During the 1970’s I read both volumes I and II of David Wallechinsky’s

and Amy Wallace’s “Book Of List’s.”

 

These books had a listing of all kinds of various Top Ten’s of subjects and topics, as submitted from movie stars, personalities, and all kinds people of interest. These were not a book of world record top ten’s, but a top ten, in the opinion of, about various funny and interesting topics and subjects, in these contributors own opinion.

 

With respect to both of these books

 

What you will read below is my very own Top Ten as it relates to music……

Pink Floyd - The Wall

MY TEN REALLY GOOD ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
(not in any order)

  1. THE WALL – Pink Floyd
  2. PHYSICAL GRAFFITI – Led Zeppelin
  3. MEDDLE – Pink Floyd
  4. ONE OF THESE NIGHTS – Eagles
  5. NURSERY CRYME – Genesis
  6. SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE – Stevie Wonder
  7. BORN IN THE USA – Bruce Springsteen
  8. ANIMALS – Pink Floyd
  9. PRETENDERS – Pretenders
  10. CLOSE TO THE EDGE – Yes
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

MY TEN (12 actually) SONGS THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON, I REALLY ENJOY
(not in any order)

  1. KASHMIR – Led Zeppelin
  2. AND YOU AND I – Yes
  3. ECHOES – Pink Floyd
  4. THE CORE – Eric Clapton
  5. THE LAST RESORT – Eagles
  6. CLOSE TO THE EDGE – Yes
  7. ROSALITA – Bruce Springsteen
  8. SUBDIVISIONS – Rush
  9. MIRACLES – Jefferson Starship
  10. BRAIN DAMAGE/ECLIPSE – Pink Floyd
  11. ALL MY LOVE – Led Zeppelin
  12. SUPPERS READY – Genesis
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

MY TEN REALLY GOOD DEBUT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
(not in any order)

  1. PRETENDERS – Pretenders 1980
  2. LED ZEPPELIN – Led Zeppelin 1968
  3. EAGLES – Eagles 1972
  4. APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION – Guns & Roses – 1997
  5. THE CARS – The Cars 1978
  6. GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK – Bruce Springsteen 1973
  7. BOSTON – Boston 1976
  8. VAN HALEN – Van Halen – 1978
  9. PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN – Pink Floyd 1967
  10. TOM PETTY – Tom Petty 1976
Springsteen Button

MY TEN OF MY FAVORITE ATTENDED CONCERTS

I would have to say the best concert that I ever saw was the 4 performances of Roger Waters performance of Pink Floyd’s THE WALL on November 27, 29, 30 and December 5, 2010.

This extravaganza absolutely left me breathless and amazed.

 

My Top Ten concerts after hereafter:

  1. BACK TO GLASGOW (6/23/1990, Glasgow, Scotland) Paul McCartney
  2. NEW YEARS EVE SHOW (12/31/1999, Los Angeles) Eagles
  3. BORN IN THE USA (10/2/1985, Los Angeles) Bruce Springsteen
  4. THE JOSHUA TREE (4/18/1987, Los Angeles) U2
  5. TATTOO YOU (10/9/1981, Los Angeles) Rolling Stones
  6. THE RISING (9/25/2003 Denver, CO) Bruce Springsteen
  7. PRETENDERS II (9/5/1981, Pasadena’s Perkins Palace) Pretenders
  8. IN THE FLESH (5/23/2002 Stockholm, Sweden) Roger Waters
  9. CAMOUFLAGE (10/31/1984, Los Angeles) Rod Stewart
  10. HEARTBEAT CITY (8/29/1984, Los Angeles) The Cars

MY TEN VERY unexpected PERSONAL CONCERT MOMENTS

  1. Throwing of all the shoes on stage at Anaheim Stadium, during the Rolling Stones Some Girls concert 1978. [CLICK HERE FOR PIC] [CLICK HERE FOR PIC]
  2. Crowd stomping of the feet to the beat of “We Will Rock You” prior to Queen taking the stage, The Game Tour, L.A. Forum 1980.
  3. British crowd singing “Born In The USA” at Wembly Stadium, UK, during the 1988 Amnesty Tour (E Street band live on stage)
  4. Food fight in between acts at The Rolling Stones concert 10/11/1981, L.A. Coliseum.
  5. Roger Waters signing “Mother” at the Radio Kaos performance at the L.A. Forum 9/20/1987.
  6. Seeing a drunk fan slip and fall with his arm fully in the overflowing troft of human pee, in the bathrooms at the L.A. Forum, 1979, during a Foreigner concert.
  7. Bruce Springsteen jumping on stage with The Pretenders and singing “Higher and Higher”, Perkins Palace, Pasadena, September 5, 1981. [CLICK HERE FOR PIC] [CLICK HERE FOR PIC]
  8. Prince being booed off stage and giving the crowd the middle finger, October 9th, 1981 prior to J. Giles and The Rolling Stones.
  9. Very hot looking drunk girl sitting next to me with her jeans half off at the Cheap Trick concert, L.A. Forum, December 1979.
  10. A “wild all nighter” in Exposition Park (entrance to the L.A. Coliseum), 24 hours prior to the opening of the festival waiting gates, with thousands of fans to see The Rolling Stones 10/9/1981 (once gates opened, running like an animal through each tunnel to the front of the stage).
The Beatles Title

