#130 - "Little Sister" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze - #14/16 - A thundering guitar riff drives the song from verse to verse peaking at the thundering chorus.
#129 - "Helter Skelter" - The Beatles - The White Album - #16/22 - A strangely controversial song thanks to Charles Manson, "Helter" is one of Lennon's best songs with it's rapid-fire guitars and passionate vocals driving the song throughout.
#128 - "Communication Breakdown" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - #20/24 - This song represents the exact moment that heavy metal went from a louder form of blues rock to a genre all itself with it's lightning guitar riff and insane shrieking vocals from front-man Robert Plant.
#127 - "Sick Sick Sick" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris - #15/16 - The best song off of their most recent album, "Sick" is another rapid-fire slice of punk stoner rock from the masters of the genre.
#126 - "E-Pro" - Beck - Guero - #7/9 - One of the best songs of the new millennium, "E-Pro" features typically quirky lyrics from Beck and couples them with a fantastic chorus to make for his best song since the 90's.
#125 - "Fell On Black Days" - Soundgarden - Superunknown - #9/11 - The early 90's were a great time to be an alternative rock band and Soundgarden was one of the best, "Fell On Black Days" highlighted the band's Sabbath meets Zeppelin sound with it's dynamic vocals and thundering beat.
#124 - "Boys Don't Cry" - The Cure - Boys Don't Cry - #5/6 - Of all of the Cure's big hits, "Boys" strikes me as having the best hook and most breakthrough potential. It's not their best song, but it's definitely their most fun to listen to.
#123 - "Down In A Hole" - Alice In Chains - Dirt - #6/8 - A harrowing look at heroin addiction from a man destroyed by the drug, "Down" is one of the most disturbing and moving songs ever written.
#122 - "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" - The Beatles - #18/22 - The Beatles were the greatest pop band of all-time when they met Bob Dylan, who supposedly introduced them to folk music... and marijuana... both of which would have a huge influence on their music, starting with this song, one of their best-written songs and a definite turning point in the career of the most important band in the history of rock n roll.
#121 - "Where It's At" - Beck - Odelay - #8/9 - One of the weirdest songs to ever become a hit, "Where" is a mix of indie rock and slacker rap that shifts from moment to moment making it almost completely indescribable.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Top 1000 Bands #130-#121
130 - DMX - One of the millennium's best and most successful rappers, DMX's rough vocals and clever lyrics propelled him to the top of his game.
129 - Outkast - One of the most successful rap groups of all time, Outkast made a huge crossover to the pop charts with their Stankonia album and had one of the biggest pop songs ever with "Hey Ya".
128 - The Ponys - One of the best indie rock bands ever, The Ponys are probably on the radar of about 5 percent of music fans. Obscurity notwithstanding, the band has released great album after great album in the last decade and deserve a breakout in the near future.
127 - The Dave Matthews Band - A hugely successful adult-contemporary / rock band from the 90's, the DMB cranked out hit after hit (and still do to this day) with a mix of jam band techniques and pop hooks.
126 - Public Enemy - The greatest rap group of all-time was also the most political, as Chuck D, Flava Flav and The Bomb Squad pulled no punches in who they went after or what they were willing to say and do to get their point across.
125 - The Arcade Fire - Among the hottest bands in all of indie rock, The Arcade Fire made a huge splash with their debut LP Funeral, which featured several of their best songs. Their follow-up bucked the trend of indie buzz bands by not just being as good as their debut, but even better. Expectations for their third album can only be described as unachievable.
124 - Pavement - Possibly the greatest band that never became popular, Pavement deserves to be measured along their indie rock cohorts like Nirvana, Radiohead and Pearl Jam, but due to lousy sales numbers will always be viewed as a strictly underground band that hipsters appreciate but average rock fans are completely unaware of.
123 - Tori Amos - One of the most dynamic voices of indie rock in the 90's, Tori Amos released a string of outstanding albums providing the indie rock cred to the Lillith Fair scene that was lacking in other artists in the genre.
122 - Jethro Tull - An acquired taste to be sure, if you can get past the weird instruments and strange lyrics, Jethro Tull is a great band with a lot of fun and interesting things to contribute to classic rock.
121 - James Brown - Without James Brown, their might not even be genres such as R&B, funk and hip hop. It's said that there isn't a single note of any of James Brown's songs that hasn't been sampled at some point. The reason for that? Brown's music is among the most exciting and innovative of all-time.
129 - Outkast - One of the most successful rap groups of all time, Outkast made a huge crossover to the pop charts with their Stankonia album and had one of the biggest pop songs ever with "Hey Ya".
128 - The Ponys - One of the best indie rock bands ever, The Ponys are probably on the radar of about 5 percent of music fans. Obscurity notwithstanding, the band has released great album after great album in the last decade and deserve a breakout in the near future.
127 - The Dave Matthews Band - A hugely successful adult-contemporary / rock band from the 90's, the DMB cranked out hit after hit (and still do to this day) with a mix of jam band techniques and pop hooks.
126 - Public Enemy - The greatest rap group of all-time was also the most political, as Chuck D, Flava Flav and The Bomb Squad pulled no punches in who they went after or what they were willing to say and do to get their point across.
125 - The Arcade Fire - Among the hottest bands in all of indie rock, The Arcade Fire made a huge splash with their debut LP Funeral, which featured several of their best songs. Their follow-up bucked the trend of indie buzz bands by not just being as good as their debut, but even better. Expectations for their third album can only be described as unachievable.
124 - Pavement - Possibly the greatest band that never became popular, Pavement deserves to be measured along their indie rock cohorts like Nirvana, Radiohead and Pearl Jam, but due to lousy sales numbers will always be viewed as a strictly underground band that hipsters appreciate but average rock fans are completely unaware of.
123 - Tori Amos - One of the most dynamic voices of indie rock in the 90's, Tori Amos released a string of outstanding albums providing the indie rock cred to the Lillith Fair scene that was lacking in other artists in the genre.
122 - Jethro Tull - An acquired taste to be sure, if you can get past the weird instruments and strange lyrics, Jethro Tull is a great band with a lot of fun and interesting things to contribute to classic rock.
