Latest FBG music countdown of >800 artists - #2 The Rolling Stones, #1 The Allman Brothers Band (1 Viewer)

[Pip's Invitation]

I was pumped to see the love for “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” in Krista’s thread. Just a phenomenal song.

It is. I always thought it sounded like Dear Mr. Fantasy, which is a good thing in my book.

In my library I basically treat the Peter Green band and the Buckingham/Nicks band as two completely different groups. Despite having a couple of overlapping members, they are so different I don’t know how one could possibly lump them together.

Do you have anything from the period after Green left and before Buckingham/Nicks joined? Lineup included Bob Welch among others. The title track of Future Games is phenomenal. If so, how do you classify them?

 

[timschochet]

Love love love “Oh Sweet Nuthin”

 

[turnjose7]

I was pumped to see the love for “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” in Krista’s thread. Just a phenomenal song.

It is. I always thought it sounded like Dear Mr. Fantasy, which is a good thing in my book.

In my library I basically treat the Peter Green band and the Buckingham/Nicks band as two completely different groups. Despite having a couple of overlapping members, they are so different I don’t know how one could possibly lump them together.

Do you have anything from the period after Green left and before Buckingham/Nicks joined? Lineup included Bob Welch among others. The title track of Future Games is phenomenal. If so, how do you classify them?

I don't. I'll check it out.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-370 (12 points)

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – 11 total songs – Cheek to Cheek (3 points)

Heart – 4 total songs – Crazy On You, live (4 points)

Hylo Brown and the Timberliners with Earl Scruggs – 3 total songs – Cumberland Gap, live (5 points)

Kris Kristofferson – 5 total songs – Me and Bobby McGee, live (4 points)

The Offspring – 8 total songs – Come Out and Play; The Kids Aren’t Alright (3 points)

Steve Vai – 5 total songs – John the Revelator (4 points)

Yes – 5 total songs – I’ve Seen All Good People, live (4 points)



This morning’s update is going to be relatively short on commentary because I have to get to work soon and I am honestly a little less enthusiastic about the 12-point round than the 11-point round.



Ella and Louis will both have rankings higher up in the countdown from their individual careers. I didn’t think it was appropriate to combine their collaborations with the solo ranking of either, so their partnership gets a separate entry here.



I mentioned in the 8-point round that I have versions of Blind Willie Johnson’s “John the Revelator” from multiple artists. While not my favorite, it’s really cool that Steve Vai mixes in samples from Blind Willie’s recording in his version. When he plays it live, he does that as well. I was going to post a live version but can’t find one with good sound quality, so we have to go with this.



The Kris Kirstofferson version of “Me and Bobby McGee” that I have here is another song that comes from the Isle of Wight 1970 Festival.



I probably don’t know as much about Yes as I should, but I think we have some fans on the board so maybe others can chime in with some good commentary about them.



I do want to highlight our bluegrass entry from this round. Hylo Brown was an outstanding bluegrass artist, but it is his collaboration with Earl Scruggs that gives him a 5-point entry here. Scruggs is quite simply than man and in my mind is as much of a legend in his genre as anyone. For those who don’t really listen to a lot of bluegrass, this album, which this track came from, is a great place to start.

 

[turnjose7]

Found time to squeeze in one more today since it is a short one...

Tie-366 (13 points)

31st of February – 4 total songs – Melissa (4 points)

Dolly Parton – 6 total songs – I Will Always Love You, live; Jolene, live (3 points)

Jimmy Reed – 12 total songs – Bright Lights, Big City (3 points)

Kings of Leon – 16 total songs – Crawl; Notion; Use Somebody (3 points)



For me the most interesting artist of the 13-point round is the 31st of February which was a short-lived band formed by Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks. It preceded the formation of the ABB but most of their recordings featured two important guests: Duane and Gregg Allman. I wrote about this in my Allman thread, but they actually recorded the first version of “Melissa.”



I assume most are familiar with blues legend Jimmy Reed, but if not, go check him out immediately. He influenced just about everybody: The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Hank Williams. Everybody knows about the greatness of Dolly, so I don’t think I need to say much more there.



Kings of Leon are another band that would benefit from me cleaning up my library a little bit. They have a number of songs I like quite a bit but also a lot of songs in my library that pull down the average and thus their ranking. I saw them live early in their career before anyone really knew who they were and it was a great show, so I think that keeps them a little higher in my rankings despite not being as big of a fan of some of their later stuff.

 

[shuke]

For me the most interesting artist of the 13-point round is the 31st of February which was a short-lived band formed by Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks. It preceded the formation of the ABB but most of their recordings featured two important guests: Duane and Gregg Allman. I wrote about this in my Allman thread, but they actually recorded the first version of “Melissa.”

Never heard this. Not as polished, but still pretty good.

 

[tri-man 47]

Tie-569 (3 points)

The round is also the first to feature several guitar superstars. Most are probably quite familiar with the work of Randy Rhoads and Slash, who will obviously come up later in the countdown in association with other artists. Perhaps less well-known is Monty Montgomery who on a number of occasions has been described as one of the best primarily acoustic guitarists in the world. Check him out on this version of “Sultans of Swing.”

Well, that was amazing! It also led to a YT link for a wonderful semi-jam session of Sara Smile.

 

[turnjose7]

Will probably just do one entry today


Tie-358 (14 points)

Citizen Cope – 7 total songs – Son’s Gonna Rise, live (4 points)

Coltrane and Ellington – 7 total songs – Take the Coltrane (3 points)

Green Day – 6 total songs – Basket Case; Boulevard of Broken Dreams; Wake Me Up When September Ends (3 points)

Joan Osborne – 6 total songs – Bring It on Home; Man in the Long Black Coat, live; Son of a Preacher Man, live (3 points)

John Martyn – 13 total songs – Bless the Weather; Lonely Road; Over the Hill (3 points)

Steely Dan – 6 total songs – A Man Ain’t Supposed to Cry, live (4 points)

Supertramp – 6 total songs – Give a Little Bit (4 points)

The Temptations – 6 total songs – Ain’t Too Proud to Beg (4 points)



The Citizen Cope song listed is from the 2019 Crossroads Guitar Festival and features Gary Clark, Jr. on guitar. Gary will return later. For those who are new to Citizen Cope, check out “Sideways” which has been covered by Santana.



