The following "Class of 1986" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to ever make it in:
Ben E. King
Bill Haley
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Clyde McPhatter
Connie Francis
Conway Twitty
Del Shannon
Dion
Duane Eddy
Frankie Avalon
Gene Vincent
George Jones
Hank Ballard
Herbie Hancock
Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns
Jimmy Reed
Johnny Ace
Johnny Mathis
Junior Parker
LaVern Baker
Little Anthony And The Imperials
Little Willie John
Lloyd Price
Neil Sedaka
Nina Simone
Paul Anka
Ricky Nelson
Ruth Brown
Solomon Burke
Sonny Boy Williamson
The “5” Royales
The Angels
The Big Bopper
The Cadillacs
The Clovers
The Dominoes
The Famous Flames
The Flamingos
The Kingston Trio
The Moonglows
The Penguins
The Skyliners
The Staple Singers
The following "Class of 1986" artists are worthy and could get in at some point:
Big Joe Turner
Bobby Darin
Brenda Lee
Carole King
Chubby Checker
Eddie Cochran
Ella Fitzgerald
Fats Domino
Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers
Jan & Dean
Joan Baez
John Coltrane
Miles Davis
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Ritchie Valens
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
The Everly Brothers
The Five Satins
The Isley Brothers
The Ventures
The following "Class of 1986" artists are very likely to be inducted in the near future, but didn't quite make the cut this year:
B.B. King
Bo Diddley
Carl Perkins
Ike And Tina Turner
Jackie Wilson
John Lee Hooker
Marvin Gaye
Patsy Cline
Sam Cooke
Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
The Coasters
The Drifters
The Four Tops
The Platters
The Supremes
Willie Nelson
Next: The Inductees
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 1986, Part One
1986 was the first year that the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame began inducting artists officially. Due to the 25 year rule, the class of 1986 consisted of any artist who had released their first album in 1961. Since this was the first year, it also included any artist who released their first album before 1961 as well.
A tremendous number of artists who were eligible in 1986 have made the actual Hall Of Fame:
Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Big Joe Turner, Bill Haley, Bo Diddley, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Bobby Darin, Brenda Lee, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Clyde McPhatter, Del Shannon, Dion, Duane Eddy, Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers, Gene Vincent, Hank Ballard, Ike And Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Cash, LaVern Baker, Little Anthony And The Imperials, Little Richard, Little Willie John, Lloyd Price, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Ricky Nelson, Ritchie Valens, Ruth Brown, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, Solomon Burke, The Coasters, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers, The Flamingos, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Moonglows, The Platters, The Staple Singers, The Supremes, The Ventures
have all been inducted. Needless to be said, many of these artists wouldn't make the Hall if I was the only voter, opening up a lot of spaces for bands that have been overlooked.
First of all, the following artists have been inducted or suggested by Future Rock but are being removed from consideration from my hall of fame:
Bill Evans
Bobby Rydell
Bobby Vee
Brian Hyland
Brook Benton
Carla Thomas
Chuck Willis
Cliff Richard & the Shadows
Danny & the Juniors
Eric Dolphy
Fabian
Gary U.S. Bonds
Jack Scott
Jerry Butler
Johnny Burnette and the Rock N Roll Trio
Johnny Hallyday
Judy Collins
Larry Chance and the Earls
Lee Dorsey
Lee Morgan
Link Wray
Mary Wells
Nancy Sinatra
Ornette Coleman
Pat Boone
Petula Clark
Roy Brown
Serge Gainsbourg
Slim Harpo
Sonny Burgess
The Chantels
The Marvelettes
The Spinners
To be continued in part two...
Intro
A tremendous number of artists who were eligible in 1986 have made the actual Hall Of Fame:
Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Big Joe Turner, Bill Haley, Bo Diddley, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Bobby Darin, Brenda Lee, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Clyde McPhatter, Del Shannon, Dion, Duane Eddy, Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers, Gene Vincent, Hank Ballard, Ike And Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Cash, LaVern Baker, Little Anthony And The Imperials, Little Richard, Little Willie John, Lloyd Price, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Ricky Nelson, Ritchie Valens, Ruth Brown, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, Solomon Burke, The Coasters, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers, The Flamingos, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Moonglows, The Platters, The Staple Singers, The Supremes, The Ventures
have all been inducted. Needless to be said, many of these artists wouldn't make the Hall if I was the only voter, opening up a lot of spaces for bands that have been overlooked.
