My Favorite Albums: H-N Artists

Nostradamus- Judas Priest: A fun spectacular.

Nevermind- Nirvana: A game changer

Top 10 songs of 1991

My Favorites anyway...

1. Alive- Pearl Jam
2. Enter Sandman- Metallica
3. You Could Be Mine- GnR
4. Poundcake- Van Halen
5. Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
6. The Fly- U2
7. Right Now- Van Halen
8. Man in the Box- Alice in Chains
9. On a Plain- Nirvana
10. Coma- GnR

Top 40 songs of 1991: #11-20

11. Learning to Fly- Tom Petty
12. Pretty Tied Up- GnR
13. Dust n Bones- GnR
14. Runaround- Van Halen
15. No Son of Mine- Genesis
16. Roll the Bones- Rush
17. Drain You- Nirvana
18. Texarkana- REM
19. Country Feedback- REM
20. Can't Stop This Thing We Started- Bryan Adams

The Top 40 Songs of 1992 (#11-20)

My favorites...

11. Tear It Down- Def Leppard
12. Would? -Alice in Chains
13. Jeremy- Pearl Jam
14. Sex Type Thing- STP
15. Bad Luck- Social Distortion
16. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses- U2
17. Lucky Town- Bruce Springsteen
18. Symphony of Destruction- Megadeth
19. Digging in the Dirt- Peter Gabriel
20. Lithium- Nirvana

Top 40 songs of 1992 (#21-30)

My favorites...

21. Rusty Cage- Soundgarden
22. Help Me Up- Eric Clapton
23. Let's Get Rocked- Def Leppard
24. Keep The Faith- Bon Jovi
25. Outshined- Soundgarden
26. Drown- Smashing Pumpkins
27. Try Not To Breathe- REM
28. Sliver- Nirvana
29. I Can't Dance- Genesis
30. Come As You Are- Nirvana

Top 35 songs of 1993 (#11-20)

11. Nightswimming- REM
12. She's Too Tough- Def Leppard
13. St. Augustine in Hell- Sting
14. Rape Me- Nirvana
15. Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town- Pearl Jam
16. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight- REM
17. Find the River- REM
18. Desert Song- Def Leppard
19. River of Dreams- Billy Joel
20. Don't Tear Me Up- Mick Jagger

Nirvana: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2014

Few acts have impacted the world like Nirvana. They formed in the late 80s and released an album on an indie label.

Sliver (1990): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QECJ9pCyhns



Out of nowhere, they created a movement, destroyed the 80s hair metal scene, and became legends.

Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

Come As You Are (1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vabnZ9-ex7o

Lithium (1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkcJEvMcnEg

In Bloom (1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbgKEjNBHqM

Heart-Shaped Box (1993): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6P0SitRwy8

Rape Me (1993): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rS6mZUo3fg

All Apologies (1993): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWmkuH1k7uA

Pennyroyal Tea (1994): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNd5cZ9lbM0



Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994. Nirvana disbanded.

You Know You're Right (2002): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv96yJYhk3M

Nirvana: The Man Who Sold the World (1994)

David Bowie originally recorded "The Man Who Sold the World" in 1970. Nirvana covered the song during their unplugged performance for MTV in 1993. Bowie loved the Nirvana version, which made him realize for the first time his impact in America. Kids today now compliment Bowie for covering Nirvana when he plays the song. Bowie generally responds with a heartfelt "fuck you."

Nirvana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fregObNcHC8



Bowie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSH--SJKVQQ

Top 10 Songs of 2013

Here are the best songs, as picked by me, for 2013....

1. Sirens- Pearl Jam
2. The Next Day- David Bowie
3. The Anarchist- Rush
4. Super Collider- Megadeth
5. Neil Diamond- Freedom Song
6. Mind Your Manners- Pearl Jam
7. Valentine's Day- David Bowi
8. Ordinary Love- U2
9. Radioactive-Imagine Dragons
10. Cut Me Some Slack- Nirvana w/Paul McCartney

Nirvana: Pennyroyal Tea (1993)

Kurt Cobain wrote “Pennyroyal Tea” in 1990 and they even played it live for a few years before recording it for In Utero in 1993. The song is about an herbal abortive, which does not work. The main character is so depressed, that they are practically dead. It really is one of the most depressing songs ever.

