#960 - "Angels Of The Silences" - The Counting Crows - Recovering The Satellites - The first and only Counting Crows song is their best off of their under-rated Recovering The Satellites CD. They didn't do much after this album, which is why the band is frequently and unfairly written off.
#959 - "What Would You Say" - The Dave Matthews Band - Under The Table And Dreaming - The first of three songs by the DMB, I first heard this and other songs by the band when I was in high school. If you can believe it, they used to get a lot of airtime on the KRRO before they became a hardcore/metal/crap station in the late 90s.
#958 - "Los Angeles" - X - Los Angeles - The only X song to make the list, "Los Angeles" is the underground punk band's crowning achievement (well, that or "4th Of July", which barely missed the cut). X is one of many indie bands that I first discovered in college after Napster became available.
#957 - "People Are Strange" - The Doors - Strange Days - The first of ten Doors songs to make the countdown, "People Are Strange" is the rare Doors song that is too short for it's own good. The song features Morrison's creepiest vocal that didn't involve him killing his father.
#956 - "Rise" - Public Image Ltd. - Compact Disc - The only song from PIL to make the list, "Rise" is a hell of a departure for Johnny Rotten after first making his mark with the Sex Pistols. One of the great post-punk songs of the 80s.
#955 - "Survivalism" - Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero - The first of seven songs on the top 1000 and the lesser of two incredible singles from Year Zero, "Survivalism" is Reznor's return to the industrial metal that first got him attention on Pretty Hate Machine.
#954 - "Say You Love Me" - Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac - The first of seven Fleetwood Mac songs and one of the few that's not on Rumours, "Say You Love Me" is an essential song in the history of 70's pop radio.
#953 - "Black Magic Woman" - Santana - Black Magic Woman - The only song Santana put in the top 1000 is actually a cover of an old Fleetwood Mac song, but no one remembers that because this is easily the definitive version of the song. I first heard this song on KYBB, the classic rock station in Sioux Falls, where it's a well-known staple of the genre.
#952 - "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown - Greatest Hits - The Godfather's only song in the top 1000, "I Feel Good" is one of the most well-known soul songs of the 60s and one of the key moments in the history of rock n roll.
#951 - "Slow Jam" - New Order - Get Ready - The first of two New Order songs on the list, "Slow Jam" is the most recently discovered song to make the top 1000, as I only found this song while reviewing a New Order discography I had located recently during a post-punk kick I was on.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Top 1000 Bands #960-#951
#960 - Wayne County And The Back Street Boys - No, not THOSE Back Street Boys, this one was an influential 77 NYC Punk band whose only major claim to fame is "Max's Kansas City".
#959 - Ben Kweller - Indie folk singer Ben Kweller only has a handful of songs to his name, but he's already made an impact on my collection.
#958 - Harvey Danger - Ska band Harvey Danger only had one hit, but it was a hell of a hit, as "Flagpole Sitta" is one of the best one-hit wonder songs ever made.
#957 - The Ventures - Surf-rock instrumentalists The Ventures created some of the most memorable guitar solos of early rock n roll.
#956 - NOFX - The most juvenile of all 90s punk bands, I enjoyed listening to NOFX in college, but by this point I only listen to a few of their songs, though those few songs are still pretty good.
#955 - Todd Rundgren - While more influential as a producer than as a musician, Rundgren still managed to create many of the best pop songs of the 70s.
#954 - La Rocca - One of the most recent bands I discovered, La Rocca is a long way from a breakthrough, but their music, which I first heard on a sampler disc in Paste magazine, is light years ahead of most bands that have achieved fame these days.
#953 - Perry Farrell - The lead singer of about 10 million bands, but most famously Jane's Addiction, Farrell has produced a couple solo albums that have been above average and better than anything he's done outside of Addiction or Porno For Pyros.
#952 - William Shatner - Shatner has recorded two albums worth of the most hilarious cover songs this side of Richard Cheese. His second album is the funnier of the two because he was playing along, but the first one is still unintentionally awesome.
