I'd like to welcome the following bands into my Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame after being inducted in October 2008:
Franz Ferdinand
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Frank Black
Joni Mitchell
Deep Purple
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #190-#181
#190 - "Dear God" - XTC - Skylarking - #2/2 - The atheist theme song is a clever and insightful letter to God written by people who clearly feel they need to use every argument imaginable in a song the probably doesn't even run for four minutes, but makes a concise argument nonetheless.
#189 - "Judith" - A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms - #3/3 - Although it wasn't intended, this song makes a perfect companion piece with "Dear God". They both basically say the same thing, but while that song comes from a point of sadness and disappointment, this song comes from a point of anger and rage, as it deals more with the religious than religion itself.
#188 - "In Bloom" - Nirvana - Nevermind - #9/15 - The downside of mainstream appeal is that your music will be enjoyed not only by a target audience that understands what it means but also by a bunch of imbeciles who only like the hooks and how good the songs sound when buzzed on cheap beer. This song deals with the imbeciles and you know what? They love the song just to same, being imbeciles and all.
#187 - "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" - Bob Dylan - Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid Soundtrack - #10/15 - One of Dylan's best songs of the 70's, "Knockin'" is among the most popular and most covered songs of the classic rock era, with it's clever lyrics and somber tone.
#186 - "What Do I Get" - The Buzzcocks - Operators Manual - #2/2 - The Buzzcocks never get the credit they deserve, but with this song they made one of the definitive punk songs of the 1970's. They lyrics are sharp and the chorus is as poppy as punk ever got.
#185 - "When The President Talks To God (Live)" - Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness - One of the msot shocking performances in the history of Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, "President" is the boldest and most jarring protest song against the Bush Administration. In a few short minutes, Connor Oberst lays out every argument against Bush imaginable and lays his crooked administration low like a surgeon with a scalpel.
#184 - "Just" - Radiohead - The Bends - #5/8 - Before they became the leading providers of art-rock, Radiohead enjoyed a string of hits on the alternative charts, with "Just" being among the best. The chorus, in particular, was a solid indicator not only of where the band had been before but also where they'd be headed in the future.
#183 - "Blowin' In The Wind" - Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - #11/15 - The song that kicked off the protest rock genre and legitimized folk music and brought it to the masses, the song provided one of the most important lyrics of all-time: "How many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man?"
#182 - "Back In The U.S.S.R." - The Beatles - The White Album - #14/22 - The Beatles' borrowed segments from The Beach Boys' "California Girls" and used them to take satirical jabs at Mother Russia. They also managed to create one of their peppiest and most fun rock songs since their early days as a Chuck Berry cover band.
#181 - "Ruby Tuesday" - The Rolling Stones - Flowers - #11/20 - The Stones weren't known for their ballads, but they were certainly skilled at creating them. "Ruby" is one of their bigger pop songs with it's fantastic chorus, but it's also a very well-written song and very moving.
#189 - "Judith" - A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms - #3/3 - Although it wasn't intended, this song makes a perfect companion piece with "Dear God". They both basically say the same thing, but while that song comes from a point of sadness and disappointment, this song comes from a point of anger and rage, as it deals more with the religious than religion itself.
#188 - "In Bloom" - Nirvana - Nevermind - #9/15 - The downside of mainstream appeal is that your music will be enjoyed not only by a target audience that understands what it means but also by a bunch of imbeciles who only like the hooks and how good the songs sound when buzzed on cheap beer. This song deals with the imbeciles and you know what? They love the song just to same, being imbeciles and all.
#187 - "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" - Bob Dylan - Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid Soundtrack - #10/15 - One of Dylan's best songs of the 70's, "Knockin'" is among the most popular and most covered songs of the classic rock era, with it's clever lyrics and somber tone.
#186 - "What Do I Get" - The Buzzcocks - Operators Manual - #2/2 - The Buzzcocks never get the credit they deserve, but with this song they made one of the definitive punk songs of the 1970's. They lyrics are sharp and the chorus is as poppy as punk ever got.
#185 - "When The President Talks To God (Live)" - Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness - One of the msot shocking performances in the history of Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, "President" is the boldest and most jarring protest song against the Bush Administration. In a few short minutes, Connor Oberst lays out every argument against Bush imaginable and lays his crooked administration low like a surgeon with a scalpel.
