My Top 100 Songs (25-1)

25. The Grudge - Tool

Probably since some time in high school I would have easily said “Eulogy” was Tool’s best song.  Edging it out just barely though would be the opening track from Lateralus.  Sure there’s that alternate order of the album that places this somewhere in the middle, but let’s not get into just how meticulously insane Tool can be.  “The Grudge” is that song that can make you instantly forgive Tool for making you wait 5 years for new music.  By 2001 they fully embraced their prog-rock tendencies and rarely a beat of this song or album is in 4/4 time.  Just perfection plain and simple.

24. Mayonnaise - Smashing Pumpkins

Another in a long list of old time favorites.  In Jr. High School I listened exclusively to classic rock, and the Smashing Pumpkins.  Not sure exactly why they were the lone exception, but they were my one tangible link to contemporary music.  Well Siamese Dream was the album where I first got into them and this song in particular emerged as an instant favorite.  Over two decades later my opinion hasn’t changed, it’s simply wonderful.

23. Far Beyond the Sun - Yngwie Malmsteen

1984 might forever be associated with George Orwell, but it was also the year Yngwie J. Malmsteen unleashed Rising Force on an unsuspecting world.  Eddie Van Halen raised a high bar for guitar playing, Randy Rhoads brought a neo-classical feel to metal, but Yngwie was a freak who blew them both out of the water.  The first two tracks on his debut album remain his signature tunes and over the years I have loved each equally.  “Far Beyond the Sun” however is the one that always slightly edged “Black Star”.  It is relentless, and it shows that Yngwie could go from light speed to ludicrous speed, and when he does there isn’t a face left that hasn’t been melted.

22. Child in Time - Deep Purple

Yngwie had many influences, but I’d wager few were as inspirational as Richie Blackmore.  Deep Purple is one of those bands I always loved but never as much as they deserved.  “Child in Time” appeared on the first outing of the Mach II line up, and I can think of no better song to sum up how excellent that classic group was.  It is an insanely simple epic, that builds to a ridiculous crescendo not once but twice.  Along the way Ian Gillan shows off his god-like vocal range and Blackmore delivers some of his finest work.  

21. Little Secrets - Passion Pit

Ever have someone make you a mix cd?  I suppose nowadays people just whip up a lazy playlist on Spotify or it’s non-union Mexican equivalent, but for years it was all about that CD, or for the Gen-Xers a mix tape.  Well someone made me a mix and I can’t for the life of me remember a single track on it, except for “Little Secrets”.  I nearly lost my mind hearing this for the first time thinking I had heard the catchiest song ever written.  I’ve heard it about a hundred times since and have become quite a fan of Passion Pit’s other music, but few bands will ever top this greatness.

20. White Walls - Between the Buried and Me

Colors might run like one continuous song and it is one of the glorious high points in prog-metal.  The final section “White Walls” is the most massive conclusion you could ever ask for.  Specifically the end of it is possibly the greatest thing ever, and I know I say that a lot but it’s true this time.  It’s hard to describe how insane the rest of the song is and really the entire album for that matter.  This is pure musical masturbation of the highest order, but better done than nearly anyone else.  

19. Always With Me, Always With You - Joe Satriani

Perhaps more than any other guitarist Joe Satriani proved that instrumental guitar music needed no vocalist.  His playing was it’s own melody, and it wasn’t always just a relentless shred-fest.  This was the requisite ballad on Surfing With the Alien and I’d wager it is the finest guitar based instrumental ever recorded.  Simply beautiful playing throughout and proof positive that a man and a guitar could be their own band.

18. With or Without You - U2

It seems a cliche to say this is the best U2 song, but it is dag nabbit, magic chord progression be damned.  Not entirely sure how to describe this song since every single person reading this has probably heard it several dozen times.  It’s that type of ballad that even if you hate U2 you still have to tip your cap to.  It’s so simple, so beautiful, and it features Bono’s finest vocal performance in my opinion.  

