ELTON JOHN
Elton John, or Reggie as his friends call him (probably not), has been churning out hit albums and songs for over 40 years. If he's not the biggest selling artist ever, he's got to be close. He started playing the piano at the age of three and could repeat songs by ear soon after. He was enrolled into piano lessons at seven. He began performing at school, pretending to be Jerry Lee Lewis. He began playing in a nearby pub at 15 and formed his first band that same year. In 1967, he answered an ad in a local magazine for musicians. Bernie Taupin answered the same ad. So started the most successful partnership in rock history, Elton John (a combination of saxophonist Elton Dean and piano man extraordinaire Long John Baldry) writing the music and Taupin providing the lyrics.
It was hard to decide on my favourite Elton John record, he's had so many great ones; Madman Across The Water, Honky Chateau, Captain Fantastic And The Dirt Brown Cowboy just to name three. But Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the one for me, and it has a lot to do with the very first song, lasting over eleven minutes, "Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)". Such a fantastic arrangement that leads into a toe-tapping rocker. "Candle In The Wind" was a beautiful homage to Marilyn Monroe (which turned into a beautiful homage to Princess Diana) that has been overplayed, but still great. "Bennie And The Jets" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" are two more hits off the album. It's a double album, too, so the great sounds keep coming. The soulful "I've Seen That Movie Too", the risky "All The Young Girls Love Alice" and the phenomenal "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". Start to finish, just great!
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 30 (1969-2016)
Grammys: 5 (Best Pop Performance Group "That's What Friends Are For" - 1986)
(Best Instrumental, Other Than Jazz "Basque" - 1991)
(Best Male Pop Vocal "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" - 1994)
(Best Male Pop Vocal "Candle In The Wind 1997" - 1997)
(Best Musical Show Album "Aida" - 2000)
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("Crocodile Rock" - 1973)
("Bennie And The Jets" - 1974)
("Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" - 1975)
("Island Girl" - 1975)
("Candle In The Wind 1997" - 1997)
ELVIS COSTELLO
Born Declan MacManus in London, Elvis Costello came by his musical talents from his father who played trumpet in a local jazz band. In 1971, at the tender age of 17, he formed his first band. A few years later he was in another band, and adopted part of his stage name. He called himself D.P. Costello, a nod to his dad who would sometimes go by Day Costello. When Costello signed his first record contract, his manager suggested he keep the last name Costello, to honour his father, but take Elvis Presley's first name. Elvis Costello was born and almost immediately became an underground hit in his native U.K.. But it wasn't until Costello signed with Columbia Records that the U.S. would fall for him.
Costello's first album, My Aim Is True, is a great record containing hits like "Alison" and "Watching The Detectives", but he seemed to be more focused with his second album, the one I like best, Last Year's Model. The frenetic punk-reggae songs on this album get you going, even if you're not a big fan. "No Action", the first song, is pure Costello, fast and furious. "The Beat" slows down the pace, showing off a more relaxed reggae feel. Then, straight into "Pump It Up" that doesn't slow down for a second. The wonderfully addictive "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" is just fantastic. It all ends with "Radio Radio" which just makes you want to listen to it all again. This was the first album that featured Costello's backing band, The Attractions, and the one I like best.