121 - James Brown - Without James Brown, their might not even be genres such as R&B, funk and hip hop. It's said that there isn't a single note of any of James Brown's songs that hasn't been sampled at some point. The reason for that? Brown's music is among the most exciting and innovative of all-time.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #140-#131
#140 - "My Generation" - The Who - The Who Sings My Generation - #5/9 - The song that kicked off the entire punk genre and did so more than a decade before the genre took off, "My Generation" was unique when it came out for it's attitude and the shock value of the generational shift that the song represented.
#139 - "Debaser" - The Pixies - Doolittle - #8/8 - The Pixies best song, "Debaser" is a shifting and fast alternative punk song with crazy lyrics and a killer chorus that signified the band's place at the top of the alt-rock mountain.
#138 - "Crazy Train" - Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz - #3/3 - The critics had written Ozzy's career off after he left Black Sabbath, but he proved them wrong a thousand times over, starting right from the beginning of this, his first post-Sabbath hit, which takes off with a crazy "All Aboard" opening followed by Randy Rhodes' insane guitar shredding on one of the most memorable riffs in all of rock n roll. The lyrics are deceptive as they seem tame at first but on further listening reveal Ozzy's most political song since "War Pigs".
#137 - "About A Girl (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #13/15 - Nirvana's first great song got a new round of appreciation when it was featured during the band's set on MTV Unplugged. By slowing the song down the lyrical brilliance of the song was highlighted and the song finally became the hit it deserved to be.
#136 - "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - #3/4 - One of the prettiest ballads ever written, "God" is one of the last great songs to come out of the 60's and a pinnacle of Brian Wilson's genius with it's sharp lyrics and harmony.
#135 - "The Weight" - The Band - Greatest Hits - #2/2 - One of the signature songs of the 1960's, "The Weight" is easily the Band's greatest song and one of the best written songs of all-time.
#134 - "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - #4/4 - One of the craziest and most brilliant songs of the early classic rock era, "Good Vibrations" was a departure from most of the Beach Boys earlier surf-rock songs and an expansion into rock n roll excess that would inspire Sgt. Pepper's and an entire era of excessive self-indulgent rock.
#133 - "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" - The Doors - Strange Days - #10/10 - The greatest Doors song is also one of their shortest, proving that artistic indulgence can't always trump raw power. The song is also the band's most exciting and essentially their only fast-pace rocker.
#132 - "The Bitch Is Back" - Elton John - Caribou - #8/8 - Elton's best rock song is a fast-paced rager from the start with great lyrics and a particularly spectacular chorus.
#131 - "Thunder Road" - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run - #10/11 - The "other" great song on Springsteen's classic Born To Run LP, "Thunder Road" is one of the great epic songs of classic rock as the Boss paints a vivid picture of life growing up in New Jersey and establishes himself as the heir apparent to Bob Dylan.
#139 - "Debaser" - The Pixies - Doolittle - #8/8 - The Pixies best song, "Debaser" is a shifting and fast alternative punk song with crazy lyrics and a killer chorus that signified the band's place at the top of the alt-rock mountain.
#138 - "Crazy Train" - Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz - #3/3 - The critics had written Ozzy's career off after he left Black Sabbath, but he proved them wrong a thousand times over, starting right from the beginning of this, his first post-Sabbath hit, which takes off with a crazy "All Aboard" opening followed by Randy Rhodes' insane guitar shredding on one of the most memorable riffs in all of rock n roll. The lyrics are deceptive as they seem tame at first but on further listening reveal Ozzy's most political song since "War Pigs".
#137 - "About A Girl (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #13/15 - Nirvana's first great song got a new round of appreciation when it was featured during the band's set on MTV Unplugged. By slowing the song down the lyrical brilliance of the song was highlighted and the song finally became the hit it deserved to be.
#136 - "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - #3/4 - One of the prettiest ballads ever written, "God" is one of the last great songs to come out of the 60's and a pinnacle of Brian Wilson's genius with it's sharp lyrics and harmony.
#135 - "The Weight" - The Band - Greatest Hits - #2/2 - One of the signature songs of the 1960's, "The Weight" is easily the Band's greatest song and one of the best written songs of all-time.
#134 - "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - #4/4 - One of the craziest and most brilliant songs of the early classic rock era, "Good Vibrations" was a departure from most of the Beach Boys earlier surf-rock songs and an expansion into rock n roll excess that would inspire Sgt. Pepper's and an entire era of excessive self-indulgent rock.
#133 - "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" - The Doors - Strange Days - #10/10 - The greatest Doors song is also one of their shortest, proving that artistic indulgence can't always trump raw power. The song is also the band's most exciting and essentially their only fast-pace rocker.
#132 - "The Bitch Is Back" - Elton John - Caribou - #8/8 - Elton's best rock song is a fast-paced rager from the start with great lyrics and a particularly spectacular chorus.
#131 - "Thunder Road" - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run - #10/11 - The "other" great song on Springsteen's classic Born To Run LP, "Thunder Road" is one of the great epic songs of classic rock as the Boss paints a vivid picture of life growing up in New Jersey and establishes himself as the heir apparent to Bob Dylan.
Top 1000 Bands #140-#131
140 - The Black Crowes - One of the biggest bands of the early 90's, The Black Crowes had a couple of huge albums in them before slowly fading away and establishing themselves as one of the last great classic rock bands.
139 - The Killers - One of the best bands of the 21st Century, The Killers established themselves with monster hits on the debut album including "Mr. Brightside" and moved forward with their next two albums, moving from genre to genre and advancing artistically along the way.
138 - Joni Mitchell - A survivor of the 70's singer-songwriter boom, Joni Mitchell has been one of the most consistently great performers over the years, as she continues to crank out acclaimed albums every couple of years or so.
137 - L7 - The best of the riot-grrl acts that moved into the grunge arena in the early 90's, L7 didn't have any big hits but created some of the most important albums of the decade.
136 - The Deftones - One of the premier metal bands of the 90's and beyond, the Deftones have been referred to as the "heavy metal Radiohead" in the past and with their consistent high-level output they've lived up to the title.
135 - Rise Against - The most popular of the political punk bands to emerge in the past few years, Rise Against has crossed over to the modern rock charts with their politically-charged but radio-friendly songs.
