Though I have yet to dig past his first three records and some Commodores stuff of course, few artists for me hit the spot the way Mr. Lionel Richie does. His self-titled debut, Can't Slow Down, and Dancing on the Ceiling were so colossally huge that he ended up taking a ten year break before putting out another album and even if by that point he was no longer as compatible with the times, his mark was already made. As a songwriter, Richie can craft the most tender of ballads as effortlessly as he can the most hook-laden dance jams and he equally excelled at both while crossing over styles that were as much pop as they were rock and soul. Then as a singer, his is one of the smoothest of voices and listening to the passion pouring out of him as he oos and aahs in "Penny Lover", "Easy" or pick your favorite is as marvelous an experience as any. "We Are the World" notwithstanding, Richie has not so much been trying to change the planet with his music as he is just simply at home crafting simple, utterly perfect pops songs.
The 1960's produced a handful of still revered groups that by the end of the decade had practically said all they had to say. LA's The Doors were yet another one who came and went within a four year period, dropping six mostly flawless albums in that time. Each member complimented each other like few other rock bands ever could. Robby Krieger was a flamenco style guitar player who adopted his pickless technique and classical sensibilities when playing electric, John Densmore was a jazz drummer specializing in Latin rhythms, Ray Manzarak was a goddamn human octopus who was able to play colorful leads on his organ while simultaneously making the need for a bass player obsolete, and then of course you have Jim Morrison, a deliberately self-destructive poet with a vicious croon who could quote hundreds of books no matter how high he was flying. The Doors' complete sound still may be the most individual in all of rock music.
One really has stand back in jaw-dropping awe at Frank Zappa's humongous body of work. He supposedly recorded nearly every performance he ever gave and when he was not on the road morphing his own material with spectacular band after spectacular band each and every night, he was tirelessly recording enough music in his own studio that probably if every band that forms from here on out only grabbed from his stash, they would never run out of material. As a teenager, Zappa fell in love with avant-garde composers such as Edgard Varèse and simply taught himself how to read and compose music. He never took lyrics remotely seriously and instead of forgoing them completely, just decided to make them as ridiculous as possible. In doing so, his music was always just as hilarious as it was musically complex. Post Mothers of Invention, he also insisted on utilizing the very best musicians and everyone from George Duke, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, and drum wizards like Terry Bozzio and Vinnie Colaiuta worked their magic under his wing.
The premier power-trio supergroup even all these decades later, Cream was what fantastic musicians at their peak sounded like while indulging their abilities as loudly and powerfully as possible. Formed in 1966 and made up out of three "cream of the crop" musicians in the London jazz and blues scene, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton were big news before they even recorded anything together. Humorously, the first single they did release was the, (as Ginger lovely put it), "pile of shit" "Wrapping Paper", a soft, ridiculous chamber-music diddy they did just to fuck with people's expectations. In and out in only three years before Baker and Bruce probably would have murdered each other, Cream solidified on-stage jamming as an art form and exploded their non-rock influences together to in fact become one of the most vigorous pre-hard rock bands in history.
One more iconic musician who solidified his legacy in the 1960s, the immeasurably influential Jimi Hendrix of course has to be here. Hendrix put out only four albums in just as many years before he joined the 27 Club. Helped in part by regular, heroic doses of hallucinogenics, the amount of creativity that was seemingly exploding from his every molecule was ridiculous. The Experience band that he put together in England featured a drummer that was nearly as proficient as Hendrix was a guitar player in Mitch Mitchell, who brought jazz chops and fiery speed to rock drumming. Jimi of course revolutionized the electric guitar permanently not just in sound but in technical ability, though as a songwriter he was equally as unprecedented. Rooted in the blues yet going light-years further with it, his music was layered with colors and dreamscapes as he and engineer extraordinaire Eddie Kramer made rock music in general sound fuller and more textured than it ever was before.
