Classic Rock Discussion thread, including Catfish's Top 20 Lists.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I was 13 when my 16 year old brother took me to see Tommy the movie, and that was my first contact with the Who.   A bit of a shocker to my barely teenaged brain.

I still like the studio album better than the live version except for Pinball Wizard.  Just think the piano works better than does Townsend's rhythm guitar to drive the song.  Still much prefer Quadrophenia, though.  Entwistle is a bit too subdued on most of Tommy for my taste.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Yep, Keith punked us in this pathetic effort.  I still to this day, think it was a joke.  Even the album cover was beyond ridiculous.
They win the award for  what happens when you give the label the middle finger to meet a contractual obligation.

(Honorable mention: Boston- Don't Look Back)

I don't think I ever made it through that whole album.  The cover alone is a horror show.  Really, if BSS was the peak, I think Works Volume 1 is pretty good, but after that...yikes.

[catfish1957]

Classic Rock Album of the Day- Lynyrd Skynyrd- (Pronounced- Len-nerd Skin-nerd)- (1973) ****

Thought I might stick with the Southern Rock theme a tad longer.

Strangely, if you look at my compliation of Top 20 lists, Lynyrd Skynyrd never made it.  Which in retrospection, is puzzling.  It may be that I might have thought my tastes at the time were too high brow for this southern fare. Maybe I thought that though they had a rocking edge, but there was too much of a MCA commerical bend to their catalog.  Or. maybe the fact is that Free Bird was and is the most over played memed rocking "request" in history...   Almost to a joke.  More on that later.

But of course 50 years later, and the album is now 50 years old, I have much more embraced my "southerneress" and what that means and matters as a heritage.   10 or 15 years ago plus or minus, I bought a greatest hit compliation collection of the band, which I have since played the hell out it.   What this band did 1973-1977 in their first 5 studio albums was excellent.  Generally only about a 1/3 of ther 1st 5 are filler, meaning the band as whole should qualify as among the greatest in the genre. I have great respect for the legacy of this band now.

The first album is easily the best, and contains what I feel are their most memorable songs.

Side 1-
------------

I A'int the One-  Blusey Boogie opener, with good solid screaming axes. Good tune, but not exactly memorable in their catalog. 6

Tuesday's Gone-  Never was into swooner rock ballads, but no one can deny this is one of the best ever done in that era. Beautifully done in soulful blusey fashion.  This would will never get old. 1

Gimme Three Steps-  Hilarious rocking tune around a guy who dances and gets caught with some bad dude's old lady. I think most of us can relate in the day,  getting caught in an unfortunate love triangle or 2 with Linda Lou.  3

Simple Man-  I think most of the allure of the greatness of the first L-S has to do with how well and powerful the band did with the softer side.  Simple Man is very powerful and pointedly heartfelt. Love how the band periodcially infuses heavy chordal guitar to give depth and dimension to what is another ballad in the vein as Tuesday's Gone.  2

Side 2-
-----------

Things Goin' On- Swamp boogie tune and standard fare that even brings kind of creole flavor and 1800's piano sound.  Not one of my favoirites on the LP, but from a stylistic, and breadth of different styles, I got to admit, the guys were trying to show off their versatility and gumption. 7

Mississippi Kid- Depression era-ish kind of delta blues number.  Interestingly, it sounds like  it comes off like a $10 Sears Silvertone 6 String.  Led Zeppelin pulled the feat off much better on Led Zeppelin III in 1970, with Hats Off to Harper.  Still very interesting in showing their historical interest in those delta blues acts. 8

Poison Whiskey- Standard solid rocker....   And a style that carried over in the band  more prevalently in subsequent albums.  Any song about rot gut whiskey can't be that bad. 4

Free Bird-  Aren't many songs in my mind that are more ambivalent than this one.  First the Good-  Yes, this is arguably the the No. 1 or 2 most iconic rock song in history.  Interchangagle with Stairway to Heaven.   It is well composed, beautifully delivered, and powerful in the way it cressendos into an ultimate jam.....  I mean the ultimate jam.  Everyone knows this song.     But------ I am purposely leaving a ranking off for obvious reasons,

Even within the first year of the album, this was already the most overhyped overplayed song at parties, radio, cars, everywhere.  I got sick of it.  Maybe my most cringeworthy moment I ever had at a concert was in about 1984 or 1985.   I was at a Bar concert where the Ramones performed.  There were only like 40 or 50 people there.  But invariably this one idiot red neck kept yelling at the Ramones to play "Free Bird".  That just infuriated my hatred of what the song stood for.  And this dipshit was a living breathing stereotype for it.- 5


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVx6DijKSPo

[catfish1957]

I was 13 when my 16 year old brother took me to see Tommy the movie, and that was my first contact with the Who.   A bit of a shocker to my barely teenaged brain.

