The Greatest Rock songs ever!!

[knights68]

What is the greatest rock songs e-v-e-r??

My vote:
Iron Man
Bohemian Rhapsody
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Back in Black

[Indoor66]

Has to be............................................Kub Bayah

[EarlJam]

What is the greatest rock songs e-v-e-r??

My vote:
Iron Man
Bohemian Rhapsody
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Back in Black

Ditto on Bohemian Rhapsody - I sang the hell out of this song on the way home from work the other day. Also ditto on Back in Black.

Others:

Carry on my Wayward Son - Kansas
Do You Feel Like I Do - Frampton
Highway to Hell - AC/DC
Stairway to Heaven - Zepp (cliche' answer but true)
Let it Be - Beatles

[edensquad]

Roundabout- Yes
More Than a Feeling-Boston
Behind Blue Eyes- Who
Stairway to Heaven-Led Zeppelin
Eleanor Rigby or Hey Jude-Beatles
(the entire) Ballet for a Girl in Buchanan-Chicago

[wilson]

Layla-Derek and the Dominos
All Along the Watchtower-Jimi Hendrix (I know, Dylan wrote it, but even he said it was Jimi's song)
Stairway to Heaven-Led Zeppelin (obvious, perhaps, but it's ubiquitous for a reason)

[hurleyfor3]

Wow, if we ever have 1977 again, you folks will be all ready.

[Bluedawg]

According to Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs) the top 10 are:

1. Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
2. Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
3. Imagine, John Lennon
4. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
5. Respect, Aretha Franklin
6. Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys
7. Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
8. Hey Jude, The Beatles
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
10. What'd I Say, Ray Charles

According to VH1 (http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/vh1rocksongs.htm)


1 "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Rolling Stones
2 "Respect" Aretha Franklin
3 "Stairway To Heaven" Led Zeppelin
4 "Like A Rolling Stone" Bob Dylan
5 "Born To Run" Bruce Springsteen
6 "Hotel California" The Eagles
7 "Light My Fire" The Doors
8 "Good Vibrations" Beach Boys
9 "Hey Jude" The Beatles
10 "Imagine" John Lennon

[merry]

Ditto on Bohemian Rhapsody - I sang the hell out of this song on the way home from work the other day.

This reminds me, a year or so ago I mentioned in passing to my now 12yo son that I thought he might like the song "Bohemian Rhapsody". A few days later my husband found a post it note on the computer in the kid's handwriting that said: BOHEMIAN RAP CITY?

[Bluedawg]

Looking over these lists two bands have been completely left out. When you look at Classic Rock, or Greatest Rock songs you cannot omit

The Eagles:

Tequila Sunrise (http://youtube.com/watch?v=1KHf13IUzxg)
Take It Easy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=pquohBLXIIE)
Hotel California (http://youtube.com/watch?v=wcdViSdoRuk&mode=related&search=)
Saturday Night (http://youtube.com/watch?v=L8BPYtmlrfk&mode=related&search=)
Witchy Woman (http://youtube.com/watch?v=tt9oQwdVxrk&mode=related&search=)
Peaceful Easy Feeling (http://youtube.com/watch?v=09pwj-Flfkw)

Or Creedence Clearwater Revival:

Lookin' Out My Back Door (http://youtube.com/watch?v=RqZhM75aGMg)
Who'll Stop the Rain (http://youtube.com/watch?v=K7YgP_383wM)
Proud Mary (http://youtube.com/watch?v=g5NjU0_n-5Y&mode=related&search=)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain (http://youtube.com/watch?v=TS9_ipu9GKw)
Bad Moon Rising (http://youtube.com/watch?v=1mNsykZXO8k)

And of course the always classic Centerfield (http://youtube.com/watch?v=pvyMwXBkvF4) and Desperado (http://youtube.com/watch?v=DOPL3AbULaE) [fire up the speakers and click on the link!]

[hc5duke]

This reminds me, a year or so ago I mentioned in passing to my now 12yo son that I thought he might like the song "Bohemian Rhapsody". A few days later my husband found a post it note on the computer in the kid's handwriting that said: BOHEMIAN RAP CITY?

Ha! My wife told me the same story about when she was teaching a bunch of 7 year olds at a summer camp.

