Side One, Track One.

[Kensterberg]

Thoughts on Rocky's list (in italics, more or less, except where I screw up the HTML tags) ...

1) Sonic Youth - "Teenage Riot" - Daydream Nation
2) Mission of Burma - "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" - Signals, Calls and Marches
3) Wilco - "Misunderstood" - Being There Excellent choice.
4) The Pixies - "Debaser" - Doolittle
5) X - "The New World" - More Fun In the New World I thought about this, but finally wound up going with The Hungry Wolf. Really, all of the first four X albums got consideration from me for this one.
6) The Clash - "London Calling" - London Calling Yeah, I think this should be at the top of the list. Perfectly sets up the rest of the record, also both summarizes and surpasses the band's catalog (and career) to that point. Absolute perfection.
7) The White Stripes - "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" - White Blood Cells Good call. If I'd had (a lot) more room, there would've been some White Stripes in my list too.
8) Nirvana - "Serve the Servents" - In Utero Great album, great song, great opener. I went with SLTS b/c at the end of the day it's the one I actually listen to more often. But I can't argue w/this at all.
9) John Cale - "Mercenaries (Ready for War)" - Sabotage/Live Haven't heard it. Unless this was that Cale track you sent me on that live mix cd (in which case it's awesome).
10) The Clash - "The Magnificent Seven" - Sandinista! I love this song. But I limited myself to one per artist just so I wouldn't have to try to justify why I had four Clash songs at the top of my list (these two plus Safe European Home and Janie Jones). "What've we got? Magnificence!"
11) The Beatles - "Come Together" - Abbey Road I came "this" close to putting this up on my list as well, but wound up with Paul's "1-2-3-FUH" opening to "I Saw Her Standing There" instead. Anyone who says the Beatles didn't make great album openers hasn't heard enough Beatles' albums.
12) Iggy & the Stooges - "Search & Destroy" - Raw Power
13) The Velvet Underground - "White Light/White Heat" - White Light/White Heat I KNEW you'd include this, and it is perfect for the record. But it's not as good as Bowie's version, or "Candy Says" (which is why I voted for the latter). Still, a great selection that needs no justification.
14) Radiohead - "Everything In It's Right Place" - Kid A Pretty sure I dismissed this already.
15) Bob Dylan - "Like a Rolling Stone" - Highway 61 Revisited Perfection.
16) Thunderbirds Are Now! - "Better Safe Than Safari" - Justamustache Love this. Absolutely love this. Did it make my final 25, or just my honorable mentions? Either way, I love this track.
17) The Modern Lovers - "Roadrunner" - The Modern Lovers I don't love this song, but it perfectly telegraphs what you were getting with the Modern Lovers.
18) The White Stripes - "Jimmy the Exploder" - The White Stripes
19) Jeff Buckley - "Mojo Pin" - Grace I don't like Jeff Buckley. I don't even like Hallelujah. Please don't lynch me.
20) Neko Case - "Things That Scare Me" - Blacklisted Haven't listened to this enough to weigh in on it. I've got to be in just the right mood for Neko to really resonate with me, so I doubt that this will win me over in the next ten minutes.
21) Mission of Burma - "2wice" - The Obliterati I've only heard this one track from this album, and some days I think it's very good and other days it just bugs me. I'm not exactly a MOB fan, but they're alright. I can't argue with this, but I wouldn't have picked it.
22) The Stooges - "Down On the Street" - Funhouse I would've found room for something else in this slot, since the earlier Stooges pick is better.
23) Joy Division - "Atrocity Exhibition" - Closer "Supremely depressing and morbidly fascinating" does not equal good, much less great. This should've been New Order's "Age of Consent" but Rocky mistyped it, I think.
24) Elvis Costello - "Accidents Will Happen" - Armed Forces Man, choosing just one of El's brilliant openers is too damn hard. This one is just as perfect as "Welcome to the Working Week" and "No Action." Elvis is King. Says so right on his first album cover. (BTW, everyone knows that the working title for Armed Forces was Emotional Fascism, right?).
25) David Bowie - "Five Years" - Ziggy Stardust Great choice. I agonized over my Bowie selection, and it came down to this one or "Station to Station," which I took instead. Impossible to argue with this, though.

