Top 200 Albums of All Time: T artists

Remain in the Light: The Talking Heads (1980)

The Talking Heads wanted people to realize they were a group and not David Byrne with a backing band. Remain in the Light included African rhythms and studio innovations such as samples and loops. Byrne used Africa as lyrical inspiration. Despite this, the album’s most endearing work, “Once in a Lifetime” deals with a midlife crisis.

Aenima: Tool (1996)

The album’s title combines enema with anima. Much of the work connects song to song through short segues. The band itself is camera shy, so their videos tend to exclude them. For example, the video for “Stinkfist” is all Claymation.

Top 200 Albums of All Time: Pink Floyd

Dark Side of the Moon: Pink Floyd (1973)
Pink Floyd entered into their most creative period with Dark Side of the Moon. The album expanded upon musical and thematic excursions and ideas from earlier works. Following Dark Side’s release, Pink Floyd entered into a “super league.” The record examines greed, the passage of time, and man’s inhumanity toward man. It’s dark, grim, and struck a chord with an audience living in a dark, grim time. The themes explored by Pink Floyd remain relevant 40 years later.

Key Tracks:
Time
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
Us and Them

Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd (1975)
The band’s success with Dark Side of the Moon directly inspired Wish You Were Here. The album begins and ends with a sorrowful ode to the band’s founder Syd Barrett, who experienced a mental breakdown. The second and third tracks deal directly with rock star fame and corporate demands. The title track is another nod to Barrett and the record’s most iconic song. David Gilmour played “Wish You Were Here” at Pink Floyd’s induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

Animals: Pink Floyd (1977)
Roger Waters took more and more control of the band and Animals reflects his political and worldview. The album provides a scathing critique of the socio-economic and political situation in 1977 Britain. In addition to social criticism, Floyd changed its musical sound as well. Interestingly, the conditions in the western world that Waters railed against helped spawn the punk movement around the same time.

The Wall: Pink Floyd (1979)
Roger Waters tired of the fans at their live shows. He thought the distance between fans and the band so acute, that he conceived building a wall. The resulting album is a rock opera in the style of The Who’s Tommy. The main character, Pink, is based on Waters himself. Pink’s experiences include the loss of his father in World War II, abusive school teachers, an overprotective mother, and isolation. Eventually, Pink fantasizes that he is a fascist rock star playing at Nazi rallies. His guilt forces him to face his demons and Pink places himself on trial. The resulting tour included a 40 foot wall built between fans and the band. During this period, founding member Richard Wright left the band, but toured to support the album as a salaried musician. The other three members paid for the tour out-of-pocket. As a result, Wright was the only guy who made money.

Key Tracks:
Another Brick in the Wall
Young Lust
Hey You
Comfortably Numb
Run Like Hell
The Trial

Favorite 70s Albums

Not in any order...

Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

Born to Run- Bruce Springsteen (1975)

Who’s Next- The Who (1971)

The Wall- Pink Floyd (1979)

Quadrophenia- The Who (1973)

Sticky Fingers- Rolling Stones (1971)

Some Girls- The Rolling Stones (1978)

Plastic Ono Band- John Lennon (1970)

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd (1975)

Let it Be- The Beatles (1970)

Greatest Albums of the 1970s

Not in any order...

Dark Side of the Moon: Pink Floyd (1973)

What’s Going On?: Marvin Gaye (1971)

Born to Run: Bruce Springsteen (1975)

Exile on Mainstreet: The Rolling Stones (1972)

Innervisions: Stevie Wonder (1973)

Led Zeppelin IV: Led Zeppelin (1971)

Who’s Next: The Who (1971)

Rumours: Fleetwood Mac (1977)

The Wall: Pink Floyd (1979)

Quadrophenia: The Who (1973)

My All-Time Grammy Awards

Best Vocals: Roger Daltrey: Love Reign O’er Me

Greatest Guitar riff: Smoke on the Water- Deep Purple

Greatest Guitar Solo: David Gilmour: Comfortably Numb

Greatest Bass Line: Another One Bites the Dust: John Deacon (Queen)

Greatest Bass Solo: My Generation: John Entwhistle (The Who)

Greatest Drum Performance: Moby Dick: John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)

Greatest Keyboard Performance: Light My Fire: Ray Manzerek (The Doors)

Best Riffs of the 80s

Here are the best riffs of the 1980s...not in any order...

