Klaatu

1. Sub-Rosa Subway
2. A Routine Day
3. Juicy Lucy
4. Dear Christine
5. All Good Things
6. Knee Deep In Love
7. Blue Smoke
8. I Don't Wanna Go Home
9. December Dream
10. The Love Of A Woman
11. True Life Hero
12. Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft
13. Anus of Uranus
14. California Jam

Klaatu was a Canadian band from the late 70s. Their biggest claim to fame here in the US was that they were rumored to be the Beatles reunited under a new name. Like the "Paul is dead" theories there were many clues that supposedly pointed to their secret identity. Mostly, they kinda sounded like them. Similar voices and styles but never a direct copy. For me, after the second album (which is more of a concept album that I didn't care for) each album was better than the last but unfortunately they just could not shake the Beatles comparisons and they never took off beyond a cult following here. The picture above was the cover I made for my tape of favorites that I put together in the mid 80s.

Chuck Berry

1. Move It
2. Maybellene
3. Memphis Tennessee
4. Little Marie
5. No Particular Way To Go
6. Wee Wee Hours
7. Thirty Days
8. Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller
9. You Can't Catch Me
10. Let It Rock
11. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
12. It's My Own Business
13. Back In The USA
14. Roll Over Beethoven
15. Too Much Monkey Business
16. Viva Viva Rock 'n' Roll
17. School Day
18. Oh Baby Doll
19. Down The Road Apiece
20. Reelin' and Rockin'
21. Johnny B. Goode
22. Bye Bye Johnny
23. Lady B. Goode
24. Around and Around
25. I'm Talking About You
26. Nadine (Is That You?)
27. Carol
28. Promised Land
29. Big Boys
30. My Dream

Here's a challenge for me and my first failure at keeping to my premise but this might still fit on one CD. I'm a huge Chuck fan and when I put him on, I find it hard to turn him off. My favorite way to listen to Chuck is to just put everything on shuffle and let it play. Even on my smaller iPod where I can only keep my favorites, Chuck's list is 40 songs long and I always feel I'm missing one or two. This list started with 25 songs and I struggled to cut it down to 15 so I added five to make it 30. I probably would have made a second post anyway. If you're unfamiliar with Chuck start with any best of package. Most focus on his work with Chess Records but he made some fine albums for Mercury in the 60s and released one album for Atlantic in 1979 which I highly recommend. His last album finished just before he passed is worth every penny as well. Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll!

The Alpha Band

1. Interviews
2. Cheap Purfume
3. Keep It in the Family
4. Wouldn't You Know
5. Arizona Telegram
6. Dark Eyes
7. Love and Romance
8. Adrenalin
9. Spark in the Dark (On the Moody Existentialist)
10. Rich Man
11. Back in My Baby's Arms Again
12. Boomerang*
13. Power of Love*

Formed out of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue The Alpha Band proved to be the launching pad for T-Bone Burnette as a songwriter and producer. A strange and quirky trio consisting of Burnette, Steven Soles and David Mansfeild, their sound was filled with guitars, mandolins, violins and other unconventional instruments for a rock band. They made three albums before separating.

*Burnette's first solo album included some songs that were leftover from the last Alpha Band LP. I never really knew which songs were the leftovers but I included two of my favorite songs from that album.

Stephen Stills

1. Helplessly Hoping (CSN)
2. 4+20 (CSN&Y)
3. Change Partners
4. Do for the Others
5. Love the One You're With
6. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
7. Johnny's Garden (Manassas)
8. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (CSN)
9. Southern Cross (CSN)
10. You Don't Have To Cry (CSN)
11. Dark Star (CSN)
12. Find the Cost of Freedom (CSN&Y)
13. Haven't We Lost Enough (CSN)
14. Dear Mr. Fantasy (Stills & Nash)

Stephen Stills is my favorite all around, underappreciated guitarist and a fine songwriter to boot. From fine, delicate acoustic fingerpicking to loud screaming guitar solos, he does it all. The first and last songs on this list demonstrate this wonderfully. I still find it difficult to breath during some of the solos in Dear Mr. Fantasy.