My Top [some number]:

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
Guns N Roses - Sweet Child o Mine
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
KISS - Rock and Roll All Nite
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight (just trying to see if you're paying attention)

[captmojo]

Layla-Derek...
Can't you hear me knocking-Stones
Won' get fooled again-Who
Helter Skelter-Beatles
Just another night-Ian Hunter
All down the line-Stones
Chicken shack-Amos Milburn
Lovin' machine-Wynonie Harris
Handle with care-Traveling wilburys

[Patrick Yates]

I really do love listening to the classic rock station during my commute.

Here I go again on my own
You shook me all night long
Back in Black (the song, not the unis or the idiot poster riffing on song)
The Boys are Back in Town
Beast of Burden

Patrick Yates

[YmoBeThere]

Not already on other people's lists.

American Pie - Don Maclean
With a little help from my friends - Joe Cocker
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

[ohioguy2]

Hotel California--Painted Black--Light My Fire--Carry on my Wayward Son

[DevilAlumna]

I'm gonna have to go with either "sunday, bloody sunday" or "where the streets have no name" as just classic, "jam out on the drive into work" rock songs.

Darn it, now I'm gonna have to go dig out a CD or two....

[Bob Green]

There are a lot of great songs on the list. Here are four more:

"Taxman" The Beatles
"Honky Tonk Woman" The Rolling Stones
"Locomotive Breath" Jethro Tull
"Kashmir" Led Zeppelin

[micah75]

Stairway to Heaven, Hey Jude and some of the others already mentioned are most likely better from an objective standpoint. However, I have to take into consideration the songs which, for me at least, are still listenable.

Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Money - Pink Floyd
Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
I Heard it Through the Grapevine - CCR's version

It's hard to leave out Roy Orbison, one of my personal faves. So, allow me to add "Pretty Woman" to the mix.

[hc5duke]

Money - Pink Floyd

love it - especially the part where the whole movie turns into color

[darthur]

A couple months ago, I put together a list of rock songs I had that I thought were "legendary". These were songs that (a) any self-respecting rock fan probably knows, and (b) really stand out from the rest of a band's work. This last part is vey important and is why, say, the Beatles don't appear on the list. As this thread has already shown, there is no one Beatles song that everybody agrees is their best. Anyway, here is what I came up with:

Satisfaction (Rolling Stones, 1965)
Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan, 1965)
My Generation (The Who, 1965)
All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix, 1968)
Layla (Derek and the Dominoes, 1970)
Imagine (John Lennon, 1971)
Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin, 1971)
Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen, 1975)
The Happiest Days of our Lives / Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 (Pink Floyd, 1979)
London Calling (The Clash, 1979)
Smells like Teen Spirit (Nirvana, 1991)

The dates are fairly concentrated, which probably shows my own personal bias.

PS: Bob Green, I absolutely love Locomotive Breath and I remember really wanting to put it on this list before eventually admitting to myself that not nearly enough people know it. Their loss.

[dukemomLA]

Okay -- it's hard for me to list less than 200 or so, but I'll try.

(In no particular order)
Satisfaction (Stones)
Bohemian Rhapsody & We Will Rock You (Queen)
...Watchtower (J. Hendrix)
...Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)
(most of the Beatles, especially albums Sgt. Pep & Revolver)
Somebody to Love & White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane)
Green Onions (Booker T...)
Rock and Roll (KISS)
Purple Rain & Dove... (Prince)
Hotel Cal.. (Eagles)
Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
Sunshine.... (Cream)
....Troubled Waters (S&G)
Born to be Wild & Born to Run (Springsteen)
House of the Rising Sun (Animals)
Proud Mary (CCR)
Stairway.... (Led Z)
...Rolling Stone & Tamborine Man (Dylan)
...Grapevine (Marvin Gaye)
Who do you Love (Bo Diddley)
I can see for miles (the WHO)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd S)
Great Balls of Fire (JJLewis)
Piece of my Heart (J. Joplin)
Allison (Elvis Costello)
Jailhouse Rock (Elvis P)
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard)
Knock on Wood (...any version)
What's Love got to do with it (Tina Turner)
Rocket Man (Elton John)
I love Rock & Roll (Joan Jett)
Woodstock (CSN&Y)

Whew -- so many more that I'd like to list ---- and I didn't even list anything by some of my favorites (Bonnie Raitt, John Hiatt, James Taylor, Neville Brothers, BoDeans, etc. -- 'cause I'm not sure they would be considered "rock'n'roll."

