#59 Radiohead

Radiohead is one of Paul McCartney’s favorite bands. They are an alternative band that broke in 1992 with their single “Creep.” Their popularity has continued to grow over the last decade and they are one of the most popular, influential, and critically acclaimed groups in music today. In 1997, they released their Magnus Opus “Ok Computer” which is about alienation from modern society. In 2007, they released “In Rainbows” independently and allowed fans to pick the price for the album. Recently, they made Rolling Stone’s list of 100 greatest artists and Miley Cyrus threatened to ruin them!

Rock n Roll Moment: Who needs a record company? Radiohead released their last album as a download and allowed fans to pick the price for the album.

Essential Radiohead:

The Bends (1995)
OK Computer (1997)
Hail to the Thief (2003)
In Rainbows (2007)

Radiohead’s Top 10:

Creep
Paranoid Android
Karma Police
My Iron Lung
Just
High and Dry
Fake Plastic Trees
There There
Pyramid Song
2+2=5

#83 ZZ Top

83. ZZ Top


ZZ Top has been together 40 years without a personnel change. Their sound is based on the blues with a Texas twist. If there is a “roots” rock band, it is ZZ Top. Lyrically, their songs are a fusion of humor and sex. They peaked in the mid-80s with the “Eliminator” album. The “Eliminator” videos featured hot women and an even hotter red 1933 Ford. ZZ Top is in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and are currently working on a new album with Johnny Cash producer Rick Rubin.

Rock n Roll Moment: The song “La Grange” is about the same whorehouse depicted in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”

Essential ZZ Top: Tres Hombres (1973), Eliminator (1983), Greatest Hits (1992)

ZZ Top’s top 10:
Legs
Gimme All Your Lovin’
La Grange
Pearl Necklace
Sharp Dressed Man
Sleeping Bag
Velcro Fly
Tush
Cheap Sunglasses
TV Dinners

The Greatest Halloween Songs

Here is my list of the Top 10 Halloween Songs

10. Nightmare on My Street (Will Smith)- The Fresh Prince Meets Freddy Kruger

9. Monster Mash (Boris Pickett)- Yeah this one has to be on the list somewhere

8. Thriller (Michael Jackson)- Vincent Price and dancing zombies. The Night of the Living Dead meets MTV.

7. Boris the Spider (The Who)- John Entwistle's friend comes to a "sticky end."

6. The Number of the Beast (Iron Maiden)- Could it be Satan?

5. Black Magic Woman (Santana)- Santana adds the dark arts to rock music.

4. Satan Gave Me a Taco (Beck)- Beck is into poison foods. Very dark lyrics.

3. Psycho Killer (The Talking Heads)- Few things say Halloween more than psycho killers.

2. Witchy Woman (The Eagles)-I have known a few of these.

1. Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon)- A little old woman got mutilated...great stuff

#91: KISS

KISS emerged during Rock’s third age. The 60s were dead and glam was the rage. During this period, image was as important as the music. KISS dressed up in Halloween costumes and were determined to give fans their money’s worth. Their music ranged from hard rock to classic rock to glam rock to disco to metal. Critics complain that KISS is too image conscious and more interested in making a buck than in the music. As a result, some have postulated that while most bands want to be The Beatles, KISS wants to be Coca Cola. Whatever the case may be, KISS is the only rock band out there with their own army.

Rock n Roll Moment: Gene’s photo album contains pics of all the girls he has been with. According to Mr. Simmons, he has been with over 1000 women.

Essential KISS: KISS (1974), Alive! (1975), Destroyer (1976)

KISS’ Top 10:
Rock n Roll All Night
Deuce
Strutter
Detroit Rock City
Beth
Hard Luck Woman
I Love It Loud
Creatures of the Night
Lick it Up
Heaven’s on Fire

#92: Smashing Pumpkins

The Pumpkins got a lot a grief for being successful in the 1990s. During that time, every band wanted to be a success, but acted indifferently when success came. When it appeared that a band was trying to be successful, they are accused of selling out. This happened to the Pumpkins. Billy Corgan came from a classic rock background as well as an alternative one. This dichotomy led to Corgan embracing more mainstream influences than others of his generation. They climaxed by the mid 90s and then the decline began. It was a classic "Behind the Music" story. Internal squabbles, personal issues, and drugs tore the band apart by 2000. Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain recently reconstituted the Pumpkins without D’arcy or James Iha hoping to recapture the glory without all the baggage.

