#310 - "You Wreck Me" - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Wildflowers - #12/17 - An underrated Petty classic, "Wreck" was the most straight-forward rock song on Tom's solo album featuring a blistering guitar lick and a great chorus.
#309 - "Ever Fallen In Love" - The Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady - #1/2 - One of the most overlooked punk bands of the 77 scene, The Buzzcocks had an uncanny pop sensibility that led them to create two of the greatest punk songs of the 70's. The other one is coming up pretty soon.
#308 - "Jesus Walks" - Kanye West - The College Dropout - #2/2 - Kanye's first big hit is also his best as he mixes military beats with his best lyrics to create a new kind of hip hop.
#307 - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - Marvin Gaye - Greatest Hits - #1/2 - One of the biggest stars of Motown had one of the great songs of the era with this all-time R&B classic about a cheating partner.
#306 - "Monkey Gone To Heaven" - The Pixies - Doolittle - #3/8 - It's not their most well-known song, but "Monkey" is one of their best-written songs and featured some of their most clever song lyrics and a bizarre song structure.
#305 - "Spoonman" - Soundgarden - Superunknown - #5/11 - Though panned by Blender as one of the worst-written songs of all-time, I've always been a huge fan of this pulsing grunge hit that showcases some great guitar riffs and Cornell's insane vocals.
#304 - "When The Levee Breaks" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppein IV - #15/24 - The slow-paced blues rock monstrosity that closed out the all-time classic Zeppelin IV album, "Levee" is a thundering heavy metal beast with Dylan caliber lyrics.
#303 - "The Hardest Button To Button" - The White Stripes - Elephant - #6/10 - For a band that was previously best known for it's rapid-fire punk by way of classic rock songs like "Fell In Love With A Girl" and "Hotel Yorba", The White Stripes took a detour into the world of crunchy classic rock with this unusually long "epic" from their finest album.
#302 - "Disarm" - The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream - #2/7 - An early career high point, "Disarm" was the song that proved that there was more to the Pumpkins than just a radio-friendly version of My Bloody Valentine as the band slowed the song down and cranked out one of their best-written songs to that point.
#301 - "Burden In My Hand" - Soundgarden - Down On The Upside - #6/11 - The first single off of the band's last and best album, "Burden In My Hand" became a huge success with it's soaring lyrics and incredible vocals from the always reliable Chris Cornell.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Top 1000 Bands #310 - #301
310 - The Fratellis - A great new indie rock band from England, The Fratellis suffered a sophomore slump with their second album, but even though it's not quite as good as their brilliant debut, it's still way above average.
309 - Stuart Davis - A local artist from Minneapolis, Stuart Davis is a clever songwriter with a knack for solid hooks and funny stories.
308 - Snoop Dogg - More of an R&B singer than a rapper these days, Snoop Dogg marked his place in music during the 90's with his partnership with super-producer Dr. Dre.
307 - Styx - It's certainly not hip to enjoy Styx' music, but even though the singer's voice is nearly intolerable, they do have some guilty pleasure appeal and solid lyrics.
306 - Pat Benatar - One of the biggest stars of the early MTV era, Benatar released 80's rock hit after hit before fizzling out after about five years on the top.
305 - My Morning Jacket - Their best album is their latest, so MMJ should be moving up when I revise this list, but what I had heard when this one was formed was promising but not quite perfect indie rock with a southern flavor.
304 - Rod Stewart - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Rod Stewart was once a rock star of such a high caliber that he inspired Jimmy Page to go after a lead singer like him when forming Led Zeppelin (Robert Plant), leading to the greatest band of all-time. Throughout the 60's and 70's, Stewart enjoyed a string of hits that rivaled Clapton's solo career. The only problem? After a few pop hits in the 80's, Stewart went off the deep end, releasing crappy gimmick album after crappy gimmick album. There's no going back now, but the greatness of the past remains.