Coltrane and Ellington is the same situation as Ella/Louis. Both artists will have individual entries much higher in the countdown, but I separated out their collaborations because I didn’t feel like I could give the points to one over the other.



Hopefully I’m not hurting @Pip's Invitation and some of the others on this board who seem to really like Steely Dan with this ranking. First, we are getting far enough into the countdown that if an artist is this high, it means I like them a fair amount. We have revealed more than half the artists, after all. I like the jazz influence and they are obviously incredibly talented. My preferences just tend to be a little more toward a rough, dirty sound and that prevents them from being ranked higher.



John Martyn is a Scottish folk singer that I discovered through another artist covering this really cool song. A sick version of the song will appear later in the countdown.



@krista4 and I had earlier discussed when one well-known song ruins your perception of an artist. For me that might have been Joan Osborne. For a long time, my perception of her was significantly clouded by the one song we all know, but through her association with a number of jam bands, I discovered a lot more of her stuff and much of it is excellent. I really like stuff like this. This ranking reflects her solo efforts, but she will also appear later in association with a couple of bands.

 

[tri-man 47]

Mmm …The Temptations; Papa Was a Rolling Stone.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Hopefully I’m not hurting @Pip's Invitation and some of the others on this board who seem to really like Steely Dan with this ranking. First, we are getting far enough into the countdown that if an artist is this high, it means I like them a fair amount. We have revealed more than half the artists, after all. I like the jazz influence and they are obviously incredibly talented. My preferences just tend to be a little more toward a rough, dirty sound and that prevents them from being ranked higher.

If you haven't already, the Steely Dan album to check out that might be more in tune with your taste is Countdown to Ecstasy, their second, which is much harder-rocking than their others and was written with the express idea of being able to play the songs live (the only time Walter Becker and Donald Fagen ever did that.) This All Too Mobile Home, a live-only song from around that time, may also be to your liking.

 

[turnjose7]

Mmm …The Temptations; Papa Was a Rolling Stone.

Great song, no doubt, and it is on the 3-point line for me. I get why others would rate it much higher. I will say that I am not a huge fan of funk rhythm guitar with tons of wah, but I know I am in the minority on that.

 

[turnjose7]

Hopefully I’m not hurting @Pip's Invitation and some of the others on this board who seem to really like Steely Dan with this ranking. First, we are getting far enough into the countdown that if an artist is this high, it means I like them a fair amount. We have revealed more than half the artists, after all. I like the jazz influence and they are obviously incredibly talented. My preferences just tend to be a little more toward a rough, dirty sound and that prevents them from being ranked higher.

If you haven't already, the Steely Dan album to check out that might be more in tune with your taste is Countdown to Ecstasy, their second, which is much harder-rocking than their others and was written with the express idea of being able to play the songs live (the only time Walter Becker and Donald Fagen ever did that.) This All Too Mobile Home, a live-only song from around that time, may also be to your liking.

I like this. I'll add it to my list.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-354 (15 points)

Billy and the Kids – 4 total songs – Help on the Way/Slipknot/Franklin’s Tower, live (5 points)

Dr. John – 4 total songs – Right Place, Wrong Time, live (5 points)

John Mayer – 6 total songs – Bold as Love (4 points)

Sonny Landreth – 7 total songs – Native Stepson, live (3 points)



The 15-point rounds features the sounds of Louisiana and the sounds of the Dead.



Malcolm John Rebennack, a.k.a., Dr. John was a New Orleans legend. As you might expect from that, he is also probably the weirdest person on the list (even with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Buckethead already making an appearance). That being said, he was a great musician and maybe an even better assessor of musical talent. His bands always featured a ton of amazing musicians leading to some outstanding live performances. “Right Place, Wrong Time” is probably his biggest hit, but the song that captures his essence more than any other might be “I Walk on Gilded Splinters.” Both are frequent jam band covers.



Sonny Landreth, while technically from Mississippi, has spent most of his life in Louisiana and played with every New Orleans musician you can name. He was previously mentioned in the commentary on Buckwheat Zydeco. He is probably one of the best slide guitar players in the world, and one of the most unique, getting sounds out of his guitar unlike anyone else.



Billy and the Kids is the name of a group headlined by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Disco Biscuits keyboardist Aron Magner, and JRAD guitarist Tom Hamilton (for those who aren’t big into jam bands, JRAD = Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, the most famous of all Dead tribute bands). They often feature a rotating list of all-star musicians like Warren Haynes, Oteil Burbridge, Billy Strings, Robert Randolph, and Keller Williams. The 5-point entry here is a great rendition of the classic Dead medley “Help on the Way-Slipknot!-Franklin’s Tower” from the Dear Jerry tribute concert.



John Mayer, of course, plays plenty of Grateful Dead music with Dead and Company, but I also have tracks of him doing Grateful Dead songs as part of his solo career. Obviously “Bold as Love” is not a Dead song, but I like this take on the Hendrix classic (I know others are not a fan).

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-348 (16 points)

The Allman Joys – 6 totals songs – Crossroads; Mister You’re a Better Man Than I; Spoonful (3 points)

Billy Joel – 16 total songs – The Ballad of Billy the Kid (4 points)

The Dillards – 14 total songs – Banjo in the Hollow (4 points)

Eric Gales – 8 total songs – Freedom From My Demons, live (3 points)

The Scorpions – 7 total songs – Rock You Like a Hurricane, live; Still Loving You, live (3 points)

Willie Nelson – 6 total songs – On the Road Again, live (3 points)



As I previously mentioned, The Allman Joys were an early band featuring Gregg and Duane that evolved from The Escorts. As far as I know the band had no original material and only played covers. Their sound hadn’t yet developed into the classic Allman sound (this was before Duane started playing slide) but you can still hear some flashes of brilliance in this early work.