First of all, the following artists have been inducted or suggested by Future Rock but are being removed from consideration from my hall of fame:
Bill Evans
Bobby Rydell
Bobby Vee
Brian Hyland
Brook Benton
Carla Thomas
Chuck Willis
Cliff Richard & the Shadows
Danny & the Juniors
Eric Dolphy
Fabian
Gary U.S. Bonds
Jack Scott
Jerry Butler
Johnny Burnette and the Rock N Roll Trio
Johnny Hallyday
Judy Collins
Larry Chance and the Earls
Lee Dorsey
Lee Morgan
Link Wray
Mary Wells
Nancy Sinatra
Ornette Coleman
Pat Boone
Petula Clark
Roy Brown
Serge Gainsbourg
Slim Harpo
Sonny Burgess
The Chantels
The Marvelettes
The Spinners
To be continued in part two...
Intro
Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" Intro
The idea for this project came to me after seeing that the Stooges had gotten fucked over yet again by the voters for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. This is the seventh time they've been nominated and they've been eligible many more times without being nominated.
At this point it seems very clear to me that my opinions don't match up with the Hall voters, so why not re-do it myself all the way from the beginning? I'd keep the Hall's rules and go through one year at a time inducting the same number of artists that the Hall did each year. I don't really know enough about the music industry to do early influences or sidemen awards, so we'll just keep the same ones that the Hall has picked out over the years.
The Future Rock Hall website (http://www.futurerockhall.com/index.php) is the source for all my eligibility date information, as well as the best source for information regarding the hall itself.
I'll try to update at least one year (starting with 1986, the first year the Hall inducted anyone) per week and I'll probably keep it going for a few years past 2009 just to see how it plays out.
At this point it seems very clear to me that my opinions don't match up with the Hall voters, so why not re-do it myself all the way from the beginning? I'd keep the Hall's rules and go through one year at a time inducting the same number of artists that the Hall did each year. I don't really know enough about the music industry to do early influences or sidemen awards, so we'll just keep the same ones that the Hall has picked out over the years.
The Future Rock Hall website (http://www.futurerockhall.com/index.php) is the source for all my eligibility date information, as well as the best source for information regarding the hall itself.
I'll try to update at least one year (starting with 1986, the first year the Hall inducted anyone) per week and I'll probably keep it going for a few years past 2009 just to see how it plays out.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Top 1000 Songs #10-#1
#10 - "Search And Destroy" - The Stooges - Raw Power - #4/5 - The best punk song of the pre-punk era, "Search" shreds right from the beginning with the craziest lyrics that had ever been heard at that point and some of the best ever. Wild-man lead singer Iggy Pop tears the song apart with his vocal performance that merges perfectly with the wicked guitar riff that drives the song.
#9 - "Wish You Were Here" - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - #14/14 - Floyd's best song featured some of the best lyrics of the classic rock era even though there were only two verses. Surprisingly, the song isn't on one of the band's two greatest albums, but was the centerpiece of the under-rated album of the same name.
#8 - "Lust For Life" - Iggy Pop - T.V. Eye - #5/5 - Before being ridiculously used in ads for the Carnival cruise line and appropriately in Trainspotting, "Lust For Life" was known as one of the craziest songs of the classic rock era, starting off with the greatest drum performance in rock n roll history and driving to an incredibly bold chorus. Iggy turns in yet another world-changing vocal performance.
#7 - "Immigrant Song" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - #24/24 - Zeppelin's greatest guitar riff merges with Robert Plant's sent-from-hell vocal performance to create the greatest example of rock n roll distilled down into a short blast of panic-inducing terror. The shriek at the beginning of the song could scare the hell out of you if you didn't know it was coming.
#6 - "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy And The Poor Boys - #5/5 - The greatest protest song ever written, John Fogerty sums up the biggest problems of American society and does it in a song containing one of the most unforgettable guitar riffs ever.
#5 - "Radio Radio" - Elvis Costello - This Year's Model - #11/11 - Following the greatest protest song is the greatest piece of cultural commentary in rock n roll history as Elvis uses a sweet vocal performance and a great guitar riff to tear the music industry to shreds. The song also seems to gain significance with each passing year as the themes Elvis is singing about only seem to get more and more obvious.
