Here are just 137 of my favourite rock songs and (rock) ballads. Apart from the first one, the rest are in no particular order.
Please feel free to debate/disagree, discuss and add to the list etc. To be honest, I could have added hundreds more.
Are these good choices? Could they be better? Do they inspire you? Do you have instances, images in your head when you think of, or sing them? Are these the types of songs which can entertain a nation, compared to what the current music scene offers today?
Perhaps you can find out more about the chosen artists and would they inspire people to write music and sing today in your opinion?
Enjoy...I hope:
JUST SOME OF THE TOP ROCK SONGS/BALLADS
1. Van Halen – Jump
2. Foreigner – That Was Yesterday
3. Genesis – Invisible Touch
4. Eric Clapton (Derek & The Dominos) – Layla
5. Starship – Sarah
6. Van Halen – Dreams
7. Whitesnake – Is This Love
8. Fleetwood Mac – Everywhere
9. Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World
10. Huey Lewis & The News – The Power Of Love
11. Bryan Adams – Summer of 69
12. Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer
13. Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is
14. Genesis – Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
15. David Bowie – Let’s Dance
16. Def Leppard - Animal
17. Marillion – Kayleigh
18. Ultravox –
19. Belinda Carlisle – Leave A Light On
20. Heart – These Dreams
21. Roxette – It Must Have Been Love
22. The Cars – Drive
23. David Bowie –
24. AC DC – You Shook Me All Night Long
25. Whitesnake – Here I Go Again '82 and '87
26. Starship – We Built This City
27. Fleetwood Mac – Little Lies
28. Genesis – Hold On My Heart
29. Bryan Adams – Everything I Do (I Do It For You)
30. ELO – Mr Blue Sky
31. Supertramp – Cannonball
32. Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes – Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong
33.
34. Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
35. Heart – All I Wanna Do (Is Make Love To You)
36. Prince – Purple Rain
37. Aerosmith – I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing
38. Eric Clapton – You Look Wonderful Tonight
39. Phil Collins & Eric Clapton – I Wish It Would Rain Down
40. Guns N Roses – November Rain
41. REM – Everybody Hurts
42. Bryan Adams – Thought I’d Died & Gone To Heaven
43. Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name
44. Def Leppard – Photograph
45. Van Halen –
46. Whitesnake – Guilty Of Love
47. Guns N Roses – Estranged
48. Fleetwood Mac – Don’t Stop (Bill Clinton's favourite song. A Mac fan AND he supports Chelsea)
49. Pink Floyd – Take It Back
50. Guns N Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
51. Foreigner – Waiting For A Girl Like You
52.
53. Aerosmith – Love In An Elevator
54. Heart – Alone
55.
56. Bon Jovi – It’s My Life
57. REM – Shining Happy People
58. David Bowie – Life On Mars
59. Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
60. Queen – We Are The Champions
61. Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb
62. Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
63. Whitesnake – Still Of The Night
64. Eric Clapton – It’s In The Way That You Use It
65. Foreigner – I Don’t Wanna Live Without You
66. U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
67. Roxette – Listen To Your Heart
68. Yes – Owner Of A Lonely Heart
69.
70. Aerosmith – Crying
71. Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything For Love
72. Genesis – I Can’t Dance
73. Queen – Somebody To Love
74. Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender
75. Pink Floyd – Money
76. Yes – I Would Have Waited Forever
77. The Cars – Magic
78. David Bowie – Ashes To Ashes
79. Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell
80. Foreigner – Feels Like The First Time
81. Supertramp – The Logical Song
82.
83.
84.
85. Rolling Stones – I Can’t Get No Satisfaction
86. U2 – Beautiful Day
87. Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer For Love
88. Bon Jovi – Bad Medicine
89. Whitesnake – Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
90. Phil Collins – Another Day In
91. Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
92.
93. Starship – Wild Again
94. Van Halen – Love Walks In
95. Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin
96. Procul Harum – Whiter Shade Of Pale
97. Eric Clapton – Tears In Heaven
98. Phil Collins – Do You Remember
99. Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out For A Hero
100. Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me
101. Genesis – In Too Deep
102. Fleetwood Mac – The Chain
103. Huey Lewis & The News – Happy To Be Stuck With You
104. Meat Loaf – No Matter What
105. Simple Minds – Alive & Kicking
106.
107. Genesis – Abacab
108. Michael Jackson & Eddie Van Halen – Beat It
109Â Celine Dion - It's All Coming Back To Me Now (sorry IÂ couldn't resist)Â
110.