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 24 (1977-2010)
Grammys: 1 (Best Pop Collaboration "I Still Have That Other Girl" - 1998)
Highest Charting Single: 19 ("Veronica" - 1989)
ERIC CLAPTON
Where would rocking Blues be without "Slowhand"? Back in the '60's, he helped establish a new kind of Blues, an electric Blues, that was being perfected in his native England. Not known to most, Eric Clapton is part Canadian! It's true. His father was a soldier from Montreal, stationed in Surrey, England during the second World War. He was shipped off before Eric was born. He got his first guitar when he was 13, but didn't start playing consistently until he was 15. By the time he was 16 he was busking on the west side of Surrey. By 18, in 1963, he was playing with The Yardbirds, Britain's number one Blues/Rock band. He got his nickname while playing with The Yardbirds. Whenever Clapton broke a guitar string on stage, he would sit and replace it while the audience waited, giving Clapton a "slow handclap". He was given the nickname "Slowhand" as a result. In 1965, Clapton left The Yardbirds to play with Blues aficionado John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers. He stayed with Mayall for just one, very influential, album, leaving in July of 1966 (replaced by Peter Green, soon to be with Fleetwood Mac). Drummer Ginger Baker asked him to play in his newly formed "supergroup" called Cream. Baker, Clapton and Jack Bruce became a monster hit in the U.K. and in the States. In 1969, Cream had broken up, but Ginger Baker, now part of a group called Blind Faith, invited Eric to come along and play with him and Steve Winwood. There was also a stint with Derek And The Dominos, creating a hit known as "Layla". Soon, by 1970, Clapton would release his first solo album titled simply Eric Clapton.
I became a lover of all things Eric Clapton not so long ago. I discovered Cream late in life, but ever since hearing Disraeli Gears, I couldn't get enough of him. His solo stuff was just as good, and I love his first solo album and the one four years later, 461 Ocean Boulevard. But the one I like the most came out 20 years later, 1994's From The Cradle. Although his previous albums had the Bluesy feel that we all adored about him, From The Cradle was an album devoted to Blues covers. It was Clapton's take on some of the stuff that first got him to play in the first place. Willie Dixon's "Third Degree" and "Hoochie Coochie Man". Muddy Waters' "Stand Around Crying". Sonny Thompson's "I'm Tore Down". It's all amazing! Sixteen cuts of some of the best Blues guitar you will ever hear!
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 22 (1970-2016)
Grammys: 17 (Album Of The Year "Concert For Bangladesh" - 1972)
(Best Male Rock Vocal "Bad Love" - 1990)
(Best Male Rock Album "Unplugged" - 1992)
(Album Of The Year "Unplugged" - 1992)
(Song Of The Year "Tears In Heaven" - 1992)
(Record Of The Year "Tears In Heaven" - 1992)
(Best Male Pop Vocal "Tears In Heaven" - 1992)
(Best Rock Song "Layla" - 1992)
(Best Traditional Blues Album "From The Cradle" - 1994)
(Best Rock Instrumental "SRV Shuffle" - 1996)
(Record Of The Year "Change The World" - 1996)
(Best Male Pop Vocal "Change The World" - 1996)
(Best Male Pop Vocal "My Father's Eyes" - 1998)
(Best Rock Instrumental "Calling" - 1999)
(Best Traditional Blues Album "Riding With The King" - 2000)
(Best Pop Instrumental "Reptile" - 2001)
(Best Contemporary Blues Album "Road To Escondido" - 2007)
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("I Shot The Sheriff" - 1974)
FLEETWOOD MAC
How many of you knew Fleetwood Mac was a straight Blues band before Rumours?? I sure didn't! But while downloading songs, I realized there was a whole "first act" to this great band. Peter Green guitar), fresh out of playing with John Mayall, got together with a friend, Mick Fleetwood (drums), to form a new band. John McVie (bass) had played with both. In fact, Green came up with an instrumental song when all three played together and named it for the rhythm section, "Fleetwood Mac". When the three started playing together again, they decided to keep the name of that song as their band name. They were even referred to as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac for some time. They brought on another guitarist, Jeremy Spencer, and cut their first album in 1968, Fleetwood Mac, covering some Blues legends like Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson and Elmore James. In 1969, Danny Kirwan came on as a third guitarist. By 1970, Green had left the band, and for the next four years, Fleetwood Mac had to re-invent itself. On New Years Eve of 1974, Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band, and made a couple of pretty good albums.
