Farewell, Hard Rock

With the rise of grunge in the early ‘90s, hard rock became “contemporary” hard rock as hard rockers tried their best to keep up with the changing times- even going so far as to cut their hair! I don’t even recognize contemporary hard rock today- I think it's deader than grunge- but to those determined artists who tried in vain to keep the hard rock alive in tough times during the Clinton-Bush years- I salute you. Here are some of my contemporary hard rock favorites. Enjoy!

Daughtry

01. 3 Doors Down – “Here Without You” (2003)

02. Lifehouse – Hanging by a Moment” (2000)

03. Daughtry – “It’s Not Over” (2006)

04. Daughtry – “Home” (2006)

05. Smash Mouth – “All Star”  (1999)

06. Velvet Revolver – “Fall to Pieces”  (2004)

07. The Calling – “Wherever You Will Go” (2001)

08. Stone Temple Pilots – “Interstate Love Song” (1994)

09. Screaming Trees – “Sworn and Broken” (1996)

Velvet Revolver

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The Grunge Tapes

For me, the grunge music phenomenon began in the fall of 1991 when I was a high school senior in New York. Some friends and I had gone into the city to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers play at Roseland Ballroom and the opening acts were Smashing Pumpkins and some scruffy dudes from Seattle called Pearl Jam who were selling or giving away cassette tape copies of their demo.

Pearl Jam at Roseland Ballroom

The next day, my friend Mike and I were sitting in my car with Pearl Jam’s demo tape listening to a killer version of “Alive” which the band had played at Roseland the night before and which had blown the crowd away. The song finished and Mike and I looked at each other without speaking. I then hit the rewind button and we listened to the song again- and again. Grunge music never got much better than that for me but I still have a soft spot for bands that people used to listen to on cassette tapes. Here are some of my favorite grunge tunes. Enjoy!

Third Eye Blind

01. Pearl Jam – “Alive (2004 Remix)” (1991)
02. Third Eye Blind – “The Background” (1997)
03. Third Eye Blind – “Motorcycle Drive By” (1997)
04. Pearl Jam – “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” (1993)
05. Goo Goo Dolls – “Name” (1995)
06. Foo Fighters – “Times Like These” (2003)
07. Hole – “Celebrity Skin” (1998)
08. Pearl Jam – “Last Kiss” (1999)
09. Nirvana – “Love Buzz” (1989)

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Oldies: Pass the Fritos

Oldies often sound best spinning on a record player in your basement while you’re dancing around with friends, digging through stacks of records, and enjoying junk food- with no parents in sight. Or maybe that’s just me. The wonderful world of oldies is vast, rich, and just waiting for you to drop the needle and start dancing, discovering- and pass the Fritos. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

The Partridge Family

01. The American Breed – “Bend Me, Shape Me” (1968)
02. The Kingsmen – “Louie, Louie” (1963)
03. The Human Beinz – “Dance on Through” (1968)
04. Spirit – “I Got a Line on You” (1968)
05. Richard Harris – “MacArthur Park” (1968)
06. Roy Orbison – “Shahdaroba” (1963)
07. Dion – “Abraham, Martin and John” (1968)
08. The Mamas and the Papas – “California Dreamin’” (1965)
09. Darlene Love – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (1963)
10. Freddy Cannon – “Palisades Park” (1962)
11. The Partridge Family – “Come on Get Happy” (1971)
12. Dion – “I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound” (1965)
13. The Association – “Along Comes Mary” (1966)
14. Them – “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” (1966)
15. The Troggs – “Wild Thing” (1966)

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Soul by the Dozen II

This is the second entry in my soul series and what music collection would be complete without a little bit of soul? Soul music is all about keeping it real. It takes the good with the bad and whether it’s a sad song or a happy song one finds soul music is good for the soul. It cleans you out and gets you feelin’ alright because you’re human and we’ve all been there and, like the man says, “No matter how you look it- or think of it- it’s life, and you just got to play the game.” Here are some (more) of my soul favorites- timeless, relevant, and still speaking to what’s goin' on today. Enjoy!