#184 - "Just" - Radiohead - The Bends - #5/8 - Before they became the leading providers of art-rock, Radiohead enjoyed a string of hits on the alternative charts, with "Just" being among the best. The chorus, in particular, was a solid indicator not only of where the band had been before but also where they'd be headed in the future.
#183 - "Blowin' In The Wind" - Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - #11/15 - The song that kicked off the protest rock genre and legitimized folk music and brought it to the masses, the song provided one of the most important lyrics of all-time: "How many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man?"
#182 - "Back In The U.S.S.R." - The Beatles - The White Album - #14/22 - The Beatles' borrowed segments from The Beach Boys' "California Girls" and used them to take satirical jabs at Mother Russia. They also managed to create one of their peppiest and most fun rock songs since their early days as a Chuck Berry cover band.
#181 - "Ruby Tuesday" - The Rolling Stones - Flowers - #11/20 - The Stones weren't known for their ballads, but they were certainly skilled at creating them. "Ruby" is one of their bigger pop songs with it's fantastic chorus, but it's also a very well-written song and very moving.
Top 1000 Bands #190-#181
190 - Madonna - The Queen of Pop, Madonna had hit after hit during the 80's and 90's, eventually becoming one of the few pure pop artists to be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.
189 - Michael Jackson - And here's the King Of Pop, who during the 80's was the biggest star in pop music, though now he's best known as something akin to a carnival freak.
188 - Korn - One of the biggest stars of the nu-metal genre, Korn enjoyed a string of albums that were among the best of the late 90's. They aren't quite what they used to be, but most bands from the 90's aren't.
187 - New Order - New Order rose from the ashes of Joy Division and while they never got the acclaim that their original band did, they were among the biggest hitmakers of the New Wave 80's.
186 - They Might Be Giants - The original quirky pop rock band, They Might Be Giants have made a 20+ year career out of their fun and unusual sound.
185 - ZZ Top - One of the biggest blues rock bands of the classic rock era, ZZ Top hit a career high-point in the early 80's with their Eliminator album, which made them one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
184 - The Buzzcocks - One of the most overlooked bands of the 70's punk scene, The Buzzcocks created two of punk's best songs "What Do I Get" and "Ever Fallen In Love".
183 - Placebo - A weird band to be sure, Placebo was one of the best bands of the alt rock 90's. Their sound isn't for all tastes, but to be sure they were unique and interesting at all time.
182 - Faith No More - One of the first bands to mix rock and rap into their sound, Faith No more enjoyed a lot of underground success before cracking the pop charts with "Epic".
181 - Depeche Mode - A consistent and solid band that has a surprisingly large fanbase, Depeche Mode is best known for a string of hits that they had in the 80's and early 90's, but they've been among the best artists in New Wave throughout the past few decades.
189 - Michael Jackson - And here's the King Of Pop, who during the 80's was the biggest star in pop music, though now he's best known as something akin to a carnival freak.
188 - Korn - One of the biggest stars of the nu-metal genre, Korn enjoyed a string of albums that were among the best of the late 90's. They aren't quite what they used to be, but most bands from the 90's aren't.
187 - New Order - New Order rose from the ashes of Joy Division and while they never got the acclaim that their original band did, they were among the biggest hitmakers of the New Wave 80's.
186 - They Might Be Giants - The original quirky pop rock band, They Might Be Giants have made a 20+ year career out of their fun and unusual sound.
185 - ZZ Top - One of the biggest blues rock bands of the classic rock era, ZZ Top hit a career high-point in the early 80's with their Eliminator album, which made them one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
184 - The Buzzcocks - One of the most overlooked bands of the 70's punk scene, The Buzzcocks created two of punk's best songs "What Do I Get" and "Ever Fallen In Love".
183 - Placebo - A weird band to be sure, Placebo was one of the best bands of the alt rock 90's. Their sound isn't for all tastes, but to be sure they were unique and interesting at all time.
182 - Faith No More - One of the first bands to mix rock and rap into their sound, Faith No more enjoyed a lot of underground success before cracking the pop charts with "Epic".
