December 24, 20241 yr Not a new topic, but it deserves a reboot. I was asked by a family member to list my top 10 rock'n'roll songs of all time. They want to build a playlist and wondered where to start. No pop, no soul, no country, no rap, no blues, no Americana. Obviously, genre boundaries blur, but play along. Tell me your 10. I was saddened to eliminate my favorite band (The Replacements) but whatever. As you can see, I have very mainstream tastes. Argue away. 1. Led Zeppelin "Black Dog" 2. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 3. The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" 4. The Clash "London Calling" 5. AC/DC "Back In Black" 6. Van Halen "Runnin' With The Devil" 7. Jimi Hendrix "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" 8. Black Sabbath "War Pigs" 9. Heart "Barracuda" 10. Rush "Tom Sawyer"
December 24, 20241 yr It's hard to do because there's different songs for different times. I think the best I can do is my top ten in no particular order. And honestly several of these bands have tons of songs that could go in, this is just a random stab. Stones - Sympathy for the Devil Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times Motorhead - No Voices in the Sky Pink Floyd - Pigs (3 Different Ones) Creedence - Fortunate Son (really wanted to put Born on the Bayou here) Stones - Gimme Shelter Guns - Pretty Tied Up Smithereens- A Girl Like You Clash - Clampdown Bobby Fuller - I Fought the Law
December 24, 20241 yr Author 41 minutes ago, Gil Bang said: WTF? No Johnny B. Goode? No Helter Skelter? No Get Back? I'm not enough of a Beatles fan to rank the latter two. JBG? Yeah, it's up there. Probably "Hound Dog" (either Elvis or Big Mama Thornton), too. I thought about GnR "Welcome To The Jungle", just couldn't find the spot. "Fortunate Son" is a great call, such an important song.
December 24, 20241 yr I’d like to put some 50s early rock songs in there but so many of them feel more like Americana from the lens of 2024 and 6 decades of genre evolution. Something like that’ll be the day by buddy holly and the crickets.
December 24, 20241 yr Here's mine in random order: 1. "Get the Funk Out" Extreme 2. "Ride the Lightning" Metallica 3. "Riff Raff" AC/DC 4. "Take Your Whisky Home" Van Halen 5. "We Die Young" Alice in Chains 6. "Hangar 18" Megadeth 7. "Pull me Under" Dream Theater 8. "Holy Diver" Dio 9. "Air That I Breathe" All That Remains 10. "It's So Easy" Guns n Roses
December 24, 20241 yr It's So Easy is up there. I had probably the hardest time with picking a Guns song. Mr. Brownstone, Nighttrain and Its so Easy were being debated in my mind. Johnny B Goode is definitely a good one but I thought I could only justify one from that era as the song pool is much smaller. Buddy Holly Not Fade Away was also on my mind.
December 24, 20241 yr 11 hours ago, jimmyjazz said: Not a new topic, but it deserves a reboot. I was asked by a family member to list my top 10 rock'n'roll songs of all time. They want to build a playlist and wondered where to start. No pop, no soul, no country, no rap, no blues, no Americana. Obviously, genre boundaries blur, but play along. Tell me your 10. I was saddened to eliminate my favorite band (The Replacements) but whatever. As you can see, I have very mainstream tastes. Argue away. 1. Led Zeppelin "Black Dog" 2. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 3. The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" 4. The Clash "London Calling" 5. AC/DC "Back In Black" 6. Van Halen "Runnin' With The Devil" 7. Jimi Hendrix "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" 8. Black Sabbath "War Pigs" 9. Heart "Barracuda" 10. Rush "Tom Sawyer" I love this concept. Repped even though your list fucking sucks (Jk it's fine). I'd like some time to come back around for a full ten but let me drop a couple to start.
December 24, 20241 yr Author I ruled out The Who almost immediately, I'm very ambivalent about that band. I considered "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd but dropped it in favor of Rush "Tom Sawyer". It's a pretty difficult exercise, sort of like the interminable "name the top 10 pro basketball players" arguments.
December 24, 20241 yr 1 minute ago, jimmyjazz said: I ruled out The Who almost immediately, I'm very ambivalent about that band. I considered "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd but dropped it in favor of Rush "Tom Sawyer". It's a pretty difficult exercise, sort of like the interminable "name the top 10 pro basketball players" arguments. Well that's the beauty of this exercise. I would be dead before I'd have a fucking Van Halen song in my top 10. I was just throwing a couple out there that came to mind. I'll come back with a more refined top 10. That said I fucking love The Who and I think that Skynyrd is the greatest American rock band of all time. YMMV 😉
December 24, 20241 yr Also after a 2nd glance I like your list a lot @jimmyjazz Let me drop another badass list give me an hour or two.
