The Top 50 Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Acts

Heavy Metal/Hard Rock: Top 50 Acts

This list was created by aggregating 25 lists focused on the best heavy metal and/or hard rock acts of all time. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. Metallica 1. Metallica 2. Iron Maiden 3. Black Sabbath 4. Judas Priest 5. Megadeth 6. Slayer 7. Pantera 8. Tool 9. Motörhead 10. Led Zeppelin 11. Mötley Crüe 12. Guns N’ Roses 13. Van Halen 14. AC/DC 15. Ozzy Osbourne 16. Anthrax 17. Aerosmith 18. Kiss 19. Korn 20. Slipknot 21. Deep Purple 22. System of a Down 23. Jimi Hendrix 24. Bon Jovi 25. Def Leppard 26. Alice Cooper 27. Ronnie James Dio 28. Scorpions 29. Avenged Sevenfold 30. Queensrÿche 31. Alice in Chains 32. Marilyn Manson 33. Deftones 34. Rammstein 35. Queen 36. Nirvana 37. Rush 38. Linkin Park 39. Rage Against the Machine 40. Faith No More 41. Whitesnake 42. Ratt 43. Foo Fighters 44. Disturbed 45. Evanescence 46. Rainbow 47. Thin Lizzy 48. Five Finger Death Punch 49. Cinderella 50. Twisted Sister Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Albums Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Heavy Metal Songs Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Hair Band/Glam Metal Songs Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre First posted 7/1/2026.

The Top 100 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hopefuls

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Top 100 Snubs

Bashing the Rock Hall has become the quite vogue thing to do. Of course, they have inducted hundreds of deserving artists alongside those who raise many music fans eyebrows. However, fans get outraged this time every year when their favorites get snubbed…yet again. In the true spirit of Dave’s Music Database, the occasion for a list presented itself. Just who are the biggest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubs, those acts which fans most think have been overlooked? More than 90 lists were consolidated to create this list of the top 100 overlooked acts which will hopefully someday be enshrined in the Hall. Here we go: See other Hall of Fames. 1. Motörhead 2. The Smiths 3. Jethro Tull 4. Pixies 5. Boston 6. Devo 7. Sonic Youth 8. Thin Lizzy 9. The Monkees 10. King Crimson 11. New York Dolls 12. Chic 13. Mötley Crüe 14. Emerson, Lake & Palmer 15. The Replacements 16. Styx 17. Jane’s Addiction 18. The Guess Who 19. The B-52’s 20. Dick Dale 21. Three Dog Night 22. Alice in Chains 23. The Scorpions 24. John Coltrane 25. War 26. Slayer 27. Steppenwolf 28. Big Star 29. Brian Eno 30. Björk 31. Harry Nilsson 32. Smashing Pumpkins 33. Diana Ross 34. J. Geils Band 35. Weird Al Yankovic 36. Nick Drake 37. Blue Öyster Cult 38. Grand Funk Railroad 39. Mariah Carey 40. Tommy James & the Shondells 41. INXS 42. Chuck Willis 43. Procol Harum 44. Pantera 45. Barry White 46. Captain Beefheart 47. Jim Croce 48. Megadeth 49. Ted Nugent 50. Mary Wells 51. Ronnie James Dio 52. Ben E. King 53. Connie Francis 54. Love 55. REO Speedwagon 56. The Meters 57. Los Lobos 58. Black Flag 59. Bryan Adams 60. The Dominoes 61. Carpenters 62. Eric B. & Rakim 63. Jan & Dean 64. The Marvelettes 65. Little Feat 66. Meat Loaf 67. Steve Winwood 68. Sting 69. Television 70. The Runaways 71. The Pointer Sisters 72. Tool 73. The Shangri-La’s 74. Beck 75. Bad Brains 76. Faith No More 77. Commodores 78. Joe Tex 79. Patti LaBelle 80. X 81. Afrika Bambaataa 82. De La Soul 83. Toto 84. Mott the Hoople 85. Tears for Fears 86. Johnny Burnette & the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio 87. Supertramp 88. Kansas 89. Stone Temple Pilots 90. Daft Punk 91. Toots & the Maytals 92. The Sonics 93. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 94. Nas 95. Dead Kennedys 96. Huey Lewis & the News 97. Rick James 98. Alanis Morissette 99. John Prine 100. Snoop Dogg Resources/Related Links: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame official website Dave’s Music Database: “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees” Dave’s Music Database: “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees ranked” Dave’s Music Database: “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/NARM’s Definitive Albums” Dave’s Music Database: “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll” Dave’s Music Database (9/2/1995). “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened its doors” Dave’s Music Database (1/23/1986). “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first class” FutureRockLegends.com First posted 10/11/2011; last updated 4/15/2026.

