Top 100 (5-1)

5. Pearl Jam - Alive

The best grungy classic rock song ever. Pearl Jam has always been kind of a hybrid band. They are definitely grunge and fit in nicely with the Seattle scene, but they always had more classic rock (especially Neil Young) influences to their music than fellow Seattle grungers did.

At the forefront of this influence are some absolutely blistering guitar solo by Mike McCreedy and this song features one of my favorites of any genre. The way this song crescendos into an all out rock fest at the end is absolutely amazing.

4. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird

Ok so it's cliche, but cliche or not it's just a damn good song. Another song with the classic start slow/end rocking format that is all but lost in new music nowadays with legendary guitar work from the triple-axe attack. The only danger this song poses is to motorists who don't have cruise control. Often times during the solo, 80 mph can be hit easily without being conscious of it.

3. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone

From the first snare hit you just know this song is going to be a classic kick-off to Dylan's best album. After embracing the electric guitar, Dylan gives critics of the move nothing more to complain about after this song. How does it feeeeeel indeed.

2. Beatles - A Day In The Life

Reason number infinity Lennon & McCartney were the best songwriting duo ever. As was the case with a lot of Beatles classics, this tune was composed from half written song by each side of the duo melded perfectly together by George Martin.

The dreamy trance like music and lyrics from Lennon crescendos into Paul's verse then right back to Lennon before the final crescendo and the single biggest piano chord in rock history fading out in the oblivion.

1. Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road

I've always put this song hand in hand with Born To Run as a lot of fans probably do. But while I like Born To Run, I absolutely love this song. It is the epitome of classic rock and roll to me and probably a pretty controversial song for #1 overall, but this song instantly brightens any day in which I hear it.

It starts off with a simple harmonica/piano medley referencing Roy Orbison and picks up the pace ending with a sax solo by the great Clarence Clemons. It's probably also the Boss's greatest vocal performance (at times reminding me of The Big O himself) not to mention one of the best road trip songs ever.

So there you have it. My personal Top 100 list. Undoubtedly since I started writing it, some songs have changed their rankings in my own mind and I'm always on the outlook for good new songs I can add to the list in the future. I'd love to hear everyone else's opinions on both my list and your own personal list especially of why people favor songs that you don't find on traditional Best of lists.

Top 100 (10-5)

10. Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing

For a while when I was a teenager this was one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs. From the moment I realized it's Dire Straits it's been my favorite song by them as well. Yeah I know, now I can tell the difference pretty easily, but I was a neophyte then.

Mark Knopfler is really an underrated guitarist. The guitar work (and the drumming) in this song rate amongst the best of any classic rock song. The only thing that could possibly make it better were if the lyrics involved installing microwave ovens.

9. Aerosmith - Dream On

Most bands peak early and it's not a big surprise to find their best song is off their first album, however in a musical career as long and storied as Aerosmith it is a bit of an odd thing. Ironically this song is probably about as un-Aerosmith sounding as Aerosmith gets. If you squint, you can tell it's Steven Tyler singing, but it lacks his trademark scat. Still an absolutely fantastic song though.

8. Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

Why do the best ones always have to be crazy? If not for his neurosis it's very possible Brian Wilson may have become as big as Paul McCartney. While they started out as a fairly simply surf group they, like the Beatles, grew up in terms of complexity as the 60's waned. The Beatles begat Pet Sounds which begat St. Pepper's. Sometimes friendly competition is good when it leads to 2 of the best albums ever recorded.

With the Beach Boys it was always all about the harmonies and this song is the apex of that along with the dreamy quality of the music and lyrics.

7. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again

In making this list, I realized I really really like The Who which came as no surprise, but they are the only band with two songs this high on my list. This song showcases everything that is good about the band. The structure of the song changes so many times up to the most defining yowl of any song ever made.

And the drumming, oh Lord the drumming. The track laid down by Keith Moon is probably the best drum track ever and thanks to the increasing blandness of newer song's drums may hold that title for a very long time.

6. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

There is no band out there quite like Queen. It's amazing what they managed to accomplish with the limitations of 1970's analog recording equipment. This signature cut has probably caused numerous traffic accidents as people were busy banging their head to this song a la Wayne's World.

To create this masterpiece the 3-part harmony was dubbed and overdubbed numerous times to create the choirlike vocals.

Top 100 (15-11)

15. Kansas - Carry On My Wayward Son

I'm really to the point now where depending on the day any of these may qualify as my favorite song. I play a variety of instruments and like songs for a variety of reasons, but this song nails it on every front. It's got several guitar solos, a killer bass line, good drums and soaring vocals. Probably my #1 most played song on Rock Band as well.

I'll have another post up soon about "The Loudness War" and why classic rock production is so much better, but one thing newer bands can learn from this is variation. My favorite points of the song are when the drummer plays a few well placed open hi-hat notes in the middle of a verse to really add to the build up.

14. Radiohead - Karma Police

Thom Yorke genius..blah blah blah. Yeah it's still true. The beautiful archepellago harmony of the acoustic guitar and piano during the chorus is fantastic. It's both simple and complex at the same time and then fades into a noise at the end that somehow works.

13. Guns N Roses - Sweet Child O Mine

I think one of the points I realized when I was getting a little bit older was when I started hearing this song with regularity on classic rock stations. Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Pink Floyd, that stuff is classic rock. It came out before I was born. I remember buying this album when this song was new. That was only...umm...over 20 years ago...crap. And for over 20 years this has been among my all time favorites.

I remember driving around the country in high school with some friends looking for another friends house where we were supposed to play paintball. We were completely lost down county roads and lo and behold Axl was singing on the stereo, "Where do we go now?" Very appropriate.

12. Boston - More Than A Feeling

A rock song with dynamics? A build up from a softer sounding song into an all out rock fest? Must be from the 70's. Those types of songs don't exist anymore in the mainstream. Probably one of the first songs, I ever learned how to play on guitar and when I started concentrating on drums, this is one of the songs that made me realize I really really like the sound of a rimshot on the snare.

11. The Who - Baba O'Riley

Another thing my study of drums has taught me is I love the bass drum and I love lots of crashing cymbals. This song is tame by Keith Moon's standards, but still has a ton of cymbals at just the right spots to support Roger Daltrey's always excellent vocals. Nobody seems to appreciate this song as much as they should because they think the name of it is Teenage Wasteland.

Top 100 (20-16)

20. Radiohead-Creep

What other word can you use to describe Thom Yorke other than "genius". This song is the epitome of songwriting. Perfect lyrics and perfect weathered vocals to go with them. I usually think cursing in a song is unnecessary and just makes for bad radio edits, but when he sings "You're so fucking special" it just punches me in the face every time.

19. Garth Brooks-The Thunder Rolls (Long Version)

Garth Brooks was definitely my gateway drug into appreciating country music and I'm not nearly alone on this. The last verse which only shows up on the live version adds a final kick to the classic country tale of the somebody done somebody wrong song.

18. Guns N Roses-Patience

Proof that Guns N Roses could pull off more than just rock. Not exactly a monster ballad, but an excellent acoustic song at least and one of the more criminally underrated tunes of all time. The outro is simply amazing. As a side node, one of those memories that just sort of sticks with me: Back when MTV actually showed music videos, I would always watch the Top 10?20? countdown and then it was bedtime. This song was #1 for several weeks in a row and right before the coda when the music pauses the screen goes black. Every single week, at this moment my dad would say "Time for bed" and I'd have to remind him without fail the song was not in fact over.

17. Bob Dylan-Tangled Up In Blue

Probably my favorite lyrics ever in a Dylan song. I've always loved the imagery in this one. The jangly guitar and the random drums accentuate the song perfectly.