[Tommac]

Born to be Wild or Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
Rockin Down the Highway or China Grove - Doobie Bros
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Make Me Smile - Chicago
Suite Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Band on the Run - Paul McCartney
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
Missippi Queen - Mountain
American Woman - Guess Who
Flirtin With Disaster - Molly Hatchet
Roadhouse Blues or Riders of the Storm - Doors
I'm Just A Singer in a Rock and Roll Band - Moody Blues

Where to stop?

[captmojo]

...for not listing-

Devil with the Blue Dress/Good Golly
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels:o

[dkbaseball]

If I had to name the quintessential rock song, I think I'd go with Badlands by Springsteen.

[ivduke]

There have been a lot of great songs listed here, but the definition of rock is based largely on personal interpretation. I myself can't even begin to think of a greatest rock song list and not include the following:

One--Metallica
Walk--Pantera

Now obviously I am showing some of my age as well.....:) :)

[Shammrog]

There have been a lot of great songs listed here, but the definition of rock is based largely on personal interpretation. I myself can't even begin to think of a greatest rock song list and not include the following:

One--Metallica
Walk--Pantera

Now obviously I am showing some of my age as well.....:) :)

BLESS YOU! BLESS YOU!

(This list has been, somewhat unfairly, void of truly heavy metal.)

(Shammrog; banging his head since the (formative years of) the 1980s!)

[mapei]

But where's "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida"?

[tecumseh]

How about "Like a Rolling Stone" by the Rolling Stones.

[hc5duke]

But where's "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida"?

Wait a minute. This looks like rock and/or roll...

[greybeard]

In no particular order:

Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrision
Gloria, lyrics by VM, Shaddows of Night
She's Not There, Zombies
Knock on Wood, Wilson Pickett
Ain't Too Proud to Beg, and any other song on the first Temptations' Greatest
Hits Album;
Gotta Give it Up, Marvin
Racin In the Streets, Bruce
What'd I Say, Ray
Be My Baby, The Ronnettes

And, for those who went to school, any school, in the NE in the 60s:

I Wanna Do It, by Bobby Comstock and the Counts

What I want to know is, where are all the Dukies from the 60s, I ain't seen no shaggin music listed here!

[mapei]

The only way I can do this is to narrow down the category. I'm interpreting "greatest" as something different from "my favorite," in part because I think for this to work the songs have to be familiar to most people. I might think Van Morrsion's "In the Garden" is the finest song ever written and sung, or the Beach Boys' "You Still Believe In Me," but it doesn't make for conversation with many people.

I'm also going to interpret "rock" as excluding pop, folk, soul, blues, and r'n'b. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is as great a song as ever composed, but it's not rock, and I would say likewise for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Both Sides Now," not to mention Sam Cooke's immortal "A Change is Gonna Come," which probably gets thrown out under the first paragraph as well. The point can be argued, but I'll drive myself nuts if I don't force the category more narrowly.

So these are songs that most everybody knows, that most everybody considers rock, that never fail to stir the spirit when I hear them, and that appear to do the same for a lot of other people:

Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
Whiter Shade of Pale, Procul Harem
Good Vibrations, Beach Boys
Don't Worry Baby, Beach Boys
Walk of Life, Dire Straits
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, U2
Under the Boardwalk, Drifters (marginal as "rock")
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, CS&N
Won't Get Fooled Again, the Who
The River, Bruuuuuce
Sympathy for the Devil, Stones

Those are the first eleven that came to mind, and I'll stop there.

[accfanfrom1970]

Top 5:

Born to Run - Bruce
Gimme Shelter - Stones (heard MeatLoaf do this great recently) and speaking of MeatLoaf: Bat Out of Hell (great live)
Running with the Devil - Van Halen (was great when they put Duke highlights to it at the banquet for Jason Williams)
Back in Black - AC/DC

[mapei]

I cannot believe I neglected to include Nick Lowe's (via Elvis Costello) "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?"

A serious omission on my part that I cannot let stand. Thanks.

[dukemomLA]

Okay, we've just been bombarded with GREAT songs!! So.....(is this legal?), is there anyone out there who could burn us a few CDs of all the favorites?? And perhaps sell them to us, with the profit going to DBR? Just a thought....

Damn, I'd LOVE to have all this stuff (and willing to pay for it).

I'd love to hear from computer/iPod/etc. folk who might have a way to go with this. I truly think it could be a terrific way to support ($$$) DBR.