17. River - Joni Mitchell

I love me some odd tuning Joni Mitchell guitar, but that woman could do something really special when she sat down at a piano.  “River” begins like it might be a Christmas carol, but if it is, then it’s the saddest Christmas carol ever recorded.  I suppose I should say there are some people who don’t seem to appreciate how great Mitchell is, and for them I’m sad they can’t fully enjoy the wonder that is Blue.  It should come as no surprise I do love me some ballads and this song is good enough to have once resided in my all time top ten.  

16. Second Coming/Ballad of Dwight Fry - Alice Cooper

In my more juvenile years I had a lot of passing favorite songs.  Some times they might seem embarrassing today, but in a few instances I’ve just swapped out one song for another.  Alice Cooper will forever be associated with these two songs to me.  “Ballad of Dwight Fry” became a concert staple of AC still to this day, but for some reason “Second Coming” arguably the better half did not.  What is interesting about is that Alice wrote “Second Coming” by himself, which would have been a reat adition to his live set in his solo years.  Whether writing about religion or how creepy Renfield from Dracula is, Alice the man and the band were never better.

15. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen

When Born to Run took it’s place as my second favorite album of all time, this was one of the biggest reasons.  Every day in school or at work I would think about how much I wanted to listen to “Thunder Road” then I’d get home and inevitably play the entire album.  Repeat this process for about a year and you start to see how much this means to me.  To me it is the perfect introduction to new piano player Roy Bittan, whose playing is simply wonderful here.  Lyrically this sums up what made the album so special.  It’s simply about moving on, hitting the road, and finding a better life for yourself.  Fitting for the man who had outgrown the first incarnation of his E Street Band, a rock masterpiece.

14. Lover, You Should Have Come Over - Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley only gave us one official album during his life, but that was enough.  Perhaps the finest vocal performance on it might only be topped by the song that comes one track before it on Grace.  Musically and lyrically the song is pretty straightforward, simply a man jonesing for some action.  What makes this song transcend beyond any generic “ooh baby” type of song is Buckley’s divine vocals.  He sells the song, and makes it an all time classic.

13. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden had a tendency to end their albums with an epic.  Steve Harris would always try to come up with some fitting send off to top everything off, and there was none better than the one to close out Number of the Beast.  It has classic riff after classic riff and is full of guitar harmonies and cryptic lyrics.  Bruce Dickinson however made every early Maiden fan instantly forget about Paul Di’Anno sometime during the first two minutes of this song.  This is relentless and flawless and simply everything that made Maiden one of the greatest metal bands of all time.

12. Nevermore/March of the Black Queen - Queen

Well in case you were wondering, this is the highest Queen song(s) on the list.  Queen II is my favorite album of theirs and there’s a solid 10 reasons why.  As Brian May had the “White Queen” side, Freddie Mercury allowed his most extravagant excess to run wild on the second “Black Queen” side.  Pretty much the entire second side plays like an extended suite so it is tempting to simply put all of it on here, but I’m choosing instead the strongest section.  “Nevermore” is barely over a minute and is as simple and beautiful as it gets before plunging right into “March of the Black Queen”.  “Black Queen” can best be described as a tour-de-force.  Mercury seemed to have a hundred different and brilliant ideas he tried to cram into the 6 minutes of this song.  It is everything but simple and reason #1 Queen is the greatest band of all time.

11. Shine a Light - The Rolling Stones

I feel like every time I listen to some classic Stones my second favorite song changes, the first one however never does.  Recruiting Billy Preston to help play some sexcellent black gospel style piano was a wise move, and I can’t imagine anyone else on here.  Although they had given up their attempts at sounding like the Beatles, it isn’t hard to consider this song their “Let it Be”.  I’ll let you debate which group did it better, but for the Stones this is as good as they ever got.  