#4 - "Tangled Up In Blue" - Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks - #15/15 - Playing out an entire novel's worth of storyline in a medium-length song, Bob Dylan tells a sad story of lost love that sounds like an epic poem set to music. Dylan was never better than on this mid-career classic.
#3 - "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint - #19/20 - While the Beatles were still singing about love and other happy topics, "Paint It Black" was dealing with psychosis and depression. The song is bleak and brilliant in it's lyrics and it's music. The drums and guitar are particularly sharp in this one and Jagger turns in some of his best lyrics...
#2 - "Sympathy For The Devil" - The Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet - #20/20 - ... but not his best lyrics, which were on display in this song which details the history of human events behind the figure who seems most responsible for them, Satan. The song's lyrics are accompanied by an almost evil drum solo that sets the tone up perfectly for the wild-man howling that would come towards the end of the song.
#1 - "Imagine" - John Lennon - Imagine - #5/5 - The most moving and insightful lyrics in rock n roll history merge with a sweeping Beatlesesque accompaniment as Lennon painted a portrait of a perfect world and how we could achieve it. The song is pure pefection from start to finish and ends on a hopeful note that maybe mankind could straighten itself out if they only dared to try.
#9 - "Wish You Were Here" - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - #14/14 - Floyd's best song featured some of the best lyrics of the classic rock era even though there were only two verses. Surprisingly, the song isn't on one of the band's two greatest albums, but was the centerpiece of the under-rated album of the same name.
#8 - "Lust For Life" - Iggy Pop - T.V. Eye - #5/5 - Before being ridiculously used in ads for the Carnival cruise line and appropriately in Trainspotting, "Lust For Life" was known as one of the craziest songs of the classic rock era, starting off with the greatest drum performance in rock n roll history and driving to an incredibly bold chorus. Iggy turns in yet another world-changing vocal performance.
#7 - "Immigrant Song" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - #24/24 - Zeppelin's greatest guitar riff merges with Robert Plant's sent-from-hell vocal performance to create the greatest example of rock n roll distilled down into a short blast of panic-inducing terror. The shriek at the beginning of the song could scare the hell out of you if you didn't know it was coming.
#6 - "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy And The Poor Boys - #5/5 - The greatest protest song ever written, John Fogerty sums up the biggest problems of American society and does it in a song containing one of the most unforgettable guitar riffs ever.
#5 - "Radio Radio" - Elvis Costello - This Year's Model - #11/11 - Following the greatest protest song is the greatest piece of cultural commentary in rock n roll history as Elvis uses a sweet vocal performance and a great guitar riff to tear the music industry to shreds. The song also seems to gain significance with each passing year as the themes Elvis is singing about only seem to get more and more obvious.
#4 - "Tangled Up In Blue" - Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks - #15/15 - Playing out an entire novel's worth of storyline in a medium-length song, Bob Dylan tells a sad story of lost love that sounds like an epic poem set to music. Dylan was never better than on this mid-career classic.
#3 - "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint - #19/20 - While the Beatles were still singing about love and other happy topics, "Paint It Black" was dealing with psychosis and depression. The song is bleak and brilliant in it's lyrics and it's music. The drums and guitar are particularly sharp in this one and Jagger turns in some of his best lyrics...
#2 - "Sympathy For The Devil" - The Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet - #20/20 - ... but not his best lyrics, which were on display in this song which details the history of human events behind the figure who seems most responsible for them, Satan. The song's lyrics are accompanied by an almost evil drum solo that sets the tone up perfectly for the wild-man howling that would come towards the end of the song.
#1 - "Imagine" - John Lennon - Imagine - #5/5 - The most moving and insightful lyrics in rock n roll history merge with a sweeping Beatlesesque accompaniment as Lennon painted a portrait of a perfect world and how we could achieve it. The song is pure pefection from start to finish and ends on a hopeful note that maybe mankind could straighten itself out if they only dared to try.
Top 1000 Bands #10-#1
10 - Pink Floyd - The masters of psychedelic rock, Pink Floyd created three of the greatest albums in all of classic rock, Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall. Their music was deep and weird and hard to pin down, but it was always compelling, no matter who their lead singer was at the time.
