Thursday, February 27, 2020

The Top 100 Classic Rock Albums of All Time

First posted 5/2/2011; last updated 9/4/2020.

Classic Rock:

The Top 100 Albums

This list was originally posted on Facebook on May 2, 2011. It was based on an aggregate of 13 best-of lists focused on classic rock (sources listed at bottom of page). It has been updated here on the blog with 31 lists now factored in. While there isn’t uniform agreement on exactly what era “classic rock” spans, it generally stretches from the mid-‘60s to sometime into the ‘80s so I eliminated post-‘80s albums (only two would have made the list: Nirvana’s Nevermind and Radiohead’s OK Computer). Click on an album title to go to a more detailed page about that album.

Check out other best-of-genre lists here.

1. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
2. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
3. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
4. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
6. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
7. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
8. Eagles Hotel California (1976)
9. The Doors The Doors (1967)
10. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
11. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975)
12. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
13. Boston Boston (1976)
14. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
15. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
16. Van Halen Van Halen I (1978)
17. Queen A Night at the Opera (1975)
18. Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)
19. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (1968)
20. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
21. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
22. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
23. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969)
24. Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975)
25. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
26. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young Déjà Vu (1970)
27. Deep Purple Machine Head (1972)
28. AC/DC Highway to Hell (1979)
29. Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell (1977)
30. The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969)
31. Jethro Tull Aqualung (1971)
32. Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
33. The Who Tommy (1969)
34. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I (1969)
35. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
36. Derek and the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
37. Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973)
38. Rush Moving Pictures (1981)
39. Cream Disraeli Gears (1967)
40. Neil Young Harvest (1972)
41. The Who Quadrophenia (1973)
42. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
43. Supertramp Breakfast in America (1979)
44. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
45. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
46. The Doors L.A. Woman (1971)
47. Black Sabbath Paranoid (1970)
48. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
49. Bad Company Bad Company (1974)
50. Yes Fragile (1971)
51. Van Halen 1984 (1984)
52. Santana Abraxas (1970)
53. The Clash London Calling (1979)
54. Peter Frampton Frampton Comes Alive! (live, 1976)
55. Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (1986)
56. The Police Synchronicity (1983)
57. Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
58. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
59. The Allman Brothers At Fillmore East (live, 1971)
60. Eric Clapton Slowhand (1977)
61. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)
62. Lynyrd Skynyrd Street Survivors (1977)
63. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Night Moves (1976)
64. Def Leppard Hysteria (1987)
65. Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy (1973)
66. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
67. The Rolling Stones Some Girls (1978)
68. Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (1985)
69. Journey Escape (1981)
70. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
71. Grateful Dead American Beauty (1970)
72. The Allman Brothers Band Eat a Peach (1972)
73. Steely Dan Aja (1977)
74. Eric Clapton 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974)
75. ZZ Top Tres Hombres (1973)
76. Aerosmith Rocks (1976)
77. Foreigner 4 (1981)
78. Def Leppard Pyromania (1983)
79. The Cars The Cars (1978)
80. ZZ Top Eliminator (1983)
81. Steve Miller Band Fly Like an Eagle (1976)
82. Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo’s Factory (1970)
83. Eagles The Long Run (1979)
84. King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
85. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
86. The Beatles Let It Be (1970)
87. Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac (1975)
88. Rush 2112 (1976)
89. Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
90. Foreigner Foreigner (1977)
91. John Lennon Imagine (1971)
92. Styx The Grand Illusion (1977)
93. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
94. The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
95. Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
96. Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
97. Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
98. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis: Bold As Love (1967)
99. REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity (1980)
100. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Resources and Related Links:

at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

BMI Icon Awards

BMI Awards:

2002-2020

BMI is an organization which collects royalties on behalf of artists. It gives out annual awards to artists in various categories, including country, Latin, London, pop, and urban (later changed to R&B/hip-hop), in honor of what the website calls a songwriter’s “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”

While these awards are generally referred to as BMI Icon Awards, there are other times references are made to BMI President’s Awards and there is also the BMI Champions Award. Whether these represent different criteria is anyone’s guess due to the failure of the BMI site to make details clear on these awards. It isn’t even clear when the awards were started, although the earliest awards found were for 2002. Because of the lack of an easy-access list at BMI or anywhere else, this list has been cobbled together as best as possible but there are bound to be omissions.

See other lifetime achievement awards.