181 - Depeche Mode - A consistent and solid band that has a surprisingly large fanbase, Depeche Mode is best known for a string of hits that they had in the 80's and early 90's, but they've been among the best artists in New Wave throughout the past few decades.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #200-#191
#200 - "Common People" - Pulp - Different Class - #1/1 - The song is probably better-known in average circles because of the cover William Shatner did a few years back, but to music fans, it's widely regarded as one of the sharpest and most intelligent songs of the 90's. It kicks a lot of ass, too.
#199 - "Guerilla Radio" - Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles - #10/12 - Political punk doesn't get much better than this classic propelled by it's legendary opening guitar lick and Zach's bomb-throwing lyrics.
#198 - "Set Me Free" - Velvet Revolver - Contraband - #2/2 - Talk about hitting a home run in your first at-bat! VR never had another song as fun and exciting as the first glimpse we had of the band on this song, featured prominently in the soundtrack of the original Hulk film.
#197 - "Prison Sex" - Tool - Undertow - #6/9 - One of Tool's first big hits, "Prison Sex" is a crunchy prog nightmare with clever lyrics and frighteningly dark guitarwork.
#196 - "How Soon Is Now?" - The Smiths - Meat Is Murder - #2/2 - One of the classic alternative epics of the 80's, The Smiths were never better than they were on this landmark song.
#195 - "Tears In Heaven (Unplugged)" - Eric Clapton - Unplugged - #4/4 - The saddest and most moving song in Clapton's catalog is also his best and this version of the song is gutwrenchingly personal in a way the studio version could never be.
#194 - "For What It's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield - #1/1 - Perhaps the best and most significant one-hit wonder song ever created, "For What It's Worth" is one of the defining songs of the 1960's and one of the best-written songs of all-time.
#193 - "Sunshine Of Your Love" - Cream - Disraeli Gears - #4/5 - Featuring one of the great guitar licks of the electric guitar's best era, "Sunshine Of Your Love" is a legendary classic rock song that defined the psychedelic rock genre.
#192 - "God Save The Queen" - The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols - #3/4 - The song that made punk rock seem dangerous and scary, "God Save The Queen" was a brutal attack on the Queen of England, who at the time was still regarded as a significant figure in world events. The song got the band widely banned and gave them a reputation as the most avant garde band of the rock era.
#191 - "Rearviewmirror" - Pearl Jam - Vs. - #20/25 - If any song ever defined the concept of the slow build, it was "Rearviewmirror", a song that starts out slowly, but subtly accelerates until it reaches it's climax, when it's pulsing at a full-on pace that rivals the speed of PJ's "Spin The Black Circle". The song was never a big hit, but it's still regarded as a classic nonetheless.
#199 - "Guerilla Radio" - Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles - #10/12 - Political punk doesn't get much better than this classic propelled by it's legendary opening guitar lick and Zach's bomb-throwing lyrics.
#198 - "Set Me Free" - Velvet Revolver - Contraband - #2/2 - Talk about hitting a home run in your first at-bat! VR never had another song as fun and exciting as the first glimpse we had of the band on this song, featured prominently in the soundtrack of the original Hulk film.
#197 - "Prison Sex" - Tool - Undertow - #6/9 - One of Tool's first big hits, "Prison Sex" is a crunchy prog nightmare with clever lyrics and frighteningly dark guitarwork.
#196 - "How Soon Is Now?" - The Smiths - Meat Is Murder - #2/2 - One of the classic alternative epics of the 80's, The Smiths were never better than they were on this landmark song.
#195 - "Tears In Heaven (Unplugged)" - Eric Clapton - Unplugged - #4/4 - The saddest and most moving song in Clapton's catalog is also his best and this version of the song is gutwrenchingly personal in a way the studio version could never be.
#194 - "For What It's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield - #1/1 - Perhaps the best and most significant one-hit wonder song ever created, "For What It's Worth" is one of the defining songs of the 1960's and one of the best-written songs of all-time.
#193 - "Sunshine Of Your Love" - Cream - Disraeli Gears - #4/5 - Featuring one of the great guitar licks of the electric guitar's best era, "Sunshine Of Your Love" is a legendary classic rock song that defined the psychedelic rock genre.
