#320 - "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" - XTC - Nonsuch - #1/2 - The atheists in XTC wrote this song as an allegory for the life of Christ... if he lived today and as far as I can tell what happens in this song is exactly what would have actually happened... with a better chorus.
#319 - "White Riot" - The Clash - The Clash - #9/18 - Probably the most straight-forward punk song that the Clash ever recorded, "White Riot" is a short and fast burst of angst and rage.
#318 - "American Woman" - The Guess Who - American Woman - #2/2 - The best version of this song features a short introduction before ripping into the legendary guitar riff and the lyrics of one of the angriest classic rock song ever written.
#317 - "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction - #4/8 - The biggest hit of the band's career, "Sweet Child" has yet another fantastic guitar riff and solo from Slash and another of Axl's psychotic breakdowns towards the end.
#316 - "Cat Scratch Fever" - Ted Nugent - Out Of Control - #2/2 - If you enjoy deciphering subtle messages that are carefully inserted throughout the underlying theme of a song, this is the wrong fucking song for you. The Nuge's best song is one of the most thump-you-over-the -head obvious classic rock songs of them all as Uncle Ted doesn't beat around the bush the way that "Walk This Way" does, but doesn't quite come out and spell it out for you either.
#315 - "Seconds" - U2 - War - #10/16 - One of the more obscure brilliant U2 songs, this song is actually tucked between "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" on the band's first great album. A highlight is the call and repeat in the middle of the song.
#314 - "Times Like These" - The Foo Fighters - One By One - #9/10 - Many people prefer the acoustic version, but I like the fury and anguish expressed in Dave Grohl's voice in the original version. I'm used to hearing Dave shred his vocals, but the raw emotion bleeds all over the last time through the chorus of this song.
#313 - "Walking Contradiction" - Green Day - Insomniac - #8/9 - It's not one of Green Day's biggest hits, but their songwriting never got better than this song off of the band's underappreciated second major-label album.
#312 - "Venus" - Television - Marquee Moon - #3/3 - Another great song from another overlooked 70's band as "Venus" is one of the most influential songs of the punk era without ever getting any of the appreciation that it deserves.
#311 - "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - #14/24 - Led Zeppelin's only top 10 hit (though that has a lot to do with the decision to not release "Stairway To Heaven" as a single) , "Whole Lotta Love" was the song that made Led Zeppelin the biggest band in the world.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Top 1000 Bands #320-#311
320 - Buffalo Springfield - The band that gave Neil Young his big break, Buffalo Springfield is best known for their legendary song "For What It's Worth".
319 - The Dropkick Murphys - The finest Irish punk band in the world, The Dropkick Murphys could be the world's greatest band period, except they don't so much sing as scream their way through their lyrics. The music itself is awesome, but the vocals keep them down.
318 - Danzig - The former lead singer of the Misfits went on to form one of the most successful metal bands of the 90's. They scored a big hit with "Mother", but my favorite song is "Dirty Black Summer".
317 - Fastball - An underrated pop rock band from the late 90's, Fastball had a huge hit with "The Way", but they also had a lot of smaller hits that added up to an outstanding career.
316 - OK Go - I haven't heard from them in awhile, but their 80's style post-punk music scored a huge hit with the video-driven single "Here It Goes Again".
315 - Sammy Hagar - The second lead singer of Van Halen had a solo career before VH and after VH. His music was much better before with hits like "Heavy Metal" and the seriously dated "I Can't Drive 55".
314 - Don Henley - Another former lead singer makes his mark on the list as former Eagles front-man Don Henley is recognized for his successful early-80's career as much as his less successful late 90's stuff. Considering the wholesome background Henley's early career came from you wouldn't expect him to have blisteringly sarcastic attacks on the media and the government to his credit.
313 - Derek And The Dominoes - They only released one album and they only had two hits, but when those hits are "Bell-Bottom Blues" and "Layla", you don't need to keep making music to be legends.
312 - Fat Boy Slim - For a brief period of time, techno ruled the world and along with Moby, Fat Boy Slim ruled the world with hit after hit. Of course, this was a VERY brief period of time.
311 - Deep Purple - One of the first great metal bands, Deep Purple had a series of hits, but none better than the guitar school 101 classic "Smoke On The Water".
