An article came out of listing these songs as the 5 Greatest Classic Rock songs. .....
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
- Start date
If you asked me in the first half of my life I’d say STH, if you asked me now I’d say you’re right. It can’t be overstated how epic Stairway to Heaven was and the impact it had on rock and roll. It is the de facto king here, but I never listen to it now. Could listen to Gimme Shelter all day.
For some reason, it, along with most of the songs suggested here, seemed to have transcended time better. I still reflexively reach for the volume the second I hear the first note of Suite Judy Blue Eyes. That greatest/favorite point made earlier was a good one.
Last edited:
I just noticed, no one has really crapped on Stairway here. That really says a lot for the quality of posters in the forum. Because talking **** on Stairway is like talking **** on tacos or beer or something else that is crucial to survival.
I still remember the first time I heard the song on FM radio in my friend's dad's van. He was a crazy drunk but he was cool so when we got home, we stayed in the car, in the garage, with the car running so we could finish the song. The build up and then eventual release with the guitar solo totally blew up my pre-teen mind. It was intoxicating, but that may have just been the carbon monoxide fumes.
Good times.
I still remember the first time I heard the song on FM radio in my friend's dad's van. He was a crazy drunk but he was cool so when we got home, we stayed in the car, in the garage, with the car running so we could finish the song. The build up and then eventual release with the guitar solo totally blew up my pre-teen mind. It was intoxicating, but that may have just been the carbon monoxide fumes.
Good times.
Last edited:
First of all, any list that does not include Elvis Presley, James Brown, and a few others from the Rock & Roll era is suspect. In my view, just about anything after the British & Detroit invasions are they really Rock & Roll or the beginning of Hard Rock and some other genres.
This is very subjective to individual taste. For me my selections differ from others opinions.
1 . Pink Floyd - "Wishing You Were Here"
2. Zepplin - "Over the Hills and Far Away"
3. Aerosmith - "Sweet Emotions"
4. Genesis - "Invisible Touch"
5. George Harrison - "What is Life"
6. Cream - "Sunshine of Your Love"
1 . Pink Floyd - "Wishing You Were Here"
2. Zepplin - "Over the Hills and Far Away"
3. Aerosmith - "Sweet Emotions"
4. Genesis - "Invisible Touch"
5. George Harrison - "What is Life"
6. Cream - "Sunshine of Your Love"
Last edited:
The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, the Godfather of Soul, the Man, the Sex Machine, James Brown, has his own whole genre of music, of which he is the King. He is his own Hall of Fame.
Love #2, good call. There were a few notables that didn’t even get mentioned this far and Aerosmith had a couple of them. Dream On was also huge in its day and still makes these lists. I was thinking of Genesis, but more Eleventh Earl of Mar, or Lamb Lies Down era.
How about a list of fringe contenders but not quite? Sticking to the classic rock heavy guitars theme I’ll start:
Cross Eyed Mary
Working Man
Carry On
Paranoid
LA Woman
Cross Eyed Mary
Working Man
Carry On
Paranoid
LA Woman
Has no one even mentioned CCR yet?
Born on the Bayou is the business.
Born on the Bayou is the business.
One time they had a red SG doubleneck (Epiphone) at one of the guitar stores in Lemoyne and I damn sure busted out some Stairway when I was playing around. That and TSRTS and Xanadu. Couldn't help myself.
But otherwise that is an unwritten rule. Also no Nirvana.
As hard as this is settle the first step would be to classify exactly what is the classic rock era. When did it start? When did it end? I have seen it as 1964 to 1982. Does it really slide into the 80's?
Brings a tear to my eyes as the meaning of the song lyrics recall the memories living during the 60's & 70's.
“So bye-bye, Miss American Pie, Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry.” Apple pie is synonymous with Americana, so saying goodbye to “Miss American Pie” is symbolic of a generation passing the torch. As for the levee being dry, that line can be a bit confusing if you don’t know McLean’s backstory.
link: Meaning of 'American Pie' Song Lyrics (Full Explanation) - MG (musicgrotto.com)
"Apple pie is synonymous with Americana, so saying goodbye to “Miss American Pie” is symbolic of a generation passing the torch. As for the levee being dry, that line can be a bit confusing if you don’t know McLean’s backstory. He was a regular at a bar called The Levee in New York where he and his friends would have their fill of drinking. The “levee was dry” means that there were no more adult beverages being served."
"The chorus caps off with the line “this’ll be the day that I die,” which is a line taken from a Buddy Holly song, though it was changed every so slightly from “that’ll” to “this’ll.” The full Holly song refers to his life metaphorically ending in regards to lost love, giving it its own meaning in “American Pie.”
