OK…
Let’s get the formalities over with. My List of the Best Groups and Artists will not be a pure ranking as both Rolling Stone & Zack has done… admirable efforts on both parts. I won’t even come close to listing 100… not by a mile, sorry. But I will try to give a mostly literate exposition on those included herein.
Ranking them into a “top 100”? It just ain’t me.
Next… I really have to tip my hat to Zack who has acquired and impressive knowledge of music that extends over decades and music trends. I am envious. You will note from my listing that I suffer from Arrested Development (I think that might actually be the name of a group; but in my case it refers to the fact that I didn’t reach puberty ’til the age of 34).
“My Music” saturation took place from just before entering college to just after leaving it. I continue to love music, particularly from that era… and there are tunes that catch my ear today from the newer groups and artists… I am less attached to them and not as familiar with their body of work or performance… so in most cases, for me, they are the music equivalent of a “one night stand”. Sorry.
So… for my purposes the list below is purely personal and is not an attempt to create a true hierarchy. I have organized my list as follows… there is a Number 1, then a group of “Biggies” with no numeric ranking, followed by a group of “Premiums”, similarly with no numeric ranking, and then a special category of “Sure They’re Great”; but I simply don’t care for them all that much, regardless of how great they were or are.
I will have a few comments on the other side…
THE GROUPS & ARTISTS
Number One.
The Rolling Stones. The first record I owned was Flower Drum Song. OK, I loved Broadway stage productions, and still do… shoot me. I ignored popular music for years, in much the same way that I turned my back to the other “teen age” things that my peers were involved in. It was finally in 1966 when I discovered two things… girls (and that be Ellen) and rock music (and that be the Rolling Stones). I listened to the Stones for the first time over at Gary Moss’. My first two rock albums were Aftermath and High Tide & Green Grass.
Ellen and the Stones…it was a good year… I was lucky on both accounts.
Back then you more or less made a choice between loving the Stones or the Beatles… in much the same way growing up in New Haven you made a choice for pizza between Pepe’s or Sally’s.
For some reason I rejected the more polished image of the Beatles for the more rustic edgy look of the Stones. But more important I preferred their music… more bluesy. I also preferred Jagger’s rich vocal to the pretty harmonies of the Beatles.
Their body of work is tremendous…and at this point you can pick songs from five different decades and applaud their continued musicianship. Satisfaction was an anthem for a generation… but from their earlier book I loved the dark Paint it Black with Brian Jones picking up the sitar (which if memory serves preceded George Harrison doing the same thing), or Under My Thumb. I think I could listen to those two songs back to back into eternity.
Gimme Shelter is a song that both Zack and I have singled out as their best.
But don’t forget this… they put on outstanding concerts… over five decades… they have never stopped being a live band (although I have never seen them). Next, Jagger and Richard wrote some impressive music. Next, they knew what songs to cover… and they knocked the shit out of those songs. Next, they are great musicians. Jones was terrific, followed by Mick Taylor and then Ron Wood on guitar… all first rate. Charlie Watts has to be the most under rated drummer in the business. Wyman was more than capable and his bass riff on Satisfaction gives me chills. And Keith Richard is a living monument to how far you can go on drugs and expensive cognac.
The Biggies
The Who. I was lucky to have seen The Who pre-Tommy, Tommy & post Tommy. What a group, what a sound generated by just three musicians (only to be surpassed by the Cream live). I don’t think I will ever see a drummer hit the skins as hard as Keith Moon. The album Who’s Next maybe be the most complete and perfect rock album ever made.
Cream. I had the chance to see them on their farewell tour. My gosh, I hesitate using the label because there was a group known as T-Rex… but the Cream was the Tyrannosaurus Rex of their brief day. Nobody, and I mean nobody could match them. Clapton, who is God, on guitar; Ginger Baker on drums… his drum kit looked like a redoubt; and the best bass player on the planet in Jack Bruce. He also sported choir quality tenor vocals. Crossroads has to be the finest live recording ever made.