#951 - Waylon Jennings - One of the great country singers of the 20th century, Jennings created some of the finest Outlaw Country this side of Johnny and Willie.
#959 - Ben Kweller - Indie folk singer Ben Kweller only has a handful of songs to his name, but he's already made an impact on my collection.
#958 - Harvey Danger - Ska band Harvey Danger only had one hit, but it was a hell of a hit, as "Flagpole Sitta" is one of the best one-hit wonder songs ever made.
#957 - The Ventures - Surf-rock instrumentalists The Ventures created some of the most memorable guitar solos of early rock n roll.
#956 - NOFX - The most juvenile of all 90s punk bands, I enjoyed listening to NOFX in college, but by this point I only listen to a few of their songs, though those few songs are still pretty good.
#955 - Todd Rundgren - While more influential as a producer than as a musician, Rundgren still managed to create many of the best pop songs of the 70s.
#954 - La Rocca - One of the most recent bands I discovered, La Rocca is a long way from a breakthrough, but their music, which I first heard on a sampler disc in Paste magazine, is light years ahead of most bands that have achieved fame these days.
#953 - Perry Farrell - The lead singer of about 10 million bands, but most famously Jane's Addiction, Farrell has produced a couple solo albums that have been above average and better than anything he's done outside of Addiction or Porno For Pyros.
#952 - William Shatner - Shatner has recorded two albums worth of the most hilarious cover songs this side of Richard Cheese. His second album is the funnier of the two because he was playing along, but the first one is still unintentionally awesome.
#951 - Waylon Jennings - One of the great country singers of the 20th century, Jennings created some of the finest Outlaw Country this side of Johnny and Willie.
Monday, November 26, 2007
1000 Greatest Songs - #970-#961
There have been a few adjustments to the list again, but bear with me. I'll post the full, final 1000 when they're all figured out.
#998 - "When A Man Loves A Woman" - Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman - The only Percy Sledge song to make the top 1000 (and by far his biggest hit), "When" is one of the greatest soul songs ever written and one of the few pre-Dylan songs I enjoy on a regular basis.
#992 - "Mannish Boy" - Muddy Waters - Hard Again - The only song in the top 1000 from one of the founding fathers of rock n roll, "Mannish Boy" features a great vocal and one of the most famous hooks in the history of music.
#972 - "Flathead" - The Fratellis - Costello Music - The first of two songs in the top 1000 from The Fratellis is the song that made them famous when it appeared in an IPod ad. The Fratellis are one of the best new bands to come around in a long time and "Flathead" is about as good of a debut single as a new band can hope for.
#971 - "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - The first album to put two songs on the countdown (and the second of 15 Nirvana songs on the list), Unplugged's Vaselines cover provides yet another fantastic track from the greatest set in modern rock history.
#970 - "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" - The Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - One of the biggest New Wave hits of the 80's (and the only Eurythmics song on the top 1000) is also one of the darkest and creepiest songs to ever become a huge pop hit.
#969 - "A Certain Romance" - The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - The second-best song off of one of the greatest debut albums of all-time, "A Certain Romance" (the first of three Arctic Monkeys songs on the list), isn't quite in the league of "Dancefloor", but it's close.
#968 - "Worked Up So Sexual" - The Faint - Blank Wave Arcade - The only song on the charts from Omaha indie techno band The Faint is easily the best song from their decidedly weird but undeniably unique sound.
#967 - "Stan" - Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP - The first of three Eminem songs on the countdown is far and away is most mellow song, leaning heavily on a sample from Dido of all artists, this disturbing fan letter of a song is the closest Eminem ever came to creating something truly insightful.
#966 - "Human Being" - The Beta Band - Human Being - The first of two songs from the low-fi indie pop group The Beta Band gained my attention after I learned of the band the way most people learned of the band, on the High Fidelity soundtrack.
#965 - "Joker & The Thief" - Wolfmother - Wolfmother - The first of three songs from Wolfmother's debut album, which is excellent from start to finish and possibly the best metal debut since Black Sabbath.
