Albums:
Angels And Airwaves had the top debut of the week at #9.
Van Morrison's latest Greatest Hits album opened at #48.
Also debuting this week were Jimmy Buffett at #54 and Sigur Ros at #58.
Modern and Mainstream Rock:
The Foo Fighters stayed at #1 on Modern with "The Pretender" while Seether stayed at #1 with "Fake It".
Debuting this week on Modern is The Bravery with their unofficial Friday Night Lights Season 2 theme song "Believe" at #19.
Debuting this week on Mainstream is Korn's "Hold On" at #18.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Top 1000 Bands #980-#971
980 - Ian Brown - The former lead singer of The Stone Roses has made a couple of fairly good albums as a solo artist as well.
979 - Sam Roberts - The indie rock singer-songwriter has produced one great album so far in his career and should continue to have success in the future.
978 - Manu Chao - The only world music artist to make the top 1000, I first heard Manu Chao on the Henry Rollins Show. They're one of the rare artists that I can enjoy without understanding a word that they're saying.
977 - Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five - The first great rap group and the first hip hop artist to be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Grandmaster Flash is best known for "The Message" and "White Lines (Don't Do It)", as well as their associations with New York punk artists such as Blondie.
976 - Frou Frou - One of many great indie rock bands that I first heard from on the Garden State Soundtrack. Their song on that album "Let Go" is by far their best, but they have a few songs outside of that which are worth listening to.
975 - Arcwelder - One of those bands that no one has ever heard of, but I've enjoyed what I've heard from them.
974 - Dios Malos - An up-and-coming hard rock band with indie stylings.
973 - Suicide - A New York '77 punk band that influenced a great many post-punk bands, Suicide's music is a slow and methodical take on the type of art rock that the Velvet Underground first mastered. I first found out about this band on the "Blank Generation" compilation, that introduced me to a dozen great artists I previously had no knowledge of.
972 - The Yardbirds - Essentially the AAA level where talented guitarists went before becoming huge stars on their own, The Yardbirds at one point included such legends as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. They never had the success of a Cream or a Led Zeppelin, but they did manage to put together a few solid albums before they went their separate ways.
971 - Bow Wow Wow - The second project from the man behind the Sex Pistols, Malcom McLaren, was essentially a one-hit wonder with their cover of "I Want Candy", but they did have a few more decent New Wave hits before fading away.
979 - Sam Roberts - The indie rock singer-songwriter has produced one great album so far in his career and should continue to have success in the future.
978 - Manu Chao - The only world music artist to make the top 1000, I first heard Manu Chao on the Henry Rollins Show. They're one of the rare artists that I can enjoy without understanding a word that they're saying.
977 - Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five - The first great rap group and the first hip hop artist to be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Grandmaster Flash is best known for "The Message" and "White Lines (Don't Do It)", as well as their associations with New York punk artists such as Blondie.
976 - Frou Frou - One of many great indie rock bands that I first heard from on the Garden State Soundtrack. Their song on that album "Let Go" is by far their best, but they have a few songs outside of that which are worth listening to.
975 - Arcwelder - One of those bands that no one has ever heard of, but I've enjoyed what I've heard from them.
974 - Dios Malos - An up-and-coming hard rock band with indie stylings.
973 - Suicide - A New York '77 punk band that influenced a great many post-punk bands, Suicide's music is a slow and methodical take on the type of art rock that the Velvet Underground first mastered. I first found out about this band on the "Blank Generation" compilation, that introduced me to a dozen great artists I previously had no knowledge of.
972 - The Yardbirds - Essentially the AAA level where talented guitarists went before becoming huge stars on their own, The Yardbirds at one point included such legends as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. They never had the success of a Cream or a Led Zeppelin, but they did manage to put together a few solid albums before they went their separate ways.
971 - Bow Wow Wow - The second project from the man behind the Sex Pistols, Malcom McLaren, was essentially a one-hit wonder with their cover of "I Want Candy", but they did have a few more decent New Wave hits before fading away.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
1000 Greatest Songs - #990 - #981
#990 - "Feelin' Alright" - Traffic - Traffic - Cocker's version is more famous and a little better, but Winwood and Traffic created a great song for him to build upon. This is the first of two Traffic songs in the top 1000.