9 - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - The most consistent band in rock history and the greatest American band of the classic rock era, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have never released a bad album. Ever. They've bounced from genre to genre and yet stayed consistently brilliant throughout, whether they're writing exciting rock songs or somber ballads.
8 - The Clash - The greatest punk band of all time, The Clash lived up to their title as the "only band that matters" by keeping a close eye on global politics while crafting brilliant punk songs that drip with sarcasm at times and soar with sincerity at others.
7 - The White Stripes - The best band in the world at the moment, The White Stripes have only been around for a decade now but they've quickly become the best blues rock band since Led Zeppelin. Their style is simple and straight-forward but bounces from genre to genre without ever missing a beat.
6 - Nirvana - The band that kicked down the door and brought alternative music to the masses, Nirvana didn't last long but created some of the greatest punk and rock albums of all-time before they broke up following lead singer Kurt Cobain's suicide. More importantly, they represent the pinnacle of alternative rock as a genre.
5 - The Rolling Stones - They lost the battle against The Beatles for kings of the 60's, but The Rolling Stones still accumulated one of the most impressive track records of any rock band, with enough hits to fill an entire box set with singles alone. Their bluesy rock sound changed the direction that rock n roll was taking and opened doors for many great bands that would follow.
4 - Bob Dylan - The greatest songwriter in the history of rock n roll, Bob Dylan is the most influential figure as well. He's tried a million different styles and succeeded at damn near all of them. In my opinion, he also has the largest volume of great songs, larger even than the Beatles. Gee... it's too bad he can't sing, huh?
3 - The Beatles - Widely considered the greatest band in rock n roll, I actually prefer a few others, but respect must be paid to one of the most impressive track records of all. The Beatles may be the one band that people still talk about in 500 years and invented so much of what's great about rock n roll to this date that you can't really describe it in less than five pages.
2 - Pearl Jam - I'm biased because I grew up listening to this band and I can't deny the personal connection that I feel to this band's music. That being said, Pearl Jam is a band that belongs in discussions of the greatest bands of all-time (hear that VH1?, Rolling Stone?) with a string of brilliant albums that mixed pop appeal with artistic endeavour.
1 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin weren't only the greatest band of all-time they featured some of the greatest artists of all-time at each of their four instruments as well. Their first four albums should be bronzed and perserved forever as the gold standard of classic rock. Their later ventures into heavier metal sounds provided one of their best songs with "Kashmir" and the band did the best thing that any band could have done at the time... break up before the 80's destroyed them. Granted it wasn't intentional, but at least they had the good sense to know that Bonzo was irreplaceable. Hopefully they'll realize that the same is true of Page and Plant, before they go out on a reunion tour.
9 - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - The most consistent band in rock history and the greatest American band of the classic rock era, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have never released a bad album. Ever. They've bounced from genre to genre and yet stayed consistently brilliant throughout, whether they're writing exciting rock songs or somber ballads.
8 - The Clash - The greatest punk band of all time, The Clash lived up to their title as the "only band that matters" by keeping a close eye on global politics while crafting brilliant punk songs that drip with sarcasm at times and soar with sincerity at others.
7 - The White Stripes - The best band in the world at the moment, The White Stripes have only been around for a decade now but they've quickly become the best blues rock band since Led Zeppelin. Their style is simple and straight-forward but bounces from genre to genre without ever missing a beat.
6 - Nirvana - The band that kicked down the door and brought alternative music to the masses, Nirvana didn't last long but created some of the greatest punk and rock albums of all-time before they broke up following lead singer Kurt Cobain's suicide. More importantly, they represent the pinnacle of alternative rock as a genre.
5 - The Rolling Stones - They lost the battle against The Beatles for kings of the 60's, but The Rolling Stones still accumulated one of the most impressive track records of any rock band, with enough hits to fill an entire box set with singles alone. Their bluesy rock sound changed the direction that rock n roll was taking and opened doors for many great bands that would follow.
4 - Bob Dylan - The greatest songwriter in the history of rock n roll, Bob Dylan is the most influential figure as well. He's tried a million different styles and succeeded at damn near all of them. In my opinion, he also has the largest volume of great songs, larger even than the Beatles. Gee... it's too bad he can't sing, huh?