16. CCR-Have You Ever Seen The Rain

A classic mid-tempo rocker. A very basic rhythm that lets John Fogerty's vocals shine through on a rainy day.

Album Review The Offspring - Rise and Fall Rage and Grace

For some reason this album, which has been out for a year now, stayed pretty under the radar. This is surprising considering any band that was ever good releasing a record seems to get hyped nowadays. However in anticipation of seeing the Offspring live last weekend I decided to refresh myself on some of their songs and learn a few of the new ones to get the full concert experience.

First of all, the concert was fantastic. It was opened by a generic punk band called Time Again then the Dropkick Murphys came out. While I have an ancillary relationship with them, they were a solid live band and surprisingly enough I even knew a couple of their tunes.

After paying $3 for a lukewarm bottle of water to prevent heat exhaustion, we crowded a little bit closer for the headliners. We were instantly engulfed in a big hazy smoke as I half expected at a show like this. There was also about 400% more crowd-surfing than I have ever seen at a concert before.

I left the concert venue with very achy feet, no voice whatsoever and a sore neck. So in other words the concert was everything I hoped it would be. They mixed in about half of the new album with their old classics in a nice tight set list.

Now about those new songs...

The Offspring formed nearly 25 years ago and released their first album 20 years ago. They didn't hit it big until their smash 3rd album appropriately titled "Smash". Let this be a lesson to any aspiring bands who don't think album titles are important. After a few other strong albums (Ixenay on the Hombre and Americana) they released a few clunkers (A Conspiracy of One and Splinter) the latter of which was 5 years ago.

This album falls squarely in the middle of those two groups. There are a few stellar tunes on here and a few not so stellar. Overall it's a good album, but if you go in expecting a classic you'll be disappointed.

As is common with bands who are entering into their mid-40's there are a number of slower tempo songs and even ballads! However, there are a few songs that let their punk roots shine through and those are generally the best cuts.

The album starts out with the almost anthemic Half-Truism which is probably my favorite song on the record. I tend to hate political statement songs, but this one is thinly veiled enough and still catchy without getting overly preachy.

Then comes Trust In You, which is a little too metal sounding for my taste. Not surprising given that Bob Rock (Metallica) was the producer for this effort.

You're Going To Go Far Kid is very divergent from the roots as it features a disco like drum beat almost making it dancable. Also one of the better tunes on here.

Hammerhead, the first single, gets back to the punks roots and is very classic Offspring sound.

After this the album gets a bit murky. There are some experiments with pianos and they go 1 for 2 on the ballads as Kristy Are You Doing Okay? has some very touching lyrics and a very acoustic feel.

About the only other notable is Stuff Is Messed Up which is apparently Dexter's take on the politics that have sprung forth since the Offspring's last record. This is also what they led off the concert with. While I'm not a huge fan of the lyrics the song itself is rather catchy.

All in all, there are enough good classic punk tunes to justify the purchase of this album. Some of the forays into different types of music previously foreign to the Offspring fail, but I would still rather hear a band fail to branch into something different than just release the same tired drivel. *cough* Green Day *cough*

Really despite the critic's reception to this album as well as the past two Green Day albums, this album is what Green Day aspires to be. I would gladly listen to this album anyday over the boring pop-punk of American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown.

Bottom line: If you like the Offspring, you'll probably enjoy at least some of this collection.

Top 100 (25-21)

25. Janis Joplin-Me And Bobby McGee



Janis is still the queen of female vocalists as far as I'm concerned. The husky bluesy voice has never been repeated in rock and roll. This song was actually written by Kris Kristofferson, but of course this is the one everyone knows.


24. Elton John-Tiny Dancer



This song just keeps going, but it never gets old. This is definitely peak Elton with all the words and music excellently arranged. Apparently he was also a big fan of 'Taxi' hence the hold me close you're Tony Danza line. Never understood why the song was named Tiny Dancer.



23. Eagles-Hotel California

This is one of the songs I credit for getting me into classic rock. Growing up in the 80's I obviously knew who Don Henley was, and when the Eagles re-united and released Learn To Be Still, I said "My gosh that's Don Henley. What is this band called the Eagles they are attributing this song to?"

Then I discovered Hotel California (both the song and album) and fell in love with the guitar work. Simply a classic.

22. David Bowie-Life On Mars?

To say David Bowie is peculiar is an understatement. While some of his Ziggy Stardust antics and way out there lyrics weren't to my liking, the man does have an incredible voice. This song, like most of his, is kind of non-sensical, but his soaring vocals during the beginning of the chorus are simply beautiful.

21. Journey-Don't Stop Believin'

Do I really have to give a reason for song? It's the white people anthem of the nation. I'm pretty sure I could have a day straight out of the most depressing country song ever, and if I put this on the cd player, my mood would instantly become better.
Plus what other song can you see Tony Romo and Mr. Belding perform together?

Album Review - The Gaslight Anthem - '59 Sound

If you are like me, you don't have a very large attention span so I'll do one short review and one longer one.



Short review:

Buy this album



Long review:



I've ready hundreds, probably thousands of reviews in my lifetime and one of the things that is hardest to define (and often wrong) is a reviewer's description of who the band sounds like. After all, when being introduced to a new band don't we all want to know they share something with bands we already know and love. This inevitably leads to any rock band out of New Jersey being labeled either "Sounds like Springsteen" or "Sounds like Bon Jovi".



I hate these classifications for two reasons

1. Often times it is far far from the truth. When I hear a band described as "Like the Who" only they have basic drumming and no rhythm section to speak of it makes me angry. Often times after hearing that, I'm left disappointed that the sound doesn't live up to the Who. And most bands can't.

2. It's just plain lazy in most instances. Just like when comparing athletes, white athletes are compared to other white athlethes and black athletes are compared to other black athletes. The comparison is made on visual similarities not actual styles of play. Just become a band is from the same area and has the same look of another band, does not mean those two are automatically related.


That said when I first listened to a few of this band's songs, I described them to a friend of mine as a punkish mix between Springsteen and The Killers and this was BEFORE I found out any other information about them.

The Springsteen similarity is what makes this band stand out from what I associate with "generic punk" music. The rhythm section plays punk, but the vocal stylings are much more melodic and rock based while the lyrics are often times like alt-country and can be very poignant at times. Also there are numerous references to other artists, which for some reason always wins points in my heart.

There are references to Tom Petty, Bob Seger, Counting Crows and (obviously) Springsteen.

"At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet,
It's a pretty good song maybe you know the rest"

If the Springsteen point hasn't been pounded home yet, do a YouTube search for them performing one of the Boss's underrated songs "I'm On Fire".

All in all the lyrics long for a time when music was actually music not overproduced marketing. While Green Day churns out another mediocre album, the mantle of melodic punk deserves to be passed on to bands such as this. In a small way though, even though this band deserves to hit it big, I kind of hope they don't so they can continue to produce music like this.

Key Songs: The '59 Sound, Old White Lincoln, Here's Looking At You Kid, High Lonesome

Top 100 Cont'd Part 2

Queen-Somebody To Love

One of the more underrated aspects of Queen's music are the backing vocals of the band. Freddie Mercury is obviously a very talented lead man, but what makes this song are the call and answer parts from the band. The definitive reason Queen can't be easily replicated; No one else can do justice to "Somebody toooooooooo loooooooooove"

Red Hot Chili Peppers-Under The Bridge

The Chili Peppers have had a strange career arc. They went from relatively obscurity to a hit song and a few others and all of a sudden exploded into a huge rock band a decade later. While their newer stuff is slightly overproduced it still has a good section to it and I love Flea's bass anytime. This one hit from the 90's though is still my all-time favorite from them. One of my friends in high school used to think they said "Under the bridge of time". I bet a bridge of time would be awesome!

