Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I bet you'd know "Somebody To Love" if you heard it.
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The 100 Greatest Classic Rock Albums of All Time: #1. Sticky Fingers (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter timschochet
- Start date
rockaction
Footballguy
You're right. I missed that somehow. I know "Somebody To Love."
Can anybody find me (voices ascend in unison)
Somebody to love?
eta* I always change this one when it comes on, so I'm not sure what that means, really. I know it. I just don't listen to it. And it's not that I dislike it. My time is finite on this earth and it used to be (when I listened to radio) there was a chance of something better on the modern rock or oldies stations that were inevitably reasonably close on the dial. I'd probably even trawl the classical stations if this one came on. Ahhh yes! Bach! How do?
*shrugs* This one never did it for me.
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Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Contrary to popular belief, this is true of pretty much every artist. You start digging into these "concept" LPs and you'll see the songwriter say something like "oh, I wrote that in a bowling alley 10 years before we recorded it".
rockaction
Footballguy
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I don’t know if it’s “true”, seems more opinion. I think you’re also kind of missing what Im saying, but that’s fine. We can disagree.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
New around here? My opinions are always true
zamboni
Footballguy
I guess it's just a matter of perspective. They were my favorite band for several years as a pre-teen through high school - got into them when The Game came out in 1980 and in short order bought every album that had been released prior to it. So I always thought of them as an album band even though they had several hits going from The Game, plus "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions". IIRC, at that time "Bohemian Rhapsody" really wasn't a big thing on the radio (at least where I lived), and you typically wouldn't hear "Somebody To Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Bicycle Race" or "Fat Bottomed Girls" either.
otb_lifer
Footballguy
yuuuuuuuge Queen honk here (see my love letter in the WW dummies thread) ...
they are a particularly strong album band, if they are your cuppa - the deep cuts are where the real magic and craftsmanship lie.
not to besmirch their "hits", mind you, as they were masters of dizzying up some gorgeous pop nuggets (except for "AOBtD", which are the most vile track ever to trouble daylight - Deacon can go f*** off)
all that said, "A Day At The Races" doesn't sniff my personal top 5 albums outta them - gimme "Drowse", and i be happy ... but i feel this were the weakest of their 70s platters.
they are a particularly strong album band, if they are your cuppa - the deep cuts are where the real magic and craftsmanship lie.
not to besmirch their "hits", mind you, as they were masters of dizzying up some gorgeous pop nuggets (except for "AOBtD", which are the most vile track ever to trouble daylight - Deacon can go f*** off)
all that said, "A Day At The Races" doesn't sniff my personal top 5 albums outta them - gimme "Drowse", and i be happy ... but i feel this were the weakest of their 70s platters.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
I think two of the three strongest Queen albums are the ones that preceded A Day at the Races (SHA and ANATO). I can listen to both those from start to finish. Innuendo is the other as well, although Delilah is pretty skippable (I think the others didn't object to it because Freddie was on death's door, so they let his silly song about his cat make the cut).
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
It wasn't here, either. "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions", "Killer Queen", and "Another One Bites The Dust" were the Big 3 (or 4) on AOR in the early '80s when they would flashback. "Rhapsody" would show up when a channel would do their top - TOP!!! - 500 countdowns on holiday weekends. Classic rock radio changed that somewhat, but "Rhapsody" wasn't played nearly as much as other Queen songs.
otb_lifer
Footballguy
i laid a TON of love on SHA recently via the dummies countdowns, etc ... it's easily my favorite, and also easily my choice for "best" ... the perfect bridge from the prog metal stylings of I & 11 to the bombastic smorgasbord oeuvre that would come.
"Brighton Rock" are my #1 Queen song, fwiw
zamboni
Footballguy
Yeah, I think Rhapsody was kind of under the radar for a long time outside of countdowns, until Wayne's World came out. And despite it having hit #9 on the Billboard U.S. singles chart.
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timschochet
Footballguy
98. Led Zeppelin- In Through The Out Door (1979)
Classic Rock Radio hits: Fool In The Rain, All My Love
Led Zeppelin’s final studio album is dominated by the bass player, John Paul Jones, who wrote or co-wrote almost all of the songs. It’s more jazz tinged than their other records. And this record is generally regarded to be at or towards the least of the band’s albums (the other low-ranked album is Presence, which did not make my list due to its lack of radio hits). On the other hand this is Zeppelin; we’re grading on a scale here. This is a still a tremendous record in which every tune is pretty legendary.
In The Evening
A terrific hard rock song that feels like it could be part of Physical Graffiti. This is a personal favorite for me and typically makes many of my LZ playlists.
