I Got The Music In Me - Part IV

This should be the last in my Best Album series.  Enjoy.

QUEEN

As a kid, I remember being completely enamoured by Freddy Mercury.  I couldn't tell you why, but there was something about him that made me want to watch him in videos and listen to whatever he sang.  I was about 8 or 9 and "Another One Bites The Dust" was the big hit of the time.  As I grew, and listened to more of their stuff, I began to realize why I wanted to hear him.  He was one of the greatest rock singers of our time and a brilliant showman.  Not only that, but I started to appreciate what guitarist Brian May was doing, not to mention John Deacon on bass and Roger Taylor on drums (and fabulous backing vocals).  Queen was huge!  Their first gig together was way back in 1971.  They had made a demo tape which included early versions of "Liar" and "Keep Yourself Alive".  Nobody would sign them.  It wasn't until almost two years later that the band signed with Trident/EMI and released their first album titled Queen.

Queen albums are hard to pin down.  There are fabulous songs with metal influences mixed with fabulous songs of campy, pop silliness.  Some work, and some don't, but where it worked best was on A Night At The Opera, their fourth record that was released in 1975.  You need not to go too far to find one of their best British pop fun romp in "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon".  The very next track shows the power of Roger Taylor's voice and May's guitar, "I'm In Love With My Car".    And then we go right into the wonderfully melodic pop of "You're My Best Friend".  Another hard rock inspired "Sweet Lady", another silly romp in "Seaside Rendezvous" and then the gorgeous "Love Of My Life".  It's all great, but we haven't heard anything yet!  The final song on the album, "Bohemian Rhapsody", is touted as one of the greatest rock songs ever produced.  It's operatic, totally heavy and takes you on a fabulous 6-minute trip.  

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  15 (1973-1995)

Grammys: None

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - 1980)

                                             ("Another One Bites The Dust" - 1980)

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

I started listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers because of their cover of Jimi Hendrix' "Fire".  It was sped up, and funked up, with that driving bass line, and I was hooked.  Went out and bought the tape for Mother's Milk and listened to it almost constantly when I was 17.  The band started in 1983 when four high school buddies, Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (bass), Hillel Slovak (guitar) and Jack Irons (drums), got together to create music.  Their first gig, playing a punk/funk style at the Rhythm Lounge in L.A., was in front of 30 people, but they were rememberable due to the high energy they had.  They were invited back to the Lounge the next week, and they started playing in other venues around the L.A. area, gaining a big following along the way.  After another album, Irons left the band and Slovak died due to his heavy drug addiction.  A few more changes occurred, but Kiedis and Flea never wavered.  John Frusciante would eventually be hired as the new guitarist and Chad Smith would become the new drummer.  This was the line-up that took the Red Hot Chili Peppers into the fame they have today.

Although I loved Mother's Milk, it was their next album that really hooked me.  Blood Sugar Sex Magik was everything anyone ever needed in a Chili Peppers' album.  It had all the funk that became synonymous with the band, right from the top with "The Power Of Equality" and "If You Have To Ask".  Kiedis shows his softer side with his lyrics to "Breaking The Girl" and "Under The Bridge".  "Give It Away" became a monster hit, with help from a really odd, but addictive video.  But the real joy on this album comes from the hard-rocking rapid funk of "Suck My Kiss" and "The Greeting Song".  The lyrics may be seen as juvenile sometimes ("Sir Psycho Sexy") but it was perfect for the adolescent mind of a nineteen year old.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  11 (1984-2016)

Grammys:  3 (Best Hard Rock Performance "Give It Away" - 1992)

                      (Best Rock Album "Stadium Arcadium" - 2006)

                      (Best Rock Performance Group "Dani California" - 2006)

Highest Charting Single:  2 ("Under The Bridge" - 1992)

ROD STEWART

Rod Stewart is another one of those artists that was first introduced to me as young lad.  I had heard the song "Infatuation" as a 12-year old and watched the video on MuchMusic probably five times a day.  I had no idea this was a guy that started his career almost 20 years before.  Way back in 1962, Stewart started playing his harmonica on the street with Wizz Jones, a local folk-singing busker.  They became quite known and took their act to different places in Europe.  At this time, Stewart was actually considered to sing for a new band called The Kinks.  Soon after, in 1963, he saw Otis Redding in concert and started listening to Sam Cooke albums.  He became enamoured with Soul music.  He joined a band called The Dimensions, playing his harmonica a occasionally singing.  At 19 he was recruited by Long John Baldry after he heard Stewart play "Smokestack Lightnin'" on his harmonica while waiting for train in London.  He began cutting solo records around this time.  In 1966 he joined another band named Shotgun Express, a band that counted Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green as members.  In 1967, he was recruited by Jeff Beck to sing for his new band, created after leaving The Yardbirds, called The Jeff Beck Group.  After great success with Beck he made more solo records and was recruited to be the lead singer of Faces, where he'd be coupled with his good friend Ron Wood.  Stewart made albums with Faces and solo stuff at the same time until 1975 when he decided to focus only on his solo career.

That's a lot of back story for a guy that I thought broke into the music scene in 1984!  After listening to his stuff with The Jeff Beck Group and Faces, I started to listen to his solo stuff.  The 1971 album Every Picture Tells A Story is easily my favourite.  The title song is Stewart's best, in my opinion, taking the listener on a trip around the world while listening to his gravely voice.  "Maggie May" became a huge hit and the endearing "Mandolin Wind" is just beautiful.  There are also some great covers on the album, notably "That's All Right" and the fantastic take on "(I Know) I'm Losing You".  This is Rod Stewart in his prime, before his disco and pop eras, where you can feel the soul in his voice.  Great stuff!

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  30 (1969-2015)

Grammys:  1 (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album "Stardust" - 2004)

Highest Charting Single: 1 ("Maggie May/Reason To Believe" - 1971)

                                            ("Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" - 1976)

                                            ("Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" - 1979)

THE ROLLING STONES

The Rolling Stones have been making music for over 50 years now.  For much of the music listening public, we can't think of a time that the Stones weren't a part of our lives.  Hundreds of songs, dozens of records (studio and live and compilations) and millions of fans around the world.  It really boggles the mind that it all started way back in 1961 when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, childhood friends, got together with Dick Taylor, Alan Etherington and Bob Beckwith to form a blues band called the Blue Boys.  A year later Richards, Jagger, Brian Jones, Ian Stewart and Dick Taylor played a gig billed as "The Rollin' Stones".  They would sign with Decca Records, the label that passed on The Beatles, and began recording.  Fifty-five years later, The Stones released the newest album, Blue & Lonesome, to rave reviews (I have it, and it is fantastic!).  It would be hard to argue against the importance of The Rolling Stones when talking about the history of Rock N' Roll.

It's very difficult to pick a favourite album by The Stones, harder than it was to pick a Beatles fave.  The Beatles were only recording albums for about eight years.  The Stones have a much deeper library of songs.  Massive hits like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Ruby Tuesday", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Miss You" to mention just a few.  But also lots of "album tracks" that weren't always played on the radio; "Happy", "Bitch", "Dance Little Sister", "Respectable" and many others.  I took all this into account when I selected Let It Bleed as my favourite.  It starts with the incredible power of "Gimme Shelter" with Merry Clayton screaming "rape, murder" that rips right into you.  In my opinion, it is one of The Stones' greatest achievements.  The album also includes another of my favourite songs, "Monkey Man".  You get funny tunes like "Live With Me", mean bluesy tunes like Robert Johnson's "Love In Vain" and country rock in "Country Honk" that follows the tone of "Honkey Tonk Women".  The "static" version of "Midnight Rambler" is there, although the live version would be the one most people think of, and it all comes to a beautiful conclusion with "You Can't Always Get What You Want".  The Rolling Stones came out with their best work between 1968 and 1972 (Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main St.) but this is the record I go back to again and again.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  30 (1964-2016)

Grammys:  2 (Best Rock Album "Voodoo Lounge" - 1994)

                      (Best Video, Short Form "Love Is Strong" - 1994)

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - 1965)

                                             ("Get Off Of My Cloud" - 1965)

                                             ("Paint It Black" - 1966)

                                             ("Ruby Tuesday" - 1967)

                                             ("Honkey Tonk Women" - 1969)

                                             ("Brown Sugar" - 1971)

                                             ("Angie" - 1973)

                                             ("Miss You" - 1978)

RUSH

The band Rush has always had a special place in my heart.  They're from my hometown and, even though it wasn't always the case, they were, and are, the pride of Toronto, if not Canada.  They've been playing together for over 40 years and have just recently been getting the recognition of being one of the best prog-rock trios of all time.  The first incarnation of the band formed in 1971 with Alex Lifeson on guitar, school buddy Geddy Lee on bass and vocals and John Rutsey on drums.  The first album they cut, Rush, was more of a hard-rocking, guitar driven release.  The song "Working Man" became a huge hit in the States as folks started to realize these Canadians could rock.  John Rutsey quit the band after the album release due to health problems that came from his diabetes.  Auditions were held for a new drummer and Neil Peart was selected, just in time to tour in the summer of 1974 opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann.  The trio has been together ever since.