Rock n Roll Moment: Nothing like a good feud. In 2004, Billy Corgan called D’arcy Wretzky “a mean spirited drug addict” and blamed James Iha for the band’s 2000 breakup.

Essential Pumpkins: Gish (1991), Siamese Dream (1993), Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)

Smashing Pumpkins Top 10:
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Tonight, Tonight
Cherub Rock
Today
Disarm
Stand Inside Your Love
Tarantula
Siva
Drown
Rhinoceros

#93: Rage Against The Machine

Rage is a highly political; highly volatile band. They do not separate their extremism from their music. Their passion for radical left causes directly impacts their songs and how they do business. For example, they would not sign to a major label unless they had complete creative control. In 2000, they shut down the NYSE during a video shoot. It would be more difficult to get away with their shenanigans if they did not have talent. Rage is one of the last guitar bands and one of the pioneers of metal’s next generation.

Rock n Roll Moment: The video shoot for “Sleep Now in the Fire” caused Wall Street to close and the band to be escorted from the the NYSE.

Essential Rage: Rage Against The Machine (1992), The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)

Rage’s Top 10:
Killing In The Name
Sleep Now in the Fire
Bulls on Parade
Guerilla Radio
Renegades of Funk
Calm Like a Bomb
Testify
Tire Me
People of the Sun
Freedom

#94: Soundgarden

Soundgarden began as a metal band and evolved. By the mid-90s, they had done rock, alternative, classic rock, and psychedelic. Johnny Cash even covered Rusty Cage. Some critics compared them to Led Zeppelin. Then, it ended. When they broke up in 1997, the music industry was undergoing another change. It was moving away from grunge and toward the Spice Girls. Popular music has sucked ever since.

Rock n Roll Moment: Being compared to Led Zeppelin by critics in 1996.

Essential Soundgarden: Badmotorfinger (1991), Superunknown (1994)

Soundgarden’s Top 10:
Outshined
Rusty Cage
Jesus Christ Pose
My Wave
Fell On Black Days
Black Hole Sun
Spoonman
The Day I Tried To Live
Blow Up The Outside World
Burden in My Hand

#95: Motley Crue

Motley Crue came out of the early 80s LA glam scene. Like many bands of the time, they tended to bend the gender thing. Despite their apparent confusion, they were the best of their genre. They had several monster hits in the 1980s. In the early 90s, they jettisoned lead singer Vince Neal in order to go grunge. They failed and eventually brought Vince back and have just released a new album. At their peak, they were as self destructive as a band could be. Nikki Sixx actually died twice, Tommy Lee is known for...well we all know, Vince (allegedly) committed vehicular homicide, and there was also the now famous snort off with Ozzie (ants vs. piss). Few bands have been as destructive as Motley Crue.

Rock n Roll Moment: In 1987, Nikki Sixx was dead for 2 minutes. He OD’d on heroin, but came back from the ether when the paramedics gave him two adrenalin shots to the heart. Afterwards, he went home, snorted some more heroin, and passed out.

Essential Motley Crue: Shout at the Devil (1983), Doctor Feelgood (1989)

Motley Crue’s Top 10:
Shout at the Devil
Looks that Kill
Home Sweet Home
Girls, Girls, Girls
Dr. Feelgood
Kickstart My Heart
Wild Side
Same Ol Situation
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Saints of Los Angeles

#96: Def Leppard

Def Leppard is one of a select few bands that have had two albums sell over 10 million copies. Pyromania made them stars and Hysteria catapulted them into the super league for a short time. They dominated the radio from the first Reagan Administration right into the Grunge Era. Despite curses, bad luck, deaths, and changing musical stylings, Def Lepp is one of the few 80s metal bands to survive the Grunge meteor that decimated those that came from the 80s. They still make albums today and are a very successful touring group.