I know when people hear the name Fleetwood Mac, they almost immediately think of the album Rumours, and why not?? It was a monster hit, selling more than 20-million copies!! It really is a great album, but I chose the early Blues oriented Fleetwood Mac as my favourite, specifically English Rose from 1969. English Rose is actually a bit of a compilation album, mixing songs from some U.K. albums and British singles. The album is almost all original songs, but they do cover Elmore James' "Coming Home", which is just brilliant. The whole album gives one an image of the band playing in a smokey bar in Memphis somewhere. Some slow, some fast, but ALL Blues! Also on this record is the Peter Green written "Black Magic Woman". Yes, Santana's version is a cover, something else I didn't know until downloading this album. Although this Blues era of Fleetwood Mac wasn't as popular as the Rumours era, it was some fabulous music!
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 17 (1968-2003)
Grammys: 1 (Album Of The Year "Rumours" - 1977)
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("Dreams" - 1977)
FOO FIGHTERS
When Nirvana was no more, after Kurt Cobain's death, their drummer Dave Grohl was offered a job as the drummer for Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers. Grohl almost took the job, but he had a stack of songs he had been working on during his time with Nirvana. He decided to make his own album, playing all the instruments himself, but calling the invisible band Foo Fighters. He now needed to flesh out the Foo Fighters to tour. He initially asked his Nirvana band mate Krist Novoselic to play, but eventually both thought it would be a bad idea, only because the public would compare them to Nirvana. Soon he had Nate Mendel (bass) and William Goldsmith (drums) on board. Grohl also asked Pat Smear (guitar) to come along, as Smear toured with Nirvana for a time. Current drummer Taylor Hawkins joined the band in 1997 after Goldsmith left, unhappy that Grohl rerecorded some of his drum tracks on their second album, The Colour And The Shape.
It's that second album, released in 1997, that I would say would be my favourite of the band. This was a fairly hard decision, as I'm a huge fan of the Foo's. I love everything that they've released, but The Colour And The Shape seems to me like the album where we saw Grohl really hone his craft. He was no longer a kid in a punk band. He was the leader of a new, rockin' band that had legions of fans just from his debut album. I also think that this album is their best in the way the songs flow into one another, almost like telling a continuous story. The soft tones of "Doll" break through into the frenetic "Monkey Wrench". The anger of "Wind Up" finds its way into "Up In Arms", which seems almost apologetic. The wonderful "February Stars" is a perfect lead into to the popular, and fantastic, 'Everlong". Through it all is Grohl's screaming vocals. For me, The Colour And The Shape would be on my Top 10 list.
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 8 (1995-2014)
Grammys: 10 (Best Rock Album "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" - 2000)
(Best Music Video, Short Form "Learn To Fly" - 2000)
(Best Hard Rock Performance "All My Life" - 2002)
(Best Rock Album "One By One" - 2003)
(Best Hard Rock Performance "Pretender" - 2007)
(Best Rock Album "Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace" - 2007)
(Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance "White Limo" - 2011)
(Best Rock Album "Wasting Light" - 2011)
(Best Rock Performance "Walk" - 2011)
(Best Music Video, Long Form "Back And Forth" - 2011)
Highest Charting Single: 18 ("Best Of You" - 2005)
HEART
Heart started out long ago, way back in 1970, when Steve Fossen (bass), Roger Fisher (guitar), David Belzer (keyboards), Jeff Johnson (drums) and Ann Wilson formed a band, originally called Hocus Pocus. Fisher's brother, Mike, was a draft dodger who escaped to Canada to get away from fighting in Viet Nam. Mike came back to the Seattle area, his hometown, to visit his family, when he met Ann and fell in love. Ann and Mike both crossed back into Canada, soon followed by Roger Fisher and Ann's sister, Nancy, who were also an item at the time. Pretty soon, the band started playing bars in Vancouver, known as Heart now, and had quite a following. A great sounding rock band with the two sisters up front was something very new, and the band began to capitalize on their uniqueness. They also played some great music!