Top 100 Songs by Hair Bands

Hair Bands: Top 100 Songs

Ah, the hair bands. This much-maligned genre was a mix of rock and pop wrapped up in big hair and leather pants. The bands – almost all white men – were known for lifestyles filled with debauchery and depravity. It was no wonder teens in the ‘80s flocked to the bands like moths to a flame. Regardless of these bands’ lack of critical acclaim, some of these bands (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard) when on to become some of the biggest rock bands in the world – even after they cut their hair and opted for more sensible jeans. Here – love ‘em or hate ‘em – are the top songs from hair bands as determined by aggregating 21 lists and then ranking those songs featured on 3 or more lists in order of their overall DMDB points. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 1. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987) 2. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986) 3. Van Halen “Jump” (1984) 4. Def Leppard “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (1987) 5. Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” (1987) 6. Guns N’ Roses “November Rain” (1991) 7. Whitesnake “Here I Go Again” (1987) 8. Kiss “Rock and Roll All Nite” (1975) 9. Poison “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (1988) 10. Guns N’ Roses “Paradise City” (1987) 11. Bon Jovi “You Give Love a Bad Name” (1986) 12. Def Leppard “Photograph” (1983) 13. Scorpions “Rock You Like a Hurricane” (1984) 14. Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (1984) 15. Europe “The Final Countdown” (1986) 16. Ratt “Round and Round” (1984) 17. Quiet Riot “Cum on Feel the Noize” (1983) 18. Van Halen “Runnin’ with the Devil” (1978) 19. Extreme “More Than Words” (1990) 20. Mötley Crüe “Girls, Girls, Girls” (1987) 21. Whitesnake “Is This Love” (1987) 22. Warrant “Cherry Pie” (1990) 23. Def Leppard “Love Bites” (1987) 24. Bon Jovi “Wanted Dead or Alive” (1986) 25. Mr. Big “To Be with You” (1991) 26. Night Ranger “Sister Christian” (1984) 27. Guns N’ Roses “Patience” (1988) 28. The Scorpions “No One Like You” (1982) 29. Kiss “Detroit Rock City” (1976) 30. Def Leppard “Rock of Ages” (1983) 31. Van Halen “Panama” (1984) 32. Mötley Crüe “Home Sweet Home” (1985) 33. Quiet Riot “Metal Health (Bang Your Head)” (1983) 34. Poison “Nothin’ But a Good Time” (1988) 35. Skid Row “I Remember You” (1989) 36. Tesla “Love Song” (1989) 37. Van Halen “Hot for Teacher” (1984) 38. Whitesnake “Still of the Night” (1987) 39. Mötley Crüe “Dr. Feelgood” (1989) 40. The Scorpions “Still Loving You” (1984) 41. Lita Ford “Kiss Me Deadly” (1988) 42. Skid Row “18 and Life” (1989) 43. Warrant “Heaven” (1988) 44. Cinderella…Don’t Know What You Got ‘Til It’s Gone (1988) 45. Bon Jovi “Bad Medicine” (1988) 46. Mötley Crüe “Kickstart My Heart” (1989) 47. Queensrÿche “Silent Lucidity” (1990) 48. Def Leppard “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” (1981) 49. Lita Ford with Ozzy Osbourne “Close My Eyes Forever” (1988) 50. Poison “Talk Dirty to Me” (1986) 51. Alice Cooper “Poison” (1989) 52. Bon Jovi “Runaway” (1983) 53. Great White “Once Bitten Twice Shy” (1989) 54. Autograph…Turn Up the Radio (1984) 55. Def Leppard “Foolin’” (1983) 56. White Lion “When the Children Cry” (1987) 57. Twisted Sister “I Wanna Rock” (1984) 58. Cinderella “Nobody’s Fool” (1986) 59. Mötley Crüe “Shout at the Devil” (1983) 60. Kiss “Lick It Up” (1983) 61. Skid Row “Youth Gone Wild” (1989) 62. Poison “Something to Believe In” (1990) 63. Damn Yankees “High Enough” (1990) 64. White Lion “Wait” (1987) 65. Ozzy Osbourne “Shot in the Dark” (1986) 66. Poison “Fallen Angel” (1988) 67. Dokken “In My Dreams” (1985) 68. Slaughter “Fly to the Angels” (1990) 69. Van Halen “I’ll Wait” (1984) 70. Winger “Seventeen” (1988) 71. Kix “Don’t Close Your Eyes” (1988) 72. David Lee Roth “Yankee Rose” (1986) 73. Kiss “Heaven’s on Fire” (1984) 74. Cinderella “Gypsy Road” (1988) 75. Cinderella “Shake Me” (1986) 76. Dokken “Alone Again” (1984) 77. Firehouse “Love of a Lifetime” (1991) 78. Ugly Kid Joe “Cat’s in the Cradle” (1992) 79. Mötley Crüe “Without You” (1989) 80. Winger “Miles Away” (1990) 81. Winger “Headed for a Heartbreak” (1988) 82. Great White “Rock Me” (1987) 83. Kiss “Tears Are Falling” (1985) 84. Warrant “Down Boys” (1988) 85. Tesla “Signs” (live, 1990) 86. Slaughter “Up All Night” (1990) 87. Ratt “You’re in Love” (1985) 88. Mötley Crüe “Looks That Kill” (1983) 89. Firehouse “Don’t Treat Me Bad” (1991) 90. Vixen “Edge of a Broken Heart” (1988) 91. Guns N’ Roses “Nightrain” (1987) 92. Mötley Crüe “Live Wire” (1981) 93. Cinderella “Coming Home” (1988) 94. Warrant “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1990) 95. Mötley Crüe “Too Young to Fall in Love” (1983) 96. Faster Pussycat “House of Pain” (1989) 97. Ratt “Lay It Down” (1985) 98. Mötley Crüe “Wild Side” (1987) 99. Trixter “Give It to Me Good” (1990) 100. L.A. Guns “The Ballad of Jayne” (1989) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists First posted 1/23/2018; last updated 5/11/2021.