Comparatively un-sung champions of British hard rock, Uriah Heep have maintained a level of mere moderate success since 1969, but approaching their fifth decade as a band, they are actually as strong as ever. Though certainly proficient enough, all of the various lineups of Uriah Heep rarely featured any virtuoso musicianship as they were less proggy than prog, but more proggy than most hard rock. In the process, the settled rather straightforwardly in the middle. In the band's first decade together, main songwriter/organist Ken Hensley seemingly had truckloads of material and select gems such as "July Morning", "The Wizard", "Lady in Black", "Paradise/The Spell", and "Stealin'", were all his. Going through four different vocalists over their career, original singer David Byron had a ridiculous range while John Lawton likewise did in a far more soulful way. Long-standing frontman Bernie Shaw though is the absolute perfect fit and on that note, the band's current output is one of the very rare instances where a classic rock band's new stuff is just as solid if not more so than their golden era.
I am certainly aware that this list is full of plenty of predictable choices and here we come to the absolute best punk rock band of all time, The Ramones. The way that these guys made heads explode was ironically just as powerful as the way all of the prog and area rock bands they were either intentionally or unintentionally taking the piss out of did with their oodles of chops. The Ramones of course usually played no more than four chords per song and got them over with as quickly as possible, all with the type of balls-tight ferocity and lack of nuance that no other band ever bothered doing. How utterly simple and direct they were was an eye-opener to millions of people and they are another one of those groups that no doubt inspired gallons of kids to start their own bands. The first four Ramones records are universally considered quintessential listening and I agree with the masses on that. The debut particularly is the best punk anything the world has to offer and I can always listen to Joey Ramone beautifully sing about lobotomies, brats, and Manhattan street corners at any time.
My favorite female artist PJ Harvey is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter that emerged during the alternative rock boom of the early 90s and has continued to release startlingly different music throughout her career. Though I am not as equally in love with everything she does, the fearlessness with which she pick up an instrument she has never played and sings in a voice that she has never used on something like Let England Shake is as admirable as anything could be. There is not a particular period of Polly Jean Harvey's career that I am more partial to as To Bring You My Love and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea are quite distinctive from each other and each have at different times been my favorite records of hers. Vocally, Harvey is utterly fantastic and chameleon like, able to make her voice do practically anything she wants just as her music can be primal in its simplicity or lush in its presentation. Regularly surprising and adventurous, the music world could benefit from more like her.
Polarizing in many circles, Connecticut-born John Mayer has a rather high batting average with seven studio albums that are solid to exceptional. He is also one of the few contemporary artists whose live albums are wholly imperative. Mayer's voice is outstanding and just as earnestly seeped in the blues as his immaculate guitar playing is. Really, for anyone who is turned off by his tabloid-making social life and the occasional ignorant remark to the press, just listen to the man absolutely melt his guitar, (and beyond tastefully so), on records like Try! or Where the Light Is. While all of that alone easily won me over, Mayer is in fact one of the best songwriters this century has. Even when working out his celebrity in song form or schmaltzing his way through stuff like "Your Body is a Wonderland", things like "Neon", "Gravity", "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)", "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room", "Edge of Desire", and "Assassin" are all superior to anything anybody else is doing.
The solo-Beatle who had both the strongest and shortest solo career was the much beloved John Lennon. Lennon's murder in December of 1980 still stands as rock music's biggest tragedy, not just because it was John Lennon of course, but because the man had just reemerged with Double Fantasy after a five year break and one can only speculate as to what else he would have done had his life not been taken. It is undeniable that Lennon's solo output was anything but consistent. His first three albums, (if you can really call them albums), were simply experimental recordings made with Yoko Ono. Yet his first proper outing and the one that brutally and magnificently severed all ties with The Beatles as well as his past was Plastic Ono Band; one of the most powerful, direct, and emotive singer/songwriter records there is. Imagine was more optimistic and nearly as strong, while Mind Games, Walls and Bridges, and his heartfelt covers alum Rock 'n' Roll still had their share of memorable moments. Though not necessarily humble yet never one to indulge in bullshit, Lennon became more honest with his songwriting post-Beatles than any of the other members and few if any artists in history are truly more inspiring.