319 - The Dropkick Murphys - The finest Irish punk band in the world, The Dropkick Murphys could be the world's greatest band period, except they don't so much sing as scream their way through their lyrics. The music itself is awesome, but the vocals keep them down.
318 - Danzig - The former lead singer of the Misfits went on to form one of the most successful metal bands of the 90's. They scored a big hit with "Mother", but my favorite song is "Dirty Black Summer".
317 - Fastball - An underrated pop rock band from the late 90's, Fastball had a huge hit with "The Way", but they also had a lot of smaller hits that added up to an outstanding career.
316 - OK Go - I haven't heard from them in awhile, but their 80's style post-punk music scored a huge hit with the video-driven single "Here It Goes Again".
315 - Sammy Hagar - The second lead singer of Van Halen had a solo career before VH and after VH. His music was much better before with hits like "Heavy Metal" and the seriously dated "I Can't Drive 55".
314 - Don Henley - Another former lead singer makes his mark on the list as former Eagles front-man Don Henley is recognized for his successful early-80's career as much as his less successful late 90's stuff. Considering the wholesome background Henley's early career came from you wouldn't expect him to have blisteringly sarcastic attacks on the media and the government to his credit.
313 - Derek And The Dominoes - They only released one album and they only had two hits, but when those hits are "Bell-Bottom Blues" and "Layla", you don't need to keep making music to be legends.
312 - Fat Boy Slim - For a brief period of time, techno ruled the world and along with Moby, Fat Boy Slim ruled the world with hit after hit. Of course, this was a VERY brief period of time.
311 - Deep Purple - One of the first great metal bands, Deep Purple had a series of hits, but none better than the guitar school 101 classic "Smoke On The Water".
Monday, August 18, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #330-#321
#330 - "The Bends" - Radiohead - The Bends - #4/8 - Back when Radiohead was best known as a band that made great albums and before they were known as a band that created great albums (sort of the Pink Floyd of their generation), "The Bends" was one of their biggest hits off a great album also called The Bends which was more of a collection of great songs than a cohesive album... the cohesive albums? They'd come next.
#329 - "Dear Mr. Fantasy" - Traffic - Welcome To The Canteen - #2/2 - Traffic's best song is also one of the first great songs of the classic rock period as it combined psychedelic elements with the kind of sweeping bombast that would later define the 1970's.
#328 - "All Apologies (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #5/15 - It's hard to pick the definitive version of this song, but I'm choosing the live version from the greatest live performance in rock history as the haunting sadness of this song combines with the somber expressions on Cobain's face as he's performing for one of the last times.
#327 - "Pride & Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood - #3/3 - SRV's biggest and best song, "Pride & Joy" is a classic blues song, let alone blues rock and features some of SRV's best lyrics and his signature lick.
#326 - "And She Was" - The Talking Heads - Little Creatures - #6/10 - One of the last great songs the Talking Heads would record before they broke up, "And She Was" was the band's least quirky hit and most radio-friendly song with it's bouncy beat and unusually straight-forward lyrics.
#325 - "Spiderwebs" - No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom - #1/1 - Here it is, the greatest song to come out of the ska movement of the mid-90's. "Spiderwebs" is easily the best song that Gwen Stefani has ever produced with it's tremendous chorus and smooth verses.
#324 - "World Wide Suicide" - Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam - #17/25 - The guitar riff that opens this song was a siren call that Pearl Jam was back and ready to rock as this angry protest song was the advance release single to the band's best album in more than a decade. In my opinion, the band has always been great, but this is among their best straight-forward rock song of all-time and their best of it's kind since Vitalogy.
#323 - "Feel The Pain" - Dinosaur Jr. - Without A Sound - #1/1 - It seems like a shame to only have one Dinosaur Jr. song on the countdown, but this is definitely their signature song and their only song that's ever gotten serious radio airtime with it's Sonic Youth tone and it's as usual outstanding guitar work from leader J. Mascis.
#322 - "She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult - High - #2/2 - "Sanctuary" is a tremendously important song in the history of alternative rock as it's one of the first times that a song of it's kind crossed over to mainstream success. The sweeping guitars and intense vocals kicked the door open for the R.E.M.'s, the Cures and the Smiths would follow in to even greater success.