I also mentioned in a previous post that the Dillards portrayed the fictional Darling family on The Andy Griffith Show, but outside that they actually were a really good bluegrass band that was one of the first bands in that genre to use electric instruments. They influenced country rock bands like the Byrds and the Eagles and even John Paul Jones acknowledged their influence on his mandolin playing. Check out one of the best banjo breakdowns ever. I also love the vocals on this classic from The Andy Griffith Show.



@Uruk-Hai will be pleased to see that not only do I not have 43 versions of “Piano Man” in my collection, but it isn’t even my top-rated Billy Joel song. A lot of Billy Joel’s music is up and down for me depending on my mood, but the one that I consistently love no matter what is “The Ballad of Billy the Kid.”

 

[turnjose7]

Might have time to do one more tonight, depending on what time I get off work. I really like the 17-point round.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-340 (17 points)

Blind Lemon Jefferson – 14 total songs – Lonesome House Blues (3 points)

Edwin McCain and John Popper – 4 total songs – Alone, live; That Sign on the Door, live (5 points)

Gene Clark – 6 total songs – Polly (4 points)

Joe Satriani – 6 total songs – Cryin’, live; Satch Boogie, live (4 points)

Keller Williams – 6 total songs – One More Saturday Night (4 points)

Mötley Crüe – 8 total songs – Dr. Feelgood; Home Sweet Home; Shout at the Devil (3 points)

Sea Level – 5 total songs – Rain in Spain; Storm Warning; Tidal Wave (3 points)

Steve Miller Band – 6 total songs – Dance, Dance, Dance (4 points)



This is a really interesting round to me. It’s another that has good diversity of style.



Blind Lemon Jefferson is another of our early blues roots musicians, and one with a clear gospel influence. His most famous song is probably “See That My Grave is Kept Clean” which has been covered by artists as diverse as B.B. King, Bob Dylan, and Phish. My favorite of his work is “Lonesome House Blues” which has some nice guitar work and is a great representation of his trademark high-pitched vocals.



The McCain/Popper tracks listed above come from one of the Warren Haynes Benefit concerts that I mentioned earlier. The musicians on these tracks include other greats like Jimmy Herring and Oteil Burbridge playing with them. I listed McCain and Popper since I didn’t want to write out the whole list of musicians and they are more of the “frontmen” in that lineup. But the rest of the ensemble is amazing. Listen to Oteil with some amazing scat singing around 4:50 in this track.



Sea Level, for those who aren’t aware, was a jazz fusion group that was a spinoff of the Allman Brothers, featuring three of their members (Chuck Leavell, Jaimoe, and Lamar Williams). The name is a play on a mispronunciation of Chuck’s name. They weren’t super successful commercially but were an incredibly interesting and talented band that received a lot of critical acclaim.



Keller Williams has been described as the “one-man jam band” because he has played with essentially everyone on the jam band scene, he plays basically every instrument and every genre, and in his solo performances he uses live phrase looping with multiple instruments to create his own solo ensemble. Since I am a huge Dead fan, my top track of his is a cover of one of their classic tracks, but he has a lot of other interesting stuff that’s worth checking out.



With all the complexity of some of these tracks, it’s interesting that one of my favorite tracks is actually one of the simplest. Gene Clark’s “Polly” is a hauntingly beautiful song.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-333 (18 points)

Bad Company – 6 total songs – Shooting Star (4 points)

Bob Marley – 8 total songs – One Love-People Get Ready; Redemption Song; Three Little Birds (3 points)

Herbie Mann – 6 total songs – Push Push (4 points)

Jackson Browne – 5 total songs – These Days (4 points)

John Hiatt – 6 total songs – Memphis in the Meantime, live (5 points)

Simon and Garfunkel – 7 total songs – The Sound of Silence (4 points)

Stone Foxes – 6 total songs – Black Rolling Thunder (4 points)



I’m going to do two entries back-to-back today because the 18-point round is a little boring to me. Nothing against the artists. They are all great. But none blow me out of the water and get me super excited, and most are probably well known enough that I don’t need to say much. So this one will be shorter. But if others want to chime in with commentary on anyone in this group, go for it.



One thing I will point out is that several of the Herbie Mann songs in my library, including “Push Push,” are in the group of songs the benefit from collaboration with Duane Allman. In fact, the Push Push album featured a ton of great musicians besides Herbie and Duane, including Donald “Duck” Dunn, Chuck Rainey, and Al Jackson Jr (it also clearly featured one of the more disturbing album covers of all-time). Anyway, “Push Push” is an amazing piece of music and the first song I am highlighting on the countdown to feature a flute solo (though it probably won’t be the last). Duane’s solo on this track is also outstanding.



Speaking of Allman connections, while Jackson Browne wrote “These Days” and his version is good, the definitive version was, of course, recorded by his friend Gregg Allman and featured on the Laid Back album. We’ll come back to that later.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-324 (19 points)

Brandi Carlile – 7 total songs – Creep, live; Hallelujah, live; The Story, live; What Can I Say, live (3 points)

Delta Moon – 8 total songs – Goin’ Down South, live; Poplar Grove; You Got to Move, live (3 points)

Jimmie Rodgers – 21 total songs – California Blues: Blue Yodel No. 4 (3 points)

Lonnie Mack – 7 total songs – Ridin’ the Blinds, live (4 points)

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives – Orange Blossom Special, live (3 points)

Prince – 17 total songs – Purple Rain, live (4 points)

Ronnie Hawkins – 8 total songs – Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles; Down in the Alley; Matchbox; Odessa (3 points)

Soundgarden – 7 total songs – Burden in My Hand (4 points)

Traveling Wilburys – 8 total songs – Handle With Care; Like a Ship; Tweeter and the Monkey Man (3 points)



This round is much more interesting to me. There’s so much we could talk about with this group of artists that I don’t even know where to start. I suppose we can begin with Prince since I think his name probably grabs one’s attention first and I am sure many people would have him ranked much higher. He is internally polarizing to me. Obviously, he is insanely talented and there is some stuff of his that I really like. But there is other stuff he does that I hate so much I have a visceral reaction to it and can’t even listen to it. Put it all together and this is where he falls in countdown.