December 24, 20241 yr 27 minutes ago, ztejas said: I love this concept. Repped even though your list fucking sucks (Jk it's fine). I'd like some time to come back around for a full ten but let me drop a couple to start. Would swap Free Bird for Simple Man just because Simple Man reminds me of my maternal uncles and them taking me fishing when I was a child.
December 24, 20241 yr 2 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said: Would swap Free Bird for Simple Man just because Simple Man reminds me of my maternal uncles and them taking me fishing when I was a child. I adore Simple Man. Not sure any Skynyrd is going to cut it for my top 10 that I'm working on right now, though. I have 5 - btw - @jimmyjazz. Give me a sec on 10. Edited December 24, 20241 yr by ztejas
December 24, 20241 yr 25 minutes ago, ztejas said: Well that's the beauty of this exercise. I would be dead before I'd have a fucking Van Halen song in my top 10. I was just throwing a couple out there that came to mind. I'll come back with a more refined top 10. That said I fucking love The Who and I think that Skynyrd is the greatest American rock band of all time. YMMV 😉 Well one out of two ain't bad
December 24, 20241 yr Alright here's a quick one. Again @jimmyjazz love the concept. Breakdown - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh Baba O'Riley - The Who Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin Five Years - David Bowie Purple Rain - Prince Ready to Start - Arcade Fire Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground & Nico My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) - Neil Young It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - Bob Dylan
December 24, 20241 yr Author Damn. I totally whiffed on Petty. "Breakdown" is a great call, as would be "Refugee" or "American Girl".
December 24, 20241 yr Swap any skynard for allman brothers. Statesboro blues, one way out, whipping post, something like that.
December 24, 20241 yr 3 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: Damn. I totally whiffed on Petty. "Breakdown" is a great call, as would be "Refugee" or "American Girl". I'll take 1 out of 10 I guess. I thought my 10 was a bit more interesting but maybe not. You're a tough customer. I started that Petty thread and I'm proud of it. Such a fucking bad-ass composer and songwriter.
December 24, 20241 yr 2 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said: Swap any skynard for allman brothers. Statesboro blues, one way out, whipping post, something like that. Swap none of that shit for my 10. Give me something within my paramater.
December 24, 20241 yr Author 3 minutes ago, ztejas said: I'll take 1 out of 10 I guess. I thought my 10 was a bit more interesting but maybe not. You're a tough customer. I started that Petty thread and I'm proud of it. Such a fucking bad-ass composer and songwriter. Oh, I like your list. "Life's Been Good" is one of those songs that totally resonates with me. I absolutely love the recording, warts and all, and it's funny as hell. Bowie is a Titan, as is Prince. Finding a spot was tough for me. (I prefer "Changes" or "Fame" and "1999" or "Dance, Music, Sex, Romance" myself.)
December 24, 20241 yr In no real order Jane's Addiction Mountain Song or Ocean Sized or 3 Days The Clash The Clamp Down Rage Against the Machine Bulls on Parade Dead Kennedys Police Truck or Holiday in Cambodia AC/DC Highway to Hell Smashing Pumpkins Bury Me Led Zeppelin (insert any song here) Breeders Cannon Ball Lynyrd Skynyrd Give Me Back My Bullets Pink Floyd Time
December 24, 20241 yr Author 25 minutes ago, baboso said: No love for ZZ Top? Just Got Paid, La Grange. Yeah, "La Grange" is damn near Mount Rushmore. Incredible guitar tone, incredible riff (if stolen). I said it's tough.
December 24, 20241 yr 30 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: Oh, I like your list. "Life's Been Good" is one of those songs that totally resonates with me. I absolutely love the recording, warts and all, and it's funny as hell. Bowie is a Titan, as is Prince. Finding a spot was tough for me. (I prefer "Changes" or "Fame" and "1999" or "Dance, Music, Sex, Romance" myself.) I'm just gonna leave y'all with what I think is the greatest live performance of all time. Shit is fucking stupid.
December 24, 20241 yr My Floyd submission would be Pigs. and I think my zep song would be since I’ve been loving you. That’s a tough call, but I think it shows off the 4 musicians very well. Edited December 24, 20241 yr by Pato del Muerto
December 24, 20241 yr Baba O'Reilly - The Who More Than a Feeling - Boston Panama - Van Halen If You Want Blood (You've Got It) - AC/DC Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin Shapes of Things - Jeff Beck Group Under Pressure - Queen/David Bowie Even The Losers - Tom Petty Reelin' in the Years - Steely Dan Against the Wind - Bob Seger Honorable Mention: Authority Song - John Cougar Mellencamp My Wave - Soundgarden How Soon is Now - The Smiths Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young Empty Pages - Traffic On any given day the order changes.
