One of the small handful of go-to answers for "the greatest jazz musician whoever lived", Miles Davis has always topped all the Duke Ellingtons, Louis Armstrongs, Billie Holidays, and Dizzy Gillespies for me. Like many, many people, A Kind of Blue was the first jazz record I ever bought since if there is an entire genre of music worth getting into, it is worth getting into it right. Throughout decades and various movements, (including being the inventor of fusion more or less), he maintained the best, most incredible lineups for his bands and the amount of people who performed under his leadership lists as a crème de la crème of musicians, (those who recorded the Steamin'/Relaxin'/Cookin'/Workin' combo of albums chief among them). Even people who do not particularly care for jazz seem to enjoy Miles, but for those of us who DO care for jazz, his slow, sparse, fabulously emotive playing is as good as great ever gets.
Though I did set the rule that an entry on this list must be worth more than a single album, I have to fully disclose that if all that Roxy Music ever did was release Avalon, they would still be right at this exact same spot. While there is plenty to admire in their early, Brian Eno featured days as well as great records like Siren and Country Life, Avalon truly and remarkable is where it is at. Frontman Bryan Ferry continually expanded his songwriting, gradually making his textbook artpop more and more romantic, but the utmost level of sophistication was always present. Vocally, Ferry is one of pop music's most incredible singers, with a overtly cool, vibrato-heavy croon that fit every stage of the band's development. A ten year reunion did take place this century, but chances are nil that Roxy Music proper will ever record any new music again. They really need not ever bother though as their legend is sound.
As much new-to-me country music, (whether classic or otherwise), that I continually seek out and enjoy, the first and to this day only contemporary band in the genre that I fell in love with still remains my absolute favorite, being of course Florida Geo...I mean The Dixie Chicks! Originally an all female bluegrass band that could go no further in such a circuit, once sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robinson recruited powerhouse vocalist Natalie Maines, (who was primarily a rock fan), they became as enormous as any crossover country act has ever been and for good reason. All four of their Maines-fronted albums are outstanding, the departure and back to bluegrass heavy Home easily one of the best records so far this century. Always utilizing topnotch, generally Nashville-based songwriters as is the norm, all three Chicks were just as solid writing on their own, with some of their most recognizable songs "You Were Mine", "Ready to Run", "Without You", and "Cowboy Take Me Away" all written or co-written by them as was the entire Taking the Long Way Home record.
Up until 2001's God Hates Us All, (released on Sep. 11th, ouch), Slayer were on a pretty steady roll, remaining Slayer through and through while still cranking out relevant, unrepentant thrash metal when most others fell by the wayside. Unfortunately, the quality drop finally hit afterwards, ironically once the mighty Dave Lombardo returned to the fold. Now that Jeff Hanneman who wrote literally all of their best material is no longer with us, Slayer's basically been just going through the motions while staying the course. Though they seem to be packing it in with their final string of tours at this writing, they almost triumphed over every other thrash band as the very best of them and I truly cannot argue with anyone who gives them such a prestigious title. I am one of the very few weirdos who fancies Diabolus in Musica, (Slayer's very fantastic answer to groove metal), above their other material, but Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, and even Hell Awaits are all defining, high-water marks that every self-respecting metalhead simply must bow down to.
Britpop's most successful and best, Oasis were amusing as a dysfunctional trainwreck for the brothers Gallagher, a trainwreck that played out entirely before the public eye. They were also a truly remarkable band. Well really, Oasis always were and always will be so fondly regarded due to just one of the Gallaghers, of course meaning Noel who is as consistent and great of a songwriter as he is a laughably better singer than his nasally, barely-ever-wrote-anything pain in the arse brother Liam. That said, my favorite of their albums Heathen Chemistry actually does contain some fantastic songs from all of the members at the time, Liam included. Noel stepping in to his brother's supposedly shit band at their infancy and telling them that he would only join if they would ditch all of their material and let him write everything clearly was the logical move. It was only a matter of time before the sibling rivalry finally broke them up, but most of Oasis' output for the better part of almost twenty years wielded a plethora of outstanding stuff.