Top 100 Power Ballads

First posted 6/3/2020.

Power Ballads: Top 100 Songs

Classic rock came about in the 1970s, built on the backs of staples from the ‘60s like Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who. Newer acts like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Rush, and Boston were added to the fold to create a radio format which still maintains presences in major U.S. markets. As rock became more commercialized, some acts like Foreigner, Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Styx were mocked as “corporate rock” for their more pop-friendly songs. One of the trends was for such bands was to produce “power ballads,” which were slower-tempo songs which fit well into adult contemporary radio and attracted female fans in addition to the more male-oriented fans which dominated classic rock. As the ‘80s wore on, the trend extended to more glammed-up “hair bands” (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Poison, Mötley Crüe) also crooning about love and finding huge success. This list of the top power ballads of all time was created by aggregating more than 25 best-of lists. Click here to see other genre and category specific song lists. 1. Poison “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (1989) 2. Foreigner “I Want to Know What Love Is” (1984) 3. Heart “Alone” (1987) 4. Whitesnake “Is This Love?” (1987) 5. Guns N’ Roses “November Rain” (1991) 6. Skid Row “I Remember You” (1989) 7. Night Ranger “Sister Christian” (1984) 8. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (1998) 9. Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (1983) 10. Cinderella “Don’t Know What You Got ‘Til It’s Gone” (1988) 11. Def Leppard “Love Bites” (1987) 12. Meat Loaf “I’d Do Anything for Love But I Won’t Do That” (1993) 13. Warrant “Heaven” (1989) 14. REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You” (1980) 15. Bon Jovi “Always” (1994) 16. Journey “Open Arms” (1981) 17. Mötley Crüe “Home Sweet Home” (1985) 18. Journey “Faithfully” (1983) 19. Bad English “When I See You Smile” (1989) 20. Cutting Crew “I Just Died in Your Arms” (1987) 21. Tesla “Love Song” (1989) 22. Cheap Trick “The Flame” (1988) 23. Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981) 24. Prince & the Revolution “Purple Rain” (1984) 25. Aerosmith “Dream On” (1973) 26. The Cars “Drive” (1984) 27. The Scorpions “Wind of Change” (1990) 28. Bon Jovi “I’ll Be There for You” (1988) 29. REO Speedwagon “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (1984) 30. Whitesnake “Here I Go Again” (1987) 31. U2 “With Or Without You” (1987) 32. Queensrÿche “Silent Lucidity” (1990) 33. Mr. Mister “Broken Wings” (1985) 34. Starship “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (1987) 35. Nazareth “Love Hurts” (1975) 36. The Scorpions “Still Loving You” (1984) 37. Bryan Adams “Heaven” (1984) 38. Boston “Amanda” (1986) 39. John Waite “Missing You” (1984) 40. Boston “More Than a Feeling” (1976) 41. Bon Jovi “Never Say Goodbye” (1986) 42. Guns N’ Roses “Patience” (1988) 43. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991) 44. Foreigner “Waiting for a Girl Like You” (1981) 45. Chicago “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” (1982) 46. Kiss “Beth” (1976) 47. Alias “More Than Words Can Say” (1990) 48. Metallica “Nothing Else Matters” (1991) 49. Harry Nisson “Without You” (1971) 50. Phil Collins “Against All Odds” (1984) 51. Eric Carmen “All by Myself” (1975) 52. Lita Ford with Ozzy Osbourne “Close My Eyes Forever” (1988) 53. Aerosmith “Angel” (1988) 54. Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” (1998) 55. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971) 56. The Beatles “Something” (1969) 57. John Farnham “You’re The Voice” (1986) 58. Bangles “Eternal Flame” (1988) 59. Alannah Myles “Black Velvet” (1989) 60. Thunder “Love Walked In” (1990) 61. T’Pau “China in Your Hand” (1987) 62. Alice Cooper “Poison” (1989) 63. Nickelback “How You Remind Me” (2001) 64. Slaughter “Fly to the Angels” (1990) 65. Aerosmith “What It Takes” (1989) 66. Styx “Lady” (1973) 67. Europe “Carrie” (1986) 68. Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” (1990) 69. Chad Kroeger with Josey Scott “Hero” (2002) 70. Heart “These Dreams” (1986) 71. Mr. Big “To Be with You” (1991) 72. Def Leppard “Hysteria” (1987) 73. Roxette “It Must Have Been Love” (1990) 74. Poison “Something to Believe In” (1990) 75. Loverboy “Heaven in Your Eyes” (1986) 76. Roxette “Listen to Your Heart” (1989) 77. L.A. Guns “The Ballad of Jayne” (1990) 78. Van Halen “When It’s Love” (1988) 79. White Lion “When the Children Cry” (1987) 80. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970) 81. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Under the Bridge” (1991) 82. Chicago “You’re the Inspiration” (1984) 83. Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” (1975) 84. Maria McKee “Show Me Heaven” (1990) 85. Metallica “The Unforgiven” (1991) 86. The Rolling Stones “Angie” (1973) 87. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965) 88. The Rolling Stones “Wild Horses” (1971) 89. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992) 90. Def Leppard “When Love and Hate Collide” (1995) 91. Damn Yankees “High Enough” (1990) 92. Pearl Jam “Black” (1991) 93. Kansas “Dust in the Wind” (1978) 94. Tina Turner “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (1985) 95. Extreme “More Than Words” (1990) 96. Styx “Babe” (1979) 97. Van Halen “Love Walks In” (1986) 98. Eric Clapton “Wonderful Tonight” (1977) 99. Billy Idol “Eyes Without a Face” (1984) 100. Berlin “Take My Breath Away” (1986)

