10 All time Best Guitar Solos

On the last post I told you about 50s 60s or 70s rock bands. Today I'll talk about guitar solos.

I realize that I may be opening up the Pandora's box on this one, after all, guitar solos are subjective correct? I mean, who am I to tell you what is and isn't the best when it comes to good ole rock n roll guitar solos. Many questions may arise, for example, 'Have I heard every song there is to hear? Of course not. That is why I'm laying it out for you up front, I don't want to upset the greater good that exists in your special place. The point is, alltime greatest guitar solos means absolutely nothing, nada, zilch. It is a completely personal and subjective preference on my part, and in no way is it intended to be the end all and say all of what is and isn't a great rock n roll solo. You are free to disagree or agree, I don't really care either way. Should you like what I'm putting out here? Of course you should, and you should accept it and love it, but once again, you can remain a contrarian and that's cool with me too, hell dude, whatever floats your boat is cool with me. Rock n Roll is so speculative, especially these days that everyone can have a legitimate viewpoint on what is good and what isn't. In fact, I could even support you if you told me that 'I love Nickleback man, they rock', More power to you if that is your thing, frankly I can't stand the band, I call them the Beavers (The animal on the back of a Canadian Nickel).

Ok, enough about me, let's talk about the 10 All time Best Guitar Solos. As you may know by now, I have a preference of 70's rock n roll music over other eras, so it will be no surprise to you that I have included most of the all time greatest Rock n Roll Guitar solos from the 70's, once again, it's all good. As is my customary thing, all of the solos are going to be randomly entered, so therefore, no one guitar solo takes precedence over another. Simply, they're all given equal weight. There's nothing better than seeing and hearing your favorite artist pluck away at a rocking Gibson or Ibanez guitars it's just cool dude.

As per popular request, my 10 All time Best Guitar Solos:

1. Eruption by Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
   
2. Stairway to Heaven by Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
3. Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix
4. Hotel California by Don Felder/Joe Walsh (The Eagles)
5. Layla by Clapton/Allman (Derek and the Dominoes )
6. Bohemian Rhapsody by Brian May (Queen)
7. Wish You Were Here by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
8. Sweet Child O' Mine by Slash (Guns n' Roses)
9. One by Kirk Hammet (Metallica)
10. Won't Get Fooled Again by Pete Townsend (The Who)

There you have it, my 10 All time Best Guitar Solos. There are so many more great guitar solos out there, but I would need a 100 or 1000 All time Best Guitar Solos for a list like that, so 10 will suffice for now.

50's, 60,s or 70's Rock Bands

On the last post I told you about the all time greatest rock singles. Today I would like to talk to you about Rock Bands from the 50's, 60,s and 70's.

There's always been a debate circling which era produced the best Rock n Roll, some say it's the 50's with rock greats like Elvis, or the hippie inspired 60's rock bands, some will go on and prop up the 70's hard rock bands and so on and so forth. When someone asks me which generation of Rock n Roll artists I think were the best, my answer is always the same, 'That depends on your frame of reference'.

Ok, I admit that answer is a bit aloof, and rightly so, on rare occasions I can get away with saying that one liner while my victim looks on, perplexed. I smile and pat myself on the back, feeling all full of myself for stunning another unsuspecting customer. But because I love talking about rock music I usually elaborate, 'That depends on your frame of reference. Every generation will embrace whichever music is popular at the time. And because it's all based on a frame of reference, you can never really support an argument that one generation of music tops another."

Although my explanation seems a little legalized, to me there's no other way. You can't reference an emotional state, as it relates to the music, if everyone has distinct personal likes and dislikes. No one can ever win an argument when it comes to talking about the unknown realm of feelings, unless that is, you've got none.

All of the above mumbo jumbo aside, for me, the 70's Rock bands were the best. Although I loved Rock n Roll of the 50's I always found the music a little too safe. I think the music back then was safe because there was an entire nation of up-tight conservatives who did not let the music evolve freely, so that if a rock artist wanted to get his or her music played, they ended up playing by the rules of the political mood at the time. That said, the 50's Rock n Roll artists were the ones who turned the lights on. They made it happen in a big way, laid the foundation for the next generations.

Moving on to the 60's Rock n Roll bands, I do love the music, have no doubt. But, I always felt that the artists of the 60's were still restrained by the political mood at the time. Whether it be the anti-war campaigns, or the constraints of a conservative American home life. For me, the 60's built on the foundation of the house of rock, but they were more involved in the frame of the house.