10. Since I’ve Been Loving You - Led Zeppelin

I’ll be perfectly honest, I didn’t even know I’d have this song this high when I started this list.  In fact it was in the process of making this list that I decided it was my favorite Led Zeppelin song.  It’s always been one of my favorites, but for the last several years I’ve been very partial to “The Girl I Love”.  Somehow though after hearing all of their albums more times than I could count I just started to think about how absolutely perfect this is.  I’m tempted to say Jimmy Page owns this and his playing has probably never been better, but the wonderful thing about Zep is that they were the perfect rock band.  Everyone had their role, and they all performed superbly.  This is just a slow burner, but it’s simply better than any other.

9. Burn - Deep Purple

Three seconds into my brother playing me this song for the first time I said “Hmm that sounds like Richie Blackmore”.  About halfway through the song I started to kick myself for not listening to Burn sooner.  Everyone told me it was a great album, but I was always stuck on the second incarnation of Deep Purple.  DP always seemed like the train could fall off the tracks at any moment, and everyone could have a tendency to play really fast but they miraculously kept it together.  Maybe it is the mix of over the top awesomeness, borderline insanity, but brilliant musicianship that makes it the perfect concoction of rock supremacy.  “Burn” is Neo-classical as fuck,  with insane drumming, and twin lead vocals courtesy of new additions David Coverdal and Glenn Hughes.  There isn’t a second of this I would change.

8. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley

The first half to the greatest one-two punch in music history is Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah”.  I’ll be honest, I don’t get Leonard Cohen.  I own several of his albums and at best I just shrug my shoulders and say “eh ok”, but in Buckley’s hands this defines musical masterpiece.  Stands to reason that everyone who has covered the song since Buckley has preferred his arrangement.  I am somewhat running out of ways to say Jeff Buckley had the greatest voice this side of Freddie Mercury but it’s impossible to talk about him or this song in particular without mentioning it.  Haunting, beautiful, and absolutely devastating, no amount of shitty open mic covers will ever make me love this song any less.

7. Bold as Love - Jimi Hendrix

Have you ever heard of Jimi Hendrix?  Wow really you haven’t, that’s crazy he’s super famous.  Well then I suggest you put on his second album Axis: Bold as Love.  There’s a song at the end of that album called “Bold as Love” that you should hear.  Lyrically it’s some hippie shit about emotions being colors because drugs, but then Hendrix plays his guitar and it’s pretty special.  Not sure if you knew this but he was pretty good at playing guitar, I mean probably not as good as Taylor Swift, but different times I guess.  Anyways check it out, I think you’ll like it.

6. How Blue Can You Get? - B.B. King

B.B. King was a man among boys.  There were some great blues singers and they could play, they could sing, but the self proclaimed King of the Blues made them all look like amateurs.  He had several classic songs, and a couple dozen live albums, but Live at the Regal was his absolute peak.  Before things get going he even tells the audience to pay attention to the lyrics on this one, and it’s impossible not to.  I’ve mentioned a few times before that a song has one of the greatest vocal performances of all time, but this is the greatest.  By the time he belts “I gave you seven children, and now you want to give ‘em back” I’m dead.  Contest over, B.B. King wins, he’s better than all of us, the blues will never be better.

5. Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen

It might seem silly to compare Iron Maiden to Bruce Springsteen but for a time both liked to end their albums with an epic.  “Jungleland” closes out the eight songs of perfection that comprise Born to Run and I can’t find enough adjectives to tell you how great it is.  This crosses the 9 minute mark and that final chord progression could go on for another 20 minutes.  It is a sprawling epic of colorful characters and serves as that ultimate send off to Springsteen’s early boardwalk days.  He’s giving them a beautiful eulogy and in turn delivering his masterpiece.