#321 - "Sober" - Tool - Undertow - #5/9 - An early hit for the band from back in the days when they still got mainstream radio airplay (the industry changed, Tool did not), this song, with it's brilliant lyrics and climactic chorus, would help to propel the band to the top of the metal scene in the 21st Century.
#329 - "Dear Mr. Fantasy" - Traffic - Welcome To The Canteen - #2/2 - Traffic's best song is also one of the first great songs of the classic rock period as it combined psychedelic elements with the kind of sweeping bombast that would later define the 1970's.
#328 - "All Apologies (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #5/15 - It's hard to pick the definitive version of this song, but I'm choosing the live version from the greatest live performance in rock history as the haunting sadness of this song combines with the somber expressions on Cobain's face as he's performing for one of the last times.
#327 - "Pride & Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood - #3/3 - SRV's biggest and best song, "Pride & Joy" is a classic blues song, let alone blues rock and features some of SRV's best lyrics and his signature lick.
#326 - "And She Was" - The Talking Heads - Little Creatures - #6/10 - One of the last great songs the Talking Heads would record before they broke up, "And She Was" was the band's least quirky hit and most radio-friendly song with it's bouncy beat and unusually straight-forward lyrics.
#325 - "Spiderwebs" - No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom - #1/1 - Here it is, the greatest song to come out of the ska movement of the mid-90's. "Spiderwebs" is easily the best song that Gwen Stefani has ever produced with it's tremendous chorus and smooth verses.
#324 - "World Wide Suicide" - Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam - #17/25 - The guitar riff that opens this song was a siren call that Pearl Jam was back and ready to rock as this angry protest song was the advance release single to the band's best album in more than a decade. In my opinion, the band has always been great, but this is among their best straight-forward rock song of all-time and their best of it's kind since Vitalogy.
#323 - "Feel The Pain" - Dinosaur Jr. - Without A Sound - #1/1 - It seems like a shame to only have one Dinosaur Jr. song on the countdown, but this is definitely their signature song and their only song that's ever gotten serious radio airtime with it's Sonic Youth tone and it's as usual outstanding guitar work from leader J. Mascis.
#322 - "She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult - High - #2/2 - "Sanctuary" is a tremendously important song in the history of alternative rock as it's one of the first times that a song of it's kind crossed over to mainstream success. The sweeping guitars and intense vocals kicked the door open for the R.E.M.'s, the Cures and the Smiths would follow in to even greater success.
#321 - "Sober" - Tool - Undertow - #5/9 - An early hit for the band from back in the days when they still got mainstream radio airplay (the industry changed, Tool did not), this song, with it's brilliant lyrics and climactic chorus, would help to propel the band to the top of the metal scene in the 21st Century.
Top 1000 Artists #330-#321
330 - Live - They disintegrated rather quickly into self-parody, but at the start Live was a halfway decent grunge band with a string of above average hits.
329 - Sum 41 - I'm not sure what happened to this early 21st Century outfit, but they put together the best rap rock this side of the Beastie Boys for a few years.
328 - Ray Charles - An all-time legend and one of the creators of rock n roll, Ray Charles' music isn't usually to my taste, but it's undeniable how important it was to 20th century music.
327 - Yes - The most popular and talented of the late 70's prog rock bands that indirectly inspired the punk revolution, Yes was extremely talented, but they were far too self-indulgent to ever achieve true greatness beyond a handful of songs.
326 - Sting - Yes, the majority of his songs are trite and ridiculously dull, but he still retains the abilities as a songwriter and a crafter of great hooks that he enjoyed during his years in The Police, leading to about one truly great song per album, which is more than most artists can say.
325 - Cat Stevens - He goes by another name now and he isn't nearly the hit-maker that he was during the 70's, but during his hey-day Cat Stevens was among the finest singer-songwriters of the late 60's and 70's.
324 - Kenny Wayne Shepherd - You might think that because he's a blues rocker and uses his middle name that he's a Stevie Ray Vaughan knock-off. Well, he kinda is, but he's also a damn good SRV knock-off. His career has cooled quite a bit, but in the late 90's he was about as good as it got in this genre.
323 - Staind - They've really fallen on hard times, but for awhile Staind carved a niche for themselves as the best of the post-grunge acts that bred in the wild during the late 90's.
