Top 12 ROCK songs?

[RichardGioaf.]

Of course, I'm inspired by yes123's thread which I find amusing. Now however, only Rock songs have to be here. Thus, no prog-rock, no heavy-rock stuff like Deep Purple or Uriah Heep, no glam-rock, no blues-rock, no psychedelia, no ballads and so on, just pure, groovy 'Rock'!
Here's my list, in no particular order:

The Rolling Stones "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
The Jimi Hendrix Experience "Hey Joe"
The Kinks "Brainwashed"
Small Faces "Brown Man Do"
The Who "Slip Kid"
Bruce Springsteen "Badlands"
Ron Wood "I Can Feel The Fire"
Derek & The Dominos "Layla" (short version)
Fleetwood Mac "The Chain"
Fanny "Blind Alley"
Faces "Bad 'N' Ruin"
The Doors "L.A. Woman"

[Digital_Man]

I don't think I could do it without bending or breaking the rules. Besides some of the stuff on your list is heavy rock, blues rock and psychedelia.

[3LockBox]

Hey Joe isn't blues-rock?

[RichardGioaf.]

I don't think I could do it without bending or breaking the rules. Besides some of the stuff on your list is heavy rock, blues rock and psychedelia.

Rock is heavy, but heavy-rock / metal is something else, as I guess you know.

Oh and "L.A. Woman" is not psychedelia to these ears.

Hey Joe isn't blues-rock?

I'm aware that Rock was originated from R&B, but when I mentioned blues-rock I had in mind that hybrid music genre that combines the bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues with a rock-style extended jam, i.e. songs like Jimi Hendrix' ''Come On (Part 1)'', The Electric Flag "Killing Floor", Allman Brothers Band's "Southbound", etc.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Any such list that omits "Won't Get Fooled Again" is suspect right off.

And when it omits WGFA but includes "Slip Kid"? Well, at least it wasn't "Don't Let Go the Coat" or something.....

[RichardGioaf.]

Any such list that omits "Won't Get Fooled Again" is suspect right off.

And when it omits WGFA but includes "Slip Kid"? Well, at least it wasn't "Don't Let Go the Coat" or something.....

"Slip Kid" is probably the most overlooked top tier Who tune, and that's one of the two reasons why I listed that one. The other is that I personally love "Slip Kid" better than the studio version of WGFA.

[3LockBox]

Any such list that omits "Won't Get Fooled Again" is suspect right off.

And when it omits WGFA but includes "Slip Kid"? Well, at least it wasn't "Don't Let Go the Coat" or something.....

I like Don't Let Go The Coat. But yeah, Won't Get Fooled Again and Who Are You are top-10 worthy songs for sure.

This is quickly turning into a thread about songs I don't want to listen to.

[Digital_Man]

Any such list that omits "Won't Get Fooled Again" is suspect right off.

And when it omits WGFA but includes "Slip Kid"? Well, at least it wasn't "Don't Let Go the Coat" or something.....

It would have been better if it was called "Don't Let Go The Goat." These days goat could have a different meaning if it was GOAT but I suppose that's besides the point. Of course I'm joking around anyway. I actually like DLGTC though. There's even a rather interesting prog rock (or at least proggish) version of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz_IigmOz_A

[3LockBox]

Does any of these pass muster? Just rambling:

Stuck In The Middle - Steelers Wheel
Fly At Night - Chilliwack
Couldn't Get It Right - Climax Blues Band
Go For A Soda - Kim Mitchell
Mama Let Him Play - Doucette
Say Hello - April Wine
Let It Ride - The Guess Who
Lunatic Fringe - Red Rider
The Boys Are Back inTown - Thin Lizzy
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Blue Sky Mine - Midnight Oil
The Original Sin - INXS

Not really my "12 greatest" but trying to participate in a thread with tight parameters

[RichardGioaf.]

Who Are You

I think that "The Real Me" is slightly better than that CSI tune.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

I agree;"The Real Me" is miles and miles ahead of "Who Are You" (which is itself pretty darn good) -- it has some of Entwhistle's most savage bass playing of his entire (studio) career, and it's right up front and center.