When Neil Peart joined the band, he took over the writing of the lyrics so that Lee and Lifeson could focus on the instrumentals.  Their first album together, Fly By Night, saw their first foray into spacey, progressive rock with "By-Tor And The Snow Dog".  I've never been a huge fan of Rush's 20-minute odysseys.  I like them, but I'd rather hear the good rockin' tunes.  That's why I chose Moving Pictures as my favourite.  The first four songs can be counted as four of my favourite Rush songs: the space rock of "Tom Sawyer", the hard drive of "Red Barchetta", the incomparable instrumental of "YYZ" and the wonderful "Limelight", who's beginning suits any fireworks display!  The other songs are just as good, especially the long and winding synth-pop of "The Camera Eye".  It makes me sad that one of the most influential bands of our time has, for all intents and purposes, retired.  But we still have the thrill of their music to pull us through!

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  20 (1974-2012)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  21 ("New World Man" - 1982)

SANTANA

The beginnings of Santana is really interesting.  Carlos Santana formed his band in 1966, then called The Santana Blues Band.  The band's first audition came in 1967 in San Francisco.  The promoter for the event told the band that they would never make it in the San Francisco music scene playing Latin music.  The band went on to start recording their first album anyway.  A man named Bill Graham, a big rock promoter in the San Francisco area, was asked to help with the logistics of a rock festival in New York state called Woodstock.  Graham agreed on one condition, that a new band he was following would be allowed to play.  That band was Santana, who went on to play a phenomenal set just one month ahead of releasing their debut album.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Santana has had scores of musicians come and go through the years, including Neal Schon and Greg Rolie of Journey.  The debut album, Santana, is one of the best debut albums of all time, in my humble opinion.  But their next album, Abraxas, is the one I like most.  It has a couple of huge hits for the band in "Black Magic Woman", a cover of Peter Green's song when he played for Fleetwood Mac, and "Oy Como Va", another cover this time from Tito Puente.  There are three instrumentals written by members of the group, my favourite is called "Samba Pa Ti".  Then there's probably my absolute favourite Santana song, "Hope You're Felling Better", written and sung by Greg Rolie.  

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  24 (1969-2016)

Grammys:  9 (Best Rock Album "Supernatural" - 1999)

                      (Album Of The Year "Supernatural" - 1999)

                      (Record Of The Year "Smooth" - 1999)

                      (Best Pop Collaboration "Smooth" - 1999)

                      (Best Rock Performance, Group "Put Your Lights On" - 1999)

                      (Best Pop Performance, Group "Maria, Maria" - 1999)

                      (Best Pop Instrumental "Farol" - 1999)

                      (Best Rock Instrumental "Calling" - 1999)

                      (Best Pop Collaboration "Game Of Love" - 2002)

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("Smooth" - 1999)

                                             ("Maria, Maria" - 2000)

SOUNDGARDEN

Right around the time that Nirvana was blowing up, there were other bands that were from Seattle that started to garner a lot more attention.  One of those bands was Soundgarden.  The first vestiges of the band came about in 1984 when Chris Cornell (vocals, drums), Kim Thayil (guitar) and Hiro Yamamoto (bass) began jamming together.  Eventually, Scott Sundquist was hired to play drums so that Cornell could focus on lyrics and singing.  After cutting a couple of demos, Sundquist quit the band and Matt Cameron was hired to play drums.  The first album they cut, Ultramega OK, was released in 1988, but the band, and more specifically Cornell, wasn't happy with the production.  They decided to sign with A & M Records which their fans took as them "selling out".  Still, their next album, Louder Than Love, sold well and started to make a name for the band.

By 1991, Soundgarden had made their way to a 19 year old boy in Toronto.  (Me, I'm referring to me).  Their newest album, with new bassist Ben Shepherd, was titled Badmotorfinger, and I fell hard in love with Chris Cornell, and I'm not ashamed to say it!  I would go so far as to say their 1994 album, Superunknown, is a superior album, but Badmotorfinger became a soundtrack to my life back then.  The first two songs would give the listener a good idea of what was in store for them: "Rusty Cage" and probably my favourite Soundgarden song "Outshined".  Cornell screams and wailing, Thayil's driving low-end guitar, heavy on bass, it hit me right in the chest.  "Jesus Christ Pose" is a killer tune: great lyrics, ever-pounding beat...it's awesome.  "Room A Thousand Years Wide" can go against any heavy metal song of the era.  "Drawing Flies", "Holy Water", all of it is hard, heavy and beautiful!!

Band Stats

Studio Albums: 6 (1988-2012)

Grammys: 2 (Best Metal Performance "Spoonman" - 1994)

                     (Best Hard Rock Performance "Black Hole Sun" - 1994)

Highest Charting Single:  96 ("Black Rain" - 2010)

STEELY DAN

A couple of guys got together at Bard College in New York back in 1968.  Their names were Walter Becker and Donald Fagan.  Almost 50 years later and they're still making music together.  They started out covering songs by The Rolling Stones, Moby Grape and Willie Dixon, among others, calling themselves the Don Fagan Jazz Trio or The Bad Rock Group or, along with Chevy Chase on drums as Leather Canary.  The two moved to Brooklyn and started selling their songs around town, including one to Barbra Streisand called "I Mean To Shine".  When they discovered that some of the songs they wrote were too complex for others, they created another band, naming themselves after the "Steely Dan III from Yokohama", a strap-on dildo from the book "Naked Lunch".  They've had scores of people play with them on albums and in concert, including Michael McDonald before he joined The Doobie Brothers, and they even stopped making music together for a while between 1982 and 1992.  But their songs have always been jazzy, bluesy, funky fun, and Fagan and Becker have been there through it all.

I became a big fan of Steely Dan's work about a decade ago.  I always knew a few of their big hits like "Reelin' In The Years", "Do It Again" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", but I really started to like them after downloading a bunch of their albums.  All of them are great, but I chose Aja from 1977 as my favourite for a couple of reasons.  First, its short, sweet and compact with only 7 tunes in all.  There is a real sense that they had a bunch of songs ready for the album, but only used the best.  Second, the album flows so well and each tune is a finger-snapping delight.  The title song goes for a wonderful 8 minutes.  "Deacon Blues" is one of my favourite Steely Dan tunes.  "Peg" is so much fun, as is "Josie", the last tune.  For me, you can't go wrong with any Steely Dan album, but I think Aja is the best.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  9 (1972-2003)

Grammys:  3 (Best Pop Vocal Album "Two Against Nature" - 2000)

                      (Album Of The Year "Two Against Nature" - 2000)

                      (Best Pop Performance Group "Cousin Dupree" - 2000)

Highest Charting Single:  ("Rikki Don't Lose That Number" - 1974)

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN

He was seven years old when he got his first guitar.  It was a toy guitar from Sears.  Soon he was listening to Albert King and Muddy Waters and began playing songs by ear.  When he was nine, he received his first electric guitar, a hand-me-down from his older brother, Jimmie.  For the next 27 years Stevie Ray Vaughan was rarely seen without a guitar.  He was a wonder playing that axe!  There was Jimi Hendrix and there was Stevie Ray Vaughan, the two best guitarists of our time.  There's a great moment in the Foo Fighters' documentary "Sonic Highways" where a musician talks about how knocked out he and his fellow musicians were when they first heard a 17 year old Stevie Ray Vaughan play for the first time at The Grand Ol' Opry.  The greatest compliment a musician can get is shock, awe and love from his peers.  Stevie got that his whole career, and when it all ended suddenly in a helicopter crash in 1990, we all lost one of the best guitarist to ever play.