England's greatest punk band says me and most likely a couple of other people, The Clash were far more exceptional songwriters than their peers as well as being musically adventurous to a fault, (cough Sandinista! cough). Being one of the groups that spearheaded London's punk movement in the late 70s, their first album is a politically conscious, pristine work that is only really challenged by The Ramones debut from the same era/different continent. By their third London Calling though, all of the doors were blown open for the band, both commercially and artistically and few double albums ever made can come anywhere near it. Though they continued to experiment with nearly every genre under the sun whether or not they even had any decent material to work with in said genre in, (cough Sandinista! cough), and though they were broken up less than ten years after their formation, The Clash admirably remained punk while simultaneously breaking the "rules" of punk in the process.
Being a drummer, it is rather inconceivable to not be a Rush fan, but on that basis you really cannot NOT be a Rush fan if you play guitar or bass either. Virtuosos of the most respected variety, Canada's most well-acknowledged power trio packed it in officially as of this year after exactly five decades as a band. They began as many other hard rock groups of the day by shamelessly trying to be Led Zeppelin, but once Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey very early on and throughout the rest of the 70s, they became a prog rock force to be forever reckoned with. The band's more commercially streamlined albums Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are just as solid if not more so even than their earlier progressive stuff, (and call me one of the many who champion 2112 as their masterpiece), but even throughout the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, their material never degressed into the ether. Geddy Lee's once polarizing, banshee woman squawk also thankfully matured, but again from a musicianship standpoint, there is no denying that they always remained stellar.
Classic rock-style riffs played by a guitar virtuoso who found out how to make his axe sound like a turntable, a rhythm section as funky as they are combative, an MC instead of a vocalist for a frontman, and an unapologetic, revolutionist political agenda, Rage Against the Machine can only sound like Rage Against the Machine and any band that borrows their formula simply cannot get away with it. Formed in California in 1991, their first ridiculously amazing album was released only a year later and two more nearly as solid ones followed before a covers album, (as of this date), closed out their discography. Thankfully they continue to perform live somewhat regularly and few if any bands can bring festival-size venues to the point of rioting the way they can and nearly often do. I got into Rage at the perfect age, meaning high school when it felt oh so right and oh so silly now to scream along to "fuck you I won't do what you tell me" as I drove around the suburbs thinking I was sticking it to the man by not finishing my homework.
These three white, Jewish, former punk kids from New York rather remarkably became one of the very best hip-hop groups in history. They began as a straight up punk band but switched gears to rap after recording a joke song for one of their EPs and getting Rick Rubin, (then a student and NYU), to DJ for them. Once Licensed to Ill was dropped, the rest was hip-hop history and I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of said debut, but from Paul's Boutique on, different story. Boutique in particular if not the best rap album period, is certainly the best made up entirely of samples. The Beastie's continued to evolve past that masterpiece though, with both Check Your Head and Ill Communication bringing back live instrumentation to the fold. Lyrically, they always stayed on the lighthearted and silly side even as each member became more politically and spiritually active. Founder Adam MCA Yauch, (my favorite Beastie through and through), sadly succumbed to cancer after a three year bout with it and the group then respectfully ceased to be, but I for one am happy enough with what we got out of them.
Whether you like only Van Hager or only Van Halen proper, (I lie comfortably enough in the middle), these guys were as big a part of my hard rock upbringing as they were to countless others. Another highly dysfunctional outfit who publicly aired their dirty laundry far more than they probably should have, the band's many years of inactivity, Eddie's well publicized alcohol problems, and the rather nasty bickering between former and current members never truly tarnished their fantastic repertoire when they were fully functioning. David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar certainly could not be more completely different vocalists so it made practical sense that the band's sound changed quite a bit within each period of their operations. Yet both of these operations brought forth some of the very best, heavy guitar rock ever made. Everything that has been said has been said about Eddie's game changing guitar acrobatics, making it unfortunate to underplay how tight and superb of a rhythm section Alex and Michael Anthony were, let alone the latter's still unmatched vocal harmonies.