#192 - "God Save The Queen" - The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols - #3/4 - The song that made punk rock seem dangerous and scary, "God Save The Queen" was a brutal attack on the Queen of England, who at the time was still regarded as a significant figure in world events. The song got the band widely banned and gave them a reputation as the most avant garde band of the rock era.
#191 - "Rearviewmirror" - Pearl Jam - Vs. - #20/25 - If any song ever defined the concept of the slow build, it was "Rearviewmirror", a song that starts out slowly, but subtly accelerates until it reaches it's climax, when it's pulsing at a full-on pace that rivals the speed of PJ's "Spin The Black Circle". The song was never a big hit, but it's still regarded as a classic nonetheless.
Top 1000 Bands #200-#190
200 - The Traveling Wilburys - The greatest supergroup of all-time, The Traveling Wilburys featured Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne (ELO). The band didn't stay together for very long, breaking up with Orbision's death, but they put together some of the best country rock of all-time.
199 - The Doobie Brothers - One of the biggest acts of the 70's, the Doobie Brothers had hit after hit, making their mark as one of the most popular bands of the classic rock era, if not necessarily one of the greatest.
198 - Pulp - The forgotten band of the Brit-pop era, Pulp created one of the greatest songs of all-time with their bitter and sarcastic "Common People". They had a lot of other great songs, but that was their big hit.
197 - Bob Seger - No artist was more prolific during the 70's than Bob Seger, who had what seems like 40 classic rock hits between 1970 and 1979 alone. I'm not sure why I ranked Seger so low, but he should go up the next time around because while many of his songs are irritating, some are brilliant.
196 - Blondie - Blondie was a great New Wave band from the NYC '77 scene before becoming one of the biggest bands of the 80's when they started fusing New Wave with disco, making them one of the stars of the early years of MTV.
195 - Primal Scream - One of many great bands to rise from the ashes of the Stone Roses, Primal Scream has branched off in many different directions, failing at some, but succeeding wildly at most, making them one of the best bands of the post-Brit Pop era.
194 - Motorhead - The first great speed metal band, Motorhead inspired an entire generation of metalheads with their rapid-fire guitars and bad-ass attitude.
193 - Paul McCartney - The most commercially successful Beatle, McCartney mixed solo records in with his work with Wings to create some of the most annoying songs of all-time, but also some of the greatest.
192 - Jay-Z - One of the greatest and most popular rappers of all-time, Jay-Z has built an empire on the strength of his unique style and extraordinary lyrical skills.
191 - Stevie Wonder - One of the great survivors of Motown, Stevie Wonder is a living legend who's been topping the charts for over forty years now, moving seamlessly from Motown to funk to rock n roll.
199 - The Doobie Brothers - One of the biggest acts of the 70's, the Doobie Brothers had hit after hit, making their mark as one of the most popular bands of the classic rock era, if not necessarily one of the greatest.
198 - Pulp - The forgotten band of the Brit-pop era, Pulp created one of the greatest songs of all-time with their bitter and sarcastic "Common People". They had a lot of other great songs, but that was their big hit.
197 - Bob Seger - No artist was more prolific during the 70's than Bob Seger, who had what seems like 40 classic rock hits between 1970 and 1979 alone. I'm not sure why I ranked Seger so low, but he should go up the next time around because while many of his songs are irritating, some are brilliant.
196 - Blondie - Blondie was a great New Wave band from the NYC '77 scene before becoming one of the biggest bands of the 80's when they started fusing New Wave with disco, making them one of the stars of the early years of MTV.
195 - Primal Scream - One of many great bands to rise from the ashes of the Stone Roses, Primal Scream has branched off in many different directions, failing at some, but succeeding wildly at most, making them one of the best bands of the post-Brit Pop era.
194 - Motorhead - The first great speed metal band, Motorhead inspired an entire generation of metalheads with their rapid-fire guitars and bad-ass attitude.
193 - Paul McCartney - The most commercially successful Beatle, McCartney mixed solo records in with his work with Wings to create some of the most annoying songs of all-time, but also some of the greatest.
