3) Bob Dylan

Vocals/Guitar: Bob Dylan

Not only one of the greatest artists in music history but was recognized as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century by Time magazine. Now this review certainly won’t be like the others ones I have done going album by album because Dylan has forty-three albums and around 1,000 or so songs. Now to the review, what set Dylan apart from every artist we’ve ever seen is his songwriting. It’s exceptionally hard let alone nearly impossible to say there has been a better song writer in history than Dylan. His lyrics were magical, he could tell a story better than any musician in history as seen in “The Hurricane” about the great boxer Rubin Carter who was wrongly imprisoned for an account of triple murder. Dylan’s career started with his self titled album in 1962, the album was a decent debut but this really did not show who Dylan was, we did get an introduction to his musical style for example his rhapsody voice which is fairly unappealing. The problem with the debut album was that there were only two songs that were written by Dylan. His next album would finally showcase his original and incredible songs. “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” showed that Dylan’s visions, imagination, and songwriting skills were unparallel to anyone. We see Dylan’s political views with “Masters of War” and dazzling love songs like “Girl from the North Country.” This album immediately impacted the music world, bands of all types were covering his songs, and this sure was something that never changed, how many renditions are there of “Knockin’ on Heavens Door” and “Blowin’ In the Wind?” The amount is probably endless; it’s a great way to show how much of an impact he has made. In 1965 Dylan changed his style from very folk music to more rock in the fantastic “Bringing It All Back.” Dylan fans leashed out their anger but it wasn’t until “Highway 61 Revisited” when all hell broke loose. Dylan picked up the electric guitar and the fans furious. Despite the anger of the Dylan crowd the album was successful and Dylan showed his adaptability, and although the style of music had changed his lyrics were as strong as ever. In “Highway 61 Revisited” Dylan recorded what Rolling Stone recognizes as the greatest song ever, “Like a Rolling Stone.” Short after “Blonde on Blonde” was recorded, a fantastic double album that is often regarded as Dylan’s best album. As the 60’s went on his rock and roll became harder and harder, and his success never faded, but actually grew to un-proportional heights. Many viewed him as a God instead of a human, sometimes when a man is this incredible you have to wonder. Dylan continues to record to this day and recorded many masterpieces such as “Blood on the Tracks,” “The Basement Tapes,” and “Time Out of Mind.” Folk music had never sounded so astonishing until Dylan came. There are many musicians that will go down as greats but Dylan is one of the very few who will go down as a legend.

What a week

This week I basically have a Mid-Term or some important test for pretty much every class. So I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the next band on the countdown. I'm hoping I can find some time, but time is certainly something I'm running low on this week.

4) Metallica

Vocals: James Hettfield
Guitar: Kirk Hammett
Bass: Cliff Burton / James Newsted / Rob Trujillo
Drums: Lars Ulrich


Finally we broke the top 5 (sorry for being such a bum and not posting) and we have reached the greatest metal band of all time, Metallica! Along with U2 Metallica defied the synthesizer sounds of the 80’s and made some of the most influential music of all time. Lead by the signature deep growls of James Hettfield and the amazing guitar playing of Kirk Hammett, Metallica set the tone for where metal was directed. In 1983 they released “Kill Em’ All” an adrenaline filled album of thrash metal. This was basically the foundation of greater things to come. Here in this album we have the bass player Cliff Burton pulling out some amazing work, one of the best bass players I’ve ever heard, he could play solos that would make you wonder if he was on guitar or bass. Songs like “The Four Horsemen” would prove to be the institution for the future of Metallica’s impressive stamina when playing lightning quick metal. A year later they went on to release “Ride the Lightning” my personal favorite Metallica album. “Fade to Black,” “Ride the Lightning,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and the unforgettable instrumental “The Call of the Ktulu” proved to be the direction Metallica was going in, long epic songs, with fantastic lyrics, and some of the most talented musicianship anyone’s ears will ever hear. Two years later Metallica had created their landmark album “Master of the Puppets.” Sometimes it is a mystery how this album became so successful considering it was nowhere to be heard, but it made the Top 30 for record sales. Unlike the transition from “Kill Em’ All” to “Ride the Lightning,” “Master of Puppets” is more of a tweaking of their previous album. The same musical intention of “Ride the Lightning” was evident. The album opens up with the Spanish style acoustic on “Battery” then turns it into a full fledged ambush of aggressive drumming and fast guitar riffs. Once again Hettfield dug deep into his soul to create some fantastic lyrics. Critics will often say “Master of Puppets” is the greatest metal album of all time and it is hard to disagree. Unfortunately after “Master of Puppets” Metallica faced a terrible tragedy; the death of bassist Cliff Burton, they would continue with recording and recruited Jason Newsted, not quite as talented but none the less a good bassist. Recording with the new bassist came “…And Justice for All” filled with nothing but epic songs, the most notable being “One,” a haunting song based on the incredible novel “Johnny Got His Gun.” The rapid pounding of the double bass pedal make you feel like your in the middle of a war scene, it’s a song you experience more than listen to. In 1991 Metallica hit the mainstream with an album that was a bit different than their previous 3 masterpieces. Their new self titled album simply known as the Black Album contained shorter songs that didn’t lose their edge, but here we found a softer side to Metallica. There is the beautiful “Nothing Else Matters” and “The Unforgiven” which is a cry of a rough childhood of James Hettfield, but it was track one “Enter Sandman” that drove Metallica to stardom. Possibly the most famous guitar riff just builds and builds until the song finally explodes, and there is no better way to open the album. Metallica then went with a pretty large one of them was THEY CUT THEIR HAIR! a clear no-no for metal heads. The next change was their style of music which had a more alternative feel. This was heard on the albums “Load” and “Reload” decent albums but they did not capture the sound of Metallica. After issues within the band such as the alcoholism of Hettfield and once again a change of bassist, Metallica recorded “St. Anger” once again not quite capturing the once epic sound of Metallica. As I always say change is much needed for every band, and although their last few albums have not been quite as grand as their albums of the 80’s Metallica was destined to evolve their sound. In the end I honestly feel they recorded four of the top 5 Heavy Metal albums of all time. Some may remember Metallica as the band who brought down Napster but they should go down as the greatest Heavy Metal band that influenced music more than nearly any band we have ever seen.