Megadeth seem to be agreeably cruising along with a string of not great yet still good albums and as many lineup changes as they ever had. In the battle for the most consistent metal bands that have been a thing for over three decades though, they assuredly stand out on top. Vocally eh it will suffice, but as a guitar player, Dave Mustaine is an absolute benchmark. Not only was he able to keep up with Marty Goddamn Friedman throughout the 90s, but even after suffering severe nerve damage in one of his arms and putting the band on hold to recoup as he started nearly from scratch on his axe, he then was able to stand toe-to-toe with Chris Goddamn Broderick for a slew of records. Megadeth continued to improve upon their pretty rough formation, (their debut Killing Is My Business...and Business Is Good! is not the most listenable of records), but Rust in Peace is one of the very small handful of best metal releases period and for awhile afterward, Mustaine further proved himself as an outstanding songwriter while commercializing the band's material.
Taking every inch of what every legendary blues guitarist laid down before him, (particularly the playing of Albert King), and popularizing modern blues for better or worse, Dallas born Stevie Ray Vaughan wound up the best guitar player the genre would ever see. SRV could and did play anything in the blues medium with the utmost technical skill yet more importantly he did so with a feel that is still rightfully envied. He cut his chops ditching high school and operating on no hours of sleep while he slaved away at bars and clubs, literally tearing up his hands on thick gauge strings and unfortunately developing a none too healthy drug habit in the process. Very sadly, by the time he got clean and was full of a newfound, life-affirming outlook, he was killed in a helicopter accident, becoming another that was gone unfairly early. As fantastic and wildly recognized as he was as a guitarist, Vaughan's huge, passionate voice rarely gets its equal due and I have always loved both as well as nearly all of the music he left behind more than any other blues I could ever hear.
The French, electronic, robot-helmeted duo Daft Punk caught my ear probably with "Around the World" and "Da Funk", though I am really not the biggest fan of their debut Homework which each jam stems from. The wait for both studio albums and tours from these enigmatic gentlemen is indeed long, but ever since the really, really remarkable Discovery, nothing they have put out has been not worth the extended intervals. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter initially met in secondary school and briefly formed a rock band that did not go anywhere, eventually carrying on with drum machines and dance beats. By the mid to late 90s, they became a part of the French house movement and eventually, a household name. Always favoring auto-tuned, robot-esque guest vocals to go along with their mysterious image, Daft Punk's incorporation of hooky samples, pop structures, and various other artist collaborations have ultimately produced some of the most exciting and pleasurable to ever listen to.
Still waiting for these guys to get back together and fuck some shit up again, but even if they politely never do, Outkast remains the hip hop duo for all others to be measured up to. Both André 3000 and Big Boi are two of the best MCs to grace this planet and with their powers combined, they increasingly morphed how creative hip-hop could truly be. Albums like Aquemini, Stankonia, and their joint solo, double record Speakerboxxx/The Love Below were each better than the last and all of them daringly went where no one else had even contemplated. Generally speaking, André appeared to be the far more eccentric of the two, eventually abandoning rapping entirely to sing as competent as he could while trying more and more to tackle every genre possible while swooning the females, ala Prince. Meanwhile, the comparatively more down to earth Big Boi just improved more and more as a rapper and perfected his beats to such an extent that no one could really comes close to him.
I have adored the first legitimately known, corporate-created pop group The Monkees longer than I can remember and my love for them has only grown since then. Formed by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider in 1965 as part of a TV show meant to capitalize on The Beatles' gargantuan popularity, The Monkees were originally meant to be portrayed as a wacky, lovable "band" that week after week were thwarted in their attempts to ever make it big. In the real world though, they became more successful than most bands could even dream and though the show only lasted less than two years, the members eventually took control of their recording output beyond just providing vocals, penning a handful of hits themselves. Mikey Dolenz remains one of my favorite singers and Mike Nesmith proved to be the most competent musician of the group, later having an impressive enough career in country rock. Yet with other top-notch writers such as Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce, Neil Diamond, Carol King, and Harry Nilsson also contributing material, there is just so many great goddamn Monkees songs out there.