#989 - "Come Back" - Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam - The first of a list-best 25 songs for Pearl Jam, "Come Back" is the best ballad on their "comeback" album. Frankly, I don't think they ever went anywhere, but their latest is among their best, so let the masses think what they like.
#988 - "Casey Jones" - The Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead - The first of three Dead songs in the top 1000 is the first one that I came across during my classic rock phase (the last few years of high school and the first few years of college, which was about 1997-1999), and while it's not my favorite, it's the first glimpse I had into the Deadhead phenomenon, which I think is still a bit out of proportion, but at least they have a handful of great songs unlike, say... Phish.
#987 - "Bad Reputation" - Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - Bad Reputation - Also known as the theme song to "Freaks & Geeks", Joan's first of three songs in the top 1000 is rivaled only by The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb" (lead vocals by guess who...) as the definitive riot grrl song.
#986 - "Clash City Rockers" - The Clash - The Clash - The first of 18 songs by the Clash in this list, "Clash City Rockers" was one of their first great songs and one of the early hits of the punk genre in the 70s. I discovered this along with every other Clash single on their Greatest Hits album that I bought used on a lark while working at Citibank. Oddly enough, the reason I had heard of them was because of songs on "Combat Rock", widely regarded as their worst album.
#985 - "Fall Back Down" - Rancid - Indestructible - The first of two Rancid songs on the list and the best off of their most recent album. If this is the last we hear from Rancid, at least they went out with a bang.
#984 - "The Man Who Sold The World (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - The first of 15 songs by Nirvana to make the chart and the first of several from their classic Unplugged CD, this Bowie cover expands greatly on the original, as pretty much every song from this set did on it's original version. I received this song on cassette for Christmas of 1994 and listened to it endlessly for the next few years.
#983 - "Ruby Soho" - Rancid - And Out Come The Wolves - The second and final Rancid song to make the top 1000, "Ruby Soho" is by far the most popular, and coincidentally the best, song by one of the best punk bands of the 90s.
#982 - "Undertow" - Tool - Undertow - The first of nine Tool songs on the list, "Undertow" is one of the first great songs from the modern masters of metal.
#981 - "My Wave" - Soundgarden - Superunknown - The first of eleven Soundgarden songs to make the list and one of many from their breakthrough album, "My Wave" doesn't get the glory that "Black Hole Sun" gets, but is still in the same league as one of the great songs of the grunge era.
#989 - "Come Back" - Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam - The first of a list-best 25 songs for Pearl Jam, "Come Back" is the best ballad on their "comeback" album. Frankly, I don't think they ever went anywhere, but their latest is among their best, so let the masses think what they like.
#988 - "Casey Jones" - The Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead - The first of three Dead songs in the top 1000 is the first one that I came across during my classic rock phase (the last few years of high school and the first few years of college, which was about 1997-1999), and while it's not my favorite, it's the first glimpse I had into the Deadhead phenomenon, which I think is still a bit out of proportion, but at least they have a handful of great songs unlike, say... Phish.
#987 - "Bad Reputation" - Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - Bad Reputation - Also known as the theme song to "Freaks & Geeks", Joan's first of three songs in the top 1000 is rivaled only by The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb" (lead vocals by guess who...) as the definitive riot grrl song.
#986 - "Clash City Rockers" - The Clash - The Clash - The first of 18 songs by the Clash in this list, "Clash City Rockers" was one of their first great songs and one of the early hits of the punk genre in the 70s. I discovered this along with every other Clash single on their Greatest Hits album that I bought used on a lark while working at Citibank. Oddly enough, the reason I had heard of them was because of songs on "Combat Rock", widely regarded as their worst album.
#985 - "Fall Back Down" - Rancid - Indestructible - The first of two Rancid songs on the list and the best off of their most recent album. If this is the last we hear from Rancid, at least they went out with a bang.
#984 - "The Man Who Sold The World (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - The first of 15 songs by Nirvana to make the chart and the first of several from their classic Unplugged CD, this Bowie cover expands greatly on the original, as pretty much every song from this set did on it's original version. I received this song on cassette for Christmas of 1994 and listened to it endlessly for the next few years.