December 24, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, baboso said: Just Got Paid, Alright I whiffed on this, this is a top 3 song period
December 24, 20241 yr This is impossible but ok... Zeppelin-Bring it on home Foo-Everlong Hendrix-Wind cries Mary White stripes-7 nation army Petty-American Girl The Band-Atlantic City Steely Dan-Reelin Nirvana-SLTS Pumpkins-Bullet with butterfly wings AC/DC Higway to Hell
December 24, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, pops said: Foo-Everlong Forgot this one, great song 3 hours ago, Darth Tron said: Panama - Van Halen Make it Hot for Teacher or Unchained Also no Ramones love? I want to be Sedated
December 24, 20241 yr 6 hours ago, ztejas said: Purple Rain - Prince I literally can’t stop laughing at this. That’s like responding to “Name the most badass football player ever” with “Martin Gramatica!” Edited December 24, 20241 yr by BrickHorn
December 24, 20241 yr First reaction: I like rock, let's see what's on the list. Second reaction: OP's list is Ok, but I can do better. Third reaction: Damn it, there are too many possibilities. It's like Sophie's Choice.
December 24, 20241 yr Author There is a noticeable lack of late 70s/80s bands so far -- The Cars, The Police, Def Leppard (I personally hate them), Blondie, U2, REM, etc.
December 24, 20241 yr 5 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: There is a noticeable lack of late 70s/80s bands so far -- The Cars, The Police, Def Leppard (I personally hate them), Blondie, U2, REM, etc. That era was weaker for rock, outside of heavy metal (and specifically second wave of Brit metal and American thrash). You also won’t find many nominations from 1997 forward. A list of best rock songs is bound to be dominated by the late 60s-mid 70s and the early 90s.
December 24, 20241 yr 14 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: There is a noticeable lack of late 70s/80s bands so far -- The Cars, The Police, Def Leppard (I personally hate them), Blondie, U2, REM, etc. The Cars are one of my all times, but i don't feel like they fit in this list.
December 24, 20241 yr 43 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: There is a noticeable lack of late 70s/80s bands so far -- The Cars, The Police, Def Leppard (I personally hate them), Blondie, U2, REM, etc. Agree to disagree. Lots of 70s stuff represented here. 80s kinda sucked musically unless you really liked glam rock and hair bands. IMO the 80's bands that played good music never really had mainstream success. In my list Janes is 80s, DK is 80s 1 out of 5 aint bad ymmv You animals would eat me alive for putting Oingo on a top 10 list. Maybe Deadman's Party could sneak in without too much rukus
December 24, 20241 yr Author 43 minutes ago, BrickHorn said: That era was weaker for rock, outside of heavy metal (and specifically second wave of Brit metal and American thrash). In terms of true rock, I agree, but as I said the lines can blur a bit. 38 minutes ago, G650 said: The Cars are one of my all times, but i don't feel like they fit in this list. I kinda agree, mostly because I think they are more revered for a very deep catalog than any one particularly fantastic song. So . . . Cheap Trick? Kansas? (ducking on Kansas, but "Carry On Wayward Son" still slams and goes harder than any Derka Pflugerville pink sauce).
December 24, 20241 yr I don’t have the energy to make a full 10 list but a few to add to the pot that I don’t think have been mentioned:Interstate Love Song - STPFell In Love With a Girl - The White StripesLast Night - The StrokesPick your favorite Spoon song
December 24, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said: 3 hours ago, G650 said: I kinda agree, mostly because I think they are more revered for a very deep catalog than any one particularly fantastic song. To me they are firmly a new wave/power pop band, not really rock and roll. There's honestly not many straight rock bands from that era. The Ramones, The Clash, The Pretenders, AC/DC, Motorhead, The Alarm and such were kind of the leading lights, and only some of those bands charted much. Bruce and Tom Petty to a degree.
December 25, 20241 yr Kiss- rock n roll all nite 38 special- rockin into the night night ranger- still rock in america great white- rock me twisted sister- I wanna rock LZ- rock and roll bill Haley and the comets- rock around the clock Rick derringer- rock and roll hoochicoo Gary glitter - rock and roll part 5 Michael Damien- rock on went for a titular rock themed list
December 25, 20241 yr 'Rock Around the Clock' as the first rock and roll song to hit #1 Johnny B Goode beetles, beetles, beetles buddy holly ?? big bopper Edited December 25, 20241 yr by tx 3 putt
December 25, 20241 yr Author 4 hours ago, BrickHorn said: Nefarious. I got to engineer the original version. It was kinda mind-blowing for a baby band. I still think "Not Turning Off" was better.
December 25, 20241 yr 8 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said: Kiss- rock n roll all nite 38 special- rockin into the night night ranger- still rock in america great white- rock me twisted sister- I wanna rock LZ- rock and roll bill Haley and the comets- rock around the clock Rick derringer- rock and roll hoochicoo Gary glitter - rock and roll part 5 Michael Damien- rock on went for a titular rock themed list No David Essex, wnb
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