322 - Jet - Their second album didn't experience nearly the success as their debut, but Jet has still made a name for themselves as a top-notch Beatles and AC/DC fueled indie rock band.
321 - The Cold War Kids - They're brand new and it looks like their just about to burst onto the scene as a fantastic 60's rock revivalist band. I was going to see them in Rapid City opening for the White Stripes, but the Stripes cancelled the show.
329 - Sum 41 - I'm not sure what happened to this early 21st Century outfit, but they put together the best rap rock this side of the Beastie Boys for a few years.
328 - Ray Charles - An all-time legend and one of the creators of rock n roll, Ray Charles' music isn't usually to my taste, but it's undeniable how important it was to 20th century music.
327 - Yes - The most popular and talented of the late 70's prog rock bands that indirectly inspired the punk revolution, Yes was extremely talented, but they were far too self-indulgent to ever achieve true greatness beyond a handful of songs.
326 - Sting - Yes, the majority of his songs are trite and ridiculously dull, but he still retains the abilities as a songwriter and a crafter of great hooks that he enjoyed during his years in The Police, leading to about one truly great song per album, which is more than most artists can say.
325 - Cat Stevens - He goes by another name now and he isn't nearly the hit-maker that he was during the 70's, but during his hey-day Cat Stevens was among the finest singer-songwriters of the late 60's and 70's.
324 - Kenny Wayne Shepherd - You might think that because he's a blues rocker and uses his middle name that he's a Stevie Ray Vaughan knock-off. Well, he kinda is, but he's also a damn good SRV knock-off. His career has cooled quite a bit, but in the late 90's he was about as good as it got in this genre.
323 - Staind - They've really fallen on hard times, but for awhile Staind carved a niche for themselves as the best of the post-grunge acts that bred in the wild during the late 90's.
322 - Jet - Their second album didn't experience nearly the success as their debut, but Jet has still made a name for themselves as a top-notch Beatles and AC/DC fueled indie rock band.
321 - The Cold War Kids - They're brand new and it looks like their just about to burst onto the scene as a fantastic 60's rock revivalist band. I was going to see them in Rapid City opening for the White Stripes, but the Stripes cancelled the show.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #340-#331
#340 - "Mother's Little Helper" - The Rolling Stones - Flowers - #9/20 - "Mother's Little Helper" is a song about the unsettling trend of tranquilizer use by stressed out women during the middle of the 20th century. It's presented with great lyrics and a fantastic chorus. An interesting song that sort of resembles what it would sound like if the Rolling Stones and the Kinks merged into one band.
#339 - "Golden Years" - David Bowie - Station To Station - #4/10 - The music of Bowie in the late 70's was in a state of transition, moving from the brilliant Ziggy Stardust era towards the blah tie-wearing Bowie of the 80's. "Golden Years" was one of Bowie's few truly great songs of this era of his career, mixing disco beats with fantastic verses and one of his best choruses.
#338 - "Safe European Home" - The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope - #8/18 - Joe Strummer's song about the reality of his idealized Jamaica displays his sarcastic wit and storytelling at it's finest as he writes about how disappointed he was to find that he had "went to a place where every white face is an invitation to robbery."
#337 - "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) "- Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home - #8/15 - Dylan's contribution to Easy Rider, "It's Alright" is a rambling song with a lot of say but not a whole lot of cohesion to make it accessible to the average listener. Good, if you're not willing to pay attention, you deserve to think that Dylan is a mumbler who can't sing.
#336 - "Clint Eastwood" - The Gorillaz - Gorillaz - #1/2 - The first big hit for the "cartoon band" Gorillaz (actually a British supergroup), "Clint Eastwood" is highlighted by great verses performed by the lead singer of Blur and the raps in the middle, forming a distinct style that the Gorillaz would ride to two successful albums to date.
#335 - "Troubled Times" - The Screaming Trees - Sweet Oblivion - #6/6 - The best Screaming Trees song, "Troubled Times" has a great pulse to it throughout as it builds from verse to verse towards a brilliant climax of a chorus.
#334 - "Eulogy" - Tool - Aenema - #4/9 - False prophets is a common theme in the music of Maynard James Keenan and it's never been clearer than on this Tool classic about a preacher who was proclaiming himself to be MJK's salvation, even though he'd refuse to say he'd be willing to die for him.