#983 - "Ruby Soho" - Rancid - And Out Come The Wolves - The second and final Rancid song to make the top 1000, "Ruby Soho" is by far the most popular, and coincidentally the best, song by one of the best punk bands of the 90s.
#982 - "Undertow" - Tool - Undertow - The first of nine Tool songs on the list, "Undertow" is one of the first great songs from the modern masters of metal.
#981 - "My Wave" - Soundgarden - Superunknown - The first of eleven Soundgarden songs to make the list and one of many from their breakthrough album, "My Wave" doesn't get the glory that "Black Hole Sun" gets, but is still in the same league as one of the great songs of the grunge era.
Top 1000 Artists - #990 - #981
990 - Beth Orton - Orton is an indie folk artist that got good reviews in Blender magazine, which is where I first heard about her.
989 - Dave Grohl - The drummer for Nirvana and the lead singer of The Foo Fighters has had numerous side projects, but this particular spot is reserved for his solo side projects, including the hilarious parody of "With Arms Wide Open".
988 - Love - A legendary "forgotten" 70s band that had one amazing album and then pretty much disappeared.
987 - Gerry Rafferty - The lead singer of Stealer's Wheel had a handful of hits on his own, including the brilliant "Baker St.".
986 - Head East - They only had one major hit, but that song ("Never Been Any Reason") is one of the signature songs of the 70s.
985 - The Kickback - A punk band from Vermillion, South Dakota, The Kickback was another great band I discovered in Pierre.
984 - Carl Perkins - One of the first great artists of rock n roll, there probably wouldn't have been an Elvis Presley if there wasn't a Carl Perkins first.
983 - The Greenhornes - A 60's garage rock throwback and a favorite of Jack White, The Greenhornes have a solid resume of blues rock and Beatles-esque tunes to their credit.
982 - Indigenous - One of the best and most successful bands in South Dakota's history, Indigenous was a solid blues rock band that earned a small measure of national acclaim.
981 - The Manchester Orchestra - Manchester is an indie rock band that's just getting started, but could have a bright future ahead of them.
989 - Dave Grohl - The drummer for Nirvana and the lead singer of The Foo Fighters has had numerous side projects, but this particular spot is reserved for his solo side projects, including the hilarious parody of "With Arms Wide Open".
988 - Love - A legendary "forgotten" 70s band that had one amazing album and then pretty much disappeared.
987 - Gerry Rafferty - The lead singer of Stealer's Wheel had a handful of hits on his own, including the brilliant "Baker St.".
986 - Head East - They only had one major hit, but that song ("Never Been Any Reason") is one of the signature songs of the 70s.
985 - The Kickback - A punk band from Vermillion, South Dakota, The Kickback was another great band I discovered in Pierre.
984 - Carl Perkins - One of the first great artists of rock n roll, there probably wouldn't have been an Elvis Presley if there wasn't a Carl Perkins first.
983 - The Greenhornes - A 60's garage rock throwback and a favorite of Jack White, The Greenhornes have a solid resume of blues rock and Beatles-esque tunes to their credit.
982 - Indigenous - One of the best and most successful bands in South Dakota's history, Indigenous was a solid blues rock band that earned a small measure of national acclaim.
981 - The Manchester Orchestra - Manchester is an indie rock band that's just getting started, but could have a bright future ahead of them.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Top 1000 Songs - #1000 - #991
#1000 - The Cure - "Mint Car" - Greatest Hits - The first of 7 Cure songs to make the list, "Mint Car" was one of many Cure songs I discovered in college, since the Cure never got much airplay in South Dakota beyond "Friday, I'm In Love".
#999 - "Gin & Juice" - Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle - Snoop's only solo song to make the list, I first heard this song when my dad found a copy of the album that someone at work had thrown away. I was 14 at the time. lol
#998 - "Head Creeps" - Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains - The first of 9 Alice In Chains songs to make the list, "Head Creeps" was a definite change in style for the band, as was much of their self-titled and, sadly, final studio album.
#997 - "N.I.B." - Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath - I actually first heard this song (the first of four Sabbath songs) when Primus did a cover with Ozzy on vocals. The original is a little bit better, though, which is why it's on this list.
