Top 40 All time Rock Songs
40. "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," Night Ranger
39. "Cumbersome," Seven Mary Three
38. "Trampled Underfoot," Led Zeppelin
37. "Back In Black," AC/DC
36. "Sweet Emotion," Aerosmith
35. "One," Metallica
34. "Black And Blue," Van Halen
33. "Live And Let Die," Guns 'N Roses
32. "Everybody Wants You," Billy Squier
31. "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)," by Quiet Riot
39. "Cumbersome," Seven Mary Three
38. "Trampled Underfoot," Led Zeppelin
37. "Back In Black," AC/DC
36. "Sweet Emotion," Aerosmith
35. "One," Metallica
34. "Black And Blue," Van Halen
33. "Live And Let Die," Guns 'N Roses
32. "Everybody Wants You," Billy Squier
31. "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)," by Quiet Riot
If you're in the dark as to what's going on, please refer to Tuesday's first half of the show for the qualifications and my self-imposed limitations during the selection process and breakdown of my results.
30. "Cat Scratch Fever," Ted Nugent
"Comedown" by Bush is fantastic song, but that swaggering riff from Uncle Ted remains one of the best ever.
29. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," Jet
Much better than the Gunners "You Could Be Mine" and Autograph's "Turn Up the Radio."
28. "Foolin'," Def Leppard
While Cream's "Crossroads" is hard to pass over, I think Joe Elliott and crew beat both it and Metallica's lackluster "The Memory Remains."
27. "Kickstart My Heart," Motley Crue
It stomps out its contemporaries "Down Boys" by Warrant and "Up All Night" by Slaughter.
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I'll take this one over Winger's "Seventeen" and Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero."
25. "Rock You Like a Hurricane," Scorpions
I could only find this one and the KISS classic "Christine Sixteen." There could have been 100 eligible for this position to go up against this riff and it wouldn't have mattered.
24. "Fat Bottomed Girls," Queen
This one trumps the other eligible stadium-rocker released in the same year, Heart's "Heartless."
23. "Fantasy," Aldo Nova
Beats the weaker competition of Aerosmith's "Come Together" and AC/DC's "Moneytalks."
Beats the weaker competition of Aerosmith's "Come Together" and AC/DC's "Moneytalks."
22. "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," Smashing Pumpkins
A great song whose only competition for this slot is Aerosmith's "The Other Side."
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'80's glam-rock beats out the '70s entries "Blue Collar Man" by Styx and "Last Child" by Aerosmith.
20. "Run Runaway," Slade
The band that is often covered beats out the artist that covers often, Joan Jett doing Gary Glitter's "Do You Wanna Touch."
19. "Don't Treat Me Bad," Firehouse
Here's another battle between contemporaries. I'll eliminate Def Leppard's "Animal" (need them later in the list) and I like it better than Motley Crue's "Don't Go Away Mad."
18. "Far Behind," Candlebox
Only two eligible for this position but the candidates are strong. This selection could be easily interchanged with Ram Jam's "Black Betty" depending on the mood.
17. "The Stroke," Billy Squier
Another weak position, but this one is much better than Aerosmith's "Rag Doll."
16. "Enter Sandman," Metallica
Can we all agree this one is a slam-dunk? I wish it would have charted at No. 17 for this list's sake; otherwise it's between "Calling Dr. Love" by KISS and Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" for this position.
15. "Black Dog," Led Zeppelin
Zep stands alone over Def Leppard's "Let's Get Rocked" after getting trounced for the No. 16 position.
14. "Summertime Blues," Blue Cheer
The first heavy-metal single to chart back in 1968. Its only other competition is Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)."
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It was almost a coin flip between this one and "Panama" by Van Halen. They both beat out Bad Company's "Rock And Roll Fantasy."
12. "Rock And Roll All Nite (Live)," KISS
The studio version of this song originally peaked at No. 68 a year earlier, but the live version reached No. 12. Also contending for the spot are Ratt's "Round and Round" and Def Leppard's "Photograph."
11. "Barracuda," Heart
Another weak position but the competition wouldn't have mattered. Heavily beats out Collective Soul's "Shine" and Kix's power ballad "Don't Close Your Eyes."
10. "Call Me When You're Sober," Evanescence
One of the best songs from the last decade. It edges out both Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and Warrant's "Cherry Pie."
9. "Hocus Pocus," Focus
The riff, the drums and the yodeling by the Dutch group edges out Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" and beats Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You."
8. "Close My Eyes Forever," Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne
It could easily be either the Clash classic "Rock the Casbah" or White Lion's "Wait," but I'll take two artists represented for the price of one song.
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A strong position which also includes Alice Cooper's "School's Out" and GN'R's "Welcome to the Jungle". I'm reserving G'N'R for higher up, though.
6. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana
Three viable candidates but I'll take this one over both "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue and Poison's "Nothin' But a Good Time."
5. "Bring Me to Life," Evanescence
Heavier than both but just as enjoyable as "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot and "Paradise City" by GN'R. Amy Lee's vocal performance on this track is one of the best I've ever heard.
4. "Smoke On the Water," Deep Purple
This timeless riff beats out another, Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," and both beat out Skid Row's "18 And Life."
3. "Why Can't This Be Love," Van Halen
This one beat out Poison's "Unskinny Bop" by a coin flip. Lengthy power ballad "November Rain" by Axl & crew also qualifies here.
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This high position happens to be a weak field for hard rock, this timeless singalong beats out the Steppenwolf anthem "Born To Be Wild."
1. "Sweet Child O' Mine," Guns N' Roses
This spot is a wasteland for hard-rock acts not named Bon Jovi. I would've liked to put Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again," but it's the horrible watered-down remix that charted No. 1, not the heavier version. While Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Living On a Prayer" are great No. 1 songs they both seem interchangeable to me so the Gunners get the top spot.
Top 40 Music Albums by Chicago Artists
As the magazine’s 40th anniversary approaches, we rank the 40 best albums ever by Chicago artists
This list of the 40 greatest Chicago records of all time raises a million questions, including: What counts as a “Chicago record”? What does “greatest” mean? And just who do we think we are? We classify a Chicago record as a non classical recording by an artist who is local by birthright or who adopted Chicago as home—or at least lived in town at the time the recording was made. As for picking the greatest, we sifted through thousands of full-length albums to choose 40 that were influential, successful, or musically accomplished, or that effectively captured a time and place (and, in some rare cases, all of the above). If you don’t like our choices, tell us why in the comments below. And if you’re Liz Phair, call us. We miss you.
40. Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965) From the gritty opening track, “Born in Chicago,” this brash white-boy blues album pays respect to—and broadens—one of the city’s finest exports.
39. The Buckinghams: Kind of a Drag (1967) In Chicago, the summer of love belonged to The Buckinghams, whose sunshiny, horn-driven pop ruled the airwaves all year.
38. Local H: Pack Up the Cats (1998) The Underrated Chicago Band That Should Have Been Huge hit its stride with this funny, relentlessly rocking song cycle.
37. The Impressions: The Young Mods’ Forgotten Story (1969) This criminally forgotten record’s soulful love songs and forceful black empowerment messages are horn-dominated mini pop concertos.
36. The Karol Stoch Band: Fire in the Mountains: Polish Mountain Fiddle Music, Volume 1 (1997) It would be a stretch to call it influential, but Stoch’s raw recordings from the late 1920s captured the spirit of Chicago’s burgeoning Polish community.
35. The Staple Singers: Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (1972) The spiritual-based band that grew up with Chicago reached a pinnacle (critically and commercially) with this cheery slice of gospel-influenced soul.
34. Screeching Weasel: My Brain Hurts (1991) On the strength of this comical toe-tapper, Prospect Heights’ nineties answer to the Ramones assumed their throne in the kingdom of pop/punk.
33. The Ramsey Lewis Trio: The In Crowd (1965) Recorded live at an intimate lounge in Washington, D.C., Lewis’s exuberant piano-driven jazz thrills the crowd and all but leaps off the record.
32. Eleventh Dream Day: Prairie School Freakout (1988) A blistering declaration of college-radio rock, recorded in one day, EDD’s dual guitar attack and heartfelt vocals never sounded better.
31. Koko Taylor: Koko Taylor (1969) All the early hits from the quintessential South Side female blues belter, during an era when her sturdy voice could power a freight train.
30. The Jesus Lizard: Goat (1991) The definitive album on Chicago’s legendary Touch and Go Records, this noisy assault sounds just as twisted and ferocious today as it did 19 years ago.
29. Muddy Waters: Folk Singer (1964) Waters shocked the blues world by unplugging his guitar and going back to his Delta roots with this exceptional acoustic album.
28. Grupo Montéz de Durango: De Durango a Chicago (2003) This rollicking release by Stone Park’s granddaddies of the Duranguense movement—a Chicago-based interpretation of Mexican mountain music—
is impossible not to dance to.
is impossible not to dance to.
27. Styx: Paradise Theater (1981) The Roseland group’s peculiar marriage of hard rock and over-the-top theatricality finally jelled on this loosely defined—but immensely successful—concept album.
26. The DJ Fast Eddie: Jack to the Sound (1988) A fixture on the house music scene, Fast Eddie’s best songs (all recorded here) merged acid house and hip-hop with a pop sensibility.