[ArnieMc]

Paranoid - Black Sabbath
Hold Your Head Up - Argent
Get Ready - Rare Earth (22 min from knapsack album)
Long Cool Woman - Hollies
Twilight Zone - Golden Earring
Jingo - Santana
Tush - ZZ Top
Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh
Her Strut - Bob Seger
Jump into the Fire - Harry Neilson
Cornbread - Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers (Yeah, I know)

[knights68]

[QUOTE=dukemomLA;38983]Okay, we've just been bombarded with GREAT songs!! So.....(is this legal?), is there anyone out there who could burn us a few CDs of all the favorites?? And perhaps sell them to us, with the profit going to DBR? Just a thought....


Great idea! hhmmmmmm :rolleyes: :D

[captmojo]

Okay, we've just been bombarded with GREAT songs!! So.....(is this legal?), is there anyone out there who could burn us a few CDs of all the favorites?? And perhaps sell them to us, with the profit going to DBR? Just a thought....

Damn, I'd LOVE to have all this stuff (and willing to pay for it).

I'd love to hear from computer/iPod/etc. folk who might have a way to go with this. I truly think it could be a terrific way to support ($$$) DBR.

What do you need?:cool:

[greybeard]

Leave it to my college friend, Judy, who just sent me this u-tube thing on "American Pie." Must be ESPN, or something, but it reminded me of what I almost forgot for a second, the early days of Rock:

1. Anything by Buddy Holly, but if you must, Peggy Sue, That'll Be the Day;
2. Anything by Chuck Berry, but if you must, Reelin and a Rockin, Sweet Little Sixteen;
3. LaBamba, Ritchie Valens
4. Chantilly Lace, the Big Bopper**
4. Great Balls of Fire, Jerry
5. Do You Love Me, no, not the Beatles**

I could go on and on but I fear I lost you guys long ago. If any of youz want to check out the U-tube thing, it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycgegp0KdE4.

I'll tell Judy you said thanks.

[captmojo]

Okay, we've just been bombarded with GREAT songs!! So.....(is this legal?), is there anyone out there who could burn us a few CDs of all the favorites?? And perhaps sell them to us, with the profit going to DBR? Just a thought....

Damn, I'd LOVE to have all this stuff (and willing to pay for it).

I'd love to hear from computer/iPod/etc. folk who might have a way to go with this. I truly think it could be a terrific way to support ($$$) DBR.

Then again, there's that whole pesky copyright thing to satisfy.;)

[Indoor66]

Then again, there's that whole pesky copyright thing to satisfy.;)

Yeah, ASCAP might get upset.

[dukemomLA]

I know there are the copyright/sync rights issues. BUT if late night TV can sell compilations of sh**t for a pittance, then there must be a way for us to create "DBR Greatest Rock Hits" -- Volumes I & II & III, etc.

This could be a GREAT fundraiser for DBR. And a wonderful gift to us all -- and purchasing lots of copies for friends and families. Come on guys -- let's figure out a way to do this!!

[willywoody]

i fought the law


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Fought_the_Law

[Stray Gator]

...What I want to know is, where are all the Dukies from the 60s, I ain't seen no shaggin music listed here!

***************

Well, I didn't list it because few here are likely to recognize it, but what may very well be the quintessential "rock and roll" song of all time is "It Will Stand" by the Showmen.

Speaking of Beach Music--and by that I mean the kind we shag danced to in our Bass Weejuns and no socks while drinking 25-cent PBRs back in the early-to-mid 60s at The Pad in O.D. (later reopened as The Barrel) and Sonny's Pavilion in Cherry Grove and The Beach Club on 17 between Windy Hill and Myrtle Beach (where you could see The Tams, or Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, or Motown artists like the Four Tops or Mary Wells, or the infamous Doug Clark & the Hot Nuts on any given weekend)--I put together a CD "memento" for a few friends who attended our 40th high school class reunion last fall (held at Sunset Beach, away from the areas of NMB now overdeveloped) with the following collection of our favorite "Beach Music" selections that we grew up with from that era:

1. It Will Stand
2. Sixty Minute Man
3. 39-21-40 Shape
4. Thank You John
5. You Lied To Your Daddy
6. White Cliffs of Dover
7. Fat Boy
8. Kidnapper
9. Across The Street
10. Ain’t No Big Thing
11. Voice Your Choice
12. Behold
13. The Entertainer
14. Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta
15. Lipstick Traces
16. Harlem Shuffle
17. Anna
18. I Do Love You
19. Green Eyes
20. Smokey Places
21. Hello Stranger
22. Stay
23. What Kind Of Fool
24. You Keep Telling Me Yes
25. Sitting In The Park
26. May I
27. Just One Look
28. A Lover’s Question
29. Lonely Teardrops
30. Nip Sip

