#400 - "2 Minutes To Midnight" - Iron Maiden - Edward The Great - #2/2 - The highest charting Maiden song on the list, "2 Minutes" is an intense speed metal song from the first great band to perfect the art.
#399 - "Black Math" - The White Stripes - Elephant - #5/10 - One of my favorite songs off of one of my favorite albums, "Black Math" features a monster riff from hell driving it through about 2 minutes of heavy punk that defies descriptions.
#398 - "Where The Streets Have No Names" - U2 - The Joshua Tree - #6/16 - One of the three mega-hits from U2's career pinnacle, "Where The Streets" is a sweeping epic of a modern rock song that helped the band cross over from merely great to the biggest band in the world.
#397 - "Slow Hands" - Interpol - Antics - #1/1 - One of the best new indie bands around, Interpol's best song features a driving guitar riff and one of the best choruses of the new millennium.
#396 - "Pure Morning" - Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing - #1/1 - Placebo is an underground indie pop band that has a series of great albums and this is their signature song, a hypnotic song with a chorus that's virtually an afterthought.
#395 - "Werewolves Of London" - Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy - #1/1 - One of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, Warren Zevon had a series of tragically underheard singles leading up to this massive hit from the late 70's.
#394 - "Lateralus" - Tool - Lateralus - #3/9 - You don't hear very many songs over 6 minutes on modern rock radio these days, but if you do, they were probably written by Tool. "Lateralus" is a driving and crunchy metal song with a fantastic build to a thrilling climax.
#393 - "Dancing Days" - Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy - #12/24 - After four albums of crunching heavy metal and light hippie rock, Houses Of The Holy marked a transition period for the band as they started to experiment with new styles and sounds. "Dancing Days" is a prime example of this attempt as the song mixes traditional Zeppelin lyrics with eastern styles and flavor.
#392 - "Can't Hardly Wait" - The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me - #3/4 - The Replacements most famous and most successful song, "Can't Hardly Wait" builds throughout the entire song towards a brilliant chorus following several fake chorus breaks (this is something of a trend in the 80's, as one of the greatest songs ever written "Just Like Heaven" does the same thing).
#391 - "Because The Night" - Patti Smith - Easter - #1/1 - Patti Smith's only major hit, "Because The Night" is the first of many famous covers of the Bruce Springsteen original, which Patti lays into with gusto and claims as her own.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Top 1000 Bands #400-#391
400 - 10,000 Maniacs - One of the most popular bands of the late 80's and early 90's, 10,000 Maniacs disappeared after the birth of grunge, but before the paradigm shift they churned out folk rock hit after hit.
399 - Steppenwolf - The band only had two major hits, but when those hits are "Born To Be Wild" and "Magic Carpet Ride", you've already written your ticket to the top so why bother fading into obscurity?
398 - Paul Westerberg - The former lead singer of The Replacements, Paul has enjoyed a moderate amount of success on his own, particularly with "Dyslexic Heart", which was featured prominently in the Singles Soundtrack. He also scored the soundtrack to the recent animated film "Open Season".
397 - Richard Marx - One of my guiltier pleasures, Richard Marx is an iconic 80's performer who cranked out pop hit after hit during the decade and then faded away almost entirely at the end of the decade. I think he's an excellent songwriter and a solid performer.
396 - The Old 97s - One of the best unknown bands on the market, The Old 97s have a remarkable knack for crafting great pop hooks for a band that has never gotten any attention from radio promoters.
395 - Dusty Springfield - A remarkable singer who had a string of some of the most memorable songs of the British invasion, including the all-time classic "Son Of A Preacher Man".
394 - Chris Isaak - An adult contemporary singer with a strong jazz background, Isaak enjoyed fantastic success with a string of hits like "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" and "Wicked Game".
393 - Joe Strummer - The former lead singer of the Clash, Joe Strummer had a solid solo career after the band broke up and also fronted several successful bands before his recent death.
392 - Run D.M.C. - The first truly great rap group, Run D.M.C. was also one of the first bands to take the genre seriously. Not "N.W.A." serious, granted, but they managed to create a sound that was both commercially viable and critically beloved.
391 - The Manic Street Preachers - A politically active modern rock band that's enjoyed a decent amount of success on the anarchy rock scene with their anthemic punk songs.
399 - Steppenwolf - The band only had two major hits, but when those hits are "Born To Be Wild" and "Magic Carpet Ride", you've already written your ticket to the top so why bother fading into obscurity?
398 - Paul Westerberg - The former lead singer of The Replacements, Paul has enjoyed a moderate amount of success on his own, particularly with "Dyslexic Heart", which was featured prominently in the Singles Soundtrack. He also scored the soundtrack to the recent animated film "Open Season".
397 - Richard Marx - One of my guiltier pleasures, Richard Marx is an iconic 80's performer who cranked out pop hit after hit during the decade and then faded away almost entirely at the end of the decade. I think he's an excellent songwriter and a solid performer.