Gladys Knight & the Pips

01. Gladys Knight & the Pips – “Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye)” (1972)
02. Brook Benton – “Rainy Night in Georgia” (1969)
03. The Impressions – “Woman’s Got Soul” (1965)
04. Etta James – “I’d Rather Go Blind” (1968)
05. The Isley Brothers – “Love the One You’re With” (1971)
06. James Brown – “King Heroin” (1972)
07. Jackie Wilson – “Lonely Teardrops” (1958)
08. Bobby Womack – “Across 110th Street” (1973)
09. James Carr – “The Dark End of the Street”  (1967)
10. Bobby Womack – “California Dreamin’” (1968)
11. Stevie Wonder – “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” (1973)
12. Aretha Franklin – “Don’t Play That Song” (1970)

Stevie Wonder and Grover

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Power Pop Heaven

Power pop was kind of a '70s musical bridge between oldies/classic rock and the punk/new wave movements that were to come. It's still around (Weezer hit it big in the '90s) and as a songwriter and music fan I empathize with power pop’s aim to create that perfect teenage rock anthem and/or love song. The lyrics seem to mostly revolve around girls (nothing new there) but for me power pop is all about the energy- and the hooks. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Raspberries

01. Fountains of Wayne – “Stacy’s Mom” (2003)

02. The Rubinoos – “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” (1979)

03. Big Star – “September Gurls” (1974)

04. The All-American Rejects – “Dirty Little Secret” (2005) 

05. Big Star – “Thirteen” (1972)

06. Raspberries – “Overnight Sensation” (1974)

07. The Romantics – “What I Like About You” (1980)

08. Raspberries – “Ecstasy” (1973)

09. Matthew Sweet – “Sick of Myself” (1995)

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Weezer – “Buddy Holly”

Weezer – “Pork and Beans”

Glam Rock!

Back in my early teenage years- before the Internet- I used to scour public libraries for information about the Sex Pistols and my other punk rock heroes. During the course of my research I uncovered information which indicated glam rock was a major influence on the early punk bands and when I actually looked at some glam band photos I wondered: what the hell is that?

David Bowie

The ‘70s glam rockers were kind of the first punks in that they were brave enough to wear outlandish costumes and look like alien drag queens and they didn’t care if people made fun of their strange appearance. In fact, by wearing these weird and often androgynous costumes on stage I think the glam rockers were just giving fans their money’s worth. Some may consider glam rock- past and present- to be a silly flash in the pan but I think early glam rock's influence may have been far greater than first realized especially when it comes to the sound and attitude of the punk and indie artists who came later. And glam dudes can rock! Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

The Darkness

01. The Darkness – “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us” (2012)

02. David Bowie – “Young Americans” (1975)

03. The Darkness – “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” (2003)

04. The Darkness – “Love is Only a Feeling” (2003)

05. David Bowie – “Kooks” (1971)

06. David Bowie – “Quicksand” (1971)

07. Alice Cooper – “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (1973)

08. David Bowie – “Changes” (1971)

09. David Bowie – “Suffragette City” (1972)

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Punk: Attitude

Rock Hard

Unlike the blues adoring classic rock icons they emulate, most hard rock artists grew up adoring classic rock and made it their mission to not only rock harder than their classic rock predecessors but also pack bigger stadiums. Perhaps it’s all the leather and nasty guitar licks but to me hard rock music has always felt a little dangerous. When I was a child, the sight of Joan Jett sneering in her leather jump suit scared me and The Game album cover made me think Queen were members of a pissed off biker gang who wanted to beat me up and steal my video game money.

For better or worse, the dumb fun and emotional simplicity of hard rock definitely influenced my earliest teenage songwriting efforts and no matter how old I get there will always be a dozen or so hard rock anthems that I just can’t quit. They may not be the smartest or most poetic songs in the rock canon but hard rock tunes get fists pumping, girls screaming, and lighters blazing all around the world. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Guns N' Roses (this poster hung on my bedroom wall circa 1987)

01. Thin Lizzy – “Dedication” (1991)

02. Guns N’ Roses – “Don’t Cry (Original)” (1991)

03. Guns N’ Roses – “Paradise City” (1987)

04. Queen – “Fat Bottomed Girls” (1978)

05. Queen – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (1979)

06. Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child o’ Mine” (1987)

07. The Runaways – “I Love Playin’ with Fire” (1977)

08. Alice Cooper – “Caught in a Dream” (1971)

09. Thin Lizzy – “Cowboy Song” (1976)

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Guns N’ Roses – “Don’t Cry”

Guns N’ Roses – “Paradise City”