Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Top 5 for me, but decent enough ranking based on the criteria here.
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.
Latest FBG music countdown of >800 artists - #2 The Rolling Stones, #1 The Allman Brothers Band (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter turnjose7
- Start date
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Agree, and they did interesting things as well at the five shows I’ve seen them. Maybe it was just a bad night or something?
Yeah and to be clear, the performance wasn't bad. They sounded tight. It just was boring to me because it sounded SO much like it was straight of the album.
And I saw them with The Black Crowes who were the complete opposite and never played the same setlist (at that time in their career, anyway) and who completely changes the way they performed songs from one show to the next.
Obviously as a jam band guy my preferences are more toward the latter than the former, and the contrast of seeing the two styles together was pretty stark.
I thought the Heartbreakers were a great live band every time I saw them.But if you’re looking for the songs to be totally reinvented live, that’s not what they do (did).
Petty’s solo albums are Full Moon Fever, Wildflowers and Highway Companion.
If you haven’t heard them, you might enjoy the two albums Petty did with Mudcrutch, his pre-Heartbreakers band that he re-formed in the 21st century. They are rootsier and jammier than the Heartbreakers.
Nice. I've heard great things about Mudcrutch but haven't listened to any of their stuff. I'll check it out.
Petty is my favorite musician. Became a huge fan in high school back around 1980 and have been ever since. I'd be curious to know when you saw him in concert. In the last 15 years or so his concerts have become a bit more, for lack of a better term, formulaic. In his earlier years his shows were much more spontaneous. He has lamented about that himself, the desire to do something different versus the expectation that fans have of what they're going to hear. You have to keep in mind that a lot of the people who go to concerts are looking for that greatest hits catalog, the stuff they heard on the radio. Personally, and I've expressed this to people, I wish he would have just announced a tour and made plain that there would be a lot of stuff that wasn't mainstream radio played hits. Stevie Nicks did this a few years ago. We went to the concert and it was great. He has such a vast catalog and fan base that he'd still sell out everywhere. I appreciate you mentioning Louisiana Rain. That's one of the best "deep tracks" he has IMO, especially when heard on vinyl on a good sound system. It has some great nuances to it in addition to just being a great song.
I think it was around 2007 or so but don't remember for sure. Certainly could line up with the change you mention.
T-53. The Black Keys (163 points)
Total number of songs: 47
Average song score: 3.28
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 12
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: 10 A.M. Automatic; Act Nice and Gentle; Aeroplane Blues; Coal Black Mattie; Everlasting Light; Howlin’ for You; i cry alone; The Lengths; Mellow Peaches; midnight in her eyes; Poor Boy a Long Way from Home; Stack Shot Billy; Stay All Night; When the Lights Go Out
Just a reminder, The Black Keys are a blues-rock duo that does raw versions of music rooted in the likes of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. This is very different from The Black Crowes, who are still to come.
I love early Black Keys. The first few albums, especially their third album Rubber Factory, are fantastic. After awhile they started to get a little too pop for me. I don’t like two of their bigger hits, “Tighten Up” and “Lonely Boy” at all. I still remember the first time I heard “Lonely Boy” on the radio. I didn’t realize it was The Black Keys at first, and when I found out I was shocked.
They really redeemed themselves and returned to form, however, with Delta Kream, an album full of amazing covers of hill country blues tunes. The Keys actually do a lot of nice covers. “Act Nice and Gentle” is my favorite. To help @krista4 remember, I’ll post their version of “She Said, She Said.”
They of course have a lot of great original tunes as well. “The Lengths” and “i cry alone” are both sad yet stunningly beautiful songs. “10 A.M. Automatic” is a great rocker, even though I have long suspected that Dan Auerbach ripped off the main riff from the electric version of “Baby Let Me Follow You Down” that Dylan sometimes played (like the version on The Last Waltz). “Stack Shot Billy” also has some great guitar licks.
T-53. Levon Helm (163 points)
Total number of songs: 39
Average song score: 3.08
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 8
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #11 vocalist Levon Helm (partial bonus); #11 drummer Levon Helm (partial bonus)
Recommended listening: Back to Memphis, live; Blues So Bad; Deep Elem Blues, live; The Girl I Left Behind; God Don’t Never Change, live; Poor Old Dirt Farmer; Rag Mama Rag, live; Rain Down Tears; Sing, Sing, Sing, live; The Weight, live
We will, of course, be getting a lot more of Levon Helm in another entry later in the countdown. This entry is for everything Levon did after The Band. Coincidentally, Levon is in the #11 position on both my favorite singer list and my favorite drummer list. For this entry he gets a partial bonus for both as the full bonus goes to The Band.
His first major work as a solo artist was forming the RCO All-stars, and ensemble group that recorded a really nice studio album and a great live album. The band included Paul Butterfield, Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn, and Dr. John.
After a bout with laryngeal cancer in the 1990’s, Levon’s voice changed and wasn’t quite as powerful as in his younger days. For awhile he didn’t sing anymore. Gradually his voice recovered, and in his later years he split vocal duties with other band members and still gave some really nice performances.
In his later years, Levon’s career focused on his “Midnight Rambles,” massive concerts with tons of guests that he put on at his home in Woodstock, “The Barn.” He did on occasion take these shows on the road and they recorded a great album at the legendary Ryman Auditorium.
I think of Levon primarily as a drummer, but of course, he was actually a great multi-instrumentalist. That’s him playing mandolin on the above version of “Rag Mama Rag.”
Speaking of multi-instrumentalists, Larry Campbell deserves a special mention here. The long-time member of Bob Dylan’s band was a close associate of Levon and served as musical director for the Midnight Rambles.
Total number of songs: 47
Average song score: 3.28
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 12
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: 10 A.M. Automatic; Act Nice and Gentle; Aeroplane Blues; Coal Black Mattie; Everlasting Light; Howlin’ for You; i cry alone; The Lengths; Mellow Peaches; midnight in her eyes; Poor Boy a Long Way from Home; Stack Shot Billy; Stay All Night; When the Lights Go Out
Just a reminder, The Black Keys are a blues-rock duo that does raw versions of music rooted in the likes of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. This is very different from The Black Crowes, who are still to come.
I love early Black Keys. The first few albums, especially their third album Rubber Factory, are fantastic. After awhile they started to get a little too pop for me. I don’t like two of their bigger hits, “Tighten Up” and “Lonely Boy” at all. I still remember the first time I heard “Lonely Boy” on the radio. I didn’t realize it was The Black Keys at first, and when I found out I was shocked.
They really redeemed themselves and returned to form, however, with Delta Kream, an album full of amazing covers of hill country blues tunes. The Keys actually do a lot of nice covers. “Act Nice and Gentle” is my favorite. To help @krista4 remember, I’ll post their version of “She Said, She Said.”
They of course have a lot of great original tunes as well. “The Lengths” and “i cry alone” are both sad yet stunningly beautiful songs. “10 A.M. Automatic” is a great rocker, even though I have long suspected that Dan Auerbach ripped off the main riff from the electric version of “Baby Let Me Follow You Down” that Dylan sometimes played (like the version on The Last Waltz). “Stack Shot Billy” also has some great guitar licks.
T-53. Levon Helm (163 points)
Total number of songs: 39
Average song score: 3.08
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 8
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #11 vocalist Levon Helm (partial bonus); #11 drummer Levon Helm (partial bonus)
Recommended listening: Back to Memphis, live; Blues So Bad; Deep Elem Blues, live; The Girl I Left Behind; God Don’t Never Change, live; Poor Old Dirt Farmer; Rag Mama Rag, live; Rain Down Tears; Sing, Sing, Sing, live; The Weight, live
We will, of course, be getting a lot more of Levon Helm in another entry later in the countdown. This entry is for everything Levon did after The Band. Coincidentally, Levon is in the #11 position on both my favorite singer list and my favorite drummer list. For this entry he gets a partial bonus for both as the full bonus goes to The Band.
His first major work as a solo artist was forming the RCO All-stars, and ensemble group that recorded a really nice studio album and a great live album. The band included Paul Butterfield, Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn, and Dr. John.
After a bout with laryngeal cancer in the 1990’s, Levon’s voice changed and wasn’t quite as powerful as in his younger days. For awhile he didn’t sing anymore. Gradually his voice recovered, and in his later years he split vocal duties with other band members and still gave some really nice performances.
In his later years, Levon’s career focused on his “Midnight Rambles,” massive concerts with tons of guests that he put on at his home in Woodstock, “The Barn.” He did on occasion take these shows on the road and they recorded a great album at the legendary Ryman Auditorium.
I think of Levon primarily as a drummer, but of course, he was actually a great multi-instrumentalist. That’s him playing mandolin on the above version of “Rag Mama Rag.”