111. Bruce Springsteen – Dancing In The Dark
112. Sinead O’ Connor – Nothing Compares To You (again, I couldn’t resist)
113. Meat Loaf – I’d Lie For You
114. Lionel Richie – Say You, Say Me
115. Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night
116. Eric Clapton – Hung Up On Your Love
117. Extreme – More Than Words
118.
119. Tina Turner – What’s Love Got To Do With It
120. Alannah Myles – Black Velvet
121. 4 Non Blondes – What’s Up
122. Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run
123.
124. Phil Collins – Sussudio
125. Supertramp – Take The Long Way Home
126. Yes – Big Generator
127. Rush – Roll The Bones
128. Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms
129. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – I’ve Had The Time Of My Life (again, I couldn’t resist)
130. Dire Straits – Money For Nothing
131. The Police – Every Breath You Take
132. Genesis – Jesus He Knows Me
133. Dire Straits – Love Over Gold
134. U2 – Stuck In A Moment
135.
136. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
137. Sparks -Â This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us
Comments
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 1:02pm
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Apologies
By the way, apologies to the lecturers if this type of blog isn't appreciated. Just I thought it might inspire people and inform, or open debate for people to discuss their passions, or question what I have on my list, allowing entertaining thought?
richardpendry
29 October 2008 - 9:42am
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No apology necessary
This thread is in fact exactly the kind of thing we lecturers were hoping to see when we set up the site.
Nick Poskitt
29 October 2008 - 11:40am
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Really?
We can all look forward to 137 Best Comedy Moments courtesy of Stu, then!
robhayes
29 October 2008 - 12:14pm
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Of Which
This must be included or it's not a legitimate list!
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 1:07pm
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Asia
Just in case you wondered, Asia aren't a cheap rip off of Europe :). They're a group who did well in the US in the eighties. I did couple Asia and Europe next to each other though...
Rebecca Hughes
26 October 2008 - 1:13pm
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Haha
P.S. Glad to see I'm not the only one who stayed in with the intention of starting the reading for the essay and has yet to actually start!
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 1:20pm
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Celine etc...
Haha yeah well it has to be done. There's probably a few people who do like it, but won't admit it, so I thought I would. Haha, at least I hope they like it (cue embarrassment).
 Yeah too right "The Boss" has that country twang we all love to hear. I haven't heard Mary's Place, I think I'll "endeavour" to have a look. I'm sure I will!
Haha, sorry Bob Dylan nearly got there, but not quite. I did like it after the other day though, cheers. Oh my God, I can't believe I forgot to put The Who on my list. Disgraceful!
I take your point with both of those which you've mentioned to be overplayed. Just, even though I wouldn't play them everyday, if you hear them on the radio, even if you don't love them that much - they just seem to make an impact. Perhaps that's taking it too far?
Haha yeah well it's raining, I've done Sarah's stuff at least. Yeah, good that I'm not the only one either, I was beginning to think I was.
Rebecca Hughes
26 October 2008 - 1:35pm
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you also missed
Led Zeppelin off your list!Â
I'd pick Jeff Buckley's, Hallelujah over those two songs any day. Â
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 1:43pm
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I thought someone would mention that
I knew someone would mention old Plant head and company.
Led Zeppelin for me I'm not bothered about. They're okay, but like Doritos, you can take them or leave them. A bit overrated in my view, however, Whole Lotta Love is a good song.
I just can't stand Robert Plant to be honest. Whenever I've heard him interviewed on the BBC (particularly Breakfast, when he's plugging a new experimental bluesy album), he has this arrogance that every chord he'll strum and every note he'll sing is the perfect one. I mean I'm not saying Phil Collins isn't a bit like that, but at the same time, you don't see him on TV as much as you do with Plant.
Sorry I don't know Jeff Buckley particularly. I'll have to have a listen at some point. Although I suppose I should know Jeff Buckley, as it seems like someone people of our age listen to.
Rebecca Hughes
26 October 2008 - 1:56pm
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Phil Collins <3
Here is my really-bad-I-shouldn't-admit-this- guilty pleasure... Dixie Chicks, Can't Hurry Love. Oh the shame!
I strongly suggest getting his album "Grace". Strangely enough Jeff Buckley was singing Whole Lotta Love just before he disappeared and died.
Right, now I should actually go and blow the dust off those books!Â
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 2:05pm
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Nice choice
Haha don't worry that just equals my Celine Dion admisssion. I'll have to find out about the Dixie Chicks version. I've sung the Phil Collins version doing karaoke before.