Anyone else here recognize these tunes? :)

[dkbaseball]

***************


1. It Will Stand
2. Sixty Minute Man
3. 39-21-40 Shape
4. Thank You John
5. You Lied To Your Daddy
6. White Cliffs of Dover
7. Fat Boy
8. Kidnapper
9. Across The Street
10. Ain’t No Big Thing
11. Voice Your Choice
12. Behold
13. The Entertainer
14. Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta
15. Lipstick Traces
16. Harlem Shuffle
17. Anna
18. I Do Love You
19. Green Eyes
20. Smokey Places
21. Hello Stranger
22. Stay
23. What Kind Of Fool
24. You Keep Telling Me Yes
25. Sitting In The Park
26. May I
27. Just One Look
28. A Lover’s Question
29. Lonely Teardrops
30. Nip Sip

Anyone else here recognize these tunes? :)

Of course, and how very sobering to think that most here don't. Conspicuous omissions: I'm a Girl Watcher; I'm Your Puppet; Cowboys to Girls; Time is Tight.

[Stray Gator]

Of course, and how very sobering to think that most here don't. Conspicuous omissions: I'm a Girl Watcher; I'm Your Puppet; Cowboys to Girls; Time is Tight.

*************

Those are fine Beach Music songs, but like some of the other records now recognized as classics they were all released years later than the ones listed. Most of the listed recordings were from the 50s--when R & B was morphing into R & R--with a few as "recent" as the early 60s. (In fact, "White Cliffs of Dover" was a "R & B/rockified" version of an English song popular during WWII.) By the mid-60s, there was a "second wave" of Beach Music by groups such as The Embers, and a heavy infusion of Motown/Stax/Atlantic soul music, from which groups like the O'Kaysions emerged in the late 60s, at about the same time that psychedelic music hit the scene. What was really interesting were the jukeboxes you'd see around the beach in the late 60s early 70s, with an eclectic mix of old Beach Music classics, "new" Beach Music tunes, some Motown/Stax/Atlantic soul, and then a smattering of Cream, Creedence, CSNY, the Doors, Jimi, Jefferson Airplane, and James Taylor. Kinda like putting your XM radio on "random play"... :D

[greybeard]

***************

Well, I didn't list it because few here are likely to recognize it, but what may very well be the quintessential "rock and roll" song of all time is "It Will Stand" by the Showmen.

Speaking of Beach Music--and by that I mean the kind we shag danced to in our Bass Weejuns and no socks while drinking 25-cent PBRs back in the early-to-mid 60s at The Pad in O.D. (later reopened as The Barrel) and Sonny's Pavilion in Cherry Grove and The Beach Club on 17 between Windy Hill and Myrtle Beach (where you could see The Tams, or Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, or Motown artists like the Four Tops or Mary Wells, or the infamous Doug Clark & the Hot Nuts on any given weekend)--I put together a CD "memento" for a few friends who attended our 40th high school class reunion last fall (held at Sunset Beach, away from the areas of NMB now overdeveloped) with the following collection of our favorite "Beach Music" selections that we grew up with from that era:

1. It Will Stand
2. Sixty Minute Man
3. 39-21-40 Shape
4. Thank You John
5. You Lied To Your Daddy
6. White Cliffs of Dover
7. Fat Boy
8. Kidnapper
9. Across The Street
10. Ain’t No Big Thing
11. Voice Your Choice
12. Behold
13. The Entertainer
14. Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta
15. Lipstick Traces
16. Harlem Shuffle
17. Anna
18. I Do Love You
19. Green Eyes
20. Smokey Places
21. Hello Stranger
22. Stay
23. What Kind Of Fool
24. You Keep Telling Me Yes
25. Sitting In The Park
26. May I
27. Just One Look
28. A Lover’s Question
29. Lonely Teardrops
30. Nip Sip

Anyone else here recognize these tunes? :)

I know a few from my youth, 6, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, and one from a shaggin fool I have known for 35 years, and that would be number 2. I will ask Billy Boy, who is a UNC squared colleague of mine, to come up with his list. I am sure he will say something nasty, however, about Duke men and their prowess wuth the fairer sex, not the least of which will concern the dancefloor, but being the gentleman that I am, I shall omit all such comments from my future post.;)

[Indoor66]

I know a few from my youth, 6, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, and one from a shaggin fool I have known for 35 years, and that would be number 2. I will ask Billy Boy, who is a UNC squared colleague of mine, to come up with his list. I am sure he will say something nasty, however, about Duke men and their prowess wuth the fairer sex, not the least of which will concern the dancefloor, but being the gentleman that I am, I shall omit all such comments from my future post.;)

Sounds like my undergrad and grad career....