Rock Star Moment: On New Year’s Eve 1984, drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in an auto accident. His arm was completely severed by his seat belt. The 21 year old Allen was determined to keep drumming. As a result, he devised a drum kit that would allow him to continue. Allen returned to drumming shortly thereafter and continued his career which lasts to this day.

Essential Def Lep: Pyromania (1983), Hysteria (1987)

Def Lep’s Top 10:
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Armeggedon It
Love Bites
Photograph
Rock of Ages
Foolin’
Hysteria
Animal
Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
White Lightning

#97: Weezer

Weezer broke into the mainstream with 1994’s “Sweater Song.” They followed that up with the iconic video “Buddy Holly.” Buddy Holly is an interesting song. It ties Weezer to Buddy Holly who was the original geek rocker. Weezer has since taken the mantle with a series of successful albums and videos. Despite being the kings of nerd rock, they also tread on areas even metal and rap bands fear to tread. No, not the Muppet Show, but their songs “Hashpipe” and “Dopenose” have a harder darker edge than most acts in the darker genres. That gives them credibility. They do music for art's sake as opposed to doing it for shock value.

Rock Star Moment: The video for “Beverly Hills” was filmed at the Playboy Mansion.

Essential Weezer: The Blue Album (1994), Pinkerton (1996), The Green Album (2001)

Weezer’s Top 10:
Undone- The Sweater Song
Buddy Holly
Hash Pipe
Island in the Sun
Pork and Beans
Beverly Hills
Say It Ain’t So
El Scorcho
We Are All On Drugs
Perfect Situation

#98: Tool

Tool:
Tool is neither metal nor alternative, but they incorporate elements of both. The end result is Art Rock or Prog Rock. The band’s music is metaphorically heavy as they attempt to wed musical and personal evolution into an art form. They have gained a cult following down through the years as they weave complex themes and music together.

Rock Star Moment: The “Prison Sex” controversy of 1994. The song and video dealt with child abuse in a metaphoric way. It was too much for some and the video got dropped from MTV and offended many people with too much time on their hands.

Essential Albums: Aenima (1996)

Tool’s Top 10:
Prison Sex
Sober
Stinkfist
Aenima
Pushit
Schism
Lateralus
The Pot
Vicarious
Jambi

#99: Foo Fighters

The #99 Greatest Rock Artist ever...
The Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters after the death of Kurt Cobain and played its first gig at a kegger. Dave Grohl proved to be just as talented, albeit more commercial, as Cobain. Grohl began as Nirvana’s drummer, but is now considered one of rock’s best guitarists and writers. The Foo Fighters are grounded in classic and punk rock and are also the world’s greatest cover band (listen to Baker Street, Band on the Run, Have a Cigar). The term “Foo Fighter” is WWII lingo for a UFO.

Rock Star Moment: Their debut took place at a Keg Party in 1995.

Foo Fighter Essential Albums: The Colour and the Shape (1997)

Foo Fighter’s Top 10:
I’ll Stick Around
Big Me
Monkey Wrench
My Hero
Everlong
Learn to Fly
Breakout
Times Like These
The Pretender
Long Road to Ruin

#100: Ringo Starr

I am moving on to my top 100 rock stars. The list is derived based on success, critical acclaim, and my opinion.
This is my list, so Ringo is on it. Ringo is a very influential drummer influencing a variety of drummers ranging from Phil Collins to Alex Van Halen to Dave Grohl. His post Beatles career has been successful and he just released an album this year.
Rock Star Moment: Ringo walks out on Regis (2008). The Regis and Kelly show invited Ringo on to promote his new album. However, the producers wanted him to cut his performance in half. Ringo refused and walked out.
Essential Albums: Ringo (1973)
Signature Song: It Don't Come Easy
Ringo’s Top 10:
You're Sixteen
No No Song
It Don't Come Easy
Photograph
Back Off Boogaloo
Only You (And You Alone)
Beaucoups Of Blues
Oh My My
Liverpool 8
Weight of the World

