Re: 10 greatest Rock and Roll songs of all time
OK, firstly I've got to let you know that contrary to popular opinion, Stairway To Heaven is a big pile of schmaltzy cack. Had to get that off my chest.
Here we go. I've tended to pick songs that signified changes in music; songs that you might not find on your average pub jukebox, but which nevertheless had profound effects.
10. Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
The song that made the leap from new wave/post-punk to full-on Goth. Without this track, there would have been no Sisters Of Mercy, no Fields of the Nephilim, no thrash metal, no nu metl. And it's a doozy. Pete Murphy is still the coolest individual to ever stand on a stage.
9. New Order - Blue Monday
When New Order walked on to the stage on Top Of The Pops, pressed a button that started the sequencer, and then walked off, a new era had begun. This is one of the most-covered, most-successful, most-remixed songs of all time.
8. The KLF - What Time Is Love?
The KLF were anti-pop stars. Previously to the existence of the KLF, Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty had made a bet with a friend - for \ufffd50 - that they could get a song - any song - to #1 in the UK. The result? "Doctorin' The Tardis" by The Time Lords. #1. Six years later, they burned a million quid in cash, after leaving a dead sheep on the steps of the Brit Awards.
"What Time Is Love?" turned up on the White Room album, and spawned an astonishing series of mixes, including notably "What Time Is Love America?" and the now-legendary duet with Extreme Noise Terror. It was a potent antidote to its contemporary sugary SAW pop and also to the grunge phenomenon. This was dance music terrorism that your mum could like.
7. AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Something died with Bon Scott, and it wasn't just his drinks bill. This is metal with an edge AND a sense of humour. Accessible, catchy and foot-tappingly brilliant, this is pop-metal at its finest. Brian Johnson has never adequately filled this gentleman's boots.
6. The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
The Prodigy are the Sex Pistols for the 90s, only they're good. We saw glimpses of their anger and venom on Music For The Jilted Generation, but it wasn't until Fat Of The Land that it really exploded. This is the opening track; widely hated by the blue-rinse brigade, it was designed to elicit a reaction. And it did. A slice of techno-punk that's complex and tight, it's a track you can't play with Grandma in the room.
5. Kraftwerk - The Model
Before Kraftwerk, there wasn't really an electronic music scene at all. There were lone experimental artists, and bands like Yes dipped toes in the water with their keyboard histrionics, but guitar was king. Kraftwerk turned that inside out with this track, which is an achingly sad journey through an electronic soundscape that at the time was completely revolutionary.
4. Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power
The early 90s produced a slew of bands that were busy redefining "power metal", a tag that was previously attached to ridiculous sword-wielding nutters like Manowar. This isn't quite thrash, isn't quite grunge, and is quite, quite LOUD. This is also the song that saw Pantera ditch their previously cheesy image and bring us a track that effectively created a new genre.
3. Slayer - Reign In Blood
When this appeared in 1989, thrash metal was in a state of stagnation. Huge, rambling concept albums were popping up like mushrooms and it was all in danger of being a repeat of the late 70s, but with more noise. This entire album is 22 minutes long. It's all there; raging guitars, astounding drumming, and the title track is an astounding tour de force of what thrash should be.
2. Aerosmith/Run DMC - Walk This Way
The hip hop and metal camps have long been deeply suspicious of each other. Nowadays it's common for metal bands to use a rapper or DJ, and for hip hop bands to add a leetle axework to their tracks. It's thanks to this amazing cut that this happens. Definitely one of Aerosmith's finer moments, and a completely new sound.
1. Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Up to this point, heavy metal was a somewhat simplistic genre. Songwriting was for the most part basic, the themes were simple (death, girls, beer) and the music was predictable. This track changed all that. With some extremely innovative riffing and an inventive, metamorphing song structure, Metallica took their own work to a new level, dragging the entire metal scene with them. This track turned Metallica from four guys with instruments into musicians. It raised the bar, and inspired a new generation.