After writing for and partially fronting The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed underwent one of the most bewilderingly inconsistent solo careers that any major artist has ever had. Amongst all the headscratching and infamous Metal Machine Musics and Metallica collaboration Lulus though were random albums that proved what Reed was truly capable of when he simmered his eccentricities down to a minimum. Transformer, The Blue Mask, New York, and Ecstasy could go up against any of the Velvets records in songwriting quality and Reed's stubborn insistence on talking through all of his lyrics and stripping his music down to the bare bones while writing poetically about anything from transvestites, drugs, relationships, suburban life, or possums for eighteen minutes was something to tip one's hat to. Of course no talk about Lou Reed can really wrap up without also...
...talking about THIS band. The Velvet Underground simply invented alternative music, that is all there is to it. Formed the same year that The Beatles debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show, The VU were not only anti-flower power, they were anti-everything. Sonically, they were bizarrely noncommercial. Drummer Moe Tucker makes Meg White look like Thomas Lang, multi-instrumentalist John Cale droned over several songs with a distorted viola, Reed could barely play in general, and two other guitarists at different times added more conventional flavoring whether the band was indulging in fully abrasive avant-garde noise, mellowing out with ballads, or trying to be relatively "normal" sounding. All the while the lyrics explored everything seedy, dirty, and unspoken in Manhattan. None of this was the norm at the time and understandably, the band achieved little fame while they were together, only to prove monumentally important later on. Reed's writing in the Velvets was superb outside of just how unorthodox it was as he and the whole band fit right into Andy Warhol and his entire freakish scene. Rock music in general would look a whole lot different without them.
While g-funk was becoming the prominent form of hip-hop in the mainstream from across the continent, nine MCs from Staten Island were concocting something thoroughly different. Slow, barren, lo-fi beats sprinkled with kung-fu movie sound bites while rarely if ever relying on already established hooks for samples, the sound alone was unique even before anyone even dropped a single verse over any of it. Yet Wu being made up of some of the all time best rappers in the business, (and each of them just as contrasting from one another), is what really pushes them into the realm of sublime. Ghostface Killah, Chef Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, RZA, and GZA continue to stand out as the most amazing of the bunch, but U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, and even Cappadonna have also shined plenty of times throughout their output. The debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the best rap album ever made, but even if all of their following records were half as good, they still makeup the best hip-hop conglomerate on this here earth.
Arriving out of Stockholm, Sweden, Opeth for a remarkable eight records straight, (forgoing their lackluster debut), were easily the top extreme metal band anywhere in the world. Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained the group's sole, consistent member and songwriter and their initial style of equally incorporating progressive rock, death metal, and folk music was pristinely realized for the better part of twelve years. Since 2011's Heritage though, they have ditched their extreme metal components completely, thus struggling to maintain the level of excellence that literally all of their songs for years had in spades. Now, only the occasional glimpse of brilliance pops up here or there. Åkerfeldt simply could not write a bad song if he tried throughout phenomenally dynamic records such as Morningrise, Still Life, Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, and their crowning achievement and final release before changing creative courses, Watershed. Proving that they do not necessarily need their heaviness to excel, even their all-ballads album Damnation was astounding.
While seventy-seven year old Robert Allen Zimmerman has nearly forty studio albums under his belt now, I have still only regularly and predictably heard the ones that have been blowing peoples minds for decades, namely his revolutionary 60s and early 70s work. What more really can be said about Bob Dylan at this point? He has long been considered the greatest songwriter whoever lived and it is a cliche to compare anything brilliant that any singer/songwriter or band ever does to being Dylanesque in quality. I fully recognize how remarkable his initial electric period was where he forever changed what was acceptable both lyrically and musically in pop music. By stepping out of traditional folk and into rock, he brought all of the principals of the American folk music revival with him, only to continue to break those doors down ever further. Aside from all of that as well as the "voice of a generation" hoopla surrounding him, he was just as incredible when writing simple-to-him love songs or cracking jokes in others. He has mellowed not a bit since then and though his voice has gone from charmingly bad to nearly unlistenable, he is still cranking out surprises and highly-regarded material as only he can.
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