South Bound Suarez
Jones fools around with New Orleans style jazz. This tune was never my thing though a lot of people love it.
Fool In The Rain
Samba rhythm. This extraordinary song, which sounds like nothing else on rock or pop radio before or since, was Plant’s idea of the band “staying current”, which is interesting because I find it timeless. It’s hypnotic and mesmerizing and certainly a candidate for one of the band’s greatest ever songs (though admittedly that’s going to be a rather long list.)
Hot Dog
On the other hand this get my vote for worst LZ song ever. Plant’s Elvis imitation sounds ridiculous and the country “hoe-down” sound makes me somewhat ill to listen to. Awful.
Carouselambra
John Paul Jones’ magnum opus, a ten minute song featuring his wizardry on keyboards. Not anywhere near the top of my list of greatest “epic” songs by this band but once again that’s a pretty long damn list!
All My Love
I love this song and it was my wedding song. Though it was written, sadly, after the death of Plant’s son, I regard it as a classic love song. Just gorgeous to listen to; I’ve always thought so.
I’m Gonna Crawl
Though it’s really slow this is actually pretty much a blues song and is therefore, of all the songs on this record, probably the one most closely connected to the earlier output of this band. It’s a fitting final recording for one of the top 2-3 greatest rock bands of all time.
Classic Rock Radio hits: Fool In The Rain, All My Love
Led Zeppelin’s final studio album is dominated by the bass player, John Paul Jones, who wrote or co-wrote almost all of the songs. It’s more jazz tinged than their other records. And this record is generally regarded to be at or towards the least of the band’s albums (the other low-ranked album is Presence, which did not make my list due to its lack of radio hits). On the other hand this is Zeppelin; we’re grading on a scale here. This is a still a tremendous record in which every tune is pretty legendary.
In The Evening
A terrific hard rock song that feels like it could be part of Physical Graffiti. This is a personal favorite for me and typically makes many of my LZ playlists.
South Bound Suarez
Jones fools around with New Orleans style jazz. This tune was never my thing though a lot of people love it.
Fool In The Rain
Samba rhythm. This extraordinary song, which sounds like nothing else on rock or pop radio before or since, was Plant’s idea of the band “staying current”, which is interesting because I find it timeless. It’s hypnotic and mesmerizing and certainly a candidate for one of the band’s greatest ever songs (though admittedly that’s going to be a rather long list.)
Hot Dog
On the other hand this get my vote for worst LZ song ever. Plant’s Elvis imitation sounds ridiculous and the country “hoe-down” sound makes me somewhat ill to listen to. Awful.
Carouselambra
John Paul Jones’ magnum opus, a ten minute song featuring his wizardry on keyboards. Not anywhere near the top of my list of greatest “epic” songs by this band but once again that’s a pretty long damn list!
All My Love
I love this song and it was my wedding song. Though it was written, sadly, after the death of Plant’s son, I regard it as a classic love song. Just gorgeous to listen to; I’ve always thought so.
I’m Gonna Crawl
Though it’s really slow this is actually pretty much a blues song and is therefore, of all the songs on this record, probably the one most closely connected to the earlier output of this band. It’s a fitting final recording for one of the top 2-3 greatest rock bands of all time.
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zamboni
Footballguy
Can't say I'm a fan of this pick - it's a decent enough album, but you have six Led Zep albums alone that should go ahead of it (which I guess may happen here), not to mention so many other top notch albums among other artists.
timschochet
Footballguy
Really enjoying the comments so far. A couple thoughts:
1. I would divide this list into two halves: for the top half of this list, generally speaking, I doubt there will be very many challenges to the albums listed: all are considered classic and legendary by most people. The main question at that point will be, I think, the order of the rankings.
2. On the other hand, I would expect the bottom half of this list will receive a lot more challenges of the type we’ve already seen: “well OK I know the hits but I don’t regard this as a great album”. Which is perfectly fair. Though obviously I personally think these are all amazing records or they wouldn’t be here.
1. I would divide this list into two halves: for the top half of this list, generally speaking, I doubt there will be very many challenges to the albums listed: all are considered classic and legendary by most people. The main question at that point will be, I think, the order of the rankings.
2. On the other hand, I would expect the bottom half of this list will receive a lot more challenges of the type we’ve already seen: “well OK I know the hits but I don’t regard this as a great album”. Which is perfectly fair. Though obviously I personally think these are all amazing records or they wouldn’t be here.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Hell yeah. While many of the shorter songs may not be great standalone ones, they all combine to make SHA an awesome start to finish listen.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
I like In Through the Out Door a lot. Fool in the Rain is one of my favorite LZ songs, and the rest is all good.
