Monday, August 30, 2021

Grunge/Post-Grunge: Top 100 Songs

Grunge/
Post-Grunge:

Top 100 Songs

After Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell committed suicide in 2017, I posted a list of the top 50 grunge songs as a tribute. That list, as with amost Dave’s Music Database lists, was created by aggregating multiple other lists.

However, there is a challenge with creating such a list. Grunge was a fusion of punk and heavy metal which originated out of Seattle and bands such as Nirvana, Pearl, Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. The movement developed in the latter half of the ‘80s and peaked in the early ‘90s.

While its rise and fall was quick, it birthed a revival of interest in guitar-based, alternative rock. When record companies started rushing to sign similar-sounding bands, another movement was born: post-grunge. Often these groups have been critically dismissed as less authentic, cash-in versions of grunge. As with all genres, though, the lines are never completely clear. Some bands such as Bush and Collective Soul walked a tightrope, not clearly falling in one camp or the other. Others, such as Nickelback and Creed, sold boatloads but came to be reviled by critics.

In any event, I’ve posted two lists – one focused on grunge and the other on post-grunge. Some songs qualified for both lists but were only listed on one. So here we go – the two lists – one on the top 50 grunge songs and the other on the top 50 post-grunge songs.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Grunge based on this list. It debuts August 31, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Top 50 Grunge Songs

image from fanboysanonymous.com,
l to r: Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, Layne Staley

1. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
2. Alice in Chains “Would?” (1992)
3. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun” (1994)
4. Pearl Jam “Jeremy” (1991)
5. Temple of the Dog “Hunger Strike” (1991)
6. Pearl Jam “Alive” (1991)
7. Stone Temple Pilots “Plush” (1992)
8. Screaming Trees “Nearly Lost You” (1992)
9. Pearl Jam “Even Flow” (1991)
10. Mudhoney “Touch Me I’m Sick” (1988)

11. Stone Temple Pilots “Interstate Love Song” (1994)
12. Soundgarden “Outshined’ (1991)
13. Mother Love Bone “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns” (1989)
14. Pearl Jam “Black” (1991)
15. Nirvana “Lithium” (1991)
16. Mad Season “River of Deceit” (1995)
17. Nirvana “All Apologies” (1993)
18. Nirvana “Come As You Are” (1991)
19. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” (1991)
20. Nirvana “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993)

21. Alice in Chains “Rooster” (1992)
22. Soundgarden “Spoonman” (1994)
23. L7 Pretend We’re Dead” (1992)
24. Stone Temple Pilots “Big Empty” (1994)
25. Hole “Doll Parts” (1994)
26. Stone Temple Pilots “Sex Type Thing” (1992)
27. Nirvana “In Bloom” (1991)
28. Nirvana “You Know You’re Right” (1994)
29. Bush “Glycerine” (1995)
30. Alice in Chains “Them Bones” (1992)

31. Hole “Violet” (1994)
32. Blind Melon “No Rain” (1993)
33. Toadies “Possum Kingdom” (1994)
34. Temple of the Dog “Say Hello 2 Heaven” (1991)
35. Bush “Everything Zen” (1994)
36. Smashing Pumpkins “Cherub Rock” (1993)
37. Pearl Jam “Yellow Lebetter” (1992)
38. Nirvana “About a Girl” (1989)
39. Bush “Comedown” (1994)
40. Pearl Jam “Better Man” (1994)

41. Nirvana “Rape Me” (1993)
42. Soundgarden “Burden in My Hand” (1996)
43. Soundgarden “Jesus Christ Pose” (1991)
44. Stone Temple Pilots “Wicked Garden” (1992)
45. Stone Temple Pilots “Creep” (1992)
46. Alice in Chains “No Excuses” (1992)
47. Soundgarden “Rusty Cage” (1991)
48. Nirvana “Aneurysm” (1991)
49. Veruca Salt “Seether” (1994)
50. Pearl Jam “Daughter” (1993)