396 - The Old 97s - One of the best unknown bands on the market, The Old 97s have a remarkable knack for crafting great pop hooks for a band that has never gotten any attention from radio promoters.
395 - Dusty Springfield - A remarkable singer who had a string of some of the most memorable songs of the British invasion, including the all-time classic "Son Of A Preacher Man".
394 - Chris Isaak - An adult contemporary singer with a strong jazz background, Isaak enjoyed fantastic success with a string of hits like "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" and "Wicked Game".
393 - Joe Strummer - The former lead singer of the Clash, Joe Strummer had a solid solo career after the band broke up and also fronted several successful bands before his recent death.
392 - Run D.M.C. - The first truly great rap group, Run D.M.C. was also one of the first bands to take the genre seriously. Not "N.W.A." serious, granted, but they managed to create a sound that was both commercially viable and critically beloved.
391 - The Manic Street Preachers - A politically active modern rock band that's enjoyed a decent amount of success on the anarchy rock scene with their anthemic punk songs.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #410-#401
#410 - "Mercedes Benz" - Janis Joplin - Janis Joplin - #2/3 - In one of the most ironic moments in the history of music, Janis' anti-commercialism ballad was featured in an ad... for Mercedes Benz. It's a great song, but talk about missing the point.
#409 - "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - #7/7 - The top-ranking Fleetwood Mac song on the list, "The Chain" is the fifth song off of their legendary Rumours album and features the nastiest and best chorus the band ever put together.
#408 - "The Pot" - Tool - 10,000 Days - #2/9 - MJK and the gang's ode to hypocrisy in America's drug policy, "The Pot" is the best song on the band's latest album and easily the most radio-friendly song from the band in nearly a decade.
#407 - "Ramblin' Man" - The Allman Brothers - Ramblin' Man - #3/4 - The Allman's first big hit, "Ramblin' Man" is the closest the band came to a straight-up Southern rock song, as there weren't as many blues rock vibes in this song as in the band's usual songs.
#406 - "Stand" - R.E.M. - Green - #8/12 - One of the band's most popular song's, "Stand" was the song that, more than any other, solidified the band as the figurehead artist of the alt rock movement... until "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came along.
#405 - "Weapon Of Choice" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 - #2/3 - One of the best songs of 2007, "Weapon Of Choice" was never a hit on modern rock radio, but there really isn't any reason why not, as the song has great lyrics, one hell of a hook and a fantastic chorus.
#404 - "More Than A Feeling" - Boston - Boston - #1/1 - One of the biggest hits of the classic rock era, "More Than A Feeling" had a riff so legendary that Nirvana changed it a little and reinvented rock n roll 15 years down the road and a style that represented the top of the classic rock mountain... and inspired a thousand punk bands to make brilliant music out of disgust.
#403 - "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" - Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell - #1/1 - The most theatrical and over-the-top song on the countdown, Meat Loaf's epic rock opera is also one of the funniest songs ever written and Meat Loaf's vocals are off the charts.
#402 - "Pinball Wizard" - The Who - Tommy - #2/9 - That's the Who's original version, not the crappy Elton John cover, "Pinball Wizard" is the centerpiece of the first great rock opera ever put to LP and it's driving beat and wild vocals make it one of the band's best.
#401 - "Train In Vain" - The Clash - London Calling - #6/18 - The Clash's most popular song until Combat Rock came about, "Train In Vain" was actually a hidden track at the end of the band's greatest album, London Calling and is a departure from any of the band's previous styles or genres.
#409 - "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - #7/7 - The top-ranking Fleetwood Mac song on the list, "The Chain" is the fifth song off of their legendary Rumours album and features the nastiest and best chorus the band ever put together.
#408 - "The Pot" - Tool - 10,000 Days - #2/9 - MJK and the gang's ode to hypocrisy in America's drug policy, "The Pot" is the best song on the band's latest album and easily the most radio-friendly song from the band in nearly a decade.
#407 - "Ramblin' Man" - The Allman Brothers - Ramblin' Man - #3/4 - The Allman's first big hit, "Ramblin' Man" is the closest the band came to a straight-up Southern rock song, as there weren't as many blues rock vibes in this song as in the band's usual songs.
#406 - "Stand" - R.E.M. - Green - #8/12 - One of the band's most popular song's, "Stand" was the song that, more than any other, solidified the band as the figurehead artist of the alt rock movement... until "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came along.
#405 - "Weapon Of Choice" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 - #2/3 - One of the best songs of 2007, "Weapon Of Choice" was never a hit on modern rock radio, but there really isn't any reason why not, as the song has great lyrics, one hell of a hook and a fantastic chorus.
#404 - "More Than A Feeling" - Boston - Boston - #1/1 - One of the biggest hits of the classic rock era, "More Than A Feeling" had a riff so legendary that Nirvana changed it a little and reinvented rock n roll 15 years down the road and a style that represented the top of the classic rock mountain... and inspired a thousand punk bands to make brilliant music out of disgust.