4. The Big Ship - Brian Eno

There are some artists who are so singular and influential that they seem to spawn their own genre of music.  Brian Eno was an extremely busy man throughout the 70s, fathering ambient music and creating the sub-style of Eno-esque.  For my money nothing says “Eno” quite as loudly and brilliantly as “The Big Ship”, a blink and you’ll miss it instrumental diamond on Another Green World.  This song seems like it’s almost designed to be listened to on repeat, it fades in and out in a way that makes you feel like it might have been going on forever.  For a brief couple of minutes we’re allowed to hear the greatest instrumental ever written before it fades back into the ether.

3. Mississippi Queen - Mountain

Not every great classic rock track needs to be a power ballad or an epic.  Sometimes you just need to get in, do your thing, and sign off before anyone knows what hit ‘em.  Mountain very well could have never recorded another song and their contribution to rock wouldn’t be diminished.  I may throw around the word perfection but "Mississippi Queen" is it.  It rocks far heavier than anything of it’s time, and arguably anything since, with wailing vocals, great leads, thunderous drumming, and fuck it let’s put it on right now and blow out our speakers.

2. Let it Be - The Beatles

Funny how as long as I can remember this has been my second favorite song.  #1 hasn’t always been the same but as long as I thought about ranking my favorite songs “Let It Be” has been carved in stone as the second.  It has been my favorite song from the fab four since I first started listening to them in 4^th grade and I don’t see it changing ever.  For the record I prefer the version that appeared on the album Let It Be simply because it has the superior George Harrison solo, but Paul’s lullaby to his dead mother is the best song from arguably the world’s greatest band.  

1. A Change of Seasons - Dream Theater

Here it is folks, the end of the list.  For those that know me, I’m prone to say this is the greatest song ever, and I usually follow it up with a “No, for real this is #1, I’m not just saying that.”  It’s 23 and a half minutes and so god damn perfect it needed it’s own EP to get released.  Written during the Images and Words sessions, which you may recall was my #1 album, it didn’t get finished and properly recorded for another couple of years.  The lyrics were written by Mike Portnoy after he was particularly inspired by Dead Poet’s Society and it served as the official debut of keyboardist Derek Sherinian.  It’s a grand prog-rock epic in the tradition of “Close to the Edge”, “2112”, or “Thick as a Brick” but because Dream Theater is better than all of those bands it’s superior.  In fact it’s superior to anything anyone ever recorded and that’s why it tops my list.  

So there you have it, argue, bitch, whine that’s where my favorite songs sit at this moment in time.

My Top 100 Songs (50-26)

50. Mr. November - The National

I hinted earlier that there was more to come from The National, and here it is.  This was the first song I ever heard from them and I was instantly a fan.  In the long running debate between whether Alligator or Boxer are the superior album, I use this song as the deciding factor.  It’s a surprisingly expressive vocal performance from the usually dour Matt Berninger and features some of his best lyrics.  If you haven’t checked these guys out by now, crawl out from your rock and start here, it worked for me.

49. Asleep - The Smiths

Even though The Smiths delivered some of the best albums of the 80s they were just as much if not more of a singles band.  This appeared as a B-side to “The Boy With a Thorn in His Side” before later surfacing on the Louder Than Bombs compilation.  Funny sometimes how a band’s best song can wind up being nearly completely neglected by the group itself.  It reportedly was only performed once live and arose from a rare Johnny Marr piano part that he was toying around with.  Morrissey helped step in and give the minor key tune an appropriately melancholy lyrical theme.

48. Kinetic - Arcturus

I’m not even sure a lot of metal heads know who the hell Arcturus is.  I’ve sung the praises of The Sham Mirrors before and that’s largely due to the incredible awesome sauce that is it’s opening track “Kinetic”.  Loosely called an avant-garde metal band they check enough boxes to qualify but they’re so much more.  The album features pummeling drumming from Hellhammer, and sweet beautiful vocals from Kristoffer Rygg aka Garm aka Trickster G. Rex in abundance and none better than on this first song.  Taking a departure from the typical black metal subject matters of Satan and more Satan, they turned their attentions towards outer space and Mortem aka Steinar Sverd Johnsen provided the appropriate musical backdrop.  Even among Arcturus records there really isn’t another quite like this.