3 - The Beatles - Widely considered the greatest band in rock n roll, I actually prefer a few others, but respect must be paid to one of the most impressive track records of all. The Beatles may be the one band that people still talk about in 500 years and invented so much of what's great about rock n roll to this date that you can't really describe it in less than five pages.
2 - Pearl Jam - I'm biased because I grew up listening to this band and I can't deny the personal connection that I feel to this band's music. That being said, Pearl Jam is a band that belongs in discussions of the greatest bands of all-time (hear that VH1?, Rolling Stone?) with a string of brilliant albums that mixed pop appeal with artistic endeavour.
1 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin weren't only the greatest band of all-time they featured some of the greatest artists of all-time at each of their four instruments as well. Their first four albums should be bronzed and perserved forever as the gold standard of classic rock. Their later ventures into heavier metal sounds provided one of their best songs with "Kashmir" and the band did the best thing that any band could have done at the time... break up before the 80's destroyed them. Granted it wasn't intentional, but at least they had the good sense to know that Bonzo was irreplaceable. Hopefully they'll realize that the same is true of Page and Plant, before they go out on a reunion tour.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Top 1000 Songs #20-#11
#20 - "Yesterday" - The Beatles - Yesterday And Today - #22/22 - The most covered song of the rock era, "Yesterday" is McCartney and Lennon's all-time classic, a deep and insightful ballad about love and loss and life. The world's greatest band was never better than they were on this early career song.
#19 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 - War - #16/16 - U2's first definite sign of their future stadium-rocking greatness, "Sunday" is a sad and searing punk rock song disguising itself as a classic rock anthem. The song is best appreciated during the video recorded live at Red Rocks with Bono's mullet and the incredible effect that the fog ads to the bleak subject matter of the song.
#18 - "Baba O'Riley" - The Who - Who's Next - #8/9 - Frequently mislabeled as "Teenage Wasteland" because of the chorus, "Baba" features the best instrumental opening of the classic rock era and passionate vocals that create an almost cathartic tone to the song from start to finish.
#17 - "Satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones - Out Of Our Heads - #18/20 - The guitar riff is legendary and the lyrics were way ahead of their time. To think, the riff came to Richards in a dream. If he had just gone back to sleep we might never have had a classic rock era and everything would have sounded like the Beatles and the Beach Boys, high quality, but no attitude.
#16 - "Changes" - David Bowie - Hunky Dory - #10/10 - Among the best-written songs of the 70's, "Changes" was easily Bowie's best song with it's poetic lyrics and sing-along chorus. The "time may change me" part of the chorus and the chord progression between verses are highlights.
#15 - "Stairway To Heaven" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV - #23/24 - The band's all-time classic epic, though not their best song, "Stairway To Heaven" is Dylanesque in it's epic storytelling and feautres the best guitar solo of all-time as Jimmy Page tears the sky open just before Robert Plant cauterizes it back together with a blistering penultimate verse leading into the classic ending.
#14 - "Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who - Who's Next - #9/9 - The most significant moment in rock n roll occurs towards the end of the song as a guitar solo builds up slowly to a cathartic explosion of a scream from Roger Daltrey (usually accompanied by a perfectly timed power slide). The song itself is also brilliant as it attacks politics and particularly the corruption of power even in the hands of those who led revolutions against said power. Like many of the best songs of the classic rock era, the song is essentially a story in parts played out as an epic rock song.
#13 - "Hey You" - Pink Floyd - The Wall - #13/14 - Not quite their best song or their best lyrics (but consider the band), but damn close as the best song on The Wall is a desperate appeal for connection in an isolated world and stands alone very well but fits in perfectly in the rock opera told on the album.
#12 - "Rockin' In The Free World" - Neil Young - Freedom - #6/6 - Young's most passionate and fast-paced song is also his best as he took an unexpected rock turn to crank out this pulsing Bush (the first one) era protest song. The guitar riff and chorus are highlights.
#11 - "Born To Run" - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run - #11/11 - When Springsteen sat down to write this song he wanted to write the greatest song in the history of rock n roll. Rolling Stone said he was only off by 3 and I say he's only off by 10. The song is epic in scale from the deep vocal tone the Boss utilizes to the cathartic choruses. The story sounds like it could have been written by Steinbeck or Salinger and the guitar work is stellar. Not quite the greatest song ever written, but #11? Pretty damn close.