Rolling Stones-Gimme Shelter

Most true rock bands can trace their roots back to either The Beatles or The Stones. Obviously they have their own influences, but the Stones are always the ones cited by the harder rock bands such as Aerosmith as influences. The Stones were probably the first white R&B group. Would anyone really be surprised if this were first a Tempations song?

Rolling Stones-Wild Horses

While the Stones dripping bluesy sound is their trademark, the reason they are one of the all-time greats is because they had variety. This song is a beautiful heartbreaker with possibly some of Mick's greatest vocal work.

Rolling Stones-You Can't Always Get What You Want

You'll probably notice a lack of Satisfaction on my list which probably violates some secret rock list ritual. While a great song, there are just others of the Stones I like better such as this anthem. It's too bad most of the best musicians in rock history are either old, dead or in the case of Keith Richards, both.

Roy Orbison-Crying

It's probably good the Big O came out when he did. I can't imagine such a mysterious dark person would be embraced by popular music in the MTV age. But man could he sing. Has anyone in rock history had a bigger vocal range? And he shows it all off on this song.

Rufus Wainwright-Hallelujah

Leonard Cohen is a fantastic poet. I cannot stress this fact enough. The only problem is no one can stand his performances. I'm pretty sure most songs of his remade I like. This is probably one of his more famous songs. Although Jeff Buckley's version seems to get more critical acclaim, I much prefer this version.

Stevie Ray Vaughn-Pride And Joy

Another case of only the good die young. After coming back through drug and alcohol problems, Stevie was killed in a similar way to his southern rock idols before him. Truly one of the best blues guitarists around, this is his best song.

Styx-Renegade

The pinnacle of arena rock. Styx is sort of a polarizing band for me. I like many of their songs, but can never listen to them for long periods of time. Except for this song. For some reason when I first started listening to classic rock I thought this was a newer song...not really sure why.

Sublime-Santeria

Ska, punk whatever you want to count this as, it's just good relaxing music. Sublime is another band that has a fairly unique sound.

The Band-The Weight

The Band has always struck me as kind of an enigma. They had the whole Southern jam band thing going, but always seemed like they stood away from the spotlight a bit and then knew when to let it go, giving us the fabulous The Last Waltz.

This is a good laid back rock track with wonderful biblically invoked lyrics.

The Knack-My Sharona

For some reason this band was hailed as the next Beatles. Maybe it made sense at the time, but I doubt it as it looks extra silly now. This song does have the signature drum beat with a simple guitar lick, but what many people forget is the blistering guitar solo at the end, truly one of my all time favorites.

The Romantics-What I Like About You

This song really sounds like it's from the 60's. Just a good catchy guitar and I love the whispering part toward the end.

Third Eye Blind-Semi-Charmed Life

Quite possibly the best song ever written about crystal meth. Of all the outrages over song lyrics in rock history no one seemed to have a problem with this one probably because it's hard to understand what he's actually saying in the song. Very infectious beat though.

Tom Petty-Free Fallin'

Tom Petty sticks to the three chord format better than anyone. He has a unique, but not necessarily great voice. Somehow this all leads to him completely rocking. I dare anyone not to belt out the chorus to this one.

Tom Petty-Mary Jane's Last Dance

Back in 1994 this probably would have been number one on the list. I absolutely loved this song when it first came out and not much has changed since then. I'm pretty sure this song was a strong motivation for me buying my first harmonica and of course he mentioned Indiana in the song which is always great.

Tom Petty is also one of the great classic rock artists that MTV didn't kill. Don't Come Around Here No More's video is already freaky enough, but this one takes the cake. In the video he steals a dead Kim Basinger from the morgue and dances with her one last time. See it's not about pot, it's about necrophilia.

Tommy Tutone-867-5309 (Jenny)

Sure this song is kind of cheesy (obviously because it's from the 80's) but it's still awesome. Also anyone who actually has this number probably got it changed sometime in the mid-80's, but apparently somebody in Southern Indiana didn't. After commencement my junior year of college one of my friends decided to call this number on the 812 prefix. Some lady in Evansville was not pleased to hear from us at 3 a.m.

U2-With Or Without You

Let me get this straight. U2 is one of the most overrated bands in rock history. Bono is a blowhard. They have only ever released one good album and a handful of other good songs, most of which were singlehanded negated by Vertigo which may be the worst song ever made.

I love this song. It is beautiful, mellow, heartbreaking, loving, just about everything you could ever want in a rock ballad all at the same time. My next highest rated U2 song would probably be in the thousands and Vertigo is about infinity+2 on my list, but U2 has a gem with this one.

Van Morrison-Brown Eyed Girl

Van Morrison definitely wins the award for artist I thought was a band for the longest time, but he also wins with this song which I'm pretty sure I've heard played at the last 700 weddings or so I've been to.

Weezer-Island In The Sun

Weezer like Green Day turned on the suck after their initial few albums, but I can still remember when they were awesome. This is the perfect happy song. I don't think it's possible to not be in a good mood when this song plays.

Weezer-Say it Ain't So

One of my all time favorites from the 90's. Weezer set themselves apart from most 90's groups because they used brilliant poppy jangly guitar riffs instead of/combined with grungy music.

White Stripes-Seven Nation Army

Proof that not all newer music sucks. Though the garage rock revival didn't create a whole lot of great songs, it finally went back in the direction of real music instead of produced music that is overdubbed so much it loses all feeling.

It's also nice to see a musician who is willing to take chances and veer away from the standard path in search of something better. Not every album is great, but it's at least interesting and keeps fans wondering instead of spurning out the same generic rip-offs of your own songs album after album.

Who-Who Are You

I've spilled much virtual ink on the Who before. The adaptability they had was simply amazing. This is a later period song and really one of Roger Daltry's best vocal performances.

Who-You Better You Bet

A friend of mine in college absolutely hated this song and I'm not sure why. Most people think Keith Moon was a drumming madman. Which he was to a degree (and the muppet character animal was based on him). If you really structurely break it down though other than an afinity for rolls (especially snare rolls) he had some technically sound qualities to him. He was just unconventional.

He would use the bass drum to keep the beat instead of the hi-hats. He would do tom rolls to the beat and throw cymbals in instead of a snare on the backbeat. All of the chaos tied together with the steadiness of the bass playing makes the Who great.

Willie Nelson-Georgia On My Mind

In a song popularized by Ray Charles, I'm probably one of the few that prefers Willie's version in no small part to the harmonica played throughout.

Top 100 Cont'd

Continued with the next 25

John Mellencamp-Hurts So Good

I'm from Indiana. Mellencamp writes our gospel music. Enough said.

John Mellencamp-Pink Houses

One day while out on my friend's boat we actually drove by John Mellencamp's house. I was very sad to see that it was not pink. In fact it's a real postmodern looking atroticity. The song however, still rocks.

Johnny Cash-Hurt

I once heard a quote that was something along the lines of Johnny Cash could sing the phone book and make it sound compelling. So true. Unlike most rock artists the man in black's music actually got better as his hardened age voice took over. There are so many Cash classics, but this is the most touching. Trent Reznor has even said Johnny Cash made this song his own.

Led Zeppelin-Fool In The Rain

Criminally underrated among Zep classics. This is one of Bonham's better drumming performances. As I've studied music from a critical viewpoint more and more since becoming an adult, I realized that the thing that draws me to bands most is a solid rhythm section. Between Bonham and John Paul Jones Zep has the best rhythm section of any band this side of the Who.

Led Zeppelin-Over The Hills And Far Away

Gun to my head, I'd probably list this as my favorite Zeppelin song (yes above Stairway). I love the soft intro/rocking end thing and this song is a blast to play on the acoustic guitar.

