...1986, the year I found AC/DC, and Metallica. The former became my favorite band of all time but not until later in life when I delved deep into their entire discography and discovered I like more songs by them than any other artist I've ever listened to. I will post an essential AC/DC playlist in a future blog so people can hear for themselves how diverse their music is since they've been accused of writing songs that sound the same from one to the next, but I digress.
At age 6 my taste in music started leaning more towards rock. Readers will see that the progression of me listening to less pop and more rock started in 1986.
This is also the year I discovered Hip Hop. I wasn't fully sold on it until the early 90's, but Beastie Boys and Run DMC definitely served as a great introduction to me and broadened my musical horizons.
Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.
...on to the playlist:
1. Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al. - I remember the video on MTV featuring Chevy Chase. This song sounded totally different from anything else out there at the time. It's definitely inspired by African Rhythms, and it has some of the best bass playing ever. It still sounds great to this day. I wonder if Paul played any influence in the sound of Vampire Weekend? The first time I heard the latter I instantly thought of this song.
2. AC/DC - Who Made Who? - This is the first song I heard by AC/DC. It had a very cool music video, and was written for Stephen King's movie directorial debut "Maximum Overdrive." The movie flopped and it was the last time the author would try his hand at directing a movie. The soundtrack has been very successful and still sells copies to this day. The soundtrack is composed of 3 new songs by AC/DC, and 6 of their older songs. I bought the soundtrack with my first holy communion money.
3. AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long. - This song definitely is one greatest rock n' roll songs of all time. Almost every wedding I've ever been to had this song included as part of the DJ selection. It amazes me that people of all ages seem to really enjoy it and have a good time when it's played.
4. AC/DC - Ride On. - You could hear so much pain and sadness in the voice of the late great Bon Scott when he would sing blues numbers like this. I can definitely hear how he was influenced by Elvis Presley on this song. This is my favorite AC/DC song.
5. AC/DC - Hells Bells. - This song initially scared me the first time I heard it with lines like "Satan's coming for you." It's become a staple on PA's at professional sporting events.
6. AC/DC - Shake Your Foundations. - I had the opportunity to see AC/DC live this past September in Philadelphia. They are definitely the loudest band I've ever seen, and it was just at a bad time in my life.
I'm not going to go into any detail aside from saying that I just experienced the death of a loved one, and I had a strange gut feeling that something was off kilter in my relationship with my girlfriend at the time. I didn't enjoy myself at the concert with all of that weighing on me, plus the crowd at the concert didn't come to rock out. Everyone around us was sitting down, and not up experiencing a rock concert like it should be experienced. My girlfriend at the time actually told me that me trying to egg on everyone around us to stand up and enjoy the concert was "Not Cool." I was down in the dumps and wanted everyone around me to have a good time because I needed a good time under the circumstances.
This is the first rock concert I ever went to where the crowd actually sat down, weren't on their feet singing along and cheering on the band. I'm hoping for an AC/DC do-over sometime, but I'll make sure it's in Cleveland or Pittsburgh and not at an indoor venue because they are too loud to play indoors. My ears were ringing for two days after the show.
The fun I had with my friends after the concert and making them "Nick-a-ritas" at the hotel was the only highlight of that trip for me.
7. AC/DC - For Those About To Rock (We Salute You). - "Pick up your balls, and load up your cannons for the 21 gun salute. For those about to rock, Fire! We salute you." This song is so cool and so awesome.
8. Bruce Hornsby and The Range - Every Little Kiss. - This song is still widely played on Oldie stations.
9. Bruce Hornsby and The Range - The Way It Is. - This song is about standing up for yourself and not believing people when they tell you "That's just the way it is."
10. Metallica - Welcome Home (Sanitarium). - First song I heard by this band. I think this is really when they started to become better songwriters and have better song structure. They had already accrued a large cult following, but this is the album where they went from an indie record label to a major record label and started to sell a lot of records. This is quite the accomplishment for a band that most people only heard about through word of mouth, because the radio stations were afraid to play them at the time, and they didn't have a video on MTV. Metallica didn't even get a video on MTV until the next album, and they weren't played on the radio until the album after that. I heard this song when a cousin played me their "Master Of Puppets" album.
11. Metallica - Master Of Puppets. - This is the heaviest, fastest, and most ferocious song I heard at the time and I loved every second of it.
12. Alice Cooper - Teenage Frankenstein. - When I was six years old, I was in love with horror movies and I remember seeing this video on MTV with it's really cool horror backdrop. I remember begging my parents to get me his "Constrictor" album, but they wouldn't because this was at the height of the satanic panic, and Alice was accused of being a devil worshipper by some conservative groups because of an incident with a chicken that happened at one of his concerts in the 1970's.
13. Alice Cooper - He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask). - Alice recorded this for the movie "Friday The 13th part VI: Jason Lives." There's a really cool video that goes along with this song.
14. Ratt - Dance. - I remember lip syncing to this song at a grade school talent show. I'm pretty sure there is a video of that on a VHS tape somewhere. I hope it never surfaces.
15. Ratt - Body Talk. - This song was recorded for the movie "The Golden Child." This song is so heavy and criminally underrated. The first three Ratt albums are actually really heavy. I think they are often overlooked as a metal band because they were part of the whole "Hair Metal" scene.
16. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone. - Recorded for the movie "Top Gun." This song is so awesome.
17. Berlin - Take My Breath Away.
18. Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love.
19. Billy Ocean - When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.
20. Janet Jackson - Control. - This is another one of those albums I bought with my first holy communion money.
21.Janet Jackson - Nasty.
22. Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately?
23. Janet Jackson - When I Think Of You.
24. Glass Tiger - Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone).
25. Madonna - Live To Tell. - This is my favorite Madonna song. It's so haunting and I think it showcases her amazing voice.
26.Madonna - Papa Don't Preach.
27. Madonna - La Isla Bonita.
28. Lionel Richie - Dancing On The Ceiling.
29. The Jets - Crush On You. - I still love this song. It's so catchy.
30. The Bangles - Manic Monday. - This is such an iconic song. I still hear people say on Monday's, "It's just another manic Monday." It started with this song 30 years ago.
31. The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian. - Everybody was walking like an Egyptian in 1986 thanks to this song and music video.
32. INXS - What You Need.
33. Eddie Money - Take Me Home Tonight.
34. Mike and The Mechanics - All I Need Is A Miracle.
35. Run DMC featuring Aerosmith - Walk This Way. - This is the first Hip Hop song I discovered. I loved that it rocked too. I didn't really hear the rest of Run DMC's music until my late teens. I guess it was better late than never.
36. Force M.D.'s - Tender Love. - Easily one of the best slow jams ever.
37. Van Halen - Why Can't This Be Love.
38. Van Halen - Dreams. - This song always brings a tear of joy to my eyes. It's so inspirational.
39. Van Halen - Best Of Both Worlds.
40. David Lee Roth - Yankee Rose. - This song is so cool with Billy Sheehan's pumping bass line and Steve Vai's guitar talking to Dave. This song builds up nicely and never lets up in excitement. Dave put together a heck of a great Solo band. I got this album for Christmas in 1986 and I still enjoy listening to it today.
41. David Lee Roth - Goin' Crazy. - If there's one song that defined David Lee Roth, it's this one. This song and the video are so Flamboyant. At one point in the video David Lee Roth is galloping around like a horse with a horses tail coming out of the back of his pants. The Lyrics, "I'm going coconuts but at least I'm going my way" sum up his character perfectly.
42. Poison - #1 Bad Boy. - Hailing from the first Poison album "Look What The Cat Dragged In." This is the only song I heard off of this album until the early 1990's, and it wasn't even a hit. I just remember somebody handing me their Walkman and telling me to "listen to this." I liked it.
If there's one band who summed up what "hair metal" is all about it's definitely Poison. While other "hair metal" bands have tried to run away from that label, Poison has embraced it and never once apologized for it. That's what I admire about this band. They've never tried to be anything they weren't. What you see is what you get, and that's a heck of a party and a heck of a good time. I've seen this band live more than any other band. They work the crowd and nobody leaves without having fun.
43. Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right. - The Guitar Riff is one of the coolest ever written.
44. Beastie Boys - The New Style.
45. Beastie Boys - Rhymin And Stealin'.
46. Beastie Boys - Posse In Effect.
47. Beastie Boys - Slow Ride.
48. Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn. - Very cool song. Did you know that Kerry King of the band Slayer plays the guitar on this song?
49. Beastie Boys - Paul Revere.
50. Beastie Boys - Hold It Now, Hit It.
51. Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey.
52. Beastie Boys - Slow And Low.
53. Beastie Boys - Time To Get Ill.
54. Ozzy Osbourne - Shot In The Dark. - First song I heard by Ozzy. It's such a catchy song. This was another artist my parents wouldn't let me own an album by because he bit the head off of a bat, and was accused of being a Satanist. It wasn't until the 90's that I got to own some Ozzy albums. I think this was the first Ozzy song to be played on top 40 radio stations.
55. Tesla - EZ Come EZ Go. - I remember an uncle of mine came to visit from California and by this point in time I liked anything Hard Rock. For some reason we went into a record store and he suggested I check out Tesla. Their album "Mechanical Resonance." Is one of the hardest rocking albums I've ever heard.
56. Tesla - Getting Better.
57. Tesla - Modern Day Cowboy.
58. Tesla - Little Suzi.
59. Cinderella - Night Songs. - The album cover showed dudes dressed up in Glam, but the music was total opposite of their image. This Philadelphia based band, was discovered by Jon Bon Jovi. I think they're one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time. If their name had been different and they didn't do the whole glam thing I think they could have become iconic and still talked about today. Tom Keifer is one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
60. Cinderella - Nobody's Fool. - I remember going into a store in Waynesburg, Pa called "Big Wheel" and buying this cassette tape.
61. Cinderella - Shake Me.
62. Cinderella - Somebody Save Me.
63. Huey Lewis And The News - Hip To Be Square.
Coming Soon... My Life Of Music Obsession: Christmas Songs.
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44. Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right. - I heard the cool guitar riff and I was hooked. Little did I know that Beastie Boys were a Hip Hop group. My Parents got me their album "Licensed To Ill." Every song on the album is great.
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