134 - The Electric Light Orchestra - A hugely successful classic rock band from the late 1970's, ELO churned out hit after hit in the dark years of disco before succombing to the nightmare of Xanadu and never recovering.
133 - Elvis Presley - Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant... well that much to me, anyway. I enjoy a lot of his music, but most of it is too dated to hold any meaning to me. It's still hugely influential though and he's definitely one of the most important figures in music.
132 - The Grateful Dead - They'll never live up to the hype that their fanbase created for them, but they still are one of the most interesting and significant band of the 60's.
131 - Rancid - One of the best punk bands of the 90's, Rancid had several classic albums released in a row before breaking up recently. Other than Green Day they were the second best straight-up punk band of the era.
139 - The Killers - One of the best bands of the 21st Century, The Killers established themselves with monster hits on the debut album including "Mr. Brightside" and moved forward with their next two albums, moving from genre to genre and advancing artistically along the way.
138 - Joni Mitchell - A survivor of the 70's singer-songwriter boom, Joni Mitchell has been one of the most consistently great performers over the years, as she continues to crank out acclaimed albums every couple of years or so.
137 - L7 - The best of the riot-grrl acts that moved into the grunge arena in the early 90's, L7 didn't have any big hits but created some of the most important albums of the decade.
136 - The Deftones - One of the premier metal bands of the 90's and beyond, the Deftones have been referred to as the "heavy metal Radiohead" in the past and with their consistent high-level output they've lived up to the title.
135 - Rise Against - The most popular of the political punk bands to emerge in the past few years, Rise Against has crossed over to the modern rock charts with their politically-charged but radio-friendly songs.
134 - The Electric Light Orchestra - A hugely successful classic rock band from the late 1970's, ELO churned out hit after hit in the dark years of disco before succombing to the nightmare of Xanadu and never recovering.
133 - Elvis Presley - Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant... well that much to me, anyway. I enjoy a lot of his music, but most of it is too dated to hold any meaning to me. It's still hugely influential though and he's definitely one of the most important figures in music.
132 - The Grateful Dead - They'll never live up to the hype that their fanbase created for them, but they still are one of the most interesting and significant band of the 60's.
131 - Rancid - One of the best punk bands of the 90's, Rancid had several classic albums released in a row before breaking up recently. Other than Green Day they were the second best straight-up punk band of the era.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #150-#141
#150 - "Supernova" - Liz Phair - Whip-Smart - #1/1 - Not her biggest hit, but my favorite song from her catalog, "Supernova" has a great chorus and Phair's best lyrics.
#149 - "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" - The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not - #3/3 - Usually bands that get hyped through the roof by the British rock media fail to live up to expectations, but The Arctic Monkeys are the exception. Their debut single (after about 50 EPs) is a hell of a ride with sharp lyrics building to one of the best choruses of the 21st Century.
#148 - "Time" - Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon - #6/14 - Dark Side Of The Moon is easily one of the greatest albums of all-time and "Time" is one of it's best songs. Dealing with a theme as grim as mortality, the song is predictably downbeat and somber, but one of the best-written songs of the 70's.
#147 - "Schism" - Tool - Lateralus - #8/9 - The centerpiece of Tool's official jump from mainstream metal into the world of prog, "Schism" can best be described as "crunchy" with it's spine-cracking beat, brilliant lyrics and epic build-up.
#146 - "19th Nervous Breakdown" - The Rolling Stones - Greatest Hits - #12/20 - One of the Stones' first great songs, "19th Nervous" is one of the most clever and satirical songs of the 60's and an early pre-cursor to the attitude-driven music the 70's would produce. The climax of the chorus is a highlight of classic rock.
#145 - "No One Knows" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf - #13/16 - The song that put Queens on the Modern Rock map, "No One Knows" is a slow-for-Queens song with a hell of a guitar lick driving it throughout.
#144 - "London Calling" - The Clash - London Calling - #14/18 - When history recalls The Clash 100 years from now, "London Calling" will be the song that is mentioned first. I prefer their earlier, punkier sound myself, but I can't deny that this song represents a high point on the career arc of one of the greatest bands of all-time.
#143 - "Where Is My Mind" - The Pixies - Surfer Rosa - #7/8 - The most famous song by The Pixies, thanks to it's inclusion at the end of Fight Club, "Where Is My Mind" is a very unusual song for the band, as they usually don't venture into the psychedelic, but considering how good this song was, it's surprising they didn't dip into the well more often.
#142 - "Iron Man" - Black Sabbath - Paranoid - #2/3 - And this would be the song where Black Sabbath invented heavy metal as we knew it through the 70's and 80's. From the creepy "I Am Iron Man" opening through the dark story told in the lyrics until the instrumental bridge in the second half of the song, this is one of many Sabbath songs that launched a thousand acts, many of whom would dominate popular music down the line.
#141 - "Ramble On" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - #19/24 - Usually when bands got all literary and wrote songs about science fiction stories the results are disastrous. In the case of "Ramble On", the exact opposite is true. Based on the Lord Of The Rings books, "Ramble On" is one of the greatest songs of classic rock and represented a clear direction change for the band from the slow blues rock of Zeppelin I to the faster stuff on II, a move that would ensure the band continued success for the rest of the decade.
#149 - "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" - The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not - #3/3 - Usually bands that get hyped through the roof by the British rock media fail to live up to expectations, but The Arctic Monkeys are the exception. Their debut single (after about 50 EPs) is a hell of a ride with sharp lyrics building to one of the best choruses of the 21st Century.
#148 - "Time" - Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon - #6/14 - Dark Side Of The Moon is easily one of the greatest albums of all-time and "Time" is one of it's best songs. Dealing with a theme as grim as mortality, the song is predictably downbeat and somber, but one of the best-written songs of the 70's.
#147 - "Schism" - Tool - Lateralus - #8/9 - The centerpiece of Tool's official jump from mainstream metal into the world of prog, "Schism" can best be described as "crunchy" with it's spine-cracking beat, brilliant lyrics and epic build-up.
#146 - "19th Nervous Breakdown" - The Rolling Stones - Greatest Hits - #12/20 - One of the Stones' first great songs, "19th Nervous" is one of the most clever and satirical songs of the 60's and an early pre-cursor to the attitude-driven music the 70's would produce. The climax of the chorus is a highlight of classic rock.