5) U2

Vocals: Bono
Guitar: The Edge
Bass: Adam Clayton
Drums: Larry Mullen Jr.

For a band to last through the 90’s and the 2000’s (if that’s the proper way to say it) was and is still quite rare. U2 didn’t only last through both of these decades, but they went through the 80’s as well. U2 defied the heavy synthesizer sounds of the 80’s and created their own politically charged rock & roll. Lead by possibly the most well known front man in the world U2 created album after album of purely fantastic music. The Edges distinctive guitar style created the listener with an experience they probably have never had before. In 1980 they released their debut album “Boy” which had a post punk sound and was a fairly strong debut album and featured the great “I Will Follow.” Their third album “War” was the album that catapulted them into the mainstream and debuted their strong political message. Some of their strongest songs are seen on this album as seen with “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day.” In 1987 they went on to release the larger than life “The Joshua Tree.” It is regarded as one of the greatest albums and with good reason. Their music had never been stronger and yet at the same time gloomier. This album contains song after song of unforgettable music, “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “With or Without You,” and “Red Hill Mining Town” just to name a few (I tried to take the catchiest songs my personal favorite is “Bullet the Blue Sky.”) The band took a break and released “Achtung Baby” in 1991. They took a pretty drastic turn in style of music with a techno feel to it. As I always say change is good for a band, and that a band needs to evolve, but for U2 I feel that it was just in the wrong direction, but the album does have the classic “One” and the upbeat “Mysterious Ways.” To stick with their dancing techno style they released “Zoopra” and “Pop.” After the short lived U2 techno era they came back to their roots with “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” released in 2000. Not so much of a political album but has some of their best songs. Songs like “Beautiful Day” and “Elevation” set a great tempo for the album but you must not forget the beautiful slower songs like “Walk On,” “Stuck In A Moment,” and “Kite.” All in all I really feel that this may be their second best album along with “War.” Finally we have “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.” They stuck with their strongest style of music and released another extraordinary album. At first “Vertigo” may seem like a joke of a song but after several listens it’s hard for it not to grow on you. The band reassures it’s fans with more serious songs like “Miracle Drug,” “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own,” and “City of Blinding Lights.” I’m sure this is not the last we will see for this great band but as of now it is their latest album. Lucky for me I had the honor of seeing one of the greatest bands of all time, and all I can say is I HIGHLY recommend everyone seeing them while you still can. When being feet away from Bono I really got the feeling that he is larger than life and the more I listen to him the more convinced I am that he is just that.

6) The Who

Vocals: Roger Daltery
Guitar: Pete Townshend
Bass: John Entwistle
Drums: Keith Moon

The Who is one of the very few bands in which people can identify every member. They are an eclectic group of individuals each promoting their own style. The member that most people would initially associate The Who with is Peter Townshend. He is best known for his windmill guitar playing and his creative songwriting. At vocals there is Roger Daltrey and he is best recognized for his fantastic voice and his stage presence. At drums there is Keith Moon, possibly the most notorious drummer of any band, his crazy antics and lightning quick drumming are what make him so well known. Finally there is the quiet member John Entwistle. He is the bassist, who is very calm and collected and just lets his incredible talent do the talking. This incredible group of individuals took on Rock and R&B and created some of the greatest music anyone has ever heard. Their stage presence was just phenomenal, and will always be remembered as the band that started the now common wrecking their instruments at the end of the show. They busted on the seen with the album “My Generation” and released “I Can’t Explain” as their first single. Soon after “I Can’t Explain” they released a rock anthem which would be taken on by every young generation with “My Generation.” The song feels like a complete assault with thunderous drumming by the great Keith Moon. This was only a start for much better things to come. Their third album which was a concept album “The Who Sells Out” showed Townshend’s extremely original ideas. When listening you get the feeling that you are listening to a radio station rather than an album. This album would lead to the concept album of ALL concept albums “Tommy.” Some may recognize “Tommy” more as the Broadway play rather than the astonishing rock opera by The Who. The story of a deaf, dumb, and blind kid proved that Townshend could write a full fledged rock opera which wasn’t just a story with so-so music but a rock opera with fantastic music to back it up. Next “The Who” would come with what I feel is their strongest album “Who’s Next.” Sometimes when listening to this album I wonder if I’m listening to a greatest hits album instead of just one of the many Who albums. The album contains some songs like “Baba O’Reilly,” “Bargain,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” After the success of “Who’s Next” Townshend and crew went back to the rock opera and released “Quadrophenia.” This album is probably stronger musically than “Tommy.” It goes over the story of a boy named Jimmy going through the issues of being a mod during the 60’s. In 1978 the almighty Keith Moon released his final album with The Who, “Who Are You.” Unfortunately he died due to a drug overdose. The Who went on to recruit a new drummer for future albums but the sound was never quite the same without the man who seemed to be not quite human. This group of mods went on to take the world by storm and in my opinion should be remembered as the Loudest rock band in the world.