#19 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 - War - #16/16 - U2's first definite sign of their future stadium-rocking greatness, "Sunday" is a sad and searing punk rock song disguising itself as a classic rock anthem. The song is best appreciated during the video recorded live at Red Rocks with Bono's mullet and the incredible effect that the fog ads to the bleak subject matter of the song.
#18 - "Baba O'Riley" - The Who - Who's Next - #8/9 - Frequently mislabeled as "Teenage Wasteland" because of the chorus, "Baba" features the best instrumental opening of the classic rock era and passionate vocals that create an almost cathartic tone to the song from start to finish.
#17 - "Satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones - Out Of Our Heads - #18/20 - The guitar riff is legendary and the lyrics were way ahead of their time. To think, the riff came to Richards in a dream. If he had just gone back to sleep we might never have had a classic rock era and everything would have sounded like the Beatles and the Beach Boys, high quality, but no attitude.
#16 - "Changes" - David Bowie - Hunky Dory - #10/10 - Among the best-written songs of the 70's, "Changes" was easily Bowie's best song with it's poetic lyrics and sing-along chorus. The "time may change me" part of the chorus and the chord progression between verses are highlights.
#15 - "Stairway To Heaven" - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV - #23/24 - The band's all-time classic epic, though not their best song, "Stairway To Heaven" is Dylanesque in it's epic storytelling and feautres the best guitar solo of all-time as Jimmy Page tears the sky open just before Robert Plant cauterizes it back together with a blistering penultimate verse leading into the classic ending.
#14 - "Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who - Who's Next - #9/9 - The most significant moment in rock n roll occurs towards the end of the song as a guitar solo builds up slowly to a cathartic explosion of a scream from Roger Daltrey (usually accompanied by a perfectly timed power slide). The song itself is also brilliant as it attacks politics and particularly the corruption of power even in the hands of those who led revolutions against said power. Like many of the best songs of the classic rock era, the song is essentially a story in parts played out as an epic rock song.
#13 - "Hey You" - Pink Floyd - The Wall - #13/14 - Not quite their best song or their best lyrics (but consider the band), but damn close as the best song on The Wall is a desperate appeal for connection in an isolated world and stands alone very well but fits in perfectly in the rock opera told on the album.
#12 - "Rockin' In The Free World" - Neil Young - Freedom - #6/6 - Young's most passionate and fast-paced song is also his best as he took an unexpected rock turn to crank out this pulsing Bush (the first one) era protest song. The guitar riff and chorus are highlights.
#11 - "Born To Run" - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run - #11/11 - When Springsteen sat down to write this song he wanted to write the greatest song in the history of rock n roll. Rolling Stone said he was only off by 3 and I say he's only off by 10. The song is epic in scale from the deep vocal tone the Boss utilizes to the cathartic choruses. The story sounds like it could have been written by Steinbeck or Salinger and the guitar work is stellar. Not quite the greatest song ever written, but #11? Pretty damn close.
Top 1000 Bands #20-#11
20 - Queens Of The Stone Age - Among the best bands at the moment, Queens has only released a handful of albums to date, but each seems to get better than the last. The band's stoner rock sound is one of the few truly unique sounds to develop in the past ten years, with it's hazy vocals and intense guitar work.
19 - Johnny Cash - Easily the best country performer of all-time, Johnny Cash was one of the greatest performers of all-time and a brilliant songwriter who effortless oozed cool at all times through his career and ended on the highest note possible, with his cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt" as part of the American series of covers and new material.
18 - The Pixies - The most influential indie rock band of the 80's, The Pixies were critically acclaimed but mostly unknown during the band's active run only to become insanely popular after their break-up thanks to positive mentions from alt-rock legends like Nirvana and critics who obsess over the band (pitchfork...). Their music was weird but always had strong pop sensibilities that made the music palatable and possibly even radio-friendly if they were given the chance.
17 - Bruce Springsteen - One of rock's most consistent performers, Springsteen kicked off his career in the mid-70's with the goal of writing the great American rock song, a goal he met shortly after with "Born To Run". He became a media sensation with his "Born In the USA" album and is among the most respected performers to this date.
16 - Rage Against The Machine - The best rap metal band of all-time by a mile, Rage Against The Machine merged the blistering lyrics of Zach De La Rocha with the insane guitar work of Tom Morello, who may be the most innovative guitar player since Eddie Van Halen. The band only released three official albums, but there's never going to be a more politically significant band. Put it this way... shortly after the band broke up? Bush took office.