Speaking of multi-instrumentalists, Larry Campbell deserves a special mention here. The long-time member of Bob Dylan’s band was a close associate of Levon and served as musical director for the Midnight Rambles.
simey
Footballguy
Best singing drummer ever. He could sing this well after having had throat cancer and losing his voice to it, but battling like hell to regain it good enough to sing again. He died 4 years after that video, and you are right he was a monster talent.
krista4
Footballguy
Yeah, I don’t know how anyone can drum that well, let alone sing beautifully while doing it. Or vice versa.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
His daughter Amy is really talented, too.
Levon was fantastic. Like many gifted people, he had his demons (having to deal with Robbie daily didn't help, either). But he came through the other side and became a great benefactor for not only up-and-comers, but many legacy artists that the industry forgot.
simey
Footballguy
She definitely inherited some of her dad's music genes. She was in his band when I saw him back in 2008. She just wasn't on that first song in that video (which I found on youtube).
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
A couple of weeks ago I watched the Classic Albums episode of The Band s/t. During that, Levon said he found it EASIER to sing while drumming than not to sing while drumming.
52. John Lennon (164 points)
Total number of songs: 36
Average song score: 2.75
# of 5-point songs: 3
# of 4-point songs: 4
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #5 songwriter John Lennon (partial bonus); #8 vocalist John Lennon
Recommended listening: #9 Dream; Gimme Some Truth; Isolation; Instant Karma!; Jealous Guy; Remember; Watching the Wheels; Woman; Working Class Hero
For those not familiar with John Lennon…kidding. I don’t think I am going to embarrass myself trying to write interesting analysis of Lennon’s songs in a forum with Krista and some of the others that post here.
I should point out, however, that the order that the members of the Beatles appear does not necessarily reflect my preference of them as musicians. Ringo has already appeared on the countdown, and we obviously still have George and Paul left. My gut rankings would probably have John at the top for work done with the Beatles, while George would probably take that spot for solo work. Regardless, their position in the rankings is more a reflection of the number of songs I have from their post-Beatles career than anything else.
You may notice that for the personnel bonuses I gave the full bonus for vocals to the solo entry, but only a partial bonus for songwriting because I felt like had to reserve the full bonus for the Beatles. You’ll see that I did the same thing with Paul.
Anyway the above are some of my favorites from John’s solo work. I’ll resist the urge to post one of the many articles out there about why “Imagine” is the worst song ever written. I’m sure everyone has seen them. I actually really like “Imagine” and it comes in solidly at the 3-point level in my rankings. I just like the above songs better.
Total number of songs: 36
Average song score: 2.75
# of 5-point songs: 3
# of 4-point songs: 4
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #5 songwriter John Lennon (partial bonus); #8 vocalist John Lennon
Recommended listening: #9 Dream; Gimme Some Truth; Isolation; Instant Karma!; Jealous Guy; Remember; Watching the Wheels; Woman; Working Class Hero
For those not familiar with John Lennon…kidding. I don’t think I am going to embarrass myself trying to write interesting analysis of Lennon’s songs in a forum with Krista and some of the others that post here.
I should point out, however, that the order that the members of the Beatles appear does not necessarily reflect my preference of them as musicians. Ringo has already appeared on the countdown, and we obviously still have George and Paul left. My gut rankings would probably have John at the top for work done with the Beatles, while George would probably take that spot for solo work. Regardless, their position in the rankings is more a reflection of the number of songs I have from their post-Beatles career than anything else.
You may notice that for the personnel bonuses I gave the full bonus for vocals to the solo entry, but only a partial bonus for songwriting because I felt like had to reserve the full bonus for the Beatles. You’ll see that I did the same thing with Paul.
Anyway the above are some of my favorites from John’s solo work. I’ll resist the urge to post one of the many articles out there about why “Imagine” is the worst song ever written. I’m sure everyone has seen them. I actually really like “Imagine” and it comes in solidly at the 3-point level in my rankings. I just like the above songs better.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Damn skippy. This is the best song from his solo career.
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
krista4
Footballguy
Nice selections all around (though I'm less a fan of Gimme Some Truth), but I'm especially happy to see the love for three tracks on the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album.
51. Dickey Betts and Great Southern (165 points)
Total number of songs: 50
Average song score: 3.08
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 11
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Back on the Road Again, live; Change My Way of Livin’, live; Georgia on a Fast Train; Good Time Feelin’, live; High Falls, live; Nothing You Can Do; One Stop Bepop #2; Run Gypsy Run; Steady Rollin’ Man; Willy and Po’ Bob
Dickey Betts makes his fourth appearance in the countdown. He previously had entries for his solo work, for The Second Coming, and for B.H.L.T. By far his most important work outside of the Allman Brothers Band, however, is Great Southern. The band has been intermittently touring and releasing albums since 1977. In fact, the time they have been active exceeds the total amount of time Betts spent with The Allman Brothers.
Great Southern has always had interesting setlists, playing a good mix of some of Dickey’s signature Allman Brothers songs (like the above “High Falls”), some Dickey solo material, a number of original songs, and miscellaneous covers. As you might expect, their stuff tended more to the country side than the Allman Brothers did, but they still incorporated a lot of blues and jazz influences and could really jam.
Ultimately no personnel bonuses were awarded here but that was tough. Dickey just missed out on a guitarist bonus. He will get a songwriting bonus for his work with the Allman Brothers, but I just didn’t think there was enough original material here to award it for this entry.
While Dickey is obviously amazing and the featured performer here, Great Southern is a really good band beyond just him. Among the musicians who have played with them are former ABB members Dan Toler and Rook Goldflies, as well as Vassar Clements, Bonnie Bramlett, and Dickey’s son Duane.
Total number of songs: 50
Average song score: 3.08
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 11
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Back on the Road Again, live; Change My Way of Livin’, live; Georgia on a Fast Train; Good Time Feelin’, live; High Falls, live; Nothing You Can Do; One Stop Bepop #2; Run Gypsy Run; Steady Rollin’ Man; Willy and Po’ Bob
Dickey Betts makes his fourth appearance in the countdown. He previously had entries for his solo work, for The Second Coming, and for B.H.L.T. By far his most important work outside of the Allman Brothers Band, however, is Great Southern. The band has been intermittently touring and releasing albums since 1977. In fact, the time they have been active exceeds the total amount of time Betts spent with The Allman Brothers.
Great Southern has always had interesting setlists, playing a good mix of some of Dickey’s signature Allman Brothers songs (like the above “High Falls”), some Dickey solo material, a number of original songs, and miscellaneous covers. As you might expect, their stuff tended more to the country side than the Allman Brothers did, but they still incorporated a lot of blues and jazz influences and could really jam.
Ultimately no personnel bonuses were awarded here but that was tough. Dickey just missed out on a guitarist bonus. He will get a songwriting bonus for his work with the Allman Brothers, but I just didn’t think there was enough original material here to award it for this entry.
While Dickey is obviously amazing and the featured performer here, Great Southern is a really good band beyond just him. Among the musicians who have played with them are former ABB members Dan Toler and Rook Goldflies, as well as Vassar Clements, Bonnie Bramlett, and Dickey’s son Duane.
50. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit (166 points)
Total number of songs: 22
Average song score: 3.36
# of 5-point songs: 3
# of 4-point songs: 7
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #20 guitarist Jimmy Herring (partial bonus); #1 bassist Oteil Burbridge (partial bonus); #3 drummer Jeff Sipe
Recommended listening: Basically Frightened, live; Compared to What, live; Dead Presidents; Fixin’ to Die, live; Lost My Mule in Texas; Quinius Thoth, live; Time is Free, live; Working on a Building, live; Yield Not To Temptation, live
I said that the top 50 would start with something weird, and it doesn’t get any weirder than this. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit are a southern jazz fusion group that is unquestionably one of the strangest but also one of the most talented bands to ever record music.
The group started as an Atlanta jam session organized by Bruce Hampton. The lineup was ever-changing as musicians rotated in and out. Eventually they settled on core group that toured and put out two albums, one live and one studio. The core group consisted of Jimmy Herring (now of Widespread Panic), Oteil Burbridge (later of the Allman Brothers and Dead and Company), Jeff Sipe (who has played with Leftover Salmon, Susan Tedeschi, Trey Anastasio, Warren Haynes, and Keller Williams, among others), Count M’butu (later of the Derek Trucks Band) and Matt Mundy. Among the others who played with the group in their prime were Bela Fleck, John Popper, Kofi Burbridge, and Chuck Leavell.
With all that talent, personnel bonuses contributed a significant part of the score here. But the group also got a consistency bonus. They don’t have a ton of material, but pretty much anything you can find by them is worth listening to.