303 - D12 - Eminem's pre-fame outfit became hugely successful with his help, releasing two solid albums and launching a couple of solo careers as well.
302 - Everlast - I have no idea whatever happened to Whitey Ford, but for awhile he was one of the best rapper/bluesmen in the business, creating one of the greatest songs of all-time with "What It's Like".
301 - Donovan - The K-Mart version of Bob Dylan, Donovan's head was way too high up in the clouds to ever achieve true greatness, but he did put together a long string of solid pop songs before his day was done.
309 - Stuart Davis - A local artist from Minneapolis, Stuart Davis is a clever songwriter with a knack for solid hooks and funny stories.
308 - Snoop Dogg - More of an R&B singer than a rapper these days, Snoop Dogg marked his place in music during the 90's with his partnership with super-producer Dr. Dre.
307 - Styx - It's certainly not hip to enjoy Styx' music, but even though the singer's voice is nearly intolerable, they do have some guilty pleasure appeal and solid lyrics.
306 - Pat Benatar - One of the biggest stars of the early MTV era, Benatar released 80's rock hit after hit before fizzling out after about five years on the top.
305 - My Morning Jacket - Their best album is their latest, so MMJ should be moving up when I revise this list, but what I had heard when this one was formed was promising but not quite perfect indie rock with a southern flavor.
304 - Rod Stewart - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Rod Stewart was once a rock star of such a high caliber that he inspired Jimmy Page to go after a lead singer like him when forming Led Zeppelin (Robert Plant), leading to the greatest band of all-time. Throughout the 60's and 70's, Stewart enjoyed a string of hits that rivaled Clapton's solo career. The only problem? After a few pop hits in the 80's, Stewart went off the deep end, releasing crappy gimmick album after crappy gimmick album. There's no going back now, but the greatness of the past remains.
303 - D12 - Eminem's pre-fame outfit became hugely successful with his help, releasing two solid albums and launching a couple of solo careers as well.
302 - Everlast - I have no idea whatever happened to Whitey Ford, but for awhile he was one of the best rapper/bluesmen in the business, creating one of the greatest songs of all-time with "What It's Like".
301 - Donovan - The K-Mart version of Bob Dylan, Donovan's head was way too high up in the clouds to ever achieve true greatness, but he did put together a long string of solid pop songs before his day was done.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
September Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees
Inducted to my Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in September 2008:
| System Of A Down |
| The Doobie Bros |
| Sheryl Crow |
| No Doubt |
| Snoop Dogg |
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #320-#311
#320 - "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" - XTC - Nonsuch - #1/2 - The atheists in XTC wrote this song as an allegory for the life of Christ... if he lived today and as far as I can tell what happens in this song is exactly what would have actually happened... with a better chorus.
#319 - "White Riot" - The Clash - The Clash - #9/18 - Probably the most straight-forward punk song that the Clash ever recorded, "White Riot" is a short and fast burst of angst and rage.
#318 - "American Woman" - The Guess Who - American Woman - #2/2 - The best version of this song features a short introduction before ripping into the legendary guitar riff and the lyrics of one of the angriest classic rock song ever written.
#317 - "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction - #4/8 - The biggest hit of the band's career, "Sweet Child" has yet another fantastic guitar riff and solo from Slash and another of Axl's psychotic breakdowns towards the end.
#316 - "Cat Scratch Fever" - Ted Nugent - Out Of Control - #2/2 - If you enjoy deciphering subtle messages that are carefully inserted throughout the underlying theme of a song, this is the wrong fucking song for you. The Nuge's best song is one of the most thump-you-over-the -head obvious classic rock songs of them all as Uncle Ted doesn't beat around the bush the way that "Walk This Way" does, but doesn't quite come out and spell it out for you either.
#315 - "Seconds" - U2 - War - #10/16 - One of the more obscure brilliant U2 songs, this song is actually tucked between "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" on the band's first great album. A highlight is the call and repeat in the middle of the song.