Top 50 Post-Grunge Songs

image from alternativenation.net

1. Foo Fighters “Everlong” (1997)
2. Puddle of Mudd “Blurry” (2001)
3. 3 Doors Down “Kryptonite” (2000)
4. Staind “It’s Been Awhile” (2001)
5. Nickelback “How You Remind Me” (2001)
6. Candlebox “Far Behind” (1993)
7. Bush “Machinehead” (1994)
8. Live “I Alone” (1994)
9. Creed “My Own Prison” (1997)
10. Marcy Playground “Sex and Candy” (1997)

11. Three Days Grace “I Hate Everything About You” (2003)
12. Live “Lightning Crashes” (1994)
13. Silverchair “Tomorrow” (1994)
14. Collective Soul “Shine” (1993)
15. Filter “Hey Man, Nice Shot” (1995)
16. Better Than Ezra “Good” (1995)
17. Foo Fighters “The Pretender” (2007)
18. Everclear “Santa Monica (Watch the World Die)” (1995)
19. Seether “Fake It” (2007)
20. Creed “Higher” (1999)

21. Foo Fighters “My Hero” (1997)
22. Third Eye Blind “Semi-Charmed Life” (1997)
23. Fuel “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” (2000)
24. Incubus “Drive” (1999)
25. Breaking Benjamin “The Diary of Jane” (2006)
26. Incubus “Wish You Were Here” (2001)
27. Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly” (1999)
28. Sponge “Plowed” (1994)
29. Tonic “If You Could Only See” (1997)
30. Hoobastank “The Reason” (2003)

31. Creed “With Arms Wide Open” (1999)
32. The Verve Pipe “The Freshmen” (1996)
33. Alter Bridge “Metalingus” (2004)
34. Seether “Fine Again” (2002)
35. Local H “Bound for the Floor” (1996)
36. Semisonic “Closing Time” (1998)
37. Puddle of Mudd “She Hates Me” (2002)
38. Three Days Grace “Animal I Have Become” (2006)
39. Seether with Amy Lee “Broken” (2004)
40. Foo Fighters “All My Life” (2002)

41. Seven Mary Three “Cumbersome” (1995)
42. Audioslave “Like a Stone” (2002)
43. Foo Fighters “Best of You” (2005)
44. Foo Fighters “Big Me” (1995)
45. Hinder “Lips of an Angel” (2006)
46. Days of the New “Touch, Peel, and Stand” (1997)
47. 3 Doors Down “When I’m Gone” (2002)
48. Foo Fighters “Times Like These” (2002)
49. Foo Fighters “This Is a Call” (1995)
50. Candlebox “You” (1993)

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First posted 5/25/2017; last updated 8/30/2021.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2021

The Rainmakers & Bob Walkenhorst: Top 100 Songs

The Rainmakers/
Bob Walkenhorst

Top 100 Songs

The Rainmakers are a roots-rock band from Missouri. They started as a trio in 1983 named Steve, Bob & Rich for members Steve Phillips (guitar and vocals), Bob Walkenhorst (vocals, drums, and guitar), and Rich Ruth (bass and vocals). They released one independent album, Balls, in 1984.

They signed to Polygram Records, added drummer Pat Tomek, and renamed themselves the Rainmakers. They released their self-titled debut in 1986. Four more studio albums followed from 1987 to 1997. Rich Ruth had left in 1994 and was replace on their 1997 album Skin by Michael Bliss.

The band were then inactive for more than a decade, during which time frontman Bob Walkenhorst released a solo album and collaborated with Jeff Porter, who joined the Rainmakers when they reunited in 2011. Steve Phillips and Pat Tomek returned to the fold as well.

After three more studio albums, the band again went dormant during which time Walkenhorst collaborated with his daughter Una for a 2018 album and released another solo effort in 2021. He has also recorded two albums, known as Spare and Spare Vol. 2, of stripped-down, acoustic versions of his songs with and without the Rainmakers. Also appearing on this list are a few cuts from the 1977 album The Last Adventure by the Walkenhorst Brothers.

Click here to see other best-of lists from performers and here to see other best-of lists from songwriters and/or producers.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Bob Walkenhorst and the Rainmakers based on this list. It debuts August 24, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs

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.