It should be noted that The Aquarium Rescue Unit put out a few albums without Col. Bruce and they are quite good and contain a lot of interesting stuff. But it just isn’t the same without the group’s leader so I did not include that material in this ranking.
Hampton himself would require an entire separate thread to do him justice because he is such a unique individual. If you want to know more about him, you can check out this documentary. But be warned. After I watched it, I seriously spent several days feeling like I had lost my grip on reality (and no substances were involved).
Total number of songs: 22
Average song score: 3.36
# of 5-point songs: 3
# of 4-point songs: 7
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #20 guitarist Jimmy Herring (partial bonus); #1 bassist Oteil Burbridge (partial bonus); #3 drummer Jeff Sipe
Recommended listening: Basically Frightened, live; Compared to What, live; Dead Presidents; Fixin’ to Die, live; Lost My Mule in Texas; Quinius Thoth, live; Time is Free, live; Working on a Building, live; Yield Not To Temptation, live
I said that the top 50 would start with something weird, and it doesn’t get any weirder than this. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit are a southern jazz fusion group that is unquestionably one of the strangest but also one of the most talented bands to ever record music.
The group started as an Atlanta jam session organized by Bruce Hampton. The lineup was ever-changing as musicians rotated in and out. Eventually they settled on core group that toured and put out two albums, one live and one studio. The core group consisted of Jimmy Herring (now of Widespread Panic), Oteil Burbridge (later of the Allman Brothers and Dead and Company), Jeff Sipe (who has played with Leftover Salmon, Susan Tedeschi, Trey Anastasio, Warren Haynes, and Keller Williams, among others), Count M’butu (later of the Derek Trucks Band) and Matt Mundy. Among the others who played with the group in their prime were Bela Fleck, John Popper, Kofi Burbridge, and Chuck Leavell.
With all that talent, personnel bonuses contributed a significant part of the score here. But the group also got a consistency bonus. They don’t have a ton of material, but pretty much anything you can find by them is worth listening to.
It should be noted that The Aquarium Rescue Unit put out a few albums without Col. Bruce and they are quite good and contain a lot of interesting stuff. But it just isn’t the same without the group’s leader so I did not include that material in this ranking.
Hampton himself would require an entire separate thread to do him justice because he is such a unique individual. If you want to know more about him, you can check out this documentary. But be warned. After I watched it, I seriously spent several days feeling like I had lost my grip on reality (and no substances were involved).
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I went out and got the s/t album after a glowing review in Rolling Stone, and wasn't disappointed. A few months later I saw them in a small club in the Philly suburbs and was
. They played until 1:30 in the morning on a weeknight. And covered Sun Ra.I wish they could have stayed together longer, but it is what it is.
In the early '00s I saw Col. Bruce's band at the time, the Code Talkers, when my friends' band played on a bill with them in NYC.
Bruce's recording debut, the Hampton Grease Band's Music to Eat (1971), may be the most insane album I have ever heard.
49. The Kinks (174 points)
Total number of songs: 54
Average song score: 2.96
# of 5-point songs: 7
# of 4-point songs: 6
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Act Nice and Gentle; All Day and All of the Night; Animal Farm; Celluloid Heroes (live in Zurich, 1979); Days; Last of the Steam-Powered Trains; Lola (live in Providence, 1979); Misfits (live in Providence, 1979); Victoria; The Village Green Preservation Society; Waterloo Sunset; A Well Respected Man; Where Have all the Good Times Gone
Maybe the most British of all British bands, The Kinks’ legacy is immense. From the influence power-chord driven songs like “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night” had on genres like punk, to the way they embodied English style with albums like The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, so much of what these guys did was awesome. Lyrically they were incredible, and while I’m not usually a big lyrics guy, songs like “A Well Respected Man” are an exception. Ray Davies just missed out on a songwriting bonus and in retrospect I think he probably should have received one.
My favorite Kinks song is actually one that is a little less heralded. Because it wasn’t initially featured on any of their albums (though it did later get added as a bonus track on some versions of Something Else), I first heard the Black Keys’ cover of “Act Nice and Gentle.” Their version is great, but the original is even better. Those guitars are just awesome.
One other way that the Kinks were pioneers deserves mentioning. The sibling rivalry between Ray and Dave Davies was legendary. I’d probably rank it as the second most interesting rivalry between brothers in all rock music. The first will appear later near the top of the rankings.
Total number of songs: 54
Average song score: 2.96
# of 5-point songs: 7
# of 4-point songs: 6
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Act Nice and Gentle; All Day and All of the Night; Animal Farm; Celluloid Heroes (live in Zurich, 1979); Days; Last of the Steam-Powered Trains; Lola (live in Providence, 1979); Misfits (live in Providence, 1979); Victoria; The Village Green Preservation Society; Waterloo Sunset; A Well Respected Man; Where Have all the Good Times Gone
Maybe the most British of all British bands, The Kinks’ legacy is immense. From the influence power-chord driven songs like “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night” had on genres like punk, to the way they embodied English style with albums like The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, so much of what these guys did was awesome. Lyrically they were incredible, and while I’m not usually a big lyrics guy, songs like “A Well Respected Man” are an exception. Ray Davies just missed out on a songwriting bonus and in retrospect I think he probably should have received one.
My favorite Kinks song is actually one that is a little less heralded. Because it wasn’t initially featured on any of their albums (though it did later get added as a bonus track on some versions of Something Else), I first heard the Black Keys’ cover of “Act Nice and Gentle.” Their version is great, but the original is even better. Those guitars are just awesome.
One other way that the Kinks were pioneers deserves mentioning. The sibling rivalry between Ray and Dave Davies was legendary. I’d probably rank it as the second most interesting rivalry between brothers in all rock music. The first will appear later near the top of the rankings.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Smothers Brothers?
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
Mother always loved one more, hard to get over something like that
Cain and Abel
They could play rock like no others
Hard to believe but I never heard of these guys before this post. Weird because reading up on them they had a lot of musical guests I love and stories involving artists for whom I thought I knew all their major stories. They were before my time, but I watch a lot of TV that is before my time. I can't believe this is the first time I am learning about them.
BassNBrew
Footballguy
Here's a live version that's a great twist on the original https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI5VuBzo-Qc
krista4
Footballguy
John Lennon and Harry Nilsson famously got thrown out of a Smothers Brothers show during John's "Lost Weekend" in LA, after heckling turned violent.
48. John Coltrane (176 points)
Total number of songs: 22
Average song score: 3.05
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 5
Top 50 track bonus: #26 My Favorite Things; #34 Chasin’ the Trane (live at The Village Vanguard)
Personnel bonus: #1 miscellaneous/multi-instrumentalist (saxophone) John Coltrane
Recommended listening: Afro-Blue (live at Birdland, 1963); Blue Train; Chasin’ the Trane (live at The Village Vanguard, 1961); Cousin Mary; Giant Steps; I Want to Talk About You (live at Birdland, 1963); My Favorite Things; Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (live at The Village Vanguard, 1961); Spiritual (live at The Village Vanguard, 1961); Traneing In (live in Stockholm, 1962)
With this entry we have our first artist to have two tracks in my 50 favorite tracks of all-time. We also have my favorite instrumentalist outside the traditional rock guitar/bass/drums lineup. John Coltrane was obviously a genius. The combination of technical proficiency and soulfulness with which he played might be unmatched by anyone on any instrument ever. He also was an outstanding composer and songs like “Giant Steps” are among the most complex songs ever recorded, and also among the most beautiful.
The bonus points really pile up here, not only with the personnel and song bonuses but also jam and consistency bonuses. Given that, it’s actually surprising this ranking isn’t higher, as my gut rankings would definitely have him in my top 25 favorite artists. Mostly this is because the number of songs I have is shockingly low. Partially this is due to the “Neil Young effect” since some of his stuff got categorized under separate entries with Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Also, some of his best stuff was obviously with another artist who is still to come.
Still, I should have more songs here than I do. I don’t have the entire Live Trane: The European Tours boxed set and I probably should, so that may give me something to explore when I am done with the list. But I also seem to be missing songs that I previously had. “Alabama” from the Live at Birdland album, for instance, is a great track that is conspicuously missing even though I have the whole album.
Regardless, there is a ton of great live music here. Live at The Village Vanguard is probably one of my 5 favorite live albums ever. It’s only got three tracks, but each is among the best jazz recordings I have ever heard.
Like I said, we have more Coltrane to come in the future.