Traffic. Without Dave Mason their sound was more economical, with him they added a dimension that mirrored what happened when Neil Young was added to CSN… they got a guitar, a vocal and another songwriter. Still the group will be remembered as a show piece for Steve Winwood. Is there an instrument he couldn’t play? The John Barleycorn Must Die album is superior stuff, sans Mr. Mason.
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. The alumni of this band reads like a Who’s Who of musicians. Let’s begin with guitar legends like Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor… on Bass we’ll put John McVie and on drums Mick Fleetwood. His bands always featured talented musicians who really could play. Their playlist was a combination of covers, which they handled almost without equal, and Mayall originals. I have always enjoyed the “music” behind Mayall’s tunes… some of the subject matter and lyrics didn’t hit the mark for me. You know the “blues” should be about women who did us wrong & not environmental issues like dirty water. Still his bands always cooked… and my goodness, the guy is a legend.
Kinks. As much as I loved the Stones, it is this group that I am sorry that I have missed seeing live. I understand that Ray Davies was famous for coming on stage after consuming copious quantities of Jack Daniels or Chivas Regal and then performing thru an alcoholic haze. Be that as it may, they were a terrific group from the get go… You Really Got Me, All Day and All of the Night and Tired of Waiting For You were great songs; but their niche developed in social commentary… Dedicated Follower of Fashion and Well Respected Man and then Victoria on their opus Arthur — Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire.
The Animals. If Gary Moss was the person who introduced me to the Stones, it was Art Riccio who introduced me to the Animals. And I include them in this august group of “Biggies” because of Eric Burden and his monster treatment of It’s My Life, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood and the ultimate slow song of my era House of the Rising Sun. Burden’s later effort in War, or as a cheerleader for Jimi Hendrix do not diminish his work with the original Animals. They performed at Union the year before I got there. Shame.
B.B. King. What a voice, rich, round & silky. He had great emotion in his renditions and marvelous vocal phrasing. And, by the by, he could play a little guitar here and there. I have seen him play at Fillmore East and most recently at the Stamford Palace; but it was seeing him at Union that was the best. In between sets I summoned the courage to go back stage to shake his hand. And what a hand it is… it completely encompassed mine. I put it right up there with shaking Johnny Unitas’ hand. And the thrill is not gone!
Police. This is a group from my “post college” days. Don’t ask me when I first heard them, or what I first heard them play. But this became evident… I thought that Sting was a good vocalist, and I liked every song I listened to. It’s that simple. So what if I can’t tell you who the other band members are, or anything else about them. Message in the Bottle is a monster track.
Simon and Garfunkel. I think that Paul Simon is a brilliant songwriter… a talent that extended beyond his association with Art Garfunkel. But the music written for their “group” that featured the high parts for Garfunkel is extraordinary. Bridge Over Troubled Water and For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her are masterpieces for Garfunkel’s clear voice. In their collection of work I don’t think there has ever been better vocal harmonies. And in terms of “poetry” for my time there is a marvelous line in Sounds of Silence: “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and the tenement halls.”
Billy Joel. I think it was about a year ago that I caught a Billy Joel concert on the tube. It might have been with Elton John or with another piano player who was going to perform his classical music. No matter. But here comes Joel on stage, and he brings a humongus 3 ring binder with his music & proceeds to sit down at the piano and play thru some of his tunes. He would leaf thru the book, and then on a whim he would say… “oh, here’s a good one…” In reality there was never a bad one… and without hesitation you can pick favorites that span eras of his musical log. Zack and I both pick Scenes From an Italian Restaurant… and I have a huge sentimental weakness for his Lullaby… it’s the song I danced to with Shaina at her Bat Mitzvah.
James Taylor. His voice is so good it’s scary. And I don’t think he has dropped an inch in quality in 35+ years. His music has always soothed my spirit, and treat of treats I will finally get a chance to see him live. I just picked up tickets for his gig at Jones Beach this summer. And this is not really important… he looked good when he was young with long hair… and he looks good today mostly bald… and the smile is just the same!