Outside of that, this round features some of the most influential figures in the history of American music. Almost no one has been more influential in the development of country music than Jimmie Rodgers. It’s probably him and Hank Williams as the two most important country songwriters ever. But his work also was incredibly influential for blues and rock artists. Many are probably familiar with “Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)” which was popularly covered by Lynyrd Skynyrd among others. In the interview published in The Beatles Anthology, George Harrison says that “Waiting for a Train” made him want to play guitar. It’s the other side of that single, “Blue Yodel #4 (California Blues)” that’s my favorite Jimmie Rodgers song.



Maybe just as influential, l though I think a little less well-known, is Lonnie Mack. One could legitimately make the argument that no single person was more important for the development of modern guitar technique than Lonnie. Drawing on the fast-picking style of his bluegrass roots and combining it with soulful blues melodies and aggressive Chuck Berry riffs, he exponentially expanded possibilities and expectations of a lead guitarist in a rock band. His seamless blending of melodic lead riffs and rhythmic chord changes, which can be heard in songs like “Memphis” and “Wham!” was highly influential for guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan (who himself famously covered “Wham!”). Mack was also an early pioneer in the use of a vibrato bar on guitars, which according to some if the origin of the term “whammy bar.” On top of all of that, he was also an excellent singer.



There’s a lot of other great stuff in this round. “Orange Blossom Special” is maybe the definitive bluegrass song, and I don’t know if anyone does it better than Marty Stuart and his aptly named band The Fabulous Superlatives. If you ever get a chance to see these guys, do it. They will blow you away.



Ronnie Hawkins was the founder of The Hawks, who you know better as The Band. He was one of the featured guests at The Last Waltz. I absolutely love the way he just sings with reckless abandon here. He’s another one who did some great stuff with Duane Allman. BTW, if you didn’t know, Ronnie is the cousin of Dale Hawkins (who is famously known for writing “Susie Q”).



I didn’t even get a chance to address Soundgarden, Brandi Carlile, or the Travelling Wilburys. Like I said, very good round.

 

[krista4]

Simon and Garfunkel – 7 total songs – The Sound of Silence (4 points)

Very surprised at this one, I guess because they just did so well in our US artists countdown. I don't like much of their stuff other than "Homeward Bound," but they're beloved by most people, it seems!

 

[turnjose7]

Simon and Garfunkel – 7 total songs – The Sound of Silence (4 points)

Very surprised at this one, I guess because they just did so well in our US artists countdown. I don't like much of their stuff other than "Homeward Bound," but they're beloved by most people, it seems!

Yeah I like them fine but to me that's as far as it goes. Songs like "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" or "Mrs. Robinson" are pleasant enough, and I won't turn them off, but they don't really hit me in an emotional way.

 

[turnjose7]

We are starting to get to a point where the average number of artists per group goes down quite a bit and things spread out a bit more. In fact, very soon we have a couple of milestones coming up: our first point total with a single artist, and our first point total that is skipped entirely with no artists.

Today and tomorrow I'll keep the current format, but after that I plan to change it up and will start having a separate entry for each artist with additional stats for each. Today I'm also going to start changing the thread title to reflect where we are in the countdown.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-322 (20 points)

John Scofield – 6 totals songs – Air Pakistan, live; Gray and Visceral, live (3 points)

Robert Cray – 6 total songs – The Dream, live (4 points)



The 20-point round features a couple of amazing guitarists.



John Scofield is one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all-time (I’d put him third behind only John McLaughlin and Wes Montgomery). I first discovered him playing with Gov’t Mule on this outstanding live album. Obviously the Warren Haynes song “Sco-Mule” was inspired by him. Other gems on this album are outstanding versions of James Brown’s “Pass the Peas” and “Doing It to Death,” along with the jazz standard “Afro-Blue.” Scofield’s solo stuff in my library is mostly extended instrumental compositions like this. His score is therefore supplemented by a nice jam bonus.



Robert Cray is one of the great living blues legends. His contributions can be found in various spots all over my library in collaborations with multiple artists. Probably his best work is the stuff he did with another legendary blues guitarists, Albert Collins, stuff like this.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-316 (21 points)

Chris Stapleton – 9 total songs – Broken Halos; Either Way; Last Thing I Need, First Thing This Morning (3 points)

Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band – 6 total songs – I Believe I’ll Make a Change (4 points)

Larkin Poe – 7 total songs – She’s a Self-mad Man, live (4 points)

Peter Frampton – 8 total songs – Baby I Love Your Way, live; Do You Feel Like I Do, live; Penny for Your Thoughts, live; Show Me the Way, live (3 points)

Red Hot Chili Peppers – 9 total songs – Soul to Squeeze (4 points)

Roy Clark – 15 total songs – Magnificent Sanctuary; Riders in the Sky (3 points)



In one of the recent music threads (probably Krista’s 31 American song thread, but I can’t remember for sure), someone mentioned that Chris Stapleton isn’t quite as country as other country artists. That is true. I’m not a huge country music fan but I really like Stapleton. A couple of his bands that are definitely not country will appear later in the countdown, but even his solo stuff has strong elements of blues and rock. Check out songs like “Broken Halos” or “Them Stems.”



Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band is one of the Allman drummer’s many side projects over the last decade, and probably his best one. While they certainly share some elements of their sound with the ABB, they don’t rely too much on ABB stuff and play a range of great covers and original material. Also, despite their name, they are not strictly jazz and play a range of genres. Blues guitarist Junior Mack is one of their main songwriters and brings a great blues sound to songs like this.