Doug B
Footballguy
Despite its 70s vintage, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was a song I saw a jillion times on MTV before I ever heard it on the radio.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
love this album but wish they left Hot Dog off.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
new here?
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I'm with you on this. I like it better than Houses Of The Holy, for sure. Graffiti, too, on some days. Stick-A-Needle-In-My-Arm- Zep gets on my nerves sometimes. ITTOD is much more diverse than those LPs.
zamboni
Footballguy
I think it's often cited as the very first true video (probably debatable), excluding those promotional clips that artists used to release merely performing their songs.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I remember the Four Tops (I think) doing one in the 1960s where they were dressed up like cowboys. No clue what song it was for, though.
Doug B
Footballguy
The "Bohemian Rhapsody" single was a HUGE seller, even in the 70s. As you know, the Hot 100 combined airplay and sales metrics. It was probably played like a barely-Top-40 song, but sold like a song that would be #1 for six weeks running.
otb_lifer
Footballguy
up here in NYC, mid 70s, it were "Somebody to Love" that dominated Queen radio airplay, and it weren't close.
"Best Friend", "39", "Tie Yer Mutha" "Killer Q" all also played much more than "BR" during that run.
ETA: interestingly enuff, "BR" got more run on the top 40 AM stations than the AOR FM ones ... they would even tell you exactly when they were gonna spin it "Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen coming up in NINE MINUTES!!1!"
"Best Friend", "39", "Tie Yer Mutha" "Killer Q" all also played much more than "BR" during that run.
ETA: interestingly enuff, "BR" got more run on the top 40 AM stations than the AOR FM ones ... they would even tell you exactly when they were gonna spin it "Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen coming up in NINE MINUTES!!1!"
zamboni
Footballguy
I'm sure the song length scared away many of the top 40 stations, which is why most probably didn't hear it much beyond Casey Kasem on a weekly basis. Left mainly to the occasional playing by AOR stations, like otb said.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
It was a bigger deal in the UK than here, though still a decently big deal here.
In 1977, it tied for first with A Whiter Shade of Pale to win "The Best British Pop Single 1952–1977" at The Brit Awards.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
In Anarchy's Zep countdown, my ITTOD rankings included:
4. In the Evening
25. Fool in the Rain
26. Carouselambra (that is, it was my last cut)
All My Love is probably in my top 40 of theirs. South Bound Saurez (not Juarez) and I'm Gonna Crawl are just OK. Hot Dog is one of their worst songs.
Most bands never come close to making songs as adventurously successful as In the Evening, Fool in the Rain and Carouselambra. But things are inconsistent at best after those. Such is what happens when a great and famous band has its "needle in the arm" period.
4. In the Evening
25. Fool in the Rain
26. Carouselambra (that is, it was my last cut)
All My Love is probably in my top 40 of theirs. South Bound Saurez (not Juarez) and I'm Gonna Crawl are just OK. Hot Dog is one of their worst songs.
Most bands never come close to making songs as adventurously successful as In the Evening, Fool in the Rain and Carouselambra. But things are inconsistent at best after those. Such is what happens when a great and famous band has its "needle in the arm" period.
timschochet
Footballguy
Oops! Spellcheck error. Thx!
otb_lifer
Footballguy
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
Yeah I'd probably rank Presence a little higher just because it rocks more.
northern exposure
Footballguy
Are you insinuating that musicians were injecting themselves with drugs?
I always thought "The Needle And The Damage Done" was about not properly maintaining your turntable. Am I naive?
otb_lifer
Footballguy
Yeah I'd probably rank Presence a little higher just because it rocks more.
"Achilles Last Stand" alone wipes the deck with ITTOD
imo, of course.
it true, tho ...
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Vinyl junkies.
zamboni
Footballguy
Don’t make him feel like a heel.Yeah I'd probably rank Presence a little higher just because it rocks more.
"Achilles Last Stand" alone wipes the deck with ITTOD
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Houses of the Holy is one of my two favorite LZ records (II being the other), so I cannot get on board with you on that, but I will stick with defending In Through the Out Door.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Me too. Funny but I much prefer BTO to Queen
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
My #1 in Anarchy’s countdown. I think I was the only one to slot it there.Yeah I'd probably rank Presence a little higher just because it rocks more.
"Achilles Last Stand" alone wipes the deck with ITTOD
imo, of course.
it true, tho ...
timschochet
Footballguy
97. Stevie Nicks- Bella Donna (1981)
Classic Rock Hits: Edge Of Seventeen, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
Stevie Nick’s first solo album sounds a lot like her contributions to Fleetwood Mac: which means it sounds like some of the best rock music of the era. Working with some of the finest musicians around, this is a strong record even beyond the hits.