#145 - "No One Knows" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf - #13/16 - The song that put Queens on the Modern Rock map, "No One Knows" is a slow-for-Queens song with a hell of a guitar lick driving it throughout.
#144 - "London Calling" - The Clash - London Calling - #14/18 - When history recalls The Clash 100 years from now, "London Calling" will be the song that is mentioned first. I prefer their earlier, punkier sound myself, but I can't deny that this song represents a high point on the career arc of one of the greatest bands of all-time.
#143 - "Where Is My Mind" - The Pixies - Surfer Rosa - #7/8 - The most famous song by The Pixies, thanks to it's inclusion at the end of Fight Club, "Where Is My Mind" is a very unusual song for the band, as they usually don't venture into the psychedelic, but considering how good this song was, it's surprising they didn't dip into the well more often.
#142 - "Iron Man" - Black Sabbath - Paranoid - #2/3 - And this would be the song where Black Sabbath invented heavy metal as we knew it through the 70's and 80's. From the creepy "I Am Iron Man" opening through the dark story told in the lyrics until the instrumental bridge in the second half of the song, this is one of many Sabbath songs that launched a thousand acts, many of whom would dominate popular music down the line.
#141 - "Ramble On" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - #19/24 - Usually when bands got all literary and wrote songs about science fiction stories the results are disastrous. In the case of "Ramble On", the exact opposite is true. Based on the Lord Of The Rings books, "Ramble On" is one of the greatest songs of classic rock and represented a clear direction change for the band from the slow blues rock of Zeppelin I to the faster stuff on II, a move that would ensure the band continued success for the rest of the decade.
Top 1000 Bands #150-#141
150 - Dire Straits - One of the biggest stars of the early 80's, Dire Straits was also one of the first big stars of MTV, back when MTV played rock videos, let alone videos at all.
149 - Liz Phair - An indie sensation from the start, Liz Phair struggled to live up to the early hype her first few albums promised. In the end, she never lived up to that promise, but along the way she still managed to have a sensational career.
148 - Echo And The Bunnymen - They'll be going up in my next evaluation, but for now, Echo falls in the top 150 of my list. Echo was one of the best bands of the early alternative era, cranking out epic new wave song after epic new wave song during the late 70's and early 80's.
147 - Rilo Kiley - From one of the best alternative bands of the past two one of the best in the present. Rilo Kiley is an alt-rock beast propelled forward by the vocals of Jenny Lewis and some of the most clever lyrics and hooks of the new century.
146 - The Eels - Another fantastic alt-rock band comes in at #146. The Eels are tragically anonymous, though they've put a lot of big hits on college rock and alternative rock radio over the years. They definitely deserve more attention than they've got, but that seems to be a reoccuring theme in modern rock music.
145 - The Decemberists - One of the most promising new indie rock bands on the scene, The Decemberists broke through onto the alt rock scene with their brilliant Rushmore send-up video to their best song "Sixteen Military Wives" and continued to improve their awareness with a gimmick rivalry with comedian Stephen Colbert. Their last few albums have been quirky, but brilliant and they've shown a lot of promise for the future.
144 - White Zombie - Possibly the biggest metal band of the 90's, White Zombie filled a gap created by the alt-rockification of Metallica during that decade. They only had a couple albums, but they carved their own niche in the genre that's carried on long after the band itself broke up.
143 - Blur - The loser of the Brit Pop battle, Blur never crossed over in America the way that Oasis did, but they still did manage to create some of the best albums of the 90's.
142 - Paul Simon - After the break-up of Simon And Garfunkel, Paul Simon went solo and explored world music, bringing it to the masses in a way that no American artist had at that point. The songwriting wasn't quite as good as it used to be, but it's still stellar.
141 - Heart - The female Led Zeppelin, Heart tore into the classic rock era with shredding guitars and wicked lyrics, easily making them one of the biggest snubs at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.
149 - Liz Phair - An indie sensation from the start, Liz Phair struggled to live up to the early hype her first few albums promised. In the end, she never lived up to that promise, but along the way she still managed to have a sensational career.
148 - Echo And The Bunnymen - They'll be going up in my next evaluation, but for now, Echo falls in the top 150 of my list. Echo was one of the best bands of the early alternative era, cranking out epic new wave song after epic new wave song during the late 70's and early 80's.
147 - Rilo Kiley - From one of the best alternative bands of the past two one of the best in the present. Rilo Kiley is an alt-rock beast propelled forward by the vocals of Jenny Lewis and some of the most clever lyrics and hooks of the new century.
146 - The Eels - Another fantastic alt-rock band comes in at #146. The Eels are tragically anonymous, though they've put a lot of big hits on college rock and alternative rock radio over the years. They definitely deserve more attention than they've got, but that seems to be a reoccuring theme in modern rock music.
145 - The Decemberists - One of the most promising new indie rock bands on the scene, The Decemberists broke through onto the alt rock scene with their brilliant Rushmore send-up video to their best song "Sixteen Military Wives" and continued to improve their awareness with a gimmick rivalry with comedian Stephen Colbert. Their last few albums have been quirky, but brilliant and they've shown a lot of promise for the future.
144 - White Zombie - Possibly the biggest metal band of the 90's, White Zombie filled a gap created by the alt-rockification of Metallica during that decade. They only had a couple albums, but they carved their own niche in the genre that's carried on long after the band itself broke up.
143 - Blur - The loser of the Brit Pop battle, Blur never crossed over in America the way that Oasis did, but they still did manage to create some of the best albums of the 90's.
142 - Paul Simon - After the break-up of Simon And Garfunkel, Paul Simon went solo and explored world music, bringing it to the masses in a way that no American artist had at that point. The songwriting wasn't quite as good as it used to be, but it's still stellar.
141 - Heart - The female Led Zeppelin, Heart tore into the classic rock era with shredding guitars and wicked lyrics, easily making them one of the biggest snubs at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #160-#151
#160 - "Alive" - Pearl Jam - Ten - #21/25 - Pearl Jam's greatest guitar solo is contained towards the end of "Alive". "Alive" was also the first Pearl Jam song and one of their biggest hits.