#333 - "Pavlov's Bell" - Aimee Mann - Lost In Space - #8/8 - The highest-ranking Mann song on the list is also her most sweeping and radio-friendly song. "Pavlov's" features Mann's most powerful chorus and some of her best songwriting.
#332 - "I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea" - Elvis Costello - This Year's Model - #6/11 - Another tune from the prime era of Elvis' career, "Chelsea" is a poppy New Wave song about yet another girl from Costello's past. This song is best highlighted by it's quick pulse and outstanding chorus.
#331 - "With Or Without You" - U2 - The Joshua Tree - #9/16 - Yet another song from one of the great albums of all-time by one of the best bands of all-time, "With" was one of a trilogy of songs from the album that rocketed U2 to the top of the rock scene in the late-80's.
#339 - "Golden Years" - David Bowie - Station To Station - #4/10 - The music of Bowie in the late 70's was in a state of transition, moving from the brilliant Ziggy Stardust era towards the blah tie-wearing Bowie of the 80's. "Golden Years" was one of Bowie's few truly great songs of this era of his career, mixing disco beats with fantastic verses and one of his best choruses.
#338 - "Safe European Home" - The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope - #8/18 - Joe Strummer's song about the reality of his idealized Jamaica displays his sarcastic wit and storytelling at it's finest as he writes about how disappointed he was to find that he had "went to a place where every white face is an invitation to robbery."
#337 - "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) "- Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home - #8/15 - Dylan's contribution to Easy Rider, "It's Alright" is a rambling song with a lot of say but not a whole lot of cohesion to make it accessible to the average listener. Good, if you're not willing to pay attention, you deserve to think that Dylan is a mumbler who can't sing.
#336 - "Clint Eastwood" - The Gorillaz - Gorillaz - #1/2 - The first big hit for the "cartoon band" Gorillaz (actually a British supergroup), "Clint Eastwood" is highlighted by great verses performed by the lead singer of Blur and the raps in the middle, forming a distinct style that the Gorillaz would ride to two successful albums to date.
#335 - "Troubled Times" - The Screaming Trees - Sweet Oblivion - #6/6 - The best Screaming Trees song, "Troubled Times" has a great pulse to it throughout as it builds from verse to verse towards a brilliant climax of a chorus.
#334 - "Eulogy" - Tool - Aenema - #4/9 - False prophets is a common theme in the music of Maynard James Keenan and it's never been clearer than on this Tool classic about a preacher who was proclaiming himself to be MJK's salvation, even though he'd refuse to say he'd be willing to die for him.
#333 - "Pavlov's Bell" - Aimee Mann - Lost In Space - #8/8 - The highest-ranking Mann song on the list is also her most sweeping and radio-friendly song. "Pavlov's" features Mann's most powerful chorus and some of her best songwriting.
#332 - "I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea" - Elvis Costello - This Year's Model - #6/11 - Another tune from the prime era of Elvis' career, "Chelsea" is a poppy New Wave song about yet another girl from Costello's past. This song is best highlighted by it's quick pulse and outstanding chorus.
#331 - "With Or Without You" - U2 - The Joshua Tree - #9/16 - Yet another song from one of the great albums of all-time by one of the best bands of all-time, "With" was one of a trilogy of songs from the album that rocketed U2 to the top of the rock scene in the late-80's.
Top 1000 Artists #340-#331
340 - Keane - They take a lot of the same flack that Coldplay takes because their music isn't hip or edgy, but Keane (like Coldplay, but not as great) are expert songwriters who create great hooks and melodies to wrap around songs that aren't exactly groundshaking, but still entertaining.
339 - The Polyphonic Spree - Easily the largest group in the top 1000, The Polyphonic Spree use what amounts to a choir to create the backdrop for their brilliant indie pop music.
338 - Megadeth - Forever doomed to live in the shadow of Metallica, at least Megadeth wasn't nearly as good as the other big "M" metal band of the 80's, though they were definitely in the top percentile of their genre.
337 - Lily Allen - This clever songwriter uses the affectations of bubble-gum pop to mask some of the darkest and most sarcastic music ever written. Listen to "LDN" casually and then listen to it closely. You'll think it's two different songs entirely.