Total number of songs: 22
Average song score: 3.05
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 5
Top 50 track bonus: #26 My Favorite Things; #34 Chasin’ the Trane (live at The Village Vanguard)
Personnel bonus: #1 miscellaneous/multi-instrumentalist (saxophone) John Coltrane
Recommended listening: Afro-Blue (live at Birdland, 1963); Blue Train; Chasin’ the Trane (live at The Village Vanguard, 1961); Cousin Mary; Giant Steps; I Want to Talk About You (live at Birdland, 1963); My Favorite Things; Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (live at The Village Vanguard, 1961); Spiritual (live at The Village Vanguard, 1961); Traneing In (live in Stockholm, 1962)
With this entry we have our first artist to have two tracks in my 50 favorite tracks of all-time. We also have my favorite instrumentalist outside the traditional rock guitar/bass/drums lineup. John Coltrane was obviously a genius. The combination of technical proficiency and soulfulness with which he played might be unmatched by anyone on any instrument ever. He also was an outstanding composer and songs like “Giant Steps” are among the most complex songs ever recorded, and also among the most beautiful.
The bonus points really pile up here, not only with the personnel and song bonuses but also jam and consistency bonuses. Given that, it’s actually surprising this ranking isn’t higher, as my gut rankings would definitely have him in my top 25 favorite artists. Mostly this is because the number of songs I have is shockingly low. Partially this is due to the “Neil Young effect” since some of his stuff got categorized under separate entries with Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Also, some of his best stuff was obviously with another artist who is still to come.
Still, I should have more songs here than I do. I don’t have the entire Live Trane: The European Tours boxed set and I probably should, so that may give me something to explore when I am done with the list. But I also seem to be missing songs that I previously had. “Alabama” from the Live at Birdland album, for instance, is a great track that is conspicuously missing even though I have the whole album.
Regardless, there is a ton of great live music here. Live at The Village Vanguard is probably one of my 5 favorite live albums ever. It’s only got three tracks, but each is among the best jazz recordings I have ever heard.
Like I said, we have more Coltrane to come in the future.
47. Buddy Guy (180 points)
Total number of songs: 41
Average song score: 3.39
# of 5-point songs: 6
# of 4-point songs: 11
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #14 guitarist Buddy Guy
Recommended listening: Country Boy; Damn Right I Got the Blues (live at Legends, 2010); Five Long Years; I’ve Got News for You (live in Chicago, 1996); My Time After a While; Sit and Cry (The Blues); Stone Crazy; Sweet Black Angel (live in Chicago, 1996); T-Bone Shuffle; Tramp
We have one legend following another. And this one owns Legends blues club. According to the story, shortly before he died Muddy Waters made Buddy Guy promise to keep the blues alive, and through his amazing live performances he has been doing that ever since.
There may not be another blues artist who has had more of a legendary career than Buddy. He is well known for playing with Muddy Waters and Junior Wells, but also has played with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Otis Rush, Ike Turner, Buddy Miles, Howlin’ Wolf, and The Rolling Stones, among many others. He started playing the Chicago clubs in his early 20s and as of a couple of years ago well into his 80s he was still doing more than 100 shows per year. He is the owner of the aforementioned Legends club and prior to that he was the owner of the famous Checkerboard Lounge.
More than probably any of the other traditional blues legends, Buddy embraced rock and often shifted between pure blues and more rock interpretations of his songs, playing them differently every time. He also had a soulful singing voice.
Because he played with so many other artists, there is also a little bit of the “Neil effect” with Buddy, though not as much as with Coltrane. Like Coltrane, he also gets a consistency bonus in addition to his personnel bonus.
For those who are interested, the songs listed as 1996 are from the Live: The Real Deal album. This is a great album that I highly recommend.
Total number of songs: 41
Average song score: 3.39
# of 5-point songs: 6
# of 4-point songs: 11
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #14 guitarist Buddy Guy
Recommended listening: Country Boy; Damn Right I Got the Blues (live at Legends, 2010); Five Long Years; I’ve Got News for You (live in Chicago, 1996); My Time After a While; Sit and Cry (The Blues); Stone Crazy; Sweet Black Angel (live in Chicago, 1996); T-Bone Shuffle; Tramp
We have one legend following another. And this one owns Legends blues club. According to the story, shortly before he died Muddy Waters made Buddy Guy promise to keep the blues alive, and through his amazing live performances he has been doing that ever since.
There may not be another blues artist who has had more of a legendary career than Buddy. He is well known for playing with Muddy Waters and Junior Wells, but also has played with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Otis Rush, Ike Turner, Buddy Miles, Howlin’ Wolf, and The Rolling Stones, among many others. He started playing the Chicago clubs in his early 20s and as of a couple of years ago well into his 80s he was still doing more than 100 shows per year. He is the owner of the aforementioned Legends club and prior to that he was the owner of the famous Checkerboard Lounge.
More than probably any of the other traditional blues legends, Buddy embraced rock and often shifted between pure blues and more rock interpretations of his songs, playing them differently every time. He also had a soulful singing voice.
Because he played with so many other artists, there is also a little bit of the “Neil effect” with Buddy, though not as much as with Coltrane. Like Coltrane, he also gets a consistency bonus in addition to his personnel bonus.
For those who are interested, the songs listed as 1996 are from the Live: The Real Deal album. This is a great album that I highly recommend.
simey
Footballguy
One Room Country Shack is my go to Buddy Guy song. It's one of my favorite late night songs by anyone to relax to. I love Buddy's singing on it, and Otis Spann's piano playing is a big highlight. The bass and drum brushes are also perfect in the song. It's so good.
46. The Butterfield Blues Band (181 points)
Total number of songs: 33
Average song score: 3.54
# of 5-point songs: 6
# of 4-point songs: 10
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Born in Chicago; East-West; Everything Going to Be Alright (Live at The Troubadour, 1970); Gene’s Tune (Live at The Troubadour, 1970); I Got a Mind to Give Up Living; Mystery Train; Number Nine (Live at The Troubadour, 1970); Shake Your Money Maker; Two Trains Running; Walkin’ Blues; Work Song
We’ll stick with the blues for the next couple of entries. A few harmonica players have been featured in the countdown so far (Sonny Boy Williamson I and II, John Popper), but probably none are more important than Paul Butterfield. Emerging in the Chicago blues scene in the early 1960’s, Butterfield played blues harp with a virtuosity and aggressiveness that was hugely influential in featuring it as a lead instrument. In retrospect, he definitely should have received a personnel bonus.
Butterfield formed his initial blues band with another highly ranked artist in the countdown, Elvin Bishop. The band underwent a few lineup changes and featured multiple extremely talented musicians, but it was the addition of Mike Bloomfield as a second guitarist that took the band to the next level and made them one of the truly great blues bands of all-time. Their music impressed Bob Dylan and a few members of the band backed him at the famous Newport Folk concert where he went electric.
While they were a very authentic blues band, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t play other styles. Their most iconic original tune, “East-West,” which got serious consideration as a top 50 track, has clear Indian influences. Live versions of this and other songs in their catalog demonstrated that these guys could really jam as well as any of the major jam bands.
It doesn’t include the rest of the band, but I also can’t pass up including a video of Butterfield doing a great version of “Mystery Train” with The Band at The Last Waltz.
Total number of songs: 33
Average song score: 3.54
# of 5-point songs: 6
# of 4-point songs: 10
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Born in Chicago; East-West; Everything Going to Be Alright (Live at The Troubadour, 1970); Gene’s Tune (Live at The Troubadour, 1970); I Got a Mind to Give Up Living; Mystery Train; Number Nine (Live at The Troubadour, 1970); Shake Your Money Maker; Two Trains Running; Walkin’ Blues; Work Song
We’ll stick with the blues for the next couple of entries. A few harmonica players have been featured in the countdown so far (Sonny Boy Williamson I and II, John Popper), but probably none are more important than Paul Butterfield. Emerging in the Chicago blues scene in the early 1960’s, Butterfield played blues harp with a virtuosity and aggressiveness that was hugely influential in featuring it as a lead instrument. In retrospect, he definitely should have received a personnel bonus.
Butterfield formed his initial blues band with another highly ranked artist in the countdown, Elvin Bishop. The band underwent a few lineup changes and featured multiple extremely talented musicians, but it was the addition of Mike Bloomfield as a second guitarist that took the band to the next level and made them one of the truly great blues bands of all-time. Their music impressed Bob Dylan and a few members of the band backed him at the famous Newport Folk concert where he went electric.
While they were a very authentic blues band, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t play other styles. Their most iconic original tune, “East-West,” which got serious consideration as a top 50 track, has clear Indian influences. Live versions of this and other songs in their catalog demonstrated that these guys could really jam as well as any of the major jam bands.
It doesn’t include the rest of the band, but I also can’t pass up including a video of Butterfield doing a great version of “Mystery Train” with The Band at The Last Waltz.
45. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac (188 points)
Total number of songs: 43
Average song score: 3.53
# of 5-point songs: 8
# of 4-point songs: 10
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #13 guitarist Peter Green
Recommended listening: Albatross; Blues With a Feeling; The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown); Jumping at Shadows (live at the BBC, 1969); Man of the World; Need Your Love So Bad; I Can’t Hold Out (from Blues Jam in Chicago, 1969); Oh Well (live in Paris, 1970); South Indiana Take 1 (from Blues Jam in Chicago, 1969); Stop Messin’ Round (Live at the BBC, 1968)
The second installment of Fleetwood Mac in the countdown is the first chronologically. As I mentioned in the previous Fleetwood Mac entry (ranking #378), despite having a few overlapping members I consider the pop rock band that released Rumours and this group to be two different bands.
This is how I have this group listed in my library, emphasizing the key role Peter Green had as the leader of the group. I’ve already talked a little about my love of Green in the John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers entry. As B.B. King said of him, “"He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats." For that you can see he is my 13th favorite guitarist.
But I need to give the rest of the band props as well. I can’t remember for sure, but I think someone mentioned earlier in the thread that both Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan were also amazing guitarists. Jeremy was a great slide player, and Danny had tone that could nearly match Green. And he could sing as well. I especially love Kirwan’s performance on their cover of the Little Walter song “Blues with a Feeling,” which might be one of my favorite tracks they do.
So many other great songs. I didn’t include it here, but I like their version of “Black Magic Woman,” the original version, better than Santana’s. “Man of the World” has one of the most hauntingly beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard. I’ve read commentary describing “The Green Manalishi” as the most menacing-sounding song ever written. Reportedly “Albatross” inspired The Beatles’ “Sun King.” And “Oh Well” is just really cool.
There are a lot of great “Live at the BBC” albums out there, but I think Fleetwood Mac’s might be my favorite. Definitely worth getting if you don’t have it. The other album to check out is Blues Jam in Chicago (it goes by a couple of different names depending on which version it is), in which the group records a live jam session with some of the Chicago blues legends like Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, and Otis Spann. Just amazing.
Finally, if you want to really get into the band, check out the documentary Man of the World. Peter dealt with some demons, so it gets a little disturbing at times, but it is super interesting.
Total number of songs: 43
Average song score: 3.53
# of 5-point songs: 8
# of 4-point songs: 10
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #13 guitarist Peter Green
Recommended listening: Albatross; Blues With a Feeling; The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown); Jumping at Shadows (live at the BBC, 1969); Man of the World; Need Your Love So Bad; I Can’t Hold Out (from Blues Jam in Chicago, 1969); Oh Well (live in Paris, 1970); South Indiana Take 1 (from Blues Jam in Chicago, 1969); Stop Messin’ Round (Live at the BBC, 1968)
The second installment of Fleetwood Mac in the countdown is the first chronologically. As I mentioned in the previous Fleetwood Mac entry (ranking #378), despite having a few overlapping members I consider the pop rock band that released Rumours and this group to be two different bands.
This is how I have this group listed in my library, emphasizing the key role Peter Green had as the leader of the group. I’ve already talked a little about my love of Green in the John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers entry. As B.B. King said of him, “"He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats." For that you can see he is my 13th favorite guitarist.
But I need to give the rest of the band props as well. I can’t remember for sure, but I think someone mentioned earlier in the thread that both Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan were also amazing guitarists. Jeremy was a great slide player, and Danny had tone that could nearly match Green. And he could sing as well. I especially love Kirwan’s performance on their cover of the Little Walter song “Blues with a Feeling,” which might be one of my favorite tracks they do.
So many other great songs. I didn’t include it here, but I like their version of “Black Magic Woman,” the original version, better than Santana’s. “Man of the World” has one of the most hauntingly beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard. I’ve read commentary describing “The Green Manalishi” as the most menacing-sounding song ever written. Reportedly “Albatross” inspired The Beatles’ “Sun King.” And “Oh Well” is just really cool.
There are a lot of great “Live at the BBC” albums out there, but I think Fleetwood Mac’s might be my favorite. Definitely worth getting if you don’t have it. The other album to check out is Blues Jam in Chicago (it goes by a couple of different names depending on which version it is), in which the group records a live jam session with some of the Chicago blues legends like Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, and Otis Spann. Just amazing.
Finally, if you want to really get into the band, check out the documentary Man of the World. Peter dealt with some demons, so it gets a little disturbing at times, but it is super interesting.
44. Hot Tuna (192 points)
Total number of songs: 45
Average song score: 3.58
# of 5-point songs: 5
# of 4-point songs: 20
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #15 bassist Jack Casady
Recommended listening: Bow Legged Woman, Knock Kneed Man (live in San Francisco, 1977); Death Don’t Have No Mercy (live in Berkeley, 1969); Embryonic Journey (live in San Francisco, 1977); Funky #7 (live in San Francisco, 1977); Ice Age (Live at the Fillmore, 1988); Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning (live in Berkeley, 1969); Maggie’s Farm (Live at Sweetwater, 1992); Praise the Lord and Pass the Snakes (live in Santa Monica, 1993); Winin’ Boy Blues (live in San Francisco, 1977)
I mentioned in the Jefferson Airplane entry that of the band’s two major spinoff groups, I do not care for Jefferson Starship, but I love Hot Tuna. This makes sense because guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady were the best parts of the Airplane. You can see that Casady gets a personnel bonus, and Kaukonen got strong consideration for one.
Hot Tuna started as a side project when Jefferson Airplane were still together and at one point even served as their opening band. Over the years many musicians have played with them, including Airplane associate Paul Kantner, but Jorma and Jack have always been the core of the band. They play a mix of Jorma’s Airplane material, some original tunes, and a lot of country blues covers.
In the title of my Allman Brothers thread I used the phrase “blues jams.” These guys are the other band you really need to listen to if that’s what you’re looking for. They play some great deep-cut blues tunes and they can jam the heck out of anything they do. They are just an incredible live band. In fact, while I have multiple live albums from them, I’m not sure I have a single studio recording in my library.
One interesting thing about Hot Tuna is the amount of acoustic stuff they do. As you can hear from the selections, they do crank up the electric instruments and really rock at times, but sometimes they’ll do entire sets or even entire shows of all acoustic material. Often, Jorma and Jack will play for awhile as an acoustic duo and then they’ll bring out the rest of the band for the electric stuff.
Of the above tracks, “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” is notable for being a song the Dead played from time to time. Bob Weir joins the group for the Sweetwater version of “Maggie’s Farm.” My favorite track, though, is “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning.” Some of the best acoustic guitar playing I’ve ever heard.
Total number of songs: 45
Average song score: 3.58
# of 5-point songs: 5
# of 4-point songs: 20
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #15 bassist Jack Casady
Recommended listening: Bow Legged Woman, Knock Kneed Man (live in San Francisco, 1977); Death Don’t Have No Mercy (live in Berkeley, 1969); Embryonic Journey (live in San Francisco, 1977); Funky #7 (live in San Francisco, 1977); Ice Age (Live at the Fillmore, 1988); Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning (live in Berkeley, 1969); Maggie’s Farm (Live at Sweetwater, 1992); Praise the Lord and Pass the Snakes (live in Santa Monica, 1993); Winin’ Boy Blues (live in San Francisco, 1977)
I mentioned in the Jefferson Airplane entry that of the band’s two major spinoff groups, I do not care for Jefferson Starship, but I love Hot Tuna. This makes sense because guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady were the best parts of the Airplane. You can see that Casady gets a personnel bonus, and Kaukonen got strong consideration for one.
Hot Tuna started as a side project when Jefferson Airplane were still together and at one point even served as their opening band. Over the years many musicians have played with them, including Airplane associate Paul Kantner, but Jorma and Jack have always been the core of the band. They play a mix of Jorma’s Airplane material, some original tunes, and a lot of country blues covers.
In the title of my Allman Brothers thread I used the phrase “blues jams.” These guys are the other band you really need to listen to if that’s what you’re looking for. They play some great deep-cut blues tunes and they can jam the heck out of anything they do. They are just an incredible live band. In fact, while I have multiple live albums from them, I’m not sure I have a single studio recording in my library.
One interesting thing about Hot Tuna is the amount of acoustic stuff they do. As you can hear from the selections, they do crank up the electric instruments and really rock at times, but sometimes they’ll do entire sets or even entire shows of all acoustic material. Often, Jorma and Jack will play for awhile as an acoustic duo and then they’ll bring out the rest of the band for the electric stuff.