Excellent list, Rocky. Just a couple of tracks here and there that I'd have any serious beefs with -- like DED, it's really just a matter of individual taste variances. Though what some of you guys hear in Joy Division escapes me here.

[rockysigman]

skvorisdeadsorta said:

9) John Cale - "Mercenaries (Ready for War)" - Sabotage/Live
I would prefer the lead tracks from Paris 1919 or Vintage Violence

I'm really not a big fan of Vintage Violence, but I came really, really close to including "A Child's Christmas In Wales". I just think "Mercenaries" and "Fear" are a little bit better, but that song is a great opener too.

kenholzman said:

9) John Cale - "Mercenaries (Ready for War)" - Sabotage/Live Haven't heard it. Unless this was that Cale track you sent me on that live mix cd (in which case it's awesome).

Yeah, that's the same track. Kicks soooooo much ass.

[Kensterberg]

rockysigman said:

kenholzman said:

9) John Cale - "Mercenaries (Ready for War)" - Sabotage/Live Haven't heard it. Unless this was that Cale track you sent me on that live mix cd (in which case it's awesome).

Yeah, that's the same track. Kicks soooooo much ass.

OK, I haven't heard the rest of this album, but that song is fucking incredible. I can't argue with it at all.

[rockysigman]

I'm not sure there are too many artists out there who can put out albums as different as Paris 1919 and Sabotage where you can make a great case for either of them for something like this.

[rockysigman]

skvorisdeadsorta said:

7) The White Stripes - "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" - White Blood Cells
Nope. I love the White Stripes, but I think "Seven Nation Army" stomps all over it's ass.

I actually agree that "Seven Nation Army" is a better song, and it works well as an album opener in general. I just think that "Dead Leaves" is a little more in tune with the rest of the album that it's on. I'd say that the first 4 White Stripes albums all have excellent openers though (and I really do like "Blue Orchid" too, but it is waaaaaaaaay too different from the rest of the album to qualify for this).

[Kensterberg]

A few thoughts on the few tracks from ThoRn's list that I've heard ...

1. Five Years - Ziggy Stardust / david bowie Great choice. This is too high up for it, but great choice none the less.
2. My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) - from Rust Never Sleeps/ Neil Young I don't love Neil Young, but this is one of the great openers.
5. Them Bones - Dirt / alice in chains Their best record, start to finish. Can't argue with this, as this is as good as a certain kind of sludgey rock gets. Once again, heroin begats great art. Too bad it ultimately killed the man, too.
7. Blitzkrieg Bop - the ramones Has any band ever better defined their entire career in the first cut of their first record? Everything you'd really need to know about the Ramones is contained in this track.
8. Pink Moon - Pink Moon /Nick Drake I just got this from my Tai-Chi teacher (at least I think it was this album). I don't like Nick Drake.
12. Seven Nation Army - Elephant / the white stripes Love this. Can't remember if this made my own final cut, but it certainly was on the short list.
16. Misery Is The River Of The World - Blood Money /tom waits No. Not a good opener. Not a good record. Tom Waits by numbers, IMHO. Waits is a cool guy and all, but he should've hung up his hat after Mule Variations.
20. The Post War Dream - The Final Cut / pink floyd Anyone else puts this on their list, and I'll have plenty of shit to say about it. But from ThoRn, it makes perfect sense.
24. Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus - Frances The Mute /the mars volta I'm a Sparta man myself. All the worst of El Paso pretensions are found in The Mars Volta. And I've never cared for Cedric's voice. Sorry.
25. Orgasm Addict - Singles Going Steady / the buzzcocks Excellent choice. Considered this myself, but there were just too many others to choose from.

Nicely done, ThoRny. I can't imagine this list coming from anyone else.

[rockysigman]

Wow, I can see how the Mars Volta might not really be your thing, Ken (although I love them), but Sparta? Feh.

[Kensterberg]

rockysigman said:

Wow, I can see how the Mars Volta might not really be your thing, Ken (although I love them), but Sparta? Feh.