#314 - "Times Like These" - The Foo Fighters - One By One - #9/10 - Many people prefer the acoustic version, but I like the fury and anguish expressed in Dave Grohl's voice in the original version. I'm used to hearing Dave shred his vocals, but the raw emotion bleeds all over the last time through the chorus of this song.
#313 - "Walking Contradiction" - Green Day - Insomniac - #8/9 - It's not one of Green Day's biggest hits, but their songwriting never got better than this song off of the band's underappreciated second major-label album.
#312 - "Venus" - Television - Marquee Moon - #3/3 - Another great song from another overlooked 70's band as "Venus" is one of the most influential songs of the punk era without ever getting any of the appreciation that it deserves.
#311 - "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - #14/24 - Led Zeppelin's only top 10 hit (though that has a lot to do with the decision to not release "Stairway To Heaven" as a single) , "Whole Lotta Love" was the song that made Led Zeppelin the biggest band in the world.
#319 - "White Riot" - The Clash - The Clash - #9/18 - Probably the most straight-forward punk song that the Clash ever recorded, "White Riot" is a short and fast burst of angst and rage.
#318 - "American Woman" - The Guess Who - American Woman - #2/2 - The best version of this song features a short introduction before ripping into the legendary guitar riff and the lyrics of one of the angriest classic rock song ever written.
#317 - "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction - #4/8 - The biggest hit of the band's career, "Sweet Child" has yet another fantastic guitar riff and solo from Slash and another of Axl's psychotic breakdowns towards the end.
#316 - "Cat Scratch Fever" - Ted Nugent - Out Of Control - #2/2 - If you enjoy deciphering subtle messages that are carefully inserted throughout the underlying theme of a song, this is the wrong fucking song for you. The Nuge's best song is one of the most thump-you-over-the -head obvious classic rock songs of them all as Uncle Ted doesn't beat around the bush the way that "Walk This Way" does, but doesn't quite come out and spell it out for you either.
#315 - "Seconds" - U2 - War - #10/16 - One of the more obscure brilliant U2 songs, this song is actually tucked between "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" on the band's first great album. A highlight is the call and repeat in the middle of the song.
#314 - "Times Like These" - The Foo Fighters - One By One - #9/10 - Many people prefer the acoustic version, but I like the fury and anguish expressed in Dave Grohl's voice in the original version. I'm used to hearing Dave shred his vocals, but the raw emotion bleeds all over the last time through the chorus of this song.
#313 - "Walking Contradiction" - Green Day - Insomniac - #8/9 - It's not one of Green Day's biggest hits, but their songwriting never got better than this song off of the band's underappreciated second major-label album.
#312 - "Venus" - Television - Marquee Moon - #3/3 - Another great song from another overlooked 70's band as "Venus" is one of the most influential songs of the punk era without ever getting any of the appreciation that it deserves.
#311 - "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - #14/24 - Led Zeppelin's only top 10 hit (though that has a lot to do with the decision to not release "Stairway To Heaven" as a single) , "Whole Lotta Love" was the song that made Led Zeppelin the biggest band in the world.
Top 1000 Bands #320-#311
320 - Buffalo Springfield - The band that gave Neil Young his big break, Buffalo Springfield is best known for their legendary song "For What It's Worth".
319 - The Dropkick Murphys - The finest Irish punk band in the world, The Dropkick Murphys could be the world's greatest band period, except they don't so much sing as scream their way through their lyrics. The music itself is awesome, but the vocals keep them down.
318 - Danzig - The former lead singer of the Misfits went on to form one of the most successful metal bands of the 90's. They scored a big hit with "Mother", but my favorite song is "Dirty Black Summer".
317 - Fastball - An underrated pop rock band from the late 90's, Fastball had a huge hit with "The Way", but they also had a lot of smaller hits that added up to an outstanding career.
316 - OK Go - I haven't heard from them in awhile, but their 80's style post-punk music scored a huge hit with the video-driven single "Here It Goes Again".
