Top 10 Ultimate Bands (February 18, 2010 Edition)

As I haven't written a music blog recently I decided today I would put down on paper (so to speak) a list that I've been working on for a while, but never quite stays the same. It's an exercise in both futility and the evolution of my musical tastes (though not always over time; sometimes it just depends on the day or my mood).

The list is my imagination's attempt at creating the ultimate band; lead singer, guitarist, bass, and drums. Nothing fancy (although occassionally I will add a pianist/keyboardist, DJ/turntablist, and/or brass section). I always have an extremely hard time widdling the list down to one person so I create a Top 10 at each instrument. The rules are, there are no rules. There are no constraints on time, genre, dead or alive, or even primary instrumentation. Now obviously I have to have heard their music, not as a rule but just general common sense.

Having laid down the background, here's my Top Ten Ultimate Bands for February 18, 2010:

Singer:
1. Bob Marley (The Wailers)
2. Jim Morrison (The Doors)
3. Marvin Gaye
4. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
5. Arethra Franklin
6. Johnny Cash
7. Bob Dylan
8. Al Green
9. John Lennon (The Beatles)
10. Van Morrison

Guitarist:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton (Cream)
3. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
4. Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead)
5. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
6. John Mayer
7. Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine)
8. Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)
9. Jeff Beck (Yardbirds)
10. Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)

Bassist:
1. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
2. Les Claypool (Primus)
3. Geddy Lee (Rush)
4. Victor Wooten (The Flecktones)
5. Justin Chancellor (Tool)
6. P-Nut (311)
7. Bootsy Collins (Parliament)
8. Aston Barrett (The Wailers)
9. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
10. Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead)

Drummer:
1. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
2. John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
3. Neil Pert (Rush)
4. Keith Moon (The Who)
5. Danny Carey (Tool)
6. Dave Grohl (Nirvana)
7. Travis Barker (Blink-182)
8. Phil Collins (Genesis)
9. Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
10. Jon Theodore (Mars Volta)

By: David

Best Music From the Past Decade

The latest issue of Rolling Stone includes several lists including the best songs and best albums of the decade. Being an avid music-lover I'm going to list my top 10 favorites from both categories. (Note: Music selected only from R.S. lists)

Favorite Songs from the Past Decade: 1. Crazy (Gnarles Barkley) 2. The Seed 2.0 (The Roots) 3. Welcome to Jamrock (Damian Marley) 4. Paper Planes (M.I.A.) 5. 99 Problems (Jay-Z) 6. Rehab (Amy Winehouse) 7. Hurt (Johnny Cash) 8. B.O.B. (Outkast) 9. Clint Eastwood (Gorillaz) 10. All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem)

Rolling Stone: 100 Best Songs of the Decade

Favorite Albums from the Past Decade: 1. Kid A (Radiohead) 2. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) 3. Toxicity (System of a Down) 4. Raising Sand (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) 5. Elephant (White Stripes) 6. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Wilco) 7. Kala (M.I.A.) 8. Sound of Silver (LCD Soundsystem) 9. The Grey Album (Danger Mouse) 10. The Marshall Mathers LP (Eminem)

Rolling Stone: 100 Best Albums of the Decade

By: David

The Mike Webb Team: http://www.northernvirginiahouses.com/

Stormin'

With the weather being what it has been all week, I decided today I would put together a listing of songs about rain, storms, bad weather, etc. A playlist of sorts, entitled "STORMIN" and it goes as follows:

Rain When I Die (Alice in Chains); Soulshine (Allman Brothers Band); No Rain (Blind Melon); Shelter from the Storm (Bob Dylan); Comin' in from the Cold (Bob Marley & the Wailers); Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival); JTR (Dave Matthews Band); Let it Rain (Eric Clapton); I'm Only Happy When it Rains (Garbage); November Rain (Guns 'n' Roses); Fire and Rain (John Denver); Fool in the Rain (Led Zeppelin); I Can't Stand the Rain (Missy Elliot); Purple Rain (Prince); Naked in the Rain (Red Hot Chili Peppers); Riders on the Storm (The Doors)

***For Optimal Listening Pleasure, Listen During Rainstorm On a Covered Porch***

www.northernvirginiahouses.com

Halloween Playlist

Being a music-lover, one of my favorite things to do is make playlists about EVERYTHING. Not the coolest thing ever to admit, but it's my thing. Here's what I came up with for the theme of "Halloween":

Jack'o'lantern's Weather (311)
Highway to Hell (AC/DC)
Wolfman Jack (Binary Star)
Dead Man Walking (Bruce Springsteen)
Devil Went Down to Georgia (Charlie Daniel's Band)
Drink to the Dead (Clutch)
I Put a Spell on You (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
Halloween (Dave Matthews Band)
Thriller (Michael Jackson)
Dr. Funkenstein (Parliament)
Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
Ghost of Tom Joad (Rage Against the Machine)
Living Dead Girl (Rob Zombie)
Black Magic Woman (Santana)
Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon)

Happy Halloween!