#403 - "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" - Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell - #1/1 - The most theatrical and over-the-top song on the countdown, Meat Loaf's epic rock opera is also one of the funniest songs ever written and Meat Loaf's vocals are off the charts.
#402 - "Pinball Wizard" - The Who - Tommy - #2/9 - That's the Who's original version, not the crappy Elton John cover, "Pinball Wizard" is the centerpiece of the first great rock opera ever put to LP and it's driving beat and wild vocals make it one of the band's best.
#401 - "Train In Vain" - The Clash - London Calling - #6/18 - The Clash's most popular song until Combat Rock came about, "Train In Vain" was actually a hidden track at the end of the band's greatest album, London Calling and is a departure from any of the band's previous styles or genres.
Top 1000 Bands #410-#401
410 - Rebels Victorious - A fantastic ska punk band that played twice in Pierre while I've lived there, the second time being their second to last concert before breaking up. The band had a great sound, mixing horns with a Jenny Lewis-esque lead vocalist.
409 - One Reason - A political punk band that played Pierre as part of the huge summer festival of 2 years ago, One Reason was one of the highlights for me personally and their music holds up well both live and on CD.
408 - The Kaiser Chiefs - A solid British indie band that seems to come up with a couple of brilliant songs per album and a handful of great ones as well. They haven't pulled together a full album yet, but these days, you really don't need to anyway.
407 - Melissa Etheridge - Once touted as the female answer to Bruce Springsteen, Etheridge made a huge splash in the mid-90's when she announced publicly that she was a lesbian, causing chuckles whenever her old love ballads would come on the radio. Still, many of her early songs have a great deal of power to them and even to this day she remains a gifted songwriter.
406 - 311 - One of the greatest and most popular ska bands of the mid-90's, 311 have enjoyed hit after hit over the course of their 10+ year career, filling a niche that no one else can compete for.
405 - The Modern Lovers - One of the most popular bands of the pre-punk era, The Modern Lovers never managed to put a full record out, but their demos became legendary and launched the all-time rock classic "Roadrunner".
404 - Ice Cube - One of the major stars of the early gangsta rap band N.W.A., Ice Cube never broke the band up when he went solo and pursued an extremely successful career on his own, creating some of the best West Coast rap before pursuing a career in Hollywood making films both great and wretched.
403 - Pete Yorn - A little-known indie rock singer-songwriter who keeps coming up with the type of slow-moving but brilliant lyrics that would have fit in nicely ten years before his time during the grunge days.
402 - The Editors - Among the best of the Joy Division clones that are sprouting up everywhere these days, the Editors definitely have the Ian Curtis vibe to them and they put together great singles and albums.
401 - The Faint - An underground indie dance rock band from Omaha, The Faint put together some of the best dance rock this side of Nine Inch Nails, not that anyone knows enough about them to tell anyone.
409 - One Reason - A political punk band that played Pierre as part of the huge summer festival of 2 years ago, One Reason was one of the highlights for me personally and their music holds up well both live and on CD.
408 - The Kaiser Chiefs - A solid British indie band that seems to come up with a couple of brilliant songs per album and a handful of great ones as well. They haven't pulled together a full album yet, but these days, you really don't need to anyway.
407 - Melissa Etheridge - Once touted as the female answer to Bruce Springsteen, Etheridge made a huge splash in the mid-90's when she announced publicly that she was a lesbian, causing chuckles whenever her old love ballads would come on the radio. Still, many of her early songs have a great deal of power to them and even to this day she remains a gifted songwriter.
406 - 311 - One of the greatest and most popular ska bands of the mid-90's, 311 have enjoyed hit after hit over the course of their 10+ year career, filling a niche that no one else can compete for.
405 - The Modern Lovers - One of the most popular bands of the pre-punk era, The Modern Lovers never managed to put a full record out, but their demos became legendary and launched the all-time rock classic "Roadrunner".
404 - Ice Cube - One of the major stars of the early gangsta rap band N.W.A., Ice Cube never broke the band up when he went solo and pursued an extremely successful career on his own, creating some of the best West Coast rap before pursuing a career in Hollywood making films both great and wretched.
403 - Pete Yorn - A little-known indie rock singer-songwriter who keeps coming up with the type of slow-moving but brilliant lyrics that would have fit in nicely ten years before his time during the grunge days.
402 - The Editors - Among the best of the Joy Division clones that are sprouting up everywhere these days, the Editors definitely have the Ian Curtis vibe to them and they put together great singles and albums.
401 - The Faint - An underground indie dance rock band from Omaha, The Faint put together some of the best dance rock this side of Nine Inch Nails, not that anyone knows enough about them to tell anyone.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #420-#411
#420 - "I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)" - Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals - #1/4 - Marilyn Manson always gets a bad rep because no one can understand the rebellious sentiments behind his music and while it is true that a lot of his music has been very disappointing, two of his albums are brilliant, the goth metal "Antichrist Superstar" and the glam rock "Mechanical Animals", which featured this song as one of it's lead singles.