In my opinion, it wasn't until the 70's Rock bands came into the scene that rock n roll took that big leap forward into the unknown. With the foundation laid out by the 50's rock n roll pioneers, and the framework of the 60's inspired hippie scene, the 70's rock bands could no go ahead and add volume and texture to what had been created before them. The house of rock became a textured, multi-dimensional structure that you could see, touch and feel because it was finally standing on its own.

Below is a list of my all time favorite Rock n Roll bands that, in my opinion, were at their greatest in the 70's.

Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
The Eagles
Heart
Rolling Stones
AC/DC
Kiss
Boston
Black Sabbath
Deep Purple
Van Halen
The Who
Rush
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Styx
Genesis
The Doobie Brothers
Allman Brothers
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bad Company
Blue Oyster Cult
America
Fleetwood Mac
Supertramp
Queen
The Velvet Underground
The Clash
Wings

And the list goes on and on and on. But there you have it, in a nutshell, the bands that in my opinion changed the sound of Rock n Roll music forever, embracing their own brand of individuality. The 70's, in my opinion, is where the texture of rock n roll was formed and it was in the 70's rock bands that we owe for today's rock n roll sound.

All Time Greatest Rock Singles

Last post I told you about rock covers. This post I will talk to you about All Time Greatest Rock Singles.

Although the idea of music singles has a very long history dating back to the gramophone record in the late 1800's, to me a rock single is still the good old 7 inch 45 rpm records that were introduced in 1949. These discs were just slightly larger than today's CD's but carried a lot less music, usually only 1 song on the A side and another on the Flip side. Unlike music today, where singles are immediately available for download online, back in the day you either purchased the complete album, the single or wait for it air on the radio. While I was growing up, there was always someone in the neighborhood who had purchased a 45 or the complete LP and we would all get together and play the tunes. There was no rushing, we didn't expect everything right away, and information overload didn't exist. There were fewer selections of music for us to choose from, and in this way, we enjoyed our rock singles all the more.

Fast forward 30 years and I now see a music industry that is saturated with globs of music, to the poing of overkill. Rock Singles don't really mean all that much anymore, often because the music that we listen to on the radio is mostly industry generated crap, but also because the idea of a single is irrelevent, all the music and bands seem to have amalgamated into one big genre that it's often difficult to tell who wrote what, and the fact that the music is all online, ready to be downloaded from Napster or I-tunes makes the picture even fuzzier.

I've put together a list of my favorite rock singles, these are all in alphabetic, not chronological and not based on my most favorite to my least favorite rock singles. They're just there, from top to bottom. When I put this list together I was worried that I would miss some important song, or group, and if I remember I'll add them later. Enjoy my rock singles selection.