The Top 20 Music Books of All Time

Music Books: The Top 20

”Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” – Martin Mull This quotation has been attributed to a variety of people, including musicians Frank Zappa, Elvis Costello, Thelonious Monk, and Laurie Anderson, but according to QuoteInvestigator.com, the line first appeared in the magazine Time Barrier Express in the September-October 1979 issue. Gary Sperrazza references the quotation, crediting it to actor/comedian Martin Mull. Regardless of who said it first, the point is clear. Music cannot be broken down and explained in written form. It is an aural experience which is meant to be heard. So why post a list of the best music books of all time? Music goes beyond the listening experience. It envelops social history and science and our fascination with the lives of the people who create the music. Those experiences can be analyzed, critiqued, and discussed in written form – and twenty of the most popular versions of that are introduced here. If that doesn’t cut it for you, seek these tomes out via audiobooks. I’ll leave it to the architects to address dancing. Click here to see other media-based lists, such as best videos and best music books of all time.

Chronicles Vol. 1

Rank: #1 Author: Bob Dylan Published: 2004 Dylan’s autobiography eschews a convential, chronological format opting for a disjointed tale which skips over many highlights in favor of more personal revelations. Buy at Amazon.

Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991

Rank: #2 Author: Michael Azerrad Published: 2001 Azerrad profiles the history of the rock music in the 1980s which owed a debt to punk rock and its DIY ethos. Buy at Amazon.

Life

Rank: #3 Author: Keith Richards with James Fox Published: 2010 Some have proclaimed that if the world is ever annihilated, all that will remain will be the cock roaches and Keith Richards, survivor extraordinaire and legendary guitarist of the Rolling Stones. Luckily for us mortals, he’s left us this candid, conversational glimpse into his roller coaster life. Buy at Amazon.

Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties

Rank: #4 Author: Ian MacDonald Published: 1994 Amazon called this chronogical assessment of every one of the Fab Four’s songs the “Bible of the Beatles.” Buy at Amazon.

Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984

Rank: #5 Author: Simon Reynolds Published: 2006 Reynolds’ book travels some of the same ground as Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life in dissecting some of the bands who grew out of the punk rock movement of the 1970s. Buy at Amazon.

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation

Rank: #6 Author: Jeff Chang Published: 2005 Amazon.com: “In a post-civil rights era rapidly transformed by deindustrialization and globalization, hip-hop gave voiceless youths a chance to address these seismic changes and…crystallized a multiracial generation's worldview, and forever transformed politics and culture.” Buy at Amazon.

England’s Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond

Rank: #7 Author: Jon Savage Published: 1991 Amazon.com: “The ultimate book on punk…Savage brings to life the sensational story of the meteoric rise and rapid implosion of the Pistols through layers of rich detail, exclusive interviews, and rare photographs.” Buy at Amazon.

The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band

Rank: #8 Author: Motley Crue with Neil Strauss Published: 2001 Rolling Stone magazine’s Joe Levy: “The most detailed account of the awesome pleasures and perils of rock & roll stardom I have ever read. It is completely compelling and utterly revolting.” Buy at Amazon.

Hammer of the Gods: Led Zeppelin Unauthorized

Rank: #9 Author: Stephen Davis Published: 1985 Amazon.com: Led Zeppelin’s “tours were legendary, their lives were exalted—and in an era well known for sex and drugs, the mighty Zeppelin set an unattainable standard of excess and mythos for any band that tried to follow them…A spellbinding, electrifying, no-holds-barred classic of rock 'n' roll history.” Buy at Amazon.

Just Kids

Rank: #10 Author: Patti Smith Published: 2010 Amazon.com: “The legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal days of New York City and the Chelsea Hotel in the late sixties and seventies.” Buy at Amazon.

The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century

Rank: #11 Author: Alex Ross Published: 2007 Amazon.com: “In this sweeping and dramatic narrative, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, weaves together…an astonishing history of the twentieth century as told through its music.” Buy at Amazon.

Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung

Rank: #12 Author: Lester Bangs Published: 1987 Amazon.com: “The wild and brilliant writings of Lester Bangs--the most outrageous and popular rock critic of the 1970s.” Buy at Amazon.

