Your Top 10 Classic Rock Songs

I'm a big classic rock fan, and also enjoy Top 10 kinds of lists, so I thought I'd start a thread about this and see if anyone else wants to join in. I decided to base my list on songs I hear on the local classic rock station, which tend to be the most familiar songs and I know there are plenty of others to choose from which don't get much airplay. These are all songs which, if they came on the car radio and I'd arrived home or another destination, I'd most likely sit in the car and listen to the rest of the song. Here goes:

1. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones (far and away my favorite)
2. Crazy on You - Heart
3. Somebody to Love - Queen
4. Suffragette City - David Bowie
5. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
6. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - Elton John
7. Back in the USSR - Beatles
8. Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
9. Bitch - Rolling Stones
10. White Room - Cream

I know I'll hear a song tomorrow which should have bumped something off this list! Okay, your turn.

Troy wrote:I'm a big classic rock fan, and also enjoy Top 10 kinds of lists.

Killer list T! Since I'm more classic country than rock, I'll do my best to keep the country out of my Top 10 list.

Ramblin' Man - The Allman Brothers Band
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
Lucky Man - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Mississippi Queen - Mountain
All Right Now - Free
We're An American Band - Grand FUnk Railroad
Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
Gimme All Your Lovin - ZZ Top

Grateful Dead - Truckin'
Doobie Brothers - Jesus Is Just Alright
Guess Who - American Woman
Iron Butterfly- In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Edgar Winter - Free Ride
Bachman Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care of Business
Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Styx - Renegade
Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

You guys listed a few songs that are gonna have to bump something off my list: We're An American Band, (Don't Fear) The Reaper, and American Woman (just one of the Guess Who's great songs) definitely belong in my top 10, as does Bang a Gong by T. Rex. I'm thinking my list may become a Top 20 before too long.

1. I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock'n Roll Band) - Moody Blues
2. Knights In White Satin - Moody Blues
3. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
4. Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
5. Marakesh Express - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
6. Sweet Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
7. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. Down On The Corner - Creedence Clearwater Revival
9. Light Fire - The Doors
10. Break on Through (To the Other Side) - The Doors

1. Play That Funky Music - - Wild Cherry .
2. Eminence Front - - The Who .
3. Kiss You All Over - - Exile .
4. The Edmund Fitzgerald - - Gordon Lightfoot .
5. Comfortably Numb - - Pink Floyd .
6. You`re So Vain - - Carly Simon .
7. Like A Rock - - Bob Seger .
8. Midnight Special - - Creedence Clearwater Revival .
9. Won`t Back Down - - Tom Petty.
10. Turn Up The Radio - - Autograph .

I'm a fan of the Sirius XM's Classic Vinyl station. It's hard to pick just 10 songs from this genre.

This list echoes my sentiments, with exception of #6. I'd substitute another Who track - "My Generation".
10. Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
9. The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
8. AC/DC - Back in Black
7. Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall
6. The Who - Baba O' Riley
5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze
4. The Eagles - Hotel California
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
2. The Beatles - Hey Jude
1. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

Sweet lists gents. My idea of classic rock leans more toward metal and arena rock of the 80's.


"Nothing But A Good Time" by Poison
"I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar
"Cherry Pie" by Warrant
"The Final Countdown" by Europe
"Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
"Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi
"Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot
"Any Way You Want It" by Journey

and

1984/Jump
-- "Wait a minute! Those are two songs! You can't bunch songs together like that?!" Oh, yeah? Watch me!

I consider 1984 and Jump as one mega-song because the former is a companion to the latter on the album. If you ever heard 1984, the album starts off with the space-agey title track, which then (with a short pause) seques into Jump. Thus, I think of both songs as, potentially, one song.

In any case, Jump wasn't the first song to feature Eddie Van Halen prominently on synthesizer, but it would be the most popular Van Halen song with that sound. This song has a lot going for it, as well: Alex's drum work, Dave's party persona in full force, Eddie with great guitar and synthesizer solos, and a radio-friendly four-minute length. The lyrics are decidedly nonsensical, though; I mean, what would "jumping" really do? Is it about suicide?! Is it about springing into action? Skydiving, perhaps? Really, who cares?! It's a awesome!

Rather than repeating the entries in your lists,
I'll add this classic rocker, originally recorded by Brownsville Station.

Some of the worst classic rock songs are those semi-disco attempts such as The Rolling Stones - Miss You.

My top ten songs echo the cultural and political atmosphere at key points in history.
Though some songs can become dated within a short time, others have the power to become timeless, and influence generation upon generation of music lovers.


10. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana – 1991
Hair-metal had reached saturation levels, and the affluent, “let’s pretend” era of the 1980s was fading fast. Kids were fed-up with poser rock-stars, whose songs and fashion became formulaic and ceased to be personal. Nirvana had the rawness of the early Kinks, lyrical sentiments that described all they were feeling, a sound and look that would influence and fuel an entire era of rock music, and turn over every corporate entertainment paradigm.