Interesting that Jeff did the same? The death/disappearance thing is weird admittedly.
Haha, yeah I know what you mean about dusting off books. Mine look like they've been in a basement, or in the loft.
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 1:31pm
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Commerce
Can I make the point that although some of these on my list are incredibly cheesy and mainstream and invite mass commerce, they're in some respects brilliantly catchy and effective, i.e. Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere, Genesis - I Can't Dance, Starship - We Built This City and Van Halen - Jump. I mean, we all have our guilty pleasures, we just don't often admit them.
robhayes
26 October 2008 - 7:06pm
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137...
bit of a random number haha.
Don't Wanna Miss A Thing.. is worse than hearing Chasing Cars now, it's always being played, always!
I think saying Led Zeppelin were over rated is a bit... harsh. Look when they were around. If The Beatles were a new band today and released 'Love Me Do' I don't think it would be number one somehow.
Songs like Kashmir, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love and Black Dog, immense songs. Obviously it's a matter of opinion but I feel Van Halen were awfully over-hyped. Saying that, I am very much into alternative music, so I like strange sounds, sort of sounds Zep made... and Radiohead... By the way, where is Karma Police and Street Spirit!? haha. Â
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 7:19pm
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Yeah dunno why I stopped there
It's my new lucky number.
Haha I suppose I can see your point, just that as I explained to Becci, even if you don't love it, it does end up getting stuck in your head and being sung too if you hear it, even if you like it or not. Believe, me there are far better songs!
Oh too right, I can't STAND The Beatles anyhow - the only one who had talent was Lennon and look how he ended up - typical! I prefer Led Zeppelin, but I just dislike Plant to be honest. Don't worry I give the impression that I love Van Halen, but to be honest I only like a few of theirs.
Street Spirit and Karma Police are some of Radiohead's better songs, as are Creep and Nude. Haha thanks for your contributions though. The problem is, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure whether the rock songs of today are as good as those pre-circa-1995 (when Britpop came along). I have a theory that although Britpop was brilliant, it inspired a lot nasal emo/indie tossers to write songs and perform them in a very naff, angst-ridden, teen-marketed way.
That's partly one of the reasons why I think rock of the 60's, 70's 80's and early 90's is now dead. That may sound cynical, but I just think it's not as good as it used to be. Harsh?
robhayes
26 October 2008 - 7:34pm
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Oh No, I Agree
I have that same theory. But as I also said there's not much more you can do in music that hasn't already been done... but the likes of The Kooks and Fratelli's could at least try!! Â
At V Festival when I sat through the Kooks agonisingly bland set I seriously couldn't tell when one song ended and another began sometmes, it's utterly ridiculous. The bands that class themselves as Indie don't understand the true meaning of that is in fact 'Independant'. There's nothing less independant as sounding almost identical to the group of kids in the garage a few doors down from you.Â
And this new 'Indie Kid' and 'Emo' culture has got to stop. It's a constant competition to find the most unheard and obscure bands and tell all your friends about them and take group trips to Camden to see them play and as soon as they get signed they're labelled 'Sell-Outs'Â
And anyone over the age of 16 attatching 'Fuck Off' badges to their bags should be shot immediately. Anyone over 18 going into the shop 'Rocket' (if it's still there) on Rochester High St should be as well!Â
Rant Over.Â
stuartwilson
26 October 2008 - 7:47pm
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Emos
Glad to hear someone's got life sussed. True, I mean they're annoying croons and repetitive riffs just piss me off. The Kooks are quite frankly one of the worst groups ever, as are The Hives, The Holloways, Plain White T's, The Libertines, The Futureheads, Dirty Pretty Things etc. Moronic, noisy and uncultured in my opinion, which sums up Pete Doherty mostly.
Haha, V Festival sounds a right waste of time. The Big Weekend at Maidstone was a bit like that to be honest, the skinny jeans and stupid shoes brigade were sweating and talking crap about life, as if they're experts on music, philosophy and god knows what else.
EXACTLY, I'm glad someone has mentioned about the 'Independent' thing. I mean independent is meant to be a band being part of their own independent record label, but now they're in fact being 'labelled' indie in a completely different way.
Too right, if I get one more emo who giggles inappropriately, goes on about how good Scrubs and The Ting Tings are, I think I might have to brandish a right hook. Haha your description of emos is perfect.
Haha 'fuck off', 'emotional' and all the rest of the stupid badges are terrible admittedly. Yes the abomination IS still there unfortunately. I think a Magnum 44 is necessary to rid the world of such rubbish.