25. Material Issue: International Pop Overthrow (1991) One of the great power pop bands of the nineties, MI’s first full-length album is full of taut, melodic three-minute songs about girls.
24. Howlin’ Wolf: Howlin’ Wolf (1962) “The Rockin’ Chair Album,” as it’s also known, is filled with raunchy, roaring, electric Chicago blues belted by the genre’s most fearsome presence.
23. The Chi-Lites: (For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People (1971) This smooth, socially conscious soul record is packed with lilting harmonies, lush ballads, and optimistic entreaties for world peace.
22. Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006) Case’s dazzling voice rages and aches and soars all over this twangy, bittersweet triumph.
21. Mahalia Jackson: Newport 1958 (1959) If you’re not moved by this passionate concert, which captures Chatham’s Queen of Gospel nearing 50 and still remarkable, there’s no hope for you.
20. Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor (2006) Fiasco’s hyperliterate rush of words touches on everything from Islam to skateboards and demonstrates hip-hop’s infinite potential.
19. Ministry: The Land of Rape and Honey (1988) Creepy vocals, grinding guitars, jackhammer beats: This is the one that paved the way for a zillion industrial metal bands, for better or worse.
18. R. Kelly: 12 Play (1993) This smash made Kelly a legend in the R & B world with soulful songs that detailed the Roseland native’s sexual prowess—and became vaguely creepy in retrospect.
17. Chicago Transit Authority: Chicago Transit Authority (1969) Spanning progressive rock and jazz fusion before either sank into self-indulgence, this ambitious double album stayed on the charts for three years.
16. Big Black: Atomizer (1986) Steve Albini’s masterpiece is snide, brutal, and intelligent—i.e. everything to which eighties post-hardcore aspired.
15. Earth, Wind & Fire: That’s the Way of the World (1975) A danceable hybrid of soul, funk, Latin, and disco that went triple platinum and produced what Rolling Stone called “makeout music of the gods.”
14. Cheap Trick: Cheap Trick (1977) Too polished for the punks and too raw for the radio, this goofy, hooky debut documents a band untethered, before they knew how good they were.
13. Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage (1965) Essential to any jazz collection, this was the modal jazz groundbreaker that showed Hancock—an alum of Hyde Park High—wasn’t just Miles Davis’s pianist.
12. Tortoise: Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996) Smarter than a Mensa meeting and odder than a Lynch film, this unlikely brew of jazz, dub, krautrock, and chamber music generates a wistfully weird mood.
11. John Prine: John Prine (1971) Critics crowned the 24-year-old former Maywood mailman “the next Bob Dylan” for this brilliantly written country/folk debut. He almost was.
10. Kanye West: The College Dropout (2004) Wherein the Oak Lawn kid fulfilled his tremendous promise with intelligent, tongue-twisting rhymes and versatile MC skills.
9. Andrew Bird: The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005) Bird’s mellow, atmospheric tour de force gleefully thumbs its nose at any genre labels—and mesmerizes for 53 minutes.
8. Louis Armstrong: The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings(2000) If you want to know where jazz came from, this treasure-trove of recordings from 1925 to 1929 (when Chicago was the jazz epicenter) is a good place to start.
7. Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville (1993) Equal parts cryptic and desperately blunt, this New Trier grad’s lo-fi indie classic pulses with a deadpan humor and anger that few have ever matched on record.
6. Curtis Mayfield: Superfly (1972) Mayfield’s funky grooves and gritty stories—reflecting his upbringing in the Cabrini-Green projects—captured the sound of inner-city streets without moralizing or glorifying.
5. Muddy Waters: The Chess Box (1989) This 72-song boxed set spanning 25 years is the only way to do justice to the man who, in all his swampy slide-guitar glory, basically invented Chicago blues.
4. Naked Raygun: All Rise (1986) Spawning imitators around town, this artsy, hardcore album throbs with old-school, muscular punk rock—and brains to boot.
3. Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream (1993) Billy Corgan’s attempt to one-up Nirvana resulted in one of the decade’s definitive discs: heavy, dreamy, and layered in sonic noise, it nearly succeeded.
2. Willie Dixon: The Chess Box (1988) The definitive Chicago blues compilation: 36 Dixon-penned classics played by Chess Records’ legendary performers, including Dixon—the best blues songwriter ever.
1. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) Wilco overcame drug problems, infighting, and record-label drama to create an unforgettable album that will define Chicago for generations of music fans. A lush, chaotic record that only gets better with time (and repeated spins), YHF’s weary forays into psychedelia and noise inadvertently caught the post-9/11 anguish better than any other album.
SOURCE http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/April-2010/40-Best-Music-Albums-by-Chicago-Artists/
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