Rock and Roll (a list)

At the risk of making my blog into list central, I am going to give you yet another list: Top Ten Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of all Time. I have attempted to make lists of this nature before and was crushed by the stress of it all. If you do not know me very well, you should understand that I absolutely love music. My love for music makes me highly opinionated. My love also makes me a bit fickle (if that makes any sense). The idea of taking 60 some odd years of Rock and Roll and limiting my list to ten songs fills me with a fear and stress that is hard to explain. This list should be understood as a snapshot of how I feel right now and I reserve the right to change it at any time.

Before we start here are the ground rules that I gave myself for this list. The parameters designed to help me reign in my, already too long, list of songs. First, I stayed in the middle of the road. If I determined a song to be "too punk" or "too metal" etc. I put it in a different category and therefore you won't see it here. Second, I stuck to the hits. I am not, necessarily, making a list of my favorite songs.
I am attempting to make a list of historically Great songs.





10) Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress by The Hollies
I know this makes me sound older than my years (in a bad way), but I wish rock and roll still sounded this way. <----A sentiment that runs through this entire list. Listen to the build up and the, oh so cool, way he tells the story. The Hollies are very underrated and I bumped a lot of respectable bands to give this song a spot.

9) Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley
For years I had forgotten Elvis. He, and this song in particular, have been parodied and made fun of so many times that you forget how great he was. Try to clear your head and hear the energy and fun in this song for the first time. Infectious.

8) Born on the Bayou by Credence Clearwater Revival
CCR continues to remind me of my Dad. We had a couple cassettes kicking around the house when I was a kid, and I used to huddle close to the stereo speakers and listen in awe. John Fogerty's voice comes from an amazing place, not accessible to us mere mortals.

7) Come Together by The Beatles
If you are like me it is easy to get "Beatle Fatigue". No band gets rammed down our throats more often. This song really works for me, though. The nonsensical nature of it's lyrics actually makes it that much easier to have a good time singing along. "One and one and one makes three, got to be good lookin cause he's so hard to see".

6) Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix
When I hear this song I think of Dana Carvey as Garth in Wayne's World doing his little fox dance. Guitar heavy and saturated in cool, this song cannot be denied.

5) You Shook Me All Night Long by ACDC
Just in case you forgot this was a Rock and Roll list, I give you ACDC. I apologize if the lyrics make you blush, but this is a great song. The music and melody are very simple, as they should be. Remember, if it's too loud you're too old.

4) You Really Got Me by The Kinks
When I listen to this song I can't believe it was recorded in 1964. It feels so modern. That is because modern rock owes so much to The Kinks and other pioneers like them. Many are familiar with Van Halen's version, but this is where it all began people.

3) My Generation by The Who
Pete Townsend is such a bad-ass! His trademark wheel-wind guitar move is so great. This song has teenage angst in spades. I love the energy and sentiment in this song.

2) Just What I Needed by The Cars
If you get a chance in the near future, sit down and listen to the entire self-titled Cars album that Just What I Needed was released on in 1978. My vinyl copy (in the picture above) has spent a lot of time on my turntable. The entire thing is a work of art, and this song is near perfect.

1) Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones
There are a few early Rolling Stones songs that I absolutely love. There is so much fun and energy packed into them. This song is a little darker. I think it's the dark edge of the song that makes it so great. Mick and Keith and the guys may be burned out old rockers now, but the musicianship and style on exhibit for this track are what makes rock and roll so powerful.

One last note...
For the purposes of this list I linked to YouTube videos for the music. These videos in many cases don't have the best versions of these songs. If you want my advice, go out and buy the albums or at least download the tracks on iTunes. Take a couple minutes and really listen to them again (or for the first time).

- Posted from my iPhone

The Woman in Animal Print

I pushed my cart across the large marble floor in the cold, lofty entry of the Federal Courthouse. I held the cart out in front of me to accommodate the long strides I was making. On my cart were mini scones, coffee and water with all the trimmings, bound for the sixth floor. There was a meeting in the main conference room in the US Attorneys office, and I had to make delivery by 9:45.

As my cart rattled over the wide grout lines in the marble floor, I passed a bench awkwardly placed under a portrait of a dead man. The bench was populated by a couple of middle aged women. The first I forgot as soon as I saw her. The second addressed me and won herself a place in my memory.

She was an interesting looking woman. Her portly figure clothed in some sort of animal print blouse. I think it was leopard, but the skin of that graceful animal seemed ill-suited for the form it now covered. She had the face of someone who had been down a lot of roads and seen a lot of things. Now, those same eyes were seeing me.

Her query was a simple one.
"Can I have a cookie?" she asked.

I slowed my cart, and an easy smile crossed my lips. "Another joker looking for a cookie" was the mean thought that flashed through my brain.

Before I could respond, however, she spoke again. Cutting off whatever witty response my brain was about to spill out.

"Never mind" she said. "I know they are for someone special."

Her statement threw me off. I no longer had a witty response. Instead, I resumed my pace and continued on to the North Elevators.

As I spread my wares I continued thinking about what she had said, and how she had said it. There was something matter-of-fact about the way that she said it. It was truly heartbreaking. I believe she had opened a window into her wounded spirit for just a moment, and I had gotten a glimpse of damage wrought by many who had trodden her under foot in this life. When I finished my delivery I went downstairs and back past the lady. This time I gave her a warm smile.

I can't shake the vision of The Woman in Animal Print. My initial reaction to her was to look at her as another casualty of this world. I wrote her off. I gave up on her before I knew anything about her. What's even sadder, is she had given up on herself.

Everyone we meet, everyone that we have already met, has an intrinsic value in God's eyes. Christ died for them individually. Who are we to judge whether they are valuable?

Matthew 13:45,46

Woman in Animal Print you are God's pearl. He has given his only Son for you, and I am sorry that I didn't remember that the first time we met.


- Posted from my iPhone