Unplugged:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNd5cZ9lbM0

Studio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZtpOGEZwpg

Nirvana: Lithium (1992)

Nirvana began recording "Lithium" in 1990. Front man Kurt Cobain disliked drummer Chad Channing's effort on the record, which helped lead to Dave Grohl's entry into the band. The song is about a man that turns to religion to cope with his girlfriend's death. "Lithium" was inspired by Karl Marx's comments about religion being an opiate for the masses. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkcJEvMcnEg

Paul McCartney: Rock n Roll HOF part 3

During the 90s and 00s, Paul experimented with electronica and classical music. He also remained in the pop sphere.

Put it There (1990):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fvKr8MOlJI

Hope of Deliverance (1993):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5rxkQ9bia8

Off the Ground (1993):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFbTk6yfoME

The Beatles Anthology (1995):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujFfnKQMdQI

The World Tonight (1997):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMH3u0_HX-o

Linda died in 1998.

Freedom (2001):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpOwePJdzO0

2001 Concert for NY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M17qFKXSMiw

Concert for George (2002):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U16IU7HwhDY

Live 8 w/U2 (2005):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Keo7_kPAwH8

Ever Present Past (2007):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCMAV5BEKxk

Walk with You w/Ringo Starr (2009):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c68v6WIZeRI

Queen’s Jubilee (2012):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS1x1iFw3QE

Closing ceremonies for Olympics (2012):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cCANKXEKtY

Sandy Relief w/Nirvana(2012):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1svF1Yyhnc

 

Boston: More Than A Feeling (1976)

Tom Scholz worked on "More Than A Feeling" and five other songs in his basement in 1974 and 1975. The song became the debut single off Boston's debut album. The song helped the album become the largest selling debut at the time. Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" bares a striking resemblance to "More Than A Feeling."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XBGEft83zE

Nirvana: Drain You (1991)

"Drain You" was a b-side to "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Considering Nirvana's success, the song probably would have been a hit in it's own right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkqjx6Gsh0U

814. Sliver by Nirvana (1990)

Nirvana looks at life through the eyes of a young child. Originially released by Sub Pop, the song was re-released after the band hit it big. In 1993, they filmed a video with Cobain's daughter Francis Bean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QECJ9pCyhns

886. Dumb by Nirvana (1993)

"Dumb" appears on Nirvana's 1993 In Utero album. It gained prominence from the band's Unplugged in New York performance released after Kurt Cobain's suicide. The song differs from most Nirvana songs as it features strings and is significantly more subdued.

Studio Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThwQPo8cUy0

Unplugged:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilivWcTCWMc&feature=related

936. Smells Like Nirvana by Weird Al (1992)

Weird Al outdoes himself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FklUAoZ6KxY&ob=av3e

RS Mag Top 500 Songs #1-10

1. Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan- Musically and lyrically different than anything before it. Everyone has been trying to copy it ever since.

2. Satisfaction: The Rolling Stones- The greatest pure rock song ever.

3. Imagine: John Lennon- Lady Gaga recently played the white piano which caused a major ruckus and people cried blasphemy!

4. What’s Going On?: Marvin Gaye- Gaye was tired of the Motown grind and changed it up with a socially conscious song which both spoke to the times, but also his personal life.

5. Respect: Aretha Franklin- The message combined with Aretha’s vocals made this a powerhouse.

6. Good Vibrations: The Beach Boys- Nothing sounded like this.

7. Johnny B. Goode: Chuck Berry- The second greatest pure rock song ever…

8. Hey Jude: The Beatles- The Beatles biggest hit. Amazing considering it’s over 7 minutes long.

9. Smells Like Teen Spirit: Nirvana- No one saw this coming…

10. What I’d Say: Ray Charles- Charles wrote this on stage in front of an audience.

RS Mag Top 500 Songs #401-420

401. Summer in the City: Lovin’ Spoonful- Another moment in time song. The song captures urban America and makes a good soundtrack to the sixties riots.

402. O-o-h Child: The Five Stairsteps- A nicely crafted song. It out Jacksoned the Jackson Five.

403. Can’t Help Falling in Love: Elvis- Of course this is here. While working at Harmony House, I once had someone come in looking for “Wise Man Said.”