#964 - "Apocalypse Please" - Muse - Absolution - The first of five Muse songs to make the top 1000, "Apocalypse Please" features a fantastic build and a style that could only be described as apocalyptic. I first discovered Muse when "Time Is Running Out" hit the modern rock charts in 2003 or 2004. Since then, they've been one of the biggest and best acts in Modern Rock.
#963 - "Blue" - The Jayhawks - Blue - One of many songs that I first discovered on a promotional CD given away at Target of all places, "Blue", the only song on the chart for The Jayhawks, is one of the rare alt country songs to break-out in my mind before Wilco busted the doors open in the late-90s.
#962 - "Modern Love" - David Bowie - Let's Dance - The first of ten Bowie songs to make the top 1000, this is one of the few of his from the 80s to make it to the list. It wasn't a great decade for Mr. Bowie, but it had it's moments.
#961 - "Zombie" - The Cranberries - No Need To Argue - The only Cranberries song to make the top 1000, "Zombie" was one of my favorite songs to listen to in junior high thanks to the Minnesota college rock radio station I managed to pick up at my house until their signal got weakened so much that it was no longer possible.
#998 - "When A Man Loves A Woman" - Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman - The only Percy Sledge song to make the top 1000 (and by far his biggest hit), "When" is one of the greatest soul songs ever written and one of the few pre-Dylan songs I enjoy on a regular basis.
#992 - "Mannish Boy" - Muddy Waters - Hard Again - The only song in the top 1000 from one of the founding fathers of rock n roll, "Mannish Boy" features a great vocal and one of the most famous hooks in the history of music.
#972 - "Flathead" - The Fratellis - Costello Music - The first of two songs in the top 1000 from The Fratellis is the song that made them famous when it appeared in an IPod ad. The Fratellis are one of the best new bands to come around in a long time and "Flathead" is about as good of a debut single as a new band can hope for.
#971 - "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - The first album to put two songs on the countdown (and the second of 15 Nirvana songs on the list), Unplugged's Vaselines cover provides yet another fantastic track from the greatest set in modern rock history.
#970 - "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" - The Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - One of the biggest New Wave hits of the 80's (and the only Eurythmics song on the top 1000) is also one of the darkest and creepiest songs to ever become a huge pop hit.
#969 - "A Certain Romance" - The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - The second-best song off of one of the greatest debut albums of all-time, "A Certain Romance" (the first of three Arctic Monkeys songs on the list), isn't quite in the league of "Dancefloor", but it's close.
#968 - "Worked Up So Sexual" - The Faint - Blank Wave Arcade - The only song on the charts from Omaha indie techno band The Faint is easily the best song from their decidedly weird but undeniably unique sound.
#967 - "Stan" - Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP - The first of three Eminem songs on the countdown is far and away is most mellow song, leaning heavily on a sample from Dido of all artists, this disturbing fan letter of a song is the closest Eminem ever came to creating something truly insightful.
#966 - "Human Being" - The Beta Band - Human Being - The first of two songs from the low-fi indie pop group The Beta Band gained my attention after I learned of the band the way most people learned of the band, on the High Fidelity soundtrack.
#965 - "Joker & The Thief" - Wolfmother - Wolfmother - The first of three songs from Wolfmother's debut album, which is excellent from start to finish and possibly the best metal debut since Black Sabbath.
#964 - "Apocalypse Please" - Muse - Absolution - The first of five Muse songs to make the top 1000, "Apocalypse Please" features a fantastic build and a style that could only be described as apocalyptic. I first discovered Muse when "Time Is Running Out" hit the modern rock charts in 2003 or 2004. Since then, they've been one of the biggest and best acts in Modern Rock.
#963 - "Blue" - The Jayhawks - Blue - One of many songs that I first discovered on a promotional CD given away at Target of all places, "Blue", the only song on the chart for The Jayhawks, is one of the rare alt country songs to break-out in my mind before Wilco busted the doors open in the late-90s.