Led Zeppelin-Stairway To Heaven

This is the mecca of classic rock. You haven't truly played guitar until you learn this song. While I don't think it's the defacto best song ever it's still right up there. Again mellow beginning/rocking end. I'm sensing a trend here.

Live-I Alone

I saw Live live about two years ago and in retrospect I should've seen the awesomeness coming. I mean if you are going to name yourself Live you'd better put on a good show. They did their cover of Cash which was surprisingly fresh then launched into this song and got the crowd raucous. Unfortunately their set ending and Counting Crows came on the stage to bore everyone to death. The night would've been much better with just Live.

Marc Cohn-Walking In Memphis

A great one-hit wonder back in the time when such a thing existed without the record companies cramming more garbage down our throats once an artist hits it big. My ex-girlfriend found a copy of this cassette at Goodwill a few years ago for a buck. After listening to the rest of the songs, I fully understand how this was his only hit. Music is kind of amazing that way. It seems so counter-intuitive that an artist can have a song as fantastic as thing, yet produce nothing else of substance.

On a side note to bad country artists, STOP REMAKING GOOD SONGS!! Lonestar's version of this blows, yet sadly is probably the version a lot of people know now. At least Rascal Flatts hasn't covered it....yet.

Marshall Tucker Band-Can't You See

Another southern rock diddy by a band mostly associated with some good country hits. This is by far their most rock based song and it could easily be mistaken for something by the Allman Brothers which is a very good thing.

Michael Jackson-Billie Jean

He's become a national punchline in the last decade, which is sad because most people don't remember anymore that he used to be one talented musician back when he was still black. You'll see Thriller still top every VH1 and MTV video anthology list. I'm tall white and skinny, therefore I do as little dancing as possible, but I can help but get my legs moving sometimes when this song plays.

Motley Crue-Kickstart My Heart

While I don't apologize for loving 80's hair metal, I do appreciate that it's more "fun" music than "good" music. That said, I think Motley Crue is one of those bands that was a little bit more talented than their brethren mostly thanks for Tommy Lee's drumming. Further proof: Saints of Los Angeles is an awesome song. How many 80's bands have produced anything half decent since the 80's? After several years gone by, they're still kicking ass....whoa...oh Kickstart my Heart hope it never stops.

Neil Young-Heart Of Gold

Bob Dylan hated this song. Not because it was bad, but because it sounded like something Dylan would do only better. That's high praise. I've always known I like Neil Young a lot but in compiling this list, I realized that more of his songs made the initial cuts than anyone outside of the Beatles or The Who although none of them cracked my Top 25. For the record, this one got closests.

Neil Young-Like A Hurricane

Neil is known for his unique guitar style and voice, but really at the heart of it he's just a poet who also happens to do those things. This contains one of the all-time best lines anywhere. "You are like a hurricane/There's calm in your eye"

Neil Young-Rockin' In The Free World

One of the few times a post-peak musician got it right. I was amazed when I realized this song was not in fact from the 70's (which didn't take long listening to the lyrics). I love the irony of this song (and Born in The USA) being used as rallying cries. I doubt most people who rock to this song realize that is about baby dumpsters and environmental destruction.

Nirvana-Smells Like Teen Spirit

The song that plunged grunge into the mainstream. Maybe I should've put a Pixies song here instead since without them there is no Nirvana, but this song did catapult all kinds of good music into the mainstream just so Chad Kroeger could defile it 15 years later.

Nirvana-Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

Off their acoustic album based on a traditional folk song, Cobain's screechy vocals really elicit the emotion on this one. As he is wont to do he screams the entire last verse and it somehow works.

Pat Benatar-Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Nothing fancy here, just a good straight forward rock song.

Patsy Cline-Crazy

Back before Willie Nelson became a country hero, he was just a songwriter and luckily for us, he wrote this gem for Patsy Cline to sing. Almost a jazzy number the piano fits in perfectly with Patsy's voice.

Pearl Jam-Yellow Ledbetter

Pearl Jam does Jimi Hendrix. Not that that's a bad thing. I don't understand why people are always ripping musicians for having stuff that sounds like the classics. Sure, I think we'd all rather have something new and exciting, but something that sounds like the Beatles is a million times better than some talentless band or the latest Nickelback knock-off even if it isn't terribly original. The Beatles first few albums weren't exactly original either.

Pearl Jam is a different kind of grunge group, taking cues from the Pixies as all others, but also with a healthy dose of Neil Young and actual sustained guitar solos. They have outlasted nearly all their contemporaries even if their catalog hasn't improved much in the past decade.

Phish-Farmhouse

I often wonder what would happen if I ever smoked pot. I mean, I'm laid back already, I like all the "stoner" rock and I love potato chips. I don't really see anything changing. I've yet to make it a Phish live show (mostly because they sell out immediately) but I'm sure hearing Trey's sprawling guitar solos is absolutely heavenly even without the high.

Phish-Sample In A Jar

A big Phish phan friend of mine in college randomly played this song on my guitar while in my room one day and after I downloaded the real thing, I couldn't stop playing it for days afterwards. The guitar work in it is amazing.

Pink Floyd-Comfortably Numb

For a period in my life, this may have ranked as my top song. A friend of mine joked once that most mix cd's I had contained this song. For whatever reason, I don't listen to as much Pink Floyd as I used to, but this song is still one of the best ever written.

Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here

So you think you can tell a good song from bad? Start here with this gem. The famous intro is the backbone of this song and I always liked the songs David Gilmour sang better anyway.

Prince-Kiss

Call him whatever you want to, even if he suffers from Michael Jackson craziness he rocks. Prince sets the standard for funk and anyone who saw him perform at the Super Bowl knows he can shred on the guitar when he wants to as well.

Queen-Fat Bottomed Girls

I don't know what's so incredible about the guitar riff, I just know I love it. Queen seems to be a hit or miss group. Most people I know either love Queen or hate them with very little in between. I personally side with the ones who think Freddie Mercury was one of the best lead singers ever.

My personal Top 100

List are all the rage! I want in! This list was actually very complicataed to build. I initially picked out several hundred songs out of my database and slowly started whittling down. Somewhere around the 150 mark the cuts became increasingly difficult.

The number one factor is obviously the pure sonic quality of a song, but I did tend to favor more mainstream/influential songs. While I may love Cowboy Mouth, none of their songs are more important to music than the Beatles.

After attempting to assign a number to every song, I realized anything from about 25-100 (as well as some songs I had to leave off) could swing depending on my mood so I just decided to rank 25 and present the other 75 in alphabetical order rather than assign a number arbritrarily. Onto the list of the first 25;

Alice In Chains-Man In The Box

Alice In Chains is one of the most underrated bands of the grunge era. I mostly define grunge as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains (you know, the Seattle scene), although the first three (especially the top two) seem to always get more recognition than AIC. What sets them apart for me are the tremendous vocals especially on this song. The backing vocals in the chorus (i.e. "Can you sew them shut", etc.) give a lot more depth to this song with the vocal layering.

Beatles-Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Possibly the most obscure song on my list, it's always been one of my Beatle's favorites and it is a real hidden gem from the Fab Four. Above all of that it is probably the most sonically pleasing argument ever for the second ammendment.

This song really has two parts. The first starts out like a typical moody Lennon piece of that period before spontaneously ending with some 50's style vocals at the end and I love me some 50's music. There's also a bit of vocal irony involved with singing about guns in a doo-wop style.