404. Remember (Walking in the Sand): The Shangri-Las- Aerosmith later covered this. It’s a classic.

405. (Don’t Fear the Reaper): Blue Oyster Cult- I have a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell!

406. Thirteen: Big Star- Instead of irony and angst, Alex Chilton wrote a song celebrating adolescence.

407. Sweet Home Alabama: Lynyrd Skynyrd- Skynyrd’s response to Neil Young’s “Southern Man.”

408. Enter Sandman: Metallica- The only Metallica song to make it. They could replace some of the Hip Hop crapola with a couple of early Metallica works.

409. Tonight’s the Night: The Shirelles- The Shirelles like to flirt with censors with their stuff. This is an example.

410. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): Sly and the Family Stone- The first of six Sly songs. Everyone has heard this one.

411. C’mon Everybody: Eddie Cochrane- Nice guitar on this. Cochrane continues to play the bad boy.

412. Umbrella: Rihanna- She has little talent, but great handlers. They find her stuff that works with her non-existent singing voice. This is a perfect mid-2000s pop song, but does not belong on a best of list.

413. Visions of Johanna: Bob Dylan- Dylan examines loneliness.

414. We’ve Only Just Begun: The Carpenters- Another perfect pop song. A good example of the easy listening/soft rock genre.

415. In Bloom: Nirvana- Nirvana criticizes rednecks and some of their own fans.

416. Sweet Emotion: Aerosmith- Aerosmith’s first hit was an all-time classic. Growing up in Detroit, it grew omnipresent.

417. Monkey Gone to Heaven: The Pixies- Here’s one from left field. Have not heard this in at least a decade.

418. I Feel Love: Donna Summer- If you like dance music, this is one of the most important dance songs ever. If not, then it’s just WTF?

419. Ode to Billie Joe: Bobbie Gentry- BORING!

420. The Girl Can’t Help It: Little Richard- Little Richard is singing about Jayne Mansfield. This song accompanied the first rock n roll movie.

RS Magazine's Top 500 Songs #451-470

451. I Got You Babe: Sonny and Cher-This is an odd choice.

452. Come As You Are: Nirvana- A definitive song of the period. One of the few grunge songs that was actually grungy.

453. Pressure Drop: Toots and the Maytals- A catchy reggae hit from the early 70s. Never would have thought of this one.

454. Leader of the Pack: The Shangri-Las- A little overrated, but it does have a motorcycle on it.

455. Heroin: The Velvet Underground- One of the first alternative songs...before alternative was a term.

456. Penny Lane: The Beatles- McCartney's reaction to Lennon's "Strawberry Fields." Both real places from their childhood.

457. The Twist: Chubby Checker- Began a dance craze. Check out Chubby's psychedelic stuff!

458. Cupid: Sam Cooke- Can't complain about Sam Cooke.

459. Paradise City: Guns n Roses- Some of the best guitar work ever.

460. My Sweet Lord: George Harrison- The first hit for an ex-Beatle...best known for the lawsuits it spawned.

461. Sheena is a Punk Rocker: The Ramones- If you want to know what New York was like in 1977, listen to this one. This captures a moment.

462. All Apologies: Nirvana- Another defining moment for the early nineties.

463. Soul Man: Sam and Dave- Yes, this was not a Blues Brothers song.

464. Kiss: Prince- Genius. Nothing has sounded like this ever.

465. Rollin' Stone: Muddy Waters- Heavily influential blues tune from 1948. The Rolling Stones took their name from Muddy Waters' song.

466. Get Ur Freak On: Missy Elliot- It is included because of the Indian music in the background, but the Beatles had already done that. This has no business being here.

467. Big Pimpin': Jay-Z- This came out after a decade of other rappers doing their own "Big Pimpin'." Nothing to see here, next!

468. Respect Yourself: The Staples Singers- Before Bruce Willis, the Staples Singers told the black community of the early seventies to respect themselves.

469. Rain: The Beatles- This was the first use of backward tape and Ringo's best drumming.   

470. Standing in the Shadows of Love- The Four Tops- One of those songs that defined a change in Motown's sound to a darker, harder edge.