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 3/30/2017; last updated 2/26/2020.

at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (Feb. 2020)

Originally posted 2/22/2020.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the fifth batch of album inductees. As of August 4, 2020, there were only 56 albums to spend 250 or more weeks on the Billboard album chart (“The Longest-Charting Albums in U.S. Chart History”). Of those albums, only 19 spent four or more weeks at #1. Seven of those have already been inducted: Adele 21 (2011), Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977), Michael Jackson Thriller (1982), Carole King Tapestry (1971) , and the South Pacific cast album (1949). That leaves 13 albums to be inducted this month.

See the full list of album inductees here.

The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

While not their final release, this marked the last time the Fab Four worked together in the studio. The Beatles were “exhausted and angry with one another after the disastrous sessions for the aborted Get Back LP.” RS500 Even their producer, “the normallly unruffled” George Martin, said “I don’t want to be part of this anymore.” JI However, when Paul McCartney suggested they make a Beatles’ record “like we used to” JI “the group reconvened at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios” RS500 to create what would be their “most polished and crafted long player” TL and “the best sounding Beatles’ record.” JI Read more.

The Beatles 1 (compilation: 1962-70, released 2001)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

When this single-disc collection emerged over 30 years after the band’s finale, it proved there was still a market for their songs as the collection spent eight weeks atop the Billboard charts and sold more than 30 million copies. The set gathered the 27 songs which peaked atop the U.K. and/or U.S. charts, meaning fans could get a one-sitting overview of the Beatles from their beginnings from early hits like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” to mid-career hits like “Yesterday” and latter hits like “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be.” Read more.

Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (compilation: 1971-75, released 1976)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

This wasn’t just the “first album ever certified platinum;” WR1 but the best-selling album in the U.S. in the 20th century WK1 with sales now estimated over 40 million. This collection gathered nine singles and the album-cut “Desperado” from the band’s first four albums. By the time the band recorded their fifth album, they’d become more of a rock act, but this set showcases their more country-pop leanings like “Tequila Sunrise” and “Lyin’ Eyes” as well as #1 pop hits “Best of My Love” and “One of These Nights.” Band member Don Henley didn’t like the songs taken out of the context of their original albums, WK1 but this makes for “a collection consistent in mood and identity” WK that “works so much better than the band’s previous discs [that it] practically makes them redundant.” WR1 Read more.

Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

After exploring the deliberately-shocking alter ego Slim Shady and delving more into his past as Marshall Mathers, Eminem put his public persona front and center on this collection. He “spends much of the album commenting on the media circus that dominated…his life” STE and familiar topics such as “his troubled childhood; his hatred of his parents; his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife, Kim…; his love of his daughter, Hailie; and, of course, all the controversy he generated, notably the furor over his alleged homophobia.” STE Eminem proves “to be one of the all-time classic MCs, surprising as much with his delivery as with what he says.” STE Read more.

Eminem Recovery (2010)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

Critic Robert Christgau says this is Eminem at “his most confessional” WK although detractors argued “that being privy to the man’s therapy sessions just isn’t compelling anymore.” DJ Entertainment Weekly’s Simon Vozick-Levinson said, “Eminem’s lyrical craftsmanship is second to none…and there are flashes of new maturity.” WK This album made Eminem the first artist to have four albums debut atop the Billboard album chart with over 700,000 copies. “Not Afraid,” the album’s lead single, was only the second rap song to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was followed to the pinnacle by “Love the Way You Lie,” a duet with Rihanna. Read more.

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (composers) My Fair Lady (cast, 1956)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

My Fair Lady is “the crowning achievement” AZ for Lerner and Loewe. It has been called “the most perfect stage musical ever.” CL This was an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, a story about “the mythic Greek figure who falls in love with his sculpture.” TM Rex Harrison is “effortlessly charming” ZS as Professor Henry Higgins and Julie Andrews was a “twenty-year-old revelation” ZS as “Eliza Doolittle, who aspires to a better accent and the social advantages that will come with it.” R-S Its Broadway run of 2717 performances from 1956 to 1962 was the longest run in history for a major musical at that time. W-M Read more.

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (composers) Camelot (cast album, 1960)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

Lerner & Loewe turned to the legend of King Arthur, specifically T.H. White’s novel The Once and Future King, for this 1960 musical. The show “has it all – a beautiful English princess swept off her feet by a shy, but passionate bachelor king; an ardent French knight, torn between devotion to his liege and an uncontrollable hunger, reciprocated, to be sure, for the king’s tempestuous wife.” WK-C “The advance sale for the show was the largest in Broadway history.” WK-C It starred Richard Burton (Arthur) and Julie Andrews (Guinevere) and introduced Robert Goulet as Lancelot in his first Broadway role and won four Tony Awards. Read more.