I love including Roy Clark in the countdown. He was my grandfather’s favorite guitarist. While I may not have realized it when I was young, Pop had pretty good taste. I mean, Roy only recorded the definitive version of what some call the greatest country guitar song of all-time.



I imagine most are pretty familiar with Frampton and the Chili Peppers so I’ll leave any thoughts on them to you all.



Larkin Poe is actually the most recently discovered artist on my countdown, having been recommended to me by someone I was interviewing for a job just a few weeks ago. If you haven’t heard of them, they are an American roots rock band featuring sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell. Having just discovered them, I need to explore more, but from what I have heard so far I am a fan.

 

[turnjose7]

I guess it's worth mentioning I saw Frampton live many years ago and it was a great show. Also an interesting factoid I had forgotten: he had a house in the Cincinnati area, which is where I'm originally from, and my dad's friend who is a part-time musician did some session work with him.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I guess it's worth mentioning I saw Frampton live many years ago and it was a great show. Also an interesting factoid I had forgotten: he had a house in the Cincinnati area, which is where I'm originally from, and my dad's friend who is a part-time musician did some session work with him.

I haven’t seen Frampton on his own but I did see him play for Bowie on the Glass Spider tour.

 

[krista4]

Robert Cray is one of the great living blues legends. His contributions can be found in various spots all over my library in collaborations with multiple artists. Probably his best work is the stuff he did with another legendary blues guitarists, Albert Collins, stuff like this.

Loved this collaboration, too. Great to see this!

 

[krista4]

In one of the recent music threads (probably Krista’s 31 American song thread, but I can’t remember for sure), someone mentioned that Chris Stapleton isn’t quite as country as other country artists. That is true. I’m not a huge country music fan but I really like Stapleton. A couple of his bands that are definitely not country will appear later in the countdown, but even his solo stuff has strong elements of blues and rock. Check out songs like “Broken Halos” or “Them Stems.”


I love including Roy Clark in the countdown. He was my grandfather’s favorite guitarist. While I may not have realized it when I was young, Pop had pretty good taste. I mean, Roy only recorded the definitive version of what some call the greatest country guitar song of all-time.

I love seeing Roy Clark as much as you love including him, for similar reasons. My grandparents were huge fans of his, too!

It definitely was in the top 31 thread that the statement about Chris Stapleton was made. I had never listened to him before that and really enjoyed the song that was selected.

 

[Eephus]

I haven’t seen Frampton on his own but I did see him play for Bowie on the Glass Spider tour.

I saw Frampton at the height of his Comes Alive fame in 1976 but it was just for one song. He came out to join opening act Natural Gas for their encore. Natural Gas' drummer was Frampton's former Humble Pie bandmate Jerry Shirley. The crowd went crazy when he came out which kind of overshadowed the band as well as the headliners Yes.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

In one of the recent music threads (probably Krista’s 31 American song thread, but I can’t remember for sure), someone mentioned that Chris Stapleton isn’t quite as country as other country artists. That is true. I’m not a huge country music fan but I really like Stapleton. A couple of his bands that are definitely not country will appear later in the countdown, but even his solo stuff has strong elements of blues and rock. Check out songs like “Broken Halos” or “Them Stems.”


I love including Roy Clark in the countdown. He was my grandfather’s favorite guitarist. While I may not have realized it when I was young, Pop had pretty good taste. I mean, Roy only recorded the definitive version of what some call the greatest country guitar song of all-time.

I love seeing Roy Clark as much as you love including him, for similar reasons. My grandparents were huge fans of his, too!

It definitely was in the top 31 thread that the statement about Chris Stapleton was made. I had never listened to him before that and really enjoyed the song that was selected.

I was the one who made it.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I haven’t seen Frampton on his own but I did see him play for Bowie on the Glass Spider tour.

I saw Frampton at the height of his Comes Alive fame in 1976 but it was just for one song. He came out to join opening act Natural Gas for their encore. Natural Gas' drummer was Frampton's former Humble Pie bandmate Jerry Shirley. The crowd went crazy when he came out which kind of overshadowed the band as well as the headliners Yes.

Mr. “I hate long songs” went to see Yes?

 

[Eephus]

Mr. “I hate long songs” went to see Yes?

I was young. I was stoned. I was young and stoned.









I really don't hate long songs. They just weren't ideal when listening to 100 Genrepalooza playlists.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I haven’t seen Frampton on his own but I did see him play for Bowie on the Glass Spider tour.

I saw Frampton at the height of his Comes Alive fame in 1976 but it was just for one song. He came out to join opening act Natural Gas for their encore. Natural Gas' drummer was Frampton's former Humble Pie bandmate Jerry Shirley. The crowd went crazy when he came out which kind of overshadowed the band as well as the headliners Yes.

Mr. “I hate long songs” went to see Yes?

He did like the jazz-rock bands from the 70s as well.

 

[Eephus]

I haven’t seen Frampton on his own but I did see him play for Bowie on the Glass Spider tour.

I saw Frampton at the height of his Comes Alive fame in 1976 but it was just for one song. He came out to join opening act Natural Gas for their encore. Natural Gas' drummer was Frampton's former Humble Pie bandmate Jerry Shirley. The crowd went crazy when he came out which kind of overshadowed the band as well as the headliners Yes.

Mr. “I hate long songs” went to see Yes?

He did like the jazz-rock bands from the 70s as well.

