(in my opinion)
Best selling author Joss Stirling wrote that “music isn’t take it or leave it. Music is life or death.” (Finding Sky, 2010)
Personally, I would find it difficult to disagree with her. Without music, many of us, including myself, would be without a source of emotional outlet. No matter who you are or where you’re from, music has touched your life in one way or another. Be it joy, sadness, anger, or hopelessness, music gives us permission to feel. As a writer, I often struggle with content; something substantial to write about. Even with a good enough idea, I sometimes ask myself if it is even worth writing. So, this morning, as I went about my day cleaning the kitchen and hanging square pieces of random artwork, it occurred to me that there have been so many pieces of music that has shaped my existence. I could write about that! I thought to myself. Frankly, this could end up being a monster of an essay. In an attempt to keep it from being too lengthy, I have decided to break it up into genres. I hope you enjoy my stroll through time as I present (in my opinion) The Greatest Rock Songs Ever Written.
*Presented in no particular order
Breathe
Artist: Ministry
Album: The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste
This track opens with a thumping percussion section, pounding out syncopated quarter notes. For me, this song is pure genius. It’s techno without being techno. It’s industrial but without all the trappings of having to be danceable at the same time. I remember the first time I listened to this album. I was blown away by the notion that there was something out there that was heavier than metal.
Highway Star
Artist: Deep Purple
Album: Machine Head
This song begins like a drag race. The light hits green and you’re off. Jon Lord and Roger Glover build upon a deep crescendo that is taken over by Ian Paice with a thundering sixteenth note fill across the drums. The pinnacle of this incredible song is the tandem solo between Jon Lord on the organ and Ritchie Blackmore’s explosive Stratocaster.
Solsbury Hill
Artist: Pter Gabriel
Album: Peter Gabriel
This Gem takes us on a trip to the Little Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England where Gabriel himself meditated upon the demise of his previous band, Genesis. The bulk of this piece is written in 7/4 and gives the listener the sense that something is missing. I love this song.
Bell Bottom Blues
Artist: Derek & The Dominos
Album: Layla, and Other Assorted Love Songs
Is it blasphemy that I choose this song in place of its more popular title track? I think not. This lullaby begs the listener for forgiveness. The utter sadness is cleverly created by the crying guitar of Eric Clapton. The tension that the song rests within is due to the upside-down beat, masterfully played by drummer Jim Gordon. Side note: In 1983, Jim Gordon was convicted of second-degree murder for killing his mother.
Under Construction
Brian Kelly Irons 