192 - Jay-Z - One of the greatest and most popular rappers of all-time, Jay-Z has built an empire on the strength of his unique style and extraordinary lyrical skills.
191 - Stevie Wonder - One of the great survivors of Motown, Stevie Wonder is a living legend who's been topping the charts for over forty years now, moving seamlessly from Motown to funk to rock n roll.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Top 1000 Songs #210-#201
#210 - "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" - Marilyn Manson - Smells Like Children - #4/4 - Manson's first hit is also his best, as his cover of the Eurythmics' 80's classic is creepy beyond belief and intense to the point of being frightening.
#209 - "Across The Universe" - The Beatles - Let It Be - #13/22 - This trippy and sweeping song was one of the Beatles' last great hits. The song has been covered multiple times over the years, but no one has ever topped the Fab Four's original version.
#208 - "Everybody Knows" - Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man - #3/3 - One of the most sarcastic songs ever written, "Everybody Knows" is Cohen's most brilliant song with clever lyrics and a pulsing beat throughout.
#207 - "Oliver's Army" - Elvis Costello - Armed Forces - #8/11 - Speaking of sarcastic, is there any man in rock history who did it better than Elvis Costello? This song, from his punk period, is a classic example of that attitude.
#206 - "Wolf Like Me" - T.V. On The Radio - Return Cookie Mountain - #1/1 - With it's pounding beat, weird vocals and intense lyrics, "Wolf Like Me" might be the best song of the 21st Century so far, even though you've probably never heard it on the radio.
#205 - "November Rain" - Guns N Rose - Use Your Illusion I - #6/8 - The piano solo at the start, the insane video, the story told within the lyrics, the breakdown at the end, and most of all the legendary guitar solo towards the end of the song (there are actually several great guitar solos in this epic tune). All of thse elements add up to the last great song from one of the last great rock bands of the classic rock era before alternative and indie bands took over.
#204 - "Head Like A Hole" - Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine - #6/7 - The first great song in the career of one of the best bands of the 90's, "Head Like A Hole" is a song about rebelling against power and authority, a common theme in the band's catalog, but it's the passion and intensity that makes this song great.
#203 - "Rooster" - Alice In Chains - Dirt - #5/8 - AIC tells the story of a band member's Vietnam War hero father, a sad and sweeping epic that defined grunge at a time when the genre was just gaining traction at the time this song came around.
#202 - "This Is Radio Clash" - The Clash - Greatest Hits - #13/18 - The Clash experimented with many genres of music throughout their career and this song is no exception, as it uses elements of the brand new at the time hip hop genre to enhance this track and make it legendary.
#201 - "Foxy Lady" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? - #8/9 - Hendrix crafts yet another legendary guitar hook in this song, one of the most famous hooks of all-time actually. They lyrics aren't all that impresive, but the way the song is constructed with the incredible hook serving as the backbone more than makes up for any lyrical shortcomings the song may have.
#209 - "Across The Universe" - The Beatles - Let It Be - #13/22 - This trippy and sweeping song was one of the Beatles' last great hits. The song has been covered multiple times over the years, but no one has ever topped the Fab Four's original version.
#208 - "Everybody Knows" - Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man - #3/3 - One of the most sarcastic songs ever written, "Everybody Knows" is Cohen's most brilliant song with clever lyrics and a pulsing beat throughout.
#207 - "Oliver's Army" - Elvis Costello - Armed Forces - #8/11 - Speaking of sarcastic, is there any man in rock history who did it better than Elvis Costello? This song, from his punk period, is a classic example of that attitude.
#206 - "Wolf Like Me" - T.V. On The Radio - Return Cookie Mountain - #1/1 - With it's pounding beat, weird vocals and intense lyrics, "Wolf Like Me" might be the best song of the 21st Century so far, even though you've probably never heard it on the radio.
#205 - "November Rain" - Guns N Rose - Use Your Illusion I - #6/8 - The piano solo at the start, the insane video, the story told within the lyrics, the breakdown at the end, and most of all the legendary guitar solo towards the end of the song (there are actually several great guitar solos in this epic tune). All of thse elements add up to the last great song from one of the last great rock bands of the classic rock era before alternative and indie bands took over.
