Doing the Steely Dan poll (inspired by Record Show rookie, Scott B., who attempted to buy every Steely Dan LP he could lay hands on), and enjoying many of your comments, I gathered that, like me, many of you had a defining song that you felt was the band’s best. At least, the song chosen was your favorite.
For Steely Dan, as previously stated, I think “Reeling In The Years” was the band’s best overall achievement. I even enjoy “Do It Again” better than anything that came after it. Many of you went elsewhere.
Of course, we can debate this all day (and I really wish life allowed those pleasures), but I thought we could expand a bit and tell each other which song by any band best represents that band.
It’s an anything goes kind of discussion. It might get really interesting if one attempted an ambitious route by choosing the suggested best song by, say, The Rolling Stones, which I’ll do in a bit. But even should you choose a Beatles (“Hey Jude”), a Who (“Baba O’Riley”) a Led Zeppelin (“Black Dog”), a Wishbone Ash (“Ballad Of The Beacon”), or even an Aerosmith (“Train Kept A Rollin'”), it should be quite fun to read the chosen song(s).
Do as many as you want to do.
As for my all-time favorite Rolling Stones song, it’s “Tumbling Dice” from Exile On Main Street.
And yours is/are?
“Tumbling Dice” is hard to beat but for the Stones I’d go with “Gimme Shelter”
Heres the rest of my selections:
Beatles “A Day In The Life”
Who “Won’t Get Folled Again”
Zeppelin “Rock N Roll”
AC/DC “Back in Black”
Rush “Limelight”
U2 “Bad”
Queen “Don’t Stop Me Now”
Pink Floyd “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”
The Cure “Fascination Street”
Siouxsie and the Banshees “The Killing Jar”
Bauhaus “She’s In Parties”
OK, I’m not going to over-think this one…
The Beatles – I Am the Walrus
The Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the Devil
The Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again
The Kinks – You Really Got Me
The Beach Boys – I Get Around
The Byrds – Eight Miles High
Jethro Tull – Bouree
Pink Floyd – One of These Days
Steely Dan – Show Biz Kids
Led Zeppelin – Rock and Roll
Neil Young – Powderfinger
The Mamas and the Papas – Monday Monday
Traffic – The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Cream – Badge
U2 – When Love Comes to Town
.
.
.
I’m just trying to fill up the Internet here…
So many good ones—right now I’ll say “Angie” but ask me later and I’ll say something else!
Rolling Stones – “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
A somewhat atypical song from the Stones who’s title relates a philosophy that seems to ring true throughout one’s entire life.
Beatles – “Penny Lane”
The Doors – “L.A. Woman”
The Who – “Can You See The Real Me”
Bob Seger – “Mainstreet”
Echo amp; The Bunnymen – “All That Jazz”
The Clash – “The Magnificent Seven”
I don’t think I could do this – any band that I could think of to list would have multiple songs that I think of as their best. Couldn’t pick just one….
Sorry but Wishbone Ash’s best is either Blowing Free or The King Will Come.
I knew someone would come to the defense of Argus (which I love, throughout). I’m surprised that no one has knee’d me for the exclusion of “Phoenix”.
For now:
Alan Parsons – Turn of a Friendly Card
Alanis Morissette – Nothing in Return
Animals – We Gotta Get Out of This Place
Beach Boys – California Girls
Beatles – Hey Jude
Billy Joel – An Innocent Man
Bob Seger – Like a Rock
Cars – Touch and Go
Chicago – 25 or 6 to 4
Doobie Brothers – Black Water
Eagles – Hotel California
Eric Burdon amp; the Animals – Anything
Eric Clapton – Layla
Fleetwood Mac – Rhiannon
George Harrison – My Sweet Lord
Guess Who – American Woman
Heart – Dog amp; Butterfly
Joe Walsh – Rocky Mountain Way
John Lennon – Imagine
Kinks – Rock and Roll Fantasy
Led Zeppelin – The Rain Song
Moody Blues – Question
Neil Young – Harvest Moon
Paul McCartney – Tug of War
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
Queen – Somebody to Love
Ringo Starr – I Don’t Come Easy
Rolling Stones – Start Me Up
Shakira – Something
Styx – Crystal Ball
Supertramp – It’s Raining Again
Van Halen – Jamie’s Crying
Who – Love, Rein O’er Me
Yes – Tempus Fugit
Z.Z. Top – I Thank You
Stones 60’s – “It’s All Over Now”
Stones 70’s – “Miss You”
Beatles – “Nowhere Man”
Beach Boys – “The Little Girl I Once Knew” (the single that should have told you something was up)
No way I can even get my mind around this exercise. On any given day I could make a case for a dozen songs from any of these supergroups depending on my mood.
I’ll mention a few though….
Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
Boston – Hitch A Ride
AC/DC – Night Prowler
The Doors – The End
U2 – Bad
Judas Priest – Victim Of Changes (unleashed in the east version)
Supertramp – Oh Darling
Eagles – The Last Resort
I will stop there.
Interesting topic…
Elton John – Belfast
Rolling Stones – Dead Flowers
Beatles – While my guitar gently weeps
Hendrix – Angel
Eagles – Desperado
Dylan – Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Alison Krauss – Gravity
Janis Ian – I am the One
Allman Brothers – In memory of Elizabeth Reed
The Band – 4% Pantomime
Beach Boys – Surfer Girl
Billy Joel – Scenes from an Italian Movie
Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
Bon Jovi – Dry Country
Porcupine Tree – Open Car
Tom Waits – Ruby’s Arms
And boy, do I have a ton more… this is just too wide a subject. I have 1710 tracks on my Favourites playlist on my Rock iPod!
U2: Where the Streets Have No Name (the best song ever recorded in the history of Man)
The Beatles: A Day in the Life
Coldplay: Clocks
Prince: It
Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees
Nine Inch Nails: Closer
Duran Duran: The Reflex
Kings of Leon: Sex on Fire
Led Zeppelin: Kashmir
Billy Joel: Pressure
The Police: Synchronicity II
Aerosmith: Sweet Emotion
Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A.
Elton John: Rocket Man
The Doors: Break on Through
The Rolling Stones: Sympathy for the Devil
Jesus Jones: Who? Where? Why?
Nirvana: Come as You Are
Pearl Jam: Corduroy
R.E.M.: Losing My Religion (ask me tomorrow, though, and I might say “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’)
The Who: Baba O’Riley
Van Halen: Panama
Queen: One Vision
Fleetwood Mac: Sara
AC/DC: Thunderstruck
Billy Idol: Rebel Yell
INXS: New Sensation
Kenny Loggins: Meet Me Halfway
Men at Work: Overkill
Smashing Pumpkins: 1979