Johnny Mathis Heavenly (1959)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

This was the most successful studio album from Mathis, marking a return to ballads with orchestral accompaniment. All Music Guide’s William Ruhlmann called it “the epitome of Mathis’s approach to music.” WK The highlight of this collection of standards was “Misty,” a top ten R&B hit which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

Metallica Metallica (aka ‘The Black Album’) (1991)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

Prior to their eponymous 1991 release (nicknamed The Black Album for its monochromatic cover), Metallica “wrote scathing diatribes about such topics as our desensitized society and the horrors of drug addiction, signed with a major record label, and then watched millions of kids buy these spewings, all without the benefit of one hummable melody.” EW For this effort, the band tapped Bob Rock, who had produced Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe, to give them “crisp, professional production” AMG and add “a previously nonexistent warmth and depth to their sound.” GW The group “slowed down the tempos, streamlined the arrangements” GW and the band plays actual hooks.” EW Read more.

Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) Oklahoma! (soundtrack, 1955)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

Oklahoma! was the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein. They “turned out an exuberant, tuneful score in which all the songs grew out of the characters and the situations, an unusual approach in musical theater, where songs often had little relationship to the action.” RC The show’s five-year run made it the longest-running musical in Broadway history up to that time. More than a dozen years later, Rodgers & Hammerstein oversaw a film version, assuring “it would be more faithful than most Hollywood treatments.” RS Compared to the cast recording, the soundtrack has “a bigger, broader interpretation and has continued to sound impressive over the decades.” RS Read more.

Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) South Pacific (soundtrack, 1958)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

The cast album for South Pacific was one of the first twelve DMDB Hall of Fame album inductees. It was the biggest album of the 1940s, spending 69 weeks at #1 and 400 weeks on the chart. That set the bar incredibly high for the soundtrack to the 1958 movie. However, it reached similar lofty status with 262 weeks on the chart, 31 at the pinnacle. The album is also the biggest #1 in the history of the UK charts with 115 weeks on top. Read more.

Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) The Sound of Music (cast album, 1959)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

The Sound of Music was the final work for the famous musical theater team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. “The ‘based on a true story’ plot concerned an aspiring nun who becomes a governess in pre-World War II Austria” WR-C for “a wealthy naval captain with seven children,” WR-S “only to marry the children’s father and flee with the family from the Nazis.” WR-C The cast album spent an astonishing 70 weeks atop the UK charts and 16 in the U.S. Read more.

Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)

Inducted February 2020 as “Album with 4+ weeks at #1 and 250+ chart weeks.”

This was Taylor Swift’s second Grammy-winner for Album of the Year, after 2010’s Fearless. Inspired by the synthpop of the late ‘80s, this completed her transition from country music. It was her third album to sell over a million copies in its first week, making her the first artist to do so. WK The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis said the album is full of “undeniable melodies and huge, perfectly turned choruses and nagging hooks.” WK The public agreed, sending three songs to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood”) and two more into the top ten (“Style,” “Wildest Dreams”). Read more.
at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Smokey Robinson: Top 100 Songs

First posted 2/14/2020.

Smokey Robinson

Image from shazam.com

R&B singer/songwriter born William Robinson, Jr. on 2/19/1940 in Detroit, Michigan. With The Miracles (55-72) and later a solo artist. Record executive and songwriter for Motown.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs

This list includes Robinson’s work as a solo artist, with the Miracles, and as a songwriter. The recording artist is noted in parentheses. Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to singles charts.)