[g_olaf]

An interesting group of songs, if only for the omissions. For example:

1) Only a single reference to Elton John? Rocket Man is a great song, but in my opinion nowhere near his best... I'm torn between "Madman across the Water" versus "Burn Down the Mission"... I'll choose the ~9 minute version of Madman which is a bonus track on Tumbleweed Connection.

2) No one lists anything by the Band? (although they backed up Dylan in the live at the Royal Albert Hall version)... So many to choose from, my favorites are "Acadian Driftwood", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up on Cripple Creek", but their greatest tune is arguably "The Weight".

3) Bruce seems underrepresented. We've got "Born to Run", "Badlands" and "Racing in the Street"... all great, and I'd think about adding "Thunder Road" or "Jungleland", but won't because we have to add "Rosalita (come out tonight)"

5) Where's Neil? I know some of y'all are still peeved about "Southern Man", but let it go!
"Helpless" or "Ohio" w/ CSNY? How about "Long May You Run"?

6) Finally, I would approve of "Woodstock" (I love Joni's original, but I'll choose the CSNY version) as it defines the generation.

[Stray Gator]

...
5) Where's Neil? I know some of y'all are still peeved about "Southern Man", but let it go!
"Helpless" or "Ohio" w/ CSNY? How about "Long May You Run"?

6) Finally, I would approve of "Woodstock" (I love Joni's original, but I'll choose the CSNY version) as it defines the generation.

************

We used to refer to "Ohio" as our "National Anthem." :)

As a hard-core "Rustie," I'd vote for a number of Neil's "rock" songs, some of the best of which are fairly obscure--e.g., "Revolution Blues" and "Days That Used To Be." Ironically, two of the best live concert "rock" performances I can recall seeing both involved Neil, and were more than 30 years apart: An extended version of "Bluebird" with Buffalo Springfield in 1968 (to show you how times have changed, they introduced the number to the audience as one in which the two lead guitarists--Neil and Steven Stills--would perform extended solos that they referred then to as a "freakout" :D ), and then I caught Neil and Crazy Horse in Atlanta about 6 or 7 years ago, where they wrapped the set with "Powderfinger" and followed with an encore of "Cowgirl In The Sand" that left everyone drained. (Though I really like the acoustic version of "Cowgirl" much better.)

[Bluedawg]

I won't tell you the name of the song because you need to experience it.

So crank up your speakers, and here courtesy of Yahoo Video is "The Greatest Rock song ever (http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?ei=UTF-8&cache=1&gid=1319357&vid=1033478&b=1)!!"

Enjoy

[mapei]

Yesterday I drove down to the beach to join my SO and nine (!) members of her family. The good news is that XM was running repeats of Bob Dylan's radio show, the best thing I've ever heard.

Trying my best to make dinner table conversation, I talked about it, even though no one else was remotely interested. At one point I referred to him as "perhaps the great poet of our times." One of the in-laws, a woman about 40, asked, "Did Bob Dylan write his own songs?"

Sheesh. Get me out of here.

[mapei]

p.s. Hey, I'm a starter now!

[tecumseh]

Some guy who married a younger woman was telling me he was driving in his car and Dylan comes on singing "All Along the Watchtower" and she says this guy is really messing up a Hendrix song.

BTW
Just say Dylan in Red Rocks he was good but I was a little disappointed by the playlist. He is touring with Elvis Costello this fall.

[mapei]

A friend of mine in Indiana just emailed me the notice of the Bob'n'Elvis appearance in Bloomington. Sounds like an inspired pairing!

I know what you mean by playlists, but I generally take the view that the real elder legends - Bob, Bruce, Van, Neil, Joni - can play whatever they want at this point. I guess I'd be disappointed if they just ran through a greatest-hits kind of thing without digging deeper and playing new stuff, but otherwise I'm there.