Paradise City- GnR

Rock You Like a Hurricane- The Scorpions

Back in Black- AC/DC

Breakin’ the Law- Judas Priest

Master of Puppets- Metallica

Seek and Destroy- Metallica

Photograph- Def Leppard

Sharp Dressed Man- ZZ Top

Money for Nothing- Dire Straits

Start Me Up- The Rolling Stones

Rockin’ in the Free World- Neil Young

Spirit of Radio- Rush

Eminence Front- The Who

Run Like Hell- Pink Floyd

Couldn’t Stand the Weather- Stevie Ray Vaughn

Crazy Train- Ozzy

Eye of the Tiger- Survivor

You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC

I Love Rock n Roll- Joan Jett

Sunday, Bloody Sunday-U2

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Worthy Acts Part IV

Here is the final installment.

The Smiths


Pro: Unique, massively popular, influential, there is even a great feud

Con: 1980s band

Steppenwolf

Pro: Hitmakers, generation defining song in “Born to be Wild”

Con: Canadian, Born to be Wild is a bit cliché

Sting

Pro: Incorporates Jazz and other influences, tons of hits, he is Sting

Con: Influence is with the Police, at times pop and at times jazz rock, Already in with the Police

The Stray Cats

Pro: Brian Setzer is a great guitarist, unique, influence, important songs, more than a throwback act

Con: From the 80s, not top of mind

Donna Summer

Pro: Mixed rock with disco

Con: She’s the disco queen

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Pro: One of the greatest guitarists ever

Con: Died in 1989

Hank Williams Jr.

Pro: Influential in rock circles, crossover act

Con: Country star

Yes

Pro: Archetype Prog band, survived many changes, blended classical music into rock

Con: They are a prog band, not a lot of hits

Warren Zevon

Pro: No one sounded or wrote like Warren Zevon, influenced and worked with Bruce Springsteen, David Letterman, and REM, and influenced Kid Rock among others, Great writer

Con: His stuff might be too out there

2010 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Here are the 2010 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The top 5 vote getters are elected each year. Of course, there has been rumors of vote fraud by one Jan Wenner, but that is just alleged.

and now the Class of 2010:

Abba: I don't get this one and neither does Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba. Oh well. They are best known for their disco hit, "Dancing Queen." Amazing the region that brought us the 9th century Viking invasions also gave us Abba.

The Stooges: The Stooges were punk before punk. Not sure why it took so long for them to get in. Madonna may have helped by asking them to perform at her induction. Their signature song was "I Wanna Be Your Dog."

Jimmy Cliff: Cliff is one of the great Reggae artists. His signature song is probably "Many Rivers to Cross." Although, his best known song is a cover of "I Can See Clearly Now."

The Hollies: They came with the British Invasion and should have been inducted 20 years ago. They are best known for their unique harmonies. Their hits include "Bus Stop" and "Carrie Anne."

Genesis: Genesis began as Prog Rock and evolved into a pop band. They survived the departure of Peter Gabriel by replacing him with Phil Collins. Guitarist Steve Hackett's guitar style predated Eddie Van Halen and they influenced acts such as Dream Theater. In the early days, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway stands out. During the Collins era, they hit their zenith with the Invisible Touch album. They should have been inducted long ago.

Rock Countdown: Complete List

1. The Beatles
2. Elvis Presley
3. Bob Dylan
4. The Rolling Stones
5. The Who
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Pink Floyd
8. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
9. Chuck Berry
10. Buddy Holly

11. Jimy Hendrix
12. The Clash
13. U2
14. Little Richard
15. Jerry Lee Lewis
16. James Brown
17 The Beach Boys
18. Stevie Wonder
19. Diana Ross and The Supremes
20. The Eagles

21. John Lennon
22. Eric Clapton
23. David Bowie
24. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
25. Johnny Cash
26. The Police
27. Queen
28. Tina Turner
29. The Doors
30. AC/DC

31. Bo Diddley
32. B.B. King
33. Ray Charles
34. Roy Orbison
35. Neil Young
36. Cream
37. Simon and Garfunkel
38. Velvet Underground
39. Aretha Franklin
40. Elton John

41. Black Sabbath
42. Nirvana
43. Metallica
44. Fleetwood Mac
45. The Talking Heads
46. Janis Joplin
47. The Ramones
48. The Kinks
49. The Byrds
50. Elvis Costello

