#35 Neil Young

Neil Young is the ultimate singer-songwriter. He’s got the most unique voice to go along with his distinctive guitar style and deeply personal lyrics. Young broke in the 1960s and has remained the folk hippy curmudgeon. His music ranges from acoustic to electric; from swing to rockabilly; and from jazz to grunge.

Young was a member of the super group Buffalo Springfield. “For What It’s Worth” is one of the defining songs of the 60s. The band quickly fell apart as a result of tensions between members and with their management. Young moved onto a solo career and immediately recorded “Cinnamon Girl” and “Down by the River.” Then, he joined Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The highpoint of CSNY was “Ohio” about the Kent State Massacre in 1970.

Outside CSNY, Young recorded classics such as “Southern Man” and “The Needle and the Damage Done.” Young’s biggest hit (and only #1) was “Heart of Gold.” He quickly moved to the “Ditch Trilogy” before returning to spotlight in the mid-70s. His last great 70s song, “Hey Hey My My” would have been a grunge classic had it come out in 1992.

In the 80s, Young experimented with his music. After some time off the beaten path, 1988 brought Young back. He lampooned Eric Clapton and Michael Jackson for selling out in “This Note’s For You.” The next year, “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World” provided a transition between 1980s and 1990s music. The song had the big 80s sound with early 1990s social consciousness. The feedback used on his Freedom album hearkened back to the 1970s and served as a precursor to the 1990s.

Neil Young was dubbed “The Godfather of Grunge” in the early 90s as Pearl Jam and Nirvana borrowed from his work. In fact, Kurt Cobain’s suicide note quoted Neil Young. At the same time, Young went folk with his Harvest Moon album. He continued to tour and record into the 2000s. In 2006, he stirred controversy with an anti-Bush album, Living With War.

Young has always been an activist. He protested Vietnam, co-founded Farm Aid, campaigns for the environment, and also directs films. He continues to tour and record.

Rock n Roll Moment: Neil Young performed anti-war songs during the Iraq War which resulted in his audience walking out on him. This did not dissuade him from continuing at the next show.

Essential Neil Young:

Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
After the Gold Rush (1970)
Harvest (1972)
On The Beach (1974)
Tonight’s The Night (1975)
Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
Freedom (1989)
Prairie Wind (2005)

Neil Young’s Top 10:

Cinnamon Girl
Heart of Gold
Hey Hey My My
Old Man
Rockin’ In The Free World
Down By The River
Like a Hurricane
The Needle and the Damage Done
Four Strong Winds
Southern Man

#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

#85 Lynryd Skynyrd

Lynryd Skynyrd

FREE BIRD! Play some Skynyrd! These are classic cries to cover bands across the country thirty years after Skynyrd’s peak. To this day, Lynryd Skynyrd is the symbol of southern rock music. Even when they are not on the charts, they chart! On more than one occasion, Kid Rock has mentioned them or sampled them in his work. Metallica covered “Tuesday’s Gone” in the late 90s. Sweet Home Alabama became a Reese Witherspoon movie. They are also known for a fictional feud with Neil Young (Southern Man vs. Sweet Home Alabama) and a tragic plane crash that cost the lives of several members. The Free Bird still flies in the south.

Rock n Roll Moment: They are the symbol for southern rock.

Essential Skynyrd: (pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd) (1973), Second Helping (1974), Street Survivors (1977)

Lynryd Skynyrd Top 10:
Free Bird
Sweet Home Alabama
That Smell
Saturday Night Special
Gimme Three Steps
What’s Your Name
Gimme Back My Bullets
Simple Man
Tuesday’s Gone
You Got That Right

#86: The Allman Brothers Band

86. The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band is one of the creators of Southern Rock. Duane and Greg Allman formed the band in 1969 and for a seven year period, they dominated. In 1971, Rolling Stone called them the best rock band around and in 2004, the same magazine placed them at #52 on their all time list (ok I only differ with them by 34 spots). The Allman Brothers Band went from a southern garage band to platinum superstars and then Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident. The band carried on to even greater success. After a defunct period, the band reunited and still puts out material today. They have eleven gold records and 5 platinum to their credit.

Rock n Roll Moment: They are the achetype for the VH-1 Behind the Music.

Essential Allman Brothers: At Fillmore East (1971), Brothers and Sisters (1973), Seven Turns (1990)

Allman Brothers Top 10:
Whipping Post
Midnight Rider
Ramblin’ Man
Midnight Rider
Melissa
Jessica
Little Martha
Blue Sky
One Way Out
Ain’t Wastin’ No More Time