Ever since ever, I have been a Michael Jackson fan. Jackson's death in hindsight was rather predetermined, but it was a shock at the time that had me fully realize that I had never seen my childhood favorite live. This was made even more tragic for many as Jackson was mere weeks away from launching a comeback residency that most likely would have given many the chance to see the man on stage in still glorious form. I have never cared for The Jackson Five as I find Michael's prepubescent voice more abrasive than anything, but once the man dropped Off the Wall, the King of Pop moniker was absolutely appropriate. Wall is still my favorite MJ record, yet Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous were all released before I personally became a musician and represent the first body of work from any artist that I fully embraced. My admiration for Jackson's music has only intensified with age as his vocal chops and pop craftsmanship were simply jaw-dropping. Also, the guy could also dance pretty damn good too.
Though the reputation of being clearly rock and roll's most cursed band has always overshadowed their actual music, Badfinger were power-pop's most extraordinary outfit. Originally formed out of Wales in 1961 as The Iveys, they changed their name based off of a working Beatles song title after signing with Apple Records in 1968. At that point, they also brought in guitar player and songwriter Joey Molland. Mostly fronted by one of my all time favorite writers, vocalists, and guitarists Pete Ham, he became the first but not the last band member to kill himself after unbelievable misfortune befell them, namely never-ending financial ruin at the hands of their onetime corrupt business manager. The band then imploded and its members went on to get day jobs to support their families for a few years before other founder Tom Evans eventually succumbed to suicide as well once they put out another two records and had another disastrous streak of money troubles.
Badfinger's music though is breathtakingly good and records like No Dice, Straight Up, and Wish You Were Here transcend all of the impossible hardships they faced.
One of the hard rock pioneering bands that had an irrefutable influence on my early musical preferences, Deep Purple perhaps more than any others laid the groundwork squarely down for what would become heavy metal and at the same time made me want to play this music myself. Ian Paice, (the band's only surviving, original member), remains my favorite living drummer and while I was far more reasonably able to handle Ringo Starr, Peter Criss, and Neal Smith beats when I first started playing, coming anywhere near Paice's grooving ability was largely beyond my grasp. Purple started out playing blues covers like a lot of British groups did, but with the added ingredient of Jon Lord's distorted Hammond organ. Once Ian Gillian and Roger Glover joined the fold to kickoff their Mark II lineup, they proceeded to be louder and heavier than any of their peers. The band were largely virtuosos aside from just Paice, with Richie Blackmore's distinctive sound and classical guitar favoring usually partaking of extended live jams while Gillian soared away with the type of technically demanding, soulful screaming that no one else could hold a candle to. Later additions David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes were no slouches either.
One perfectly constructed debut album with probably three of my absolute favorite songs on it as well as a posthumous follow-up that still shows plenty of traces of excellence, Jeff Buckley never made it past the age of thirty and we ultimately only got a taste of what he was capable of. Son of the later-revered Tim Buckley, Jeff spent ten years in the LA music scene as a guitar player before moving to Manhattan to try his hand at the whole singer/songwriter thing. Though technically a late bloomer then, the voice that came out of him is arguably more incredible than anyone's. Sans Freddie Mercury, Jeff Buckley is my all time favorite singer. A limitless, dynamic range and always staggeringly moving, Buckley's vocal prowess is unmistakable on any of his quintessential songs such as "Grace", "Lover, You Should've Come Over", "Hallelujah", and "Lilac Wine", which is me just picking my favorites. It is downright aggravating that he died so young and under such random circumstances, (accidentally drowning while leisurely drunk), a voice like that being forever silenced truly being a disaster for all of rock music.
So many musicians no longer with us, David Bowie had a bit of a rough start with a couple of weak, acoustic based albums at the beginning of his career. Yet it did not take him too long to begin embracing every genre and sub-genre there was into his sound. In the process, he stayed at the forefront of a handful of rock movements. Always maintaining the reputation of a musical chameleon, there is probably a Bowie album or handful of songs out there for everybody on earth. Bowie has so many excellent, essential records yes, (Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust..., "Heroes", Low, Scary Monsters, etc), but almost more incredibly, he really has nothing close to anything lackluster in his catalog since The Man Who Sold the World. His later electronica period and final album released on his birthday and two days before his death Blackstar were just as solid as anything he had ever done. His voice also remained strong and peerless and visually he was anything but boring, going through a number of personas to match his always diverse musical leanings.