#419 - "Let's Spend The Night Together" - The Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons - #7/20 - The Stones were asked to censor this song when they performed it on the Ed Sullivan Show and they did... for the most part, slipping up slightly when they correctly performed the chorus about spending the night together, which was actually offensive to the Puritans of the time.
#418 - "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze - #10/16 - QOTSA is one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century and this track, among the many on this countdown, is a fine example of their creation of a stoner rock sound that exists as one of the few new styles of music to come around in recent history.
#417 - "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)" - The White Stripes - Icky Thump - #4/10 - If Led Zeppelin had survived for 25 more years and recorded indie rock in the new millennium, this might be exactly the type of song that they'd write as Jack and Meg nail the pounding riff and spiteful lyrics that made the band great and adds their own modern twist to it.
#416 - "School's Out" - Alice Cooper - School's Out - #2/2 - The ultimate song of grade school rebellion, Alice Cooper's mid-70's classic is still popular among students to this day on the last day of school. What's hidden in the youthful spirit of the song is the clever wordplay and the epic snarl of Alice's voice as he became the original Marilyn Manson and scared the living shit out of the parents of the children who would blame Manson for everything their kids did.
#415 - "Strange Brew" - Cream - Disraeli Gears - #3/5 - The trippiest of all of Cream's songs, "Strange Brew" featured a high-pitched vocal and out-there lyrics that are rivaled only by "White Rabbit" for the weirdest of the 60's.
#414 - "Learning To Fly" - Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound Of Thunder - #5/14 - The last great song that Pink Floyd ever recorded, "Learning To Fly" is one of the band's few great songs that weren't written by long-time lead singer Roger Watters. The chorus, in particular, is a highlight of the song.
#413 - "Rock Is Dead" - Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals - #2/4 - This song is among the best of Manson's heavy songs and was featured prominently during the Matrix. The lyrics are also among the band's best.
#412 - "Epic" - Faith No More - The Real Thing - #2/2 - Faith No More's best song and their biggest hit (it even made the top 10 on the pop charts!), "Epic" was the first great song to openly mix rap and rock music to create a new sound that would become insanely popular and insanely bad about 10 years down the road.
#411 - "Midnight Rider" - The Allman Brothers - Dreams - #2/4 - The Allman Brothers' epic blues rock classic "Midnight Rider" comes in at #411 on the countdown as the best AB song beyond their two biggest and most famous songs.
#419 - "Let's Spend The Night Together" - The Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons - #7/20 - The Stones were asked to censor this song when they performed it on the Ed Sullivan Show and they did... for the most part, slipping up slightly when they correctly performed the chorus about spending the night together, which was actually offensive to the Puritans of the time.
#418 - "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze - #10/16 - QOTSA is one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century and this track, among the many on this countdown, is a fine example of their creation of a stoner rock sound that exists as one of the few new styles of music to come around in recent history.
#417 - "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)" - The White Stripes - Icky Thump - #4/10 - If Led Zeppelin had survived for 25 more years and recorded indie rock in the new millennium, this might be exactly the type of song that they'd write as Jack and Meg nail the pounding riff and spiteful lyrics that made the band great and adds their own modern twist to it.
#416 - "School's Out" - Alice Cooper - School's Out - #2/2 - The ultimate song of grade school rebellion, Alice Cooper's mid-70's classic is still popular among students to this day on the last day of school. What's hidden in the youthful spirit of the song is the clever wordplay and the epic snarl of Alice's voice as he became the original Marilyn Manson and scared the living shit out of the parents of the children who would blame Manson for everything their kids did.
#415 - "Strange Brew" - Cream - Disraeli Gears - #3/5 - The trippiest of all of Cream's songs, "Strange Brew" featured a high-pitched vocal and out-there lyrics that are rivaled only by "White Rabbit" for the weirdest of the 60's.
#414 - "Learning To Fly" - Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound Of Thunder - #5/14 - The last great song that Pink Floyd ever recorded, "Learning To Fly" is one of the band's few great songs that weren't written by long-time lead singer Roger Watters. The chorus, in particular, is a highlight of the song.
#413 - "Rock Is Dead" - Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals - #2/4 - This song is among the best of Manson's heavy songs and was featured prominently during the Matrix. The lyrics are also among the band's best.
#412 - "Epic" - Faith No More - The Real Thing - #2/2 - Faith No More's best song and their biggest hit (it even made the top 10 on the pop charts!), "Epic" was the first great song to openly mix rap and rock music to create a new sound that would become insanely popular and insanely bad about 10 years down the road.
#411 - "Midnight Rider" - The Allman Brothers - Dreams - #2/4 - The Allman Brothers' epic blues rock classic "Midnight Rider" comes in at #411 on the countdown as the best AB song beyond their two biggest and most famous songs.
