Some of my parents records that I liked:

-Herb Alpert - Whipped Cream (I can't tell you how many hours I stared at that album cover)
-Nat King Cole
-John Denver
-Kenny Rogers
-Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water - I practically memorized every word to every song on that album, because it had the lyrics on the back
-LOTS of traditional Irish music records. My dad's parents were both from Ireland. The Irish Rovers were one of his favorites.
-Dean Martin

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
Ditto! Just replace Styx with Jethro Tull and Kansas with Motorhead, Maiden, and Priest. Prior to that it was my parent's records, Fats Domino, Beachboys, and Johnny Cash.

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
Did you ever have an extension cord for those big puffy cans? I had a 25-foot extension cord for my phones, so that I could wander all over my bedroom while I rocked out on "Glass Houses", my very first vinyl record. Followed by:

2. Styx - Paradise Theatre
3. AC/DC - Back In Black
4. Styx - Grand Illusion
5. Rush - Moving Pictures
6. Pink Floyd - The Wall
7. Van Halen - I
8. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
9. Pink Floyd - Meddle
10. Kansas - Leftoverture
11. Pink Floyd -Wish You Were Here
12. Rush - Permanent Waves

And the rest are kind of blur after that, but those were my first 12 disciples. I'll always remember.

You may be right, I may be crazy.

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
Nor did I fall asleep every night wearing big puffy headphones with the curly cord listening to an 8-track copy of Songs From the Attic that I bought at Bradlees with my lawn-mowing money. If you ever hear this rumor it is a complete fabrication.

*promote

Ditto! Just replace Styx with Jethro Tull and Kansas with Motorhead, Maiden, and Priest. Prior to that it was my parent's records, Fats Domino, Beachboys, and Johnny Cash.

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
Did you ever have an extension cord for those big puffy cans? I had a 25-foot extension cord for my phones, so that I could wander all over my bedroom while I rocked out on "Glass Houses", my very first vinyl record. Followed by:

2. Styx - Paradise Theatre
3. AC/DC - Back In Black
4. Styx - Grand Illusion
5. Rush - Moving Pictures
6. Pink Floyd - The Wall
7. Van Halen - I
8. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
9. Pink Floyd - Meddle
10. Kansas - Leftoverture
11. Pink Floyd -Wish You Were Here
12. Rush - Permanent Waves

And the rest are kind of blur after that, but those were my first 12 disciples. I'll always remember.

You may be right, I may be crazy.

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
Nor did I fall asleep every night wearing big puffy headphones with the curly cord listening to an 8-track copy of Songs From the Attic that I bought at Bradlees with my lawn-mowing money. If you ever hear this rumor it is a complete fabrication.

*promote

Now you're talkin'
I'll start
http://www.videosift.com/video/Going-for-the-One-Yes
http://www.videosift.com/video/Gentle-Giant-Proclamation
http://www.videosift.com/video/Gentle-Giant-Octopus-Features
http://www.videosift.com/video/Jethro-Tull-Thick-as-a-Brick-Madison-Square-Garden
http://www.videosift.com/video/Skating-Away-Jethro-Tull-Live-on-UK-telly

Accept or reject at your discretion. Prog rockers walk the edge of weirdness. Sometimes they fall over the edge. Sometimes they hit the mark and when they do it's sweet.

Fashion is thankfully fleeting but fine music is eternal - Tull always works for me.

I love Tull, I love LOTR, and I love doubling up on copyright violations! Huzzah!

Less hair, more money....that's great. Saw Emerson, Lake and Palmer open for Jethro Tull a few years back. When Ian comes out he says, "how about Emerson, Lake and Palmer, folks? And they still have all their own hair, the bloody bastards."

Sorry about the non-reply. I just saw the Harrison tribute video and it reminded me that I needed to let you know that you were indeed living in my head. That DVD has to be one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I wish I could have been there.

Loved your story about "Roundabout." It reminded me of American Bandstand. "I give it a 25 . . . good beat but you can't dance to it." More intriguing was your reference to "Beyond Nature." That happens to be my wife's and my favorite CD. We used to play it every Sunday afternoon. Now, not as much, but whenever we throw it in it brings back a wonderful collection of memories. I think Keaggy is right up there with the most brilliant of guitarists. (And that's saying something).



In reply to this comment by snoozedoctor:
Silver,
I share the same musical interests. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I named my son, Ian, after Anderson, (although he goes by Charles). He doesn't get recognized for it, but Anderson is one of the true musical greats of this century. His sense of melody and complex rhythm are amazing. And, I think he's probably a decent guy. He actually answered an e-mail I sent him one time!
Keaggy is amazing. I've seen him about 10 times or more. His album "Beyond Nature" is his masterpiece, a true work of art.
I played guitar in rock bands thru the 70s and did a lot of Yes, Tull, and other prog band's music. It was fun to play but the audience we were typically playing for were more interested in dancing. I remember a club manager telling me one time, "what was that last song you played where nobody danced? Was that Pinball Wizard?" I told him, "No, that was Roundabout, by Yes" He says, "whatever it was, don't play that no more."