336 - The Transplants - At long last something good comes out of Blink 182 as this rap punk outfit from the mid 00's managed to create quite a few brilliant songs during their two album run, though how much of that is Blink 182's influence and how much was Rancid's is unknown.
335 - Supergrass - One of the less well-known of the Brit-pop invaders, Supergrass have had a lot of success producing quirky pop songs like "Alright" and "Caught By The Fuzz" and are still around to this day.
334 - The Music - I might have never heard of this band if I hadn't been invited by my brother to see them open for Incubus a few years ago. Their music is a bizarre mix of disco and punk with a lead vocalist whose chords are the spitting image of Robert Plant or Perry Farrell. Amazing stuff and still mostly anonymous.
333 - The Duke Spirit - A great band that most people have probably never heard of, The Duke Spirit has an indie sound with a tremendous lead vocalist.
332 - The Zombies - One of the biggest cases of "before their time" syndrome in the history of rock n roll, the Zombies were a big part of the British Invasion, but their music wouldn't come to be appreciated until well after they stopped making it. Classics like "She's Not There" would later be exposed when covered by artists such as Santana and other fans of the band who were ahead of the curve.
331 - Billy Bragg - A folk singer-songwriter who is most famous for teaming up with Wilco for a pair of albums, Billy is one of the best protest folk singers around and created one of the best songs of the genre in "To Have And Have Not".
339 - The Polyphonic Spree - Easily the largest group in the top 1000, The Polyphonic Spree use what amounts to a choir to create the backdrop for their brilliant indie pop music.
338 - Megadeth - Forever doomed to live in the shadow of Metallica, at least Megadeth wasn't nearly as good as the other big "M" metal band of the 80's, though they were definitely in the top percentile of their genre.
337 - Lily Allen - This clever songwriter uses the affectations of bubble-gum pop to mask some of the darkest and most sarcastic music ever written. Listen to "LDN" casually and then listen to it closely. You'll think it's two different songs entirely.
336 - The Transplants - At long last something good comes out of Blink 182 as this rap punk outfit from the mid 00's managed to create quite a few brilliant songs during their two album run, though how much of that is Blink 182's influence and how much was Rancid's is unknown.
335 - Supergrass - One of the less well-known of the Brit-pop invaders, Supergrass have had a lot of success producing quirky pop songs like "Alright" and "Caught By The Fuzz" and are still around to this day.
334 - The Music - I might have never heard of this band if I hadn't been invited by my brother to see them open for Incubus a few years ago. Their music is a bizarre mix of disco and punk with a lead vocalist whose chords are the spitting image of Robert Plant or Perry Farrell. Amazing stuff and still mostly anonymous.
333 - The Duke Spirit - A great band that most people have probably never heard of, The Duke Spirit has an indie sound with a tremendous lead vocalist.
332 - The Zombies - One of the biggest cases of "before their time" syndrome in the history of rock n roll, the Zombies were a big part of the British Invasion, but their music wouldn't come to be appreciated until well after they stopped making it. Classics like "She's Not There" would later be exposed when covered by artists such as Santana and other fans of the band who were ahead of the curve.
331 - Billy Bragg - A folk singer-songwriter who is most famous for teaming up with Wilco for a pair of albums, Billy is one of the best protest folk singers around and created one of the best songs of the genre in "To Have And Have Not".
Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame Update
Inducted into my Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in July 2008:
Fiona Apple
Bob Seger
N.W.A.
The Guess Who
Tenacious D
Inducted into my Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in August 2008:
The Cure
The Police
Rob Zombie
Alanis Morissette
Bad Company
Fiona Apple
Bob Seger
N.W.A.
The Guess Who
Tenacious D
Inducted into my Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in August 2008:
The Cure
The Police
Rob Zombie
Alanis Morissette
Bad Company
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #350-#341
#350 - "Rusty Cage" - Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger - 4/11 - The breakthrough hit for one of the greatest bands of the 1990's, "Rusty Cage" was the song that brought the band from metal to the exploding grunge scene that followed Nirvana's success.
#349 - "Back In The Saddle" - Aerosmith - Rocks - #4/7 - One of the last great songs Aerosmith made before sliding into self-parody, "Saddle" was an example of the band at their baddest and it's a shame that they couldn't build on their success.