DMDB Top 20%:

1. Let My People Go-Go (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
2. Snake Dance (1987)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

3. Downstream (1986)
4. The Wages of Sin (1987)
5. Big Fat Blonde (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
6. Small Circles (1987)
7. Nobody Knows (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
8. Spend It on Love (1989)
9. Government Cheese (1986)
10. Like Dogs (2011)

11. Suspicious Minds (2015)
12. Last Song of the Evening (2011)
13. Given Time (2011)
14. Primitivo Garcia (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
15. Drinkin’ on the Job (1986)
16. Information (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
17. Go Down Swinging (2011)
18. Half a Horse Apiece (2011)
19. Hoo Dee Hoo (1989)
20. America (2015)

21. Another Guitar (1984)
22. Reckoning Day (1989)
23. One More Summer (1987)
24. Suspicious Minds (2015)
25. The Lakeview Man (1987)
26. For Tomorrow (Bob & Una Walkenhorst, 2018)
27. Different Rub (1997)
28. No Romance (1987)
29. Long Gone Long (1986)
30. Missouri Girl (2011)

31. Thirty Days (1989)
32. Rockin’ at the T-Dance (1986)
33. Doomsville (1986)
34. Turpentine (2011)
35. The Battle of the Roses (1989)
36. Siamese Twins (1997)
37. The One That Got Away (1986)
38. Stick Together (live, 1989)
39. Baby Grand (2011)
40. Wild Oats (1989)

41. Kansas City Times (2011)
42. Skin (1997)
43. To the Hum (1997)
44. 13th Spirit (2014)
45. Rainmaker (1987)
46. Renaissance Man (1989)
47. Carpenter’s Son (1987)
48. Tattoo (1997)
49. Fool’s Gold (1994)
50. Shithole Town (2014)

51. Life Can Turn (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
52. Width of a Line (1994)
53. Miserable (2014)
54. Little Tiny World (1994)
55. Jan Vermeer (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
56. J-Walkers (Bob Wakenhorst, 2003)
57. Just Leaving (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
58. Shiny Shiny (1989)
59. Along Comes Mary (2015)
60. Tornado of Love (1987)

61. Just Another Joe (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
62. The Day We Hung Up the Flag (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
63. The Other Side of the World (1987)
64. Fly Over (Bob & Una Walkenhorst, 2018)
65. You Remind Me of Someone (1994)
66. Monster Movie (2014)
67. I Talk with My Hands (1987)
68. Greatest Night of My Life (1994)
69. Silver Lake (Bob Walkenhorst & Jeff Porter, 2009)
70. Remarkable (Bob Walkenhorst, 2006)

71. No Abandon (Bob Walkenhorst & Jeff Porter, 2009)
72. Mystery Road (1994)
73. Dry Dry Land (1989)
74. Sugartree (Bob Walkenhorst, 2020)
75. We Walk the Levee (1989)
76. Happy Enough (Bob Walkenhorst, 2020)
77. View from the Tower (1994)
78. Rock On (2015)
79. EGBDF (Steve, Bob & Rich: 1984)
80. A Million Miles Away (1997)

81. Punching Bag (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
82. Call a Wrecker (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
83. Stolen the Moon (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
84. Overland Hill (Bob Walkenhorst & Jeff Porter, 2009)
85. Burgers (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
86. Spite (1994)
87. Winter Dreams (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
88. Shenandoah (Bob Walkenhorst, 2016)
89. Kissin’ Time (Steve, Bob & Rich: 1984)
90. Good Sons and Daughters (1997)

91. Kissses from St. Louis (1993)
92. Rockin’ Around (1993)
93. Autumn Song (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
94. When We Say Goodbye (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
95. Vermillion (2011)
96. Who’s at the Wheel (2014)
97. These Hills (2011)
98. Broken Down (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
99. Too Many Twenties (1997)
100. Signs of a Struggle (2014)

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First posted 6/17/2021; last updated 8/24/2021.

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Sunday, August 22, 2021

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Albums (Aug. 2021)

Originally posted 8/22/2021.

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 eleventh group of album inductees. These are amongst the top twenty blues albums of all time, excluding previous inductees Robert Johnson’s The Complete Recordings, Bessie Smith’s The Essential, and Charley Patton’s Founder of the Delta Blues.

See the full list of album inductees here.