(Don't Fear) the Reaper, Blue Oyster Cult
(Sittin on) the Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding
(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley and His Comets
A Day in the Life, The Beatles
Ain't It a Shame, Fats Domino
Alison, Elvis Costello
All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix
All Apologies, Nirvana
All Shook Up, Elvis Presley
Anarchy in the U.K., The Sex Pistols
Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Band On The Run, Paul McCartney and Wings
Black Dog, Led Zeppelin
Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden
Blowin' in the Wind, Bob Dylan
Blue Suede Shoes, Carl Perkins
Blue Suede Shoes, Elvis Presley
Blueberry Hill, Fats Domino
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
Born to Be Wild, Steppenwolf
Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
Breakfast In America, Supertramp
Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
Buddy Holly, Weezer
Bye Bye Love, The Everly Brothers
California Dreamin', The Mamas and The Papas
California Girls, The Beach Boys
Call Me, Blondie
Can't Help Falling in Love, Elvis Presley
Changes, David Bowie
Come As You Are, Nirvana
Come Together, The Beatles
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd
Crazy, Patsy Cline
Creep, RadioHead
Crying, Roy Orbison
Dance to the Music, Sly and the Family Stone
Dancing in the Street, Martha and the Vandellas
Dirty Deeds, AC/DC
Do You Believe in Magic, The Lovin' Spoonful
Don't Be Cruel, Elvis Presley
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, The Animals
Don't Worry Baby, The Beach Boys
Dream On, Aerosmith
Dreamboat Annie, Heart
Eight Miles High, The Byrds
Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles
Enter Sandman, Metallica
Epic, Faith No More
Even Flow, Pearl Jam
Every Breath You Take, The Police
Fortunate Son, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Free Bird, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Free Fallin', Tom Petty
Georgia on My Mind, Ray Charles
Gimme Some Lovin', The Spencer Davis Group
Go Your Own Way, Fleetwood Mac
God Save the Queen, The Sex Pistols
Good Golly, Miss Molly, Little Richard
Good Lovin', The Young Rascals
Good Riddance Time of Your Life, Green Day
Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis
Heart of Glass, Blondie
Heart of Gold, Neil Young
Heartbreak Hotel, Elvis Presley
Help!, The Beatles
Heroin, The Velvet Underground
Hey Joe, Jimi Hendrix
Hey Jude, The Beatles
Higher Ground, Stevie Wonder
Highway to Hell, AC/DC
Hot Fun in the Summertime,Sly and the Family Stone
Hotel California, The Eagles
Hound Dog, Elvis Presley
House of the Rising Sun, The Animals
How Soon Is Now?, The Smiths
I Can See for Miles, The Who
I Can't Explain, The Who
I Fought the Law, The Bobby Fuller Four
I Got You Babe, Sonny and Cher
I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Marvin Gaye
I Put a Spell on You, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
I Shot the Sheriff, Bob Marley and the Whailers
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, U2
I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash
I Wanna Be Sedated, The Ramones
I Want to Know What Love Is,Foreigner
I'm Eighteen, Alice Cooper
Imagine, John Lennon
Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley
Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
Just My Imagination, The Temptations
Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
Kicks, Paul Revere and the Raiders
Knocking on Heaven's Door, Bob Dylan
La Bamba, Ritchie Valens
Layla, Derek and the Dominos
Lean On Me, Bill Withers
Let It Be, The Beatles
Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye
Let's Stay Together, Al Green
Light My Fire, The Doors
Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
Little Red Corvette, Prince
Lola, The Kinks
London Calling, The Clash
Loser, Beck
Losing My Religion, R.E.M.
Love Shack, The B-52's
Love Will Tear Us Apart, Joy Division
Lust for Life, Iggy Pop
Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin
Maggie May, Rod Stewart
Man in the Box, Alice in Chains
Maybe I'm Amazed, Paul McCartney
Midnight Train to Georgia, Gladys Knight and the Pips
Miss You, The Rolling Stones
Money (That's What I Want), Barrett Strong
Moondance, Van Morrison
More Than a Feeling, Boston
Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan
Mustang Sally, Wilson Pickett
My Generation, The Who
My Girl, The Temptations
My Sweet Lord, George Harrison
New Year's Day, U2
No Woman, No Cry, Bob Marley and the Wailers
Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor
Oh Darling, Supertramp
Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison
Oh, What a Night, The Dells
Ohio, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
One Way or Another, Blondie
One, U2
Paint It, Black, The Rolling Stones
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, The Temptations
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, James Brown
Paranoid Android, Radiohead
Paranoid, Black Sabbath
Peggy Sue, Buddy Holly
Penny Lane, The Beatles
Personality Crisis, New York Dolls
Piano Man, Billy Joel
Plush, Stone Temple Pilots
Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
Purple Rain, Prince
Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win), Fleetwood Mac
Rock & Roll Music, Chuck Berry
Rocket Man, Elton John
Roll Over Beethoven, Chuck Berry
Roxanne, The Police
Runaway, Del Shannon
Runnin' With The Devil, Van Halen
Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
School's Out, Alice Cooper
Shattered, Rolling Stones
Sh-Boom, The Chords
She Sells Sanctuary, The Cult
She's Not There, The Zombies
Shine, Collective Soul
Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Clash
Sloop John B, The Beach Boys
Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
Smoke on the Water, Deep Purple
Somebody to Love, Jefferson Airplane
Something, The Beatles
Son of a Preacher Man, Dusty Springfield
Spirit in the Sky, Norman Greenbaum
Stairway To Heaven, Led Zeppelin
Stand By Me, Ben E. King
Summer in the City, The Lovin' Spoonful
Sunshine of Your Love, Cream
Superstition, Stevie Wonder
Surrender, Cheap Trick
Suspicious Minds, Elvis Presley
Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N' Roses
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Eurythmics
Sweet Emotion, Aerosmith
Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sweet Jane, The Velvet Underground
Sympathy for the Devil, The Rolling Stones
That's All Right, Elvis Presley
The Boys Are Back in Town, Thin Lizzy
The Boys of Summer, Don Henley
The End, The Doors
The Great Pretender, The Platters
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, The Band
The Thrill Is Gone, B.B. King
The Times They Are A-Changin', Bob Dylan
The Tracks of My Tears, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
The Weight, The Band
The Wind Cries Mary, Jimi Hendrix
There Goes My Baby, The Drifters
Tiny Dancer, Elton John
Unchained Melody, The Righteous Brothers
Under Pressure, Queen
Under the Boardwalk, The Drifters
Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Up on the Roof, The Drifters
Us And Them, Pink Floyd
Waiting On A Friend, Rolling Stones
Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed
Watching The Wheels, John Lennon
We Gotta Get Out of This Place, The Animals
What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
When a Man Loves a Woman, Percy Sledge
While My Guitar Gently Weeps, The Beatles
White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane
White Room, Cream
Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harum
Who'll Stop the Rain,Creedence Clearwater Revival
Wild Horses, The Rolling Stones
Wild Thing, The Troggs
Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
Wonderwall, Oasis
Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who
Woodstock, Crosby Stills And Nash
Would, Alice in Chains
Yesterday, The Beatles
You Can't Always Get What You Want, The Rolling Stones
You Really Got Me, The Kinks
Young Americans, David Bowie
Your Cheatin' Heart, Hank Williams
Your Song, Elton John
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', The Righteous Brothers
Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie

Rock Covers

Last post I told you about album collection wish list. On this post I will discuss Rock covers.

As I look at my rock collection I'm constantly reminded at how musicians inspire one another to make rock covers. I bet every single rock musician in my rock collection has had a rock idol who has been a source of inspiration in their quest for rock glory, most likely inspired through rock covers.

Often, people forget that musicians are people just like us who get inspired, often by the same music we do. This is most obvious when rock bands do a cover of another rock artist's song, this is the ultimate tribute that a band can pay another. The thing with cover songs is that there is rarely a musician who thinks that their version will be better than the original, it's not often about competition but about paying homage to the original artist. Occasionally though, something great happens and the cover song ends up sounding better than the original. This can often be a double edged sword for the artist doing the rock cover, because although the song itself may be a source of fame for the artist, it will also awaken the so-called music critics who tend to come out of the wood work specifically to trash the rock cover. As the saying goes, everyone's a critic.

The key to doing a rock cover and not awaken the dead is to cover a song that isn't well known, so that most people will think the artist doing the cover is also the writer. This may sound terrible, but it's just the way things work in the real world, and many bands have propelled their own music careers with rock covers.

I have gathered a list of rock covers that I think are great, and in many cases have helped the rock artist gain fame. You may be surprised how many rock greats existed almost elusively on the music of others. Does that mean that they did not have talent? Of course not, often, their version was much more popular than the original. For example, let's take Rock Great Eric Clapton as an example. Many of Clapton's greatest hits, the songs that people know him by, were written by other artists. Here's a list of well known Eric Clapton Hits:

After Midnight Eric Clapton (1970) written by J. J. Cale (1970)
Cocaine Eric Clapton (1977) written by J. J. Cale (1976)
I Shot the Sheriff Eric Clapton (1974) written by Bob Marley (1973)

But Clapton wasn't the only big name who made a lot of money doing Rock Covers, take Jimi Hendrix, for example:

Come On (let the good times roll) Jimi Hendrix (1968) written by Earl King (1960)
Hey Joe Jimi Hendrix (1966) written by Performed by The Leaves (1965) Written by Billy Roberts (1962)
All Along The Watchtower Jimi Hendrix (1968) written by Bob Dylan (1967)

Still not convinced? Let's take the kings of the Back beat, The Beatles. Early in their careers, the Beatles borrowed extensively from other artists, for example:

Dizzy Miss Lizzy Beatles (1965) written by Larry Williams (1958)
Honey Don't Beatles (1964) written by Carl Perkins (1956)
Long Tall Sally Beatles (1964) written by Little Richard (1956)
Please Mr. Postman Beatles (1963) written by The Marvelettes (1961)
Roll Over Beethoven Beatles (1963) written by Chuck Berry (1956)
Twist And Shout Beatles (1963) written by Top Notes (1961)
You Really Got A Hold On Me Beatles (1963) written by The Miracles (1963)

The Beatles were a virtual cover band early on, before they found their own musical paths. Most if not all Rock n Roll giants covered other people's music. Some bands became rock stars by covering other rock band's music, take for example the following:

Blinded By The Light Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1976) written by Bruce Springsteen (1973)
Black Magic Woman Santana (1970) written by Fleetwood Mac (1968)
Blueberry Hill Fats Domino (1956) written by Gene Autry (1941)
Cum On Feel The Noize Quiet Riot (1983) written by Slade (1973)
Drift Away Uncle Kracker (2003) written by Doby Gray (1973)
Hard To Handle Black Crows (1989) written by Otis Redding (1968)
If You Don't Know Me By Now Simply Red (1989) written by Harold Melvin & Blue Notes (1972)
Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood The Animals (1965) written by Nina Simone (1964)

And the list goes on and on and on. I'm sure that most people would not consider any of the bands that I've listed as mediocre. Lets face it, some of those mentioned above are considered the kings of rock n roll, but there they are, getting famous doing rock covers. So the next time you see a new band covering an old tune, give them some space and appreciate the fact that they are doing something that has been done from day one, good old rock covers.

Album Collection Wish List

On the last post I discussed Gregorian Monk Chants. On this post I will talk about Album Collection Wish Lists.

A couple of posts ago I described how I went about organizing my rock collection. More specifically, I organized my CD collection, but have not touched my Vinyl album collection. The main reason for this is that I have duplicates of many of my Vinyl LPs in CD, and also, my wish list for my album collection has always been to duplicate all of my albums in CD form. The problem is, to convert the album collection over to CD would require thousands of dollars, and I'm not about to spend that much money.

So that is a bit of a dilemma, let's face it, vinyl albums are much more fragile, prone to scratching and warping and therefore in need of replacement. My best option was to find some sort of software that I could use to convert all of the remaining vinyl from my rock collection into digital format on my PC. I've heard that this was possible to do but I'm not that technically inclined so the idea seemed difficult. I found an interesting tutorial on the net, and it seems easier than I had first thought. Basically, all you need to do is to connect stereo RCA or RCA to 1/8-inch cables from your stereo receiver to the back of your video card, and then using free software called Audacity recording your vinyl album to your computer should be snap.

Ok, I admit that I haven't yet given it a go and that's because I realized that the needle on my record player had mysteriously disappeared, so I'm unable to actually play any of my LPs at this moment. Not sure where the record needle went, but I must admit that I've neglected that old record player for years, I like the way digital CD's sound. Actually, I like the fact that there are no scratching and white noise on the CDs and that's the primary reason that I converted most of my album collection to CD in the first place. Yes, I admit, I'm guilty of ignoring some of the albums in my collection, but frankly I just have not been in the mood to listen to the Carpenters or Beethoven piano concertos in a while, yes yes, I know, you're probably thinking "dude this isn't rock n roll", but as I've mentioned before, my music tastes vary and I'm always curious of adding new musical sounds to my repertoire.

To make a long story short, I'm going to see if I can fix my record player and then convert the rest of the album collection to my computer. Don't know when I'll get this done, cause I'm a pretty lazy dude, but when I do then I'll let you know how it worked.

Gregorian Monk Chants In My Rock Collection

On the last post I told you about how I organized my rock collection. Today we'll talk about Gregorian Monk Chants.

As I sit here looking at my rock collection, I often ask myself what it all means. My music collection is a representation of me, but why did I decide to purchase 'Gregorian Monk Chants' for example? Was it my desire to expand the wealth of my musical horizons? Or was it my wish to explore different genres of music so that I could extract and learn from these genres to expand my own repertoire of music playing? Or perhaps I really enjoy listening to 13th century Gregorian Monk Chants.

All of the above are plausible explanations why Gregorian Monk Chants ended up in my Rock Collection, but I'll put forward another reason why I believe I purchased it, Blind Sheepdom. It was hard for me to admit at first, that I was in fact herded like sheep into purchasing the Monk Chant Disk. That's not to say that I despise Monk Chants, in fact I think they're pretty cool and for those of you who like to explore your musical diversity, Gregorian Monk Chants offer a wealth of cool Harmonization techniques, but alas that is not the reason I purchased the disk.

I believe it was the early nineties, right after the Electronic/Contemporary Rock Group Enigma came out with their MCMXC a.D. in 1990. The songs on those albums, although tame by today's standards, caught on like wild fire, fueled by mainstream media's refusal to play Enigma's sexually inspired religious videos, MTV wanted nothing of it at the time. Did you know that Enigma's album was banned in several countries? Which I guess is a lesson to all you kids looking to make a splash on the music scene, get a half-decent album create a religious inspired sex-fest and get out your nets, because the money will fall from the sky.