I still like the studio album better than the live version except for Pinball Wizard.  Just think the piano works better than does Townsend's rhythm guitar to drive the song.  Still much prefer Quadrophenia, though.  Entwistle is a bit too subdued on most of Tommy for my taste.

Having to watch this at the theatre for a college literature course was strange.  Having to take notes while watching, sure got some strange looks.     In comparing the studio/live versions of Tommy, I am kind of divided.  I love the symphonic value Townsend gives it on Overture and a few others.  OTOH, Some of the "hell break loose" numbers like "See Me Feel Me" works so much better live, i.e. like the band did it at Woodstock.  I also enjoy the energy in its totality as they played it at "Leeds" too.

Seeing this at Woodstock,and seeing Iommi play, is why my first electric guitar was an SG.

You are very right about the highlighted differences between Tommy and Quadrophenia.  When you watch the rockumentaries, I think the reason that both Moon and Entwistle are more low key is that Townsend was so self absorbed with Tommy that there would be no upstaging.  It seems he was that obsessed with it.  And wanted 100% creative control over the content.

My opinion of Quadrophenia is little less kind.  Again, its all our tastes of course.  Yes, there seems to be more of a rock slant to the content, there is a drop off in songwriting.  Again, I love it....  Nothing The Who made 1965-1975 was bad. And 3rd place for this band would be a lifetime classic for another. 

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Townsend is one of rock's great jerks.  He's bitched on more than one occasion about both Moon and Entwistle - even after their deaths.   He and Roger Waters should do a Thunderdome match.  World would be better off regardless of who one.

I agree with you a lot on Skynyrd.  My favorite song of theirs is Simple Man, followed closely by Tuesday's Gone.  Ronnie could really write.  Simple Man works because the lyrics go perfectly with the simple, yet very heavy and powerful guitar chords gave that simplicity depth and weight.  Just a great song.

[catfish1957]

Note:  Album reviews are indexed on page 1 of this thread if there is interest in a particular band or album. 

Any requests?

[catfish1957]

Classic Rock Album of the Day- The Sex Pistols- Never Mind the Bullocks (1977)  **

The craziness of the mid '70's was weighing on the music scene.  Earth was mired into a Disco Thump Fest that domonated this time period.  And Arena Rock which replaced Flower Power Psychadelia.  Things were  prime for an social musical change to the masses.   That flash of lighnting was Punk Rock.  Yes, there glimpses of it coming in the likes of The NY Dolls, The Stooges, and Roxy Music, but Punk Rock as a true genre, and as we know it was evented at almost the same time by The Ramones, here, and The Sex Pistols in England.

The fact that the Ramones share the legacy of 3 chord madness, simple lyrics, humour, and break-neck speed playing......   That is about where the similarities end.  The Ramones were driven by the inane, every day, almost Seinfeld like humour, while  The Sex Pistols were like the Evil Twin.  They focused 100% anger on politics and left wing social commentary.  Both do, share the energy of early punk.  But the Pistols were just vulgar, vile, and hell bent on shock value.   Talking about abortion, overthrowing the Queen, and outright anarchy in 1977?   Yeah it happened.   But as everyone knows, the Sex Pistols flamed out almost as quick they rose. You can only take rage and anger so far,  but at least with this album, you can get a good feel of the energy of the day.  And as much as it digusts (and it should), it is a a critical album in rock history

Side 1-
---------------

Holiday in the Sun-  Starts with the goose-step, and delves into heavy punk riffing.  We used to have a lot of discussion on interpretation, and we pretty much came to conclusion that this was an endorsement of communism, hence tearing down " The Berlin Wall"...  But ironically it happened in the  opposite direction about 12 years later.  4