#159 - "C'mon C'mon" - The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart - #1/1 - As one-hit wonders go, this is one of the best. A garage rock throwback that's also the theme song of Rescue Me and features one of the most intense choruses of all-time.
#158 - "Lithium" - Nirvana - Nevermind - #12/15 - One of Nirvana's first great songs, "Lithium" starts out very slowly and then builds to an intense, raging chorus.
#157 - "New Slang" - The Shins - Oh, Inverted World - #3/3 - The song that changed Zach Braff's life in the movie Garden State, "New Slang" is one of the key songs of the indie rock millennium with it's clever lyrics and sweeping chorus.
#156 - "Something" - The Beatles - Abbey Road - #16/22 - George Harrison didn't write many songs for the Beatles, but when he did, they were fantastic, as illustrated by this brilliant love song.
#155 - "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges - Raw Power - #3/5 - Easily the best use of sleighbells in a rock song, "I Wanna Be Your Dog" was an iconic song of the proto-punk genre with its subversive lyrics and pulsing sound.
#154 - "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl - #2/2 - One of the most memorable pop rock songs of the 60's, "Brown" is catchy and has a universal appeal that made it popular everywhere from classic rock radio to proms.
#153 - "What Is And What Should Never Be" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - #18/24 - The song starts out pretty slowly, but the chorus is among Zeppelin's best and one of the best minutes in all of classic rock.
#152 - "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green - Let's Stay Together - #1/1 - The all-time R&B classic to end all R&B classics, Al Green's greatest hit features great lyrics and one of the greatest choruses ever.
#151 - "Float On" - Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News - #4/4 - The song that catapulted them to the forefront of the indie rock song, "Float On" actually hit #1 on the Modern Rock charts, one of the few truly indie songs to ever achieve such a feat. The peppy song with quirky verses also served as a launching point for a new tidal wave of fantastic indie rock that has dominated the millennium so far.
#159 - "C'mon C'mon" - The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart - #1/1 - As one-hit wonders go, this is one of the best. A garage rock throwback that's also the theme song of Rescue Me and features one of the most intense choruses of all-time.
#158 - "Lithium" - Nirvana - Nevermind - #12/15 - One of Nirvana's first great songs, "Lithium" starts out very slowly and then builds to an intense, raging chorus.
#157 - "New Slang" - The Shins - Oh, Inverted World - #3/3 - The song that changed Zach Braff's life in the movie Garden State, "New Slang" is one of the key songs of the indie rock millennium with it's clever lyrics and sweeping chorus.
#156 - "Something" - The Beatles - Abbey Road - #16/22 - George Harrison didn't write many songs for the Beatles, but when he did, they were fantastic, as illustrated by this brilliant love song.
#155 - "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges - Raw Power - #3/5 - Easily the best use of sleighbells in a rock song, "I Wanna Be Your Dog" was an iconic song of the proto-punk genre with its subversive lyrics and pulsing sound.
#154 - "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl - #2/2 - One of the most memorable pop rock songs of the 60's, "Brown" is catchy and has a universal appeal that made it popular everywhere from classic rock radio to proms.
#153 - "What Is And What Should Never Be" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - #18/24 - The song starts out pretty slowly, but the chorus is among Zeppelin's best and one of the best minutes in all of classic rock.
#152 - "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green - Let's Stay Together - #1/1 - The all-time R&B classic to end all R&B classics, Al Green's greatest hit features great lyrics and one of the greatest choruses ever.
#151 - "Float On" - Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News - #4/4 - The song that catapulted them to the forefront of the indie rock song, "Float On" actually hit #1 on the Modern Rock charts, one of the few truly indie songs to ever achieve such a feat. The peppy song with quirky verses also served as a launching point for a new tidal wave of fantastic indie rock that has dominated the millennium so far.
Top 1000 Bands #160-#151
160 - Jane's Addiction - One of the biggest alternative bands before grunge broke, Jane's Addiction had huge hits with "Jane Says" and "Been Caught Stealing" along with some of the greatest albums of the 80's.
159 - Alice Cooper - The grandfather of shock rock, Alice Cooper was a very controversial figure in early rock n roll and a pioneer in stage presentation. He's also a surprisingly good songwriter and one of the most notable snubs in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.
158 - David Byrne - The former lead singer of The Talking Heads, David Byrne has made a two-decade career out of a combination of New Wave and world music that is entirely unique and always fascinating.
157 - The Band - The former backing band of Bob Dylan went out on their own and created some of the signature music of 60's classic rock, including "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "The Weight".
156 - Joy Division - One of the biggest bands of the New Wave and post-punk era, Joy Division was poised to become one of the biggest alt-rock bands of all-time until the suicide of the lead singer Ian Curits broke the band up (the remaining members would form New Order) at the peak of their success. At the moment, Joy Division is one of the most relevant and influential bands on modern indie rock.
155 - X - One of the best punk bands of the punk and New Wave era, X never enjoyed the kind of success that they deserved, but they've still been a remarkably influential and important band in alternative music.
154 - Squeeze - Another overlooked New Wave band with a great track record, Squeeze released brilliant and weird single after single, creating some of the most interesting music of the early 80's.
153 - Fugazi - One of the most important hardcore punk bands Minor Threat broke up in the early 80's and Fugazi formed as a hard rock alternative band that kept the underground spirit alive while still cranking out great hits with mass appeal.
152 - A Perfect Circle - Maynard James Keenan's side project band has enjoyed a great deal of success with their radio-friendly metal tunes. By ditching the prog antics of Tool, APC isn't nearly as good MJK's original band, but it's still near the best music on the mainstream rock charts.
151 - Iron Maiden - One of the best metal bands of the 70's and 80's, Iron Maiden's always been a little too goofy to be taken seriously, but you can't deny the guitar skill and riffs involved in making their epic metal.
159 - Alice Cooper - The grandfather of shock rock, Alice Cooper was a very controversial figure in early rock n roll and a pioneer in stage presentation. He's also a surprisingly good songwriter and one of the most notable snubs in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.
158 - David Byrne - The former lead singer of The Talking Heads, David Byrne has made a two-decade career out of a combination of New Wave and world music that is entirely unique and always fascinating.