Enigma's MCMXC a.D. CD seemed to inspire people, including the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo, I presume. Soon after that album, I noticed a plethora of religious inspired chant CD's bursting into the music scene, and people were loving it. This is a very good example of secondary/complimentary purchases where a demand is created for one product because of popularity of another, and something that the Music Industry has yet to figure out. I digress, back to the reason why Gregorian Monk Chants have made it to my Rock Collection. Beside the examples that I've outlined above, which are in fact valid, because I genuinely did get a lot out of that music, I admit that it wasn't the real reason I purchased it. I, like millions of other sheep, got caught up in the moment of the music, yes, shame on me. I got caught up in the movement, which is what music is all about. I can't stress this enough, don't be afraid to diversify and listen to new music, regardless of the genre. Do not assume for one moment that your favorite Rock n Roll Idols haven't done the same. Many great songs have come out of popular rock groups because of this, whether it be the Beatles fascination with Classical music, or Led Zeppelins country inspired ditty's, music becomes fresh and alive when people explore the boundaries of their own musical tastes.

Take it from me, the next time you see a new Music movement on the horizon, grab hold of it and make it your own. Embrace it and love it and let that new music take hold of you, regardless of your apprehensions and lack of familiarity, don't sit on a fence. You'll be glad that you have let a new form into your life, that is after all what Rock n Roll is all about, the creation of new ideas through the mixture of old ones. New music will truly enrich your music collection, much like the Gregorian Monk Chants did for my own Rock Collection.

Rock Collection: Today's Music Rocks

On the last post I told you about Pink Floyd's album Atom Hear Mother. Today, I'll talk about how Today's Music Rocks.

When I look at my Rock Collection, I can't help but smile. There is just so much life stored on those CDs on the wall of my Rock Collection and it spans years and years of my life. I can trace different stages of my life, good times and bad, girlfriends and old friends on these disks. That's really what music means to me, the appreciation of life and how music fits in. It's this reason that I don't rank one album, or Music Artist or Genre above another. I think it's foolish to think that I've got the all the answers, and that the music that I enjoy is better than someone else's, it's not. My rock collection is my own and it represents who I am as a person.

Now that said, I had a friendly debate with a friend the other day. Like me, this friend loves Rock and Roll, probably more than I. As often happens with a couple of brews, we got on to reminiscing about the good ole days, listening to Zeppelin or the Stones and as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Danny (My friend) said, "They don't make music like that anymore."

I agreed, they don't make music like that anymore, but of course that's not what he meant. He was obviously stating that the music of 20 -50 years ago has more value than today's music, and that is where I disagreed. My response was something like "I agree that the music was great, but there's a lot of good music today."

O.K. it's fair to say that neither of us won that argument, but my point is that we often get hooked into a stage in our lives where music meant the most to us, and then proceed to defend that music until our dying day. I personally think this is a wrong approach, because there is just as much great music today as there was 20 + years ago.

As I look at my rock collection and think about great bands like Queen, or Guns & Roses or The Beatles, I think that although these bands existed years apart, they still hooked me in. So I began to think about what it was about the CDs in my Rock Collection that made me a fan. Invariably it always came down to the melody. What I mean by this is that although a great guitar hook or Piano intro or solid drumming or bass runs are awesome, it still all comes down to the melody. And it's not always important what the artist is saying, they often said nothing and I still enjoyed the music. And it is in this way that music can remain appreciated and progressive.

The problem with a tune is that eventually, it becomes repeated and re-used, sampled, covered, copied to the point that music of old has now turned into new music that has somehow been repackaged and re-engineered. That said, I still believe that mass-marketed bubble-gum music aside, there are some great bands today that really are worth listening, whether it be songs by Incubus, Green Day, The Killers, Metric or the Chili Peppers and so on, or less known artists like Calexico, Muse or Annie etc. These bands have all got great music to offer and worth listening to.

The next time you take your Floyd, Zeppelin, Stones or AC/DC from your Rock Collection and put it in your CD Player, perhaps you should put that CD back and explore lesser known artists, you'll be surprised at how much good music there is out there.

My Rock Collection: Old Floyd

On the last post I told you about the great albums in my rock collection. Today, we'll talk about Pink floyd's Atom Heart Mother.