Normally I wouldn't pick a live album as my favourite of an artist, but in this case I mad an exception.  The Live At Carnegie Hall album was recorded in 1984 and released after his death in 1997. It contains some of the best rock/blues you'll ever hear live.  From start to finish it's non-stop energy coming at you, starting with "Scuttle Buttin'", going to "Love Struck Baby" and "Honey Bee", the wonderful "Cold Shot" and a fabulous rendition of "Pride And Joy".  Stevie's brother Jimmie joins him, as does Dr. John on piano.  One of the greatest disappointments of my life is never getting to see Stevie Ray Vaughan live, but this album makes up for it...a little.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  6 (1983-1991)

Grammys:  4 (Best Traditional Blues Album "Blues Explosion" - 1984)

                      (Best Contemporary Blues Album "In Step" - 1989)

                      (Best Contemporary Blues Album "Sky Is Crying" - 1992)

                      (Best Rock Instrumental "Little Wing" - 1992)

Highest Charting Single:  None on Hot 100

STEVIE WONDER

Ronnie White of The Miracles may be responsible for bringing Stevie Wonder to the world.  He brought Wonder to an audition at Motown Records after Wonder sang him his own song "Lonely Boy", at the age of 11.  He cut his first album, Tribute To Uncle Ray, an record of mostly Ray Charles covers, when he was 12 years old, and known as Little Stevie Wonder.  It's been 55 years since he cut that record and is now one of the most successful and beloved musicians in the world.  He has sold more than 100 million records, has had 30 top ten hits, has won numerous awards and accolades, won an Academy Award ("I Just Called To Say I Love You") and has been inducted into the Rock And Roll and Songwriters' Halls Of Fame.
Stevie Wonder had a time in the 1970's that most call his best period of music making.  It was funky, political, jazz-soul that took over the airwaves.  The four albums during this era (Talking Book, Innervisions, Fullfillingness' First Finale and Songs In The Key Of Life) are all considered the height of Wonder's creativeness.  The one I like the best is 1973's Innervisions.  The first song is the funky "Too High" which talks about the battles with drug use so prevalent in the inner cities of 1970's America.  "Living For The City", one of my favourite Wonder tracks is another great tale of inner city life.  "Higher Ground" is a non-stop thrill ride, with another message.  "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" is just happy-feet fun despite all the world worries it talks about.  The last song, "He's Misstra Know It All", is a "love letter" to then President Richard Nixon.  I recommend listening to as much of these four albums as possible!
Band Stats
Studio Albums:  23 (1962-2005)
Grammys: 22  (Best Male Pop Vocal "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" - 1973)
                        (Best R&B Song "Superstition" - 1973)
                        (Best Male R&B Vocal "Superstition" - 1973)
                        (Album Of The Year "Innervisions" - 1973)
                        (Best R&B Song "Living For The City" - 1974)
                        (Best Male Pop Vocal, Album "Fullfillingness' First Finale" - 1974)
                        (Album Of The Year "Fullfillingness' First Finale" - 1974)
                        (Best Male R&B Vocal "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - 1974)
                        (Best Male Pop Vocal, Album "Songs In The Key Of Life" - 1976)
                        (Album Of The Year "Songs In The Key Of Life" - 1976)
                        (Best Male R&B Vocal "I Wish" - 1976)
                        (Producer Of The Year - 1976)
                        (Best Male R&B Vocal, Album "In Square Circle" - 1985)
                        (Best Pop Performance Group "That's What Friends Are For" - 1986)
                        (Best R&B Song "For Your Love" - 1995)
                        (Best Male R&B Vocal "For Your Love" - 1995)
                        (Best Male R&B Vocal "St. Louis Blues" - 1998)
                        (Best Instrumental Background Arrangement "St. Louis Blues" - 1998)
                        (Best R&B Performance Group "Love's In Need Of Love Today" - 2002)
                        (Best R&B Performance Group "So Amazing" - 2005)
                        (Best Male Pop Vocal "From The Bottom Of My Heart" - 2005)
                        (Best Pop Collaboration, Album "For Once In My Life" - 2006)
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("Superstition" - 1973)
                                            ("You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" - 1973)
                                            ("You Haven't Done Nothin'" - 1974)
                                            ("I Wish" - 1977)
                                            ("Sir Duke" - 1977)
                                            ("I Just Called To Say I Love You" - 1984)
                                            ("Part-Time Lover" - 1985)

THIN LIZZY

There aren't a whole lot of bands coming out of Ireland.  You have Them with Van Morrison, U2 who have done pretty good for themselves, The Cranberries, The Boomtown Rats, Dropkick Murphys, and probably the heaviest of all of them, Thin Lizzy.  There have been scores of musicians coming in and out of Thin Lizzy, but it all started with the great lyrics of it's founder, Phil Lynott.  Three other musicians met up with Lynott in 1969 Dublin (Eric Bell on guitar, Brian Downey of drums, Eric Wrixon on keyboards, Lynott playing bass and singing) to join together, naming their band Thin Lizzy, which many in Ireland mispronounced as "tin" Lizzy, which the band thought was funny.  They cut a couple of albums, none doing too well on the charts, when their single "Whiskey In The Jar" came out in 1972.  Although Lynott didn't feel "Whiskey In The Jar" was a good representation of their sound, it made them a household name and shot Thin Lizzy into stardom in the U.K. and abroad.  The band would continue to be a force on the rock scene for the next decade or so, until Lynott's death from drug related sepsis on January 4, 1986.  New incarnations of the band would tour playing Thin Lizzy classics, but the last album released by the band was in 1983.

I chose Thin Lizzy's 1976 album Jailbreak as my favourite.  It was around this time that Lynott got into a groove with his song writing and, because of this, the band started to gain more and more fame throughout the world.  The album starts off strong with the title song helped along with Lynott's driving bass line.  Then the wonderful rock of "Angel From The Coast".  Lynott's lyrical brilliance is really shown on "Romeo And The Lonely Girl" and the great "Cowboy Song".  But the heart of the album, and maybe the band itself, comes in "The Boys Are Back In Town", a kind of love song to the band's fun times in Dublin long ago.  It was easily the band's biggest hit, as it should be.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  12 (1971-1983)

Grammys: None

Highest Charting Single: 12 ("The Boys Are Back In Town" - 1976)

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS

Thomas Earl Petty was 14 years old when he saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Like many who watched that night he immediately knew he wanted to be in a band.  He took guitar lessons.  One of his teachers was soon-to-be Eagle Don Felder.  In the mid-'70's Petty got together with Ron Blair, Stan Lynch, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench to form what would become The Heartbreakers.  Their first record, titled Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, was not the hit they hoped it would be, although the song "Breakdown" did become very popular the following year.  They actually did quite well overseas in the U.K., but it took a few years before Petty and his band started to gain ground in the States.  Forty years later the band has been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers have had numerous hits.  You can almost always hear a Tom Petty tune on any classic rock radio station in the world.  But if you wanted to know why Petty is so popular, all you have to do is listen to his 1979 album Damn The Torpedoes.  The first three songs on the album have all become recognizable Petty songs: "Refugee", "Here Comes My Girl" and one of my faves, "Even The Losers".  There's the country rock tune "Century City" that goes into another great tune in "Don't Do Me Like That".  It all ends in the lovely, ballad-like song "Louisiana Rain".  Solid from top to bottom.

Band Stats

Studio Albums: 13 (1976-2014)

Grammys: 1 (Best Male Rock Vocal "You Don't Know How It Feels" - 1995)

Highest Charting Single: 7 ("Free Fallin'" - 1990)

THE TRAGICALLY HIP

It is written into the Constitution Of Canada that if you were born in this great country you must like The Tragically Hip.  Well, maybe not, but it should be.  There have been very few artists that have been so successful and can feel like they are ours alone.  Gord Downie has been praised by many, not just in this country, as one of the best lyricists in music.  The band started in 1983, out of Kingston, Ontario.  Downie, Gord Sinclair (bass), Rob Baker (guitar) and Johnny Fay (drums) got together and started to play shows at universities and pubs in Eastern Ontario. In 1986, Paul Langois (guitar) joined the group.  The core of five men have been together for over 30 years.  The retirement of The Tragically Hip came about last year when Gord Downie was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Their farewell tour in Canada sold out in seconds and the last show, in their hometown of Kingston, was aired commercial-free on CBC.  It was a chance for Canadians to hear "their band" one last time.

The Tragically Hip songs are ingrained in a Canadian's being.  Their songs are constantly playing on the radio, and we like it like that.  The have had many great albums, but their 1992 album Fully Completely is a bit of a masterpiece.  It is one of those albums that I know so well because of the way it flows, something that I felt thousands of times as I listened and re-listened to the CD.  There are big hits in "Courage (For Hugh Maclennan)", "Looking For A Place To Happen", "At The Hundredth Meridian" and the history lesson in "Fifty Mission Cap", all great tunes.  "Locked In The Trunk Of A Car" plays out like a thrilling movie plot, even as Downie scream "let me out!".  Probably the best Hip song ever produced is the emotional "Wheat Kings", a beautiful, almost heart-breaking ballad that chokes me up every time I listen to it.  If you live outside of Canada and you don't know much about The Tragically Hip, do yourself a huge favour and pick up Fully Completely somewhere!

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  14 (1987-2016)

Grammys:  None...BUT 14 Junos (Canada's Grammys)

Highest Charting Single:  None on the Hot 100

U2

It was September 1976 in Dublin, Ireland when a 14 year old Larry Mullin Jr. posted a note on a school bulletin board looking for guys to play in a new band.  Only six people replied to the note, but three of them were invited to play with Mullin at his house.  The three were Paul Hewson, David Evans and Adam Clayton.  Hewson was also know as "Bono Vox", Latin for "good voice", soon shortened to just Bono.  David Evans would become known as The Edge, a nickname given to him by Bono because of Evans' facial features and sharp wit.  The four musicians have been together from that day in Larry Mullin Jr's kitchen up to present day, over 40 years now!  