157 - The Band - The former backing band of Bob Dylan went out on their own and created some of the signature music of 60's classic rock, including "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "The Weight".
156 - Joy Division - One of the biggest bands of the New Wave and post-punk era, Joy Division was poised to become one of the biggest alt-rock bands of all-time until the suicide of the lead singer Ian Curits broke the band up (the remaining members would form New Order) at the peak of their success. At the moment, Joy Division is one of the most relevant and influential bands on modern indie rock.
155 - X - One of the best punk bands of the punk and New Wave era, X never enjoyed the kind of success that they deserved, but they've still been a remarkably influential and important band in alternative music.
154 - Squeeze - Another overlooked New Wave band with a great track record, Squeeze released brilliant and weird single after single, creating some of the most interesting music of the early 80's.
153 - Fugazi - One of the most important hardcore punk bands Minor Threat broke up in the early 80's and Fugazi formed as a hard rock alternative band that kept the underground spirit alive while still cranking out great hits with mass appeal.
152 - A Perfect Circle - Maynard James Keenan's side project band has enjoyed a great deal of success with their radio-friendly metal tunes. By ditching the prog antics of Tool, APC isn't nearly as good MJK's original band, but it's still near the best music on the mainstream rock charts.
151 - Iron Maiden - One of the best metal bands of the 70's and 80's, Iron Maiden's always been a little too goofy to be taken seriously, but you can't deny the guitar skill and riffs involved in making their epic metal.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #170-#161
#170 - "Head On" - The Jesus And Mary Chain - Automatic - #1/1 - It's hard to say whether this song is more famous than the Pixies' cover version, but I prefer this more somber version of the song in comparison to Frank and Co.'s frenetic version.
#169 - "Aenema" - Tool - Aenema - #7/9 - The epic climax to Tool's greatest album tells the story of the "big one" that finally sends California plummeting into the ocean, and based on MJK's take on the matter, that would be just fine by him.
#168 - "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. - Out Of Time - #10/12 - The big breakthrough hit that sent R.E.M. to the top of the pop charts after years on the college rock scene, this song was a very important pivot point that kicked the door open for the alt rock explosion of the 90's.
#167 - "You Know You're Right" - Nirvana - Greatest Hits - #11/15 - The song was available for years before it became a radio sensation, but the last Nirvana song is also one of their best, showing an exciting new direction that the band never had a chance to explore.
#166 - "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath - Paranoid - #1/3 - The world had never heard anything like Black Sabbath when they tore into the hard rock scene, creating a dozen different varieties of metal and setting the scene for the future of the genre. With their classic "Paranoid", they created speed metal.
#165 - "Real Wild Child" - Iggy Pop - Blah Blah Blah - #2/5 - I don't think it's an Iggy original, but this song is still one of his signature post-Stooges songs with it's solid lyrics building up to a crazy chorus.
#164 - "Once In A Lifetime" - The Talking Heads - Remain In Light - #9/10 - One of the weirdest hit songs of the 80's, The Talking Heads created a New Wave sensation with their bizarre art-rock hit.
#163 - "Eleanor Rigby" - The Beatles - Revolver - #15/22 - You wouldn't think that a band as cheerful and pop-friendly as the Beatles would produce such a bleak and grim song as "Rigby", which is a song about a woman who dies alone and is buried by a preacher with no congregants, but they did, foreshadowing a darker turn that the band would take in the future.
#162 - "Ocean Breathes Salty" - Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News - #3/4 - Modest Mouse is the latest great band to come out of the Seattle alternative rock scene with their breakthrough album Good News. While "Float On" was the big hit, "Salty" was the important follow-up that sealed the band as a force of nature rather than a mere one-hit wonder. I didn't think this song was so great the first time I heard it, but like all Modest Mouse songs, it really grows on you the more you hear it.
#161 - "Born In The U.S.A." - Bruce Springsteen - Born In The U.S.A. - #9/11 - Although it was used by Ronald Reagan as a campaign song, "U.S.A." is actually a bleak and sarcastic view of life in Reagan's America for it's victims, the poor and disenfranchised.
#169 - "Aenema" - Tool - Aenema - #7/9 - The epic climax to Tool's greatest album tells the story of the "big one" that finally sends California plummeting into the ocean, and based on MJK's take on the matter, that would be just fine by him.
#168 - "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. - Out Of Time - #10/12 - The big breakthrough hit that sent R.E.M. to the top of the pop charts after years on the college rock scene, this song was a very important pivot point that kicked the door open for the alt rock explosion of the 90's.
#167 - "You Know You're Right" - Nirvana - Greatest Hits - #11/15 - The song was available for years before it became a radio sensation, but the last Nirvana song is also one of their best, showing an exciting new direction that the band never had a chance to explore.
#166 - "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath - Paranoid - #1/3 - The world had never heard anything like Black Sabbath when they tore into the hard rock scene, creating a dozen different varieties of metal and setting the scene for the future of the genre. With their classic "Paranoid", they created speed metal.
#165 - "Real Wild Child" - Iggy Pop - Blah Blah Blah - #2/5 - I don't think it's an Iggy original, but this song is still one of his signature post-Stooges songs with it's solid lyrics building up to a crazy chorus.
#164 - "Once In A Lifetime" - The Talking Heads - Remain In Light - #9/10 - One of the weirdest hit songs of the 80's, The Talking Heads created a New Wave sensation with their bizarre art-rock hit.
#163 - "Eleanor Rigby" - The Beatles - Revolver - #15/22 - You wouldn't think that a band as cheerful and pop-friendly as the Beatles would produce such a bleak and grim song as "Rigby", which is a song about a woman who dies alone and is buried by a preacher with no congregants, but they did, foreshadowing a darker turn that the band would take in the future.
#162 - "Ocean Breathes Salty" - Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News - #3/4 - Modest Mouse is the latest great band to come out of the Seattle alternative rock scene with their breakthrough album Good News. While "Float On" was the big hit, "Salty" was the important follow-up that sealed the band as a force of nature rather than a mere one-hit wonder. I didn't think this song was so great the first time I heard it, but like all Modest Mouse songs, it really grows on you the more you hear it.