Dire Straits. Sultan of Swing… Sultan of Swing… Sultan of Swing. If for no other reason, I think I would put this group here. It is one of my favorite tunes… and it emerged in my post-college days. Mark Knopfler is the only name connected to band that means anything to me… he is the song writer and I believe the lead guitar and vocalist. I love the throaty sound to his voice and the more I listened to their music, the more I liked their sound… to a point where a week does not go by when I don’t listen to the Money For Nothing album. Every song save Twisting by the Pool a winner.
Joe Cocker. This is a late entry. I have been listening to Joe Cocker Ultimate Collection over and over again. The tracks are ordered chronologically and I am struck by the quality of each layer of his music decade by decade. His early music was backed by some of the finest session men of the day (from both sides of the Atlantic). His later recordings I was mostly unfamiliar with ’til stumbling upon this CD. And far from disappointed, I think he has added depth and richness to his material. This guy is a star.
The Premiums
The Supremes. Or is it Diana Ross and The Supremes? No matter. I actually preferred the Four Tops to this group. But this group had the pizazz. They had the glitz. The style. The amazing gowns. The hand gestures. And Diana Ross’ dazzling smile. But the music was good and so were their vocals. Real good. Classic Holland, Dozier & Holland tunes. Smooth as silk, and as exciting as a sequined gown fitting close to the hip.
Crosby, Stills, Nash (Young). I think their first album (Mr. Young yet to join) was one of the best made. This was the “ultimate” super group combining “star” players from the Buffalo Springfield, the Hollies and the Byrds. Talented song writers, great vocalists and in Stills’ case, a Goddamned good musician. Their harmonies were spot on and when Neil Young came on board he magnified their collective talents. Monster group.
Rod Stewart. This is an artist of “Biggie” stature who did too much commercial quality stuff in his “in between” years. Too bad. Early Stewart was tremendous. Check out his work with Jeff Beck and with the Faces. His first two solo albums were huge quality… with #2 Every Picture Tells a Story being one of the best albums made. At the other end of the time line stands the American Song Book series… two out of three which are sensational. He can do it all… ballads, rockers & tunes… even wrote a song or two.
Madonna. She chooses good material, or she is given good material. So what? The same could be said for Frank Sinatra. And big time presence and talent she has. And maybe if I hadn’t seen videos of her she would be a footnote to this listing. But I have seen her. And my God can she move. So here it is. She knows and picks great music. She interprets it like hell. She moves in ways that stirs the soul. And unless you are a persimmon, you know you want to take her to bed. Now maybe if you’re a woman that doesn’t count. Sorry.
U2 This group was huge long before they were on my radar. There were probably years when they were the biggest grossing act on the planet. My hat goes to them. Beautiful Day is a wonderful song, sweeping theme and completely uplifting… and because of that song I started to pay attention to their other songs… my, what a log. And while I know them the least of the artist/groups describes in these pages, I am no fool… I see a group of magnitude. This is definitely a group of big time weight.
Sure They’re Great
The Beatles. What can I say? They made some truly great music spread across a spectacular variety of musical genres. But I am a Stones guy, and praising the Beatles too much would be the equivalent of growing up in New Haven and rooting for Harvard. You know, yes, it’s a great University… but fuck them!
Bob Dylan. I am going to create the “Dylan Scale”. It measures the greatness of the music against vocal presentation. And Dylan will set the standard of marvelous music (check out who covers him) with nasal nails-across-the-chalkboard vocals. My apologies to Philip DeCostanzo.
The Band. I had their second album. Yes, it was terrific. And The Last Waltz was a tour de force. But I include them here because Zack and Will think the world of them. And both those boys (as does the group itself) deserve respect.
Alright. It’s like this… I left alotta artists and groups off this piece and I am not going to list them here. Maybe I just didn’t won’t to write about them. So please, no letters asking why this or that person or group wasn’t put in. Just live with it… I’m not getting paid to do this.
OK… class is out. Go listen, go breathe. Walk by open windows & look both ways when you cross the street.
