I just read a top 10 list linked the Good Morning South Arkansas page. It was the top 10 pop songs of all-time. I hated the list. There were only like 2 songs I even like on it. I started thinking about the subjectivity of top 10 lists. This, inevitably, led to the creation of my own top 10 list. This is Chris' top 10 favorite songs of all time list:
10. Anarchy in the U.K. (Sex Pistols) - The Sex Pistols really laid it on thick with this one. This song is as iconic of the punk movement as anything done by Blondie, Black Flag, or the Ramones.
9. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie (Black Flag) - Black Flag nailed me down as a fan with this song. Not sure if they first did it before Rollins joined the band, but the first version I heard was with Henry singing. I've been a BF and Rollins Band fan ever since.
8. Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) (Metallica) - Do I give credit to Metallica for this one, or to Cliff Burton and Lars Ulrich (it's a bass solo with some drums in the last half). This proved Cliff Burton to be one of the greatest bassists of all time. This song led me to pestering my father for a bass guitar. This song nailed me down as a Metallica fan.
7. Jerry Was A Racecar Driver (Primus) - The first time I ever heard Les Claypool play a bass. Can you actually call it a bass with the way he strings (and plays) the thing? This guy is funk, metal, pop, and mad scientist all rolled into one. Primus follows right along in his mold.
6. The Post War Dream (Pink Floyd) - Wow. Just Wow. This entire album. I owe this one to my dad. If it weren't for him, I would never have heard any Pink Floyd other than The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here. This song makes me sad, hopeful, happy, and a little melancholy all at the exact same time. What's more, it does it to me every single time I hear it. This song is the true hidden gem in the prolific Pink Floyd library.
5. Bang Your Head (Metal Health) (Quiet Riot) - The song that first introduced me to Metal. I had never listened to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, any of them until I heard Quiet Riot (fun fact: Randy Rhodes was a founding member of this band, he left to join Ozzy Osbourne's solo career). I can honestly point to this song and say "It's their fault."
4. I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones) - The song that started punk. Punk went on to inspire British Punk & American Hardcore Punk, the two of which were major influences into the creation of Thrash Metal, which then lead to all the different kinds of metal we have today. Not only that, but it's an extremely fun song. My sister-in-law once listened to a Ramones album (she had no choice, were were in my car, and it was over an hour drive). She said "I thought punk was harder than that. That was like...bubble-gum rock.". She's right. There's nothing hardcore about the Ramones. They are just plain fun to listen to.
3. Shake Like You (Corrosion of Conformity) - My favorite band (CoC), my favorite rock star (Pepper Keenan), and a scathing indictment of the grifts the government constantly pulls on the American people. Oh, and the music is pretty damned good, too. These guys were American Hardcore Punk, then transitioned into Thrash Metal, then transitioned into Power Groove (also known as "Southern Metal"). They've been all 3 types of music I love the most. This song is their best.
2. Beckoned (Coal Chamber) - It's hard to pick one single song from Coal Chamber and say "This is the one". I always pick this one as the top song, because I can make the claim that it's the "Chris and Jason theme song". If you're not offended by language, do a search for the lyrics. If you know me and Jason, you'll understand what I mean.
1. One (Metallica) - I thought long and hard on this one. I knew this song had to be in the top 10 list somewhere, but number 1? It had to outdo some pretty stiff contenders. In fact, I had an extremely hard time picking 10 songs to go onto this list. Metallica had something special with this song. They took an old indie film, and wrote a song about it. The movie is ok, but the song is unbelievably good. (In fact, the movie is 10 times better cut up and used as footage for the music video). This was also Metallica's first video, and they had a hard time living up to this one. The song will move you if you really listen to it.
So, there you have it. My top 10. Will this list change? Probably by tomorrow, but these songs will always be near the top for me. Most of them helped shape who I am. All of them shaped what I consider good music.
-Chris