#161 - "Born In The U.S.A." - Bruce Springsteen - Born In The U.S.A. - #9/11 - Although it was used by Ronald Reagan as a campaign song, "U.S.A." is actually a bleak and sarcastic view of life in Reagan's America for it's victims, the poor and disenfranchised.
Top 1000 Bands #170-#161
170 - Janis Joplin - The legendary blues rock singer from the 60's, Joplin unfortunately died very early in her career, meaning that she didn't establish the track record she needed to chart higher on this list, though she did have an amazing run while it lasted.
169 - Supertramp - One of the biggest artists of the 70's, Supertramp gets a bad rap for it's goofy name, but the songwriting was actually very clever and the hooks are amazing.
168 - The Counting Crows - They aren't much these days, but their first two albums were sensational, in particular their second album, Recovering The Satellites.
167 - The Beastie Boys - One of the biggest rap artists of all-time, The Beastie Boys started out as more of a frat rock sort of band before branching out in more artistic directions, reaching a pinnacle with the song "Sabotage", which is one of the best rap-rock fusions ever.
166 - Rob Zombie - As a solo artist, Zombie didn't quite reach the artistic heights he did with White Zombie, but commercially and on the rock charts he achieved new levels of greatness with his radio-friendly glam metal.
165 - Garbage - Although they are insanely popular on XM radio, Garbage fell just short of absolute greatness in my opinion. They did have a reasonably long string of indie rock hits, but not very many of them rank as true classics.
164 - Sleater-Kinney - One of the greatest alt-rock acts of the 21st Century, Sleater-Kinney were part-grunge and part-punk with their heavy riffs and outstanding lyrics.
163 - Marilyn Manson - Carrying on the tradition of Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne, Manson used shock rock as a genre to drive ignorant music non-fans insane with his parent-baiting gender-bending and religion-baiting. The funny thing is, for a few albums at least, he was actually really good at it. Antichrist Superstar is one of the best metal albums of the 90's, while Mechanical Animals is perhaps the best glam rock album since Ziggy Stardust.
162 - Frank Sinatra - Not so much of a rock star as a pre-cursor to the genre, Sinatra was a brilliant crooner who sang great songs with an attitude that would inspire generations of punks and rebels.
161 - Ted Nugent - The Motor City Madman hasn't done much in the last 30 years, but in the 60's and 70's he was one of the greatest guitar players and wildest singers in all of classic rock.
169 - Supertramp - One of the biggest artists of the 70's, Supertramp gets a bad rap for it's goofy name, but the songwriting was actually very clever and the hooks are amazing.
168 - The Counting Crows - They aren't much these days, but their first two albums were sensational, in particular their second album, Recovering The Satellites.
167 - The Beastie Boys - One of the biggest rap artists of all-time, The Beastie Boys started out as more of a frat rock sort of band before branching out in more artistic directions, reaching a pinnacle with the song "Sabotage", which is one of the best rap-rock fusions ever.
166 - Rob Zombie - As a solo artist, Zombie didn't quite reach the artistic heights he did with White Zombie, but commercially and on the rock charts he achieved new levels of greatness with his radio-friendly glam metal.
165 - Garbage - Although they are insanely popular on XM radio, Garbage fell just short of absolute greatness in my opinion. They did have a reasonably long string of indie rock hits, but not very many of them rank as true classics.
164 - Sleater-Kinney - One of the greatest alt-rock acts of the 21st Century, Sleater-Kinney were part-grunge and part-punk with their heavy riffs and outstanding lyrics.
163 - Marilyn Manson - Carrying on the tradition of Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne, Manson used shock rock as a genre to drive ignorant music non-fans insane with his parent-baiting gender-bending and religion-baiting. The funny thing is, for a few albums at least, he was actually really good at it. Antichrist Superstar is one of the best metal albums of the 90's, while Mechanical Animals is perhaps the best glam rock album since Ziggy Stardust.
162 - Frank Sinatra - Not so much of a rock star as a pre-cursor to the genre, Sinatra was a brilliant crooner who sang great songs with an attitude that would inspire generations of punks and rebels.
161 - Ted Nugent - The Motor City Madman hasn't done much in the last 30 years, but in the 60's and 70's he was one of the greatest guitar players and wildest singers in all of classic rock.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #180-#171
#180 - "Ziggy Stardust" - David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - #8/10 - Bowie's most famous guitar riff is a highlight of this pivotal song in the artist's legendary, career-defining concept album that cast him in the title role and set the high-water mark for all glam-rock that would ever come to pass.
#179 - "Instant Karma!" - John Lennon - Shaved Fish - #4/5 - The climactic verse of this brilliant song's chorus "And We All Shine On, Like The Moon and the Stars And The Sun" has to be one of the most famous and significant lyrics in classic rock history. Easily one of John's finest solo songs, though still a ways behind the best, which we'll see later... much later.
#178 - "Respect" - Aretha Franklin - Respect - #2/2 - The most famous "feminist" song in rock n roll (the song was written by Otis Redding and actually was very sexist), "Respect" is Aretha's best song and one of the best songs of the 1960's.
#177 - "Good Fortune" - P.J. Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - #4/4 - Harvey's best song is also her most electric, with a chorus that highlights the best aspects of her wild, desperate music.
#176 - "Here's Your Future" - The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine - #1/1 - For a band that most people have never heard of, The Thermals may be the best political punk band in the world at the moment. This song, which uses biblical stories to point out religion's failings, is by far their most intense and melodical.
#175 - "Fallen" - Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better - #5/6 - The best song off of FF's second album, "Fallen" starts out with a killer riff and builds to a faster and even better riff for the chorus. This is about as good as indie dance punk has ever gotten.
#174 - "Good Times Bad Times" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - #17/24 - One of Zeppelin's best straight-forward blues rock songs, "Good Times" combines a monster riff with clever lyrics and an outstanding chorus.
#173 - "Creep" - Radiohead - Pablo Honey - #6/8 - Radiohead's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Creep" was a megahit that brought the band to the front of the alt-rock scene and became so popular that it almost destroyed the band. No song better embraces teen angst than this one.
#172 - "One Armed Scissor" - At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command - #3/3 - ATDI's best song was the hit that should have made the band the heirs to the just broken-up Rage Against The Machine. The song has a strong political theme, great lyrics and a monster chorus full of passion and desperation. Of course, they broke up a few days after they became stars, so it never did work out for the band, but the greatness remains.