Of the above tracks, “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” is notable for being a song the Dead played from time to time. Bob Weir joins the group for the Sweetwater version of “Maggie’s Farm.” My favorite track, though, is “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning.” Some of the best acoustic guitar playing I’ve ever heard.
zamboni
Footballguy
Great stuff - love these guys
And don't forget about Papa John Creach (you're in trouble deep).
Great stuff - love these guys
And don't forget about Papa John Creach (you're in trouble deep).
Papa John Creach story
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I believe their first album is entirely acoustic.
zamboni
Footballguy
They went back and forth between acoustic and electric. They're still touring last I heard - missed them a few years ago when they were playing near me.
Seems like we are on a run of great guitarists. Bloomfield, Green, Kaukonen, and now these guys...
T-42. Jeff Beck (194 points)
Total number of songs: 58
Average song score: 2.95
# of 5-point songs: 5
# of 4-point songs: 12
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #18 guitarist Jeff Beck
Recommended listening: A Day in the Live (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007); Beck’s Bolero; Blues Deluxe; Caroline, No (live at Crossroads Festival, 2019); Girl from Mill Valley; Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/Brush with the Blues (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007); Hi Ho Silver Lining; I Ain’t Superstitious; Plynth (Water Down the Drain); Rock My Plimsoul; Scatterbrain (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007); Stratus (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007)
There was obviously a lot of discussion about Jeff Beck following his recent passing. I mentioned in the “Passed Away Today” thread that Truth is one of my favorite albums. But so much of what this guy did was great.
Obviously, he was incredibly influential with The Yardbirds, and I’ll discuss that later in the countdown. But his career after that iconic group was truly remarkable. He may not have had quite the commercial success and widespread appeal that the other guitarists from that band did, but I think you could make the argument that his material was just as good and he was just as influential as those other guys. In terms of maximizing the sound that he got from the guitar, I think only Hendrix ranks above him in the pantheon of great guitarists.
The other thing Beck did so well was surround himself with amazing talent. Whether talking about Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood with the early Jeff Beck Group or bassist Tal Wilkenfeld from the group that plays on the Live at Ronnie Scott’s album, he always had great musicians around him and wasn’t afraid to share the spotlight. This can clearly be heard in the way he lets Nicky Hopkins own “Girl from Mill Valley.”
Some great tunes in this entry. The above covers of “A Day in the Life” and “Caroline, No” are just incredible. I’m guessing most know that “Beck’s Bolero,” which was his first solo recording, was an early attempt to form a Led Zeppelin-like supergroup. Playing on the track are Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon, and Nicky Hopkins. “Scatterbrain” really shows off his jam side in a great way. And “Rock My Plimsoul” really does rock.
RIP Jeff.
T-42. Marcus King (194 points)
Total number of songs: 47
Average song score: 3.87
# of 5-point songs: 8
# of 4-point songs: 25
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong with That; Autumn Rains; Blues Worse Than I Ever Had; Booty Stank; Confessions; Dyin’; Goodbye Carolina; Homesick; Jealous Man; Rita is Gone; Side Door; Virginia; Whisper
Marcus King is another artist that gives me hope for the future of music. If we were doing this list five years from now, I can almost guarantee he would be even higher and he would likely have a personnel bonus. His guitar playing is some of the best of anyone around today.
I would have to look songs up to recall which were released solo under his own name, and which were released as The Marcus King Band, but regardless these are all great. Authentic, bluesy southern rock, but also with his own style. He has a lot of great musicians around him and I love the way he uses horns in a lot of his songs. By the way, that’s Warren Haynes playing with him on “Virginia.”
I briefly saw The Marcus King Band opening for The Tedeschi Trucks Band a number of years back. There was a huge traffic jam getting in so I only caught the end of their set, but the couple of songs I did hear, which included a fiery version of the Allman Brothers’ “Hot’lanta” were great. He is near the top of my artists that I want to see in the future.
As far as I am aware, he hasn’t officially released any live tracks yet, but you can check out the video that made him famous. And if you really want to check him out in concert, here you go. Jaw dropping.
T-42. Jeff Beck (194 points)
Total number of songs: 58
Average song score: 2.95
# of 5-point songs: 5
# of 4-point songs: 12
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #18 guitarist Jeff Beck
Recommended listening: A Day in the Live (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007); Beck’s Bolero; Blues Deluxe; Caroline, No (live at Crossroads Festival, 2019); Girl from Mill Valley; Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/Brush with the Blues (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007); Hi Ho Silver Lining; I Ain’t Superstitious; Plynth (Water Down the Drain); Rock My Plimsoul; Scatterbrain (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007); Stratus (live at Ronnie Scott’s, 2007)
There was obviously a lot of discussion about Jeff Beck following his recent passing. I mentioned in the “Passed Away Today” thread that Truth is one of my favorite albums. But so much of what this guy did was great.
Obviously, he was incredibly influential with The Yardbirds, and I’ll discuss that later in the countdown. But his career after that iconic group was truly remarkable. He may not have had quite the commercial success and widespread appeal that the other guitarists from that band did, but I think you could make the argument that his material was just as good and he was just as influential as those other guys. In terms of maximizing the sound that he got from the guitar, I think only Hendrix ranks above him in the pantheon of great guitarists.
The other thing Beck did so well was surround himself with amazing talent. Whether talking about Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood with the early Jeff Beck Group or bassist Tal Wilkenfeld from the group that plays on the Live at Ronnie Scott’s album, he always had great musicians around him and wasn’t afraid to share the spotlight. This can clearly be heard in the way he lets Nicky Hopkins own “Girl from Mill Valley.”
Some great tunes in this entry. The above covers of “A Day in the Life” and “Caroline, No” are just incredible. I’m guessing most know that “Beck’s Bolero,” which was his first solo recording, was an early attempt to form a Led Zeppelin-like supergroup. Playing on the track are Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon, and Nicky Hopkins. “Scatterbrain” really shows off his jam side in a great way. And “Rock My Plimsoul” really does rock.
RIP Jeff.
T-42. Marcus King (194 points)
Total number of songs: 47
Average song score: 3.87
# of 5-point songs: 8
# of 4-point songs: 25
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: none
Recommended listening: Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong with That; Autumn Rains; Blues Worse Than I Ever Had; Booty Stank; Confessions; Dyin’; Goodbye Carolina; Homesick; Jealous Man; Rita is Gone; Side Door; Virginia; Whisper
Marcus King is another artist that gives me hope for the future of music. If we were doing this list five years from now, I can almost guarantee he would be even higher and he would likely have a personnel bonus. His guitar playing is some of the best of anyone around today.
I would have to look songs up to recall which were released solo under his own name, and which were released as The Marcus King Band, but regardless these are all great. Authentic, bluesy southern rock, but also with his own style. He has a lot of great musicians around him and I love the way he uses horns in a lot of his songs. By the way, that’s Warren Haynes playing with him on “Virginia.”
I briefly saw The Marcus King Band opening for The Tedeschi Trucks Band a number of years back. There was a huge traffic jam getting in so I only caught the end of their set, but the couple of songs I did hear, which included a fiery version of the Allman Brothers’ “Hot’lanta” were great. He is near the top of my artists that I want to see in the future.
As far as I am aware, he hasn’t officially released any live tracks yet, but you can check out the video that made him famous. And if you really want to check him out in concert, here you go. Jaw dropping.
41. Guns n’ Roses (195 points)
Total number of songs: 35
Average song score: 3.69
# of 5-point songs: 11
# of 4-point songs: 8
Top 50 track bonus: #17 November Rain
Personnel bonus: #19 vocalist Axl Rose; #16 guitarist Slash
Recommended listening: Don’t Cry (from Live Era, ’87-’93); Estranged; Move to the City, (from Live Era, ’87-’93); Mr. Brownstone; Nighttrain; Paradise City; Patience; Since I Don’t Have You; Sweet Child o’ Mine; Welcome to the Jungle; You Could Be Mine
We have a couple of really great hard rock bands in the next couple of entries. Guns n’ Roses too me isn’t as consistent as some of the other really high ranking artists in this range, but peak GNR is as good as anything out there. Appetite for Destruction is one of my 10 favorite albums of all time. And while I am not normally a power ballad kind of guy, “November Rain” is an exception. It is epic and Slash’s guitar playing on it is classic.
Slash gets a personnel bonus here and Axl does as well. Rose seems like an epic jerk, but he can really sing.
For some of the live tracks above I listed the album rather than the exact date/location of the recording. Unfortunately, as far as I am aware the Live Era, ’87-93 album doesn’t provide that info for the individual tracks. Still a great album, though.
Everything I have here is from the classic GNR lineup. I honestly don’t know that much about later incarnations of the band. I should probably explore their later periods, but for me it is the band from 1985-1993 that is one of the all-time greats.