#204 - "Head Like A Hole" - Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine - #6/7 - The first great song in the career of one of the best bands of the 90's, "Head Like A Hole" is a song about rebelling against power and authority, a common theme in the band's catalog, but it's the passion and intensity that makes this song great.
#203 - "Rooster" - Alice In Chains - Dirt - #5/8 - AIC tells the story of a band member's Vietnam War hero father, a sad and sweeping epic that defined grunge at a time when the genre was just gaining traction at the time this song came around.
#202 - "This Is Radio Clash" - The Clash - Greatest Hits - #13/18 - The Clash experimented with many genres of music throughout their career and this song is no exception, as it uses elements of the brand new at the time hip hop genre to enhance this track and make it legendary.
#201 - "Foxy Lady" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? - #8/9 - Hendrix crafts yet another legendary guitar hook in this song, one of the most famous hooks of all-time actually. They lyrics aren't all that impresive, but the way the song is constructed with the incredible hook serving as the backbone more than makes up for any lyrical shortcomings the song may have.
Top 1000 Bands #210-#201
210 - Wilco - The biggest stars of the alt country scene, Wilco has created some of the most important indie rock albums of all-time.
209 - The New Pornographers - A pop-flavored indie band that produces great album after great album and serves as a launching pad for the solo careers of the many talented members of the band.
208 - The Flaming Lips - One of the quirkiest rock bands of all-time, the Lips struck gold with their Yoshimi concept album.
207 - Guided By Voices - Even if they only had one good song on each of their 953 albums and EP's, Guided By Voices would be one of the great alternative bands of all-time. By my count, they have approximately 1.1, so they're good to go.
206 - Jefferson Airplane - One of the biggest bands of the 60's, Jefferson Airplane had huge hits with "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit" before taking one bad trip too many and ending up as some sort of abomination called Jefferson Starship.
205 - Todd Snider - One of the best folk singers of his generation, Todd Snider has released a long series of clever and entertaining country folk albums over the past decade.
204 - Sheryl Crow - She's fallen on hard times recently, but back in the 90's, Crow was an innovative, creative and interesting artist who produced quality hit after hit. She doesn't anymore.
203 - The Offspring - Surprisingly, The Offspring is still around and making chart-clobbering hits. Ignore the stupid novelty songs and focus on the punk lyrics and rapid-fire guitars that have been the cornerstone of the band for nearly 20 years.
202 - Social Distortion - You wouldn't think that country and punk would go together very well, but Social Distortion blended them together to make some of the most unique and clever songs of the 80's.
201 - The Sounds - Another great indie band that no one has ever heard of, The Sounds have released a series of brilliant albums, but no major breakthrough as of yet.
209 - The New Pornographers - A pop-flavored indie band that produces great album after great album and serves as a launching pad for the solo careers of the many talented members of the band.
208 - The Flaming Lips - One of the quirkiest rock bands of all-time, the Lips struck gold with their Yoshimi concept album.
207 - Guided By Voices - Even if they only had one good song on each of their 953 albums and EP's, Guided By Voices would be one of the great alternative bands of all-time. By my count, they have approximately 1.1, so they're good to go.
206 - Jefferson Airplane - One of the biggest bands of the 60's, Jefferson Airplane had huge hits with "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit" before taking one bad trip too many and ending up as some sort of abomination called Jefferson Starship.
205 - Todd Snider - One of the best folk singers of his generation, Todd Snider has released a long series of clever and entertaining country folk albums over the past decade.
204 - Sheryl Crow - She's fallen on hard times recently, but back in the 90's, Crow was an innovative, creative and interesting artist who produced quality hit after hit. She doesn't anymore.
203 - The Offspring - Surprisingly, The Offspring is still around and making chart-clobbering hits. Ignore the stupid novelty songs and focus on the punk lyrics and rapid-fire guitars that have been the cornerstone of the band for nearly 20 years.
202 - Social Distortion - You wouldn't think that country and punk would go together very well, but Social Distortion blended them together to make some of the most unique and clever songs of the 80's.
201 - The Sounds - Another great indie band that no one has ever heard of, The Sounds have released a series of brilliant albums, but no major breakthrough as of yet.
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