I've never been a huge fan of U2, but I do like some of their work, especially the early albums like War or Boy.  But their 1987 release, The Joshua Tree, is easily their best work, and I know many huge fans that would agree.  I remember buying the cassette tape of The Joshua Tree when I was 15, and I listened to it constantly.  It's not only U2's best album, it is one of the best albums put out by anyone.  The first three songs were huge and on heavy rotation on all the music video stations: "Where The Streets Have No Name", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and the hauntingly beautiful "With Or Without You".  They're followed by a great rocker in "Bullet The Blue Sky".  The fifth song is high on my list as a U2 favourite, "Running To Stand Still".  "Red Hill Mining Town", "In God's Country" also great songs.  The last song, appropriately titled "Exit", is another great display of Bono's vocals and Edge's signature guitar work.  Just a fabulous album from start to finish!

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  13 (1980-2014)

Grammys: 19 (Best Rock Performance Group, Album "The Joshua Tree" - 1987)

                       (Album Of The Year "The Joshua Tree" - 1987)

                       (Best Performance Music Video "Where The Streets Have No Name" - 1988)

                       (Best Rock Performance Group "Desire" - 1988)

                       (Best Rock Performance Group, Album "Achtung Baby" - 1992)

                       (Best Alternative Music Performance, Album "Zooropa" - 1993)

                       (Best Music Video, Long Form "ZooTV: Live From Sydney" - 1994)

                       (Song Of The Year "Beautiful Day" - 2000)

                       (Record Of The Year "Beautiful Day" - 2000)

                       (Best Rock Performance Group "Beautiful Day" - 2000)

                       (Record Of The Year "Walk On" - 2001)

                       (Best Pop Performance Group "Stuck In A Moment" - 2001)

                       (Best Rock Performance Group "Elevation" - 2001)

                       (Best Rock Album "All That You Can't Leave Behind" - 2001)

                       (Song Of The Year "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" - 2005)

                       (Best Rock Performance Group "Sometimes You Can't..." - 2005)

                       (Best Rock Album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" - 2005)

                       (Album Of The Year "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" - 2005)

                       (Best Rock Song "City Of Blinding Lights" - 2005)

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("With Or Without You" - 1987)

                                             ("I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - 1987)

VAN HALEN

In 1972, the Van Halen brothers formed a band called Genesis where Eddie was the lead singer and guitarist, Alex on drums and Mark Stone on bass.  They were renting a sound system from friend David Lee Roth.  Eddie thought they should invite Roth to sing in their band, to save money on the rental.  By 1974, Stone had left the band and, after an all night jam session, hired Michael Anthony.  The original lineup of Roth, Anthony and the Van Halen boys became huge in their native Pasadena, California.  Then huge in Los Angeles.  The huge in America and all over the world.  When it was reported that Eddie and Dave were at odds, it wasn't too much of a surprise when Roth announced he was leaving the band.  Eddie asked Patty Smyth to become the new singer, but she declined.  Daryl Hall was asked at one point as well!  But Eddie met Sammy Hagar, asked him to join, and became even more popular than with Roth at the helm.  Hagar eventually left the band (Sammy says he was fired, Eddie says he quit) and, after a terrible couple of years of having Gary Cherone as their singer, Van Halen went on hiatus.  That is until Roth came back to tour and release a new album.

Van Halen was easily my favourite band growing up.  It started, for me, with the song "Panama" off the album 1984.  I began buying up all the older Van Halen cassettes and my obsession was complete.  When Roth left the band, I was heartbroken.  I didn't like Sammy Hagar at first, but I grew to appreciate him, seeing him and the boys three times in concert.  I'm one of the few Van Halen fans who like both Roth and Hagar, but I think my favourite album is the Roth-era 1981 release Fair Warning.  The album contains my fave song, "Unchained", but that's not the only great tune on the album.  "Mean Street" leads it off, followed by "Dirty Movies" and the fun "Sinner's Swing".  The great harmonies of the band are featured in "Hear About It Later".  Dave softly, soulfully, goes after it on "Push Comes To Shove" which transitions into the band's great rocker "So This Is Love?".  I like most of Van Halen's stuff, but Fair Warning is their best, in my opinion anyway.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  12 (1978-2012)

Grammys: 1 (Best Hard Rock Performance, Album "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" - 1991)

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("Jump" - 1984)

WHITESNAKE

David Coverdale, one of rock's greatest vocalists, had just left his gig with Deep Purple.  He released a couple of solo albums soon after, White Snake in 1977 and Northwinds in 1978.  While touring to promote these albums, he scrambled together a backing band that was affectionately known as The White Snake Band.  That band, along with Coverdale, became just Whitesnake.  The band included Bernie Marsden (guitar), Micky Moody (guitar), Neil Murray (bass) and David Dowie (drums).  There have been a great many musicians to play with the band, but these were the guys that started it all.  

The first few albums from Whitesnake focused more on blues inspired rock than their huge success in the mid-'80's, when they became more hair metal.  It was during this metal stage that I was first introduced to Whitesnake, coming out with huge hits like "Here I Go Again", "Still Of The Night" and "Slow An' Easy".  After listening to their older catalogue I can say there is a much better version of the band than most know, their best in 1980's Ready An' Willing.  My absolute favourite song from Whitesnake appears on this album, "Ain't Gonna Cry No More", in fact, one of my favourite songs period.  The is the more popular "Fool For Your Lovin'", which is great, along with "Carry Your Load", a great ballad-like Robert Plant-esque feature from Coverdale.  "Black And Blue" is a live tune which is also great stuff, and it all ends with their most metal song on the album, "She's A Woman".  Don't think that Whitesnake is all about screaming and wailing.  Ready An' Willing is a good place to start.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  12 (1978-2015)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("Here I Go Again" - 1987)

THE WHO

Way back in 1961, Roger Daltry started a band in the suburbs of London that included Pete Townshend on guitar, John Entwistle on bass, Harry Wilson on drums and Colin Dawson on vocals called The Detours.  At the time Daltry was playing lead guitar.  Pretty soon Wilson and Dawson dropped out, leaving Daltry singing the songs and moving Townshend to lead guitar, a pretty good decision.  Doug Sandom was recruited as the new drummer.  Townshend ripped a strip into Sandom during an audition for not playing up to his standard and soon quit the band.  By this time The Detours had renamed themselves The Who.  Other drummers played one-offs with the band until they saw Keith Moon.  Moon played a set with The Who, breaking a bass drum pedal and a skin.  He was immediately hired, and so began the reign of the loudest band to ever play!

Anyone who likes rock music must like at least some of The Who's work.  Whether it's their fun pop early stuff, or their hit-making records of the '70's, or either one of their rock operas, The Who have been a driving force of rock n' roll for over 50 years.  Most of their albums are classics, but I can't think of a better one than Who's Next, released in 1971.  Bookended by two of the band's biggest hits, "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", the album includes some great tunes in between as well.  Written almost entirely by Pete Townshend, as most of their songs are, it was the peak of his lyrical creativeness.  "Bargain" is a fantastic rocker that doesn't get the play it deserves, same with "Getting In Tune".  "The Song Is Over" shows the band's softer side before they hit into "Going Mobile", another underrated song.  Then there's the beautiful "Behind Blue Eyes".  Who's Next contains at least six of The Who's best songs and is easily their best album.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  11 (1965-2006)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  9 ("I Can See For Miles" - 1967)

ZZ TOP

ZZ Top is another one of those bands that I started to like in the mid-1980's because of their constant rotation on MuchMusic, videos from their Eliminator album.  I had no idea that they started almost 15 years before that.  The origins of the band go back to 1969 when guitarist Billy Gibbons teamed up with bassist Billy Ethridge (who played with Stevie Ray Vaughan) and drummer Frank Beard.  When it came time to sign a record contract, Ethridge dropped out and Dusty Hill came on board.  Those three Texas musicians have now been making awesome Blues-Rock for over 40 years and were inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004.  I had a lot of catching up to do, but I enjoyed every minute of it!

I mentioned the Eliminator album, released in 1983, as my first introduction to ZZ Top.  That album was full of big tunes like "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Gimme All Your Lovin'".  The album sold more than 10-million copies!  But, upon comparison to their earlier work, you could tell that the songs were "popped-up" for mass consumption.  If you want to know what ZZ Top is all about, you have to go back to their first five or six records, my favourite being 1979's Deguello.  It starts with a great rendition of "I Thank You", first made famous by Sam & Dave.  "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" keeps the rockin' soul going with one of those memorable breakdowns that ZZ Top has done so well. "A Fool For Your Stockings" shows the bands' comical side, and another cover of a great Blues song, "Dust My Broom", is great as well.  Most of ZZ Top's early albums are filled with great Blues-Rock, so you really can't go wrong listening to any of them.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  15 (1971-2012)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  8  ("Legs" - 1984)

                                              ("Sleeping Bag" - 1985)

OK, finally, that's it.  Hope you enjoyed my 4-part list.  More lists coming soon, probably.