Heart signed with Canadian company Mushroom Records and released their first album, Dreamboat Annie, which I picked as my favourite of theirs. It was released in 1976 and had good sales and successes on the Charts. Even though Heart would go on to have massive hits in the mid-'80's ("Never", "What About Love", "These Dreams") I still go back to their early, more Led Zeppelin influenced rock. Dreamboat Annie starts off with "Magic Man" and goes right into one of their biggest hits, and a fave of mine, "Crazy On You". Ann Wilson's vocals on that song have stood the test of time and sounds just as good 40 years later. We get a little slower with the title song, "Dreamboat Annie" that goes into another "quiet" rocker "White Lightning & Wine". The rest of the album slows down a bit, but still showcases the band's musicianship and Ann's great voice.
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 16 (1976-2016)
Grammys: None
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("These Dreams" - 1986)
("Alone" - 1987)
IRON MAIDEN
Iron Maiden came to life when Steve Harris (bass) decided to form a new band in 1975. After a couple of hits and misses with the folks he recruited, eventually Dave Murray (guitar) came on board in '76. Murray and Harris have played on every Maiden album since. In 1977, Doug Sampson (drums) and Bob Sawyer (guitar) were added to the mix. A search for a lead singer ended when Paul Di'Anno signed on. The band's first record, Iron Maiden, was a huge hit in their native U.K., and the band went out on tour with Kiss and Judas Priest, to name a couple. After their next album, Killers, Di'Anno decided to quit, fearing he wouldn't be able to keep up the pace of a road tour and his cocaine habit. Bruce Dickinson auditioned in September of 1981 and was hired immediately.
It's a shame that Paul Di'Anno felt he had to leave the group as he had a fantastic voice. Just listen to "Murders In The Rue Morgue" from Killers and you'll get what I mean. But surpassing his vocals was this guy they called Bruce. Dickinson would be responsible for the band's rep as one of the best in Heavy Metal. His first album with the band, The Number Of The Beast, has been touted as one of the best Metal albums ever, and is easily my pick as their best. Dickinson shows off his speed and power with the first song, "Invaders", and with all-time hits like "Run To The Hills", "The Number Of The Beast" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name", the album just rocks top to bottom!!
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 16 (1980-2015)
Grammys: 1 (Best Metal Performance "Dorado" - 2010)
Highest Charting Single: Never Charted on Hot 100
JAMIROQUAI
Jamiroquai, a combination of "jam session" and the Iroquois tribe, got started in the early 1990's with their current lead singer, Jay Kay, Toby Smith, Stuart Zender, Nick Van Gelder, Wallis Buchanan and Alec Moran. Through the years the lineup has changed, but Jay Kay has been the one constant. Their combination of soul, funk, jazz, pop and disco was very original, and they took that originality into the age of the music video. The song "Virtual Insanity" not only became a huge hit on the radio, but dominated video play on MTV and MuchMusic in 1996.
Although each album released by Jamiroquai has had it's share of inventive, dance worthy songs, I think their best came in 1996 with Traveling Without Moving. Along with "Virtual Insanity" there are many great songs on the album, which, like many of their albums, feels like a cosmic trip through the ages. "Cosmic Girl" (from a mother galaxy) comes on the heels of "Virtual Insanity". "High Times", "Traveling Without Moving", the slow jam "Everyday", and the good times hidden track on the CD, "Funktion", all help to complete the greatness of this album. There is a sore lacking of great funk bands these days, which makes me enjoy Jamiroquai all that much more!
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 8 (1993-2017)
Grammys: 1 (Best Pop Performance, Group "Virtual Insanity" - 1997)
Highest Charting Single: 78 ("Alright" - 1997)
JANIS JOPLIN
There were only three albums (not including a live album released after her death), but that's all we needed to realize Janis Joplin was one of the great rock voices in the history of the genre. Filled with more soul than anyone could imagine, she burst onto the scene in the late '60's during the height of the peace and love era. The first song she actually put on tape was "What Good Can Drinkin' Do" in 1962. Singing wherever and whenever she could, she caught the attention of a psychedelic band called Big Brother And The Holding Company, in 1966. Within a couple of years she had recorded an album with them that became a huge hit.