47. Pigs (Three Different Ones) - Pink Floyd

My old band The Throne were naturally Pink Floyd fans and all of us thought Animals was their best album.  When we discussed if we would potentially cover one of their songs in quick order someone voted for “Dogs” someone else said “Sheep”, and I naturally said “Pigs”.  It says something about how the three epics that comprise the meat of the album are nearly interchangeable in their greatness.  For my money though Pigs edges them out if for no other reason than it moves me . . . to a bigger house, ok I’ll pause on the Simpsons quotes for a bit.

46. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - Elton John

Working with a ridiculous two album a year contract in the early 70s Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin were busy to say the least.  How they managed to pump out a double album among all this mayhem is beyond me, but for the first several minutes of this epic, Taupin wisely sat this one out.  Funeral allowed the epic splendor of Elton to run amuck and features some of the best leads in classic rock courtesy of Davey Johnstone.  Written as two separate tracks “Love Lies Bleeding” is where things get only slightly more conventional in a more straight ahead rock way.

45. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

During their American exile of the mid to late 60s The Kinks went from also-ran in the British Invasion to true masters of UK rock.  Building on the creative success of Face to Face, Something Else was a masterpiece by any standard.  Distinctly British it’s closing song would go down as Ray Davies’ finest moment as a song writer.  Sure other Kinks songs might be better known but they certainly aren’t better.  This song is damn beautiful and more Americans need to recognize just how special The Kinks were in the late 60s.

44. God Gave Rock and Roll To You II - Kiss

The song that Bill and Ted played at the end of Bogus Journey to show everyone how awesome they got in the future featured a ridiculous guitar introduction by Steve Vai became Kiss’ greatest song.  It has all the hallmarks of a ready made epic but Jesus Christ is it still so great.  Revenge should have sold ten million copies but people are stupid and never acknowledged how great Kiss was without the makeup.  As it is Revenge remains an album that real Kiss fans can all unanimously point to as one of their finest outings.  For years this topped my list of their best, but a new champion has emerged.

43. Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones

Some albums are so good because of a great opening track.  Let it Bleed is one of those albums.  Honestly it doesn’t even matter what else is on this album, by the time “Gimme Shelter” is over you’re already convinced it’s a masterpiece.  Naturally one of the greatest opening tracks in music history it is one of those songs that I think I’m physically incapable of getting sick of.  Merry (or Mary) Clayton lends Mick Jagger a hand on vocals and proceeds to steal the show to the point where I’m not entirely sure what Mick’s lyrics are.  Stones songs don’t get much better than this.

42. God - John Lennon

There’s something to be said about the brilliant work several now ex-Beatles put out immediately after the band broke up.  John Lennon had the most startling break from the band, rejecting all of the studio trickery the band employed and relying a severely stripped down approach.  Recognizing his own limitations as a piano player he wisely recruited Billy Preston to play the keys on “God”, the albums centerpiece and most controversial song.  In it Lennon spells out in repetitive detail that all false idols need to be put to rest and in the end you have only yourself to believe in.  He might have broken a lot of Beatles’ fans hearts by proclaiming everything the band stood for dead, but it needed to be said.

41. Learning to Live - Dream Theater

At one point in time five of the eight songs on Images and Words have popped up in my list of 100 greatest songs.  I could just as easily put all 8 of those songs on here and would have no regrets.  In the interest of diplomacy however I am being a little more exclusionary.  The 11 and a half minute closing track “Learning to Live” is just simply too damn good to leave off.  Filled with enough time signature changes to make the snobbiest prog-rock fan moist in the nether regions, it isn’t even the most complex song on the album.  It was also the only track on the album to feature lyrics by bassist John Myung.  The real reason it’s on this list and this high is all because of the ending, which is on the short list of best fade outs in music history.  Despite the massive running time of the song, I could listen to that final minute and a half for a full half hour.  