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey

Rank: #13 Author: Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton Published: 1999 Amazon.com: “The first comprehensive history of the disc jockey, a figure who has become a powerful force shaping the music industry…The inside story on some of music’s most memorable moments…A lively and entertaining account of musical history and some of the most legendary parties of the century.” Buy at Amazon.

How Music Works

Rank: #14 Author: David Byrne Published: 2012 Amazon.com: “Drawing on his work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and myriad collaborators—along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music exists—Byrne shows how music emerges from cultural circumstance as much as individual creativity. It is his magnum opus, and an impassioned argument about music’s liberating, life-affirming power.” Buy at Amazon.

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

Rank: #15 Author: Daniel J. Levitin Published: 2006 Amazon.com: “This groundbreaking union of art and science…explores the connection between music - its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it - and the human brain.” Buy at Amazon.

Slash: The Autobiography

Rank: #16 Author: Slash with Anthony Bozza Published: 2007 Amazon.com: “Slash tells…how the legendary band Guns N' Roses came together, how they wrote the music that defined an era…and, ultimately, how it all fell apart. Slash is a window into the world of the notoriously private guitarist and a front seat on the roller-coaster ride that was one of history's greatest rock 'n' roll machines, always on the edge of self-destruction, even at the pinnacle of its success.” Buy at Amazon.

The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock

Rank: #17 Author: John Harris Published: 2003 Amazon.com: “Beginning in 1994 and closing in the first months of 1998, the UK passed through a cultural moment as distinct and as celebrated as any since the war. Founded on rock music, celebrity, boom-time economics and fleeting political optimism - this was 'Cool Britannia'. The Last Party charts the rise and fall of the Britpop movement.” Buy at Amazon.

Scar Tissue

Rank: #18 Author: Anthony Kiedis with Larry Stoman Published: 2004 Amazon.com: “The Red Hot Chili Peppers, against all odds, have become one of the most successful bands in the world. Though the band has gone through many incarnations, Anthony Kiedis, the group's lyricist and dynamic lead singer, has been there for the whole roller-coaster ride. Kiedis shares a compelling story about the price of success and excess…a story that could only have come out of the world of rock.” Buy at Amazon.

Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music

Rank: #19 Author: Greg Milner Published: 2009 Amazon.com: “Milner takes us through the major breakthroughs and glorious failures in the art and science of recording…From Les Paul to Phil Spector to King Tubby, from vinyl to pirated CDs to iPods, Milner pulls apart musical history to answer a crucial question: Should a recording document reality as faithfully as possible, or should it improve upon or somehow transcend the music it records? The answers he uncovers will change the very way we think about music.” Buy at Amazon.

Wonderland Avenue: Tales of Glamour and Excess

Rank: #20 Author: Danny Sugerman Published: 1989 Memoir of Doors’ publicist Danny Sugerman. GoodReads.com: “Excessive, scandalous, comic, cautionary and horrifying, it chronicles the 60s dream gone-to-rot and the early life of a Hollywood Wild Child who was just brilliant at being bad.” Buy at Amazon.

Resources/Related Links

Dave’s Music Database: “Other Media-Based Lists” AllDylan.com “The 10 Best Memoirs Written by Musicians” Amazon.com “Best Sellers in Music History & Criticism” BrainPickings.org “7 Essential Books on Music, Emotion, and the Brain” Classicalcdguide.com “Top 10 Books About Classical Music and Classical Music Recordings” EveryRecordTellsAStory.com “The Top 50 Music Books of All Time” GoodReads.com “Popular Music Biography Books” GoodReads.com “Popular Music History Books” Google.com “Books Frequently Mentioned on the Web” TheGuardian.com “Bob Stanley’s 10 Best Music Histories” NME.com “20 Essential Music Books” OneMinuteMusicLesson.com “Top 10 Music Theory Books” PasteMagazine.com “The 20 Best Memoirs Written by Musicians” PasteMagazine.com “The 12 Best Music Books of the Decade 2000-2009” Pitchfork.com “Words and Music: Our 60 Favorite Music Books” Quora.com “What Are the Best Books to Read About the Music Industry and Its History” Slate.com “The Top 50 Music Books” XFM.co.uk “50 Best Music Books” First posted 3/31/2015; last updated 7/14/2025.