Top 1000 Bands #420-#411
420 - Toad The Wet Sprocket - An extremely popular band in the mid-90's, Toad The Wet Sprocket created some of the best indie pop songs of the post-grunge era before disappearing off the face of the Earth a few years later.
419 - Jeff Buckley - A popular modern rock artist who is best known for his brilliant cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".
418 - Bloc Party - A moderately successful modern rock band that's had a few great albums and taken a couple of stabs at the big time, though the blows haven't quite landed yet.
417 - Third Eye Blind - In the summer of '97 or '98, Third Eye Blind was the most popular rock band on the planet, with hit after hit off of their debut album. They had continued success for a couple more years but they haven't been heard from much since the early 21st century.
416 - Thursday - One of the best of the new wave of emo punk bands, Thursday pours a lot of emotion into their agitated tunes, creating a sound rivaled only by Sparta in passion.
415 - The Bravery - At the time this list was formed, The Bravery weren't nearly the force in Modern Rock that they are today, riding high on the success of their second album, particularly their new smash hit "Believe". They'll probably be going up a lot when I revise this list again.
414 - Michelle Branch - A singer-songwriter from the era of the pop tarts, Michelle Branch created some of the most moving pop songs of her generation and still records great music to this day.
413 - Matisyahu - Though it appears that he was more of a novelty act than anything else, Matisyahu's music ranks among the best and most moving reggae that I've ever heard.
412 - Tegan And Sara - An indie pop group that has proven with repeated success to be far more than just the cutesy novelty band that they appeared to be when they first hit the airwaves. "Walking With A Ghost" ranks among the best indie songs of the 21st Century.
411 - The Fugees - They broke up after only one album, but they managed to create some of the best R&B of all-time while they were together.
419 - Jeff Buckley - A popular modern rock artist who is best known for his brilliant cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".
418 - Bloc Party - A moderately successful modern rock band that's had a few great albums and taken a couple of stabs at the big time, though the blows haven't quite landed yet.
417 - Third Eye Blind - In the summer of '97 or '98, Third Eye Blind was the most popular rock band on the planet, with hit after hit off of their debut album. They had continued success for a couple more years but they haven't been heard from much since the early 21st century.
416 - Thursday - One of the best of the new wave of emo punk bands, Thursday pours a lot of emotion into their agitated tunes, creating a sound rivaled only by Sparta in passion.
415 - The Bravery - At the time this list was formed, The Bravery weren't nearly the force in Modern Rock that they are today, riding high on the success of their second album, particularly their new smash hit "Believe". They'll probably be going up a lot when I revise this list again.
414 - Michelle Branch - A singer-songwriter from the era of the pop tarts, Michelle Branch created some of the most moving pop songs of her generation and still records great music to this day.
413 - Matisyahu - Though it appears that he was more of a novelty act than anything else, Matisyahu's music ranks among the best and most moving reggae that I've ever heard.
412 - Tegan And Sara - An indie pop group that has proven with repeated success to be far more than just the cutesy novelty band that they appeared to be when they first hit the airwaves. "Walking With A Ghost" ranks among the best indie songs of the 21st Century.
411 - The Fugees - They broke up after only one album, but they managed to create some of the best R&B of all-time while they were together.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #430-#421
#430 - "Spin The Black Circle" - Pearl Jam - Vitalogy - #14/25 - The song's lyrics are incredibly deceptive, as they bounce playfully along the similar terminology referring to playing a record and shooting heroin, but the song is really notable for having one of the greatest riffs in the Pearl Jam catalog.
#429 - "Under The Bridge" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik - #5/5 - The highest-charting RHCP song on the list, "Under The Bridge" is the song that made the band the superstars that they are today. A ballad of alienation from a time when alienation was topping the charts, "Bridge" is easily the band's best-written and most moving song.
#428 - "Blister In The Sun" - The Violent Femmes - The Violent Femmes - #1/1 - The best Violent Femmes song, "Blister In The Sun" is also their most famous, as it's been featured prominently in a number of movies over the years with it's early loud-quiet dynamic and it's bouncy verses.
#427 - "Don't Fear The Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune - #1/1 - BOC's most well-known song was the inspiration for the classic SNL sketch about "More Cowbell" and has been featured prominently in many television shows and movies due to it's eerie sound and classic rock appeal.
#426 - "It Don't Come Easy" - Ringo Starr - Ringo - #1/1 - Ringo is by far my least favorite Beatle. His songs with the Beatles were the worst of the four, his solo career is the worst and least important. That being said, "It Don't Come Easy" is among the best post-Beatles songs that any of the Fab Four ever produced with it's clever lyrics and catchy beat.
#425 - "Invalid Letter Dept." - At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command - #2/3 - You'd never think that a great chorus could be built around "Dancing On The Corpses Ashes", but ATDI easily managed to make it into one of their best songs. "Invalid" is a protest song with an incredible emotional variance from one part to the next and brilliant lyrics throughout.
