "Tangerine" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - The eighth of twenty-four Zeppelin songs on the list, "Tangerine" is one of the band's most subtle and poetic songs, performed acoustically on their third album.
#546 - "Limp" - Fiona Apple - When The Pawn - The second and highest-ranking song for Fiona Apple in the top 1000, "Limp" is a bluesy kiss-off song to an ex with a brilliant, snappy chorus.
#545 - "Ms. Jackson" - OutKast - Stankonia - The first of three OutKast songs on list, "Ms. Jackson" was the band's breakthrough hit with it's clever lyrics and smooth chorus.
#544 - "In Your Honor" - The Foo Fighters - In Your Honor - The fifth of ten Foo songs on the countdown, "In Your Honor" is the best song off of the band's double album, but it was never released as a single because of the extended instrumental intro.
#543 - "Cut Your Ribbon" - Sparta - Wiretap Scars - The third and highest charting Sparta song, "Cut Your Ribbon" is one of the most emotional punk songs ever written and is a passionate kiss-off to whomever is pissing the band off.
#542 - "I Got ID" - Pearl Jam - Merkin Ball - The tenth of twenty-five Pearl Jam songs in the list, "I Got ID" was never on an official Pearl Jam CD, but it's one of their most successful songs to date.
#541 - "Learn To Fly" - The Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left To Lose - The sixth of ten Foo songs in the top 1000, "Learn To Fly" is best known for it's insane video (a Foo Fighters specialty), but it also features a great chorus and solid lyrics.
Top 1000 Bands #550-#541
550 - Super Furry Animals - A modern rock band that's released a handful of solid albums over the past 10 years.
549 - Living Colour - A potentially great band, Living Colour only managed to squeeze out one hit, but it was a great one: "Cult Of Personality".
548 - We Are Scientists - An indie dance rock band with a bright future. They released a new album this week, so I would expect them to skyrocket pretty soon.
547 - The Capes - A punk band with a couple of solid albums so far.
546 - The Redwalls - A Detroit rock throwback in the White Stripes tradition, though they're not nearly in the same league.
545 - LCD Soundsystem - Another band that will be going up the next time I revise this list, LCD Soundsystem is at the top of the dance punk genre at the moment, releasing one of the best albums of 2007.
544 - The (International) Noise Conspiracy - A political punk group that hasn't broken through yet, but they have created a lot of great music to date.
543 - Jem - An indie singer-songwriter, Jem had a huge hit with "Come On Closer" as well as several smaller hits over the years.
542 - The Thrills - An indie rock band with a few solid albums, The Thrills recently released their critically acclaimed breakthrough album.
541 - The Supersuckers - More fun than good most of the time, the Supersuckers have still managed to create quite a few great songs in the past few decades.
549 - Living Colour - A potentially great band, Living Colour only managed to squeeze out one hit, but it was a great one: "Cult Of Personality".
548 - We Are Scientists - An indie dance rock band with a bright future. They released a new album this week, so I would expect them to skyrocket pretty soon.
547 - The Capes - A punk band with a couple of solid albums so far.
546 - The Redwalls - A Detroit rock throwback in the White Stripes tradition, though they're not nearly in the same league.
545 - LCD Soundsystem - Another band that will be going up the next time I revise this list, LCD Soundsystem is at the top of the dance punk genre at the moment, releasing one of the best albums of 2007.
544 - The (International) Noise Conspiracy - A political punk group that hasn't broken through yet, but they have created a lot of great music to date.
543 - Jem - An indie singer-songwriter, Jem had a huge hit with "Come On Closer" as well as several smaller hits over the years.
542 - The Thrills - An indie rock band with a few solid albums, The Thrills recently released their critically acclaimed breakthrough album.
541 - The Supersuckers - More fun than good most of the time, the Supersuckers have still managed to create quite a few great songs in the past few decades.
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