...and Mahler

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-309 (22 points)

Alice in Chains – 8 total songs – Man in the Box (4 points)

Duane Betts – 6 total songs – California Blues; Think I’m Doing Well (4 points)

Grassfed – 5 total songs – Chili Dog (5 points)

Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea – 6 total songs – La Fiesta, live; Ostinato, live (3 points)

Homemade Jamz Blues Band – 11 total songs – Right Thang Wrong Woman (3 points)

Mick Jagger – 8 total songs – Miss You, live (4 points)

Pat Metheny Trio – 8 total songs – Bright Size Life, live (4 points)



Alice in Chains becomes the second of what I would consider the “big 5” grunge bands to make an appearance in the countdown. I’m giving AiC, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Stone Temple Pilots this moniker (I realize others might look at things differently). This is the stuff I was raised on as an adolescent (I meant to comment on that when Soundgarden came up earlier, but the 19-point round was so loaded that I didn’t get to it). My first two albums were Nevermind and Vitalogy. In terms of Alice in Chains, I think “Man in the Box” is probably the song I have listened to on the radio more than any other. It was a fixture on my rides to and from high school.



This round has some nice jazz entries. The Herbie Hancock/Chick Corea collaboration is another where I couldn’t give the points to either artist’s solo entries. For those who aren’t really into jazz or don’t know much about it, the Pat Metheny Trio might be a good place to start as they are pretty accessible and have some great guitar work like this.



This round is the first to feature the second generation of the Allman Brothers family. While they don’t capture the magic of the originals, the children of the ABB do some nice stuff and will come up again later in the countdown.



Mick Jagger’s solo work is also featured in this round. Maybe having “Miss You” as the top song here is cheating a little, but it is from a solo concert performances and is a really nice version of the song. My top actual Mick solo song is “God Gave Me Everything.” I should point out in case you didn’t notice that I separated out “Memo From Turner” as a distinct entry which you can find in the 5-point round because I wanted to capture Ry Cooder’s contribution to the song.



Maybe my favorite part of this round is the inclusion of a band probably no one else has heard of, Grassfed. I stumbled upon them randomly playing in a local brewery and they blew me away and quickly became one of my favorite bluegrass bands. It isn’t easy to find links to their music online, but you can check them out here. If you go to around 7:50 in that video you can hear them play “Chili Dog” which is the top ranked song of theirs in my library. I really love the opportunity to include some relatively unknown bands alongside the heavy hitters in this countdown.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-305 (23 points)

Eric Church – 17 total songs – How ‘bout You, live; Jack Daniels, live; Keep On, live; Smoke a Little Smoke, live; Springsteen, live (3 points)

Rainbow – 8 total songs – Kill the King, live; Long Live Rock n’ Roll (4 points)

Rich Robinson – 10 total songs – All Along the Way; I Don’t Hear the Sound of You; Station Man (3 points)

Tom Waits – 17 total songs – Telephone Call From Istanbul, live; Way Down in the Hole, live (4 points)



Eric Church is another country artist that is likely to appeal to those who primarily listen to rock. I first started listening to him when I saw him playing at rock concerts like the Gregg Allman “All My Friends” tribute concert (that’s Allman Brother members Chuck Leavell and Jack Pearson on piano and slide, respectively). He acknowledges that his influences include the Grateful Dead and AC/DC, and he even names his songs after his rock idols.



Most are probably aware that Rainbow has undergone many lineup changes with Ritchie Blackmore being the only consistent member throughout its history. The best years are undoubtedly those featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals when they produced great tracks like this.



Tom Waits was discussed a fair amount in Krista’s thread and others certainly have more knowledge of his work than me. I’m one of those that appreciates his song writing but can only take his voice in small doses, so I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan. My favorite song is probably Way Down in the Hole because it’s one case where the voice really matches the lyrics perfectly.



Rich Robinson’s solo work is one of several entries we will have from members of one of my favorite bands, The Black Crowes. Some people really like his voice and the songs in which he makes significant vocal contributions to the Crowes, in the same way I guess some people really appreciate when Keith Richards sings. I’m not a huge fan myself, but there is no doubt that he can write a good song.

 

[turnjose7]

Starting today with the new format I plan to use going forward. For a little while I will list out the names of all the 5-point and 4-point songs. Toward the top of the list that will start to get cluttered so at that point I will just put the number and then add more of the songs to the recommended listening line. Let me know how this looks.


304. Joe Walsh (24 points)

Total number of songs: 7

Average song score: 3.14

# of 5-point songs: 1 (Walk Away)

# of 4-point songs: 1 (All Night Long)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: All Night Long; The Confessor; Walk Away



Our first artist to have an entry all to himself is guitarist Joe Walsh. For this entry, eligible material includes everything with the James Gang, everything with Barnstorm, his solo efforts – essentially everything he has done that is not with the Eagles. Obviously, he has a number of other hits and classic rock radio staples beside those that I list, and some might call for “Funk #49,” “Life’s Been Good,” or “Rocky Mountain Way.” The ones I list are my favorites. Of course, his greatest contribution to American pop culture was his guest role on The Drew Carey Show.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Starting today with the new format I plan to use going forward. For a little while I will list out the names of all the 5-point and 4-point songs. Toward the top of the list that will start to get cluttered so at that point I will just put the number and then add more of the songs to the recommended listening line. Let me know how this looks.


304. Joe Walsh (24 points)

Total number of songs: 7

Average song score: 3.14

# of 5-point songs: 1 (Walk Away)

# of 4-point songs: 1 (All Night Long)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: All Night Long; The Confessor; Walk Away



Our first artist to have an entry all to himself is guitarist Joe Walsh. For this entry, eligible material includes everything with the James Gang, everything with Barnstorm, his solo efforts – essentially everything he has done that is not with the Eagles. Obviously, he has a number of other hits and classic rock radio staples beside those that I list, and some might call for “Funk #49,” “Life’s Been Good,” or “Rocky Mountain Way.” The ones I list are my favorites. Of course, his greatest contribution to American pop culture was his guest role on The Drew Carey Show.

I know it doesn't count for your purposes, but "In The City" was a solo Walsh record that got pasted onto Eagles' Long Run. It's the only redeeming song on that wretched album.

 

[turnjose7]

Starting today with the new format I plan to use going forward. For a little while I will list out the names of all the 5-point and 4-point songs. Toward the top of the list that will start to get cluttered so at that point I will just put the number and then add more of the songs to the recommended listening line. Let me know how this looks.