Muddy Waters At Newport (live, 1960)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

This was “a great breakthrough moment in blues history.” AMG “Though his ‘50s recordings…revolutionized modern blues, it wasn’t until his raw, plugged-in steer blew up the Newport Folk Festival that whites in America gave Muddy (and the blues) proper respect.” VB “This was many white folks’ first exposure” BL “to live recorded blues.” AMG It was also significant because “the jazz audience opened its ears and embraced Chicago blues.” AMG Read more.

Bobby “Blue” Band Two Steps from the Blues (recorded 1956-60, released 1961)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Two Steps from the Blues is the definitive Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland album and one of the great records in electric blues and soul-blues. In fact, it’s one of the key albums in modern blues, marking a turning point when juke joint blues were seamlessly blended with gospel and Southern soul, creating a distinctly Southern sound where all of these styles blended so thoroughly it was impossible to tell where one began and one ended.” STE Read more.

Howlin’ Wolf Moanin’ in the Moonlight/Howlin’ Wolf (aka “The Rockin’ Chair Album”) (1959/1962)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

Howlin’ Wolf’s first two albums were compilations covering the years 1951 to 1962. Amongst the songs are “How Many More Years,” “Smokestack Lightning,” “Spoonful,” and “The Little Red Rooster,” all of which have been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In the CD era, they were packaged as one release, making for an effective overview of “the cream of Wolf’s Chicago blues work.” SC Both albums have been inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame. Read more.

B.B. King Live at the Regal (recorded live 1964, released 1965)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

B.B. “King, who has been called ‘The King of the Blues’ and the ‘best blues artist of his generation,’ has been a primary influence on a number of artists, including Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield.” NRR “King is not only a timeless singer and guitarist, he’s also a natural-born entertainer, and on Live at the Regal the listener is treated to an exhibition of all three of his talents.” DG The album was significant in King’s career because it graduated him from a largely black following to a much larger white audience. Read more.

John Mayall’s Blue Breakers Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Rarely has any single record album induced such a shift in popular music.” LP This is “perhaps the best British blues album ever cut.” BE It reinvented “the American blues for a fresh audience” LP giving “rise to subgenres such as heavy metal and other roots-related rock.” LP The album significantly featured guest Eric Clapton on his “first fully realized album as a blues guitarist,” BE coming in between his stints with the Yardbirds and Cream. His work “catapulted him” LP “to the helm of the burgeoning British blues-rock scene” LP and “international exposure as well as legendary guitar rock idol status.” LP Read more.

Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

This Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry inductee features two songs (“Born Under a Bad Sign,” “Crosscut Saw”) which are Blues Hall of Fame inductees. The album marked King’s arrival at Stax Records where he recorded with Booker T & the MG’s and found the crossover appeal he’d previously been missing. AllMusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls this “one of the very greatest electric blues albums of all time.” AMG Read more.

Willie Dixon The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-69, released 1988)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Songwriter, producer, and talent scout, singer-bassist Willie Dixon essentially built Chicago's Cobra and Chess labels with his sweat.” AZ This collection features 13 different artists including Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, and Muddy Waters, but with one unifying theme – all of these songs are written by Dixon, making a case for him to be crowned “king of the blues composers.” BF Read more.

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Texas Flood (1983)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Produced by legendary talent scout John Hammond,” TD1 Texas Flood “captures the rising guitar star” TD1 “as rockin’ blues purist.” TD2 “Critics claimed that, no matter how prodigious Vaughan’s instrumental talents were, he didn’t forge a distinctive voice” STE but “that was sort of the point of Texas Flood. Vaughan didn’t hide his influences; he celebrated them, pumping fresh blood into a familiar genre” STE and becoming the “torchbearer of the ‘80s-‘90s blues revival.” TD2 Read more.

Robert Cray Strong Persuader (1986)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

Strong Persuader, Cray’s fifth studio album, was his mainstream breakthrough, opening up blues to a wider audience than it had received in decades. The Village Voice, Robert Christgau called it “the first album to break out of the genre’s sales ghetto since B.B. King was a hot item” WK and “the best blues record in many, many years.” WK Read more.