  

It's A Wonderful Night For Oscar - 2017

So, being off work for a much longer amount of time than I thought I would be (intercostal nerve problems) I've been able to watch a lot more movies than I normally would.  For that reason, I feel a little more confident in my picks for Academy gold this year.  Hopefully I will be able to help those doing Oscar pools or other events tailored for Sunday night's show.  So, with further ado, my picks:

BEST PICTURE

Arrival

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell Or High Water

Hidden Figures

La La Land

Lion

Manchester By The Sea

Moonlight

What Will Win: La La Land.  Everybody is in love with this musical throwback to Hollywood's Golden Age, and, for the most part, they should be.  I really enjoyed La La Land, after the first 30 minutes or so.  The story really gains some traction after that point and I found myself getting invested in the outcome of the movie's two main characters.  The final scenes are absolutely stunning, and fun, and sad, and everything...I just wish it could have been that way right from the start.

What I'd Pick: Moonlight.  Speaking about being invested in the characters, I was totally rapt with ALL the characters in this film.  Taking place through three stages of a young man's life, I'm sure it may be hard for some to take, but not for me.  The story, the actors' performances and the ending has stuck in my mind for many weeks now.  It was beautifully filmed, and the director wasn't scared to have long, silent pauses which were necessary and, at times, emotionally brutal.  I saw eight of the nine nominees (stayed away from Fences), and I liked them all, but none more than Moonlight.

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck - Manchester By The Sea

Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge

Ryan Gosling - La La Land

Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic

Denzel Washington - Fences

Who Will Win: Denzel Washington.  As I mentioned, I haven't seen Fences, but the Academy seems to love giving awards to movies that are very character driven.  Denzel was the winner of the SAG Award earlier this year, and he hasn't won an award for acting since 2001 (Training Day).  For one of the best actors of our time, that's too long. 

Who I'd Pick:  Ryan Gosling.  And there's is a good chance he will win, but the Denzel factor may be a little too strong.  Gosling, who I always thought was quite wooden until I saw The Nice Guys and then La La Land, really does a great job.  Not only in the dancing and singing scenes (not to mention his great attention to detail learning to play the piano!) but for those moments in between. 

BEST ACTRESS

Isabelle Huppert - Elle

Ruth Negga - Loving

Natalie Portman - Jackie

Emma Stone - La La Land

Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins

Who Will Win:  Emma Stone.  I have always liked Emma Stone, from her small role in Superbad, to her breakout role in Easy A, she has always been easy to like.  She was nominated two years ago for Birdman but didn't win, but this is her turn.  She has been praised by almost everyone who has seen La La Land, winning multiple awards, and I can't see why she wouldn't win an Oscar as well.

Who I'd Pick:  Meryl Streep.  I didn't see the other three performances in this category (sorry) but of the two I did see, Meryl is still the best.  I didn't even want to see Florence Foster Jenkins, but her performance turned me right around (and I'd like to mention Hugh Grant was fantastic as well and should have been nominated).  She was hysterically funny at times and made me well up at others.  When people say Streep is the greatest actress ever, they may just be right.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mahershala Ali - Moonlight

Jeff Bridges - Hell Or High Water

Lucas Hedges - Manchester By The Sea

Dev Patel - Lion

Michael Shannon - Nocturnal Animals

Who Will Win:  Mahershala Ali.  And he really should.  His was one of many fabulous performances in Moonlight.  He won the SAG Award and Golden Globe so winning the Academy Award doesn't seem like a stretch.  The character of a gangster with a heart isn't new to movies, but Ali brings a strength and a softness to his character that sucks the viewer right into his world.  It truly was an outstanding performance.

Who I'd Pick:  Same.  But, if I were to choose my favourite performance of the five men nominated, my vote would go to Michael Shannon.  He was fantastic as the sickly investigator in what I feel was a very underrated film, Nocturnal Animals.  His only other nomination came in 2009's Revolutionary Road.  But he could have garnered awards for The Runaways as the creepy Kim Fowley, Take Shelter as a man who thinks a big storm is coming,  or The Iceman as real life hit man Richard Kuklinski.  For me, he is the best character actor in Hollywood!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Viola Davis - Fences

Naomie Harris - Moonlight

Nicole Kidman - Lion

Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures

Michelle Williams - Manchester By The Sea

Who Will Win:  Viola Davis.  For the same reason I think Denzel will win.  Movies that come from plays are very character driven, not a lot of action, but lots of emotional stretching.  Again, I have not seen the film, but there are many accolades coming in for her portrayal.  She has been nominated for Oscars two other times (for The Help and Doubt), but I think in this instance, the third time will be a charm.  Plus, she won both the SAG Award and the Golden Globe for this role.

Who I'd Pick:  Octavia Spencer.  This was difficult for me.  I loved all the other performances in this category, but Spencer's role in Hidden Figures was quietly powerful.  Her portrayal of the real life NASA employee Dorothy Vaughan who played along with the "rules" of women, especially black women, knowing their place in world that wasn't ready for people like her to succeed.  But succeed she did, not with her words, but with her actions.  And when she finally started earning the respect she so rightly deserved, her humility made the audience want to get up and applaud her.  A really great performance.

BEST DIRECTOR

Denis Villeneuve - Arrival

Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge

Damien Chazelle - La La Land

Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester By The Sea

Barry Jenkins - Moonlight

Who Will Win:  Damien Chazelle.  He created a world that has been missing from movies for a very long time.  He also came up with impossibly complicated shots that worked beautifully.  I mentioned that I wasn't too impressed with La La Land for the first half hour or so, but the opening scene had to have been one of the most complicated set ups I've ever seen.  Now, I know some camera tricks were used to edit the scene, but it didn't take away from the marvel of the production.  He did a great job visualizing his words to the screen.

Who I'd Pick:  Barry Jenkins.  So, what do we know about Barry Jenkins?  Not a lot!  He made one other feature film before Moonlight called Medicine For Melancholy that was praised by many festivals around the world.  For his second feature Jenkins masterfully told the story of Little/Chiron/Black, a man who grows up in the projects.  Jenkins used silence and long pauses to perfection in Moonlight, making the viewer take time to feel the emotions not only inside the character, but inside themselves.  It is a wonderfully, and carefully, directed film that everyone should see.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Taylor Sheridan - Hell Or High Water

Damien Chazelle - La La Land

Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou - The Lobster

Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester By The Sea

Mike Mills - 20th Century Women

Who Will Win:  Damien Chanzelle for La La Land.

Who I'd Pick:  Lanthimos & Filippou for The Lobster.  I haven't seen The Lobster, but the creativity of just the outline of the film makes me think those who saw it won't soon forget it.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Eric Heisserer - Arrival

August Wilson - Fences

Allison Schroeder & Theodore Melfi - Hidden Figures

Luke Davies - Lion

Barry Jenkins & Tarell Alvin McCraney - Moonlight

Who Will Win:  Eric Heisserer for Arrival.  This might be a stretch, but a movie that meant absolutely nothing to me in the first hour, only to drop my jaw in the last hour deserves to win!

Who I'd Pick:  Same.  My second choice would be for Jenkins and McCraney for Moonlight.

For the rest of the award categories, I'll just pick my choice of who should win.  Keep in mind, I didn't see a lot of the nominations for Animated Film or Foreign Film so I'm just gonna pick the best sounding ones!

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Kubo And The Two Strings

Moana

My Life As A Zucchini

The Red Turtle

Zootopia

My Pick:  Finding Dory!  or, I guess, Moana.

BEST FOREIGN FILM

Land Of Mine (Denmark)

A Man Called Ove (Sweden)

The Salesman (Iran)

Tanna (Australia)

Toni Erdmann (Germany)

My Pick:  A Man Called Ove from Sweden, because of their recent trouble with deadly Muslim attacks!

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Mica Levi - Jackie

Justin Hurwitz - La La Land

Dustin O'Halloran & Hauschka - Lion

Nicholas Britell - Moonlight

Thomas Newman - Passengers

My Pick:  Justin Hurwitz for La La Land.  If I'm wrong here, I'll be wrong everywhere else!

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" - La La Land

"Can't Stop The Feeling!" - Trolls

"City Of Stars" - La La Land

"The Empty Chair" - Jim: The James Foley Story

"How Far I'll Go" - Moana

My Pick:  "City Of Stars" from La La Land, although I would love to see "Can't Stop The Feeling!" win because I love that song!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Bradford Young - Arrival

Linus Sandgren - La La Land

Greg Fraser - Lion

James Laxton - Moonlight

Rodrigo Prieto - Silence

My Pick:  Linus Sandgren for La La Land.  The ever-moving camera flows beautifully through the whole film, probably the greatest reason I liked it so much.