When people ask Don McLean what American Pie means, his astute reply is "it means I never have to work again".
But as well as being a tidy money maker for 69-year-old, McLean's mesmerizing folk song has bewitched generations with its mystifying lyrics. They explore the death of innocence during the tumultuous and disorienting 50s, 60s and 70s gleaned through the music of the times. That much was clear.
But today, with the $US1.2 million sale of the songwriter's original 1971 manuscript – complete with 16 pages of notes – fervent fans hoped the meaning of those cryptic words would became a little clearer… or more confusing depending how you slice that pie.
McLean wrote in the auction book: "this song was not a parlor game" but "an indescribable photograph of America that I tried to capture in words and music".
But that hasn't stopped those most stalwart fans claiming the notes vindicate their theories.
So who was Miss American Pie? The Jester? The girl who sang the blues?
Here are the most pervasive theories:
Miss American Pie
Pub trivia nights everywhere mistakenly attribute our titular heroine to the name of Buddy Holly's plane. An aviation serial number just wouldn't have had the same ring to it.One theory suggests the song was dedicated to a Miss America contestant McLean used to date. But Jim Fan, the author of "understanding American Pie" argues the phrase refers to the saying "as American as apple pie". But he doesn't completely dismiss the notion that she is a symbolic Miss America.
The day the music died
Probably the least ambiguous lyrics: Buddy Holly's tragic death in a plane crash 3rd February ("...made me shiver") 1959. Holly's "widow bride" had a miscarriage soon afterwards. Richie Valens and the Big Bopper also died in the crash.The Jester
Bob Dylan is the most likely candidate. Dylan donned a windbreaker similar to the jacket worn by James Dean in 'Rebel Without a Cause' on the cover of his 'Freewheelin' album. The jester on the sidelines in a cast supposedly refers to Dylan's motorbike accident, which left him injured and ailing for months.The king and queen
These monarchs have many usurpers. The most popular theory anoints Elvis as the king, whose "thorny crown" was stolen by the Jester as Dylan's popularity eclipsed the King of Rock n Roll.But some fans believe folk singers Peter Seger and Joan Baez were the king and queen, who shared the stage for "Blowin' in The Wind" with Dylan at Newport Folk Festival in 1963.
The other likely contenders for the King and Queen are John F Kennedy and Jackie O. This theory casts Kennedy's assassinator Lee Harvey Oswald as the Joker.
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
Sticking with the JFK theory, the courtroom didn't convict Oswald for his assassination because he was murdered.The Quartet practicing in the park and the Sergeants marching
Both references to The Beatles. Easy. The band had become increasingly politicised - they were the musical 'Lenins' reading Marx).Helter Skelter
Another nod to The Beatles and Helter Skelter, but also a reference to Charles Manson's orchestrated massacre in the Summer swelter of 1968, which Manson said was inspired by the Beatles' song.Jack Flash
Mick Jagger and a shout out to The Rolling Stones' song Jumpin' Jack Flash. Jagger was burnt on the candlestick because "fire is the devil's only friend"- a not-so-subtle jibe at The Rolling Stones selling out (to the devil) in their later album releases.Other theorists cast Jagger was Satan himself "laughing with delight the day the music died" and inciting some of the most destructive forms of rebellion of the times. McLean really didn't seem to like Jagger much.
The girl who sang the blues
Janice Joplin, the legendary songstress who died of a heroin overdose in 1970.
The Chevy to the levy
A far-reaching metaphor for life.Or a Chevy and a levy. Imagine Chevrolet's marketing potential had American Pie dropped in the iPod era.
Last edited:
Interesting version of Stairway.....but i prefer the performance by Ann and Nancy Wilson at the Kennedy Center Honors @2012. Having Jason Bonham on drums was special!
In its simplest form and somewhat liberal definition of "Classic Rock" I would put it around 64 but end it around 79.
Not going to argue that its one of the best by any objective measure, but this is the classic rock song that I crave!
Where do folks stand on bands like Kansas, Styx, Foreigner, Journey and the like? I don't know if I consider any of them to be Classic Rock.
Kansas and Styx would probably be classified as closer to progressive rock (especially Kansas). Foreigner and Journey more classic/pop Rock. All classic rock to me anyway.
About the 5 songs from the OP - 3 of them I consider "anthems" - meaning long, involved album cuts with lots of stuff going on that became sort of a calling card for the band
The 2 I don't consider "anthems" would be Hotel California and Satisfaction (both great songs, but not anthems imo).
As for the Skynyrd/Freebird criticism, watch either Knebworth 76 or Oakland 77. There is nothing to criticize and everything to praise.
Get unlimited access today.