Best Rock Bands A-Z Tier 1 Part I

Aerosmith


The Beatles


Creedence Clearwater Revival


The Doors


Eagles


Fleetwood Mac


Grateful Dead


Heart


Iron Maiden


The Jimi Hendrix Experience


The Kinks


Led Zeppelin


Metallica


Nirvana

Best Rock Bands A-Z Tier 1 Part II

Ozzy Osbourne


Pink Floyd


Queen


Rolling Stones


Steve Miller Band


Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers


U2


Van Halen


The Who


X - any ideas?

Yes


ZZ Top

Top 5 Acoustic Guitar Intros!

1. Over the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin)

Not much has to be said about any songs by Led Zeppelin.





2. Roundabout (Yes)

Perfect intro to an awesome song.





3. Crazy On You (Heart)

These girls could play.





4. The Trees (Rush)

Yet another Rush classic.





5. Life's A Long Song (Jethro Tull)

One of Tull's best.





Those are my Top 5. I can think of some others worthy of being on the list, but I will leave it at that. If you feel like there is one that DEFINITELY deserves to be on the list, leave a comment!

The Great Misdirect Review

When Between the Buried and Me went into the studio this June, they had a serious challenge ahead of them; recording the follow-up to Colors. How were they supposed to top what was basically a 64 minute death metal epic that also explored bluegrass, jazz, cabaret, and more? They answered with The Great Misdirect, and it doesn’t disappoint. In many ways, this album feels like Colors 2.0, both sonically and structurally. It opens with a soft buildup reminiscent of “Foam Born”, explores genres outside of the realm of metal, and ends with a long epic. However, this album is more “out there” than any of their previous releases. It is easily their least-heavy album to date, but they still preserve their death metal roots in songs like “Obfuscation” and “Disease, Injury, Madness” with their crushing guitar riffs, growling vocals, and thundering double bass drumming. The best way to describe the sound of the album would be if King Crimson joined forces with Slayer. Some highlights of the album are the solo in “Obfuscation”, not quite on par with “Selkies: the Endless Obsession”, but sounds very exotic and flows well. Also, Paul Waggoner reveals his vocal talents on “Desert of Song”, which is a nice break between “Fossil Genera – A Feed From Cloud Mountain” and “Swim to the Moon”. This brings me to my next point; the unavoidable comparison between “Swim to the Moon” and “White Walls”. Both Colors and The Great Misdirect end with an epic, but in my eyes, “White Walls” takes the cake. Don’t get me wrong, “Swim to the Moon” is excellent, from its King Crimson-esqe intro up until the final scream (Swim to the moooon!!), the song rocks. But it is lacking the raw emotion of “White Walls”, and it can’t compare with the incredible outro solo, in fact, “Swim to the Moon” doesn’t even feel like it has an ending, the music just sort of stops. Overall, even if you aren’t a fan of BTBAM, this album is definitely worth checking out, Tommy’s vocals are better on this album than any other, and the compositions are nothing short of mind boggling.

Tabor's Rating: 8.5/10

Bill Wyman

Happy birthday to Bill Wyman, former bassist of the Rolling Stones!!!

Thought I would pick a Stones song with a nice bassline...


73 years old and STILL going strong on the bass with his band Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.


Did you know...

Wyman enjoys archaeology as a hobby, and even has a signature metal detector on the market!



Happy 73rd to Bill Wyman!

October 22, 2009; Happy Birthday to...

Bobby Fuller of the Bobby Fuller Four, Leslie West, guitarist of Mountain, and Greg Hawkes, keyboardist of The Cars!!!

A classic by Bobby Fuller:



A Mountain classic...



And finally a Cars tune:



All three of these artists played integral rolls in their respective groups. Bobby Fuller led the Bobby Fuller Four, Leslie West gave Mountain its sound with his distinctive guitar playing, and Greg Hawkes contributed to The Cars' unmistakeable sound.

Happy Birthday to Steve Lukather!

Today, October 21, 2009, is Steve Lukather's 52nd birthday! Steve is mostly known for being the lead guitarist of Toto, the 80s hitmaking band. He is also one of the best session men, frequently playing for other artists on their albums. Here is some of his guitar work:

Hold the Line by Toto


Physical by Olivia Newton-John



A couple awesome solos there by Steve...anyway, happy 52nd!