#424 - "Freak On A Leash" - Korn - Follow The Leader - #2/3 - Korn's biggest hit (though not their best song), "Freak" has one of the all-time greatest videos thanks to Todd McFarlane's brilliant animation and features the band's greatest chorus and guitar work.
#423 - "Hail Hail" - Pearl Jam - No Code - #15/25 - Far and away the best song off of Pearl Jam's worst album, "Hail Hail" is a rocker in the tradition of the band's first three albums, featuring a great guitar riff and a fantastic chorus.
#422 - "Barracuda" - Heart - The Road Home - #3/3 - The best Heart song, "Barracuda" features one of the most famous guitar licks in rock n roll history and some of the 70's best lyrics.
#421 - "Town Called Malice" - The Jam - Snap! - #1/1 - The only Jam song on the list, "Malice" is a throwback to the earlier days of rock n roll, with a driving beat and a great chorus.
#429 - "Under The Bridge" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik - #5/5 - The highest-charting RHCP song on the list, "Under The Bridge" is the song that made the band the superstars that they are today. A ballad of alienation from a time when alienation was topping the charts, "Bridge" is easily the band's best-written and most moving song.
#428 - "Blister In The Sun" - The Violent Femmes - The Violent Femmes - #1/1 - The best Violent Femmes song, "Blister In The Sun" is also their most famous, as it's been featured prominently in a number of movies over the years with it's early loud-quiet dynamic and it's bouncy verses.
#427 - "Don't Fear The Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune - #1/1 - BOC's most well-known song was the inspiration for the classic SNL sketch about "More Cowbell" and has been featured prominently in many television shows and movies due to it's eerie sound and classic rock appeal.
#426 - "It Don't Come Easy" - Ringo Starr - Ringo - #1/1 - Ringo is by far my least favorite Beatle. His songs with the Beatles were the worst of the four, his solo career is the worst and least important. That being said, "It Don't Come Easy" is among the best post-Beatles songs that any of the Fab Four ever produced with it's clever lyrics and catchy beat.
#425 - "Invalid Letter Dept." - At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command - #2/3 - You'd never think that a great chorus could be built around "Dancing On The Corpses Ashes", but ATDI easily managed to make it into one of their best songs. "Invalid" is a protest song with an incredible emotional variance from one part to the next and brilliant lyrics throughout.
#424 - "Freak On A Leash" - Korn - Follow The Leader - #2/3 - Korn's biggest hit (though not their best song), "Freak" has one of the all-time greatest videos thanks to Todd McFarlane's brilliant animation and features the band's greatest chorus and guitar work.
#423 - "Hail Hail" - Pearl Jam - No Code - #15/25 - Far and away the best song off of Pearl Jam's worst album, "Hail Hail" is a rocker in the tradition of the band's first three albums, featuring a great guitar riff and a fantastic chorus.
#422 - "Barracuda" - Heart - The Road Home - #3/3 - The best Heart song, "Barracuda" features one of the most famous guitar licks in rock n roll history and some of the 70's best lyrics.
#421 - "Town Called Malice" - The Jam - Snap! - #1/1 - The only Jam song on the list, "Malice" is a throwback to the earlier days of rock n roll, with a driving beat and a great chorus.
Top 1000 Bands #430-#421
430 - .38 Special - Featuring some of the surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special dominated the Southern Rock genre in the 1980's with a series of classic hits such as "Caught Up In You" and "Hold On Loosely".
429 - The Stone Roses - The first major stars of the Brit-pop genre, The Stone Roses had an epic debut album that set them up to be the next great British band... then they took forever to release a second album, which sucked legendarily and the band broke up shortly after, splitting off into several influential bands.
428 - Stabbing Westward - A moderately successful mainstream rock band that had a string of hits, Stabbing Westward is perhaps best known as the backing band for Trent Reznor with Nine Inch Nails.
427 - The Monkees - Oh, Monkees. If only you'd actually played your own instruments and sang on your first few albums, you might be in the Hall of Fame right now. Once they actually did start making their own music, they were pretty damn good.
426 - Rocket From The Crypt - One of the most influential rock bands of the late 80's and 90's, Rocket From The Crypt has a decent following, but they haven't crossed over yet in any major way.
425 - The Walkmen - If there's a reason why "The Rat" isn't one of the most played songs on Modern Rock radio, I don't know what it is. The Walkmen have a handful of great singles that should be radio staples and they continue to make solid albums to this day.
424 - Oranger - Another great indie band that hasn't broken through to the mainstream yet, Oranger has a series of great albums to date.
423 - The Living End - A punk band from Australia, The Living End has been churning out great songs for more than a decade and finally earned some airplay in recent years.
422 - Mad Season - Layne Staley's Alice In Chains side project, Mad Season managed to produce some of his finest songs, particularly the haunting "River Of Deceit".