Bodies-  Maybe the strangest and most bizarro tune on the LP.....   Communists screaming  of the vile aspects of abortion?  In a Vile, vulgar, and disgusting way  The Pistols intended to be shocking at every measure.  They deliver in true Rod Serling Twilight Zone fashion.
Pro-Life and Sex Pistos aligned?  Strange marriage. 9

No Feelings-  The ultimate Narcsisstic atnthem-  Some solid musicanship.  And some humor.   5

Liar- LMAO...  30 lines of lyricsm about simple lying..  No one accused the Sex Pistols of being cerebral.  Almost non-punk guitar rocking at end.  (Sell-outs-  ) 12

God Save the Queen- Maybe the band's most famous number.   Words can not describe how scandalous it was at the time.  I love their silly chorus....   "No Future". What irony, this band fizzled out about 2 years later, while the Queen's reign went on another 45 years. 3

Problems- Did I use the word "inane" earlier?  Decent punk licks, but song makes no sense or purpose. 11

Side 2-
-------------

Seventeen- More of the same nonsensical gibberish. Seems the band liked to alternate between social commentary and well.....  basically nothing.  Just as with "Problems", palatable Punk song. 10

Anarchy In the U.K- The best song on the LP. Anger is in full frontal view. I really believe these guys beleived what they were singing and playing.   Note the lyrical line....   "I want to Destroy Passer-by".  Sounds very much like present day Antifa and BLM.  The fact that the song is very good, and well performed is no way still an endorsement of the POV of these POS' 1

Submission- The second best on the LP- Very innovative musical structure that works well on a lot of levels.   Overall message is a pretty sick and sexist in intent  that would would be slammed by the left in this day in age.  Times certainly have changed. 2

Pretty Vacant- I will at least give it to them, they were self-depreciating in the fact they didn't know shit about anything. Song around the cluelessness of youth is actually 10X more evident than when it was in 1977. 6

New York- English is so thick on this number, I had to cheat to recollect the lyrics.  Come to find out, that this was a diss of the NY Dolls.  I have no idea why Sid, Johnny, and the other Rotteness would be so bitter and Vicious. Left wing rock leaders calling their competition "f@ggots"?  My times have changed (Part II) 7

E.M.I.- Dissing a former record company in a song?  How unique and groundbreaking- /s  8


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGCYNhaZ728

[catfish1957]

Townsend is one of rock's great jerks.  He's bitched on more than one occasion about both Moon and Entwistle - even after their deaths.   He and Roger Waters should do a Thunderdome match.  World would be better off regardless of who one.

Townsend is a petty pr*ck.  His jealousy and anger at Page and Zeppelin has been well documented, and has made him it look downright silly.

[deb]

Classic Rock Album of the Day- Lynyrd Skynyrd- (Pronounced- Len-nerd Skin-nerd)- (1973)

Thought I might stick with the Southern Rock theme a tad longer.

Strangely, if you look at my compliation of Top 20 lists, Lynyrd Skynyrd never made it.  Which in retrospection, is puzzling.  It may be that I might have thought my tastes at the time were too high brow for this southern fare. Maybe I thought that though they had a rocking edge, but there was too much of a MCA commerical bend to their catalog.  Or. maybe the fact is that Free Bird was and is the most over played memed rocking "request" in history...   Almost to a joke.  More on that later.

But of course 50 years later, and the album is now 50 years old, I have much more embraced my "southerneress" and what that means and matters as a heritage.   10 or 15 years ago plus or minus, I bought a greatest hit compliation collection of the band, which I have since played the hell out it.   What this band did 1973-1977 in their first 5 studio albums was excellent.  Generally only about a 1/3 of ther 1st 5 are filler, meaning the band as whole should qualify as among the greatest in the genre. I have great respect for the legacy of this band now.

The first album is easily the best, and contains what I feel are their most memorable songs.

Thanks much for this review. I love me some Skynyrd. Tuesday’s Gone and Simple Man are in my Top 10 all-time favorite songs. Brilliantly written.
Sure wish I could have seen the original band in concert. Hubby and I have seen them live twice in the past few years. Both were outdoor venues, which is where they should be seen. They have done well with the musicians who replaced the originals. Ricky Medlocke is a guitar god.