Changes

Relating back to my last post, I just listened to "Hang On Sloopy" by The McCoys, realizing that Rick Derringer was on lead vocals. Just listen to the difference between his young, mid-60s voice, and his 1973 voice. It is amazing that his album All American Boy, containing "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo," was released only eight years after "Hang On Sloopy" was the number one song in America.

McCoys Derringer:



Eight short years later:



You really have to listen to both a few times to notice the resemblance. It is most noticable in the softer parts of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo." Just goes to show how some artists changed their sound so much over the years that they became unrecognizable to their original fans. Genesis is another good example of this:


Original Genesis (22 minute progressive masterpiece "Supper's Ready" off of Foxtrot from 1972):

This is only a six minute excerpt.


Invisible Touch Genesis:



Two different bands if you ask me. Or should I say that one is Genesis and the other is Phil Collins.

My Top 5 70's Rock One-Hit Wonders

The following are songs from bands that became famous from a SINGLE SONG!





1. Stuck In the Middle With You by Stealers Wheel


Everybody who hasn't been hiding under a rock for their entire life has heard this song multiple times.



2. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo by Rick Derringer


I bet you didn't know Rick Derringer got his start with the McCoys (Hang on Sloopy)! I wouldn't have thought so either. Hang on Sloopy actually does have a pretty nice guitar solo.



3. Magic by Pilot


A surprising amount of people my age know this song solely because of the "Happy Gilmore" soundtrack. An awesome song, though.



4. Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenmaum


Another one of those songs that the entire population knows but has no idea who sings it.



5. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon


One of my favorite songs of all time! Amazingly hilarious lyrics; this one makes me laugh everytime I hear it.



Honorable mentions:


Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass

Hocus Pocus by Focus

Smokin' in the Boys Room by Brownsville Station

Ride Captain Ride by Blues Image

Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest

Convoy by C.W. McCall

Black Betty by Ram Jam

Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry

My Favorite Basslines!

1. Red Barchetta - Rush (Geddy Lee)



An amazing bassline that builds up intensity until the awesome bass solo at the end.



2. Eminence Front - The Who (John Entwistle)



The first two minutes may be bland, but once the chorus hits Thunderfingers goes all
out.



3. Roundabout - Yes (Chris Squire)



The main bass riff in this song is perhaps one of the best and most recognizable of all time.



4. Shubada Du Ma Ma - Steve Miller Band (Gerald Johnson)



One of the best bass solos ever in my opinion. Oh, and the rest of the bassline is pretty damn good too.



5. Tell Me Baby - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Flea)



Flea is an excellent bassist, and I think this bassline represents some of his best work.



6. YYZ - Rush (Geddy Lee)



Yes, I have two Rush songs in my top six because Geddy Lee is such an amazing bassist.



7. Tommy the Cat - Primus (Les Claypool)



Listening to this song and Les' bassline just makes me happy.



8. Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire (Verdine White)



A simple bassline, but it just sounds right with the rest of the song.



9. The Fish - Yes (Chris Squire)



Another masterpiece of a bassline by Chris Squire.



10. Chris and Kevin's Excellent Adventure - Liquid Tension Experiment (Tony Levin)



The bassist who has worked with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel is back to play more tasty basslines with Liquid Tension Experiment.



11. Thank You - Sly & The Family Stone (Larry Graham)



Here is a nice example of some early slapping.



12. My Generation - The Who (John Entwistle)



Just a classic; Entwistle was a god on the bass.



13. Panic Attack - Dream Theater (John Myung)



One of the best bass intros ever. John Myung is revolutionizing the instrument.



14. Hitch a Ride - Boston (Fran Sheehan)



An awesome song by Boston. It is more well-known for its two minute long guitar solo at the end, but the bassline is this song is second to none.



15. Can I Play With Madness - Iron Maiden (Fran Sheehan)



Steve Harris' best bassline in my opinion.




All of these bassline are awesome! I know there are more, and I have an endless list of ones I left out. I may do another list of my favorite basslines sometime soon. Please leave me your comments and opinions and give me some of your favorites!

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. When there is a big story in sports or something about music that I want to talk about, this is where it will be!

I am a big UConn Basketball and Football fan, Steelers fan, Penguins fan, and Yankees fan. Don't care too much for the NBA, though I like the Bulls.

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