MY TEN REALLY GOOD BEATLES SONGS OF ALL TIME
(not in any order)

  1. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
  2. DEAR PRUDENCE
  3. HELLO, GOODBYE
  4. WE CAN WORK IT OUT
  5. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
  6. SHE LOVES YOU
  7. HELP
  8. PENNY LANE
  9. YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW
  10. I WANT YOU (SHE’S SO HEAVY)
The Beatles Title
The Beatles Title

MY TEN REALLY GOOD YES SONGS OF ALL TIME
(not in any order)

  1. CLOSE TO THE EDGE
  2. GOING FOR THE ONE
  3. CHANGES
  4. TEMPUS FUGIT
  5. IT CAN HAPPEN
  6. RHYTHM OF LOVE
  7. I SEE YOU
  8. STARSHIP TROOPER
  9. HEART OF THE SUNSHINE
  10. THE GATES OF DELIRIUM

***I could easily pick another 10 favorites!

Pink Floyd Title

MY TEN REALLY GOOD PINK FLOYD SONGS OF ALL TIME
(not in any order)

  1. BRAIN DAMAGE/ECLIPSE
  2. WISH YOU WERE HERE
  3. ECHOES
  4. A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS
  5. SHEEP
  6. EMBRYO
  7. CYMBALINE
  8. ONE OF THESE DAYS
  9. ATOM HEART MOTHER
  10. WOT’S…UH THE DEAL
Led Zeppelin Title

MY TEN REALLY GOOD LED ZEPPELIN SONGS OF ALL TIME
(not in any order)

  1. KASHMIR
  2. HEY, HEY WHAT CAN I DO
  3. WEARING AND TEARING
  4. MISTY MOUNTAIN HOP
  5. ACHILLES LAST STAND
  6. TEN YEARS GONE
  7. DANCING DAYS
  8. HOW MANY MORE TIMES
  9. THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME
  10. CAROUSELAMBRA
Rolling Stones Caricature

MY TEN REALLY GOOD ROLLING STONES SONGS OF ALL TIME (not in any order)

  1. ANGIE
  2. LET IT BLEED
  3. FAR AWAY EYES
  4. GET OFF MY CLOUD
  5. RUBY TUESDAY
  6. SHATTERED
  7. SOME GIRLS
  8. DEAD FLOWERS
  9. EMOTIONAL RESCUE
  10. DANDELIONS
Bruce Springsteen - Lights Out

MY TEN REALLY GOOD BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SONGS OF ALL TIME (not in any order)

  1. ROSALITA
  2. BOBBY JEAN
  3. BADLANDS
  4. SHE’S THE ONE
  5. OUT IN THE STREET
  6. LONESOME DAY
  7. I’M GOING DOWN
  8. BE TRUE
  9. COUNTY FAIR
  10. POINT BLANK

***These are studio songs. Live songs take on an entire different life as anyone knows who ever has seen Springsteen live.

Chick-A-Boom - Danny Dew Drop

MY TEN REALLY GOOD 1970’S ONE HIT WONDERS OF ALL TIME (not in any order)

  1. CHICK A BOOM — DANNY DEW DROP
  2. ONE TIN SOLDIER – COVEN
  3. VENUS – SHOCKING BLUE
  4. HITCH’IN A RIDE — VANITY FARE
  5. BAND OF GOLD – FREDA PAYNE
  6. IT NEVER RAINS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA – ALBERT HAMMOND
  7. COME AND GET YOUR LOVE – REDBONE
  8. CRUEL TO BE KIND – NICK LOWE
  9. LADY MARMALADE – LABELLE
  10. PILLOW TALK – SILVIA

For me, the term ONE HIT WONDER is so overused and left to interpretation. Does it mean a band that had only one real song on the radio and no others, is a one hit wonder, or a band that only had one top ten hit a one hit wonder? For me, a one hit wonder is a band that rests it’s career only on that one song that brought them any real success, then they quietly slipped away into rock and roll lore.

There are so many, literally hundreds and hundreds of bands or artists from the 1970’s that had that real quick rise to the top, then never really heard from them again. Not mentioned above, are any of all those Disco artists that had that one song that we all know real well. I could easily list 50 of what consider are my favorite favorite songs from the 1970’s.

A word of note on the 1970 song Venus, by the Shocking Blue: Lead singer was the very beautiful Mariska Veres. Though Venus was the only real hit that the Dutch band had here in the states, in Europe they had many more hits. Very sadly, this great unique voice, died of cancer December 2, 2006. Mariska was only 59 years old. Needless to say, I am a big fan of hers.

Father Christmas - The Kinks

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ROCK AND ROLL SONGS

  1. FATHER CHRISTMAS – THE KINKS
  2. HAPPY CHRISTMAS/WAR IS OVER – JOHN LENNON
  3. IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN – TOM PETTY
  4. WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME – WINGS
  5. PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS – EAGLES
  6. I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS – GREG LAKE
  7. 2000 MILES – THE PRETENDERS
  8. CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME TO SAY I LOVE YOU – BILLY SQUIRE
  9. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
  10. STEP INTO CHRISTMAS – ELTON JOHN

It’s always a fun time during December to hear all the radio stations dusting off those very fun rock and roll Christmas songs. I always have preferred the original written songs as opposed to the cover songs, however either way, the 10 listed above are the 10 I feel I just can’t go a Christmas season without hearing at least once.