Hey,

I'm glad that you saw something special in his musicianship. I would recommend the "Aqualung" CD to get you started, and then, "Thick as a Brick." If you try those two and enjoy them I've got other suggestions as well.

Jethro Tull is an old band, but I think a century or two from now Ian Anderson will be one of the brilliant composers remembered from our time.

Enjoy!

In reply to this comment by JAPR:
Beautiful. Never seen anybody do that with a flute before.

It appears they are not going to ever be cool again. But they were and when they were they were amazing. I post this stuff so the younger generation can get a small taste.

Happy New Year!

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
Tull isn't going to be cool again, is it? That was the first band I was ever totally obsessed with.

Tull isn't going to be cool again, is it? That was the first band I was ever totally obsessed with.

Silver,
I share the same musical interests. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I named my son, Ian, after Anderson, (although he goes by Charles). He doesn't get recognized for it, but Anderson is one of the true musical greats of this century. His sense of melody and complex rhythm are amazing. And, I think he's probably a decent guy. He actually answered an e-mail I sent him one time!
Keaggy is amazing. I've seen him about 10 times or more. His album "Beyond Nature" is his masterpiece, a true work of art.
I played guitar in rock bands thru the 70s and did a lot of Yes, Tull, and other prog band's music. It was fun to play but the audience we were typically playing for were more interested in dancing. I remember a club manager telling me one time, "what was that last song you played where nobody danced? Was that Pinball Wizard?" I told him, "No, that was Roundabout, by Yes" He says, "whatever it was, don't play that no more."

I'm an old Tull freak. I also listen to a lot of Peter Gabriel and attendant musicians. I loved Yes and The Who. A lot of that music still stirs the soul . Now I have added goodies like Bela Fleck and Phil Keaggy (his instrumental stuff is of particular interest).

I find that the current music scene has been diluted in multiple ways (all bad) and I keep going back to the standbys that knew how to make music.

I'm glad your iPod is rockin'!



In reply to this comment by snoozedoctor:
Silver,
You and I need to sync our i-pods. On the other hand, they probably have the same songs.

Dan Fogelberg was a part of the fabric of my life as background music for so many years that I feel I've lost an old friend. You can include me in the "didn't listen to much of the commercial stuff" crowd as I was wrapped up in Gabriel, Tull, offshoots, etc., and too proud, really, to listen to "soft rock." (Well, to be honest, for me, most of it was and still is unlistenable)

I can tell you this though: the stuff you haven't heard from Dan Fogelberg will knock you out. Fogelberg had the best voice I've ever heard, bar none. Pick up an early release like "Souveniers," "Captured Angels," or "Phoenix" and you will step into a world of haunting melodies, urgent pleadings, tight lyrics and masterful musicianship. Fogelberg sung nearly every vocal part and totally blew his contemporaries out of the water with his raw power and soaring harmonies. And if you think you've heard good love songs, check out Fogelberg's writing skills before you rest your case.

He's now gone forever and I am experiencing what every generation will eventually get to experience: the songs that are the background of our lives will one day stand as tombstones in our souls marking the moments of the past.

Loved ya, Dan.

ok, the list is about half right in my opinion. The first thing that struck me was the shameless lack of metal songs. Come on, you have Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins but no Metallica, Motorhead or Slayer? Whats up with that? You could do a top 20 list on those three alone.
Here's a few:
Slayer- Raining Blood
Metallica- Master of Puppets
Van Halen- Unchained(now thats a cool riff)
Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath(the darkest riff ever written and root to all metal. I swear that riff envokes the devil himself. Iron Mans cool but...)
AC/DC- I think Highway to Hell is a beter riff
Motorhead- Ace of Spades(bass riff)
Judas Priest- Electric Eye
Rush-YYZ or Limelight
Ted Nugent- Cat Scratch Fever of Stranglehold
Boston-Piece of Mind
Doobie Brothers- China Groove
Kanasas- Carry On....
I also agree with the Cream and Jethro Tull additions as well as Dire Straits, Deep Purple(though Highway Star is better), GnR, Layla, RATM, Skynard, Stones and Zep(and a dozen other Zep songs) from the original list. But I feel Stairway To Heaven is a tired worn out, overrated, boring song. GASP! There I said it, now let the angry posts begin!

Very entertaining, thanks for the post. Although a riff can be any repeating motif, rock guitarists tend to think of them more in terms of repeating single note phrases. (Don't you hate know-it-alls.) Stairway to Heaven we would consider more arpeggios than a riff. Still, there's no doubt it's the most instantly recognizable set of arpeggios in rock music history, (although don't play it in a music store....that could get you shot, or, at least, dirty looks and a possible toss out the door.)
I'd like to add a couple more classic riffs,
(1) Sunshine of your Love - Cream
(2) Heartbreaker- Led Zeppelin
(3) Aqualung- Jethro Tull

and a few more obscure
(1) Blood of the Sun - Mountain
(2) Nantucket Sleigh Ride (the bridge riff) - Mountain
(3) Siberian Khatru - Yes

Thanks again for a great post! Classic stuff.