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Today In Rock History

April 25th . . . 1918 - Legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald is born in Newport News, VA . . . 1923 - Blues guitarist Albert King is born . . . 1933 - Jerry Leiber is born in Baltimore. With Mike Stoller, he’s written witty rock hits like “Yakety Yak” and “Jailhouse Rock” . . . 1945 - Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba is born in Gothenburg, Sweden . . . 1945 - Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is born this day . . . 1950 - Steve Ferrone, drummer with the Average White Band and Eric Clapton, is born in Brighton, England . . . 1956 - Elvis Presley reaches top of US chart with Heartbreak Hotel, his first No. 1 . . . 1961 - Elvis Presley makes his last stage appearance for nearly eight years at Bloch Arena in Hawaii . . . 1964 - The Beatles have an amazing 14 singles on the American chart . . . 1967 - The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love” during a global satellite broadcast . . . 1974 - Jim Morrison’s widow, Pam, dies in Hollywood at the age of 27. Police suspect heroin use may have played a part in her death . . . 1977 - Elvis Presley makes his last-known recordings during a live concert at the Saginaw (Mich.) Civic Center . . . 1981 - Wings break up after Denny Laine leaves the band. Paul McCartney says he will carry on as a solo artist . . . 1987 - Crowded House had their biggest U.S. hit when “Don’t Dream It’s Over” peaked at #2; U2 replace Beastie Boys at top of US LP chart with The Joshua Tree . . . 1990 - The Fender Stratocaster on which Jimi Hendrix played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock sells at a London auction for $295,000 . . . 1994 - The Eagles played the first of two shows where they recorded their ‘Hell Freezes Over’ album . . . 1994 - A judge sentences Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz to 200 hours’ community service after he beats up a TV cameraman during River Phoenix’s funeral . . . 1994 - A judge determines that Michael Bolton’s “Love Is a Wonderful Thing” sounds a little too similar to the Isley Brothers’ “Love Is a Wonderful Thing.” Ya think? . . . 1997 - Warren Haynes and Allen Woody quit the Allman Brothers Band to tend to their careers as Gov’t Mule . . . 1999 - Funk star Roger Troutman, 47, dies in a hospital in Dayton, Ohio, after being shot several times . . . 2000 - Eric Clapton is reunited on a TV stage in London with his former Derek & the Dominos keyboard player Bobby Whitlock, for their first performance together in 29 years . . . 2002 - Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the effervescent, sometimes volatile rapping member of the Grammy-winning R&B trio TLC, is killed in a car crash in Honduras . . . 2003 - The late jazz great Nina Simone is laid to rest in Carry-Le-Rouet, France . . . 2004 - Piano man Billy Joel drives his car into a house in Long Island. Nobody is seriously injured. It’s his third car crash in two years . . . 2007 - American singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett died of leukemia at the age of 69. He scored the Halloween anthem ‘The Monster Mash’ in 1962 . . .

Just in time for the Beavis & Butthead revival!! Woo-hoo!

A sneak peek at My Morning Jacket's new album....

I think I got a contact buzz just watching this....

RHT Pic 'o' the Week

RHT Pic 'o' the Week
Prosecution evidence leaked from the Barry Bonds trial

Randon Non-Rock Notes. Rock Notes, get it? I'm awesome.

Car wrecks! Woohoo!

Here's a baby rabbit eating a flower.

Best commercial on TV right now. You dang woodchucks!!

Quite simply, the greatest redneck car ramp jump ever. Period.

Slippery slide accidents are always money, aren't they?

Let's revisit this famous soccer bitch.

Yo. My man. Seriously, this is not the best way to get free ice cream.

Good boy.

I want this lamb! Oh, and this lamb!

Hey lady, watch where you're goin'.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Greatest Guitar Riffs, Ever!

OK - so the guitar solo is perhaps the "sexiest" thing about rock 'n roll, but did you ever stop & think of that riff that drives the song? Can it hold your ear, take you to peaks & valleys, around twists & turns, yet never steer you off course? Riffs are not quick-fix solutions to otherwise mediocre songs, a shot of ego compromise, or filler when the words just don't fit. Riffs are the glue, the melody, the backbone of rock 'n roll. Here are a few of my all-time favorites, plus a few from recent years that I just can't get enough of:

All - Time Greats:

First of all, homage is due to Bo Diddley & Chuck Berry, whom are the godfathers of riff-laden rock music.