421 - Randy Newman - One of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 70's, Newman transcends that typically tiresome genre with a sarcastic wit that is carefully hidden in his cheerful songs.
429 - The Stone Roses - The first major stars of the Brit-pop genre, The Stone Roses had an epic debut album that set them up to be the next great British band... then they took forever to release a second album, which sucked legendarily and the band broke up shortly after, splitting off into several influential bands.
428 - Stabbing Westward - A moderately successful mainstream rock band that had a string of hits, Stabbing Westward is perhaps best known as the backing band for Trent Reznor with Nine Inch Nails.
427 - The Monkees - Oh, Monkees. If only you'd actually played your own instruments and sang on your first few albums, you might be in the Hall of Fame right now. Once they actually did start making their own music, they were pretty damn good.
426 - Rocket From The Crypt - One of the most influential rock bands of the late 80's and 90's, Rocket From The Crypt has a decent following, but they haven't crossed over yet in any major way.
425 - The Walkmen - If there's a reason why "The Rat" isn't one of the most played songs on Modern Rock radio, I don't know what it is. The Walkmen have a handful of great singles that should be radio staples and they continue to make solid albums to this day.
424 - Oranger - Another great indie band that hasn't broken through to the mainstream yet, Oranger has a series of great albums to date.
423 - The Living End - A punk band from Australia, The Living End has been churning out great songs for more than a decade and finally earned some airplay in recent years.
422 - Mad Season - Layne Staley's Alice In Chains side project, Mad Season managed to produce some of his finest songs, particularly the haunting "River Of Deceit".
421 - Randy Newman - One of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 70's, Newman transcends that typically tiresome genre with a sarcastic wit that is carefully hidden in his cheerful songs.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #440-#431
#440 - "Back On The Chain Gang" - The Pretenders - Learning To Crawl - The fourth of five Pretenders songs on the list, "Chain Gang" is among the band's most popular songs and features one of their best choruses.
#439 - "In Between Days" - The Cure - The Head On The Door - The fourth of six Cure songs on the countdown, "In Between Days" was never one of the band's bigger hits, but it's among their best written and features their trademark build to another outstanding chorus.
#438 - "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - The twelfth of twenty-two Beatles songs on the list, "A Hard Day's Night" is one of the rare pre-Revolver songs that ranks among their greatest, as the lyrics and progression were the first sign of the truly legendary band they would later become.
#437 - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - The sixth of eight Elton John songs in the top 1000, "Yellow Brick Road" is the centerpiece of his finest album and features some of the best lyrics of his partnership with Bernie Taupin.
#436 - "Immortality" - Pearl Jam - Vitalogy - The thirteenth of twenty-five Pearl Jam songs on the list, "Immortality" is widely believed to be Eddie Vedder's tribute to his friend Kurt Cobain. The timeline is off, but the message of fame and all that comes with it rings true nonetheless, making it one of the most haunting songs ever written.
#435 - "We Are The Champions" - Queen - News Of The World - The second of six Queen songs in the top 1000, "We Are The Champions" is the ballad most commonly attributed to sporting events or victory celebrations throughout the world. When paired with the stadium-shaking "We Will Rock You", the song offers a perfect contrast, but on it's own it's still among the best stadium-rock songs of all-time.
#434 - "Layla (Unplugged)" - Eric Clapton - Unplugged - The third of four Eric Clapton songs on the countdown, "Layla" is an acoustic cover of Clapton's greatest achievement as a musician. The cover manages to add new dimensions to the song without diminishing greatly from the original's greatness.
#433 - "Soul Meets Body" - Death Cab For Cutie - Plans - The third and highest-charting song by Death Cab on the list, "Soul" was the band's breakthrough hit and features one of the best verses in modern rock, as their singer changes his vocal style completely for an alternating verse and chorus.
#432 - "Higher Ground" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk - The fourth of five RHCP songs in the top 1000, "Higher Ground" was the band's first breakthrough hit as they moved from a funk novelty act into the modern rock monster that they are today with this classic cover of a Stevie Wonder staple from the 70's.
#431 - "The Scientist" - Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head - The fourth of six Coldplay songs on the list, "The Scientist" is one of the band's most moving songs and one of the great ballads of the 21st Century.
#439 - "In Between Days" - The Cure - The Head On The Door - The fourth of six Cure songs on the countdown, "In Between Days" was never one of the band's bigger hits, but it's among their best written and features their trademark build to another outstanding chorus.
#438 - "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - The twelfth of twenty-two Beatles songs on the list, "A Hard Day's Night" is one of the rare pre-Revolver songs that ranks among their greatest, as the lyrics and progression were the first sign of the truly legendary band they would later become.
#437 - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - The sixth of eight Elton John songs in the top 1000, "Yellow Brick Road" is the centerpiece of his finest album and features some of the best lyrics of his partnership with Bernie Taupin.