DMDB Top 1%:

1. My Girl (Temptations, 1964) #1 US, RB
2. The Tracks of My Tears (The Miracles, 1965)

DMDB Top 5%:

3. The Tears of a Clown (The Miracles, 1970) #1 US, CB, RB, UK
4. My Guy (Mary Wells, 1964) #1 US, CB, RB, AU
5. Shop Around (The Miracles, 1960) #1 RB
6. You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me (The Miracles, 1962) #1 RB
7. Being with You (Smokey Robinson, 1981) #1 CB, HR, RR, RB, UK
8. The Way You Do the Things You Do (The Temptations, 1964)
9. Ooo Baby Baby (The Miracles, 1965)

DMDB Top 10%:

10. I Second That Emotion (The Miracles, 1967) #1 RB
11. Love Machine (The Miracles, 1975) #1 US, CB, HR
12. Cruisin’ (Smokey Robinson, 1979) #1 CB
13. The Tracks of My Tears (Linda Ronstadt, 1975)
14. Get Ready (The Temptations, 1966) #1 RB
15. Going to a Go-Go (The Miracles, 1965)
16. Ooh Baby Baby (Linda Ronstadt, 1978)
17. Get Ready (Rare Earth, 1969)
18. The Way You Do the Things You Do (UB40, 1989)

DMDB Top 20%:

19. Ain’t That Peculiar (Marvin Gaye, 1965) #1 RB
20. Shop Around (Captain & Tennille, 1976) #1 AC

21. The Way You Do the Things You Do (Hall & Oates, 1985)
22. More Love (Kim Carnes, 1980)
23. Since I Lost My Baby (The Temptations, 1965)
24. Just to See Her (Smokey Robinson, 1987) #1 AC
25. My Girl (Hall & Oates, 1985)
26. Going to a Go-Go (The Rolling Stones, 1982)
27. More Love (The Miracles, 1967)
28. Floy Joy (The Supremes, 1971)
29. It’s Growing (The Temptations, 1965)
30. Who’s Lovin’ You (The Jackson 5, 1969)

31. Come ‘Round Here, I’m the One You Need (The Miracles, 1966)
32. Automatically Sunshine (The Supremes, 1972)
33. Still Water (Love) (The Four Tops, 1970)
34. I’ll Try Something New (The Miracles, 1962)
35. One Heartbeat (Smokey Robinson, 1987)
36. I’ll Be Doggone (Marvin Gaye, 1965) #1 RB
37. I Don’t Blame You at All (The Miracles, 1971)
38. The Composer (The Supremes, 1969)
39. Mickey’s Monkey (The Miracles, 1963)
40. Do It Baby (The Miracles, 1974)
41. My Guy (Sister Sledge, 1982)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

42. If You Can Want (The Miracles, 1968)
43. Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father) (Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, & Stevie Wonder; 1978)
44. I’ll Be in Trouble (The Temptations, 1964)
45. The Tracks of My Tears (Aretha Franklin, 1969)
46. Don’t Look Back (The Temptations, 1965)
47. One More Heartache (Marvin Gaye, 1966)
48. The Way You Do the Things You Do (Rita Coolidge, 1978)
49. My Baby (The Temptations, 1965)
50. Two Lovers (Mary Wells, (1962) #1 RB

51. I Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying (The Miracles, 1963)
52. The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage (The Miracles, 1967)
53. First I Look at the Purse (The Contours, 1965)
54. Your Wonderful, Sweet, Sweet Love (The Supremes, 1972)
55. A Breath Taking Guy (The Supremes, 1963)
56. Cruisin’ (Huey Lewis & Gwyneth Paltrow, 2000) #1 AC, AU
57. You Threw a Lucky Punch (Gene Chandler, 1962)
58. Who’s Lovin’ You (Brenda & the Tabulations, 1967)
59. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game (The Marvelettes, 1966)
60. You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me (Eddie Money, 1977)

61. You Beat Me to the Punch (Mary Wells, 1962) #1 RB
62. When I’m Gone (Brenda Holloway, 1965)
63. That’s What Love Is Made Of (The Miracles, 1964)
64. What’s So Good About Goodbye (The Miracles, 1962)
65. Way Over There (The Miracles, 1960)
66. Take This Heart of Mine (Marvin Gaye, 1966)
67. The One Who Really Loves You (Mary Wells, 1962)
68. Don’t Mess with Bill (The Marvelettes, 1966)
69. Ebony Eyes (Rick James with Smokey Robinson, 1983)
70. My Guy/My Girl (Amii Stewart & Johnny Bristol, 1980)

71. Ain’t It Baby (The Miracles, 1961)
72. Baby, Baby Don’t Cry (The Miracles, 1969)
73. Happy (Bobby Darin, 1972)
74. A Love She Can Count On (The Miracles, 1963)
75. My Guy (Petula Clark, 1972)
76. I Like It Like That (The Miracles, 1964)
77. Everybody’s Gotta Pay Some Dues (The Miracles, 1961)
78. Mighty Good Lovin’ (The Miracles, 1961)
79. The Tears of a Clown (The English Beat, 1979)
80. Blame It on Love (Smokey Robinson & Barbara Mitchell, 1983)