I enjoyed your rant, well done.
Rebecca Hughes
26 October 2008 - 8:33pm
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V Fest
was awesome, in my opinion. Obviously there were a lot of crap bands playing though, which was a slight problem. But The Verve/Kings of Leon - yum!
Rob, did you see Lenny Kravitz's set?! I accidentally fell in love with him after he started talking to me when he was onstage. This was seconds before he sung Pink Floyd because I "looked like the type of girl that liked 70s/80s rock." I don't care if it was all pre-planned, it made my day!
robhayes
26 October 2008 - 8:58pm
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Really!?
Right before another brick in the wall? haha, crazy!
Yeah I mainly went for the big 4 really: Muse, S'Phonics, KoL and The Verve. I did see a bit of sugarbabes though, but I was so drunk and I fancied a change lol. Â
Rebecca Hughes
26 October 2008 - 9:03pm
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Uh-huh
But he said something very similar at Staffordshire too. =[Â
What was with the crowd throughout The Verve?
You fancied a change or you fancied them, Rob?!Â
robhayes
26 October 2008 - 9:21pm
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Envy
Probably envied Staffordshire for getting Muse to close their weekend ;) had the strops on.
Yeah it was a bit small, I'll admit I would have preferred Kings of Leon to close, but Verve probably wouldn't have played if they got anything other than the headline slot.Â
Hey-ho, it's all good. We're the ones that got to sing to Lucky Man :DÂ
I resent the accusation that I went to see the Sugarbabes for any other reason than the music. I was gutted I missed Girls Aloud, they have good songs too.Â
AlanMcGuinness
26 October 2008 - 10:37pm
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Chasing Cars
Chasing Cars is worse, I've heard that song SO many times.
Anyway, good list Stuart, nice to see you're spending your time productively with that essay deadline looming!
rebekahfloyd
27 October 2008 - 11:42am
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Just...137?
I do love the way you say Just 137!!!
Im happy with the amount of Pink Floyd present, however where is the acknowlegement of 'The Wall'??? Its deffo one of the best Rock songs!!!
Amusing list tho stu!
KathrynCain
28 October 2008 - 12:32pm
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Ballads
Love the Bon Jovi, The Police, Aerosmith stuff...good you got some Foreigner in there too. Not sure about Celine Dion or the "Van whatever his name is" though. Some good choices.
robhayes
28 October 2008 - 2:23pm
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ManOwaR
Quick mention to the cheesey ballard masters that are Manowar, none of their songs seem to be in there... you only have to see the titles to know they're epic classics:
Battle Hymn
Brothers of Metal
Hymn Of The Immortal Warriors
Black Wind, Fire and Steel.
If you want to see grown men cry at the RAW POWER of Manowar, look no further than Youtube.
Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Manowar. I am not even sure whether they take themselves that seriously I think they started out as a joke and just ran with it, it is funny listening to the songs and ridiculously masculine lyrics though.
johnsaunders
28 October 2008 - 3:28pm
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Tim Buckley
It's not really rock, but Tim Buckley's 'Song to the Siren' must be one of the most beautiful ballads ever. That's my opinion, anyway.
As for what's inspiring in your list, it's got to be Aerosmith's Don't Want to Miss a Thing, for me. Many a rockin' tennager has had their heartstrings tugged by that one. Good Stuff.
KathrynCain
28 October 2008 - 8:51pm
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Aerosmith
I agree John, 'I don't wana miss a thing' is a classic, always brings a tear to my eye
stuartwilson
28 October 2008 - 7:08pm
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Thanks
Thanks for all the contributions to the list and I'm glad this list has opened up such great debate - despite my rather ridiculous number of songs, which in hindsight was pretty excessive :).
Can I please point out that this is not a definitive list of songs and it was never meant to be and it is just my personal choice. Can I also note that the cheesy Celine, Jennifer Warnes, Sinead etc are not my favourites and I really don't listen to them often, but for their emotional meaning (their lyrics), they're well written. And finally, I'd like to stress that this is a collection of rock songs, power ballads (in a rock format) and ballads (which aren't rock). I don't think I made myself clear when I wrote the original list.
And don't worry, I don't think I'll be doing a list like this ever again :).
robhayes
28 October 2008 - 7:19pm
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I should be writing my essay.
You want emotional, powerful and all-out inspirational lyrics... look no further than 'Gloves of Metal' by the almighty Manowar:
Hear the pounding army of the night
The call of metal summons us tonight
And gather we on this site
To behold the power and the might
We wear leather, we wear spikes, we rule the night
Off with the lights, hear the screams
See the banging heads awaken to their dreams.