15 - Soundgarden - The third biggest grunge band after the big two (we'll see them later), Soundgarden was basically the offspring of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, their music merging bleak and dark themes and sounds with killer solos and wailing vocals. Down On The Upside may be the most underrated album of the 90's.
14 - Tool - The best prog metal band of the 90's and 21st century, Tool takes a long time to put together their albums but when they're ready they're as good as it gets in the modern heavy metal scene. Their lyrics are thick, their guitars are swirling and the combination is usually downright hypnotic.
13 - The Who - Outside of the Beatles and the Stones, no band was bigger or better in the mid 60's than the Who. The Who created the rock opera and the attitude expressed in their early songs was one of the triggers that eventually led to punk rock. The band is also on record with creating many of the greatest songs of the classic rock era as they morphed from a mod British Invasion band in the 60's to a stadium-filling juggernaut in the 70's.
12 - David Bowie - Rock's first true chameleon, David Bowie started out as a straight-forward classic rocker but eventually branched off into glam rock, which led to his famous Ziggy Stardust era, and survived through the 80's and 90's by changing genres as the times changed, cranking out great album after great album.
11 - Elvis Costello - Unlike the rest of the world, when I refer to "Elvis" this is who I'm talking about. Costello is one of rock's finest songwriters and he has an incredible voice to boot. I liked his music in the late 70's and early 80's the best, his punk era, so to speak, but he's changed genres frequently and achieved a lot of success over the decades.
19 - Johnny Cash - Easily the best country performer of all-time, Johnny Cash was one of the greatest performers of all-time and a brilliant songwriter who effortless oozed cool at all times through his career and ended on the highest note possible, with his cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt" as part of the American series of covers and new material.
18 - The Pixies - The most influential indie rock band of the 80's, The Pixies were critically acclaimed but mostly unknown during the band's active run only to become insanely popular after their break-up thanks to positive mentions from alt-rock legends like Nirvana and critics who obsess over the band (pitchfork...). Their music was weird but always had strong pop sensibilities that made the music palatable and possibly even radio-friendly if they were given the chance.
17 - Bruce Springsteen - One of rock's most consistent performers, Springsteen kicked off his career in the mid-70's with the goal of writing the great American rock song, a goal he met shortly after with "Born To Run". He became a media sensation with his "Born In the USA" album and is among the most respected performers to this date.
16 - Rage Against The Machine - The best rap metal band of all-time by a mile, Rage Against The Machine merged the blistering lyrics of Zach De La Rocha with the insane guitar work of Tom Morello, who may be the most innovative guitar player since Eddie Van Halen. The band only released three official albums, but there's never going to be a more politically significant band. Put it this way... shortly after the band broke up? Bush took office.
15 - Soundgarden - The third biggest grunge band after the big two (we'll see them later), Soundgarden was basically the offspring of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, their music merging bleak and dark themes and sounds with killer solos and wailing vocals. Down On The Upside may be the most underrated album of the 90's.
14 - Tool - The best prog metal band of the 90's and 21st century, Tool takes a long time to put together their albums but when they're ready they're as good as it gets in the modern heavy metal scene. Their lyrics are thick, their guitars are swirling and the combination is usually downright hypnotic.
13 - The Who - Outside of the Beatles and the Stones, no band was bigger or better in the mid 60's than the Who. The Who created the rock opera and the attitude expressed in their early songs was one of the triggers that eventually led to punk rock. The band is also on record with creating many of the greatest songs of the classic rock era as they morphed from a mod British Invasion band in the 60's to a stadium-filling juggernaut in the 70's.
12 - David Bowie - Rock's first true chameleon, David Bowie started out as a straight-forward classic rocker but eventually branched off into glam rock, which led to his famous Ziggy Stardust era, and survived through the 80's and 90's by changing genres as the times changed, cranking out great album after great album.
11 - Elvis Costello - Unlike the rest of the world, when I refer to "Elvis" this is who I'm talking about. Costello is one of rock's finest songwriters and he has an incredible voice to boot. I liked his music in the late 70's and early 80's the best, his punk era, so to speak, but he's changed genres frequently and achieved a lot of success over the decades.
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