#171 - "Lake Of Fire (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #10/15 - The biggest new song off of Nirvana's last "real" album, "Lake Of Fire" is a cover of an old Meat Puppets song, though let's face it, by now Kurt's laid permanent claim to the song with it's dark lyrics and strange chorus.
#179 - "Instant Karma!" - John Lennon - Shaved Fish - #4/5 - The climactic verse of this brilliant song's chorus "And We All Shine On, Like The Moon and the Stars And The Sun" has to be one of the most famous and significant lyrics in classic rock history. Easily one of John's finest solo songs, though still a ways behind the best, which we'll see later... much later.
#178 - "Respect" - Aretha Franklin - Respect - #2/2 - The most famous "feminist" song in rock n roll (the song was written by Otis Redding and actually was very sexist), "Respect" is Aretha's best song and one of the best songs of the 1960's.
#177 - "Good Fortune" - P.J. Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - #4/4 - Harvey's best song is also her most electric, with a chorus that highlights the best aspects of her wild, desperate music.
#176 - "Here's Your Future" - The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine - #1/1 - For a band that most people have never heard of, The Thermals may be the best political punk band in the world at the moment. This song, which uses biblical stories to point out religion's failings, is by far their most intense and melodical.
#175 - "Fallen" - Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better - #5/6 - The best song off of FF's second album, "Fallen" starts out with a killer riff and builds to a faster and even better riff for the chorus. This is about as good as indie dance punk has ever gotten.
#174 - "Good Times Bad Times" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - #17/24 - One of Zeppelin's best straight-forward blues rock songs, "Good Times" combines a monster riff with clever lyrics and an outstanding chorus.
#173 - "Creep" - Radiohead - Pablo Honey - #6/8 - Radiohead's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Creep" was a megahit that brought the band to the front of the alt-rock scene and became so popular that it almost destroyed the band. No song better embraces teen angst than this one.
#172 - "One Armed Scissor" - At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command - #3/3 - ATDI's best song was the hit that should have made the band the heirs to the just broken-up Rage Against The Machine. The song has a strong political theme, great lyrics and a monster chorus full of passion and desperation. Of course, they broke up a few days after they became stars, so it never did work out for the band, but the greatness remains.
#171 - "Lake Of Fire (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #10/15 - The biggest new song off of Nirvana's last "real" album, "Lake Of Fire" is a cover of an old Meat Puppets song, though let's face it, by now Kurt's laid permanent claim to the song with it's dark lyrics and strange chorus.
Top 1000 Bands #180-#171
180 - Television - One of the most important bands of the 70's, Television bridged the alt-rock gap between The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth and were also the most influential band of the '77 NYC scene.
179 - The Rollins Band - I actually like the Rollins Band better than Black Flag, which is probably a pretty unique point of view. The music is somewhat more complete and mature than the early punk music the band started their career out with.
178 - Joan Osborne - Osborne is best known for her mega-hit "One Of Us", but she's actually been one of the most consistent artists in all of alternative pop, creating great album after great album.
177 - Alanis Morissette - One of the best-selling female artists of the 90's, Alanis became a sensation after the release of her debut album. It's been downhill since then, but she still cranks out decent albums every couple of years.
176 - Collective Soul - One of the biggest bands in modern rock history, Collective Soul isn't known for writing flashy songs or legendary albums, but they have cranked out hit after hit for nearly 15 years now and have never descended to the depths their contemporaries have to keep their careers going.
175 - Our Lady Peace - Another great band from the 90's that never got the appreciation that they deserve. They had a few big hits, but they were one of the more consistent bands of the last twenty years and should have had a lot more.
174 - Marvin Gaye - One of the biggest stars of the Motown era, Marvin Gaye reached the stratosphere in the 70's and early 80's with a string of hits such as "What's Going On" and "Sexual Healing".
173 - Aretha Franklin - The Queen of Soul, Aretha enjoyed one of the most successful careers in all of pop music with a four decade long run at the top of R&B.
172 - The Mars Volta - One of two bands to emerge from the break-up of At The Drive-In, The Mars Volta is the best prog metal band of their generation and may one day be the best ever. Their music is bizarre and definitely an acquired taste, but if you can appreciate their greatness, it's well worth the effort.
171 - Parliament Funkadelic - One of the greatest funk bands of all-time, Bootsy Collins and George Clinton's massive funk-rock collective created some of the best music of the 70's and some of the best funk ever.
179 - The Rollins Band - I actually like the Rollins Band better than Black Flag, which is probably a pretty unique point of view. The music is somewhat more complete and mature than the early punk music the band started their career out with.
178 - Joan Osborne - Osborne is best known for her mega-hit "One Of Us", but she's actually been one of the most consistent artists in all of alternative pop, creating great album after great album.
177 - Alanis Morissette - One of the best-selling female artists of the 90's, Alanis became a sensation after the release of her debut album. It's been downhill since then, but she still cranks out decent albums every couple of years.
176 - Collective Soul - One of the biggest bands in modern rock history, Collective Soul isn't known for writing flashy songs or legendary albums, but they have cranked out hit after hit for nearly 15 years now and have never descended to the depths their contemporaries have to keep their careers going.
175 - Our Lady Peace - Another great band from the 90's that never got the appreciation that they deserve. They had a few big hits, but they were one of the more consistent bands of the last twenty years and should have had a lot more.
174 - Marvin Gaye - One of the biggest stars of the Motown era, Marvin Gaye reached the stratosphere in the 70's and early 80's with a string of hits such as "What's Going On" and "Sexual Healing".
173 - Aretha Franklin - The Queen of Soul, Aretha enjoyed one of the most successful careers in all of pop music with a four decade long run at the top of R&B.
172 - The Mars Volta - One of two bands to emerge from the break-up of At The Drive-In, The Mars Volta is the best prog metal band of their generation and may one day be the best ever. Their music is bizarre and definitely an acquired taste, but if you can appreciate their greatness, it's well worth the effort.
171 - Parliament Funkadelic - One of the greatest funk bands of all-time, Bootsy Collins and George Clinton's massive funk-rock collective created some of the best music of the 70's and some of the best funk ever.
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