It's that first album I chose as my favourite, Cheap Thrills. Each one of the Joplin's three studio albums had great songs and performances, but I try to place myself in 1968, hearing this soulful woman scream out those songs for the first time. "Summertime" and "Peace Of My Heart" are obvious classics. But every song is just chock full of feeling. "Ball And Chain", in my opinion, is Joplin's finest hour. Listen to "Turtle Blues" and you'll realize why Joplin is held in such regard as the best female soul/rock singers of the late 1960's. It was the only record she made with Big Brother And The Holding Company, and they are sorely missed on the subsequent releases.
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 3 (1968-1971)
Grammys: None
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("Me And Bobby McGee" - 1971)
JEFF BECK (THE JEFF BECK GROUP)
I first got into Jeff Beck when I was about 15 when someone showed me his 1975 album Blow By Blow. Listed on the back was the song "Constipated Duck". I immediately became a fan! I joke, of course, but it wasn't long after that I started to fall in love with his rocking' rhythm and blues approach to music. Beck became interested in the electric guitar around the age of 6 when he heard Les Paul play on the radio. By the time he was 21, he was recruited into The Yardbirds, arguably England's most influential rock band, taking the vacant spot left by Eric Clapton. Beck played with his buddy Jimmy Page, who became friends when they were teenagers. Before two years were up, Beck would be kicked out of the group for his perfectionism and temper. He quickly got his buddies Ron Wood and Rod Stewart to join him as the Jeff Beck Group. They made two albums together, Truth and Beck-Ola, and were scheduled to play at Woodstock in 1969, before tempers flared, and Wood and Stewart would leave to join up with Faces.
It's that first album of the Jeff Beck Group, Truth, that blows me away every time I hear it. The first song, "Shape Of Things", which is a cover from Beck's old band, The Yardbirds. Rod Stewart wails and Beck follows with his great guitar work. Then straight into a great intro for "Let Me Love You", almost a call and answer between Stewart and Beck. We have "Beck's Bolero" which was written by, and first played by, Jimmy Page for his old friend. But the greatest pieces on this album are the retellings of a couple of Willie Dixon songs, " I Ain't Superstitious" and "You Shook Me", both featuring some of the best Rod Stewart you're ever gonna hear. "You Shook Me" was very similar to Led Zeppelin's version, obviously arranged by Page, but was released about five months before Zeppelin's.
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 15 (1968-2016)
Grammys: 8 (Best Rock Instrumental "Escape" - 1985)
(Best Rock Instrumental Album "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop" - 1989)
(Best Rock Instrumental "Dirty Mind" - 2001)
(Best Rock Instrumental "Plan B" - 2003)
(Best Rock Instrumental "Day In The Life" - 2009)
(Best Pop Instrumental "Nessun Dorma" - 2010)
(Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals "Imagine" - 2010)
(Best Rock Instrumental "Hammerhead" - 2010)
Highest Charting Single: 48 ("People Get Ready" - 1985)
JIMI HENDRIX
Johnny Allen Hendrix was his name when he was born. James Marshall Hendrix was the name that was given to him when he was four to honour his father and his brother. Jimi is how the world knew him. Hendrix didn't get his first guitar until he was 15. For the next twelve years, he continually worked on his craft and became, arguably, the greatest rock guitarist ever. He was lucky enough to play with the likes of Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett and Jackie Wilson before creating his own band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. They would record only three studio albums together before breaking up in 1969. The led the way for Jimi to create a new band, The Band Of Gypsys, with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums. This teaming would only release one album, Band Of Gypsys, a live recording from four shows at the Fillmore East in New York City that included one of the greatest guitar performances ever with "Machine Gun". In less than a year, Jimi Hendrix would be dead. Dozens upon dozens of songs would be released from his estate in the next 40 years.