81. Walk and Don’t Look Back (Peter Tosh with Mick Jagger, 1978)
82. Who’s Lovin’ You (Terence Trent D’Arby, 1987)
83. My Girl Has Gone (The Miracles, 1965)
84. Happy (Michael Jackson, 1973)
85. Tell Me Tomorrow (Smokey Robinson, 1982)
86. Old Fashioned Love (Smokey Robinson, 1982)
87. We’ve Saved the Best for Last (Kenny G with Smokey Robinson, 1989)
88. Come on Do the Jerk (The Miracles, 1964)
89. What’s Too Much (Smokey Robinson, 1987)
90. Special Occasion (The Miracles, 1968)

91. Yester Love (The Miracles, 1968)
92. My Girl (Suave, 1988)
93. Double Good Everything (Smokey Robinson, 1991)
94. We’ve Come Too Far to End It Now (The Miracles, 1972)
95. Bad Girl (The Miracles, 1959)
96. You Can’t Let the Boy Overpower the Man in You (The Miracles, 1964)
97. Whole Lot of Shakin’ in My Heart Since I Met You (The Miracles, 1966)
98. Doggone Right (The Miracles, 1969)
99. Point It Out (The Miracles, 1969)
100. Abraham, Martin and John (The Miracles, 1969)

Resources and Related Links:

at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Mind Your Dollars: Top 40 Songs

First posted 8/29/2020.

The Greatest Songs Ever Recorded

MindYourDollars.com appears to be a website focused on money management so your guess is as good as mine as to why they are spending time making best-song lists. While I usually refrain from nit-picking about the shortcomings of specific lists, this one begs for it.

With only 40 songs on this list, one would expect most or all of them to also show up on the DMDB’s list of the top 1% of all-time songs (just over 1000 songs). I’m not arguing that the DMDB list is completely definitive, but the very aim of the list is to aggregate as many best-of lists from as many sources as possible. That makes for a more representative list that weeds out the idiosyncrasies of individual sources in favor of those songs which regularly make appearances. With a list of only 40 songs, one would assume nearly all of these titles would surely make a top 1000+ list (those that do are marked by 1% after the song title). However, 10 out of these 40 songs (25%) don’t make the cut. That certainly doesn’t mean those 10 songs are unworthy of recognition, but for them to acquire the elite status of being recognized as one of the 40 best songs ever recorded?

There are other problems with the list, including lack of diversity in racial, gender, and genre representation. More on that after the list. Also, you can click here to see song lists from other publications.

1. Simon and Garfunkel “The Sounds of Silence” (1965) 1%
2. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967) 1%
3. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971) 1%
4. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965) 1%
5. Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958) 1%
6. Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963) 1%
7. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966) 1%
8. The Beatles “A Day in the Life” (1967) 1%
9. The Beach Boys “God Only Knows” (1966) 1%
10. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968) 1%

11. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964) 1%
12. Roy Orbison “Only the Lonely” (1960) 1%
13. The Beatles “Drive My Car” (1965)
14. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965) 1%
15. The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” (1969)
16. The Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968) 1%
17. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954) 1%
18. Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Balls of Fire” (1957) 1%
19. The Beatles “Nowhere Man” (1968)
20. The Beatles “Blackbird” (1968)

21. The Who “Baba O’Riley” (1971) 1%
22. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bad Moon Rising” (1969) 1%
23. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967) 1%
24. Buffalo Springfield “For What It’s Worth” (1967) 1%
25. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968) 1%
26. The Rolling Stones “Paint It, Black” (1966) 1%
27. Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit” (1967) 1%
28. Jefferson Airplane “Somebody to Love” (1967)
29. The Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar” (1971) 1%
30. Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” (1957) 1%

31. Bob Dylan “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1964)
32. The Who “Behind Blue Eyes” (1971)
33. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Purple Haze” (1967) 1%
34. The Who “I Can See for Miles” (1967)
35. The Who “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (1971) 1%
36. The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women” (1969) 1%
37. Simon & Garfunkel “I Am a Rock” (1966)
38. The Beach Boys “I Get Around” (1964) 1%
39. The Doors “Break on Through” (1967)
40. The Kingsmen “Louie Louie” (1963) 1%