Eric Clapton From the Cradle (1994)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

No white man did more to expose blues to mass audiences than Eric Clapton. Before launching his solo career, his work with groups virtually established the blues-rock genre. As a solo artist, he regularly slipped blues covers into his albums. When his Unplugged album became the most successful of his career, selling 20 million copies and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year, he used his new-found clout to record his first all-blues cover album. Whle “he doesn’t have the strength to pull off Howlin’ Wolf’s growl or the confidence to replicate Muddy Waters’ assured phrasing” STE “the album manages to re-create the ambience of postwar electric blues, right down to the bottomless thump of the rhythm section.” STE Read more.
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Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Albums

Dave’s Music Database


Hall of Fame

ALBUMS

Originally posted 1/22/2019; last updated 11/22/2021.

Dave’s Music Database Hall of Fame was established January 22, 2019 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog. Every month, a class of acts, albums, or songs are inducted. Here are the album inductee classes so far:

And here are all of the individual albums which have been inducted. Click on the album title to go to a detailed DMDB entry about the album. Click on the highlighted month/year to see the album’s induction entry.

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Saturday, August 21, 2021

David Baerwald: Artist Profile

David Baerwald:

Artist Profile


Born: David Francis Baerwald
Date: July 11, 1960
Where: Oxford, Ohio

Significant Bands:

Awards:

The Studio Albums:

Hover over an album for the name and year of release. Click to see its DMDB page.

Overview:

“David Baerwald is a talented and extremely unprolific artist who has maintained some loose ties to the fringes of American progressive music.” CC “His songs are littered with people who either never had a chance or pissed it all away. The streets are dark and dangerous, you can’t trust the cops, the wealthy are corrupt, and the government doesn’t give a fuck about you – yet somehow, impossibly, always, there is a beautiful glimmer of humanity. Sometimes even the hope for redemption. And his voice is the perfect vehicle: ragged; slippery of pitch; alternating between world-weary sigh and anguished howl. It’s postmodern Los Angeles as the Wild Wild West, and in many ways, he’s never altered that viewpoint.” JB

“Baerwald is the type of guy best described as wiry. Slight of build, he has a firm handshake and piercing green eyes. Peppered with brown flecks, they're notably expressive as the gateway to a man who has lived a full existence…Whatever life has dealt Baerwald, he perseveres, and in the process, he's made music the world needs to hear.” AC

Early Years:

Baerwald was born in Ohio in 1960. He had two older sisters. In the mid-‘60s, his family moved to Los Angeles. They were even in Japan for awhile because of his father’s work as a political science instructor. Before he was 10, he had picked up one of his sister’s guitars. They settled in Los Angeles in the ‘70s though. AC As he jokes, “Just in time for me to join the Less Than Zero crowd.’” AC

Of his early days in bands, he said “We were just a bunch of twerpy nerds and rich kids…I was playing bass in those days with a band called the Spastics. It was more of a youth gang than a real band. I think a lot of punk bands were that way; there were a lot of people who were in bands, but were really car thieves or drug dealers.’” AC

He drifted through a series of odd jobs after high school. One had him doing story analysis for Orion Pictures. As he said, “You’d take a book or screenplay and distill it to three paragraphs…and do it in the style of what you were writing about.” AC It helped Baerwald develop a taste for songwriting. AC

After some problems with the law, he changed his lifestyle and moved back in with his parents, who were divorcing. Baerwald was itching to make music and called Dave Ricketts, a friend of a friend, who was interested in scoring film. AC

David + David (1986):

He and Ricketts recorded an album in 1986. Baerwald considered the process therapeutic. He says, “I was wrestling with paranoia and depression, and he was essentially agoraphobic. One day I was looking at 15 years in prison and he was a set painter at a movie studio… I was in a lot of trouble with a lot of different things and I was engaged in this ‘young guy catharsis’ thing.” AC

Baerwald says “I wasn’t really making it for anyone…It was a couple of screw-ups in someone’s bedroom with a portastudio, that’s all it was…I wasn’t thinking about record companies or the music business. Somehow our tape ended up on the desk of Jordan Harris, the A&R guy at A&M Records. The next thing I knew, we were on MTV 20 times a day…being asked our opinion on world events. Both of us were freaked…It was very disorienting.’” AC