[catfish1957]

Thanks much for this review. I love me some Skynyrd. Tuesday’s Gone and Simple Man are in my Top 10 all-time favorite songs. Brilliantly written.
Sure wish I could have seen the original band in concert. Hubby and I have seen them live twice in the past few years. Both were outdoor venues, which is where they should be seen. They have done well with the musicians who replaced the originals. Ricky Medlocke is a guitar god.

Do you remember the '77 Crash?  That day in many ways is almost rivaled as historic as Buddy Holly's crash in '59.  Losing RVZ's songwriting altered rock history in ways few can imagine.  If the massive success of those first five albums could have translated and extrapolated into 10 more?

[deb]

Do you remember the '77 Crash?  That day in many ways is almost rivaled as historic as Buddy Holly's crash in '59.  Losing RVZ's songwriting altered rock history in ways few can imagine.  If the massive success of those first five albums could have translated and extrapolated into 10 more?

I sure do. I was just a baby Skynyrd listener at that time. Free Bird was the main reason I “discovered” the band and it was devastating news to hear.

Speaking of Buddy Holly, if you ever find yourself in Iowa, Clear Lake is the town where Buddy played his final concert. The Surf Ballroom is an exceptionally cool venue, well worth the time to visit. Outside of ClearLake, there is a monument set up at the crash site. It’s literally out in the middle of a field.

[Hoodat]

Strangely, if you look at my compliation of Top 20 lists, Lynyrd Skynyrd never made it.  Which in retrospection, is puzzling.  It may be that I might have thought my tastes at the time were too high brow for this southern fare. Maybe I thought that though they had a rocking edge, but there was too much of a MCA commerical bend to their catalog.  Or. maybe the fact is that Free Bird was and is the most over played memed rocking "request" in history...   Almost to a joke.  More on that later.

As much as I love bands like RUSH, Little Feat, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc., Lynyrd Skynyrd has always been my center.  They are such a tight band, their play is flawless.  Leon Wilkeson is highly underrated as a bassist.

Here is my favorite song from their first album.  It is a song that the producer did not want to include.  Ronnie Van Zant basically took him outside the Doraville studio and threatened to beat the crap out of him if he didn't include the track.

Simple Man

[Maj. Bill Martin]

As much as I love bands like RUSH, Little Feat, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc., Lynyrd Skynyrd has always been my center.  They are such a tight band, their play is flawless.  Leon Wilkeson is highly underrated as a bassist.

Here is my favorite song from their first album.  It is a song that the producer did not want to include.  Ronnie Van Zant basically took him outside the Doraville studio and threatened to beat the crap out of him if he didn't include the track.

Simple Man

I'm not a country guy, and generally not even a southern rock guy (with the caveat that I don't consider the Allmans a "southern rock" band).  But like I said upthread, Simple Man in particular is just a genius song.  I'm normally not a lyrics guy, and if I have to put forth effort to try to understand the words being sung, I lose all interest.  But that's just an incredibly clean, powerful song.

[catfish1957]

Classic Rock Album of the Day- Golden Earring - Moontan (1973) *** 1/2

I might get some gripes from some Kraftwerk fans, but this fare from Golden Earring in 1973 is IMO the greatest rock album made outside the Anglosphere (United States- U.K.- Canada-Australia) I've been wanting to share it for some time now but You Tube has invariably some how kept if off in its entirety.  This band's legacy is pretty much isolated to the land of Ned, where they are held in awe as their version of their Rock royalty.  In Holland they charted 18 top 10 albums from 1965-2012.  But did no better than No. 12 here, and No. 24 in the U.K for this their only one of two successful albums outside their borders. 

There are only 5 tracks on the U.S. version of the L.P., but all the songs  are excellent.  This is a early era prog album that almost fully is  conceptualized upon the "bad girl" theme.  And it is done to perfection.  These guys play tight, and band member really pulls their weight across the board nicely.  This is a band with no glaring weakness, and they really got some very good prog chops.  They conduct these long numbers in a manner that are instrumentalized in perfect align with  intent.  They also shift styles and meter very very effectively.  If you have never heard this album, and are into early Prog and good musicanship, you won't be disappointed.

This European album cover was banned in the U.S. sadly.  The Moulin Rouge'd theme (which perfectly fit the music)  just didn't get by our censors.