304. Joe Walsh (24 points)

Total number of songs: 7

Average song score: 3.14

# of 5-point songs: 1 (Walk Away)

# of 4-point songs: 1 (All Night Long)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: All Night Long; The Confessor; Walk Away



Our first artist to have an entry all to himself is guitarist Joe Walsh. For this entry, eligible material includes everything with the James Gang, everything with Barnstorm, his solo efforts – essentially everything he has done that is not with the Eagles. Obviously, he has a number of other hits and classic rock radio staples beside those that I list, and some might call for “Funk #49,” “Life’s Been Good,” or “Rocky Mountain Way.” The ones I list are my favorites. Of course, his greatest contribution to American pop culture was his guest role on The Drew Carey Show.

I know it doesn't count for your purposes, but "In The City" was a solo Walsh record that got pasted onto Eagles' Long Run. It's the only redeeming song on that wretched album.

I didn't know that. I know the song, of course, and have heard the Eagles version on the radio. I don't think I actually own any Eagles studio albums, though. Which isn't anything against them. They still have yet to appear on the countdown so I'm not like a huge Eagles hater or anything. But I don't feel the need to get very deep into their catalog.

 

[turnjose7]

Don't think I will get an update posted tonight. I had a brutal shift at work and feel the need to just chill and watch a Christmas movie (and by that I mean Die Hard). I'll post the 300 ranked songs early in the morning, though.

Since I posted the Drew Carey clip earlier, though, and we have been talking about Joe Walsh, I'll add this clip. I hadn't thought about that show in over a decade. I forgot how many great music-related scenes there were.

 

[turnjose7]

T-300. Audioslave (25 points)

Total number of songs: 13

Average song score: 2.29

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 1 (Like a Stone)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Be Yourself; Dandelion; Like a Stone


This ranking for Audioslave with respect to the rank positions of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine seems wrong to me. I love Chris Cornell and think he is a great vocalist. Tom Morello is not really one of my favorite guitarists. Regardless, my gut feeling ranking would have both bands above Audioslave. I haven’t posted about Rage yet, so obviously they ARE ranked higher, but actually if you asked me to pick, I would say Soundgarden is my favorite of the three, probably by a fair amount. It probably means I need to purge some Audioslave from my library, or a better idea would be to add some more Soundgarden. I will give a shout out to “Dandelion” which I don’t often hear talked about as one of Audioslave’s best songs but which I really like and in retrospect think I should have higher than the more popular “Like a Stone.”





T-300. Sleepy John Estes (25 points)

Total number of songs: 18

Average song score: 1.44

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 0

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Lawyer Clark Blues; Little Laura Blues; Someday Baby Blues


Another country blues pioneer, Sleepy John Estes recorded some really outstanding songs. I like his singing and guitar work quite a bit more than some of the other early blues musicians who have appeared so far on the list. The lower rating for many of these tracks is really an issue of sound quality. Among the places you can see John’s influences are “Someday Baby Blues” which inspired the Muddy Watters song “Trouble No More” (famously associated with the Allman Brothers Band), and “The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curly Hair” which of course influenced Led Zeppelin.





T-300. Todd Rundgren (25 points)

Total number of songs: 8

Average song score: 2.875

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 2 (I Saw the Light; Come On in My Kitchen, live)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Bang the Drum All Day, live; I Saw the Light; Hello It’s Me


I know there are a number of big Todd Rundgren fans on the board, so they may want to expand on this entry a bit. A lot of his more well-known stuff, including most of the entries I list above, is just a little too much on the pop side for me. It’s obviously great music and in the right mood I can really enjoy it, but it just wouldn’t be the first thing I would pick if I was choosing a song I really love to listen to. Since my tastes lean more toward the blues, I will praise him for some really good covers of some great blues songs like this.





T-300. Wilson Pickett (25 points)

Total number of songs: 7

Average song score: 3.14

# of 5-point songs: 1 (Hey Jude)

# of 4-point songs: 0

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Hey Jude; In the Midnight Hour; Mustang Sally


Everyone had to know that Wilson Pickett would have a song make my 5-point list, since it was the song that put my favorite musician on the map. I don’t know if everyone is aware that Duane Allman actually suggested the cover to Pickett, who was initially unconvinced and needed to be persuaded to record the song. I’m not sure if I have ever heard Krista or any of our other Beatles mega-fans way in on this track, so I’d be interested to hear their thoughts.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Wilson Pickett had all of the finesse of......nothing If you come into a Pickett record looking for subtlety, you will be sorely disappointed. His scream at about the 3:00 mark of "Hey Jude" must have made Paul curl up in a fetal position (James Brown, too).

 

[turnjose7]

Wilson Pickett had all of the finesse of......nothing If you come into a Pickett record looking for subtlety, you will be sorely disappointed. His scream at about the 3:00 mark of "Hey Jude" must have made Paul curl up in a fetal position (James Brown, too).

True. Not just on that track either but on lots of his stuff. Though I'm ok with that. Sometimes I like someone just letting loose in an over-the-top way over a more subtle approach.

 

[turnjose7]

Maybe I'll highlight tracks that feature screaming over singing as we go along. We've already talked about "Whole Lotta Yoko" and "I Put a Spell on You." We still have "When the Music's Over," "Won't Get Fooled Again," and many more. We could even do a whole thread on it...

 

[krista4]

T-300. Wilson Pickett (25 points)

Total number of songs: 7

Average song score: 3.14

# of 5-point songs: 1 (Hey Jude)

# of 4-point songs: 0

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Hey Jude; In the Midnight Hour; Mustang Sally


Everyone had to know that Wilson Pickett would have a song make my 5-point list, since it was the song that put my favorite musician on the map. I don’t know if everyone is aware that Duane Allman actually suggested the cover to Pickett, who was initially unconvinced and needed to be persuaded to record the song. I’m not sure if I have ever heard Krista or any of our other Beatles mega-fans way in on this track, so I’d be interested to hear their thoughts.