Beatles-Hey Jude

Who hasn't at one point in their life sang along with every "na-na-na-na-na-na-na" at the end of the song. As most Beatles fans know, this song was written by Paul for John's son Julian following Lennon's divorce. The original title was "Hey Jules" but later changed to Jude. This song is a classic, but is also noted for shattering the rule that radio singles must be under 3 minutes long clocking in at over 7 minutes thanks to Paul's scat outro that Steven Tyler among many others has made a staple over the last few decades.

Beatles-I Am The Walrus

This song, kids, is why you shouldn't do LSD. It's always amazed me how Lennon could write non-sensical drug induced lyrics and make them sound good, but he pulls it off yet again. "Yellow matter custard dripping off a dead dog's eye" is both very disgusting and very descriptive, but also very unique.

Black Crowes-Hard To Handle

One of the best cover songs ever even if most people have never heard Otis Redding's original. The Black Crowes cover it using their normal swampy rock tone with Chris Robinson's random noises about. I dare you not to have fun listening to this song.

Bon Jovi-Livin' On A Prayer

True fact: I have semi-seriously considered getting a talk box just so I could play the intro to this song. Just a great sing along song and one of the first I can remember knowing as my cassette tape of Slippery When Wet is still stashed somewhere in my parent's attic.

CCR-Long As I Can See The Light

I make no secret that I tend to like mid-tempo rockers more and this is just a good relaxing song complete with a saxophone solo! No one has ever come close to replicating John Fogerty's singing style. As one of the few living rock legends, I recommend seeing him live if you ever get the chance.

Chuck Berry-Johnny B Goode

Thank God for Michael J Fox...errr Marty McFly. If not for him, Marvin would've never called his cousin Chuck and we'd never have this classic. But wait, if he never wrote it then Marty would never know it to go back in time to play it so he could write it. Time travel makes my head hurt!

This song however does not. As mentioned previously, I love 50's music, but all of it doesn't hold up well 50 years later. This song does. The guitar intro is still one of the best of all time. Part of the reason I hate new music now is it's all so over-produced and generic sounding. It's amazing to think that with all the technology we have now, music was actually better 50 years ago when all it took was Chuck Berry, a guitar and inferior recording technology to make a great record.

David Bowie-Space Oddity

David Bowie is one weird dude. I've never gotten the thing with Ziggy Stardust and most of his music I find blah at best with two exceptions. One you'll see later. the other is this song.

Derek & The Dominoes-Layla

Unquestionably the best song from the best album ever released about being in love with your best friend's wife. Also one of the best outros ever as the blistering guitars fade out into the long piano outro that really should be played at any melodramatic point in my life.

Not being exposed to classic rock until the age of 12, I actually knew the acoustic version of this song first, which is good in its own right, but I remember being absolutely amazed when I heard this for the first time.

Dusty Springfield-Son Of A Preacher Man

Maybe it's because everytime I hear this song I associate it with Pulp Fiction (an all time top five movie) it puts me in a better mood. This is soul music at its best and Dusty Springfield's smooth vocals put it over the top.

Eagles-Life's Been Good

I cheat on this one a bit and say Eagles because while Joe Walsh's studio version is good the version on Eagles Live blows it out of the water. This is also the song during every Eagles concert I've seen where Joe puts on the helmet cam and scans around the crowd. This is one of the first serious songs I can ever remember learning how to play on guitar and one of the few I can always remember even though my skills have faded over the past few years.

Elton John-Your Song

Some of my not as close friends often associate me only with rockin' songs and country and are surprised when I mention I listen to stuff like Elton John. While it's true most of today's singer songwriters sound drab and boring to me, Elton John does not.

He uses drums and other instruments, not just the piano. His voice is one of the best ever, and God bless Bernie Taupin these are some of the best lyrics this side of Bob Dylan and Elton knows how to make them count.

This might be my favorite (and the best) love song ever written. This isn't some guy writing sappy lyrics to get laid, these are bona fide heartfelt lyrics sung by one of the most flaming famous musicians ever. Appreciate the irony, people.

Eminem-Lose Yourself

It's very easy for me to love a good classic rock or alternative song. Even a top notch country song I like, but the true test of a good song is if it can break through from a genre I'm not fond of and make me love it.

I'll get this out there. I hate most rap. I hate computerized sounds and the random sounds that aren't even instruments. I hate the subject matter in most of the songs. A lot of other Eminem songs fall into this category, but you can see a real maturation process from him since the Slim Shady days.

This song does have a (computerized) standard drum beat and guitar lick which is probably why it's passable, but what makes it for me is Eminem's vocal performance. His verses come out more hurried and frenzied towards the end matching the lyrics perfectly all before it erupts into another chorus. This is the kind of song structure that should be studied in music theory classes.

Eve 6-Inside Out

One of the classic 90's songs for me. Eve 6 released this song when they were teenagers and it is by far their best release to date.

Foo Fighters-Everlong, Foo Fighters-Monkey Wrench

Hey Johnny Park just misses this list. The Colour And The Shape is the essential Foo Fighters album. To date, I'm pretty sure this is also the only full album that has ever been played at basement bar.

Garth Brooks-Ain't Goin' Down (Til The Sun Comes Up)

As I'm sure was most people's segueway from "I hate country" to "Country is good" mine came while listening to lots of Garth Brooks my freshman year of college. This song has an ending hootananney to rival any rock song.

Georgia Satellites-Keep Your Hands To Yourself

Maybe it's because they were one-hit wonders, but I've always wondered why this song didn't get more recognition on the "greatest guitar solos" lists. This is the perfect southern rock song.

Great White-Once Bitten Twice Shy

Because they came out in the 80's Great White is often lumped into the hair metal grouping, but they have a much more bluesier edge to them than most groups. Plus this would be a fantastic song for Rock Band.

Green Day-When I Come Around

Ah remember when Green Day was actually good and actually made, you know, good music? It seems like so long ago, but it did happen. My personal favorite off of Dookie.

Head East-Never Been Any Reason

Probably my favorite song ever from a one-hit wonder. Seriously. I don't think I have ever heard another song by Head East. In fact back before the days of any information you wanted at your fingertips, I spent many hours on the dial-up posting to various forums on the interwebs to try to find out the name of this song.

James Gang-Funk #49

Nothing beats a good funky rock song, unfortunately not enough bands do it well. Luckily we have people like Joe Walsh. Guitar-epic, bass-epic, drums-epic.

Jerry Lee Lewis-Great Balls Of Fire

Now for my Andy Rooney moment. You ever notice how nobody ever plays the honky tonk piano anymore. When did digital sounds because the rage in rock music and the good old fashioned piano die out (and the harmonica too). I wonder how much of a tabloid star Jerry Lee Lewis would be in the modern media. Can you imagine if Britney Spears married her underaged second cousin?

John Lennon-Imagine

This song as we all know was inspired by Forrest Gump while a guest on the same Tonight Show as Lennon. What? That was fictional? Oh ok, let's move on.

Artists I've seen live:
Cowboy Mouth (x5)
Cross Canadian Ragweed (x4)
The Eagles (x3)
John Mellencamp (x2)
John Fogerty
Journey
Heart
Aerosmith
Cheap Trick
Donovan
Rascal Flatts (x2)
Kenny Chesney (x2)
Shooter Jennings (x2)
Stoney Larue
Cheap Trick
Back Porch Mary
Big & Rich
Tim McGraw
many opening bands

Artists I'm adding this summer (or at least hope to add)
Kid Rock
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Bob Dylan
Willie Nelson
The Offspring

Censorship in music

I got into a rather heated debate on a forum the last few days about censorship in music especially on the radio and video games. While my political leanings have always been to the right (hands off my money!) my personal liberties views tend to lean left (don't tell me what I can or can't see).