BEST FILM EDITING

Joe Walker - Arrival

John Gilbert - Hacksaw Ridge

Jake Roberts - Hell Or High Water

Tom Cross - La La Land

Nat Sanders & Joi McMillon - Moonlight

My Pick:  Tom Cross for La La Land.  The cinematography wouldn't be as great as it was without the smooth editing.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Deepwater Horizon

Doctor Strange

The Jungle Book

Kubo And The Two Strings

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

My Pick:  The Jungle Book, only because of the buzz around it's special effects.

Ok, I think that's all I'll do.  Let me know what you think in the comments.  Agree, disagree, whatever.  Either way, I think it's been a pretty good year for movies.  Enjoy Sunday night!

I Got The Music In Me - Part III

Some more great albums below:

THE KINKS

In 1964, British bands started to make their way into America.  The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, all big bands that made a huge splash during that time.  The Kinks were also among the groups involved in The British Invasion, mostly because of one of their most popular songs, "You Really Got Me".  Ray Davies and his younger brother Dave started to play guitar as a result of hearing some of their older sister's records during the birth of Rock N' Roll.  They gathered a couple of friends, Pete Quaife (bass) being one, and started playing as the Ray Davies Quartet.  As time went on they changed the band's name a couple of times; The Ramrods and The Ravens.  Mick Avory soon came on as the drummer.  Just prior to recording their first single, a cover of "Long Tall Sally", they changed their name once more to The Kinks, in reference to their "kinky" fashion sense.

I always thought The Kinks came on the music scene in the 1980's, when I saw the video for "Come Dancing" on MuchMusic (Canada's MTV).  I had no idea that they broke out 20 years before, but I started to listen to their old stuff.  "You Really Got Me", "All Day And All Of The Night", "Lola".  To me they sounded like a cross between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones; pop driven with a good helping of soul.  Of their early records I would find myself going back to The Kinks Kontroversy.  The first song on the album, "Milk Cow Blues", is a cover of an old Blues man, Sleepy John Estes, and is great!   All the other songs are Ray Davies' originals.  "Gotta Get The First Plane Home" sounds like a Beatles song (which is a good thing!), "Till The End Of The Day" is fabulous, "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" is a song I first heard Van Halen do without knowing it was written by Davies.  One of my favourite Kinks song, "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion", is also on the album. If you haven't listened to The Kinks' early stuff, do yourself a favour and get on that!

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  24 (1964-1993)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  6 ("Tired Of Waiting For You" - 1965)

                                             ("Come Dancing" - 1983)

KISS

So, I'm about six years old, 1978 or so, and I go to visit my cousins.  My older cousin Dave is getting into a band called Kiss.  I remember him showing me some magazines and albums with these scary looking dudes in makeup.  I had no idea what songs they played at this point, but I knew I loved what I was seeing!  And that's precisely how Kiss became HUGE; a gimmick.  Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have known each other forever, playing in a band in the early '70's named Wicked Lester.  They decided to leave that band and form their own creation.  They found Peter Criss (drums) from an ad in Rolling Stone magazine.  Ace Frehley (guitar) was the last piece of the puzzle, hired after an audition in 1973.  When Criss said he had been in a band called Lips, Paul Stanley suggested something similar to call this new band, Kiss.  Everyone liked the idea of having the "SS" at the end of the band's name, thinking it would really stand out and get people interested in the band.  The first couple of gigs, the band wore little to no makeup (eyeliner was used), but soon they decided to wear full face makeup, and didn't take it off again for another 10 years.  Probably the biggest mystery in the history of music was the question "What do these guys look like?".  It was brilliant marketing that drew millions of fans to buy all the albums and merchandise they could get their hands on.  

As a band, Kiss is, at best, mediocre.  But they certainly know how to create rock anthems that please their fans.  "Rock And Roll All Nite" is their biggest hit and no matter how many times you hear it, which is a lot, you still sing along.  "Strutter", "Deuce", "Cold Gin", even their disco song "I Was Made For Loving You", all big hits.  But their 1976 album, Destroyer, is chock full of rockin' goodness.  "Detroit Rock City" starts it off with that beautiful bass line.  "God Of Thunder" is probably top three of my favourite Kiss tunes.  The fabulously crowd pleasing "Shout It Out Loud" is always fun to sing along to.  And then, when you least expect it, Peter Criss sings "Beth", a wonderfully written tune showing Kiss' softer side.  Kiss is not the best band in the world, far from it, but they can always be counted on for a good time.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  24 (1974-2012)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:   7 ("Beth"/"Detroit Rock City" - 1976)

LED ZEPPELIN

One of the most revered bands in rock, Led Zeppelin took old Blues songs and made them heavy and electric.  They also created a few pretty good songs on their own.  I remember buying the Led Zeppelin Box Set, on cassette, when I was about 18.  I listened to those four cassettes all the time, as Led Zeppelin quickly became one of my favourite bands.  Jimmy Page met Robert Plant and asked him to sing in a new band he was creating.  Plant agreed and asked if his buddy John Bonham could play drums.  John Paul Jones, who knew Page from their session days, asked if they had a bass player yet.  Page said no, and Jones joined the new band.  In the ten years from 1969 to 1979, Led Zeppelin were the biggest band in the world!  Who knows how long they would've gone if not for the untimely death of Bonham in 1980.  The band decided to break up, saying they couldn't go on without one member.  

I love all of Led Zeppelin's albums, so it's hard to choose just one.  I know a lot of people would choose Led Zeppelin IV (or the untitled album, or Zoso) and why not??  That album has "Stairway To Heaven" and "Black Dog" and "Rock And Roll".  But for me, Led Zeppelin II makes me happy every time I listen to it.  It starts with, what I consider, one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock in "Whole Lotta Love", a hard rockin' cover of a Willie Dixon tune.  There is the beautiful tune "Thank You", Robert Plant hitting every heartbreaking note perfectly.  Then "Heartbreaker" into "Living Loving Maid".  "Ramble On" was my favourite Zeppelin song for a while, and then John Bonham's brilliance on "Moby Dick".  It all ends with other take on a Willie Dixon tune, "Bring It On Home", with that great Page riff.  Just fantastic!!

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  9 (1969-1982)

Grammys:  1 (Best Rock Album "Celebration Day" - 2013)

Highest Charting Single:  4 ("Whole Lotta Love" - 1970)

LYNYRD SKYNYRD

I have a soft spot for Southern Rock.  Don't know why, just do.  The Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet, Skynyrd, I can listen to it all day.  The beginnings of Skynyrd took shape in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964 when Ronnie Van Sant and a group of friends got together, calling themselves My Backyard.  After name changes to The Noble Five and One Percent, Van Sant decided to make a commitment to one name.  He got inspiration from a gym teacher at his high school that always gave "long hairs" a hard time.  His name was Leonard Skinner.  Playing upon that, they settled on Lynyrd Skynyrd.  When they recorded their first album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, they already had a huge fan base from their live shows.  They were an instance success, especially after "Free Bird", a tribute to Duane Allman, hit the air waves.  In October of 1977, the band chartered a plane to Baton Rouge, that would end up crash landing in Mississippi.  Ronnie Van Sant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines (Steve's sister), and some crew perished.  It would be another ten years before Skynyrd played together again, with Ronnie's brother, Johnny Van Sant, taking over as lead singer and songwriter.  Although the band still had great success in concerts, they never reached the heights of the band before that fateful day.

It's the first album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, that is number one in my heart, and it has a lot to do with the albums last song, "Free Bird".  For me, it's Ronnie Van Sant's finest hour.  And if you've ever heard the band jam on that song in concert (go to YouTube) you'll see how the band can stretch out the music for up to 20 minutes.  It's just awesome.  But beyond that classic song, you also have "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man" and "Poison Whiskey", all great songs.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  14 (1973-2012)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  8 ("Sweet Home Alabama" - 1974)

MARVIN GAYE

I first heard Marvin Gaye in 1982 or so.  The single (and video) to "Sexual Healing" had just been released and was on heavy rotation.  I knew I liked the song, but had no idea that I was listening to, what many consider, the finest voice in music.  As I started to listen to more and more of his early stuff I fell in love with that silky soul voice.  Those early records with Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston are absolute perfection!  But the records he made in the '70's are almost beyond compare.  I remember the day Marvin Gaye died.  It was all over the news on TV and the radio.  Shot by his own father on April 1, 1984.  But it was no April Fool's joke.  Possibly the greatest singer of our time was dead.