Angel

1. Can You Feel It
2. Don't Leave Me Lonely
3. Feelin' Right
4. Tower
5. Anyway You Want It
6. Big Boy (Let's Do It Again)
7. Rock & Rollers
8. Over And Over
9. Telephone Exchange
10. White Lightning
11. Got Love If You Want It
12. On The Rocks
13. On & On
14. Flying With Broken Wings
15. Wild & Hot

With only five studio albums, one live album and one change in bass players between the third an fourth albums, and one of the coolest logos ever, Angel imploded after six years of activity. During that time they managed to reach headline status but never really broke out of the theater circuit and into arenas where their big production show and soaring hard rock synth/guitar driven sound would seem most at home. Definitely a band that deserved more than they got. A hard rock sound with hints of prog later albums were a bit more poppy than rock but the songwriting is strong and the production is big and clean. They have resurfaced with different lineups over the last decade and released new material.

Boston

1. More Than A Feeling
2. Peace of Mind
3. Foreplay/Long Time
4. Rock & Roll Band
5. Smokin'
6. Hitch A Ride
7. Something About You
8. Let Me Take You Home Tonight
9. Amanda
10. Don't Look Back
11. Feelin' Satisfied
12. Walk On

Boston's First album is a classic front to back. Every song was a radio hit back in the day and classic rock stations will still play any song from the album. I've included three songs from the second album and one from the third. This is how I have them on my iPod with the four later songs forming an EP. Not many people knew at the time but the first album was recorded entirely in Tom Scholz's basement. One of the first home recording projects to make the mainstream.

Velvet Underground

1. Sunday Morning
2. I'm Waiting For The Man
3. Femme Fatale
4. Venus In Furs
5. All Tomorrow's Parties
6. Heroin
7. There She Goes Again
8. I'll Be Your Mirror
9. What Goes On
10. Cool It Down
11. Pale Blue Eyes
12. Sweet Jane
13. White Light/White Heat
14. Oh! Sweet Nuthin'

I almost could have listed the entire first album. For the longest time that was the only VU album I had and I listened to it often. It wasn't until the Peel Slowly and See box set that I explored the later albums. My Lou Reed solo discography was limited to the classic best of album and the New York CD. I almost saw Lou live with Elvis Costello, Eddie Brickell and the Cowboy Junkies But he broke his leg and had to cancel. Still a great show. They moved Elvis up to headline and added local heroes The Violent Femmes. I actually associate Sweet Jane more with Mott The Hoople then solo Lou then VU but I kept it on anyway.

Blackberry Smoke

1. Ain't Much Left Of Me
2. Good One Coming On
3. Let Me Help You (Find The Door)
4. Six Ways To Sunday
5. Like I Am
6. Pretty Little Lie
7. Bottom Of This
8. Everybody Knows She's Mine
9. Living in the Song
10. Sanctified Women
11. Wish In One Hand
12. Sure Was Good
13. Lay It All On Me
14. No Way Back To Eden
15. Sleeping Dogs

The world is divided into two types of people, those who know about Blackberry Smoke and those who don't. If you are of the latter I urge you to check them out. Strong songwriting with a down home guitar driven southern drawl. The real deal.

The Grateful Dead

 

 All official studio version unless otherwise noted.

1. Cassidy *
2. St. Stephen
3. Sugar Magnolia
4. Scarlet Begonias
5. Uncle John's Band
6. Ripple
7. Ramble On Rose [Europe '72]
8. Bertha
9. Franklin's Tower
10. Morning Dew [Europe '72]
11. China Doll [Reckoning]
12. Fire on the Mountain
13. Black Muddy River
14. Playing in the Band
15. They Love Each Other *

* These songs were released on solo albums but feature the band as backing musicians.

Let's start with one of my favorite bands. A quick glance down the list will give you an idea of my favorite era of the band although my first show was at the beginning of the Brent Mydland Era. 1970 to 1973 saw the band mature at a rapid pace. Europe '72 gave us the last days of Pigpen and the first of Keith and Donna. So many more songs that could be added but if this is all I could have I would be OK. (I could easily do another 15 but I'm not sure if it would be as strong as this one.)