7) Jimi Hendrix

Guitar/Vocals: Jimi Hendrix
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Bass: Noel Redding

Hendrix is hands down the greatest guitarist of all time. He was so ahead of his time and he set a new bar for guitarists. Nobody had ever heard the sound Hendrix had; he was completely unique and followed his own routine. His live performances are what will be remembered by Hendrix fans, but his studio albums should NEVER be overlooked. Unfortunately he sort of falls under the same category that Tool does due to the fact that he released so little because his life was sadly cut short. What is truly incredible about Hendrix is how much he impacted the music scene in only just four years. Famous guitarists would flock to his shows just to stand in awe of his talent. Hendrix was discovered in New York by Chas Chandler of the Animals and later would have a band formed around him known as the Jimi Hendrix Experience. They released their first album in 1967 called “Are You Experienced?” The album was groundbreaking to say the least, here Hendrix showed his versatility with some bluesy songs like “Red House,” psychedelic songs like “Purple Haze,” and some fantastic lyrics as seen in “The Wind Cries Mary.” Those are just a few songs amongst a large list of hits from “Are You Experienced?” Hendrix created some of the most amazing sounds ever heard from a guitar, he mastered distorted riffs, wah-wah pedals, extremely quick solos, and so much more. His following album was “Axis: Bold as Love” which was a strong sophomore recording from this group, not quite as strong as their debut but still was once again groundbreaking. “Axis: Bold as Love” has a bit of a more experimental sound to it than their debut, and not quite as many radio friendly songs. Hendrix’s final album “Electric Ladyland” displayed Hendrix at the top of his career. Hendrix really utilized the studio for this album utilizing something similar to Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound.” With only three albums Hendrix rewrote how the guitar is played. Jimi Hendrix should be defined as not only the most talented guitarist the world has ever seen but the most unique. He used a right handed guitar and played it with his left hand. If that’s not enough, his live performances were unforgettable. He would play with his teeth, behind his back, and light his guitar on fire. With his amazing live performances and incredible albums Hendrix will always be admired and loved by all. It’s a shame that we couldn’t receive more brilliant work from the incredible Jimi Hendrix due to the fact of his unexpected death in 1970.

8) Led Zeppelin

Vocals: Robert Plant
Guitar: Jimmy Page
Bass: John Paul Jones
Drums: John Bohnam

Well, I am ready for heavy criticism for this choice so this may sound more like a negative review than a positive, but I am just trying to defend my position. Led Zeppelin in my opinion had the most talented members that any band has ever seen. Jimmy Page is easily a top 10 guitars if not a top 5. John Bohnam can also be considered the greatest drummer of all time and Robert Plant’s unique voice is just stunning and so distinctive. They mixed a heavy metal sound with English folk music and lets not forget the blues. Led Zeppelin was formed from the demise of the Yardbirds, Robert Plant was to join later on along with John Paul Jones and John Bonham. While so many of their songs are undoubtedly incredible it seems that a majority are lackluster. Their first four albums were named “I”, “II”, “III,” and “IV.” After that the albums actually had more or less “names.” Their first album “I” was released in 1969 and is my personal favorite Zeppelin album with my two most favorite Zep songs which are “Dazed and Confused” and “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” but their most famous and popular of all their albums is “IV.” This album contained the almighty “Stairway to Heaven” the song that basically defines Rock music. That album also contained hits such as “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” and the slower “Going to California.” After the releases of these four strong albums Zeppelin decided to experiment with different styles of music such as funk and reggae with their future albums. Their next album “Houses of the Holy” just lacked the strength that their previous albums but when compared to their future albums it was a rather fine album. The future albums “Physical Graffiti,” especially “Presence,” and “In Through the Out Door” really showed the demise of a band that could have easily been the greatest band of all time with their unlimited amount of talent. As far as Led Zeppelin and this countdown goes it really hurts me to put them so far back but when looking at all of their albums and songs I feel that too much was just not right. For the best of Zeppelin stick to their first four albums, the latter albums just don’t compare.

Sorry for the Delay

I've been busy all weekend, and have a wedding to attend, so I am sorry for not posting the 8th band in the countdown but expect for it to be posted on Monday!