List-Mania: Musicians/Music Bands

Day 34

List-Mania! I am beginning to have a love/hate relationship with these columns. I love putting things in lists but I am starting to hate putting them together. It just takes a lot of time and effort.

I love music, I love many types of music but I like rock music the best. But even my tastes in rock music differs from each other, as you will see from this list. So here are my Top Ten Favorite Bands. I listen to these guys more than any other artists.

10) AC/DC
Much of my middle school/junior high years were spent listening to this band. They are very simple. Opening riff on the guitar with pounding drums added in and you have an AC/DC song. Very catchy riffs.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Back in Black




9) AUDIOSLAVE
I never was into Soundgarden but when I heard "Like a Stone" I was taken by it. I am a latecomer, it has been only recently that I have collected and listened to thier material. Chris Cornell has the voice I wish I had. So rock and roll. Sadly, they are no more but at least I have three fantastic albums I can listen to anytime. Thier songs cover everything, they have some really rocking songs to more quiet, makes-you-think songs.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Audioslave (self-titled)

8) BELINDA CARLISLE
I know what you are thinking. Belinda Carlisle? Rock music? Well, she is my guilty pleasure. I never liked her that much when she was the lead singer of the Go-Go's but when she came out with her solo stuff, I paid attention. Of course I was sixteen at the time and I thought she was pretty hot. I still like her music, sure it very pop but I think she has a rocking voice. That is why she makes the list.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Runaway Horses

7) BEATLES
The Beatles changed the way I thought about old-fogies's music. They are older than me but when I heard them the first time, they felt fresh. Especially thier later stuff. I like the Beatles because I liked how they grew together as musicians. They tried new things and brought a lot of new innovations to music, each next album refined thier sound.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Revolver


6) ROB ZOMBIE
I wish I was Rob Zombie. He gets to do every thing that I would love to do. He writes and sings in a rock band, he writes and directs movies and he writes comic books too. You may not like him but you have to admit he is pretty creative. In fact, when I am in a writing slump I watch some of his videos and it reignites my creative drive. I also like that his songs are tinged with horror and creepiness. When I am feeling down I listen to him for a kickstart.
FAVORITE ALBUM: The Sinister Urge

5) FLEETWOOD MAC
I must have listened to this band a ton of times when I was a kid. My parents owned the album "Rumors" and I must have heard it enough times for it to be engraved on my brain. They made a comeback in the later '80s and that is when I discovered them. Then I remembered all the great music that came before. I like them because they do not have one main lead singer. They share the role and that makes them a unique listening experience. And Stevie Nicks, she has such an awesome sexy and raspy voice.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Tango in the Night

4) THE OFFSPRING
It took one song for me to become a fan of them. "Self Esteem" was a rocking song that had very clever lyrics. So I got the album and I have got them all since. What I like about them is thier lyrics. They can sing about very poignant things, serious matters to the other extreme. They have some absolute fun songs to some that make you think about life. They can ryhme like nothing else.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

3) TOM PETTY
I don't know what it is exactly about Tom Petty but I sure enjoy his music. He can do it on his own with his solo stuff but his collabartions with the Heartbreakers, The Traveling Wilbury's or Mudcrutch, I love his music. He proves you do not have to have a great voice to be a fantastic musician.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Full Moon Fever


2) U2
I liked U2 when they first came out but I was not wowed until they released "Actung Baby". Then thier next album "Zooropa" really won me over. The one thing that I like about U2, and it will be hard to explain, but it seems to me that they do not waste any space or sound on thier songs. Each song feels "full".
FAVORITE ALBUM: Zooropa


1) QUEEN
I love Queen. My first exposure to Queen came from the unlikelest sources, my sister's boyfriend. When I first met Dave, he gave me a birthday present that changed my life. He was transitioning from cassettes to CDs and he gave me two of his old tapes. He gave me Def Leppard's Hysteria and Queen's Greatest Hits. After a few listens to Queen, I was enamored with the vocals and lyrics. I felt like I was listening to a soundtrack and not a collection of singles. I went and bought thier newest Greatest Hits and I quickly collected all their back material. What I love about Queen is that they hit every musical genre. Opera? Check. Heavy Metal? Check. Pop? Check. They have it all for me. Whatever mood I may be in, there is a song for that. I could go on and on but I'll stop. They can have a column all to thier own sometime.
FAVORITE ALBUM: A Day at the Races (this does change often)

Fair warning. Sometime during the course of the year, I will post (in weekly segments) my all-time favorite songs.