The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has lost it’s way. Obviously. I don’t think is can carry the importance it deserves when it allows entry to artists that have zero to do with Rock and Roll.
I really don’t need to go over the inductees that don’t warrant entry again. I think most of my readers will agree. I think everyone agrees that certain artist should be in and for whatever reason, they are not. Shame on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I write this column on Friday’s to possibly give my readers exposure to some songs they haven’t heard in a while or have never heard. I love getting feedback about these rarities. I also love getting suggestions for other songs that I may have forgotten about as well.
I may have brought this up a few years ago but I do think that there should be a Rock and Roll Album Hall of Fame. I know the concept of an album is fading with this new generation and thats a shame because think about it, what a great feeling it was to drop the needle down on side one of The Who’s Live at Leeds or The Beatle’s Revolver album, for the first time. I know for me, that was a magical experience.
We grew up with FM radio playing the same cuts from the same albums over and over again. Let’s be honest, how many times have you heard “Do you Feel Like I Do” from Frampton Comes Alive? It exposed us to the songs that the program directors thought would be the most approachable from any one album and left the rest of the album to the overnight DJ’s.
Now, back then, I was up almost every night and I would get to hear a more diverse collection of music from popular albums and that experience led me to buy the actual album. I was not the kid who spent 7.89 for an album to hear one song. I was too cheap.
The only exception was Iron Butterfly’s Inn-a-godda-da-vida album. 17 minutes of pure pyschodelia. Well worth it for sure.
Those hidden, or rarely played songs are the main reason I write this column and I hope it brings back some solid memories.
What I am going to revisit today is my list of Greatest Rock Albums of All Time. I started this a while ago and frankly I can’t remember the albums I included on this list so if there is a repeat or two, I apologize.
In no particular order.
I am no critic and I do not understand the complexities of composition or arrangement but I do know what I like and I do know what I think is great and to start, I will have to start with the Beatles.
You could put at least five albums on this list but I chose The Beatles White Album. I know all the critics and really smart people say it would be a tossup between Sgt. peppers and Revolver but for me, The White Album is still my favorite. There isn’t one weak song or filler song on this album and it must be played in the exact order that The Beatles lined it up on vinyl. “The End” should be the end.
The Rolling Stones are another group that could potentially put five or six albums on this list but I will go out on a limb and put Some Girls at the top. Even though I will go to my grave saying that “Sympathy For The Devil” is the greatest rock and roll song ever, I don’t think Beggar’s Banquet is as good as many other Stones albums. Back to Some Girls. This was one of the few Stones albums where Mick Jagger was the principle architect. Apparently, Keith was in some legal trouble and he was MIA for most of the writing. However, when they did have Keith’s services, he was in true Keith Richards form. I can still listen to this album and still find it fresh and interesting and yes, I have heard “Miss You” three million times and counting, I can still enjoy it like the first timeI heard it. One side note, find the extended version of “Miss You”, it’s better than the original.
To Mix it up, I will include Boston’s debut album here. Another album that really doesn’t have any weak tracks and to think that this was a debut album just makes it more special. I will go as far as say it may be one of the top ten greatest debuts of any genre.
Back to the biggies. Led Zeppelin has an incredible catalog of music. Critics have always had a mixed reaction to the band but not me. The first 6 albums Zeppelin released are all classics in my mind and it is very hard to pick a favorite but I will go with Led Zeppelin II. So many mixed styles and Plant’s voice was never better. I love every song on this album and still play it regularly.
Now comes the hardest one of them all, The Who. Let me preface this by saying The Who has always been my favorite band so picking the best is not easy. I would like to say Quadrophenia but that pushes Who’s Next to second and I just can’t do that. Who’s Next is one of the greatest albums ever recorded and it holds up probably better than any other album on this list.
I am no Bob Dylan fan for sure but Blood on The Tracks is a monumental achievement for one of the greatest artists of this or any generation. I get his importance, I just never got him but yet, I could listen to this album endlessly. Pain, heartbreak, stories of redemption, stories of history. This album is a rarity in Dylan’s catalog, it smacks you in the face where most of his stuff has to be teased out to find the true meaning. There is none of that on this record.
I rarely ever mention Billy Joel in these columns and I really am not sure why I don’t. I love Billy Joel and he is a Long Island boy so there is that also but he is a great songwriter and a great entertainer and he has so many great songs it is hard to pinpoint the album with the best selection but I will go with 52nd Street. From “Stiletto” to the title track, Joel shows his versatility and his ability to expand from that Pop thing he was being pigeon holed into. The Stranger is a classic and to follow it up with this album is amazing.
I try not to put Live albums on a list like this but there are certain exceptions and this one might be a tad unfair because it was a unique performance but I think it stands out above almost every other live album in it’s importance. With the passing of Robbie Robertson, I started to reassess what I liked about The Band and there really was a lot to like but if you look at almost everyone of their albums, they have three or four songs that are really good and the rest, meh. The Last Waltz is not like that. It is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name and the performances are incredible. The movie is great. It is a classic concert film and should not be missed but this album has The Band, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. Whew.
Pronounced Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd is also a debut album that could be on my top ten list of debut albums. Long one of my favorite bands, it took me a while to decide which album would fit this narrow list and I don’t think you can argue with this choice. I mean, forget that “Free Bird” has been beaten to death as much as “Stairway To Heaven”, it’s still a great song and “Tuesday’s Gone” come on, who can argue this one. “Poison Whiskey” is the only filler song and it’s a pretty good song.
I know I have previously written about Aja by Steely Dan but after seeing some documentary on Netflix or Hulu or Prime or Max, I wanted to reiterate how good this album is. I don’t think there is a weak track on the entire album and there are maybe 4 classic songs on it to boot. Watching the documentary you see how detailed Walter Becker and Donald Fagan are. Just think about this, Michael Macdonald (From The Doobie Brothers) was backing vocals on Peg. This is one of the true masterpieces of rock and roll.
👍You hit it! Another musical weekend ahead. Me, I'm a Dave Mason fan and All Along the Watchtower wouldn't be in this category but, it can haunt you;)