Analysis of Mind Your Dollars vs. DMDB

The Mind Your Dollars’ list suffers in multiple ways – including lack of representation for different eras, races, genders, and genres. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Eras:
DMDB Book:
  • 1950s: 15%
  • 1960s: 44%
  • 1970s: 21%
  • 1980s: 13%
  • 1990s: 7%
Mind Your Dollars:
  • 1950s: 10%
  • 1960s: 78%
  • 1970s: 13%
  • 1980s: 0%
  • 1990s: 0%
Both lists place too much emphasis on the ‘60s. However, in the Mind Your Dollars world, Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” and any other song recorded after 1971 had no impact.
Race:
DMDB Book:
  • White: 73%
  • Black: 28%
Mind Your Dollars:
  • White: 90%
  • Black: 10%
Both lists show the dominance of white artists over black artists, which reflects an unfortunate reality in the music world. Sadly, there’s no representation for any other races on either list. However, at least the DMDB least includes Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and other classics by black artists – classics which Mind Your Dollars fails to acknowledge.
Gender:
DMDB Book:
  • Male: 88%
  • Female: 18%
Mind Your Dollars:
  • Male: 95%
  • Female: 5%
Based on these lists, there’s even less gender diversity than racial diversity. The only female on the Mind Your Dollars list? Grace Slick, the lead singer on the two Jefferson Airplane songs.
Genre:
DMDB Book:
  • Rock: 65%
  • R&B: 24%
  • Pop: 11%
  • Country: 2%
  • Jazz: 1%
Mind Your Dollars:
  • Rock: 97.5%
  • R&B: 0%
  • Pop: 0%
  • Country: 0%
  • Jazz: 2.5%
Both lists also show the dominance of rock over other genres. However, the ONLY song on the Mind Your Dollars list that falls outside rock is Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

* Numbers may exceed 100% because some songs fit more than one category. For example, “Endless Love” is sung by a male and female so falls into both categories.

Resources:
at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, February 7, 2020

Green Day: A Retrospective, 1991-2020

Green Day

A Retrospective: 1991-2020

Overview:

Green Day is a punk-rock band formed in 1987 in the East Bay of California. They were part of the punk scene that emerged from the Bay Area in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, specifically fro the 924 Gilman Street club. They are credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States because of the success of Dookie Dookie, their major-label debut which sold 10 million copies. They also experienced major success in 2004 with their rock opera American Idiot, which is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of the 21st Century.

While they have been a trio comprised of Billy Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool for most of their existence, Raj Punjabi, Sean Hughes, Al Sobrante, and John Kiffmeyer were early members.

The Players:

  • Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar: 1987-present)
  • Mike “Dirnt” Pritchard (bass: 1987-present)
  • Raj Punjabi (drums: 1987-88)
  • Sean Hughes (bass: 1987-88)
  • Al Sobrante (drums: 1989-90)
  • John Kiftmeyer (drums: 1990)
  • Frank “Tré Cool” Wright (drums: 1990-present)

Links:

Awards:

Compilations:

Immediately below is a list of this acts’ top songs as ranked by the DMDB. The codes beside the songs indicate which of the above albums the songs appear on. In addition, you can scroll farther down the page to see a snapshot of the individual albums with the singles from each indicated. The songs are again followed by the codes, but also for those songs that charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Top 50 Songs

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Boulevard of Broken Dreams (2004) GF
2. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (1997) IS, GF
3. Basket Case (1994) IS, GF

DMDB Top 2%:

4. American Idiot (2004) GF
5. Longview (1994) IS, GF
6. Wake Me Up When September Ends (2004) GF
7. When I Come Around (1994) IS, GF

DMDB Top 5%:

8. Brain Stew (1995) IS, GF
9. Holiday (2004) GF
10. Jaded (1995) IS

DMDB Top 10%:

11. 21 Guns (2009) GF
12. Know Your Enemy (2009) GF
13. The Saints Are Coming (with U2, 2006)
14. Welcome to Paradise (1994) IS, GF
15. Minority (2000) IS, GF

DMDB Top 20%:

16. Still Breathing (2016) GF
17. Bang Bang (2016) GF
18. Warning (2000) IS, GF
19. Geek Stink Breath (1995) IS
20. She (1994) IS, GF

21. Oh Love (2012) GF
22. Working Class Hero (2007)
23. J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva) (1995) IS
24. Hitchin’ a Ride (1997) IS, GF