#996 - "Air" - Sparta - Wiretap Scars - From the ashes of At The Drive-In arose The Mars Volta and Sparta, whose first single (and the first of three songs on the countdown) appears here at #996. "Air" got a small amount of airplay on the Sioux Falls rock station KRRO, but I really got into the band when I caught their concert in Sioux Falls later that year. It was one of the greatest live shows I've ever seen and the band just keeps getting bigger and better.
#995 - "It's So Easy" - Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction - The first of nine GNR songs in the top 1000, "Easy" is most well-known for the abnormal vocals Axl Rose uses on the song. Appetite was one of the first cassettes that I ever received after a friend of the family gave me his copy when he was done with it. Guns N Roses was the first truly great band that I ever got interested in and it all started with this album, if not necessarily this song.
#994 - "Regular John" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Queens Of The Stone Age - One of the oldest Queens songs to make the list (and first of sixteen on the list), "Regular John" first came to my attention after I bought "Songs For The Deaf" at a Target store literally because it was cheap and I had heard Dave Grohl was involved with the band. That was the starting point about 5 years ago. They've since become one of my favorite bands.
#993 - "Do You Want To" - Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better - The first single, but not the best song, from Franz Ferdinand's excellent follow-up to their brilliant debut album, "Do You Want To" (the first of six songs on the countdown) was the signal that the band wasn't just another indie rock flash in the pan.
#992 - "Wake Up Time" - Tom Petty - Wildflowers - A little-known but outstanding album track from Petty's second solo album, "Wake Up Time" (the first of Petty's seventeen songs here) was a song I found tucked away with all of the hits on that album when I bought all of the most recent Petty albums used at Last Stop in Sioux Falls back when I worked at Citibank.
#991 - "Here Comes A Regular" - The Replacements - Tim - The first of four songs by the Mats to make the list, "Here Comes A Regular" is one of the big hits off of the dreaded "sell-out" album from the legendary alternative rock band. I first discovered the Replacements in college, because, as usual, they don't get any airtime in South Dakota outside of the college towns.
#999 - "Gin & Juice" - Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle - Snoop's only solo song to make the list, I first heard this song when my dad found a copy of the album that someone at work had thrown away. I was 14 at the time. lol
#998 - "Head Creeps" - Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains - The first of 9 Alice In Chains songs to make the list, "Head Creeps" was a definite change in style for the band, as was much of their self-titled and, sadly, final studio album.
#997 - "N.I.B." - Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath - I actually first heard this song (the first of four Sabbath songs) when Primus did a cover with Ozzy on vocals. The original is a little bit better, though, which is why it's on this list.
#996 - "Air" - Sparta - Wiretap Scars - From the ashes of At The Drive-In arose The Mars Volta and Sparta, whose first single (and the first of three songs on the countdown) appears here at #996. "Air" got a small amount of airplay on the Sioux Falls rock station KRRO, but I really got into the band when I caught their concert in Sioux Falls later that year. It was one of the greatest live shows I've ever seen and the band just keeps getting bigger and better.
#995 - "It's So Easy" - Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction - The first of nine GNR songs in the top 1000, "Easy" is most well-known for the abnormal vocals Axl Rose uses on the song. Appetite was one of the first cassettes that I ever received after a friend of the family gave me his copy when he was done with it. Guns N Roses was the first truly great band that I ever got interested in and it all started with this album, if not necessarily this song.
#994 - "Regular John" - Queens Of The Stone Age - Queens Of The Stone Age - One of the oldest Queens songs to make the list (and first of sixteen on the list), "Regular John" first came to my attention after I bought "Songs For The Deaf" at a Target store literally because it was cheap and I had heard Dave Grohl was involved with the band. That was the starting point about 5 years ago. They've since become one of my favorite bands.
#993 - "Do You Want To" - Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better - The first single, but not the best song, from Franz Ferdinand's excellent follow-up to their brilliant debut album, "Do You Want To" (the first of six songs on the countdown) was the signal that the band wasn't just another indie rock flash in the pan.
#992 - "Wake Up Time" - Tom Petty - Wildflowers - A little-known but outstanding album track from Petty's second solo album, "Wake Up Time" (the first of Petty's seventeen songs here) was a song I found tucked away with all of the hits on that album when I bought all of the most recent Petty albums used at Last Stop in Sioux Falls back when I worked at Citibank.