Greatest Summer Songs

It's over 90 degrees, humidity is through the roof, and tornadoes are touching down. So, it's time for the top 10 greatest summer songs.
10. Summer Nights- Van Halen (1986): Girls, fishing holes, and radios...it has it all
9. Night Moves- Bob Seger (1976): Someone looking back at the good old days of his youth. It captures the magic of discovery with the sad part of growing older.
8. Summer Nights- Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta (1978): Gives both the guy and girl version of a summertime fling.
7. Good Vibrations, I Get Around, California Girls, etc- The Beach Boys (1962-2008): The Beach Boys are the boys of summer. Their earlier work was groundbreaking and themes usually included summertime fun.
6. Heat Wave- Martha Reeves and The Vandellas (1963)- This is self explanatory
5. Girls in their Summer Clothes- Bruce Springsteen (2008)- An older version of summer. The main character watches the girls go by...hinting at a time when they did not turn their heads and walk away.
4. Summer in the City- The Lovin' Spoonful (1966)- The Lovin' Spoonful paint a vivid picture of summer with grit, jackhammers, car horns, and so on.
3. The Boys of Summer- Don Henley (1985)- An eery look back at a summer relationship that is no more. Don't look back; you can never look back!
2. Summer of '69- Bryan Adams (1985)- Another nostalgic look back at the teen years. Adams was like 8 that summer...
1. Summertime Blues-The Who (1970)- This song has it all. Teen angst, evil congressmen, a tough father... "I'd like to help you son, but you're too young to vote!" "You can't take the car because you didn't work late!" Townsend's guitar, Daltrey's vocals, Entwhistle's vocal interplay with Daltrey, and of course Keith Moon! Does not get better.
Tags: Summer Songs, The Who, Bryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, Martha Reeves, Lovin' Spoonful, Van Halen, The Beach Boys, Classic Rock

Song Lyrics II

Here are some more of my favorite song lyrics...not in any order..
1. Cancel my subscription to the resurrections (The Doors)
2. The World is a Vampire- (Smashing Pumpkins)
3. The beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more for desert (Johnny Cash)
4. I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer (The Doors)
5. You can’t catch a mood cause the rabbit done died (Aerosmith)
6. There’s no hurry, I’m just sitting here doing time. (John Lennon)
7. And you may tell yourselfThis is not my beautiful house!And you may tell yourselfThis is not my beautiful wife! My God! What have I done? (Talking Heads)
8. You Don't Understand Who TheyThought I Was Supposed To Be (Alice in Chains)
9. I thought I was her daddy, but she had five more (Hank Thompson)
10. The only baggage that you bring is all that you can’t leave behind. (U2)

Defining Music of the 90s

Each decade has a handful of songs that stand out above the rest. The following is a list of music that defined the decade of the 1990s. Some entries changed the course of popular music while others are just ridiculous...
To start with, here are 10 (actually 12) songs that changed the decade in someway:
(Not in any particular order):
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana: The song gave a voice to Generation X and was the asteroid that killed the tired old metal dinosaurs of the 80s. It spelled out the angst, isolation, and awkwardness many felt at the time.
2. Losing My Religion by REM: The underground burst into the mainstream. To many, the themes in this song were similar to those in Smells Like Teen Spirit. The "Alternative" Revolution of the 90s began here and Nirvana capped it off.
3. One by U2: This is the best song of the decade. Another monster song that tapped into early 90s angst. It brought U2 back from the precipice, transformed them, and they've been riding the tide ever since.
4. Nuthin' But A G Thang by Dr. Dre: This helped do for Pop, Rap, and Hip Hop what Nirvana did for Rock and Metal.
5. Jeremy by Pearl Jam: Pearl Jam showed the power of video with this one. A haunting video in which the main character shoots himself in front of his class.
6. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve: Based on some recent info I have read, this may very well be the theme song of the 90s generation. Those that came of age during this decade are less interested in material gain and more interested in work/life balance. The Verve tapped into this with a crisis of sorts. How to live life your own way, without compromise, without hypocrisy, while making enough to survive and live comfortably. The main theme is life is a bitch and then you die unless you can find a way out of the cycle.
7. Wonderwall by Oasis: Britpop was already onthe ascent, but Wonderwall made it one of the dominate music forms.
8. You Outta Know by Alanis Morrisette: Men aren't the only members of Gen X that are pissed.
9. Hit Me Baby by Britney/Mmmm Bop by Hanson/If You Wanna Be My Lover by The Spice Girls: This genre of crap brought fluff back to pop music and pushed aside everything but Hip Hop by the late 90s.
10. My Name Is by Eminem: A monster hit that breathed new life into Rap and Hip Hop. The genre was starved for something new and creative by the late 90s, and Eminem brought it. Nearly a decade later, the genre is once again bone dry.