The other day I dug deep into my Rock Collection and found a CD that I had not played in years, it's an old Pink Floyd album called Atom Heart Mother. Featuring the back side of a cow on the cover, with head turned, looking back at you, the CD promises to be different. Apparently, the image of the cow was photographed by Storm Thorgerson, same guy who designed the Dark Side Of The Moon Cover. Storm was inspired by Andy Warhol's famous "cow-wallpaper".

Atom Heart Mother was Pink Floyd's continued exploration of progressive rock and included many interesting tunes, to say the least. Included are some old favorites like "Breast Milky" and "Funky Dung". Like Dark Side Of The Moon, Atom Heart Mother was engineered by Legendary Rock musician/producer Alan Parsons, but unlike Dark Side Of The Moon, Atom Heart was less of a concept album than what appears to be a progressive rock exploration.

There have always been mixed reviews of this album, and except for the flip-side which features more digestible Floyd like Fat Old Sun and Summer 68, side A is a Brass and Choir orgy with what appears to be occasional Digital Cow flatulence (That's the best explanation that I can think of) and other rhythmic digressions.

Atom Heart Mother seems to be more closely related to the album Ummagumma, which was also very much a psychedelic musical exploration. Unlike Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother seemed to be barely keeping its head above the water. It definitely did not have that dark, morose feel that Ummagumma did. That said, it was an interesting musical direction for Pink Floyd to have taken, and I'm glad for albums like this, that although not great are as far from the carefully contrived and mass marketed/ predictable pop music that seems to have taken over the world. It sits proudly in my rock collection.

My Rock Collection

In the last post on You Rock Collection, I told you a little about the history of Rock & Roll. Although I'm not a music history teacher, I felt that it was important to give you a little background on the History of Rock.

Today's post on You Rock Collection promises to be a little less educational, but just as serious. I wanted to tell you my all time favorite Rock and Roll albums. This is not an easy task because there are just so many great albums and rock bands past and present, where do you start? I'll start at the beginning.

Before I begin, I feel that it's important to lay down a few rules on my rock collection. Basically, to keep the list short, I will only choose one album per band. In this way, It will make the list easier to read and much smaller than it would be otherwise. The list is not in order and therefore no one album takes precedence over another, although we've all got our favorites and this is a personal thing. The list is not an end all and say all, and I'm sure I've missed many great bands, so feel free to remind me and I'll put it on the list. Lastly, some of the albums here stray a little from what we can classify as Rock, but I just couldn't resist. So here goes my Rock Collection.

White Album, The Beatles
Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
London Calling, The Clash
The Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley
Are You Experienced?, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
In Utero, Nirvana
Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
The Great Twenty-Eight, Chuck Berry
Live at the Apollo (1963), James Brown
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
The Joshua Tree, U2
Who's Next, The Who
Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin
Ramones, Ramones
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
Hotel California, The Eagles
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols
The Doors, The Doors
The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
The Band, The Band
Appetite for Destruction, Guns n' Roses
Moondance, Van Morrison
After the Gold Rush, Neil Young
Back in Black, AC/DC
Imagine, John Lennon
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
20 Golden Greats, Buddy Holly
Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Disraeli Gears, Cream
Paranoid, Black Sabbath
The Bends, Radiohead
Pretenders, The Pretenders
Closer, Joy Division
My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello
Ten, Pearl Jam
Buffalo Springfield Again, Buffalo Springfield
New York Dolls, New York Dolls
The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
A Night at the Opera, Queen
Automatic for the People, R.E.M.
Some Girls,The Rolling Stones
Crosby Stills and Nash, Crosby Stills and Nash
The Cars, The Cars
Call Me, Al Green
Weezer (Blue Album), Weezer
Odelay, Beck
Avalon, Roxy Music
Nothing's Shocking, Jane's Addiction
BloodSugarSexMagik, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rock Steady, No Doubt
Ghost in the Machine, The Police
Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
Superunknown, Soundgarden
Aqualung, Jethro Tull
Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads
Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits
Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins
Pyromania, Def Leppard
Elephant, The White Stripes
Eliminator, ZZ Top
Van Halen , Van Halen
Band on the Run, Wings
Fly Like an Eagle, Steve Miller Band
Destroyer, Kiss

I hope you enjoyed my Rock Collection. Feel free to tell me your favoriate album and i'll add it to the list.

Rock And Roll History

My Rock collection contains a number of artists spanning different eras in Rock Music. While looking at my Rock Collection one day, I asked myself, 'How does this music all fit together?' and then I created this blog to try to understand it.

Although this blog isn't intended to be a historical lesson of Rock & Roll, I think it's important to summarize Rock and Roll in a historical context. After all, music is all about history, how it affects history and how history affects it.