The once very strange, extravagant frontman for Genesis, Peter Gabriel off and running on his own possessed an experimental fervor that seemed limitless. Though his first three, all self-titled records were recorded and released at a pretty cruising rate, he began to take his time more and more with each project, eventually lingering on his material with the type of patience that only the most disciplined perfectionists are able to maintain. As well as being a long-term humanitarian, Gabriel is still one of the biggest champions of world music which has been consistently interwoven into his own. His third Peter Gabriel record featured the anti-apartheid track "Biko" and his very best and most commercially successful album So, The Last Temptation of Christ soundtrack Passion, Us and Up all feature a slew of non-western sounds as well as collaborations from the likes of Daniel Lanois, Kate Bush, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It would be truly amazing to get another new album out of him one of these days, SO, (har, har), hopefully he is reading this and will at least do me a solid.
Space rock poster boys Pink Floyd have been as mainstream as can be for many, many years now and no matter how many radio stations will not stop playing them or no matter how much they remain all of our parent's favorite band to get high to, nothing can diminish how truly fantastic they really were. Well, not so much when starting out under the guidance of Syd Barret as the band was unrecognizable then and no matter how many times I give The Piper at the Gates of Dawn a try, I still never fancy it. A couple of years and a couple of albums of wacked-out experimentation followed as Floyd tried to get their barrings and figure out how songwriting actually worked. They finally achieved this around Meddle and by The Dark Side of the Moon, Roger Waters had proven himself a notable writer of his own, the entire band as a whole truly coming into their sound. Though they carried on Waters-less for a spell and Richard Wright is no longer among us, records like Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall shall never depreciate in excellence.
I shall never forget hearing a buddy and former bandmate of mine playing "Black No. 1" and "Christian Woman" in his car to me and my brother, with each of us having completely opposite reactions to it. He thought it was crap and I fell head over heals in love. After the breakup of Carnivore, Brooklyn native Pete Steele grabbed some childhood friends and put Type O Negative together in 1989 and right from the get-go, the band's sound was most individual. Josh Silver's church organ, Kenny Hickey's deliberately cheap guitar sound, and Steele's distorted bass and cartoonishly low, vampiric crooning/screaming sounded both silly and awesome at the same time. The band never lost their sense of humor as all of their records have laugh out loud moments on them to go along with all of the hauntingly beautiful, Gothic doom. Steele is easily one of metal's best songwriters. Just look at the aforementioned "Christian Woman" and "Black No. 1" as well as "Love You to Death", "Everything Dies", "An Ode to Locksmiths", or hilarious songs such as "Kill All the White People", "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend", and "Halloween in Heaven" as proof.
There was a time when progressive metal giants Dream Theater could do no wrong. Their first record When Day and Dream Unite was not quite there yet, but Images and Words surpassed what progressive music in general had ever done before and stands as the most superb prog album yet made. Dream Theater have consistently been recognized as being unparalleled musicians more than anything else and they certainly bring such attention to themselves, deliberately overplaying their instruments and crafting their entire sound around challenging, face-melting, virtuosity indulgence. Yet the band would be only a small fraction of themselves if not for their once equally on par songwriting. From Images and Words through Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, they never wrote anything close to an unphenominal song and all of the musician masturbation was merely the icing on the cake. They ultimately were not able to maintain such excellence and who could blame them? Yet their last eight records still occasionally touch on what was once so exceptional about them at least.
If things stay the way they are, The Darkness nearly could become the greatest rock band of all time. AC/DC inspired riffs, Queen like extravagance, Michael Jackson worthy pop hooks, shredding guitar skills, and not at any point taking themselves remotely seriously, The Darkness are an utterly perfect representation of everything that is most important when delivering guitar heavy pop songs. Formed at the turn of the century and dropping the outstanding one-two punch of Permission to Land and One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back! before crashing and burning for a few years to regroup, they have since returned with abandon. All of their records, (and not one but two hilarious Christmas singles), are faultless and represent a band that simply revels in their goofiness more and more. Justin Hawkins of course cannot go unmentioned as his ridiculous falsetto vocals always compliment the band's entire schtick. It will certainly be interesting to see how long he can keep that banshee wail of a voice into such upper regions in the years to come. Hopefully he is a superhero or something.
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