and now for the rest...songs that scream 1990s...
1. Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin: This song should be used by the Minute Men to demonstrate why illegal immigration is bad...the song itself was part of that late 90s Hispanic craze.
2. Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus...where to begin...
3. The Macarena: A fad has gone to far when Al Gore does it...
4. Boys and Girls by Blur: Britpop's first real hit is a song about an orgy
5. Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind: A song about addiction with a very happy poppy sound. If the song had come out 5 years earlier, it would have sounded like Sister Morphine.
6. Closing Time by Semisonic: Payola still exists...who woulda thunk it?
7. Bitch by Meredith Brooks: Gotta love 90s feminism...
8. I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred: No comment
9. Sex and Candy by Marcy's Playground: Liz Phair's favorite 90s song...
10. Humpty Dance by Digital Underground: do the humpty hump...lyrical genius

Great Song Lyrics

This is a list of some of my favorite song lyrics. They are not necessarily in any order. Some I identify with while others...

1. And then one day you find 10 years have got behind you, know one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun (Pink Floyd- Time)

2. Every meeting with his so-called superiors, is a humiliating kick in the crotch (The Police- Synchronicity II)

3. I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die (Johnny Cash- Folsom Prison Blues)

4. Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief, All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief (U2- The Fly)

5. Bow down before the one you serve. You're going to get what you deserve. (Nine Inch Nails- Head Like a Hole)

6. I went out walking With a bible and a gun The word of God lay heavy on my heart I was sure I was the one (Johnny Cash- The Wanderer)

7. In my dreams, I was drowning in sorrow, but my sorrows, they learned to swim (U2- Until the End of the World)

8. Is something wrong, she saidWell of course there isYoure still alive, she saidOh, and do I deserve to be Is that the question? (Pearl Jam- Alive)

9. I am the Anti-Christ…I am an Anti-Christ. Don’t know what I want, but I know where to get it. I wanna Destroy the passerby (The Sex Pistols- Anarchy in the UK)

10. And if you ever catch the midnight ramblerI'll steal your mistress from under your noseI'll go easy with your cold fanged angerI'll stick my knife right down your throat, babyAnd it hurts! (The Rolling Stones- Midnight Rambler)

11. We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control. A dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers leave them kids alone (Pink Floyd- Another Brick in the Wall Part II)
12. Poor men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be kings,And a king aint satisfied till he rules everything. (Bruce Springsteen- Badlands)

13. I stuck around st. petersburgWhen I saw it was a time for a changeKilled the czar and his ministersAnastasia screamed in vainI rode a tankHeld a generals rankWhen the blitzkrieg ragedAnd the bodies stank (Rolling Stones- Sympathy for the Devil)

14. There’s a hole in the somewhere (Genesis- Abacab)

15. When they kick at your front doorHow you gonna come? With your hands on your headOr on the trigger of your gun (The Clash- Guns of Brixton)

16. I know this chick she lives down on MelroseShe ain't satisfied without some pain (Guns N Roses- Pretty Tied Up)

17. There's a war outside still ragingYou say it ain't ours anymore to win (Bruce Springsteen- No Surrender)

18. The insurgency began and you missed it (REM- Begin the Begin)

19. Father if Jesus exists, how come he never comes here? (Sting-All This Time)

20. Just wrap your legs round these velvet rimsAnd strap your hands across my engines (Bruce Springsteen- Born to Run)

21. All over people changing their votesAlong with their overcoats If Adolf Hitler flew in todayTheyd send a limousine anyway (The Clash- White Man in Hammersmith's Palais)