My personal belief is censorship is for lazy parents. Why should they have to teach their kids right from wrong when some government body can sanction what they are exposed to? My favorite movie when I was little was Major League. One of the first non-kids movies I can remember seeing in theaters was See No Evil, Hear No Evil and I specifically remember my parents asking if it was rated R for language or violence and they said for language only so inside we went. I was allowed to hear those words and when one came up my mom always told me to not use that word in public.

I never cursed out a teacher or uttered the f word in front of my grandmother. I did get in trouble in third grade for erasing Waldo out of the book on a white background after everyone had memorized his location on every page. I would've gotten away with it too had my friend not decided to erase him on non-white pages creating a notable absence. Now that was fucking funny, but I didn't say that to the teacher at the time.

Anyway back on subject. Some songs do needlessly spout obscenities and that is mildly annoying to me. For example, Down With The Sickness contains many words that do not necessarily enhance the song. It's more annoying that the edited version contains random pauses than that the word is missing, but if the artist's vision is to have that word in the song then by all means have it in the song. Imagine if a guitar lick or really cool crash cymbal portion of a song was removed for no reason. It would sound just as odd.

What really makes me die a little inside though is when songs like Creep are edited. This isn't just a random metal, we have to curse because it's metal, song. Thom Yorke is probably one of the most thought provoking songwriters alive and while I am both a huge Radiohead fan and find prolonged exposure to their music drab, I can't ever argue with the lyrics.

The entire song is about how a girl doesn't notice him and he feels bitter towards her because she is so much better than him. What conveys bitterness more while building up to the chorus?

A. You're so fucking special
B. You're so very special

Sometimes you need a curse word to put in for emphasis like "Fucking Soriano struck out again" or "Wayne was getting held for 3 fucking seconds". What's even worse is I'm sure there are some people out there who think very is the actual lyric to that song because they haven't heard the real version.

So to sum up I hope you enjoyed this fucking article and anyone in favor of music censorship can eat a steaming plate of mekrab.

Greatest albums (Part 4 5-1)

5. Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape (1998)

How amazing is Dave Grohl? Really is there anything he can't do? After stepping out of the shadows drumming for the breakthrough grunge group, he went solo more or less and rose to even greater heights. Some of the Foo's albums are a little bit uneven, but this one hits the nail on the head.

The Pixies influenced the start of grunge. Kurt Cobain brought it mainstream and Dave Grohl fused it with modern rock and absolutely nailed it. I am generally not a proponent of screaming in songs which is why I hate most new metal, but the raw emotion of the screaming verse of Monkey Wrench is absolutely perfect.

Key Tracks: Monkey Wrench, Everlong, February Stars, Hey Johnny Park

4. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

I think this one gets extra credit because while every other album on here is a great piece of music, this is the only one that is set to go along with a classic movie. I've watched "Dark Side Of Oz" multiple times and despite no actual verification from the band, come on, that is cool. Especially doing so with only the technology that existed in the 70's.

Probably Pink Floyd's most well known album and one of the most well known album covers in rock history, this is another ALBUM, not just a collection of songs. Everything flows together and fits perfectly ending with a grand crescendo and fade. Simply amazing.

3. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)

Now we come to the Boss. While I really wanted to put this album number one there are just a few less than stellar songs that knock it down a peg.

This album contains some of the very best songs ever, including my personal #1. Every song on here just screams epic and listening to it as a whole is like a Broadway musical in LP form. All of the band gets into this one with blistering sax solos from Clarence Clemons and gorgeous piano work by Roy Bittan throughout.

This was a real transition time for Bruce as his first two albums, although critically acclaimed did not reach mainstream success. He poured everything he had into making this record which was really his last shot at stardom and it showed. Even some of the tracks which individually did not stand out, worked in the concept of the whole album.

Key Tracks: Thunder Road, Jungleland, Born To Run

2. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and Abbey Road (1969)

Ok I cheated. If I didn't this list would've had almost all Beatles albums and been kind of boring after I ran out of random things to talk about around the 3rd album. As it is, these are my two favorites and I couldn't decide between so you get a bonus album.

The thing that makes the Beatles the most respected and influential band in rock history is their evolution. They were a simple bubblegum pop band in 1962 that along the way dabbled in blues and r&b a smidge of country and wrote the first heavy metal song. Bands today don't get the luxury. They have one hit and then are pushed to make every single from there to eternity be a close relative of that hit. Could you imagine if the Beatles came out today and were told, "You can't make this music. It's too hard and there are Indian instruments. Stick to pop". Yet another reason why Top 40 radio has gone to hell in the past 15 years.

Key tracks: All of the above, just lock yourself in the supply closet and listen to the Beatles all day

1. Guns 'N Roses - Appetite For Destruction (1987)

And taking the cake for kick-ass debut albums...

Really this is by far the greatest album that has been released in my lifetime. I've spilled thousands of words extolling GNR. I own this album on cd, vinyl and somewhere in my parent's attic, cassette tape. I went dressed as Slash for multiple Halloween parties.

Luckily my parents were cool with censorship and let me listen to this album when I was little. It's not like I actually understood the context of the songs and I'd heard the word "fuck" enough that it wasn't that much of a shock. Looking back on it now it doesn't really seem to be the type of thing a grade schooler should rock out to.

To borrow from Klosterman again, GNR was cool because they didn't just sing about the lifestyle, they lived it. Drinking, drugs and sex were standard subject matter for almost all 80's songs, especially hair metal, but GNR lived it. Axl was arrested for battery (which kind of puts "It's So Easy" in a different light). David Geffen pushed for Use Your Illusion to be a double album because he was afraid one of the band members would OD before they got finished. Guns N Roses weren't just a rock and roll band, they were rock and roll.

Key tracks: Sweet Child O Mine, Paradise City, Mr. Brownstone, Night Train

Greatest albums (Part 3 10-6)

10. Nirvana - Unplugged (1994)

I'm sure Kurt Cobain would appreciate the irony that the band that was the lynchpin of grunge had one of their most well received album on an acoustic set. To his credit, he knew exactly what songs would and wouldn't work in this format, something that isn't quite as obvious as it seems if you've ever heard any Chris Cornell acoustic material.

It also flies in the face of common sense to take Dave Grohl's drumming away from songs yet still have them be excellent in a different sort of way. He knew enough not to try to do Smells Like Teen Spirit or a lot of the edgier songs off Nevermind and added enough wrinkles to make it intereseting. He even said F U to MTV who didn't want him to do a cover of a band so obscure as the Meat Puppets, but Lake of Fire is one of the best cuts on here. My favorite, however, has to be Where Did You Sleep Last Night? where even acoustically he gets the nice grungy screaming in on the last verse which always gives me chills. Sadly this was Nirvana's last album. Oh what might have been.

Key Tracks: About A Girl, Where Did You Sleep Last Night, Lake Of Fire, Plateau

9. Boston - Boston (1976)

Speaking of hitting the ground running with a debut album...wow. Think they had been building up waiting for a record deal for a while? Every single one of these eight songs received solid radio play and if I had to rank every Boston song all would be in the top ten if not the top 8 themselves. How many albums can you say that about?

Not to mention More Than A Feeling is one of the most infectious songs ever.

Key Tracks: More Than A Feeling, Foreplay/Long Time, Rock & Roll Band

8. Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl (1989)

This is a bit of an oddball pick for me in some regards as it's probably more of a nostalgia love than the music itself actually merits. Roy Orbison is one of the greatest artist and especially vocalist in rock history around from the beginning until his early death in 1988. This album was his comeback of sorts that was a big hit posthumately. It shows how much he was respected in the industry to have Bono and Elvis Costello give him songs for this album. If only Bono would have given him more songs to simply sing instead of spout political dribble, I wouldn't dislike U2 so much. This album along with the concurrent Traveling Wilburys supergroup project thrust the Big O back into the spotlight which was unfortunately after his death.