(Actual song lyrics, awesome i know!)
stuartwilson
28 October 2008 - 8:18pm
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That song and the video is hilarious
Thanks for the post Rob. I looked on You Tube, they remind me of Spinal Tap, i.e. piss-take esque of the metal bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden etc and the lyrics are indescribable. I love the calming seagull at the start of the video, which then just reverts to metal carnage and then men on horses galloping and the great mad guitar solo later on. Not something I'd listen to, too often I think, but very entertaining. Cheers :).
P.S. the lead vocalist reminds me a bit of Ronnie James Dio in terms of vocals. The trademark mad hair too.
robhayes
28 October 2008 - 8:22pm
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It probably wouldn't surprise you...
To know that they released a live dvd called 'The Absolute Power: The Day the Earth Shook"
They were once the loudest band in the world, again, no surprise there! haha
My days at college were well spent, as you can probably tell.
KathrynCain
28 October 2008 - 8:54pm
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Poor Stuart!
Aww bless, the sheer power of public scrutiny has driven Stu into hiding. It's ok, we're all just trying to find reasons not to write 2500 words!
robhayes
28 October 2008 - 9:58pm
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to be fair
Stu has taken it all very well indeed :D I know we've been poking a bit of fun at how small the list is but it's all in good fun.
Just try and be a bit more expansive next time young stuart, no more rushing and cutting corners. Or i will sing 'she moves in her own way' at you for the rest of forever! Â
James Woodcock
29 October 2008 - 2:51pm
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Sparks
For about a year I've been harbouring this shameful love for "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us", and now I'm pretty glad I can come out of the closet, since obviously no one has lynched Stu for it. Though I'm still in "The Darkness Fan" closet. Still, thanks for lifting the burden =]
stuartwilson
29 October 2008 - 6:46pm
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Lynching
Haha don't be ashamed James, Sparks are great. The Mael brothers are probably one of the most unique duo's in music (due to their bizarre image on stage, with Russell wearing no trousers and Ron sporting a deadpan facial expression and sporting a wonderful moustache) and their music in the 70s, 80s and 90s is brilliant. My parents own a Sparks album from the 90s and that's how I got to know of them. The 90s album by Sparks is surprisingly synth-laden (despite them using synths in the 70s, for example on Beat The Clock and the aforementioned track This Town...) and is a development of their earlier work. It is likened to those groups of the "synthpop" genre in the 70s, 80s and 90s, like The Cars, Depeche Mode, OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark), Simple Minds and Ultravox etc, who often fused guitars with synthesizers
James, the reason I've not been lynched for the Sparks reference, is due to people's lack of knowledge as to who they actually are haha (which isn't surprising, as why should people of our generation know really?). Otherwise, like you've seen with Aerosmith and all the other cheesy rubbish on my list, I've been lynched. I Believe In A Thing Called Love is catchy, although I didn't like Don't Let The Bells End by The Darkness.
I'm only too happy to help lift the burden haha :).
stuartwilson
29 October 2008 - 7:12pm
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Tim - what was that word you said?
Tim, can you please remind me of the word you used to describe my music tastes? Haha I've forgotten it, but it sounded bloody good (even though I think it was quite negative haha).
By the way Tim, I do like My Best Friend's Girl by The Cars and I have also heard material like Just What I Needed, Moving In Stereo et al and like their music before they became mainstream in the UK particularly. By the way, I meant that The Wombats had a song "Let's Dance To Joy Division", rather than what I actually said, which was "they sound like Joy Division", which is actually not at all what I meant haha. Although I do know what Joy Division sound like, as I like them and New Order and I also have David Nolan's book on Bernard Sumner (Joy Division, New Order, Electronic).
If you like them, you may like Razorlight, The Killers, The Kaiser Chiefs etc, though I'm probably insulting your intelligence by assuming that you haven't heard of them...
Tim, I also reckon you're a closet Fleetwood Mac and Phil Collins fan? Come on, admit it :).
James Woodcock
29 October 2008 - 9:16pm
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The Darkness
I just love how they managed to get "Bells end" to be aired so much! It's such a catchy tune though in my opinion. To be fair, alot of people think that The Darkness are a bit of a joke, seeing as all their videos are a bit weird, but that was only to make some decent rock tracks relatable to the general public. Aerosmith are supreme my friend, and that song has got to be the best part of Armageddon. Other than that incredible CJ piece when the nuke went off.