Thursday, January 31, 2008

My Rock 'N' Roll Favorites - the 'A's

When I was contemplating having my own personal website, one of the pages I wanted to work on was a list of my favorite songs by various rock 'n' roll groups, going in order from those whose names started with 'A' to those whose names started with 'Z'. I think I'll work on something similar here on this blog, but doing only a few letters of the alphabet at a time, starting with 'A'. My criteria for inclusion are as follows: (1) the groups must be people I've heard of and like (or at least am familiar with and regard as significant); and (2) I must know at least three or four of their songs. I will, therefore, exclude a lot of groups, but then my intent isn't necessarily to be all-inclusive.
ABBA: "Dancing Queen" - I've never been overly fond of ABBA, having considered them too "bubble-gummish" for my tastes during their heyday in the 1970s. However, the fact that they were a tremendous worldwide phenomenon -- practically everyone in Chile loved them when I lived there in 1979-80 -- compels me to add them to this list. I'd be tempted to name one of their tunes here that had Spanish overtones ("Fernando," "Chiquitita," etc.), since they remind me of my days in Chile; however, "Dancing Queen" is simply the best song they ever did: it's danceable and has both an interesting melody and agreeable lyrical content.
AC/DC: "Highway to Hell" - I'm not a great AC/DC fan, either, but they definitely merit a mention. I have a low tolerance level for Brian Johnson's vocals, so my favorite song of theirs would almost necessarily come from the Bon Scott era. "Highway to Hell" has pretty cheesy lyrics, but then cheesy, faux-macho lyrics have always been the funnest thing about AC/DC.
Adams, Bryan: "Run to You" - I was almost tempted to list "The Only Thing that Looks Good on Me Is You" as my favorite Bryan Adams song, since I keep it on the half-gig iPod Shuffle that goes to the gym with me; however, "The Only Thing" is simply too inane to be my favorite, especially in light of the impossibly stupid video Adams made for it. Therefore, I fall back on "Run to You," one of his early hits, which has great production and features fantastic guitar sounds.
Aerosmith: "Sweet Emotion" - I've never really liked Aerosmith all that much, as I've tended to regard them as a poor man's Rolling Stones (later on, I regarded Guns 'N' Roses as a poor man's Aerosmith); moreover, their lyrical innuendos were generally a little too "coarse" for me (cf. "Walk This Way," "Big Ten Inch Record"). Nonetheless, "Sweet Emotion" rocks in a way that few songs ever have, making it my favorite Aerosmith song.
Allman Brothers Band, The: "Jessica" - I've never cared much for this group, but at least "Jessica," being an instrumental, doesn't have any vocals.
Animals, The: "Sky Pilot" - I don't know if it's fair to list "Sky Pilot" as an Animals song, since it was more of an Eric Burdon tune and didn't include anyone else from the original band lineup. (My favorite song associated with them would be "We Gotta Get Out of This Place.") But what an emotionally riveting piece it is! The "battle" section of the song always makes me tear up to think about the fundamental unfairness of placing life-and-death burdens on young men (and women) who are just entering the prime of life. It's almost too painful to listen to!
Association, The: "Everything That Touches You" - The Association is known now for the bigger hits it had back in the mid-60s (e.g., "Cherish," "Never My Love," Windy," et al.), but I consider "Everything That Touches You" to be the band's best song. It's one of the greatest love songs ever written, in any genre, and conveys a tremendous sense of need and yearning. I still associate it with an unrequited crush I had way back in the fourth grade -- that's how far back I go with it.

I'll work on the 'B's next when I have time....