You Really Got Me - Dave Davies (The Kinks)

Revolution - John Lennon (The Beatles)

Can't You Hear Me Knockin'? - Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)

Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix

Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix

Over The Hills & Far Away - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

Immigrant Song - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

Bring It On Home - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

The Wanton Song - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

Crossroads - Eric Clapton (Cream)

Won't Get Fooled Again - Pete Townshend (The Who)

Mississippi Queen - Leslie West (Mountain)

La Grange - Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)

Paranoid - Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)

Tie Your Mother Down - Brian May (Queen)

Rockin' In The Free World - Neil Young

Barracuda - Nancy Wilson (Heart)

Cold Shot - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Some of My Recent Favorites:

Monsters In The Parasol - Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age)

Mexicola - Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age)

Green Machine - Josh Homme (Kyuss)

Fell In Love With A Girl - Jack White (White Stripes)

Black Math - Jack White (White Stripes)

Circus Envy - Peter Buck (R.E.M.)

Teenage Riot - Lee Ranaldo/Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

Jane Says - Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction)

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8 comments:

  1. ShoeApril 13, 2008 at 11:52 AM

    I'd humbly like to add . . .

    Sweet Child 'o' Mine - Slash (Guns 'n' Roses
    Sitting Still - Peter Buck (R.E.M.)

    . . . and I'm sure more will come to me as soon as I sign off. Great post though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ShoeApril 13, 2008 at 5:12 PM

    Junior's Farm - Jimmy McCullouch (Wings). Give it a listen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. superveseyApril 13, 2008 at 8:02 PM

    One- Metallica
    Walk - Pantera
    Are you gonna go my way? - L. Kravitz
    Bad To the Bone - George Thorogood

    ReplyDelete
  4. EnotApril 14, 2008 at 12:30 PM

    I can't believe David Gilmore isn't in there some where.

    ReplyDelete
  5. EZApril 14, 2008 at 10:18 PM

    Smoke on the Water - everyone's first song learned on the guitar

    Love Buzz - Nirvana (my favorite nirvan riff hands down)

    Panama - Van Halen (my favorite song to rip down a mountain on my snowboard)

    Lie in our Graves - DMB (super catchy)

    EZ

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousApril 15, 2008 at 8:53 AM

    here you go

    just got paid-zztop
    layla--of course
    funk 49- james gang
    just a few of the obvious....
    sal

    ReplyDelete
  7. ShoeApril 15, 2008 at 11:36 AM

    Jump - Eddie Van Halen

    ReplyDelete
  8. JMApril 20, 2008 at 2:42 PM

    A couple of classics everyone forgot....Van Halen, "Ain't Talkin Bout Love" and how bout ACDC's "Hell's Bells"?

    ReplyDelete

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RHT Greatest American Rocker: Elvis Presley

RHT Greatest American Rocker: Elvis Presley

RHT Greatest Guitarist: Jimi Hendrix

RHT Greatest Guitarist: Jimi Hendrix

RHT Greatest Artist of the 80's: Michael Jackson

RHT Greatest Artist of the 80's: Michael Jackson

RHT Greatest Album of the 70's: Dark Side of the Moon

RHT Greatest Album of the 70's: Dark Side of the Moon

RHT Greatest Album of the 80's: Back in Black

RHT Greatest Album of the 80's: Back in Black

RHT Most Iconic Guitar Of All-Time

RHT Most Iconic Guitar Of All-Time
The Gibson Les Paul

RHT Greatest Album of the 60's: Abbey Road

RHT Greatest Album of the 60's: Abbey Road

RHT Greatest Artist of the 90's: Nirvana

RHT Greatest Artist of the 90's: Nirvana

RHT Greatest Rock Voice: Freddie Mercury

RHT Greatest Rock Voice: Freddie Mercury

RHT Most Beautiful Woman in Music: Carrie Underwood

RHT Most Beautiful Woman in Music: Carrie Underwood

RHT Greatest Album Cover: Abbey Road

RHT Greatest Album Cover: Abbey Road

RHT Greatest Metal Song: Iron Man

RHT Greatest Metal Song: Iron Man

RHT Greatest Song: Stairway to Heaven

RHT Greatest Song: Stairway to Heaven

Time flies when you're havin' fun . . .

R.I.P. Delaney

I lost my little Scottish Terrier on Monday, September 8th to cancer. Her name was Delaney and she was a warrior. She was a rescue, and in her lifetime she'd been to hell and back. At the risk of sounding like a total wimp, it hurts like a son-of-a-bitch. If you're a dog lover like myself and want to see what she was all about, you can check out this link:

http://delaneywarrior.blogspot.com/

Man, I miss that little dog.

By the way, this link stays up as long as RHT is in existence.