If Richie Havens had never existed, this would be my favorite Beatles cover.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

T-300. Todd Rundgren (25 points)

Total number of songs: 8

Average song score: 2.875

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 2 (I Saw the Light; Come On in My Kitchen, live)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Bang the Drum All Day, live; I Saw the Light; Hello It’s Me


I know there are a number of big Todd Rundgren fans on the board, so they may want to expand on this entry a bit. A lot of his more well-known stuff, including most of the entries I list above, is just a little too much on the pop side for me. It’s obviously great music and in the right mood I can really enjoy it, but it just wouldn’t be the first thing I would pick if I was choosing a song I really love to listen to. Since my tastes lean more toward the blues, I will praise him for some really good covers of some great blues songs like this.



Thanks for including Todd on your list - and what you included is what the majority of people think of when they think Todd Rundgren. Except of course of the wild selection from his Robert Johnson covers album - holy ****, hardly anyone knows about it!!!

There is so much more to explore with him - there is a ton of very different music - overa 50 year period of time. I won't get into here, but if you're interested there are several of us that can help.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

T-300. Todd Rundgren (25 points)

Total number of songs: 8

Average song score: 2.875

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 2 (I Saw the Light; Come On in My Kitchen, live)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Bang the Drum All Day, live; I Saw the Light; Hello It’s Me


I know there are a number of big Todd Rundgren fans on the board, so they may want to expand on this entry a bit. A lot of his more well-known stuff, including most of the entries I list above, is just a little too much on the pop side for me. It’s obviously great music and in the right mood I can really enjoy it, but it just wouldn’t be the first thing I would pick if I was choosing a song I really love to listen to. Since my tastes lean more toward the blues, I will praise him for some really good covers of some great blues songs like this.



Thanks for including Todd on your list - and what you included is what the majority of people think of when they think Todd Rundgren. Except of course of the wild selection from his Robert Johnson covers album - holy ****, hardly anyone knows about it!!!

There is so much more to explore with him - there is a ton of very different music - overa 50 year period of time. I won't get into here, but if you're interested there are several of us that can help.

It doesn't take much to confuse me, but this post had me all messed up until I realized Binky had quoted turnjose's (the formatting.....)

 

[Pip's Invitation]

T-300. Todd Rundgren (25 points)

Total number of songs: 8

Average song score: 2.875

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 2 (I Saw the Light; Come On in My Kitchen, live)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Bang the Drum All Day, live; I Saw the Light; Hello It’s Me


I know there are a number of big Todd Rundgren fans on the board, so they may want to expand on this entry a bit. A lot of his more well-known stuff, including most of the entries I list above, is just a little too much on the pop side for me. It’s obviously great music and in the right mood I can really enjoy it, but it just wouldn’t be the first thing I would pick if I was choosing a song I really love to listen to. Since my tastes lean more toward the blues, I will praise him for some really good covers of some great blues songs like this.



Thanks for including Todd on your list - and what you included is what the majority of people think of when they think Todd Rundgren. Except of course of the wild selection from his Robert Johnson covers album - holy ****, hardly anyone knows about it!!!

There is so much more to explore with him - there is a ton of very different music - overa 50 year period of time. I won't get into here, but if you're interested there are several of us that can help.

He did a Robert Johnson covers album???????????

@turnjose7 if you like prog, he’s got some good stuff in that realm, including Utopia Theme and Initiation.

 

[shuke]

Love the recommended songs with links!

 

[krista4]

Love the recommended songs with links!

Yeah, @turnjose7 is doing a ton of work in here with the write-ups, links, etc. Great thread!

 

[turnjose7]

Because of the holiday this will probably be my last entry for the weekend.


T-297. The Honeydrippers (27 points)

Total number of songs: 6

Average song score: 3.5

# of 5-point songs: 1 (Rockin’ at Midnight)

# of 4-point songs: 2 (Rockin’ at Midnight, live; I Got a Woman)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: I Got a Woman; Rockin’ at Midnight



For those who aren’t familiar, The Honeydrippers were a post-Led Zeppelin band formed by Robert Plant that was focused on rhythm and blues tunes. The group featured a string of great guitarists including Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Brian Setzer, and Andy Silvester. At one point they also included one of my favorite jazz drummers, Dave Weckl (#15 on my all-time favorite drummers list – as a side note, Plant, Page, and Beck are also on my top musicians list for their respective instruments, though because there simply isn’t enough material, no personnel bonuses were given for this group). Their biggest his was “Sea of Love,” but I prefer the above songs.





T-297. The Isley Brothers (27 points)

Total number of songs: 17

Average song score: 1.847

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 1 (Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight; Shout, Pts. 1 and 2



One of the great soul groups of all-time hails from my hometown. The Isleys have a ton of really great stuff, though they also have some very popular stuff that I am not as big of a fan of. The negative bonus points from those unfortunately drag down their total score, though they still finish at a respectable 297. Songs like “It’s Your Thing,” “That Lady,” and their version of “Summer Breeze” are among their more popular songs (and I do like those), though the tracks listed above are my favorites. And while I like their version of “Twist and Shout” quite a bit, ultimately there is only one definitive version of that song and it will be some time before we get to that version on the countdown.





T-297. The Jompson Brothers (27 points)

Total number of songs: 9

Average song score: 2.88

# of 5-point songs: 0

# of 4-point songs: 2 (Barely Alive; Skeleton Key)

Top 50 track bonus: none

Personnel bonus: none

Recommended listening: Barely Alive; Secret Weapon; Skeleton Key



I mentioned that different iterations of Chris Stapleton would make an appearance later in the countdown. Jompson Brothers is pretty much a pure rock band fronted by Stapleton. Listen to the country songs I posted earlier and then listen to “Secret Weapon” and its hard to believe it is the same person. Super talented.