51. The Yardbirds
52. George Harrison
53. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
54. Billy Joel
55. Paul McCartney
56. Paul Simon
57. CSNY
58. REM
59. Radiohead
60. Prince

61. The Sex Pistols
62. Aerosmith
63. Pearl Jam
64. Guns n Roses
65. Sly and the Family Stone
66. Bob Marley
67. Sam Cooke
68. The Grateful Dead
69. Wilson Pickett
70. Jeff Beck

71. Steely Dan
72. CCR
73. Blondie
74. Ozzy Osbourne
75. Rush
76. Bill Haley and The Comets
77. The Animals
78. Fats Domino
79. Dion
80. Genesis

81. Bon Jovi
82. Carlos Santana
83. ZZ Top
84. The Mamas and the Papas
85. Lynyrd Skynrd
86. Allman Brothers Band
87. Dire Straits
88. Judas Priest
89. Coldplay
90. Green Day

91. KISS
92. Smashing Pumpkins
93. Rage Against The Machine
94. Soundgarden
95. Motley Crue
96. Def Leppard
97. Weezer
98. Tool
99. Foo Fighters
100. Ringo

#23 David Bowie

David Bowie is the great chameleon. His image is forever changing. Bowie emerged from Britain’s Art Rock scene in the late 60s and his first album was barely noticed. However, he caught people’s attention in 1969 with “Space Oddity” which coincided with the moon landing. After which, he spent some time searching for a direction.

In 1972, Bowie moved away from Syd Barrett influenced Art Rock and created an androgynous alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Bowie was so wrapped up in the role, people did not know where Ziggy started and Bowie ended. Bowie’s creation launched the glam scene. Presentation, image, and the visual became as important as the music. Shortly after creating Ziggy Stardust, Bowie killed him.

By the mid-70s, Bowie was scoring pop hits. He altered his music and persona and alienated and confused his listeners. Then, he went to Berlin to look for the next thing and ran into Iggy Pop and Brian Eno. The albums he created represented the successful “Berlin Trilogy.”

By 1980, Bowie was a successful pop star that appeared in decline. Then came MTV. Music Television suited Bowie perfectly. One of the first hit videos on the channel was Bowie’s surreal “Ashes to Ashes.” He also recorded “Under Pressure” with Queen. Bowie then decided to change it up again and did a pop album. 1983’s “Let’s Dance” spawned several hits. David Bowie was now one of the biggest stars around and played Live Aid in 1985. The rest of the decade was at best uneven. Although, he did get to play Pontius Pilot in The Last Temptation of Christ. Bowie has appeared in a number of films including Labyrinth, The Prestige, and Zoolander.

After doing a farewell tour of sorts, Bowie formed Tin Man. This minimized Bowie and made him part of a group. Although the band was good, it did not catch on. Once again, Bowie confused people.

In the 90s, Bowie went electronic and bordered on industrial. He did perform the old stuff at the Freddy Mercury Tribute in 1992. He also played “Heroes” at the Concert for New York following the 911 attacks. Bowie was one of the show's highlights. In 2004, he suffered a heart attack, but continues to show up from time to time. His most notable appearance in recent years was with Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall. He is a member of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and continues to act and record.

Rock n Roll Moment: Bowie outed himself as a bisexual in 1972...long before it was hip. He later recanted.

Essential Bowie:

Hunky Dory (1971)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
Heroes (1977)
Lodger (1978)
Let’s Dance (1983)

Bowie’s Top 10:

Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Changes
Life on Mars?
Ziggy Stardust
Suffragette City
The Jean Genie
Rebel Rebel
Young Americans
Heroes

#27 Queen

Queen is known for their musical diversity, harmonies, and their live shows. In fact, an industry poll ranked Queen’s Live Aid performance the greatest live performance of all time. They debuted in 1973. They originally attempted to merge Metal with Prog Rock. Their first album is considered one of the most underrated albums of all time. They broke the following year with “Sheer Heart Attack.” The album featured a fusion of many genres including Metal, soft ballads, and Caribbean.

They followed their breakthrough with the most expensive album ever produced to that point. “A Night At The Opera” is considered one of rock’s greatest. The album included “Bohemian Rhapsody” which combined opera with rock music and became the third largest selling single of all time. The band continued to release hit after hit in the 1970s. In 1980, “Another One Bites the Dust” became an anthem for the Detroit Lions and other sports franchises adopted it along with “We Are the Champions” for championship runs. Also in 1980, Queen also scored the soundtrack for the forgettable movie, Flash Gordon.