Most people know the hit single off of here, "You Got It', but every single track on here is good and much like Johnny Cash in his later years the excellent lamenting lost love crooner's voice only got wearier and truer with age.

This was one of the first cassette tapes I ever got and between my dad and I we played it until it barely worked anymore. For a long time this wasn't available as a cd, but last year at Christmas I found copies of it and got a copy for me and my dad. I'm pretty sure it hasn't left either of our cd players since then. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, this music sounds good and it's something I can bond with my parents over.

Key Tracks: She's A Mystery To Me, The Only One, California Blue, You Got It

7. Big & Rich - Horse Of A Different Color (2004)

I'm a rock and roll guy first and foremost so a country album rating this high is a definite coup. This album just has it all though. It really reminds me of a modern day Johnny Cash and how country music used to sound. After all as they say in the first song, rock and roll used to be about Johnny Cash. There are fun songs, deep songs and religious songs on here for a real wild west show. I love this album, unfortunately the Nashville hype caught on too soon and every album they've released since has been commercialized crap.

This is what country music is about. I just wish Big & Rich had taken their own advice and kept making their own music. Their subsequent suckitude though doesn't make this album any less enjoyable.

Key Tracks: Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy), Rollin' (The Ballad Of Big & Rich), Holy Water, Live This Life

6. Pearl Jam - Ten

This album is just a classic. Also buying the 15 year re-release/remix makes me feel old. There are kids in high school who weren't even born yet when this came out. But anyway, this is about the pinnacle of the grunge age, but the one thing that always stood out about Pearl Jam is that they were an evolution of Neil Young. Sure they were grunge, but Mike McCreary still has some wicked guitar chops.

Also back when MTV actually played vidoes, I can remember being really freaked out by the Jeremy video. I'm pretty sure that video on repeat along with Black Hole Sun would drive anyway insane.

The only thing that prevents this from vaulting to the top is the blah-ness of the last few tracks. Not bad, but not nearly as iconic as the first few tracks.

Key Tracks: Alive, Even Flow, Black, Jeremy

Great albums (Part 2 15-11)

15. Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)

The tradeoff to the digital world of music is songs must now stand on their own and the concept of the album is almost completely dead since with the touch of a button you can select a new song to play. It's kind of nice to be able to put on an album that's cohesive all the way.

While the individual songs aren't all stand alone great (although a few are) the album as a whole works wonderfully telling a story in a manner Pete Townshend would be proud of.

While Roger Waters was by all reports a jerk and this album did as much as anything else to drive the rest of the band away you can't deny its brilliance.

Key Tracks: Hey You, Comfortably Numb, The Trial

14. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

The best album from the best singer/songwriter of all time. Proof that you don't have to be a studied musician to make good music. Broken down, Dylan has pretty awful vocals and his harmonica playing is haphazard at best, but somehow it all works.

From the first hit on the snare drum to open up this album is almost flawless. Mr. Zimmerman may have made numerous fans unhappy with his switch to electric, but his second full electric album does it right and even ends with an 11 minute acoustic song as a jab to the critics.

Key Tracks: Like A Rolling Stone, Desolation Row, Ballad Of A Thin Man

13. Led Zeppelin - II (1969)

While Led Zeppelin is seen as a cornerstone of classic rock and one of the first "heavy metal" bands to come about, their roots are firmly planted in the blues. Jimmy Page was a member of the Yardbirds after all.

While IV may get the most glory due to Stairway, I prefer the more raw bluesy songs off this album as my choice Zep cuts. Zeppelin might be so popular now they are ever so slightly overrated, but this album really shows everyone's strengths together and individually. This album has both one of the greatest guitar solos ever ("Heartbreaker") and drums ("Moby Dick")

Key Tracks: Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, What Is And What Should Never Be

12. The Who - Who's Next (1971)

When I was 24 years old, I was trying to go out with my friends as much as possible and hit on college girls. Pete Townshend composed a freaking rock opera. Advantage: Townshend

Really I could make a strong argument for the Who being the second greatest band ever. They get respect, but are still underrated. Pete Townshend is a genius who shows intellectual rock can still in fact rock.

From 1969-1973 The Who released Tommy, Who's Next and Quadrophenia, any of which could have appeared on this list, but I'm going with the one that contains two of my favorite songs ever.

The Who really had it all. In addition to Townshend, Daltry was the perfect vocalist and Entwhistle and Moon provided excellent rhythm. While maniacally pounded the drums does not a good drummer make (look at most modern metal bands), manaically pounding the drums while still somehow maintaining a discernable rhythm is brilliant.

Key Tracks: Won't Get Fooled Again, Baba O'Riley, Going Mobile

11. Green Day - Dookie (1994)

Remember when Green Day was good and not just another generic pop-punk band? Yeah I don't really either until I listen to this album and am reminded of it.

This album was also just innocent enough to not get banned on the school bus or during music class, at least until Longview came on. I hated censorship when I was 12 as much as I do now.

Since Weezer's blue album didn't make the list this seems like a good time to bring this up since Green Day and Weezer's careers have followed such similar trajectories.

I think anyone who grew up in the 90's intrinsically knows all the songs from that era. Last summer I was back at my college fraternity house helping work on re-tiling the kitchen floor. We had about 10-15 guys doing various tasks around the kitchen while listening to music. "Buddy Holly" was playing while everyone was doing their thing. Then like clockwork, everybody paused what they were doing belted "DE-DIL-DE-DIL-DE-DIL-DE-DIL-DE" then promptly went back to what they were doing. It was like an involuntary reaction.

Key Tracks: Basket Case, When I Come Around, Longview, Pulling Teeth

Greatest albums (Part 1 20-16)

Just because I've always felt like compiling a list like this. Ground rules: Live albums count, greatest hits packages don't. These aren't necessarily meant to be the consensus best, just ones that I personally love or have special meaning to me. Onto the list.

Honorable mention: Because it's a greatest hits package it doesn't qualify for the list, but one of my favorite memories of college was gathering around with some friends from the dorm, drinking and singing along to Garth The Hits on a lazy Friday night. That disc was my gateway to liking country music.

20. Concrete Blonde - Live in Brazil (2003)

I believe the biggest respect you can pay a band is to say they put on a great live show, which is really what music is all about. Sometimes those bands have trouble conveying that over to a studio recording, which is why I love live albums anytime I can find them.

Don't get me wrong, Concrete Blonde's studio recordings are still plenty good and I still find it perplexing that they didn't hit it bigger in the 90's. As is it "Joey" and "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" received some regular radio airplay, but other than that they stayed pretty well underground.

Which is a shame, because Jim Mankey was an excellent guitarist with some almost R.E.M. style pop hooks at times, but also shades of punk and 80's pop at times as well. What really made Concrete Blonde great though, was the magnificent voice of Johnette Napolitano and the voice only got more powerful and amazing live.

I'm much more of a music person than lyrical person, but sometimes the vocal performance can just put things over the top and this album's got it all. Never a stranger to controversial songs, this live set has them all. Song about AIDS? Check. Song about gun control? Check. Song about alcoholism? Check. Throw in a goth rock song and a Leonard Cohen cover bake at 350 and serve warm.

On a Leonard Cohen tangent, I love the man's lyrics. I truly do, but he has got to be one of the worst performers ever so I love when someone with actual talent remakes his hits.

Key tracks: God Is A Bullet, Joey, Tomorrow Wendy, Everybody Knows, Take Me Home

19. Counting Crows - August And Everything After (1993)

Oddly juxtaposed next to a great live album is a band that put on quite possibly the worst live show I've ever seen, but I still can't deny the greatness of this album. When I got my first cd player for my 13th birthday, this cd along with Tom Petty's greatest hits were almost constantly playing.