I didn't mean to dis "Slip Kid" so much; it's one of the best Who songs post-Quadrophenia. At this point Pete began keeping a lot of his best material for his solo albums, sigh.... WGFA (aside from being the best hard rock song evah) was in the way of an example. For most of the bands on that list (saving Faces, Small Faces, and Ron Wood, none of whom I know as well as I probably should) I can think of at least three songs more deserving of that slot.

[GuitarGeek]

Any such list that omits "Won't Get Fooled Again" is suspect right off.

And when it omits WGFA but includes "Slip Kid"? Well, at least it wasn't "Don't Let Go the Coat" or something.....

What's your issue with Slip Kid? It's a great, underrated song. If I was gonna put something by The WHo on such a list, it would probably be that.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

See previous post...

[Rarebird]

I'll start, don't know if I get to 12.

Bap - Kristalnaach
U2 - New years day
Motions - Wasted words
John Cale - Fear
Velvet Underground - Waiting for my man
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Father of day

[progmatist]

Love 'em or hate 'em, KISS' Rock and Roll All Nite belongs on any list.

[JJ88]

If the emphasis is meant to be on 'rock' with nothing else getting in the way, then:

Elvis Presley- Mystery Train
Jerry Lee Lewis- Great Balls Of Fire
Carl Perkins- Blue Suede Shoes
Gene Vincent- Be Bop A Lula
Eddie Cochran- Summertime Blues
Little Richard- Lucille
Chuck Berry- Promised Land
Lonnie Mack- Wham! (included because it's a personal favourite guitar instrumental, should be better known)
The Rolling Stones- Honky Tonk Women
CCR- Bad Moon Rising
The Faces- Stay With Me
Led Zeppelin- Rock And Roll

For me, you have to go back to the source material, and I also chose a few 60s/70s tracks which are in a similar vein. I could/should have included 'Get Back' and 'Born To Run' as well, really.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

^^^Now that -- despite my personal animosity to Zeppelin -- is a list I can really respect.

[Joe F.]

Today it would be...

Sympathy for the Devil- Rolling Stones
Don't Let Me Down- The Beatles
Massacre- Thin Lizzy
This Kids- UFO
We'll Burn the Sky- Scorpions
Achilles Last Stand- Led Zeppelin
In From the Storm- Jimi Hendrix
The Punk & The Godfather- The Who
Nobody's Fault- Aerosmith
Public Animal #9- Alice Cooper Group
Every Picture Tells a Story- Rod Stewart
Box of Rain- Grateful Dead

[Digital_Man]

^^^Now that -- despite my personal animosity to Zeppelin -- is a list I can really respect.

Now you can say you have something in common with Pete Townshend.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

^^^

[dropforge]

A list of top ROCK songs without "Stepping STONE"? Hmm...

[SunRunner2]

Driver's Seat ~ Sniff 'N' The Tears
Sentimental Lady ~ Fleetwood Mac
I Am The Warrior ~ Scandal (Patty Smyth)
Africa ~ Toto
Down Under ~ Men At Work
Forever Autumn ~ Justin Hayward
Vida La Vida ~ Coldplay
Riders On The Storm ~ The Doors
All Along The Watchtower ~ Jimi Hendrix
More Than This ~ Roxy Music
Sarah ~ Fleetwood Mac
God Only Knows ~ The Beach Boys

(posted by a sentimental rock song lover, no apologies needed)

[Digital_Man]

^Very good list. I'm not sure I know that Coldplay song though so I'll have to check it out.

I don't think I could narrow it down to just 12 songs not to mention trying to figure out what is just plain old "rock."

[GuitarGeek]

Sod your stinking rules! Rock doesn't play by rules! Top 12 Rock songs? That would look something like this:

The Byrds: Eight Miles High
Queen: Long Away
The Who: Armenia City In The Skies
The Monkees: Circle Sky
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Bold As Love
Kiss: Strutter
Uriah Heep: Circle Of Hands
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Saturday Night Special
Deep Purple: Our Lady
Pink Floyd: Point Me At The Sky
Rolling Stones: Get Off Of My Cloud
Hawkwind: Silver Machine

And that's the bottom line, because Silver Shoes said so! (drops mic and walks out of the ring)

[headcrash]

Won't Get Fooled Again
Like A Rolling Stone
Born To Run
Johnny B. Goode
London Calling
She Loves You
Voodoo Chile
All Day And All Of The Night
Long Tall Sally
I Wanna Be Sedated
Street Fighting Man
Saint Domenic's Preview