BTW, in partial response to some earlier posts - I think there are some artists - and I would put the Band, Allmans, Dead, REM, Richard Thompson, and some others in this category - didn't really make great individual songs as they have made great bodies of work, almost seamless. I could pick "Sugar Magnolia" to represent the Dead, for instance, but that's just what I'd be doing: picking a song to represent, more than as a song on its own. The songs don't stand out as much as they play a role in the larger work. So it doesn't bother me if, when we name a list of "greatest songs," some great artists aren't on the list. It's just the nature of what they do, and it doesn't diminish either the list or the artist for me.

[cato]

************

We used to refer to "Ohio" as our "National Anthem." :)

As a hard-core "Rustie," I'd vote for a number of Neil's "rock" songs, some of the best of which are fairly obscure--e.g., "Revolution Blues" and "Days That Used To Be." Ironically, two of the best live concert "rock" performances I can recall seeing both involved Neil, and were more than 30 years apart: An extended version of "Bluebird" with Buffalo Springfield in 1968 (to show you how times have changed, they introduced the number to the audience as one in which the two lead guitarists--Neil and Steven Stills--would perform extended solos that they referred then to as a "freakout" :D ), and then I caught Neil and Crazy Horse in Atlanta about 6 or 7 years ago, where they wrapped the set with "Powderfinger" and followed with an encore of "Cowgirl In The Sand" that left everyone drained. (Though I really like the acoustic version of "Cowgirl" much better.)

Thank you, Stray. As I scrolled through the list, and noted the absence of Neil, I thought I'd have to chime in. A random rock song that I love is "Sedan Delivery". But it's hard to beat Cowgirl (I'll like the electric version just fine). And while I love "Cortez," it doesn't rock as hard as some others.

[AnimalFriendly]

Surprised nobody mentioned "Into the Black" - sorry if somebody did & I missed it. At least I THINK that's the name? Out of the blue and into the black.

Also like "The Needle & the Damage Done"...sad but nice.

[AnimalFriendly]

As a fan of beach music & shagging, I enjoyed Stray's list although I wasn't born until :-)... 1960. Interesting also, that by the late 70s there were some more songs that became overnight shagging favorites...by bands that were primarily known for disco. An example would be Hold Back the Night by, I think, The Trammps....this same band also did Disco Inferno which was featured on Saturday Night Fever. Others I can think of were 1, 2, 3 Kind of Love For Me by Wild Cherry, talk about a one-hit wonder, & Love Really Hurts Without You by Billy Ocean.

How about nominations for best rock albums ever...Born to Run by Springsteen's one of mine.

[greybeard]

Shag to Do-wop?

Why do fools Fall In Love
Come go with Me
Runaround Sue
Runaway
Will you Still love Me Tomorrow
I Wonder Why

What about Smokey?

Shop Around

Darin:

Kansas City
Queen of the Hope
Dream Lover

Others

Mother-In-Law
Mockingbird

Anything, with the Funk Brothers in the background, for those who haven't, you gottsa see, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"

"They'll be blue, blue birds over, (pause), the White (pause), Cliffs of Dover,(pause), Tomorrow, (pause) when the World is Free eee,
* * *

[Stray Gator]

...Darin:

Kansas City
Queen of the Hope
Dream Lover

* * *

Dude, there is only one version of "Kansas City" that counts--the 1959 recording by Wilbert Harrison.

(And for those people who think Lynyrd Skynyrd's version of "Call Me The Breeze" or Clapton's version of "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" are good, take a tip from this old reptile and check out the original source--J.J. Cale.)

[greybeard]

Dude, there is only one version of "Kansas City" that counts--the 1959 recording by Wilbert Harrison.

(And for those people who think Lynyrd Skynyrd's version of "Call Me The Breeze" or Clapton's version of "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" are good, take a tip from this old reptile and check out the original source--J.J. Cale.)

Right you are.

BTW, talking about oldies, was in New Orleans last June, took a cab ride around to see what I could, driver took me at 2 in the afternoon to Ernie K-Doe's lounge, which is an historical site. Actually, it is still an incredible slice of New Orleans, sex, alcohol, and rock and roll. Cab driver knew Ernie's wife, who let us in. There were about 10 folk still hangin from the night before. Ladies in slinky gowns, a few real old dudes. A "real life" version of Ernie was sittin in a wheel chair. There were two rooms, one with a bar and lots of room; a second with a small dance floor and staging area with some drums set up from the night before. Oh, the music room also had a giant bed, with a fo leopard skin cover on it. "There is a house in N O, they call . . . ."