I of course had to include the official T2 music video for “You Could Be Mine.” Brings back great memories from childhood.
Total number of songs: 35
Average song score: 3.69
# of 5-point songs: 11
# of 4-point songs: 8
Top 50 track bonus: #17 November Rain
Personnel bonus: #19 vocalist Axl Rose; #16 guitarist Slash
Recommended listening: Don’t Cry (from Live Era, ’87-’93); Estranged; Move to the City, (from Live Era, ’87-’93); Mr. Brownstone; Nighttrain; Paradise City; Patience; Since I Don’t Have You; Sweet Child o’ Mine; Welcome to the Jungle; You Could Be Mine
We have a couple of really great hard rock bands in the next couple of entries. Guns n’ Roses too me isn’t as consistent as some of the other really high ranking artists in this range, but peak GNR is as good as anything out there. Appetite for Destruction is one of my 10 favorite albums of all time. And while I am not normally a power ballad kind of guy, “November Rain” is an exception. It is epic and Slash’s guitar playing on it is classic.
Slash gets a personnel bonus here and Axl does as well. Rose seems like an epic jerk, but he can really sing.
For some of the live tracks above I listed the album rather than the exact date/location of the recording. Unfortunately, as far as I am aware the Live Era, ’87-93 album doesn’t provide that info for the individual tracks. Still a great album, though.
Everything I have here is from the classic GNR lineup. I honestly don’t know that much about later incarnations of the band. I should probably explore their later periods, but for me it is the band from 1985-1993 that is one of the all-time greats.
I of course had to include the official T2 music video for “You Could Be Mine.” Brings back great memories from childhood.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Also interesting that you included Don't Cry and Patience in your recommended songs, since non-blues ballads don't generally seem to be your thing.
Hmm interesting observation. I think you are right in general though I don't think that's always the case. Especially if they have some interesting guitar work I can appreciate them. "Patience" is probably actually a top 5 GNR song for me. "Don't Cry" is not one of my absolute favorites but is popular enough and I can appreciate it enough that I thought it was worth including.
T-39. AC/DC (197 points)
Total number of songs: 39
Average song score: 3.51
# of 5-point songs: 7
# of 4-point songs: 15
Top 50 track bonus: #37 Thunderstruck
Personnel bonus: #14 vocalist Bon Scott
Recommended listening: Back in Black (live at Donington Park, 1991); Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap; For Those About to Rock, We Salute You (live in Edmonton, 1991); Highway to Hell; It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock ‘n’ Roll); The Jack; Jailbreak; Let There Be Rock; Let There Be Rock (live at River Plate, 2009); Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation (live in Glasgow, 1978); Shoot to Thrill; Thunderstruck; Who Made Who; Whole Lotta Rosie (live in Glasgow, 1978); You Shook Me All Night Long (live at Donington Park, 1991)
There have been several bands that I have heard referred to at one time or another as the “most rock and roll” rock band in the world. These guys may have as good of a claim as anyone. They simply embody the essence of rock with every fiber of their being. They have been churning out one classic track after another for 50 years and still every single song they put out makes me want to crank up the volume, pick up my guitar, and just rock out.
I find criticism that says AC/DC is repetitive or that their songs are too simple to be lame and pretty lazy. There are other groups that are critically acclaimed who wrote a lot of songs with relatively simply chord structures. To name just one that I absolutely love that will appear later in the countdown: Creedence Clearwater Revival. But one of the things that makes them great is the same thing that makes AC/DC great: their authenticity. When these guys play, you can just feel the passion for the music exude from every pore.
Such criticism also ignores that these guys are great musicians. Bon Scott got the personnel bonus here, but I could have just as easily given one to Brain Johnson who is obviously the greatest replacement vocalist any band has ever had. Or of course to Angus Young who is one of my favorite guitarists ever.
Plus, how can you call a band formulaic when they incorporate bag pipes into rock music (that is Bon Scott playing the bagpipes on “It’s a Long Way to the Top”).
AC/DC is rock music and it’s awesome.
T-39. Dead and Company (197 points)
Total number of songs: 37
Average song score: 3.54
# of 5-point songs: 11
# of 4-point songs: 8
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #1 bassist Oteil Burbridge (partial bonus)
Recommended listening: Bertha (live in Chicago, 2017); Mississippi Half-step Uptown Toodeloo (live in Milwaukee, 2016); Slipknot! (live in Noblesville, 2018); St. Stephen (live in Chicago, 2017); Terrapin Station (live in Noblesville, 2018); Uncle John’s Band (live in Wheatland, 2016); Viola Lee Blues (live in Noblesville, 2018)
This is necessarily a very different entry from all the rest. Since the band doesn’t really have any “official” album releases, all the tracks in my library are pulled from Instant Live-type downloads of a few of their concerts. There is a lot of variability in terms of the existence of links to listen to these tracks directly, and a lot of them are also of variable audio quality. Therefore, not all of the recommended tracks above are the exact same as what is in my library, though a few of them are and for the ones that aren’t I tried to find a performance that sounded as close to what I have as possible.
Anyway, as has been discussed in previous entries, there have been a lot of Grateful Dead spinoff bands. This is my favorite of them. Dead and Company feature three official members of The Grateful Dead – Bob Weir, Bilk Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart – along with long-time Dead collaborator Jeff Chimenti. John Mayer is easily the best of the “Jerry replacements” on lead guitar. Throw in my all-time favorite bassist Oteil Burbridge and this band is stacked.
I have heard criticism that this group sometimes slows down the tempo of the songs from the way the Dead normally played them. I have noticed that from time to time, and there are a couple of cases where it bothers me a bit, but in many cases I find it to be a refreshing change and feel like it makes some of the tunes a little more soulful.
Of the above tracks, “Bertha” and all the Noblesville tracks are found in my library. I was at that Noblesville show and it was amazing. They opened with one of the best “Other One” jams I have ever heard. Then did a lot of other really cool stuff that you don’t hear that often including “Dire Wolf” and a great version of “Mississippi Half-step Uptown Toodeloo.” When they broke out “Viola Lee Blues” I almost lost it.
Total number of songs: 39
Average song score: 3.51
# of 5-point songs: 7
# of 4-point songs: 15
Top 50 track bonus: #37 Thunderstruck
Personnel bonus: #14 vocalist Bon Scott
Recommended listening: Back in Black (live at Donington Park, 1991); Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap; For Those About to Rock, We Salute You (live in Edmonton, 1991); Highway to Hell; It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock ‘n’ Roll); The Jack; Jailbreak; Let There Be Rock; Let There Be Rock (live at River Plate, 2009); Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation (live in Glasgow, 1978); Shoot to Thrill; Thunderstruck; Who Made Who; Whole Lotta Rosie (live in Glasgow, 1978); You Shook Me All Night Long (live at Donington Park, 1991)
There have been several bands that I have heard referred to at one time or another as the “most rock and roll” rock band in the world. These guys may have as good of a claim as anyone. They simply embody the essence of rock with every fiber of their being. They have been churning out one classic track after another for 50 years and still every single song they put out makes me want to crank up the volume, pick up my guitar, and just rock out.
I find criticism that says AC/DC is repetitive or that their songs are too simple to be lame and pretty lazy. There are other groups that are critically acclaimed who wrote a lot of songs with relatively simply chord structures. To name just one that I absolutely love that will appear later in the countdown: Creedence Clearwater Revival. But one of the things that makes them great is the same thing that makes AC/DC great: their authenticity. When these guys play, you can just feel the passion for the music exude from every pore.
Such criticism also ignores that these guys are great musicians. Bon Scott got the personnel bonus here, but I could have just as easily given one to Brain Johnson who is obviously the greatest replacement vocalist any band has ever had. Or of course to Angus Young who is one of my favorite guitarists ever.
Plus, how can you call a band formulaic when they incorporate bag pipes into rock music (that is Bon Scott playing the bagpipes on “It’s a Long Way to the Top”).
AC/DC is rock music and it’s awesome.
T-39. Dead and Company (197 points)
Total number of songs: 37
Average song score: 3.54
# of 5-point songs: 11
# of 4-point songs: 8
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #1 bassist Oteil Burbridge (partial bonus)
Recommended listening: Bertha (live in Chicago, 2017); Mississippi Half-step Uptown Toodeloo (live in Milwaukee, 2016); Slipknot! (live in Noblesville, 2018); St. Stephen (live in Chicago, 2017); Terrapin Station (live in Noblesville, 2018); Uncle John’s Band (live in Wheatland, 2016); Viola Lee Blues (live in Noblesville, 2018)
This is necessarily a very different entry from all the rest. Since the band doesn’t really have any “official” album releases, all the tracks in my library are pulled from Instant Live-type downloads of a few of their concerts. There is a lot of variability in terms of the existence of links to listen to these tracks directly, and a lot of them are also of variable audio quality. Therefore, not all of the recommended tracks above are the exact same as what is in my library, though a few of them are and for the ones that aren’t I tried to find a performance that sounded as close to what I have as possible.