#348 - "Every Day I Write The Book" - Elvis Costello - Punch The Clock - #5/11 - The best song Costello released after his punk era ended and his songwriter phase began, "Every Day" features great songwriting and a brilliant hook in it's chorus.
#347 - "Bullet The Blue Sky" - U2 - The Joshua Tree - #8/16 - The first half of this song is one of the greatest songs of all-time as it builds up magnificently to a mid-song climax that marks the point when the song tails off into a spoken word poem sort of thing that isn't nearly as exciting as the beginning.
#346 - "Sabotage" - The Beastie Boys - Ill Communication - #1/1 - The only Beastie Boys song on the list is their most straight-forward rock song, featuring a great guitar riff and pulse-pounding lyrics.
#345 - "Them Bones" - Alice In Chains - Dirt - #3/8 - One of the best songs on AIC's breakthrough album, "Them Bones" is highlighted by a sludgy metal chorus.
#344 - "21st Century Digital Boy" - Bad Religion - Against The Grain - #1/1 - The most radio-friendly Bad Religion song, "Digital Boy"'s lyrics showed amazing foresight with it's predictions of the digital age and the disaffection it would create in the latest generation.
#343 - "Killer Queen" - Queen - Sheer Heart Attack - #3/6 - Queen's music has always been over the top, but never so much as on this burlesque showtune with it's high-pitched vocals and campy chorus.
#342 - "Patience" - Guns N Roses - GNR Lies - #3/8 - GNR was never well-known for their ballads until this song damn near reached the top of the pop charts (it was held at #2 by the dreadful Bette Midler abomination "From A Distance"). The song is famous for it's power balladry and it's widely recognized whistling solo. The song served as a bridge between the "Welcome To The Jungle" era and the "November Rain" era.
#341 - "Rock The Casbah" - The Clash - Combat Rock - #7/18 - The Clash's biggest hit (though far from their best song) actually put a punk rock song in the top 10 of the pop charts decades before Green Day would make it commonplace, "Rock The Casbah" has a great chorus and tells an excellent story about the Middle East through traditional Strummer-esque satire.
#349 - "Back In The Saddle" - Aerosmith - Rocks - #4/7 - One of the last great songs Aerosmith made before sliding into self-parody, "Saddle" was an example of the band at their baddest and it's a shame that they couldn't build on their success.
#348 - "Every Day I Write The Book" - Elvis Costello - Punch The Clock - #5/11 - The best song Costello released after his punk era ended and his songwriter phase began, "Every Day" features great songwriting and a brilliant hook in it's chorus.
#347 - "Bullet The Blue Sky" - U2 - The Joshua Tree - #8/16 - The first half of this song is one of the greatest songs of all-time as it builds up magnificently to a mid-song climax that marks the point when the song tails off into a spoken word poem sort of thing that isn't nearly as exciting as the beginning.
#346 - "Sabotage" - The Beastie Boys - Ill Communication - #1/1 - The only Beastie Boys song on the list is their most straight-forward rock song, featuring a great guitar riff and pulse-pounding lyrics.
#345 - "Them Bones" - Alice In Chains - Dirt - #3/8 - One of the best songs on AIC's breakthrough album, "Them Bones" is highlighted by a sludgy metal chorus.
#344 - "21st Century Digital Boy" - Bad Religion - Against The Grain - #1/1 - The most radio-friendly Bad Religion song, "Digital Boy"'s lyrics showed amazing foresight with it's predictions of the digital age and the disaffection it would create in the latest generation.
#343 - "Killer Queen" - Queen - Sheer Heart Attack - #3/6 - Queen's music has always been over the top, but never so much as on this burlesque showtune with it's high-pitched vocals and campy chorus.
#342 - "Patience" - Guns N Roses - GNR Lies - #3/8 - GNR was never well-known for their ballads until this song damn near reached the top of the pop charts (it was held at #2 by the dreadful Bette Midler abomination "From A Distance"). The song is famous for it's power balladry and it's widely recognized whistling solo. The song served as a bridge between the "Welcome To The Jungle" era and the "November Rain" era.
#341 - "Rock The Casbah" - The Clash - Combat Rock - #7/18 - The Clash's biggest hit (though far from their best song) actually put a punk rock song in the top 10 of the pop charts decades before Green Day would make it commonplace, "Rock The Casbah" has a great chorus and tells an excellent story about the Middle East through traditional Strummer-esque satire.