Side 1-
------------

Radar Love-   Epic opening, riffs and awesome bass line. This is  the most recognizable Golden Earring Tune.  Sung in perfect English, and you'd never believe these guys were Dutch. Guys unleash horns in an unexepected manner in harmony with a guitar shred.  Stuff that I hadn't heard before.  Love the lyrics which pretty much are factual in the way the ladies almost hypnotize us via radar.  Bad Ass Stuff, I tell ya.  1

Candy's Going Bad-  Wow, you might thought you'd get a breather, but the band slams a funky opening riff at you at the opening like a 2 x 4. Really good guitar work mid way.  More of the concept, as a showgirl that's being a hooker.  This might be the most commerical sounding / feeling tune on the album,  but it is so good. Chordal progression and jazzish touches gives it an eery conclusion.  Wow...2

The Vanillla Queen- An ode to what sounds like a Moulin Rouge show girl in 1957. Synthesizers are brought into the equation. But don't let that opening fool you.  This entire tune reads like a symphony in the way it shifts in and out styles.  Especially in the latter 2/3 which is predominantly instrumental in nature.  Classical Guitar, wailing Clapton early '70's like shred, its there, which then blends into almost an hallucengic lapse into a rocking Tour de' Horns in a nice manner.  By the end of Side 1, you've realized you have heard a masterpiece. 3

Side 2-
--------------

Big Tree Blue Sea-  Is that Jethro Tull out there?  LOL.  Yeah, flutes are added to this one.  Another in an almost mostly instrumental that  really nicely highlights the bands talents and versatiities. A lot of dead time with the flute solos kind of hurt the song, but by the mid point, it moves into  a more rocking tone.  The flute work is obviously  a knock off of Ian Anderson's  work, and but this is a good tune, and but honestly it's the weakest too. Which isn't really a slam of the quality of the song.  Just the weakest of a good collection. 5

Are You Receiving Me- Seems there may have been some Byrds like inspiration into some of the Earring's work.   Of course how many tunes did the Byrds infuse screaming horns and sax in. Long tune, with jams that really are intense.  Really good, but at this point you realize that the band had put all the epic eggs in the Side 1 Basket-  4

Again, since YT is not allowing the entire LP, I am going to include the classic tunes from side 1.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Lj75cjg44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUZXWKRVM4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ7mjDN4qzE
 

[catfish1957]

A little change of pace.  I know there are a lot of us Rush fans here at TBR, and if we all ranked the top 2 Rush Instrumentals most would go with (1) Lavilla, and (2) YYZ.  I've got a different #2.  This one from "Roll the Bones"   And I just love this live version, which might have been one of the Professor's greatest recorded solos.  I know some drummers who have told me that the cross over work that Peart did toward the end of the solo, is almost un-doable (reproducible).  I just love the grins Peart and Geddy Lee shared at the end of this solo.  He knew he nailed it .....  Big Time.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKIc20Liw3c&list=RDAKIc20Liw3c&start_radio=1

[Hoodat]

The live drum solo during Working Man is pretty bad ass.

[berdie]

Well, @catfish1957 , Golden Earring's Twilight Zone is a good tune that will make ya drive to fast, lol.

Don't necessarily care for the lyrics, but the tune itself is pretty darn good.

(I didn't realize they were Dutch...so you taught me something. )

[Hoodat]

Here's a 'Top 30 Bassists' list:

https://www.musicradar.com/news/greatest-bassists-of-all-time-ever

Even though I love Geddy Lee, I would have put Jaco Pastorius at #1.  And there's no way I include Paul McCartney in this list.  Chris Squire is definitely top 5.

[catfish1957]

Here's a 'Top 30 Bassists' list:

https://www.musicradar.com/news/greatest-bassists-of-all-time-ever

Even though I love Geddy Lee, I would have put Jaco Pastorius at #1.  And there's no way I include Paul McCartney in this list.  Chris Squire is definitely top 5.

I know Geddy thinks the late Pastorius is among the best. He went as far to spend an outright fortune at auction to buy his working bass.  Pastorius is unique that he is one of the few acts with the exception of Stanley Clarke, and Jamerson where the band was  built around his talent.  Of course in a vein, Jazz doesn't meet my criteria for listing as inthe case of Clarke and Jameson.  It's its own animal

And your comment aound McCartney is spot on.  Being among the greatest song writers who ever lived does not necessarily translate to being the greatest instrumental practioner.....