“The duo found itself one of the most buzzworthy new artists of the year,” JB thanks in large part to the top-40 success of the album’s lead single “Welcome to the Boomtown.” “With its glossy surfaces and memorable melodies, Boomtown was deceptively smooth. Beneath the slick production, the songs were tales of despair and broken dreams in the era of Ronald Reagan.” AC

Baerwald Goes Solo (1990-1992):

The pair never recorded a follow-up. Ricketts turned to behind-the-scenes work for artists like Toni Childs, JB who had sung backing vocals on Boomtown. Baerwald launched a solo career with Bedtime Stories in 1990. Like Boomtown, “it was an album of deceptively laid-back pop; the calm production and subtle, memorable melodies hid the fact that Baerwald's characters were either inflicting or suffering from emotional pain. It was a triumph, winning raves from critics, but it sold very few copies.” STE

On his second album, 1992’s Triage, “Baerwald decided to have the music match the message, creating soundscapes that recalled a subdued, more pop-friendly Tom Waits. Again, the critical praise was substantial but the record sold even fewer copies than the first. A follow-up wouldn’t be seen for nearly a decade” STE as Baerwald “would discover an increasing lack of support – even hostility – from label bosses (not to mention an indifferent record-buying public).” JB

Tuesday Night Music Club (1992-93):

Baerwald was also contributing to albums by Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Rickie Lee Jones, Susanna Hoffs, and Sophie B. Hawkins, among others. Of most note, however, was his work with Sheryl Crow. In the fall of 1992, he began working with Crow and others in a loose collective of musicians who gathered at Bill Bottrell’s studio on Tuesdays.

11 of the songs (of which Baerwald is featured as a guitarist and/or co-writer on 11) ended up comprising Crow’s 1993 debut album Tueday Night Music Club. “All I Wanna Do,” which Baerwald co-wrote, won a Grammy for Record of the Year.

Members of the collective would also contribute to Baerwald’s own Triage, Susanna Hoff’s 1996 eponymous album, Linda Perry’s In Flight (1996), and the 1995 debut solo album (Thud) of fellow Tuesday Night Music Clubber Kevin Gilbert.

“Baerwald’s politics, increasingly dark personality, and refusal to play record-company stooge all contributed to a rift between himself and the guy running the show at A&M at the time.” JB They “held onto Baerwald’s contract only so it could prohibit him from releasing anything while simultaneously engaging in a whisper blackball campaign against him.” JB

Baerwald says, “I had the worst breakup with [the record company] of any I have ever heard of. I personally insulted a bunch of the people that worked there. They wanted me to be Sheryl Crow’s slave and I didn’t want to do that…I rejected having a solo career…The whole thing seemed like a bunch of shit. Narcissism, egomania, vanity. I don’t consider those attractive qualities, and I don’t know how they became the gold standard in today’s culture. To have that world as the only arrow in my quiver seemed like a suicidal way of working.” AC

Baerwald also had to contend with several deaths. His friend John O’Brien committed suicide. He wrote the novel Leaving Las Vegas, which inspired the song of the same name on Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club album. Kevin Gilbert died in 1996. Two years later, Bill Bottrell’s 7-year-old son William died. Baerwald used songwriting as a refuge, but said the songs were for his own benefit. “I didn’t expect or even think there would be a purpose in releasing them.’” AC

Film and Television Work:

Baerwald turned to composing music for commercials, television, and films. Over the next decade, he was involved with Clueless, Reality Bites, The Pledge and others. He significantly contributed to the Hurly Burly (1999) and Around the Bend soundtracks and nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for the song Come What May from Moulin Rouge!.

From a Fine Mess to the NFU (1999-2002):

Baerwald finally released another album in 1999. The catalyst was a fan page his mom stumbled across while searching for relatives on the Internet. Baerwald said, “It seemed my music was important to a lot of them. I ended up recording all the songs I had written. Someone suggested I give it to the people on the fan page. I was genuinely touched by their interest.” AC

The result was the two-disc album A Fine Mess It was later whittled down to a single-disc version with three new songs and released by Lost Highway in 2002 as Here Comes the New Folk Underground.