Top 1000 Artists #350-#341
350 - War - One of the funkiest rock bands of the 70's, War started out as an Eric Burdon project and eventually evolved into one of the best bands of their era, with hits like "Spill The Wine" and "Low Rider".
349 - Kittie - One of the best metal bands of the 90's, Kittie is as heavy and straight-forward as they come, though they manage to avoid slipping into self-parody with their occasional blasts of clear vocals in between the crushing wall of metal.
348 - The Charlatans - One of the more obscure Brit-pop bands, The Charlatans rode in on the wave created by Oasis and managed to carve out their own niche along the way.
347 - Amy Winehouse - The current queen of indie R&B, Amy Winehouse has made huge splashes as a trainwreck and as a bluesy singer with her acclaimed sophomore album.
346 - The Raconteurs - Talk about a band that's on their way up the charts the next time I make this list. When I wrote this list originally, The Raconteurs were coming off of a solid debut album. Their second album? Phenomenal. Possibly the best of 2008. They'll be shooting up at least 100 spots next time around.
345 - Ludacris - One of the best rappers currently in the game, Ludacris broke into the scene with "Southern Hospitality", one of the best rap songs ever written and has since released great album after great album and managed to make an enemy of Bill O'Reilly, one of the first signs that you're doing something right in any industry.
344 - Dashboard Confessional - One of the best singer-songwriter groups of the new millennium, Dashboard Confessional has been at the forefront of the emo genre for half a decade now and while the backlash has been significant, the songwriting remains far above average.
343 - Santana - While Carlos Santana is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all-time, the band around him has been unable to perform at a level worth of Santana. The band has created a lot of blues rock classics along the way, but you have to wonder what would have happened if Carlos had hooked up with a group as talented all-around as a Zeppelin or Who.
342 - Joe Cocker - Blues-rocker Joe Cocker has carved out a hell of a career improving upon some of the greatest rock songs ever written. His cover of the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" is one of the most iconic songs of the 1960's and a key moment at Woodstock and his covers of "The Letter" and "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" only added to his legend.
341 - Mates Of State - One of the best indie pop bands around these days, Mates Of State has released album after album of fantastic music... not that anyone has noticed.
349 - Kittie - One of the best metal bands of the 90's, Kittie is as heavy and straight-forward as they come, though they manage to avoid slipping into self-parody with their occasional blasts of clear vocals in between the crushing wall of metal.
348 - The Charlatans - One of the more obscure Brit-pop bands, The Charlatans rode in on the wave created by Oasis and managed to carve out their own niche along the way.
347 - Amy Winehouse - The current queen of indie R&B, Amy Winehouse has made huge splashes as a trainwreck and as a bluesy singer with her acclaimed sophomore album.
346 - The Raconteurs - Talk about a band that's on their way up the charts the next time I make this list. When I wrote this list originally, The Raconteurs were coming off of a solid debut album. Their second album? Phenomenal. Possibly the best of 2008. They'll be shooting up at least 100 spots next time around.
345 - Ludacris - One of the best rappers currently in the game, Ludacris broke into the scene with "Southern Hospitality", one of the best rap songs ever written and has since released great album after great album and managed to make an enemy of Bill O'Reilly, one of the first signs that you're doing something right in any industry.
344 - Dashboard Confessional - One of the best singer-songwriter groups of the new millennium, Dashboard Confessional has been at the forefront of the emo genre for half a decade now and while the backlash has been significant, the songwriting remains far above average.
343 - Santana - While Carlos Santana is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all-time, the band around him has been unable to perform at a level worth of Santana. The band has created a lot of blues rock classics along the way, but you have to wonder what would have happened if Carlos had hooked up with a group as talented all-around as a Zeppelin or Who.
342 - Joe Cocker - Blues-rocker Joe Cocker has carved out a hell of a career improving upon some of the greatest rock songs ever written. His cover of the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" is one of the most iconic songs of the 1960's and a key moment at Woodstock and his covers of "The Letter" and "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" only added to his legend.
341 - Mates Of State - One of the best indie pop bands around these days, Mates Of State has released album after album of fantastic music... not that anyone has noticed.
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