So I am going to provide two lists...  One on IMO technique and another on greatness and impact.

Technique-

1. Jaco Pastorius
2. GeddyLee
3. Les Claypool
4. Chris Squire
5. John Entwistle

Impact-

1. John Entwistle
2. Geezer Butler
3. Chris Squire-
4. Geddy Lee
5. Jack Bruce

[catfish1957]

The live drum solo during Working Man is pretty bad ass.

Good choice.

Which solo in particular do you find the best?  Peart performed it live for almost 40 years, so there are so many variations.  IMO he actually made the transition from drummer to master percussonist during the Farwell to Kings talent point.  As an athlete-drummer, I felt he was at his quickest and commanding in the mid to late '80's.  Say about Power Windows or Hold Your Fire. 

He was really getting some arthritic issues in his elbow and wrists in the '90's and how to play through a lot of pain.  The progression of his kit is remarkable.

1976



2015



Btw...  Late in '20 Peart's 2112 kit sold for a half a million at auction.  Which in the scope of craziness of rock memorbila prices, might be a bargain.   This is a future museum piece.

[catfish1957]

Classic Rock Album of the Day- Styx- Equinox (1975) **** 1/2

I have a lot of emotion invested in this LP.  This and my Boston album dominated my turntable and Truck 8-Track during the 1976-1977.  This was also the first LP of a great band that I got to see live.  Styx, in their early form and in the sequence of albums #5, #7,and #8, were utter prog Juggenaunts who did more to bring the genre to the masses than anyone...  with maybe an argument from those super Kansas fans.

I had earlier reviewed Grand Illusion which is #7 of that sequence.  That album and Pieces of 8 captured what was the best of their songwriting.  You can see the polish and the producer sheen in mass quantities.  But still, in us who loved Prog in the '70's can not discount those 2 albums.  They made them huge headliners nation wide, but there was a dark side too, which I will cover later.

Equinox, OTOH, has the same elements, but nicely shows some grit and edge that was lost after this album. If you are into pure hard rocking, this is much more a better choice than the stuff a few years later, and a nice balance between the di-opposing artistic direction that tore this band across, and IMO destroyed its legacy. 

Equinox is a perfect example of how that schism was evident even early on.  This is album is basically two albums in one.  One being influenced and eventually 10 years later drug down the drain in the form of shitty pop numbers.  Yeah folks, that villain is Dennis DeYoung. Dennis DeYoung is an incredibly talented keyboard, and song writer, but he had a penchant for the sappy love song, and lighter fare.  Which by 1980, had degraded into pop.   On the other side, album (literally) and figuratively was James Young, and later Tommy Shaw who recognized what made the band a massive success.  Which was a blend of the two styles of heavy melodic synth, with hard driving guitar interplay.

If if hadn't been the sad fact, that DDY couldn't keep his massive ego in check, we might have seen some really good stuff after Pieces of 8.  But no....   DDY flipped off the fan base with shit like Cornerstone, Paradise Theatre, and Kilroy was Here. It was criminal, it was epically tragic.  No one nowadays hardly remembers Styx, and that is all on DDY.

But back to this album.  No filler hardly.  This is 1975 at its best.

Side 1- (Dennis')
------------

Light Up- Guess it was kind of dicey back in the day, bringing up 420 topics.  Well maybe 420/relationship quips.   Heavy synth and rocking number.  It might be my hatred of DDY, but his most sappy of tunes just don't have the same charm they had 48 years ago. 6

Lorelei- Now cohabitation?  DDY's ode to shacking up works better than Light up, as JY has a stronger role in melodic lines.  Really like Panozzo's bass work on this one too. Some nicely done choral rounds done at end too. 5

Mother Dear- Maybe the most adventerous try by the band, but the way it is delivered doesn't hit the mark.  Weakest cut in a fantastic album- 7

Lonely Child- Difficult to listen to.  Memories. 3

Side 2- (JY's)
--------------

Midnight Ride- So starts the rocking bad ass side.  JY knocks this one of the park with an excellent.  Actually was kind of nice break to shut DDY's keyboard up.  Really good tune, and just wait until a few years when Tommy Shaw is added to add some dueling elements to the live versions. 4

