I have so, so been avoiding this day. Ever since listing the 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time back in 2005, I've received emails non-stop, some agreeing with my choices but most disagreeing, which is fine, because most folks were nice, and pretty much said that they disagreed with everyone's list of one hundred greatest rock songs, which I would, too, which is why I put up my own list . . . And hey, honesty time, sometimes I even disagree with my own list . . .
So anyway, first, my apologies to all those folks I never responded to, but I do have a day job, and well, you know . . . So thanks for being cool with that.
Second, yes, I know there are a lot of great rock songs not on the first list. I didn't really want to keep changing it, though some changes were made, and I didn't really want to make up a list, like, great rock songs number 101 to 200, because they're all (pretty much) great songs, right? So anyway, last week I got an email from E.G., who said the following:
Interesting list on rock’s 100 best songs ever.
Don’t agree with much of it (Lola, for instance, is easily the best Kinks song) and I’ve got many comments to make, but for starters just one on Ten Years After: If “Love Like a Man” can’t make the list, I would suggest that you should listen to the “Cricklewood Green” LP; there are a COUPLE of songs on there, that could make the list.
And hell, what about Jimi Hendrix? Only one reference???!!! Same with Creedence, who probably had more great songs on any of their LP’s than most of the songs on your list.
Thanks for the effort, in any case.
Greetings from South Africa.Two things struck me. First, I thought, wow, compared to many of our readers, people are actually pretty polite in South Africa, Maybe I want to move there. (Which probably is not what people in South Africa are thinking - yeah, DJ, love to have you here, man!) And second, I thought, wow, this guy's musical taste is so much like mine. I actually had the Cricklewood Green LP (before my dog Orion got worked up one day and chewed up my entire record collection). And I loved, and still love, Creedence, and most of the time am floored by Hendrix. So, anyway, here's one hundred (more) of the greatest rock songs of all time, which you probably need on your iPod at least as much as the other hundred. Pay no attention to the ranking, the numbers are there only so that I know there's actually one hundred songs on the list.
Number Song Title Artist 1 Lola Kinks 2 I'm Going Home Ten Years After 3 (Don't Fear) The Reaper Blue Oyster Cult 4 School's Out Alice Cooper 5 Why Annie Lennox 6 Barracuda Heart 7 Let It Ride Bachman Turner Overdrive 8 Twilight Zone Golden Earring 9 Feel Like Makin' Love Bad Company 10 Who'll Stop the Rain Creedence Clearwater Revival 11 Stand By Me Ben E. King 12 I Love Rock and Roll Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 13 Sea of Joy Blind Faith 14 Summertime Blues Blue Cheer 15 Born in the USA Bruce Springsteen 16 Gloria Them 17 On the Road Again Canned Heat 18 Another Saturday Night Sam Cooke 19 Venus Shocking Blue 20 Heartbreaker Pat Benatar 21 Something in the Air Thunderclap Newman 22 Get Off of My Cloud Rolling Stones 23 Love Potion No. 9 Clovers 24 Crossroads Cream 25 Telegram Sam T Rex 26 Walk on the Wild Side Lou Reed 27 Chain of Fools Aretha Franklin 28 Fame David Bowie 29 All the Young Dudes Mott the Hoople 30 I Want You to Want Me Cheap Trick 31 Mustang Sally Wilson Pickett 32 Walk On Hot Coals Rory Gallagher 33 Legs ZZ Top 34 Aqualung Jethro Tull 35 Long Tall Sally Little Richard 36 With A Little Help From My Friends Joe Cocker 37 Would I Lie to You Eurythmics 38 Season of the Witch Donovan 39 The Boys Are Back in Town Thin Lizzy 40 Shadows of the Night Pat Benatar 41 Money Pink Floyd 42 For Your Love Yardbirds 43 Somebody To Love Queen 44 With Or Without You U2 45 White Rabbit Jefferson Airplane 46 Good Lovin' Young Rascals 47 Down on Me Janis Joplin 48 Wild Horses Rolling Stones 49 Cocaine Eric Clapton 50 That'll Be the Day Buddy Holly 51 L.A. Woman Doors 52 San Francisco Scott McKenzie 53 Gimme Some Lovin' Spencer Davis Group 54 Hungry Paul Revere and the Raiders 55 I'm Your Captain / Closer to Home Grand Funk Railroad 56 Crimson And Clover Tommy James and the Shondells 57 She's Not There Zombies 58 The Weight The Band 59 Rhiannon Fleetwood Mac 60 In-a-gadda-da-vida Iron Butterfly 61 In the Midnight Hour Wilson Pickett 62 The Times They Are A-Changin' Bob Dylan 63 I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band) Moody Blues 64 Heartbreak Hotel Elvis Presley 65 Theme From An Imaginary Western Mountain 66 Without You Harry Nilsson 67 Come Sail Away Styx 68 Call Me Blondie 69 Teach Your Children Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 70 Time Has Come Today Chambers Brothers 71 Down Under Men At Work 72 All Right Now Free 73 Crumblin' Down John Mellencamp 74 Love The One You're With Stephen Stills 75 Panama Red New Riders Of the Purple Sage 76 Surfin' Safari Beach Boys 77 Paint it Black Rolling Stones 78 Cowgirl In the Sand Neil Young 79 Ramblin' Man Allman Brothers 80 Incense and Peppermint Strawberry Alarm Clock 81 Free Bird Lynyrd Skynyrd 82 With Your Love Jefferson Starship 83 Day Tripper Beatles 84 Respect Aretha Franklin 85 Friend of the Devil Grateful Dead 86 Locomotive Breath Jethro Tull 87 Rock This Town Stray Cats 88 To Love Somebody Bee Gees 89 Dream On Aerosmith 90 Radar Love Golden Earring 91 Susie Q Creedence Clearwater Revival 92 These Eyes Guess Who 93 Blinded By the Light Manfred Mann 94 Keep Me Hangin' On Vanilla Fudge 95 I'm A Believer Monkees 96 Eli's Coming Three Dog Night 97 Wipeout Surfaris 98 I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night Electric Prunes 99 Happy Together Turtles 100 (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet Blues Magoos
So anyway, yeah, rough draft, but I gave myself a lot of freedom and had a lot of fun with this - probably too much fun. And I am sure people will disagree with this, but it does get a person thinking . . . And really, there are some good ideas for songs to add to your collection here, and some day (not soon!) I'll probably have to make up another list as well, because it bothered me a bit to take off Ace Frehley's Back In The New York Groove, and I also thought about adding something by the Boomtown Rats, and I could just as soon have put in Sweet Home Alabama as Free Bird, but then I really would have had to put in Neil Young's Southern Man . . .
Of interest:
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