#436 - "Immortality" - Pearl Jam - Vitalogy - The thirteenth of twenty-five Pearl Jam songs on the list, "Immortality" is widely believed to be Eddie Vedder's tribute to his friend Kurt Cobain. The timeline is off, but the message of fame and all that comes with it rings true nonetheless, making it one of the most haunting songs ever written.
#435 - "We Are The Champions" - Queen - News Of The World - The second of six Queen songs in the top 1000, "We Are The Champions" is the ballad most commonly attributed to sporting events or victory celebrations throughout the world. When paired with the stadium-shaking "We Will Rock You", the song offers a perfect contrast, but on it's own it's still among the best stadium-rock songs of all-time.
#434 - "Layla (Unplugged)" - Eric Clapton - Unplugged - The third of four Eric Clapton songs on the countdown, "Layla" is an acoustic cover of Clapton's greatest achievement as a musician. The cover manages to add new dimensions to the song without diminishing greatly from the original's greatness.
#433 - "Soul Meets Body" - Death Cab For Cutie - Plans - The third and highest-charting song by Death Cab on the list, "Soul" was the band's breakthrough hit and features one of the best verses in modern rock, as their singer changes his vocal style completely for an alternating verse and chorus.
#432 - "Higher Ground" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk - The fourth of five RHCP songs in the top 1000, "Higher Ground" was the band's first breakthrough hit as they moved from a funk novelty act into the modern rock monster that they are today with this classic cover of a Stevie Wonder staple from the 70's.
#431 - "The Scientist" - Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head - The fourth of six Coldplay songs on the list, "The Scientist" is one of the band's most moving songs and one of the great ballads of the 21st Century.
Top 1000 Artists #440-#431
440 - Pennywise - One of the better political punk bands of the 90's, Pennywise will always have to live in the shadow of bands like Rancid and Bad Religion, but that doesn't keep them from their rightful place near the top.
439 - Elefant - An indie rock band with a handful of great albums, but little crossover success.
438 - Jimmy Eat World - The band that popularized the modern version of emo rock by bringing it to pop audiences, Jimmy Eat World manages to escape severe penance by actually being one of the best pop punk bands of the new millennium.
437 - Hollander - An obscure band that I caught in Pierre, Hollander is one of the better bands to come through the Pierre scene with their straight forward pop rock style.
436 - Seether - They're pretty damn awful these days, but their first album was fairly respectable for a blatant Nirvana rip-off.
435 - Willie Nelson - One of the great performers in all of country music and rock n roll for that matter, Willie Nelson is a consummate performer who refused to surrender his integrity to anyone.
434 - The Nightwatchman - Tom Morello provided the best Rage music since Rage broke up with his solo release of acoustic protest ballads and union songs. Now that Rage is together, we may have seen the last of the Nightwatchman, but you know what they say... "look for me Ma, I'll be there."
433 - The Toadies - Widely known as a one-hit wonder for their modern rock staple "Possum Kingdom", The Toadies put together two albums of brilliant metal-tinged rock before breaking up.
432 - Defiance, Ohio - A politically-charged punk band that I caught in Pierre during the big summer show in 2005 or 2006. One of the best punk bands that I had never previously heard of.
431 - Eddie Vedder - The lead singer of Pearl Jam has frequently performed shows or released live singles as a solo artist, but it wasn't until the Soundtrack to 2007's Into The Wild that he made an entire album on his own. The album is a classic and it was a major controversy when he got screwed out of an Academy Award Nomination.
439 - Elefant - An indie rock band with a handful of great albums, but little crossover success.
438 - Jimmy Eat World - The band that popularized the modern version of emo rock by bringing it to pop audiences, Jimmy Eat World manages to escape severe penance by actually being one of the best pop punk bands of the new millennium.
437 - Hollander - An obscure band that I caught in Pierre, Hollander is one of the better bands to come through the Pierre scene with their straight forward pop rock style.
436 - Seether - They're pretty damn awful these days, but their first album was fairly respectable for a blatant Nirvana rip-off.
435 - Willie Nelson - One of the great performers in all of country music and rock n roll for that matter, Willie Nelson is a consummate performer who refused to surrender his integrity to anyone.
434 - The Nightwatchman - Tom Morello provided the best Rage music since Rage broke up with his solo release of acoustic protest ballads and union songs. Now that Rage is together, we may have seen the last of the Nightwatchman, but you know what they say... "look for me Ma, I'll be there."
433 - The Toadies - Widely known as a one-hit wonder for their modern rock staple "Possum Kingdom", The Toadies put together two albums of brilliant metal-tinged rock before breaking up.
432 - Defiance, Ohio - A politically-charged punk band that I caught in Pierre during the big summer show in 2005 or 2006. One of the best punk bands that I had never previously heard of.
431 - Eddie Vedder - The lead singer of Pearl Jam has frequently performed shows or released live singles as a solo artist, but it wasn't until the Soundtrack to 2007's Into The Wild that he made an entire album on his own. The album is a classic and it was a major controversy when he got screwed out of an Academy Award Nomination.
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