9. Statesboro Blues – Allman Brothers – 1971
The song that introduced Duane Allman’s signature slide guitar style also introduced many rock fans to what would later be known as the “jam band.” If you were young, and weren’t into mysticism, hedonism, or introspection, you were into hippy-ism.




8. Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin – 1971
Considered a masterpiece of rock music composition, what really made Stairway to Heaven a top song was the dreamy, eeriness of the lyrics and musical production. Early 1970s culture was gravitating to fantasy and mysticism, evident by numerous books and movies that would follow, and Led Zeppelin’s trademark Tolkien-esque lyrics hit the right chord.




7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps – The Beatles – 1968
Not only a fine example of George Harrison and Eric Clapton’s soulful playing, this haunting song by The Beatles mirrors the soul of the late 1960s. Downtrodden, mystified, and confused, but with a glimmer of hope that things will inevitably change…somehow. After all, the world is still turning.




6. Eruption – Van Halen – 1978
Eddie Van Halen virtually invented super-fast, precision guitar playing that was emulated all the way through the 1980s. Although Eruption was technically a guitar solo, preceding their cover of “You Really Got Me” by the Kinks, Van Halen came onto the music scene at a time when fans were just stating to become bored with commercial offerings. Eruption was instrumental in peeling off the layers that the 1970s had deposited onto music fans.




5. Brown Sugar – The Rolling Stones – 1971
Ushering in the decadent 1970s was the Rolling Stone’s “Brown Sugar”. Complete with raunchy Keith Richards guitar and risqué lyrics, the Stones threw out the frustration of the former decade, and had millions of fans thinking, “why not have some fun for a change?”




4. You Really Got Me – The Kinks – 1964
The birth of raw, dirty, garage rock began with the Kink’s “You Really Got Me”. Another heavily covered tune throughout the ages, the Kinks threw caution to the wind, slashing amplifier speakers to create the distorted guitar sound, and singing in devil-may-care fashion with no regard for popularly accepted styling. A brilliant effort that even modern rock bands try to replicate.




3. Crossroads – Cream – 1968
Classic Eric Clapton and Cream song which is as timeless as Robert Johnson himself. Not only did the tune feature the band’s trademark sound and musicianship, lyrically it represented the haunting realities and indecision present in 1960s culture.




2. Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix – 1967
As a reflection of the troubled, confused 1960’s, Jimi Hendrix and his guitar emerged as one psychedelically linked unit. While many other guitarists merely played an instrument, Hendrix was the instrument. Experimenting with the latest in recording effects and rarely-heard guitar pyrotechnics, Jimi Hendrix slashed his way into timeless guitar-hero status with Purple Haze.



1. Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry – 1958
Perhaps the most covered song in rock and roll, Johnny B. Goode almost single-handedly introduced the guitar as the primary rock instrument, with the lyrical sentiment to back it up. Johnny B. Goode represented a time in history when a youthful nation, bored by the saccharine, sedated 1950’s, began to realize that times were about to change.



There will obviously be plenty of debate on this list of Top Ten Rock Songs. There is no right list and no wrong list… only opinions.

10 Of My Favourites

Australian Crawl - "Daughters Of The Northern Coast"


Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - "Red Right Hand"


Cold Chisel - "Breakfast At Sweethearts"


The Church - "The Unguarded Moment"


The Go Betweens - "Cattle And Cane"


Beasts Of Bourbon - "I Don't Care About Nothing Anymore"


Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs - "Mama"


Hunters And Collectors - Say Goodbye


The Black Sorrows - "Harley And Rose"


Russell Morris - The Real Thing

Troy wrote:
1. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones (far and away my favorite)

Gimme Shelter is "the standout" on Hot Rocks. Will be listening to the entire album tonight.

Webmaster wrote:

Troy wrote:
1. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones (far and away my favorite)

Gimme Shelter is "the standout" on Hot Rocks. Will be listening to the entire album tonight.

A great album with some fantastic songs. The opening notes on Gimme Shelter get me every time. Kinda mystical and magical, and then bang, the song really kicks in.

No one mentioned Jethro Tull, with War Child, amongst their best
and M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull - their definitive collection.

Adding another song to my list.

Smoke On The Water, Deep Purple.

Excellent thread, bros. What one bro identifies as classic may be another's golden moldies. My list leans more toward the arena rock that I was born and raised on.
1. Urgent
2. The Reflex
3. The Stroke
4. Another One Bites the Dust
5. Land of Confusion
6. Rebel Yell
8. Freeze-Frame
9. Shakin'
10. Working for the Weekend

Sanderson wrote:Excellent thread, bros. What one bro identifies as classic may be another's golden moldies.

Golden moldies, no way. Every song listed is a classic. It's just a matter of placement.

Adding one more to the pile, The Georgia Satellites -"Keep Your Hands to Yourself".