Listening to Gaye's earlier albums was a real treat for me.  I Heard It Through The Grapevine, That's The Way Love Is, Let's Get It On...all fabulous.  But the best of them all, and possibly one of the best albums ever released, was What's Going On, released in 1971.  The album came about at a time where America was trying to re-find itself after the Civil Rights Movement of the '60's.  The title song, "What's Going On", is a brilliant reflection of the times.  "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)" carries on the theme.  "Right On" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" are also big idea songs that come out beautifully.  "Save The Children", a song of hope in a time that there seemed to be none.  What's Going On became a mirror to the terrible things going on in the world and with Gaye's velvet voice as the preacher, it's just fantastic.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  17 (1961-1982)

Grammys:  2 (Best R&B Instrumental "Sexual Healing" - 1982)

                      (Best Male R&B Vocal "Sexual Healing" - 1982)

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - 1968)

                                             ("Let's Get It On" - 1973)

                                             ("Got To Give It Up, Pt.1" - 1977)

MEGADETH

From Marvin Gaye to Megadeth, nobody can tell me I don't have an eclectic taste in music!  Megadeth came about when Dave Mustaine got booted from Metallica for excessive substance abuse.  He almost immediately had ideas of starting his own metal band to compete with Metallica.  He found Dave Ellefson to play bass, Kerry King on rhythm guitar and Lee Rausch to drum, leaving Mustaine as lead guitarist and singer.  Their goal was to play faster than any metal band around.  After their demo circulated through the proper channels, they were signed to Combat Records.  Before cutting their first album, Rausch was replaced by Gar Samuelson on drums and Chris Poland joined as a second guitarist.  Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good was a success in the heavy metal circles of the mid '80's, and solidified Megadeth as one of the fastest and technically sound thrash metal bands of the era. 

There are songs that I like on just about every Megadeth album; "Mechanix" from their debut, "Peace Sells" from Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" from Rust In Peace.  But I always came back to their fifth album, released in 1992, Countdown To Extinction.  I felt it was the most well-rounded album, as if they took a lot of time and care to how the entire album, from start to finish, flowed.  "Symphony Of Destruction" is Mustaine at his best.  Not the best singer around, but he really wails on this tune.  "Foreclosure Of A Dream" is slow, then fast, then slow, and filled with great lyrics.  The title song, "Countdown To Extinction" has all the doomed imagery you need in a good metal song.  But the album's best, and maybe my favourite Megadeth song, is "Sweating Bullets", a song of paranoid schizophrenia that has a great hook.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  15 (1985-2016)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  71 ("Symphony Of Destruction" - 1992)

METALLICA

Lars Ulrich, in 1981, took out an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper saying he was a drummer looking for a metal band to jam with.  James Hetfield answered the ad, and Metallica was born.  Dave Mustaine answered another ad placed by Ulrich for a lead guitarist.  Bassist Ron McGovney came along for the band's first live performance in 1982.  Cliff Burton soon replaced McGovney because Hetfield and Mustaine felt McGovney wasn't contributing anything.  After Mustaine was booted (see above) Kirk Hammett joined.  This quartet would play together for a few years until Burton was tragically killed in a crash involving the tour bus in 1986.  After more than 40 people auditioned, Metallica hired Jason Newsted to replace Burton.  In 2001, Newsted decided to leave Metallica for, what he called, "personal reasons".  In 2003, Robert Trujillo got the new bassist job after a long audition process.
I really enjoy the Metallica albums of the '80's, especially Kill 'Em All and Master Of Puppets, but I picked their 1991 album, Metallica (or The Black Album) as my favourite.  I remember buying this CD when I was 19 and I listened to it all the time.  The song off the album that got the band the most popularity was "Unforgiven", the song off the album that I like least.  "Enter Sandman" got a lot of play as well, but I think thats a stronger song.  The meat of the album for me are the two songs "Sad But True" and "Wherever I May Roam", two great songs that show off the band's skill, and Hetfield's vocals.  "Nothing Else Matters" slows the pace down for a bit, but it's followed quickly with a head banging "Of Wolf And Man".  Even though this is Metallica's "breakthrough" album where they gained many fans they never had before, it's anything but a sell-out.
Band Stats
Studio Albums:  10 (1983-2016)
Grammys:  8  (Best Metal Performance "One" - 1989)
                       (Best Metal Performance "Stone Cold Crazy" - 1990)
                       (Best Metal Performance, Album "Metallica" - 1991)
                       (Best Metal Performance "Better Than You" - 1998)
                       (Best Hard Rock Performance  "Whiskey In The Jar" - 1999)
                       (Best Rock Instrumental "Call Of Ktulu" - 2000)
                       (Best Metal Performance "St. Anger" - 2003)
                       (Best Metal Performance "My Apocalypse" - 2008)
Highest Charting Single:  10 ("Until It Sleeps" - 1996)

MICHAEL JACKSON

When he was six years old, Michael Jackson began singing with his brothers Marlon, Jackie, Tito and Jermaine, already known as the Jackson Brothers.  A year later, he began singing lead vocals and the band's name was changed to the Jackson 5.  In 1969, the brothers signed with Motown and became one of the biggest music acts in the world.  But Michael would achieve even more success after he left his four brothers.  He actually released a few solo albums before leaving his brothers, but when Off The Wall came out in 1979, the whole world knew M.J. would be the biggest star in the music galaxy.  There are a few names that come to mind when the conversation of most beloved singer/band comes up; The Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson!  I remember exactly where I was when I heard The King Of Pop died.
Michael Jackson has released a few great albums; Off The Wall is fantastic with songs like "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough", "Rock With You" and "Off The Wall".  Bad is a great album as well with the songs "The Way You Make Me Feel" (one of my faves!), "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Dirty Diana".  But the first album I listened to nearly every day when I was 10 or 11 years old was Thriller.  There is no denying the impact this album had on the music industry, or the album buying public.  We actually had two copies of it in our house; one for me and one for my sister.  It has sales of over 32 million in the U.S. alone!!  "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Thriller", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing"....I mean, come on!  All are classics and all will be remembered to be contained on the most popular album ever, Thriller!
Band Stats
Studio Albums:  10 (1972-2001)
Grammys: 13 (Best Male R&B Vocal "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - 1979)
                       (Best Male Pop Vocal, Album "Thriller" - 1983)
                       (Album Of The Year "Thriller" - 1983)
                       (Producer Of The Year "Thriller" - 1983)
                       (Best Recording For Children, Album "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial - 1983)
                       (Best R&B Song "Billie Jean" - 1983)
                       (Best Male R&B Vocal "Billie Jean" - 1983)
                       (Record Of The Year "Beat It" - 1983)
                       (Best Male Rock Vocal "Beat It" - 1983)
                       (Best Music Video, Long Form "Thriller" - 1984)
                       (Song Of The Year "We Are The World" - 1985)
                       (Best Music Video, Short Form "Leave Me Alone" - 1989)
                       (Best Music Video, Short Form "Scream" - 1995)
Highest Charting Single: 1 ("Ben" - 1972)
                                            ("Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - 1979)
                                            ("Rock With You" - 1980)
                                            ("Billie Jean" - 1983)
                                            ("Beat It" - 1983)
                                            ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You" - 1987)
                                            ("Bad" - 1987)
                                            ("The Way You Make Me Feel" - 1988)
                                            ("Man In The Mirror" - 1988)
                                            ("Dirty Diana" - 1988)
                                            ("Black Or White" - 1991)
                                            ("You Are Not Alone" - 1995)

MOTORHEAD

I got into Motorhead late in life.  I knew of them, but never really listened to there stuff, except for "Ace Of Spades" which is easily the most popular song.  Ian Kilmister, known as Lemmy to everyone, was fired from his band, Hawkwind, in 1975 for being arrested for drug possession in Canada.  The last song he wrote for his old band was "Motorhead".  Lemmy decided to steal that name for his new band.  He got Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums) to join the band.  After just 10 shows they were supporting Blue Oyster Cult.  Wallis and Fox didn't work out so well, so in came "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor.  This trio would play fast, hard and loud and became hugely popular on the metal scene.  Other band members would come and go, but these guys were the originals.

I'll be honest, I haven't heard all the Motorhead albums.  I focused more on their albums from the '70's and '80's, their prime years.  I have noticed that a lot of Motorhead's songs can be interchangeable.  The bass line from Lemmy doesn't change all that much, and their speed is usually the same as well.  But with Ace Of Spades, I found more of a range of music, and it's all good!  The title song is their most famous, and possibly their best, but there is also "Fast And Loose", "(We Are) The Road Crew", "Jailbait" and "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch", all great cuts.  You may not like Motorhead songs, but you have to respect the speed and ferociousness of their music.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  22 (1977-2015)

Grammys:  None

Highest Charting Single:  Never charted in the Hot 100

NIRVANA 

They weren't around for very long, but Nirvana's impact on the way we listen to music was almost revolutionary.  Their music defined an entire genre, Alternative Rock.  In early 1987, Kurt Cobain and friend Krist Novoselic wanted to start playing music together after Novoselic listened to a tape Cobain made of his songs, calling himself Fecal Matter.  They recruited drummer Aaron Burkhard and began playing songs off that tape.  When Cobain and Novoselic decided to move, they lost contact with Burkhard, and, after many others, named Chad Channing as their drummer for the newly named Nirvana.  The trio recorded their first album, Bleach, which was very well received in the punk circles in Washington state.  Channing soon left the band (he didn't feel he was asked for input often enough).  After another revolving door of drummers, Dave Grohl was introduced to the band, and Nirvana was complete.  That is until that fateful day, April 8, 1994, when Cobain died from a self-inflicted shotgun blast.