Of course, Mr Jones was the huge hit off this album, but most of the rest of the album has a much more distinct mellow feel to it. And I really do want to be Bob Dylan. I've already got the acoustic guitar, harmonica and ability to mumble down. Now if I could just nail the songwriting poetry I'd be good to go.

Key Tracks: Mr. Jones, Round Here, Omaha

18. Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood (1989)

I know being a semi-music snob, I should fundamentally dislike cock rock, but I fully embrace it, not just as a guilty pleasure, but as legimately good music. Music doesn't need to be complex to be good. Hair metal proves this point to a tee.

That being said, lumping all hair metal together is kind of unfair to bands that were actually talented. Crue isn't just good hair metal music, it's good metal music period. And this along with Shout At The Devil is their quintessential album. But since I was 1 when Shout At the Devil came out, I'm going with this one.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy this album until it was released to the Rock Band discography. Red White and Crue is usually in my rotation since I get more of the essential songs on that, but the absolute best are all on here.

Key Tracks: Kickstart My Heart, Dr. Feelgood, Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)

17. Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)

Johnny Cash like fine wine just got better with age. The last album he released before his death is definitive proof of that. At the very least, you have to admit this is the greatest recording ever made by anyone over the age of 70.

I read a quote one time that said, "Johnny Cash could sing the phone book and make it sound great" which is almost unassuredly true, but his American recordings with Rick Rubin definitely prove this as all but one song on here is a cover (some of his own older songs) and everything sounds great even though it's only his voice, an acoustic guitar and an occasional piano.

Everytime I hear NIN version of "Hurt" I have to remind myself it's the original and Cash's is the cover. Trent Reznor even renounced that song, saying he couldn't do it any better than Johnny Cash. It's almost like it was written for him.

Key Tracks: Hurt, The Man Comes Around, Give My Love To Rose

16. Cowboy Mouth - Live At The Zoo (2004)

Probably the least known band you'll see in this list, and probably the best live band you'll ever see. Describing a Cowboy Mouth show is futile. I can't possibly put into words how awesome of an experience it is. Last time I saw them, I was 3 feet away from Fred's bass drum. When I can't hear by the time I'm 40, I'll still say it was totally worth it.

This is just good straightforward rock with a little punk and a tad bit of a country feel to it at times. This cd is almost on permanant rotation and it's also great music when I'm out on a run. I'm now up to seeing them live at least 5 times and more importantly introducing others to them as well.

This is probably the band I discovered through the most random channel as well. About 4 years ago now my friend Hardy posted a blog entry talking about how his parents were conservative when he was younger and wouldn't let him go see bands like STP, Weezer, Green Day and Cowboy Mouth. One of these things is not like the other, so I decided to seek out this unknown band and it just so happened they were playing live less than a month later. A group of us went to the show and the rest is history.

Key Tracks: Light It On Fire, Everybody Loves Jill, Jenny Says

The perfect woman is like the perfect rock and roll song

I want to admit I have an addiction. I am addicted to rock and roll. It's the most trustworthy thing I have in my life. I'm not really sure what that says about me personally, but it's a good starting point for a rambling narcicistic essay.

I probably have more relationships with people based off interest in music than any other common element. There are some people I communicate with who I know nothing else about other than their taste in music. And frankly, I don't want to know more because one-dimensional relationships are often the easiest to maintain. I really don't care where they are from, or how many siblings they have. I just want to be assured that if I'm at a bar and a Foo Fighters songs comes on they'll sing along to it with me.

I have a wide variety of friends and a few close ones, but really everyone ends up being categorized by their taste in music at some point or another. I have one group of friends who listen to classic rock, another that listen to country, another that listen to only alternative music and my closest friends tend to have a very eclectic taste as I do.

My problem is I tend to lump women in these categories too. I like to fancy myself a very intellectual person who weighs the pros and cons and look at multiple sides of the situation, but if I see a cute girl belting out Journey, it trumps anything else. Women become caricatures of the music they love and it's what I associate when I think of them. One way or another, I always find myself dating girls who listen to rock and/or metal. They are just more fun to me.

When my last serious girlfriend and I broke up, my first two thoughts were
1) I'm going to miss her dog
2) She got me hooked on Barenaked Ladies deeper catalogue. Am I still going to be able to like them after this?
Admittedly, she had been torpedoing things for a few months to the point where I had already come to detest her, but it struck me as kind of odd those were the first two things that popped in my mind after the longest relationships I've had was ending. Happily, since I liked them before the Barenaked Ladies survived the breakup, so at least something good came out of it.

To paraphrase Chuck Klosterman, guys like strip clubs because strippers are their fantasy not reality. It's easy to separate real relationships and strippers in our minds. I think most guys want the girl next door with a wild side which frankly I'm convinced doesn't exist. My perfect girl can appreciate the nuances of Radiohead and fine wine one night and drink cheap beer and dance on the table to Pour Some Sugar On Me the next. That's why men love metal (and especially 80's music so much). It's a fantasy. I'm a fairly conservative guy. I've never done an illegal narcotic in my life and have had very few one night stands, mostly in college. That said, I love sleaze rock rife with sexual innuendo. It's a fantasy not a possibility. I don't actually want the kind of girl referenced in these songs. I just want the girl who also sees these songs as fantasty, but is still grounded in reality.

In the meantime, I'll just keep rocking out with my friends hoping to find that girl who will talk dirty to me....Uh!

Album Review Guns 'N Roses-Chinese Democracy

Alright I think it's finally time. I wanted to let this one soak in for a few months before I could give it a fair review. The result: far from the greatest album ever, but still enjoyable.

You see, Guns N Roses are like the ridiculously hot chick you dated in high school (or at the very least dreamt about dating). Appetite for Destruction was when you first met her freshman year. The feeling was intense. You were absolutely floored at how perfect she was. Over the next few years, the dynamics changed and you found out she was a little crazy, but still appreciated her attributes. Then you had a nasty break-up just before you left for college (probably because you refused to remove your top hat), heard gossip about her through friends, but didn't actually see her until your 15 year class reunion.

When you hear she is there, you are reminded of all the old memories and how perfect things were in high school (even if they all weren't) and seeing her again is kind of a disappointment. But then you take a step back and look at it objectively. She's definitely still crazy and has a few more years on her now, but she's still more attractive than almost every other women there, If you would have randomly met her in a bar, you would think it was a big score. The expectations were bigger than the reality though so it's a bit of a letdown.

Chinese Democracy is that woman at the reunion. There's really no reason to expect another Appetite For Destruction or even Lies or Use Your Illusion, but you can't help but be disappointed anyway that it's not. There are some good songs, some bad songs and some in between songs on this disc. Knowing the aging curve of musicians especially ones that lived as hard as Axl and co, it's really ludicrous to expect another masterpiece. Nobody expected Paul McCartney to make another Sgt. Pepper's in 1982 so why should we expect a 40 year old musician to re-create one of the top 5 albums of all time.

I may sound like an Axl apologist, which I very well may be. Guns N Roses was one of the first bands I remember liking when little, even if my 7 year old brain didn't understand Mr. Brownstone was a drug reference. Street of Dreams (a.k.a November Rain II) is one of the finest Guns N Roses songs I've ever heard. Catcher In The Rye is well, catchy and IRS and Better are among the highlights too. After 3+ months this disc is no longer in my car rotation, but a few select tracks are still on my iPod when I need a GNR fix. It's not groundbreaking or great, but it's better than 99% of the other drivel that goes for rock and roll these days, so have some patience, lower your expectations for another Appetite and just enjoy a good solid rock album.