315 - Sammy Hagar - The second lead singer of Van Halen had a solo career before VH and after VH. His music was much better before with hits like "Heavy Metal" and the seriously dated "I Can't Drive 55".
314 - Don Henley - Another former lead singer makes his mark on the list as former Eagles front-man Don Henley is recognized for his successful early-80's career as much as his less successful late 90's stuff. Considering the wholesome background Henley's early career came from you wouldn't expect him to have blisteringly sarcastic attacks on the media and the government to his credit.
313 - Derek And The Dominoes - They only released one album and they only had two hits, but when those hits are "Bell-Bottom Blues" and "Layla", you don't need to keep making music to be legends.
312 - Fat Boy Slim - For a brief period of time, techno ruled the world and along with Moby, Fat Boy Slim ruled the world with hit after hit. Of course, this was a VERY brief period of time.
311 - Deep Purple - One of the first great metal bands, Deep Purple had a series of hits, but none better than the guitar school 101 classic "Smoke On The Water".
319 - The Dropkick Murphys - The finest Irish punk band in the world, The Dropkick Murphys could be the world's greatest band period, except they don't so much sing as scream their way through their lyrics. The music itself is awesome, but the vocals keep them down.
318 - Danzig - The former lead singer of the Misfits went on to form one of the most successful metal bands of the 90's. They scored a big hit with "Mother", but my favorite song is "Dirty Black Summer".
317 - Fastball - An underrated pop rock band from the late 90's, Fastball had a huge hit with "The Way", but they also had a lot of smaller hits that added up to an outstanding career.
316 - OK Go - I haven't heard from them in awhile, but their 80's style post-punk music scored a huge hit with the video-driven single "Here It Goes Again".
315 - Sammy Hagar - The second lead singer of Van Halen had a solo career before VH and after VH. His music was much better before with hits like "Heavy Metal" and the seriously dated "I Can't Drive 55".
314 - Don Henley - Another former lead singer makes his mark on the list as former Eagles front-man Don Henley is recognized for his successful early-80's career as much as his less successful late 90's stuff. Considering the wholesome background Henley's early career came from you wouldn't expect him to have blisteringly sarcastic attacks on the media and the government to his credit.
313 - Derek And The Dominoes - They only released one album and they only had two hits, but when those hits are "Bell-Bottom Blues" and "Layla", you don't need to keep making music to be legends.
312 - Fat Boy Slim - For a brief period of time, techno ruled the world and along with Moby, Fat Boy Slim ruled the world with hit after hit. Of course, this was a VERY brief period of time.
311 - Deep Purple - One of the first great metal bands, Deep Purple had a series of hits, but none better than the guitar school 101 classic "Smoke On The Water".
Monday, August 18, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #330-#321
#330 - "The Bends" - Radiohead - The Bends - #4/8 - Back when Radiohead was best known as a band that made great albums and before they were known as a band that created great albums (sort of the Pink Floyd of their generation), "The Bends" was one of their biggest hits off a great album also called The Bends which was more of a collection of great songs than a cohesive album... the cohesive albums? They'd come next.
#329 - "Dear Mr. Fantasy" - Traffic - Welcome To The Canteen - #2/2 - Traffic's best song is also one of the first great songs of the classic rock period as it combined psychedelic elements with the kind of sweeping bombast that would later define the 1970's.
#328 - "All Apologies (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #5/15 - It's hard to pick the definitive version of this song, but I'm choosing the live version from the greatest live performance in rock history as the haunting sadness of this song combines with the somber expressions on Cobain's face as he's performing for one of the last times.
#327 - "Pride & Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood - #3/3 - SRV's biggest and best song, "Pride & Joy" is a classic blues song, let alone blues rock and features some of SRV's best lyrics and his signature lick.