They only made 3 studio albums before Cobain's death.  It is easy for me to say Nevermind is my favourite, even, probably, in my top 10 faves of all time.  It was released when I was 19, the perfect age to have an outlet for my own fears and anxiety of my future.  When I put Nevermind on, all of the things that stressed me out were beaten away by driving drums and wailing guitars.  And I certainly wasn't the only one who needed this album; it has sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone (over one million in Canada).  It all started with the anthem of misguided youth, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", a monster hit that was coupled with a great video.  But the angst doesn't stop there.  "In Bloom", "Come As You Are", "Lithium" (one of favourite songs by Nirvana), "Drain You".  Even the slower songs work.  I know a lot of folks think this album is all doom and gloom, which I get.  But it was doom and gloom in a time that some of us needed to know that doom and gloom was everywhere.
Band Stats
Studio Albums:  3 (1989-1993)
Grammys:  1 (Best Alternative Album "MTV Unplugged In New York" - 1995)
Highest Charting Single:  6 ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" - 1992)

OTIS REDDING

When I first started to get into Soul music and Rhythm and Blues, I listened to a few artists to get me going; Sam and Dave, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding.  Otis was an immense talent who's life was cut short in plane crash on December 10, 1967.  He was only 26 years old, yet he had become one of the greatest singers, and performers, of his time.  Born in Georgia, Otis started singing in church at a young age.  He took guitar and piano lessons, then at age 10 took drum and singing lessons as well.  When he was 17, Redding got his break when he won a talent show put on by a local radio station, where he sang Little Richard's "Heebie Jeebies".  By 1962 he recorded and released his first single, "These Arms Of Mine", which became a huge hit, selling more than 800,000 copies.  On that fateful day in 1967, the whether was poor and, despite pleas from James Brown and others, Otis and his band, The Bar-Keys, took off into the night.  The plane crashed into Lake Monona in Wisconsin.  Only one person survived.  The crash happened just three days after recording what most would call Otis' most popular song, "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay".

I absolutely love listening to Otis Redding!  I put him on a short list of the best singers ever.  I have downloaded most of his records, but I always liked his tribute to music that made him famous, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul.  His take on Aretha's "Respect", on Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come", on Smokey Robinson's song made famous by The Temptations "My Girl", all sound just great out of Redding's mouth.  But the album would be considered a classic if it contained just two songs; Redding written "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and Cooke's "Shake".  Two fantastic songs!  If you want to start listening to 1960's Soul, this is the album that'll make you fall in love with the genre.

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  10 (1964-1992) *posthumous albums included

Grammys:  2 (Best R&B Song "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" - 1968)

                      (Best Male R&B Performance "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" - 1968)

Highest Charting Single: 1 ("(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" - 1968)

OZZY OSBOURNE

Ozzy Osbourne, the lead singer of Black Sabbath, was dismissed by his band in mid-1979.  The band had just finished a tour for their album Never Say Die!, and getting back to the studio to record again.  But constant arguing, and excessive drug use, caused the three other members of the band to fire Osbourne.  They replaced him with Ronnie James Dio, and Osbourne went out on his own.  He wouldn't sing with Black Sabbath until 2011 when the band reunited (less drummer Bill Ward) to cut a new album and go out on tour one final time.
Ozzy's first album without Sabbath was released in 1980, Blizzard Of Ozz.  For me, it's easily Osbourne's best solo album.  Ozzy's backing band consisted of Rob Daisley on bass, Lee Kerslake on drums, and the remarkable Randy Rhoades on guitar.  The biggest hit off the album would definitely be "Crazy Train", but there is so much more, including the song that got the most attention in the press, "Suicide Solution".  The song was said to be the reason a young boy killed himself in 1984.  The parents of the boy sued, but the judge deemed Osbourne, and the band, was protected by First Amendment rights.  Beyond that, the album's first song, "I Don't Know" is a great introduction to Rhoades' power on guitar.  "Goodbye To Romance" was Ozzy's slower song, which is good, but is a song that was the beginning of more slow tunes by Ozzy, which most of his fans didn't appreciate.  The spooky "Mr. Crowley" is great, and the album's last song, "Steal Away (The Night)" gets the pulse going again.
Band Stats
Studio Albums:  10 (1980-2010)
Grammys:  1 (Best Metal Performance "I Don't Want To Change The World" - 1993)
Highest Charting Single:  28 ("Mama, I'm Coming Home" - 1992)

PEARL JAM

Once again, albums that came out around the time I was in my late-teens, early-20's have stuck with me my whole life.  Pearl Jam's albums are no exception.  Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were playing in a band called Mother Love Born in the late '80's with a singer named Andrew Wood, who died of a drug overdose just months before their debut album was released.  Soon after Gossard began jamming with a friend, Mike McCready, and he, Gossard and Ament got together to make a demo tape in search of a singer and a drummer.  Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer at the time, Jack Irons, gave the tape to a buddy of his.  The buddy was Eddie Vedder, who wrote some lyrics to go with the demo, and recorded his vocals on top.  When the demo was returned, Vedder was immediately hired. Dave Krusen was brought along as drummer and their new band, called Mookie Blaylock (their favourite basketball player) began to perform.  They soon changed their name to Pearl Jam, thank God, and went on to sell millions of albums.

Their debut album, released in 1991 (when I was 19), was titled Ten, Mookie Blaylock's number.  Although I own seven of Pearl Jam CD's, I think the impact that Ten had on the "grunge" scene at the time makes it the one I like best.  Along with Nirvana's Nevermind and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Pearl Jam's debut album helped to create a new genre of music, specifically coming out of the Seattle area, that teenagers grabbed onto in the early '90's.  The albums had great hit singles in "Even Flow", "Jeremy" and "Alive".  But the songs that weren't on regular radio rotation were fabulous as well.  "Once", the opening song, gave us all an example of Vedder's power as a singer.  "Porch" gave us some speed and great lyrics.  But the true gem of the album is the song titled "Black", written by Gossard and Vedder.  It's slower than the other songs on the album, but conveys so much feeling with the great lyrics and quiet performance from Vedder.  It is one of my favourite songs.

Band Stats

Studio Albums: 10 (1991-2013)

Grammys: 1 (Best Hard Rock Performance "Spin The Black Circle" - 1995)

Highest Charting Single:  2 ("Last Kiss" Live - 1999)

THE POLICE

Stewart Copeland was an American drummer playing with a British band in 1977.  At some point he met and exchanged phone numbers with a singer/bassist called Sting, so called because he often wore a yellow and black striped shirt.  When Copeland's band broke up, he and Sting got together with guitarist Henry Padovani to form The Police.  They played pubs and opened for acts popular in London at the time.  Sting was invited to play with a band known as Strontium 90.  The band's drummer was unavailable to play so Sting suggested Copeland.  Already playing with Strontium 90 was guitarist Andy Summers.  Sting still had ambitions of playing in his own band.  He approached Summers about playing with him and Copeland.  He said "yes" and The Police started writing and recording songs.  Some of them became kind of popular.

Their first album, Outlandos d'Amour, was released in 1978, and its my favourite of their, albeit, small selection of albums.  Even though their last album, Synchronicity, was far more popular, it's their debut that makes me happiest.  The very first song on the album, the introduction to the band, is my absolute favourite of theirs, "Next To You".  (Side note: when I saw them in concert about 10 years ago on their reunion tour, I began to leave after their encore.  They came out for another encore and played "Next To You".  I started dancing and singing in the tunnel!).  One of their most popular songs, "Roxanne", is also there.  Other great tunes on the album include "So Lonely", "Can't Stand Losing You" and the speedy "Peanuts".  If you only know The Police because of Synchronicity, you're missing out! 

Band Stats

Studio Albums:  5 (1978-1983)

Grammys:  5 (Best Rock Instrumental "Reggatta de Blanc" - 1980)

                      (Best Rock Performance, Group "Don't Stand So Close To Me" - 1981)

                      (Best Rock Instrumental "Behind My Camel" - 1981)

                      (Best Rock Performance Album, Group "Synchronicity" - 1983)

                      (Best Pop Performance, Group "Every Breath You Take" - 1983)

Highest Charting Single:  1 ("Every Breath You Take" - 1983)