May 11, 2009
My 22 Favorite Rock Artists, According to My iPod
I have over 10,000 songs on my iPod, and, of those songs, about 1,500 are rated with five stars. This collection of five-star rated tunes is what I listen to on my iPod 90% of the time (on shuffle). This morning I thought I’d check out which artists have the most five-star rated songs in my collection. I’m not completely comfortable saying these are my favorite artists as there are a few bands with fewer songs who have had more of an impact on my life, and whose few songs I like more (for instance, the Sex Pistols – almost every song off their one true album, Never Mind the Bullocks, has five stars, but it wasn’t enough to push them onto this list).
Anyway, here are my 22 Favorite Rock Artists, according to my iPod:
1. OLD 97′S /RHETT MILLER
As with other bands that have a primary songwriter who has either a solo career or a side project, I decided to group the projects together. The Old 97′s truly are my favorite band, so it’s no surprise to see them in the top slot.
38 top-rated songs.
Suggested Tracks:
Timebomb
Melt Show
Wish the Worst
Big Brown Eyes
Question
2. ELVIS COSTELLO
Only one song separates Elvis from the Old 97′s on this list – but both he and the Olds have at least 50% more five-star rated songs than the following band. In addition to being amazing songwriters, Elvis and Rhett Miller are probably my favorite live performers in the world.
37 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
You Tripped at Every Step
Oliver’s Army
Blue Chair
Painted from Memory
Couldn’t Call It Unexpected #4
3. HANOI ROCKS
It surprised me that the creators of hair-metal and glam-punk had so many songs in my top rated, but there they were, eyeshadow and all.
26 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Dead by Christmas
11th Street Kids
Oriental Beat
Don’t Follow Me
Tragedy
4. YOU AM I/TIM ROGERS
You Am I are an Australian band who create seamless power pop songs. I’m fond of almost every song they’ve ever recorded.
25 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Opportunities
Purple Sneakers
She Digs Her
Fifteen
Get Up
5. ALICE COOPER
I often consider Alice Cooper my favorite rock n roll artist of all time and was, along with the Sex Pistols, probably the most important to me personally. He suffers from me loving him from the time I was fourteen years old — I’ve overplayed a shitload of his songs, so I didn’t necessarily give them five stars in iTunes.
22 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Teenage Lament ’74
Generation Landslide
Poison
Is Anyone Home?
No Time for Tears
I’m 18
6. THE CLASH
Like Alice Cooper, they’re a band I’ve loved from when I was very young, so I may have overplayed them a bit in the past. Otherwise, they’d likely be higher on this list.
20 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Career Opportunites
I’m Not Down
Hateful
The Right Profile
7. MONSTER/MONEYBROTHER
The Swedish lead singer/songwriter of the punk-ska-power-pop band Monster, Anders Wendin, left the band and started recording Swedish soul-pop under the name of Moneybrother.
17 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
It’s Been Hurting All the Way with You, Joanna (Moneybrother)
Reconsider Me (Moneybrother)
God Knows My Name (Monster)
You’ll Be Sorry (Monster)
8. QUEEN
Queen was my favorite band while I was in grade school. The fact that I’m still not sick of "Somebody to Love" is a testament to their greatness.
16 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Leaving Home Ain’t Easy
Don’t Stop Me Now
Somebody to Love
Spread Your Wings
9. TERRA NAOMI
This is the only person on this list who I have sex with (because Freddie Mercury is dead), so I can’t claim complete objectivity. That said, I was a big fan of Terra’s music, and used to post it on the message board all the time, before we ever met.
15 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Say It’s Possible
The Vicodin Song
The Other Man
Nobody Knows You Anymore
10. THE REPLACEMENTS/PAUL WESTERBERG
Another band who would be higher if I hadn’t loved them for so long and so hard.
13 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
I Will Dare
Androgynous
I’ll Be You
Swinging Party
11. TODD RUNDGREN/UTOPIA
13 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Crybaby
Couldn’t I Just Tell You
Love is the Answer
12. THE KNACK
Just because all of their songs are about pedophilia doesn’t make them any less catchy… and they did a lot of songs that I like a hell of a lot more than "My Sharona."
13 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Good Girls Don’t
Maybe Tonight
That’s What the Little Girls Do
Your Number or Your Name
13. TEENAGE FANCLUB
12 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Your Love is the Place Where I Come From
I Don’t Want Control of You
14. THE ARK
Another Swedish act, this time the modern purveyors of glam.
12 Top rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Beauty Is the Beast
Tell Me This Night is Over
Tired of Being an Object?
Let Your Body Decide
15. THE SECOND BAND
More Swedes, and my favorite of all the newer bands.
12 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Wild is the Wind
The Killer Comeback Line
No Song
16. ROONEY
11 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
When Did Your Heart Go Missing?
I’m Shaking
Daisy Duke
17. CHEAP TRICK
11 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Surrender
He’s a Whore
If You Want My Love
18. THE WANNADIES
11 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Shorty
Someone Somewhere
You and Me Song
19. WEEZER
Weezer’s songs are almost all from "Pinkerton", one of my favorite albums of all time. I like their other stuff, but don’t think any of their other collections comes close to the greatness of their sophomore effort.
11 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Why Bother?
No One Else (acoustic)
Across the Sea
El Scorcho
20. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
10 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
Ana Ng
Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head
Don’t Let’s Start
Spiraling Shape
21. APPLES IN STEREO
10 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
About Your Fame
Same Old Drag
Benefits of Lying (with your friends)
22. BEN FOLDS/BEN FOLDS FIVE
10 top-rated songs.
Selected Tracks:
One Down
Landed
Brick
The Luckiest
MEANWHILE,
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