#991 - "Here Comes A Regular" - The Replacements - Tim - The first of four songs by the Mats to make the list, "Here Comes A Regular" is one of the big hits off of the dreaded "sell-out" album from the legendary alternative rock band. I first discovered the Replacements in college, because, as usual, they don't get any airtime in South Dakota outside of the college towns.
Top 1000 Bands - #1000-#991
#1000 - Japanther - An indie punk band from New York, I saw Japanther in concert in Pierre. They were alright, but their albums are much better than they were that night. Japanther is notable as the only band I've seen play Pierre that's received national attention.
#999 - The Redmenn - An intense punk band from Rapid City. I first heard of them when I saw them playing in Pierre. Apparantly, one of their songs was featured on Grey's Anatomy, but I'll forgive them for that.
#998 - The Jim Carroll Band - Jim Carroll was the man whose life became the movie The Basketball Diaries. His band is mainly known for their one big hit, "People Who Died", which is one of the great punk songs of the 70s.
#997 - E.M.F. - One hit. "Unbelievable". I bet you can sing it just by reading the title of the song.
#996 - Jenny Lewis - The lead singer of Rilo Kiley recently released a solo album that was clever and enjoyable.
#995 - The Black Eyed Peas - As a disclaimer I must inform you that "My Humps" is an absolute abomination and their spot on this list is due to their above average output previous to their most recent album, particularly "Let's Get Retarded" (that's the real title, by the way, not the PC one that they made up later on).
#994 - Norman Greenbaum - "Spirit In The Sky". Great song. There's not really a whole lot else to say here.
#993 - The Count Five - Another one-hit wonder, this one from the 60s. The song is "Psychotic Reaction", if you're curious.
#992 - Coolio - There aren't many good rap songs that aren't in the gangsta genre, but Coolio has got a whole lot of the ones that do exist.
#991 - The Underground Railroad To Candyland - Another "Live In Pierre" band, URC is a punk band with a style that describes description. They put on a great show, too.
#999 - The Redmenn - An intense punk band from Rapid City. I first heard of them when I saw them playing in Pierre. Apparantly, one of their songs was featured on Grey's Anatomy, but I'll forgive them for that.
#998 - The Jim Carroll Band - Jim Carroll was the man whose life became the movie The Basketball Diaries. His band is mainly known for their one big hit, "People Who Died", which is one of the great punk songs of the 70s.
#997 - E.M.F. - One hit. "Unbelievable". I bet you can sing it just by reading the title of the song.
#996 - Jenny Lewis - The lead singer of Rilo Kiley recently released a solo album that was clever and enjoyable.
#995 - The Black Eyed Peas - As a disclaimer I must inform you that "My Humps" is an absolute abomination and their spot on this list is due to their above average output previous to their most recent album, particularly "Let's Get Retarded" (that's the real title, by the way, not the PC one that they made up later on).
#994 - Norman Greenbaum - "Spirit In The Sky". Great song. There's not really a whole lot else to say here.
#993 - The Count Five - Another one-hit wonder, this one from the 60s. The song is "Psychotic Reaction", if you're curious.
#992 - Coolio - There aren't many good rap songs that aren't in the gangsta genre, but Coolio has got a whole lot of the ones that do exist.
#991 - The Underground Railroad To Candyland - Another "Live In Pierre" band, URC is a punk band with a style that describes description. They put on a great show, too.
Top 1000 Artists / Songs Introduction
For starters, these lists are strictly my opinion. No one else's opinion was taken into account. So if you disagree, it's because you're wrong.
Although these lists were constructed slowly and in a logical manner, mistakes do happen and I'll probably be revising the lists even as I start to post them. Shit happens, that's all there is to it.
When I get a chance, I'll post these lists 10 at a time from the bottom up. It probably won't be every day, but I'll try.
That being said, enjoy.
Although these lists were constructed slowly and in a logical manner, mistakes do happen and I'll probably be revising the lists even as I start to post them. Shit happens, that's all there is to it.
When I get a chance, I'll post these lists 10 at a time from the bottom up. It probably won't be every day, but I'll try.
That being said, enjoy.
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