#326 - "And She Was" - The Talking Heads - Little Creatures - #6/10 - One of the last great songs the Talking Heads would record before they broke up, "And She Was" was the band's least quirky hit and most radio-friendly song with it's bouncy beat and unusually straight-forward lyrics.
#325 - "Spiderwebs" - No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom - #1/1 - Here it is, the greatest song to come out of the ska movement of the mid-90's. "Spiderwebs" is easily the best song that Gwen Stefani has ever produced with it's tremendous chorus and smooth verses.
#324 - "World Wide Suicide" - Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam - #17/25 - The guitar riff that opens this song was a siren call that Pearl Jam was back and ready to rock as this angry protest song was the advance release single to the band's best album in more than a decade. In my opinion, the band has always been great, but this is among their best straight-forward rock song of all-time and their best of it's kind since Vitalogy.
#323 - "Feel The Pain" - Dinosaur Jr. - Without A Sound - #1/1 - It seems like a shame to only have one Dinosaur Jr. song on the countdown, but this is definitely their signature song and their only song that's ever gotten serious radio airtime with it's Sonic Youth tone and it's as usual outstanding guitar work from leader J. Mascis.
#322 - "She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult - High - #2/2 - "Sanctuary" is a tremendously important song in the history of alternative rock as it's one of the first times that a song of it's kind crossed over to mainstream success. The sweeping guitars and intense vocals kicked the door open for the R.E.M.'s, the Cures and the Smiths would follow in to even greater success.
#321 - "Sober" - Tool - Undertow - #5/9 - An early hit for the band from back in the days when they still got mainstream radio airplay (the industry changed, Tool did not), this song, with it's brilliant lyrics and climactic chorus, would help to propel the band to the top of the metal scene in the 21st Century.
#329 - "Dear Mr. Fantasy" - Traffic - Welcome To The Canteen - #2/2 - Traffic's best song is also one of the first great songs of the classic rock period as it combined psychedelic elements with the kind of sweeping bombast that would later define the 1970's.
#328 - "All Apologies (Unplugged)" - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - #5/15 - It's hard to pick the definitive version of this song, but I'm choosing the live version from the greatest live performance in rock history as the haunting sadness of this song combines with the somber expressions on Cobain's face as he's performing for one of the last times.
#327 - "Pride & Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood - #3/3 - SRV's biggest and best song, "Pride & Joy" is a classic blues song, let alone blues rock and features some of SRV's best lyrics and his signature lick.
#326 - "And She Was" - The Talking Heads - Little Creatures - #6/10 - One of the last great songs the Talking Heads would record before they broke up, "And She Was" was the band's least quirky hit and most radio-friendly song with it's bouncy beat and unusually straight-forward lyrics.
#325 - "Spiderwebs" - No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom - #1/1 - Here it is, the greatest song to come out of the ska movement of the mid-90's. "Spiderwebs" is easily the best song that Gwen Stefani has ever produced with it's tremendous chorus and smooth verses.
#324 - "World Wide Suicide" - Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam - #17/25 - The guitar riff that opens this song was a siren call that Pearl Jam was back and ready to rock as this angry protest song was the advance release single to the band's best album in more than a decade. In my opinion, the band has always been great, but this is among their best straight-forward rock song of all-time and their best of it's kind since Vitalogy.
#323 - "Feel The Pain" - Dinosaur Jr. - Without A Sound - #1/1 - It seems like a shame to only have one Dinosaur Jr. song on the countdown, but this is definitely their signature song and their only song that's ever gotten serious radio airtime with it's Sonic Youth tone and it's as usual outstanding guitar work from leader J. Mascis.
#322 - "She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult - High - #2/2 - "Sanctuary" is a tremendously important song in the history of alternative rock as it's one of the first times that a song of it's kind crossed over to mainstream success. The sweeping guitars and intense vocals kicked the door open for the R.E.M.'s, the Cures and the Smiths would follow in to even greater success.