I chose Jimi's first release, Are You Experienced, as my favourite, but really, it doesn't matter much. If I hear any Hendrix song, on the radio, on my iPod, out at a bar, I stop and listen. But the reason I picked Are You Experienced is for how huge it was when released. Very few people had heard Hendrix' genius in North America, as he played mostly in the UK. When folks in the States heard what he was doing, he became an instant superstar! Along with his groundbreaking performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, 1967 would be the "Year of Hendrix". The album has a slew of now classic tracks; "Purple Haze", "Manic Depression", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Foxy Lady" and "Are You Experienced?". It also has, what I believe was, the first Hendrix tune I ever heard in "Fire". I realize I didn't hear until about 17 years after it was released, but it had a profound effect on me, and I've been listening to everything "Jimi" ever since!
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 3 (1967-1968)
Grammys: None
Highest Charting Single: 20 ("All Along The Watchtower" - 1968)
JOHN LENNON
I think everyone can agree that John Lennon was one of the most revered figures in music. His years with The Beatles, writing hit after hit with Paul McCartney, then having his own successes as a solo artist or with The Plastic Ono Band, there is no denying his brilliance and his importance to the industry. John met Paul way back in 1957, when he was 17 years old. The began playing together in a band John started called The Quarrymen. This teaming, of course, was the beginning of The Beatles. They had some success playing with George Harrison and Ringo Starr (some...ha!), but the honeymoon had to end, and by 1970 it all came to a head. The quartet all went their separate ways, releasing their own albums for years to come. Lennon teamed up with his love, Yoko Ono, to produce some fantastic music. Songs like "Instant Karma", "Give Peace A Chance", "Cold Turkey", "Mind Games" and, of course, "Imagine", which has been recognized as one of the greatest songs ever recorded.
I enjoy most of Lennon's solo stuff; Imagine and Plastic Ono Band are awesome albums. But my absolute favourite from Lennon is his tribute to the early rock that he grew up hearing. The album is simply titled Rock N' Roll, released in 1975. He takes on such classics as "Be-Bop-A-Lula" (first made famous by Gene Vincent in 1956), "Stand By Me" (first recorded by Ben E. King), a couple of Chuck Berry classics in "You Can't Catch Me" and "Sweet Little Sixteen", the Fats Domino hit "Ain't That A Shame" an so much more. There are even a couple of medleys to enjoy. With every song, one can hear the love Lennon had for these timeless tracks. It's fantastic!
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 11 (1968-1984)
Grammys: 2 (Song Of The Year "Michelle" - 1966)
(Album Of The Year "Double Fantasy" - 1981)
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("(Just Like) Starting Over" - 1980)
JUDAS PRIEST
One of the most beloved heavy metal of all time got started way back in 1970 in Birmingham, England. Kenny Downing (guitar), Ian Hill (bass) and John Ellis (drums) got together to play songs influenced from some of the bands they liked, such as The Yardbirds, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. They recruited singer Al Atkins, who actually had a band a couple of years earlier named Judas Priest. The quartet decided to keep Atkins' old band name and played their first show in March of 1971. After a few shows, Downing decided to shift the band's focus from rock/blues to hard rock. Eventually, Atkins left the band. Hill was dating a woman at the time who suggested that her brother join the band as it's lead singer. Her brother was Rob Halford, and Judas Priest took off! Except for a shot period in the mid '90's (when the singer of a tribute band to Priest was hired), Halford was the voice and power of Judas Priest.
The band made a pretty big splash in England with their first couple of albums, Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings Of Destiny. They began to have a huge following, based on the speed of their songs and Halford's wonderful screams. In 1980, the band released what is commonly praised as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time, British Steel, which is easily my pick for my favourite. It starts of with one of the band's big hits, "Breaking The Law". Then the sped in the intro to "Rapid Fire" hits you like a ton of bricks. The wonderful "Grinder" and the toe tapping "Living After Midnight" soon follow. The album doesn't let up for a minute, all the way to the last tune, "Steeler". The entire album was a blueprint for metal albums to come.
Band Stats
Studio Albums: 17 (1974-2014)
Grammys: 1 (Best Metal Performance "Dissident Aggressor" - 2009)
Highest Charting Single: 67 ("You Got Another Thing Comin'" - 1982)
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