#962 - "Modern Love" - David Bowie - Let's Dance - The first of ten Bowie songs to make the top 1000, this is one of the few of his from the 80s to make it to the list. It wasn't a great decade for Mr. Bowie, but it had it's moments.
#961 - "Zombie" - The Cranberries - No Need To Argue - The only Cranberries song to make the top 1000, "Zombie" was one of my favorite songs to listen to in junior high thanks to the Minnesota college rock radio station I managed to pick up at my house until their signal got weakened so much that it was no longer possible.
Top 1000 Bands #970-#961
#970 - Jack Johnson - There aren't many adult contemporary artists on my list, but Jack has produced a couple catchy songs. Don't go looking for any edge here though.
#969 - This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb - Another band I first heard in Pierre, Pipe Bomb's set wasn't very good due to sound problems, but their recorded material is first-rate punk.
#968 - Dogs Die In Hot Cars - They only had one hit, but this indie rock buzz-band produced a solid album before fading into obscurity.
#967 - The Indigo Girls - The darlings of the Lillith Fair circuit, The Indigo Girls were in my mind a female Simon and Garfunkel, though they didn't have nearly as many great songs.
#966 - The Colour - A hard rock band with indie leanings, The Colour should look to make some noise in the near future.
#965 - The Forecast - An indie rock band that never quite took off, The Forecast managed to put at least one song onto the charts before fading away.
#964 - The La's - For the most part, this Brit pop band only had one hit, but it was one of the biggest of the genre "There She Goes".
#963 - Menswear - Another Brit-pop band that never really had any hits, but had a series of solid songs instead.
#962 - Lita Ford - The first lady of 80's hair metal, Lita managed to put together two legitimately great songs before her run was over.
#961 - Panic! At The Disco - A catchy emo band with some good hooks, but not a whole lot to speak of lyric-wise.
#969 - This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb - Another band I first heard in Pierre, Pipe Bomb's set wasn't very good due to sound problems, but their recorded material is first-rate punk.
#968 - Dogs Die In Hot Cars - They only had one hit, but this indie rock buzz-band produced a solid album before fading into obscurity.
#967 - The Indigo Girls - The darlings of the Lillith Fair circuit, The Indigo Girls were in my mind a female Simon and Garfunkel, though they didn't have nearly as many great songs.
#966 - The Colour - A hard rock band with indie leanings, The Colour should look to make some noise in the near future.
#965 - The Forecast - An indie rock band that never quite took off, The Forecast managed to put at least one song onto the charts before fading away.
#964 - The La's - For the most part, this Brit pop band only had one hit, but it was one of the biggest of the genre "There She Goes".
#963 - Menswear - Another Brit-pop band that never really had any hits, but had a series of solid songs instead.
#962 - Lita Ford - The first lady of 80's hair metal, Lita managed to put together two legitimately great songs before her run was over.
#961 - Panic! At The Disco - A catchy emo band with some good hooks, but not a whole lot to speak of lyric-wise.
New Movies This Week
The Mist - Based on one of Stephen King's best stories, The Mist finally reaches theaters (it's been in production hell for decades) with King's finest director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) at the helm. I've seen this movie and it was excellent, though majorly depressing.
VERDICT - SEE IT ASAP.
Hitman - Potentially the best video game movie ever made, I was excited to see Hitman, until it got 11% positive reviews at Rottentomatoes.com. That screams "DVD" to me.
VERDICT - SKIP IT.
August Rush - Sappy and non-descript, this movie looks boring as all hell.
VERDICT - SKIP IT.
Enchanted - It's a Disney family flick, but it's been getting great reviews. It might be worth a look... on DVD.
VERDICT - SKIP IT.
This Christmas - I know nothing about this movie. I haven't even seen any ads for it, but it's a big hit, thanks to targeted marketing.
VERDICT - SEE IT, but only if you're in the market being targeted.
VERDICT - SEE IT ASAP.