Bella Donna
This has always been one of my favorites by her. Highly melodic. An excellent start to the album.
Kind of Woman
A slow ballad, nothing spectacular but still very solid.
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
The only song on the album not composed by Stevie. Even without Tom Petty’s vocals, his writing style is pretty clearly recognizable. Mike Campbell’s guitar work is similar to “Refugee”. For my money this is one of the best rock team-ups of all time.
Think About It
Another of my personal favorites. Love the combination of Stevie’s distinctive vocals and great melodic rockers. Sounds a bit like her later “No Questions Asked” from a Fleetwood Mac greatest hits album (I love that song too).
After The Glitter Fades
A foray into country. It’s filler, but pretty good filler.
Edge of Seventeen
Stevie’s signature song is close to equal to her best work in Fleetwood Mac, though it definitely has a more 80s sound to it. That might be due to Waddy Wachtel’s excellent lead guitar which set the tone for a lot of music to come in the next decade. (Beginning with Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” a couple of years later.)
How Still My Love
The least interesting song on the record. Not terrible (nothing here is terrible) but nothing that stands out either.
Leather and Lace
Gorgeous ballad with Don Henley. One of her prettiest ever compositions. This song has gotten radio play over the years, but usually not on classic rock stations.
Outside the Rain
This is a really good deep cut rocker. She has such a strange voice but it sounds so good. Her backup singers are excellent as well.
The Highwayman
Another ballad to close out the record. Excellent harmonies here, and a sound I love.
Classic Rock Hits: Edge Of Seventeen, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
Stevie Nick’s first solo album sounds a lot like her contributions to Fleetwood Mac: which means it sounds like some of the best rock music of the era. Working with some of the finest musicians around, this is a strong record even beyond the hits.
Bella Donna
This has always been one of my favorites by her. Highly melodic. An excellent start to the album.
Kind of Woman
A slow ballad, nothing spectacular but still very solid.
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
The only song on the album not composed by Stevie. Even without Tom Petty’s vocals, his writing style is pretty clearly recognizable. Mike Campbell’s guitar work is similar to “Refugee”. For my money this is one of the best rock team-ups of all time.
Think About It
Another of my personal favorites. Love the combination of Stevie’s distinctive vocals and great melodic rockers. Sounds a bit like her later “No Questions Asked” from a Fleetwood Mac greatest hits album (I love that song too).
After The Glitter Fades
A foray into country. It’s filler, but pretty good filler.
Edge of Seventeen
Stevie’s signature song is close to equal to her best work in Fleetwood Mac, though it definitely has a more 80s sound to it. That might be due to Waddy Wachtel’s excellent lead guitar which set the tone for a lot of music to come in the next decade. (Beginning with Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” a couple of years later.)
How Still My Love
The least interesting song on the record. Not terrible (nothing here is terrible) but nothing that stands out either.
Leather and Lace
Gorgeous ballad with Don Henley. One of her prettiest ever compositions. This song has gotten radio play over the years, but usually not on classic rock stations.
Outside the Rain
This is a really good deep cut rocker. She has such a strange voice but it sounds so good. Her backup singers are excellent as well.
The Highwayman
Another ballad to close out the record. Excellent harmonies here, and a sound I love.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Interesting choice, I probably wouldn't have even thought of. I can't say I would agree with a placement in the Top 100 (think there's a lot of filler on this record) - but I'll revisit it.
I think I'll try and listen (or relisten) to each album you pick in order to be able to comment better - at one reveal a day, this shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish. I'll give the BTO one a listen later today.
I think I'll try and listen (or relisten) to each album you pick in order to be able to comment better - at one reveal a day, this shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish. I'll give the BTO one a listen later today.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
closest they got to prog rock.
rockaction
Footballguy
Misheard lyric:
Just like the right-wing dove that puts the calm into the sit-in
I said Oooh baby oooh ooooh
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I had always thought it was "one winged dove" - which is why he's spinning around chirping "ooh ooh ooh".
Doug B
Footballguy
Nicks wrote "Leather and Lace" to be the title track for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter's 1981 album Leather and Lace. Jennings had appreciated Nicks' work for some time. I never did learn why Jennings & Colter didn't end up using "Leather and Lace".
zamboni
Footballguy
Very strong album - almost certainly the best solo Fleetwood Mac effort (Bob Welch’s French Kiss is probably up there, too). Agree that the title track is probably the standout.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Kashmir and In the Light say hi. Also, Achilles Last Stand may have been the birth of prog metal.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Me too!
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I'll stand by my statement
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