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

25. Walking Contradiction (1995) IS
26. Jesus of Suburbia (2004)
27. The Simpsons Theme (2007)
28. Oh Yeah! (2020)
29. Father of All… (2019)
30. Redundant (1997) IS

31. East Jesus Nowhere (2009)
32. Tired of Waiting for You (1997)
33. Nice Guys Finish Last (1997) IS
34. Let Yourself Go (2012)
35. Revolution Radio (2016)
36. X-Kid (2012)
37. Stuck with Me (1995) IS
38. Ordinary World (2016) GF
39. Pollyanna (2021)
40. All by Myself (1994)

41. Last of the American Girls (2009)
42. When It’s Time (2010)
43. Are We the Waiting (2004)
44. 2000 Light Years Away (1991) GF
45. Macy’s Day Parade (2000) IS
46. Maria (2001) IS
47. Poprocks & Coke (2001) IS
48. Suffocate (2002)
49. My Generation (1988)
50. Back in the U.S.A. (2017) GF

Kerplunk! (1991):

  • 2000 Light Years Away (11/21/17, --) GF

Dookie (1994):

  • Longview (2/1/94, 36 BA, 87 CB, 35 RR, 13 AR, 1 MR, 30 UK, 33 AU, 9 DF) IS, GF
  • Basket Case (7/16/94, 26 BA, 23 GR, 20 RR, 9 AR, 1 MR, 7 UK, 12 CN, 85 AU, 15 DF) IS, GF
  • Welcome to Paradise (9/24/94, 56 BA, 7 MR, 20 UK, 44 AU, 31 DF) IS, GF
  • When I Come Around (12/3/94, 6 BA, 4 RR, 2 AR, 1 MR, 27 UK, 3 CN, 7 AU, 7 DF) IS, GF
  • She (4/15/95, 41 BA, 18 AR, 5 MR, 23 DF) IS, GF

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Insomniac (1995):

  • Geek Stink Breath (9/25/95, 27 BA, 9 AR, 3 MR, 16 UK, 22 CN, 40 AU, 19 DF) IS
  • Brain Stew (12/16/95, 35 BA, 8 AR, 3 MR, 28 UK, 35 CN, 88 AU, 18 DF) IS, GF
  • Jaded (12/16/95, 35 BA, 8 AR, 3 MR, 28 UK, 35 CN, 88 AU, 31 DF) IS
  • Stuck with Me (12/27/95, 24 UK, 46 AU) IS
  • Walking Contradiction (6/15/96, 70 BA, 25 AR, 21 MR, 31 DF) IS

Nimrod (1997):

  • Hitchin’ a Ride (9/13/97, 59 BA, 9 AR, 5 MR, 25 UK, 23 CN, 26 AU) IS, GF
  • Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (11/29/97, 11 BA, 9 GR, 12 RR, 11 A40, 4 AA, 7 AR, 2 MR, 11 UK, 5 CN, 2 AU, 1 DF) IS, GF
  • Redundant (4/25/98, 16 MR, 27 UK, 2 AU) IS
  • Nice Guys Finish Last (10/17/98, 31 MR, 80 AU) IS

Warning (2000):

  • Minority (8/31/00, 42 RR, 33 A40, 15 AR, 1 MR, 18 UK, 29 AU, 13 DF) IS, GF
  • Warning (12/2/00, 49 RR, 31 A40, 7 AA, 24 AR, 3 MR, 27 UK, 19 AU) IS, GF
  • Waiting (3/31/01, 26 MR, 34 UK) IS
  • Macy’s Day Parade (11/3/01, --) IS

International Superhits!

Green Day

Recorded: 1994-2001

Released: November 13, 2001

Peak: 40 US, 15 UK, -- CN, 11 AU

Sales (in millions): 1.2 US, 0.89 UK, 3.09 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: punk rock

Rating:

4.240 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

Tracks: (1) Maria (2) Poprocks & Coke (3) Longview (4) Welcome to Paradise (5) Basket Case (6) When I Come Around (7) She (8) J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva) (9) Geek Stink Breath (10) Brain Stew (11) Jaded (12) Walking Contradiction (13) Stuck with Me (14) Hitchin’ a Ride (15) Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (16) Redundant (17) Nice Guys Finish Last (18) Minority (19) Warning (20) Waiting (21) Macy’s Day Parade

Total Running Time: 60:44

Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva) (7/22/95, 22 BA, 17 AR, 1 MR, 63 CN, 18 DF) IS
  • Poprocks & Coke (11/13/01, --) IS
  • Maria (12/2/01, --) IS

About the Album:

This compilation covers Green Day’s four major label releases from Reprise Records. That means their early years from 1987 to 1992 aren’t represented, but their weren’t any hits from those years anyway. This is a respectable collection, although it could have included Green Day’s cover of the Kinks’ “Tired of Waiting for You” from the Private Parts soundtrack. It does, however, include the hit “J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)” which had previously only been available on the Angus soundtrack. “Maria” is a re-recording of what was originally a B-side for “Waiting” and “Poprocks & Coke” is a previously unreleased song.

