baba o'riley

last week, i went to the first of this summer's twilight concert series. it was all very impressive. from the flannel shirts to the crystal spiders to the solitary blonde effectively blocking the view of a whole wad of people by standing on a chair and trying to nonchalantly see who was looking at her (answer: all the people who can't see the stage because you're standing on a chair. that's who's looking at you).
by far the most impressive part of the whole thing was jenny lewis, whose voice is much more powerful than rilo kiley ever led me to believe.

i like music (possibly the most daring opinion anyone has ever posted on any website ever)(i'm a maverick) but having as many audiophile friends as i do, i don't feel i can claim anything more than that. as it is i'm worried i might have to prove my likeage through a series of trivia questions and karaoke challenges.

please. never put me through that kind of mental torture.

the other day, one of the little candy packaging balls of angst came into my office to brag about the class he'll be taking during his first semester of college.
"history of rock and roll".
now i know and you know this class is not going to be what he thinks it's going to be (coughcougheasyAcough) and that's okay. but you know what's not okay? the blank expression on his face when i jokingly offered to lend him some cds (the specific cds aren't important (coughcoughzeppelincough)). you know what else was not okay? his long pause and his earnest response, "um... no thanks. i'm pretty sure this class is basically going to be about, like, elvis."
this was the moment my new project (read: "new mix cd" (read: "rock 101: know it, don't blow it")) was born. a compilation of rock songs i really, just... like.

here's the question:
what's the first song you would think of to include in your own "know it, don't blow it" mix?

mine was the beatles "helter skelter".
i don't know why.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Metallica's Sandman with the San Francisco Philharmonic.
Em said…
Helter Skelter!

I don't know why I thought that was so fun to say.

But I still do.
Nama said…
"bohemian rhapsody" - queen

best rock song ever. and one of the best movie moments ever, too. it's like a 2 for 1!
john said…
Ok, I really thought about this one and I'm going with "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones. I know, pretty cliché, but if you think about it, it's the perfect embodiment of a rock'n'roll song. Everything is there. The lyrics are anti-establishment and sexually implicit. The rhythm section is prominent with a great repeating bass line. The song breaks for drum-pounding. And, really, who doesn't know the guitar riff from this tune? So while I personally prefer a lot more songs over this one, I can't think of a better one that singly exemplifies rock'n'roll.

Well, maybe NKOTB's "Please Don't Go Girl"…
matt said…
"rock and roll" by led zepplin. "immagration song" would have been a good choice too, if shrek hadnt ruined it for an entire generation...
Heather said…
Oh drunk blonde girl. She was so sad that no one asked her to take off her top because she was so ready.

I never took the history of rock and roll, so I have no idea what qualifies as "rock and roll" and what is blues or soul or metal, but I feel that any documentation on the progression of music in America should include the following:

1) "Take Another Little Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
2) "Break on Through" by the Doors
3) "Bad Mood Rising" by CCR
4) "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan
5) "Crazy on You" by Heart

and I am totally on board with the Stones recommendation. "Under My Thumb" and "Beast of Burden" are absurdly good. Those songs make your life a little bit better every time you listen to them.

And others may shun you a little bit for it, but you should consider putting some Boston, Tom Petty, Van Halen, or Journey on that CD.

And then you should consider giving me a copy of it.
Jay said…
OBVIOUSLY !!!, your CD must start with Joan Jett's "I love Rock-n-Roll"
Tyler Pulsipher said…
Sorry, your candy ball friend is more right than you think. Rock-n-Roll was influenced mostly by blues, gospel, country, and folk. Elvis really was the harbinger of rock and roll. Rock conversly was influenced mostly by rock and roll, and hard rock by rock etc. So for Rock 101 I'd choose "Heartbreak Hotel," by The King. For History of Rock-n-Roll I'd choose B.B. King's "Bad Luck" as was a heavy influence on Elvis.
Leah said…
I pretty much just want a copy of this CD.