Hitman - Potentially the best video game movie ever made, I was excited to see Hitman, until it got 11% positive reviews at Rottentomatoes.com. That screams "DVD" to me.
VERDICT - SKIP IT.
August Rush - Sappy and non-descript, this movie looks boring as all hell.
VERDICT - SKIP IT.
Enchanted - It's a Disney family flick, but it's been getting great reviews. It might be worth a look... on DVD.
VERDICT - SKIP IT.
This Christmas - I know nothing about this movie. I haven't even seen any ads for it, but it's a big hit, thanks to targeted marketing.
VERDICT - SEE IT, but only if you're in the market being targeted.
Modern Rock Update
Albums:
The latest Zeppelin Greatest Hits album debuted at #7.
The Killers new B-Sides CD debuted at #12.
Also debuting this week were The Goo Goo Dolls at #33, Seal at #35, Duran Duran at #36, and the Hives at #65.
Modern and Mainstream:
The Foo Fighters and Seether stayed at #1 on their respective charts.
Debuting this week were Coheed and Cambria's "The Running Free" at #20 on Modern.
The latest Zeppelin Greatest Hits album debuted at #7.
The Killers new B-Sides CD debuted at #12.
Also debuting this week were The Goo Goo Dolls at #33, Seal at #35, Duran Duran at #36, and the Hives at #65.
Modern and Mainstream:
The Foo Fighters and Seether stayed at #1 on their respective charts.
Debuting this week were Coheed and Cambria's "The Running Free" at #20 on Modern.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Top 1000 Songs #980-#971
Due to a song that was added further up the list, there will be two songs at #971. This will probably happen a couple times before this is all said and done.
980 - "Still Crazy After All These Years" - Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon's only song in the top 1000 is probably his most famous song. It's the song he performed on Saturday Night Live in a turkey costume. I first heard this song when I bought a Greatest Hits cassette of Paul's back in college.
979 - "Straight On" - Heart - Dog & Butterfly - The first of three Heart songs on the list, "Straight On" was one of many songs I first heard on the classic rock station in Sioux Falls. This one doesn't have the punch of their two better songs, but it's still excellent.
978 - "Such Great Heights" - The Postal Service - Give Up - The only song on the countdown from Death Cab frontman Ben Hibbard's side project The Postal Service is one of the best emo songs ever written. I first discovered the band at the recommendation of Blender magazine. If you're curious, only 3 Death Cab songs beat this song.
977 - "Blank Generation" - Richard Hell And The Voidoids - Blank Generation - Quite possibly the first official punk song, "Blank Generation", the only Richard Hell song on the countdown, was the launching point for the New York '77 scene that inspired The Ramones, who in turn inspired the English punk movement. Richard Hell's band didn't last very long and they've mostly been forgotten, but they were essentially the Pixies of punk.
976 - "Slither" - Velvet Revolver - Contraband - "Slither" is the first of two songs by Velvet Revolver and the highest ranking new song from their debut album. VR's always been a bit of a disappointment to me, but they did manage to put a few solid songs together. Still, with the lead singer of STP and the band from GNR, they should be among the greatest bands ever.
975 - "Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio?" - The Ramones - End Of The Century - The first of five Ramones songs on the list, "Radio" appeals to me particularly because of the chorus, which is remarkable even for one of the best chorus bands in rock history. Since the Ramones don't get a lot of air time in South Dakota, I learned about this band in college.
974 - "Dead Again" - Buckcherry - Buckcherry - The first of three songs by Buckcherry is also the first of three songs from their debut album, which ranks among the best rock albums of the 21st century. I actually learned about Buckcherry from the Sioux Falls rock radio station KRRO, which is surprising because they've mostly played shitty music for the last few years.
973 - "Hunger Strike" - Temple Of The Dog - Temple Of The Dog - The only song on the list from the supergroup that didn't realize it was a supergroup (the band features Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell and members of Pearl Jam), "Hunger Strike" was the single that Eddie sang on. The song got a lot of airplay after Pearl Jam and Soundgarden made it big.