#321 - "Sober" - Tool - Undertow - #5/9 - An early hit for the band from back in the days when they still got mainstream radio airplay (the industry changed, Tool did not), this song, with it's brilliant lyrics and climactic chorus, would help to propel the band to the top of the metal scene in the 21st Century.
Top 1000 Artists #330-#321
330 - Live - They disintegrated rather quickly into self-parody, but at the start Live was a halfway decent grunge band with a string of above average hits.
329 - Sum 41 - I'm not sure what happened to this early 21st Century outfit, but they put together the best rap rock this side of the Beastie Boys for a few years.
328 - Ray Charles - An all-time legend and one of the creators of rock n roll, Ray Charles' music isn't usually to my taste, but it's undeniable how important it was to 20th century music.
327 - Yes - The most popular and talented of the late 70's prog rock bands that indirectly inspired the punk revolution, Yes was extremely talented, but they were far too self-indulgent to ever achieve true greatness beyond a handful of songs.
326 - Sting - Yes, the majority of his songs are trite and ridiculously dull, but he still retains the abilities as a songwriter and a crafter of great hooks that he enjoyed during his years in The Police, leading to about one truly great song per album, which is more than most artists can say.
325 - Cat Stevens - He goes by another name now and he isn't nearly the hit-maker that he was during the 70's, but during his hey-day Cat Stevens was among the finest singer-songwriters of the late 60's and 70's.
324 - Kenny Wayne Shepherd - You might think that because he's a blues rocker and uses his middle name that he's a Stevie Ray Vaughan knock-off. Well, he kinda is, but he's also a damn good SRV knock-off. His career has cooled quite a bit, but in the late 90's he was about as good as it got in this genre.
323 - Staind - They've really fallen on hard times, but for awhile Staind carved a niche for themselves as the best of the post-grunge acts that bred in the wild during the late 90's.
322 - Jet - Their second album didn't experience nearly the success as their debut, but Jet has still made a name for themselves as a top-notch Beatles and AC/DC fueled indie rock band.
321 - The Cold War Kids - They're brand new and it looks like their just about to burst onto the scene as a fantastic 60's rock revivalist band. I was going to see them in Rapid City opening for the White Stripes, but the Stripes cancelled the show.
329 - Sum 41 - I'm not sure what happened to this early 21st Century outfit, but they put together the best rap rock this side of the Beastie Boys for a few years.
328 - Ray Charles - An all-time legend and one of the creators of rock n roll, Ray Charles' music isn't usually to my taste, but it's undeniable how important it was to 20th century music.
327 - Yes - The most popular and talented of the late 70's prog rock bands that indirectly inspired the punk revolution, Yes was extremely talented, but they were far too self-indulgent to ever achieve true greatness beyond a handful of songs.
326 - Sting - Yes, the majority of his songs are trite and ridiculously dull, but he still retains the abilities as a songwriter and a crafter of great hooks that he enjoyed during his years in The Police, leading to about one truly great song per album, which is more than most artists can say.
325 - Cat Stevens - He goes by another name now and he isn't nearly the hit-maker that he was during the 70's, but during his hey-day Cat Stevens was among the finest singer-songwriters of the late 60's and 70's.
324 - Kenny Wayne Shepherd - You might think that because he's a blues rocker and uses his middle name that he's a Stevie Ray Vaughan knock-off. Well, he kinda is, but he's also a damn good SRV knock-off. His career has cooled quite a bit, but in the late 90's he was about as good as it got in this genre.
323 - Staind - They've really fallen on hard times, but for awhile Staind carved a niche for themselves as the best of the post-grunge acts that bred in the wild during the late 90's.
322 - Jet - Their second album didn't experience nearly the success as their debut, but Jet has still made a name for themselves as a top-notch Beatles and AC/DC fueled indie rock band.
321 - The Cold War Kids - They're brand new and it looks like their just about to burst onto the scene as a fantastic 60's rock revivalist band. I was going to see them in Rapid City opening for the White Stripes, but the Stripes cancelled the show.
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