40. First Night - The Hold Steady

I’m not sure exactly when “Citrus” was cut from my list, but here lies the lone entrant from Boys and Girls in America, the finest hour from The Hold Steady.  Settling in right in the middle it spins a familiar narrative of Craig Finn’s favorite characters Holly, Gideon, and Charlemagne and their never ending quest to get high.  There is a heartbreaking note to this song that’s more than just scene kids getting wasted, it’s all about trying to recapture a fleeting feeling and pro-long one glorious memory indefinitely. It helps that the ending of this song featuring a repeating chorus of the album title is one of the finest pieces of music ever recorded, but isn’t everything by this point in the list?

39. Fix You - Coldplay

I swear not every song from here on out features an epic earth shattering climax, but a few in a row sure do.  The first time I heard Coldplay’s third album I was largely disappointed, it didn’t quite register at the time that their best song was sitting right there.  It’s hard not to think of some epic movie trailer when the second half kicks in, and I’m sure plenty of movie studios thought the same thing.  

38. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

This is arguably the most famous classic rock song ever recorded and it might seem an odd choice considering how much I seem to head towards the unconventional.  I can not remember a time when this song wasn’t on my top 100 songs list and quite high.  It’s frequently occupied my top Zeppelin spot, and I wouldn’t argue anyone who thought that.  What more can be said about this song, literally books have been written about it?

37. Making Love - Kiss

I love a good ballad and I also love some tempo shifting sprawling epic.  Sometimes in music though you have to live up to your name of “Keep It Simple Stupid”.  I’ve heard every Kiss album probably 20 times at minimum and it’s only been recently that “Making Love” has taken the spot of their best song.  It’s as straightforward as it gets, crazy awesome riff, Paul Stanley doing his thing and Ace pulling his greatest solo out of his ass.  This is just one of those songs that’s absolutely perfect and very to the point.

36. A Vampire Bit My Balls - Maggot Twat

For my readers not familiar with Maggot Twat, I am deeply sorry you’ve led a sheltered existence.  The Chicago comedy-metal legends helmed their masterpiece with 8-Bit Apocalypse, which placed quite high on my album list.  If you were wondering what was so great about this band other than their ridiculously amazing live show, just play that album’s first track.  A song so awesome it’s loved by grown men and little children alike.  It’s lyrics are pure silliness but that riff and solo are superb.  They could have played it straight and been another rock solid local metal band, but instead they reached for something more and became legends in the process.

35. Metropolis Part 1 - Dream Theater

For a lot of people, this song became their introduction to Dream Theater.  It usually starts with a fellow musician saying something like “Dude you gotta check this band out.”  By now DT is as close to a household name as a prog-metal band could be, but it has never diminished the impact of their signature tune.  What might get lost in all musical masturbation is the fact that this song might contain James LaBrie’s finest vocal performance.  Dream Theater later expanded the themes in this song to make their first full fledged concept album.

34. Superstition - Stevie Wonder

As legend has it, Stevie Wonder penned this gem and proceeded to offer it to his good friend Jeff Beck.  His record company heard it and immediately said that wasn’t happening and Wonder wound up with his biggest hit.  Talking Book proved to be the album that signaled Wonder’s maturity and “Superstition” became it’s signature track.  Story also has it that Beck was the one who came up with that opening drum beat, as Wonder came up with nearly the entire song on the spot improvising.  Whatever the origin, it’s as good as a jam can get.

33. Eulogy - Tool

Tool is sure a band that likes to take it’s sweet time.  How I long for the days when we only had to wait five years between albums.  Sometimes this patient approach is applied to their songs as well.  “Eulogy” goes on for nearly two minutes before any vocals kick in, building on a slight percussive sound and developing from there.  By the time things get into gear Maynard and company make things really, really exciting.  Morbid and profound it makes my pee-pee tingle.