972 - "Rock You Like A Hurricane" - The Scorpions - Love At First Sting - The only Scorpions song to make the countdown is also the only hair metal song. I might have been a big fan of the genre when I was 8, but I quickly learned that I was wrong. Still, this one is still memorable enough to keep me from flipping the station if it comes on.
971 - "Moneytalks" - AC/DC - The Razors Edge - The first of nine AC/DC songs, "Moneytalks" was one of two hits that marked AC/DC's comeback in 1991. I've always been a big fan of blues rock and AC/DC was the best at it in the last 25 years.
971 - "Tightly Wound" - The Capes - Hello - The only song by the Capes to make the charts is one of those buzzworthy songs that gets bands attention from music blogs. They never really built on the hype, but the song, which I heard about in Blender, is excellent.
980 - "Still Crazy After All These Years" - Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon's only song in the top 1000 is probably his most famous song. It's the song he performed on Saturday Night Live in a turkey costume. I first heard this song when I bought a Greatest Hits cassette of Paul's back in college.
979 - "Straight On" - Heart - Dog & Butterfly - The first of three Heart songs on the list, "Straight On" was one of many songs I first heard on the classic rock station in Sioux Falls. This one doesn't have the punch of their two better songs, but it's still excellent.
978 - "Such Great Heights" - The Postal Service - Give Up - The only song on the countdown from Death Cab frontman Ben Hibbard's side project The Postal Service is one of the best emo songs ever written. I first discovered the band at the recommendation of Blender magazine. If you're curious, only 3 Death Cab songs beat this song.
977 - "Blank Generation" - Richard Hell And The Voidoids - Blank Generation - Quite possibly the first official punk song, "Blank Generation", the only Richard Hell song on the countdown, was the launching point for the New York '77 scene that inspired The Ramones, who in turn inspired the English punk movement. Richard Hell's band didn't last very long and they've mostly been forgotten, but they were essentially the Pixies of punk.
976 - "Slither" - Velvet Revolver - Contraband - "Slither" is the first of two songs by Velvet Revolver and the highest ranking new song from their debut album. VR's always been a bit of a disappointment to me, but they did manage to put a few solid songs together. Still, with the lead singer of STP and the band from GNR, they should be among the greatest bands ever.
975 - "Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio?" - The Ramones - End Of The Century - The first of five Ramones songs on the list, "Radio" appeals to me particularly because of the chorus, which is remarkable even for one of the best chorus bands in rock history. Since the Ramones don't get a lot of air time in South Dakota, I learned about this band in college.
974 - "Dead Again" - Buckcherry - Buckcherry - The first of three songs by Buckcherry is also the first of three songs from their debut album, which ranks among the best rock albums of the 21st century. I actually learned about Buckcherry from the Sioux Falls rock radio station KRRO, which is surprising because they've mostly played shitty music for the last few years.
973 - "Hunger Strike" - Temple Of The Dog - Temple Of The Dog - The only song on the list from the supergroup that didn't realize it was a supergroup (the band features Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell and members of Pearl Jam), "Hunger Strike" was the single that Eddie sang on. The song got a lot of airplay after Pearl Jam and Soundgarden made it big.
972 - "Rock You Like A Hurricane" - The Scorpions - Love At First Sting - The only Scorpions song to make the countdown is also the only hair metal song. I might have been a big fan of the genre when I was 8, but I quickly learned that I was wrong. Still, this one is still memorable enough to keep me from flipping the station if it comes on.
971 - "Moneytalks" - AC/DC - The Razors Edge - The first of nine AC/DC songs, "Moneytalks" was one of two hits that marked AC/DC's comeback in 1991. I've always been a big fan of blues rock and AC/DC was the best at it in the last 25 years.
971 - "Tightly Wound" - The Capes - Hello - The only song by the Capes to make the charts is one of those buzzworthy songs that gets bands attention from music blogs. They never really built on the hype, but the song, which I heard about in Blender, is excellent.
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