Oddly enough, there is still debate on the origins of Rock & Roll and depending on who you speak with you may get a different response. It's generally accepted that Rock And Roll's roots come from an infusion of so-called black and white music. Specifically, Blues, Jazz, Boogie Woogie with Rockabilly, Western Swing, Bluegrass & Honky Tonk. Adding to the flavor of all these music genres we can also add Folk, Gospel and Big Band into the mix. The problem with the above idea is that it doesn't really tell us what the Eureka moment was that created Rock & Roll, or perhaps it's to vague and expectation. Also, since the above music genres are offspring of other music genres the true heart of Rock & Roll becomes a little less obvious. Since this isn't an attempt at locating the exact origins of Rock & Roll, and I'm not a music historian, I will add my own viewpoint on the history of Rock & Roll. For me, Rock as it was known back in the 195o's comes from the Blues and Country.

Digressing, it is important that the term Rock & Roll not be confused with the sound of Rock & Roll. The earliest recorded use of the term Rock & Roll can be heard on a spiritual recording "The Camp Meeting Jubilee", by an unnamed vocal "quartet, "We've been rocking and rolling in your arms / Rocking and rolling in your arms / In the arms of Moses". Clearly not Rock & Roll music as we understand it. Also, the term Rock and Roll has nautical origins and was apparently used by 'sailors to denote the side-to-side and forward-and-backward motion of ships on the ocean'.

That said, it is widely accepted that the first Rock & Roll album can be traced to Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris 1948 Rock & Blues cover of blues musician Roy James Brown's 1947 "Good Rocking Tonight".


Although Roy James Brown was a blues musician, he also influenced by music that was popular in his day, including music by Bing Crosby of all people.






The song "Good Rocking Tonight" had a profound impact on the King Elvis Presley who covered it in his 1954 Album, and Elvis added his own unique blend to the song, taking it fully into the spectrum of 'White Society'.

The point is that Rock & Roll is probably the first popular multi-racial music genre in the United States to become widely embraced and staking a lasting foothold in the musical landscape. This is very important because it shows that Rock & Roll was the music of the people, for the people. Like the socialist movement in Europe earlier in the century, Rock & Roll affected people in a revolutionary new way due to its non-exclusivity.

So, as I gaze at the led Zeppelins and Pink Floyd's and Beatles CDs on the shelf, I have grown to appreciate my Rock Collection outside of the music itself. To me this is so because the concept of Rock & Roll is a living journal of human growth and experience. It also shows us that music is a moving entity, not a motionless bog, but a raging river that gathers content from surprising sources. Rock & Roll stands out prominently because it embodies this essence and is less concerned with conformity than feeling. In this way, the name Rock & Roll, with it's nautical roots is a very appropriate name for this genre of music.

Lastly, this blog isn't law, meaning that if you object to the content or feel that the information needs to be updated let me know. After all, Rock & Roll is all about movement and not a stagnating energy. I hope you enjoyed the start to You Rock Collection.

You Rock Collection

This blog is dedicated to my love for rock music, it's a Rock Collection. It is by no means a professional opinion but a personal one, I love Rock & Roll. I am not a music critic, but a music lover and I provide my sincere opinions on music that feels good to me. This isn't a blog based on music appreciation either, in fact I am not going to give you any new insight that you have probably already figured out for yourself, but that doesn't mean that there aren't things that I can tell you that are meaningful, all exposed in You Rock Collection. This blog isn't about the history or music, hidden meanings of music, music throughout the world although I may add commentary on everyone of these topics mentioned.

In essence, this blog is a personal view of music. I intend to give you a little insight into which music I think is cool and which isn't, but this is just opinion and I'm sure there will always be people who disagree with me and that's cool too. After all, music affects each one of us in a special, unique way that is meaningful to each one of us. We cannot and should not expect that everyone feels the same about rock music as you or I do.

what I will be discussing is music that primarily ranges from the 60's music scene through progressive and glam rock of the 70's, punk and new wave music of the late 70's and 80's, hair-bands, glam-bands, metal, grunge, and everything Rock and Roll. Will I accomplish this massive undertaking, I don't really expect to, and that really isn't the point. You will find that my posts may jump a few years or a few decades and that's cool. You see, this isn't about giving you a concise insight into Rock, but a personal journey through my love for Rock and Roll.

So sit back and get comfortable, The Rock Collection Blog is now on the Air.