Ernie's only rock n roll hit was "mother-in-law." My friend billy boy, who is at the beach shagging as we speak or I'd be beatin your list down Stray, says that Erinie was real, real big in R&B, a veritable giant. I could always buggy to "Mother-In-Law", had that backbeat, you know, so you didn't have to move too much to get it done.

Never did see no shaggin myself until I met old Bill; sort of what you'd expect from a southerner tryin to rock n roll, but, over all, not bad.

[micah75]

As far as albums go, 1971's Tapestry by Carol King deserves some recognition.
4 Grammys, stayed in the charts for 6 straight years, hit singles like "You've Got a Friend" and "It's Too Late", and #36 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time. Sold 10 mil copies in the U.S. alone.

A couple of sleepers which I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Al Stewart - Time Passages
Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat or Catch Bull at Four

[FewFAC]

The Song Remains The Same

Surprised Tom Sawyer isn't on here.

[g_olaf]

Surprised Tom Sawyer isn't on here.

I'm not.

I don't think I've seen: Rod Stewart, Maggie May.
Every Picture Tells a Story is on of the great rock albums of all time.

[dukemomLA]

I LOVE this thread. Makes me get out some CDs and tapes that I haven't frequented for a while. So...I'm just posting this so it 'moves to the head of the class' and gets off of page 3. Keep 'em coming DBR posters.

[mapei]

In a tangentially related point, I recently bought some vinyl-album-sized picture frames and have begun to hang a few favorites on the wall. It's a great way to connect visually with one's personal history.

[captmojo]

In a tangentially related point, I recently bought some vinyl-album-sized picture frames and have begun to hang a few favorites on the wall. It's a great way to connect visually with one's personal history.

Be careful not to damage with respect to collectible qualities of them. Vinyl is making a real resurgence in values.

[mapei]

Good point. I have a thousand or so old vinyl albums. I also still have a turntable, though I hardly ever use it.

[willywoody]

Good point. I have a thousand or so old vinyl albums. I also still have a turntable, though I hardly ever use it.

well that's a shame. in a properly set up system vinyl should give you superior sound quality over cds and even sacds and dvd-audio.

[mapei]

Perhaps true if you pursue the highest-end approach to that, but at this point I value the convenience of CDs much more than whatever extra increment of sound improvement one might be able to coax out of analog media. I'm quite satisfied with the sound quality of CDs, which sound much better than vinyl on my very good but not absolutely top audio system.

Now, you want to talk bicycles, I'll pay a small fortune (and have!) for a 1-5% improvement in performance. ;) These things aren't entirely rational.

[dukemomLA]

I have some records that my Dad played on bass with Dorsey, Miller, Johnny Richards (sic?), Basie, etc. I've moved them coast to coast many times over the years. What the hell to do with them. Sigh. Also some 45's of Elvis, etc. I guess I'll keep carting them back and forth from coast to coast.

[hc5duke]

well that's a shame. in a properly set up system vinyl should give you superior sound quality over cds and even sacds and dvd-audio.

but can you make it portable? ;)

[mapei]

BTW, this isn't rock, but it's all music, and RIP Luciano. One of the greats.

[Stray Gator]

BTW, this isn't rock, but it's all music, and RIP Luciano. One of the greats.

Have you seen the YouTube video of Pavarotti and James Brown singing a duet version of "This Is A Man's World"? It's pretty amazing. Just Google "Pavarotti" and you can follow the link to the YouTube video.

[greybeard]

I have some records that my Dad played on bass with Dorsey, Miller, Johnny Richards (sic?), Basie, etc. I've moved them coast to coast many times over the years. What the hell to do with them. Sigh. Also some 45's of Elvis, etc. I guess I'll keep carting them back and forth from coast to coast.

There are alot of serious record collectors in the LA area. Friend of mine who lives on Beverley Glenn drive used to live next to one. I'll ask if his neighbor is still the same. Years ago, I remember the neighbor, who had walls and walls of shelves and shelves of records, used to go on weekends to these collector fleas markets in LA.

I know that this is still a thing. There is a shop in Syracuse NY where I once tracked down on old record I was after; picked up on the store from one of those newspaper kind of things at an "old record" shop in the DC suburb.

The tune, one of the great, great boogaloo songs of all time from Upstate NY, circa 1967, "Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket," Otis and the All Night Workers

grey "Don't you ever give, all your love, to just one woman" beard