A-Tone Recordings (2016-2018):

After many years of staying away from the studio, Baerwald returned in 2016 to record a trio of EPs – Hellbound Train (2016), Hard Times (2017), and Reckless Boy. The songs on the first two EPs were traditional songs while the third set, recorded under the name the Regulators, was comprised of original tunes. All three collections were Americana-oriented.

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 2/15/2008; updated 8/21/2021.

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Wednesday, August 18, 2021

The Who's Top 100 Songs/Studio Albums Ranked

The Who

Top 100 Songs/
Studio Albums Ranked

The Who were a rock group that formed in London in 1964. In their early years, they became known for their antics of destroying their instruments on stage. They became a staple of album rock with classics such as the 1969 rock opera Tommy and 1971’s Who’s Next The original lineup of singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon lasted until 1978 when Moon died at age 32 from a drug overdose.

At their concert in Cincinnati on December 3, 1979, eleven people were trampled to death when fans tried to push their way in before the show. The band broke up in 1982, but regrouped for Live Aid in 1986 and again in 1989 for a 25th anniversary tour. They subsequently regrouped multiple times. Just before their 2002 tour, Entwistle died at age 57 from a cocaine-induced heart attack.

In 2006, they released their first studio album, Endless Wire, in 24 years. They reconvened again for the album Who in 2019.

Click here to see other best-of lists from performers and here to see other best-of lists from songwriters and/or producers.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The 50th Anniversary of Who’s Next which draws from this list. It premieres August 17, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs

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. This list includes solo material from Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey as well as music by The Who.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. My Generation (1965)
2. Won’t Get Fooled Again (1971)
3. Baba O’Riley (1971)

DMDB Top 2%:

4. I Can See for Miles (1967)
5. I Can't Explain (1965)
6. Pinball Wizard (1969)
7. Behind Blue Eyes (1971)

DMDB Top 5%:

8. Who Are You (1978)
9. Magic Bus (1968)
10. Love Reign O’er Me (1973)
11. You Better You Bet (1981)

DMDB Top 10%:

12. Substitute (1966)
13. Happy Jack (1966)
14. Squeeze Box (1975)
15. The Kids Are Alright (1966)
16. Pictures of Lily (1967)
17. The Seeker (1970)
18. Eminence Front (1982)
19. Join Together (1972)
20. 5:15 (1973)

21. Let My Love Open the Door (Pete Townshend, 1980)
22. Summertime Blues (1970)
23. Bargain (1971)

DMDB Top 20%:

24. I’m Free (1969)
25. We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me Feel Me (1970)
26. I’m a Boy (1966)
27. Athena (1982)
28. Relay (1972)
29. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (1965)
30. Long Live Rock (1974)

31. The Real Me (1973)
32. Let’s See Action (1971)
33. Rough Boys (Pete Townshend, 1980)
34. Call Me Lightning (1968)
35. Face the Face (Pete Townshend, 1985)
36. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Roger Daltrey, 1987)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

37. A Legal Matter (1965)
38. Don’t Let Go the Coat (1981)
39. Boris the Spider (1966)
40. Without Your Love (Roger Daltrey, 1980)

41. The Song Is Over (1971)
42. Another Tricky Day (1981)
43. Goin’ Mobile (1971)
44. After the Fire (Roger Daltrey, 1985)
45. Dogs (1968)
46. The Last Time (1967)
47. Slip Kid (1975)
48. Giving It All Away (Roger Daltrey, 1973)
49. Pure and Easy (Pete Townshend, 1972)
50. My Wife (1971)

51. Gettin’ in Tune (1971)
52. It’s Not Enough (2006)
53. Behind Blue Eyes (acoustic version by Pete Townshend, 1983)
54. Give Blood (Pete Townshend, 1985)
55. Quicksilver Lightning (Roger Daltrey, 1986)
56. A Friend Is a Friend (Pete Townshend, 1989)
57. Free Me (Roger Daltrey, 1980)
58. Slit Skirts (Pete Townshend, 1982)
59. Love Ain’t for Keepin’ (1971)
60. Real Good Looking Boy (2004)