Anyway, as has been discussed in previous entries, there have been a lot of Grateful Dead spinoff bands. This is my favorite of them. Dead and Company feature three official members of The Grateful Dead – Bob Weir, Bilk Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart – along with long-time Dead collaborator Jeff Chimenti. John Mayer is easily the best of the “Jerry replacements” on lead guitar. Throw in my all-time favorite bassist Oteil Burbridge and this band is stacked.
I have heard criticism that this group sometimes slows down the tempo of the songs from the way the Dead normally played them. I have noticed that from time to time, and there are a couple of cases where it bothers me a bit, but in many cases I find it to be a refreshing change and feel like it makes some of the tunes a little more soulful.
Of the above tracks, “Bertha” and all the Noblesville tracks are found in my library. I was at that Noblesville show and it was amazing. They opened with one of the best “Other One” jams I have ever heard. Then did a lot of other really cool stuff that you don’t hear that often including “Dire Wolf” and a great version of “Mississippi Half-step Uptown Toodeloo.” When they broke out “Viola Lee Blues” I almost lost it.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
The greatest Chuck Berry tribute band in history, and I don't mean that in a bad way since just about every guitar band of the last 60-some years is in thrall to Chuck. Berry wouldn't have written the lyrics AC/DC did (though, given what he was up to in real life, he was filthier than AC/DC's wildest dreams), but look at how they structure their songs - straight up "Sweet Little Sixteen" or "Johnny B Goode".
38. Pink Floyd (198 points)
Total number of songs: 44
Average song score: 3.20
# of 5-point songs: 5
# of 4-point songs: 12
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #9 guitarist David Gilmour
Recommended listening: Atom Heart Mother (live at Filmore West, 1970); Comfortably Numb; Dogs; Eclipse; Fearless; Have a Cigar; Hey You; Jugband Blues; One of These Days; Pigs on the Wing, Part 2; Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Parts I-V; Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Parts VI-IX; Time; Us and Them; Wish You Were Here
I haven’t started reading the Pink Floyd song thread yet, so no idea which tunes are getting the most love. But these are some of my favorite Pink Floyd tracks.
A number of posts ago I gave the spoiler that David Gilmour would be high on my favorite guitarist list. Certainly not the flashiest or fastest guitarist, but it would be hard to argue that there is a more soulful player. Every note he plays just sounds like the perfect note for that particular point in the song and like he is pouring his whole heart into it.
The rest of the band was obviously great as well. Roger Waters is a great songwriter and despite being a jam guy, some of my favorite Pink Floyd tunes are his shorter songs like “Pigs on the Wing.” But they still have some great epic songs and because of that these guys do get a pretty nice jam bonus.
Pink Floyd isn’t higher because they sometimes were a little too artsy for my taste. I have mentioned before that progressive rock is not my favorite genre. And 99% of the time I detest the use of sound effects in songs, which Floyd does a little too much for my liking. For the most part, though, they are so good that it doesn’t detract from my love for them.
Since some of my favorite groups have frequently done Pink Floyd tunes, I do need to post some covers. I loved when the Black Crowes used to play “Fearless” and personally saw them do it live a couple of times. Though if you really want some great Floyd covers, you should probably just get Gov’t Mule’s Dark Side of the Mule. I’ll post just one of their covers. I plan to see them when they do a Dark Side of the Mule tour this summer.
Total number of songs: 44
Average song score: 3.20
# of 5-point songs: 5
# of 4-point songs: 12
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #9 guitarist David Gilmour
Recommended listening: Atom Heart Mother (live at Filmore West, 1970); Comfortably Numb; Dogs; Eclipse; Fearless; Have a Cigar; Hey You; Jugband Blues; One of These Days; Pigs on the Wing, Part 2; Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Parts I-V; Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Parts VI-IX; Time; Us and Them; Wish You Were Here
I haven’t started reading the Pink Floyd song thread yet, so no idea which tunes are getting the most love. But these are some of my favorite Pink Floyd tracks.
A number of posts ago I gave the spoiler that David Gilmour would be high on my favorite guitarist list. Certainly not the flashiest or fastest guitarist, but it would be hard to argue that there is a more soulful player. Every note he plays just sounds like the perfect note for that particular point in the song and like he is pouring his whole heart into it.
The rest of the band was obviously great as well. Roger Waters is a great songwriter and despite being a jam guy, some of my favorite Pink Floyd tunes are his shorter songs like “Pigs on the Wing.” But they still have some great epic songs and because of that these guys do get a pretty nice jam bonus.
Pink Floyd isn’t higher because they sometimes were a little too artsy for my taste. I have mentioned before that progressive rock is not my favorite genre. And 99% of the time I detest the use of sound effects in songs, which Floyd does a little too much for my liking. For the most part, though, they are so good that it doesn’t detract from my love for them.
Since some of my favorite groups have frequently done Pink Floyd tunes, I do need to post some covers. I loved when the Black Crowes used to play “Fearless” and personally saw them do it live a couple of times. Though if you really want some great Floyd covers, you should probably just get Gov’t Mule’s Dark Side of the Mule. I’ll post just one of their covers. I plan to see them when they do a Dark Side of the Mule tour this summer.
zamboni
Footballguy
You should jump on in there and submit your list. The countdown won't be starting for awhile while krista's worldwide countdown is going on. Not a ton of song discussion yet until the countdown is revealed.
Ok I'll try to find time to start putting something together later this week.
Here we have a pretty decent point jump from the previous entry. With the increased number of tracks that the artists will have moving forward plus the more frequent personnel bonuses, we will start to see bigger point jumps than previously.
37. Queen (218 points)
Total number of songs: 53
Average song score: 2.94
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 7
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #2 vocalist Freddie Mercury
Recommended listening: Bohemian Rhapsody; Fat Bottomed Girls; Killer Queen; Liar (live at the Rainbow, 1974); The March of the Black Queen (live at The Rainbow, 1974); Seven Seas of Rhye; Somebody to Love; Stone Cold Crazy; Under Pressure (live in Budapest, 1986); We Are the Champions (live at Knebworth Park, 1986)
Queen is a band that goes up and down a little bit in my gut rankings. Their talent level was clearly off the chart. Obviously Freddie Mercury’s vocals are among the best ever and his personnel bonus plays a big part in the point jump from the last entry. Roger Taylor just missed out on a drummer bonus. May and Deacon, of course, are also great. Top to bottom they might be one of the 5 or 10 most talented bands ever.
For me, though, they are one where the whole is a little less than the sum of the parts. They just don’t have a ton of songs that I really love. Some of their more well-known songs like “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” or even “We Will Rock You” I find more annoying than enjoyable (though I do love the guitar solo on the last of those). Other songs like “Ogre Battle” I find weird, even as weird and nerdy as I am.
There are exceptions, of course. “Somebody to Love” is very close to a top 50 track for me. And they have some great live performances as highlighted above. For me they are just a little inconsistent to call them truly one of my favorite bands.
37. Queen (218 points)
Total number of songs: 53
Average song score: 2.94
# of 5-point songs: 4
# of 4-point songs: 7
Top 50 track bonus: none
Personnel bonus: #2 vocalist Freddie Mercury
Recommended listening: Bohemian Rhapsody; Fat Bottomed Girls; Killer Queen; Liar (live at the Rainbow, 1974); The March of the Black Queen (live at The Rainbow, 1974); Seven Seas of Rhye; Somebody to Love; Stone Cold Crazy; Under Pressure (live in Budapest, 1986); We Are the Champions (live at Knebworth Park, 1986)
Queen is a band that goes up and down a little bit in my gut rankings. Their talent level was clearly off the chart. Obviously Freddie Mercury’s vocals are among the best ever and his personnel bonus plays a big part in the point jump from the last entry. Roger Taylor just missed out on a drummer bonus. May and Deacon, of course, are also great. Top to bottom they might be one of the 5 or 10 most talented bands ever.
For me, though, they are one where the whole is a little less than the sum of the parts. They just don’t have a ton of songs that I really love. Some of their more well-known songs like “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” or even “We Will Rock You” I find more annoying than enjoyable (though I do love the guitar solo on the last of those). Other songs like “Ogre Battle” I find weird, even as weird and nerdy as I am.
There are exceptions, of course. “Somebody to Love” is very close to a top 50 track for me. And they have some great live performances as highlighted above. For me they are just a little inconsistent to call them truly one of my favorite bands.