32. Halo of Flies - Alice Cooper

Speaking of morbid, Alice Cooper and his band delivered some of the best and oddest horror rock of the early 70s.  “Halo of Flies” is a suite that just has one killer (get it?) section after another.  There’s an album’s worth of brilliant riffs scattered through it’s 8 minute run time.  Everyone in the band had a hand in it’s creation and I’d wager to guess few songs if any are better arranged.  If you only know Alice from a greatest hits compilation you are very much missing out.

31. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright - Bob Dylan

As long as I’ve been ranking favorite Dylan songs this one has been it.  During his first couple of albums Dylan could seem to be taking himself a little too seriously but there was always a subtle wink that he could be silly and irreverent when the situation called for it.  Sometimes though he could just churn out a perfectly crafted breakup song that somehow manages to make you feel good about it.  A mature song from a then 22 year old, it offers some words of wisdom only the best songs can.

30. Notorious Thugs - Notorious B.I.G. featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Not sure if I knew this would be my highest ranking rap song when I started this list, but here it is.  After the success of All Eyez on Me, Biggie Smalls wanted to cash in on that sweet double album money and one up his rival.  The album might not be as solid as Pac’s but this song sure as hell was.  Biggie said multiple times that he would get high as hell in the studio before recording anything, and he also had a policy of letting whatever guest rapper was on his track to record their part first.  Trying to prove that he could rap as fast and melodically as Bone Thugs, he delivered one of his finest and fastest verses.  This is a rare epic track for a rap album, allowing multiple layers to be built upon each other before anyone starts their verse.  Simply put I think this is the greatest rap song ever recorded.

29. Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters featuring Johnny Winter

Muddy Waters had been recording blues for decades before he met Johnny Winter.  Long before Rick Rubin or Jack White tried to resurrect the careers of living legends, Johnny Winter brought Waters into the studio to make his very finest studio album.  The first track was the already legendary “Mannish Boy”.  It had been covered by dozens of artists and recorded multiple times by Waters himself but the 1977 version that wound up on Hard Again is the best.  It’s hard not to get amped up especially when Winter plays the part of ultimate hype man yelling throughout the whole track.  This is as simple and dirty as blues music gets but hot damn does it hit the spot.

28. Roads - Portishead

For an album I’ve owned for years I must confess I never seemed to listen to Dummy enough.  On one particular listen “Roads” stuck out.  It is noticeably more melancholy than the rest of the album which is saying something.  Featuring some sweet electric piano and Beth Gibbons usual stellar vocals it’s the type of song that makes you want to just lay back and do nothing.  

27. One - Metallica

Fueled by cocaine and their immediate hatred of new bassist Jason Newstead, Metallica crafted their finest and most complex album to date with …And Justice for All.  It proved to be their breakthrough commercially as they finally ended their no video policy on this song.  I’m not sure if it’s entirely fair to call this the “Stairway to Heaven” of metal, but it’s pretty damn close.  This is about as perfect as a metal song can get, featuring three stellar solos from Kirk Hammett and the most idiotic and satisfying open E chugging.  No matter how complex their songs could get sometimes it’s most effective to stick to the basics.

26. The Girl I Love, She Got Long Black Wavy Hair - Led Zeppelin

Through their decade of existence Led Zeppelin made a strong of a case as any band that they were the greatest rock and roll group to ever exist.  All of their studio albums feature various stages of brilliance and are all essential listening.  So it makes me shake my head in disbelief that arguably their greatest song didn’t even get an official release until the BBC Sessions were put out in the late 90s.  This has Robert Plant’s greatest vocal performance and some of if not the best bass playing from John Paul Jones.  The riff is so satisfying and Bonham could make anything better by playing even the simplest beat.  It’s not entirely possible but this song should be on currency.