61. Let Me Down Easy (Roger Daltrey, 1985)
62. Under a Raging Moon (Roger Daltrey, 1985)
63. Go to the Mirror Boy (1969)
64. Amazing Journey/Sparks (1969)
65. Under My Thumb (1967)
66. It’s a Boy (1969)
67. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting (1991)
68. Postcard (1974)
69. All This Music Must Fade (2019)
70. Sister Disco (1978)

71. Take Me Home (Roger Daltrey, 1987)
72. Come and Get Your Love (Roger Daltrey, 1975)
73. The Acid Queen (1969)
74. Avenging Annie (Roger Daltrey, 1977)
75. A Little Is Enough (Pete Townshend, 1980)
76. Do You Think It’s Alright/Fiddle About (1969)
77. Cousin Kevin (1969)
78. Young Man Blues (1970)
79. Shakin’ All Over (1970)
80. Pinball Wizard (live version by Pete Townshend, 1986)

81. It’s Hard (1982)
82. Daily Records (1981)
83. How Can You Do It Alone (1981)
84. Be Lucky (2014)
85. Trick of the Light (1978)
86. Music Must Change (1978)
87. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Pete Townshend live with John Williams, 1981)
88. Naked Eye (live, 1971)
89. Sheraton Gibson (Pete Townshend, 1972)
90. English Boy (Pete Townshend, 1993)

91. Did You Steal My Money (1981)
92. Dig (1989)
93. You (1981)
94. Fire (1989)
95. Twist and Shout (live) (1980)
96. Walking in My Sleep (Roger Daltrey, 1984)
97. Heaven and Hell (1970)
98. How Many Friends (1975)
99. Had Enough (1978)
100. Fortune Teller (1968)

The Who: Studio Albums Ranked

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by album’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, critics’ ratings, and awards. Also factored in are the status of each album’s songs in Dave’s Music Database for songs.

1. Who’s Next (1971)
2. Tommy (1969)
3. Quadrophenia (1973)
4. Sell Out (1967)
5. My Generation (1965)
6. A Quick One (1966)
7. By Numbers (1975)
8. Endless Wire (2006)
9. Who Are You (1978)
10. Face Dances (1981)

11. Who (2019)
12. Magic Bus * (1968)
13. Lifehouse (2000)
14. It’s Hard (1982)

* Technically not a studio album but a compilation, but included here because the songs were various singles, B-sides, and leftovers all recorded in 1967 and 1968.

Resources and Related Links:

Other Related DMDB Pages:

First posted 7/27/2012; last updated 8/18/2021.

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Sunday, August 15, 2021

100 years ago: Ted Lewis “All by Myself” hit #1

All by Myself

Ted Lewis

Writer(s): Irving Berlin (see lyrics here)

First Charted: August 15, 1921

Peak: 14 US, 12 GA, 15 SM (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 1.0 (sheet music)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

This Irving Berlin tune “is a meditation on solitude and the misery of growing old alone.” TY2 It may have been autobiographical as Berlin lost his bride shortly after their honeymoon and never remarried. TY2 It was introduced in vaudeville by Charles King DJ and in The Music Box Revue of 1922, which was part of a series of musical theater revuews by Irving Berlin from 1921 to 1925. It was first recorded by Frank Crumit (#5, 1921), SM a “popular entertainer who appeared in several Broadway musicals of the decade and later hosted a popular radio show.” TY2

Ted Lewis’ jazz band recorded the chart-topping version. SM “The famous bandleader…was famous for his half-spoken, half-singing vocals” TY2 but this recording of “All by Myself” was all instrumental. SM

In all, six versions of the song charted in 1921 – Aileen Stanley (#5), Benny Krueger (#6), Vaughn Deleath (#13), and Ben Selvin (#14). PM Krueger was the former saxophone player with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. TY2 Deleath was “one of the most famous of the early radio performers” TY2 and “supposedly the first woman to sing on radio.” TY2

Others who recorded the song include Pat Boone, Connee Boswell, Nat “King” Cole, Bing Crosby (for the movie Blue Skies), DJ Bob Crosby, Bobby Darin, Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Francis, Marion Harris, Brenda Lee, Nancy Sinatra, and Kay Starr. WK

Resources:

Related Links:

First posted 1/28/2023.

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