Queen continued to play to massive crowds. In 1981, they performed before nearly 500,000 during a Latin American tour. On several occasions, crowds numbered over 100,000. In 1985, one concert drew 180,000. Then came Live Aid. Freddie did not like Live Aid’s political slant, but Bob Geldof told him he’d have the largest audience ever to perform in front of. That sold Mercury.

In the the late 1980’s or early 1990s, Freddy was diagnosed with AIDS. He began to look sickly. He denied the rumors until November 1991. Mercury died less than twelve hours after releasing the statement confirming his illness. Queen’s popularity increased dramatically as a result of the publicity, a benefit concert for Mercury, and the movie Wayne’s World. People flocked to record stores requesting “the new Queen song, Bohemian Rhapsody.” (Dumb asses). After Mercury’s death, the band never officially disbanded and in 2004 began touring with Paul Rodgers (Bad Company, The Firm) on lead vocals. This incarnation split in May 2009.

Rock n Roll Moment: A biker gang attempted to jump members of Queen. Roger Taylor flashed his college ID and warned them he was a martial arts expert. Taylor claimed the law required he notify the gang three times that he had a black belt. The bikers ran away.

Essential Queen:

A Night at the Opera (1975)
News of the World (1977)
The Game (1980)
Greatest Hits (1981)
Greatest Hits II (1991)

Queen’s Top 10:

Bohemian Rhapsody
We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You
Fat Bottomed Girls
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Another One Bites the Dust
Flash
Under Pressure (with David Bowie)
Radio Ga-Ga
Who Wants to Live Forever
The Show Must Go On

#75 Rush

Rush is the most eclectic band around. They have been a blues-rock band, a sci-fi band, prog rock, alt rock, classic rock, and hard rock. They have influenced bands ranging from Metallica to Symphony X to Primus. Only the Beatles, Stones, and Aerosmith have had more consecutive gold or platinum albums. Their fan base is the most loyal in music. Despite their achievements and success, they are continually ignored for induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. They belong in over Madonna, Grandmaster Flash, and others. However, the band does not seem to care.

Rock n Roll Moment: Geddy Lee donated 200 baseballs signed by Negro League greats to the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City.

Essential Rush: 2112 (1976), Permanent Waves (1980), Moving Pictures (1981)

Rush Top 10:
Working Man
Fly By Night
The Spirit of Radio
Tom Sawyer
Limelight
Time Stand Still
Roll The Bones
Subdivisions
Bastille Day
Manhattan Project

#80: Genesis

Genesis

How many groups lose their lead singer, change their style, remain relevant, and become more popular? Genesis pulled this off. Their original lineup consisted of Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, Michael Rutherford, and Phil Collins. No one knew how to classify them exactly. Their first album ended up in the gospel section. They began to gain attention when Peter Gabriel began dressing up in bizarre costumes. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, a concept album about a Puerto Rican youth’s quest for his own self identity, marks the high point of the Gabriel years. Soon after, Gabriel left the band for personal reasons.

Steve Hackett was the next to go. Hackett was an accomplished guitarist that actually did the Van Halen fingertap before Eddie Van Halen. Then there were three. The band began a transition to pop music with songs like Follow You Follow Me and Misunderstanding, while still doing the Prog Rock thing (Abacab, Home By The Sea).

By the mid-80s, they were a pop trio. Their greatest success was their poppyiest album; Invisible Touch. After a hiatus to do solo work, they came back in 1991 with We Can’t Dance. That album was less pop and covered some weightier material such as organized religion and child abuse. In 1996, Phil Collins left the band. Banks and Rutherford found another singer and they released a pure Prog album. It tanked and Genesis disbanded until 2006. In 2007, VH-1 honored them and they put on a world tour. Phil Collins has stated a new album was unlikely, but Tony Banks has contradicted this and even dropped hints of a reunion with Peter Gabriel.

Rock n Roll Moment: Peter Gabriel dressed up as a flower during a performance.

Essential Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974), Duke (1980), Genesis (1983), Invisible Touch (1986), We Can’t Dance (1991)

Genesis Top 10:
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
The Carpet Crawlers
Turn It On Again
Misunderstanding
Abacab
Mama
That’s All
Invisible Touch
Land of Confusion
No Son of Mine