American Idiot (2004):

  • American Idiot (8/21/04, 61 BB, 5 AR, 1 MR, 3 UK, 1 CN, 7 AU, 11 DF) GF
  • Boulevard of Broken Dreams (10/16/04, 2 BB, 1 DG, 1 RR, 30 AC, 1 A40, 1 AA, 1 AR, 1 MR, 5 UK, 1 CN, 5 AU 1 DF) GF
  • Holiday (2/5/05, 19 BB, 13 RR, 5 A40, 1 AR, 1 MR, 11 UK, 24 AU, 31 DF) GF
  • Wake Me Up When September Ends (6/13/05, 6 BB, 4 RR, 13 AC, 2 A40, 3 AA, 12 AR, 2 MR, 8 UK, 13 AU, 1 DF) GF
  • Jesus of Suburbia (10/25/05, 27 MR, 17 UK, 24 AU)

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

21st Century Breakdown (2009):

  • Know Your Enemy (4/16/09, 28 BB, 50 RR, 36 A40, 7 AA, 1 AR, 1 MR, 21 UK, 5 CN, 20 AU) GF
  • 21 Guns (5/25/09, 22 BB, 30 RR, 9 A40, 3 AA, 17 AR, 3 MR, 36 UK, 16 CN, 14 AU) GF
  • East Jesus Nowhere (10/10/09, 35 AR, 17 MR, 71 CN)
  • 21st Century Breakdown (12/21/09, --)
  • Last of the American Girls (3/22/10, 26 MR)

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

¡Uno! (2012):

  • Oh Love (7/16/12, 97 BB, 23 A40, 4 AA, 5 AR, 7 MR, 45 CN) GF
  • Kill the DJ (8/15/12, --)
  • Let Yourself Go (9/5/12, 11 AR, 34 MR)

¡Dos! (2012):

  • Stray Heart (10/15/12, --)

¡Tré! (2012):

  • The Forgotten (10/30/12, --)
  • X-Kid (12/19/12, 23 AR, 35 MR)

Revolution Radio (2016):

  • Bang Bang (8/11/16, 1 AR, 84 UK, 75 CN, 83 AU) GF
  • Still Breathing (11/12/16, 40 A40, 17 AA, 1 AR) GF
  • Ordinary World (1/8/17, --) GF
  • Revolution Radio (5/16/17, 9 AR, 21 MR)

God’s Favorite Band: Greatest Hits

Green Day

Recorded: 1991-2017

Released: November 17, 2017

Peak: 39 US, 22 UK, 37 CN, 16 AU

Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.06 UK

Genre: punk rock

Rating:

4.420 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) 2000 Light Years Away (2) Longview (3) Welcome to Paradise (4) Basket Case (5) When I Come Around (6) She (7) Brain Stew (8) Hitchin’ a Ride (9) Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (10) Minority (11) Warning (12) American Idiot (13) Holiday (14) Boulevard of Broken Dreams (15) Wake Me Up When September Ends (16) Know Your Enemy (17) 21 Guns (18) Oh Love (19) Bang Bang (20) Still Breathing (21) Ordinary World (22) Back in the USA

Total Running Time: 75:58

Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Back in the USA (11/17/17, --) GF

About the Album:

Green Day’s second compilation features ten of the songs from International Superhits! (which covered 1994-2001), dips back to the 1991 Kerplunk! album for “2000 Light Years Away” and adds 11 songs covering 2004 to 2017. “Back in the USA” is a new song and “Ordinary World” is a new version of the song from Revolution Radio with Miranda Lambert dueting with Billie Joe Armstrong.

Father of All (2020):

  • Father of All… (9/21/19, 37 AA, 1 AR, 3 MR)
  • Oh Yeah! (1/16/20, 19 AA, 1 AR, 1 MR)

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 12/7/2023; last updated 12/9/2023.

at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)