I know Jim Ward's mom. He's a pretty cool guy. I remember when he and his wife were buying a house here in town (this would've been c. 2003) and the mortgage company was hassling him about his "occupation" and proof of income. They'd made like no money at all for a bunch of years, and then all of a sudden after Relationship of Command came out they actually had meaningful income, and he had to explain to the band what he did, where the money was coming from, why he'd be able to make the payments on the house, etc.

So for months we were all joking about him having to write "rock star" in for "occupation" on his tax and mortgage forms. Even his mom says that Jim isn't a real musician, he's just a big ham who loves the attention.

All that said, at least he isn't (too) pretentious. So that puts me on the Sparta side of this particular fence.

[rockysigman]

I happen to think that the Mars Volta wear their pretension pretty well. But they're not very typical of bands that I like. For some reason they just grab me.

Sparta definately is less pretentious, I just think they're bland.

[Kensterberg]

Mars Volta do a pretty good job of pulling off their pretenses, but they still leave me cold. I can at least have fun with Sparta.

But I can understand both sides of this debate ... hell, both sides of both sides. But that's what lawyers do.

[rockysigman]

Okay, I'll guess I'll rip on all of you guys' picks now.

kenholzman said:

1. The Clash, “London Calling” – London Calling

May as well.

2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, “Thunder Road” – Born to Run

Springsteen has never really done a whole lot for me, although I usually don't mind him. I've never really liked this song at all though. Not familiar enough with the entire album to comment on how well it opens things up though.

3. The Who, “Baba O’Reilly” – Who’s Next

My thoughts on this are pretty similar to what you had to say about "Gimme Shelter". Much better as a closer than an opener.

10. Joy Division, “Atrocity Exhibition” – Closer

Fixed it for ya, although it shouldn't be quite this high.

11. Peter Gabriel, “The Rythym of the Heat” – Peter Gabriel 4 (Security)

He's a trillion times better than Phil Collins, but I still don't like Peter Gabriel.

12. The Replacements, “Hold My Life” – Tim

I love this album a lot, but this has never really struck me as a great opener. I fine song, but doesn't really grab you the way that a great album opener could.

13. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, “No Action” – This Year’s Model
14. Pearl Jam, “Life Wasted” – Pearl Jam

Right on.

15. Counting Crows, “Round Here” – August and Everything After

BOOOOOOOOOOOORING

18. Wilco, “Misunderstood” – Being There

Could be higher, but yes, definately.

19. X, “The Hungry Wolf” – Under the Big Black Sun

I like this song, but I think "The New World" is a better opener. This is a solid pick though.

24. Oasis, “Rock and Roll Star” – Definitely Maybe

Wish I remembered this.

25. The Velvet Underground, “Candy Says” – The Velvet Underground

Not my pick, but I'm happy to see it here.

[upinkzeppelin2]

Gah, Ken pretty much ripped my list to shreds(or tried to, the music speaks for itself). But I appreciate the time spent nonetheless.

Skvor said:

15. Counting Crows, “Round Here” – August and Everything After
Eh.......I like these guys but I don't.....it is a decent lead off track though.

I absolutely positively cannot believe this shit. Ken AND SKVOR dig this song?? Rooooouuuuuund heyuuurrr....Aaaalways ooooon my miiiiiiiind.....

I can't help but laugh every time I hear that song.

[rockysigman]

ded said:

2. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

Sucks.

6. Heroes & Villains - The Beach Boys - Smiley Smile

Sucks.

7. Waiting For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago - ZZ Top- Tres Hombres

Sucks.

8. Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses

Sucks.

18. Girls & Boys - Blur - Parklife

Sucks.

19. Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

Sucks.

23. Hit The Lights - Metallica - Kill "em All

Sucks.

24. Shine On Sweet Jesus - The Flaming Lips - In A Priest Driven Ambulance

Sucks.

25. Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen - Van Halen

The suckiest suck that's ever sucked.

[Kensterberg]

ROTFLMAO at Rocky's "disection" of DED's list.

[Kensterberg]

Melaun -- I didn't think I was "that" bad to your list. And you got some of my wittiest comments!

BTW, do you have any White Stripes or Drive-By Truckers? Just curious as to what you think of each.