Born For Adventure- Another great rocking epic tune. Riffs and runs are a lot tougher on tougher than everyone realized on this one.  Has maybe JY's best solo toward the end.  And after being blown away, this song leads to........... 2

Prelude 12/ Suite Madam Blue- There are a number of songs that just can't be decoupled in the era, and I have covered a few.  This is another one.  You can not play the epic classic Suite Madam Blue without the Prelude opening.  It'd be rock and roll sacrilege.  Suite Madam Blue is the perfect Styx song.  It runs through every aspect of Styx's repitoire, and cressendos into one of the greatest hell breaking loose prog explosions of the era.  Man did I ever crank up the speakers for this one.  Best heard loud as hell.  Fantastic and one the best closings of an album I'd then and since. 1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7wtzdnwvXY

[Maj. Bill Martin]

@catfish1957

Very pleased to see a fellow traveler in the Dennis DeYoung anti-fan club.  I just can't stand that guy, and find his voice incredibly annoying.  Tommy Shaw clearly wasn't a fan either.  DDY was basically a musical theater guy masquerading as a rock star, and I can't stand the kind of oversinging that dominates most musical theater.  But a lot of Styx' music, especially in the early days, was very good.

Also, I finished my review of Brian Eno's Another Green World, and I'll post it tomorrow.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I know Geddy thinks the late Pastorius is among the best. He went as far to spend an outright fortune at auction to buy his working bass.  Pastorius is unique that he is one of the few acts with the exception of Stanley Clarke, and Jamerson where the band was  built around his talent.  Of course in a vein, Jazz doesn't meet my criteria for listing as inthe case of Clarke and Jameson.  It's its own animal

And your comment aound McCartney is spot on.  Being among the greatest song writers who ever lived does not necessarily translate to being the greatest instrumental practioner.....

So I am going to provide two lists...  One on IMO technique and another on greatness and impact.

Technique-

1. Jaco Pastorius
2. GeddyLee
3. Les Claypool
4. Chris Squire
5. John Entwistle

Impact-

1. John Entwistle
2. Geezer Butler
3. Chris Squire-
4. Geddy Lee
5. Jack Bruce

Great topic, and I dug into the linked lists and thought they did a good job.

One guy who I'd put in the top 5 for technique is Victor Wooten.  I saw him with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones awhile back -- a GREAT show if you can find them touring -- and he was incredible.  Here's a taste of Victor:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve37F3Ee9Ow

The other guy I was really pleased to see make one of those linked lists is Tony Levin.  He's generally not a shredder like a lot of those other guys -- although that doesn't apply when he's playing the Chapman stick -- but he's as tasteful a bass player as there is, which is why he gets so much session work in addition to playing with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, etc..  Great example of his ability to come up with memorable bass lines that don't intrude on the other instruments is the line from King Crimson's "Thela Hun Gingeet":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOrYTBaT1z0

Cool thing about that song is that another guy on your list, Les Claypool, actually covered that song with the Flying Frog Brigade.  Great cover.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml6LmIB-hvA

[catfish1957]

@catfish1957

Very pleased to see a fellow traveler in the Dennis DeYoung anti-fan club.  I just can't stand that guy, and find his voice incredibly annoying.  Tommy Shaw clearly wasn't a fan either.  DDY was basically a musical theater guy masquerading as a rock star, and I can't stand the kind of oversinging that dominates most musical theater.  But a lot of Styx' music, especially in the early days, was very good.

Also, I finished my review of Brian Eno's Another Green World, and I'll post it tomorrow.

@Maj. Bill Martin

Looking forward to it.  Your mentioning Eno got me listening to a lot of '70's Roxy Music this week.   For such a great band, didn't realize that there was more filler than I realize in their individual work.  Kind of what I call the "Van Halen Effect" where if you take and compile their best cuts, they are  terrific ++. , but trying to single out one single LP?  Not so much. So I really couldn't pick one out for review.  And I really don't like doing compliations for review. 

And Bryan Ferry?  I was always so envious. He kept the most beautiful women in Europe on his arm 24/7.  He out Jaggered- Jagger at the time.

As far as Styx and DDY....   Your persona of DDY was spot on.  Spotlight hogging primma donna.

[Hoodat]

Styx - Live Concert, 1978  (Grand Illusion tour)