Year: 2020

Back in the summer of 1984, I had just moved into my fraternity house for the summer as I wanted to take some classes during the summer. Mainly, I no longer wanted to live at home, so I took a few of the more boring classes in my microbiology major simply to get them over in a four-and-a-half week period of time. Back then, Ball State was on the quarter system, so the summer quarter was divided into two sessions so I was able to take two classes each session. I took an Ecology class, an advanced Botany class (God, I hate plants!), Developmental Biology (essential a class on evolution through the scope of a mammalian embryo developing) and Bacteriology because I had screwed up and gotten a C in it by not showing up enough, so I wanted a better grade.

That summer was the summer in which I met my wife. Now, back then I was a total screwball, though some will correctly argue that I remain one to this day. The cool thing about a college summer school is the fact that the classes go by quickly, AND you don’t really have that much time in a class. All of this adds up to an abundance of free time, which can be dangerous for a 21-year-old. In my Ecology class, we had a weekly test over five chapters. As I have stated, I have the uncanny ability to remember things that I hear in class, read or write down. By this time in my college career, I discovered that if I recopied my notes every night, I would remember nearly everything from class.

So, that first Thursday night, I had my notebook out but was busy engaging in the Ball State ritual of playing Beer Traffic. In Beer Traffic, the contestants sit in the front lawn of the house in chairs (either lawn chairs or some from inside the frat house or maybe even a couch or love seat) and choose the color of a car. When a car of that color drives by, you have to drink from the alcoholic beverage of your choice. Now, the purpose is to get a buzz, of course, so you better choose a common car color such as white, red or black and not mucus green or orange.

Now, my wife, who I had only known for a week now, came over from the house she and some girls were renting to talk. At that moment, she asked me why I had a notebook in my lap. I told her I was studying for a test. On cue, my roommate, who is a successful physical therapist and had a perfect 4.0 GPA, just burst out laughing. Since she was an education major, she began to berate me about my study habits. I told her my usual phrase I used back then, “I have everything under control.” It was obvious to everyone that I was a little thick-tongued when I said that, which of course made about a dozen buzzed college kids to begin laughing out loud.

Well, before I could say anything else, Jill grabbed my notebook and began reading through the notes. Defiantly, she started ripping into me much like she does her struggling students to this day. Then, she told me that she was going to quiz me. At that moment, my roommate, Bruce, told her she really didn’t want to go there with me, since he knew we both had the same unconventional study habits. Unconvinced, Jill was out to prove a point. Immediately, she began quizzing me on my notes. Question after question, I answered everything correctly, adding details that were missing from the notes that she had to refer to the textbook to see if I was telling her the truth or bullshitting her. When she was done, she slammed the books down and walked off, which only triggered another outburst of laughter from my roommate and me.

Now, what does this story have to do with anything? Well, there is a point! You see, that summer I spent much of my spare time discovering many of the great alternative rock artists of the Eighties, thanks to my love R.E.M. Through their interviews, I had discovered Minutemen, The Replacements, The Smiths, and so many other artists. But, the one that has stood the test of time was Hüsker Dü. You see, I was determined to annoy everyone at the house that evening my blaring Hüsker Dü from the stereo as the soundtrack to our game. Needless to say, it was NOT a popular choice, but as the buzzes grew, my friends’ reluctance faded. Little did I realize that I was developing a lifetime habit of irritating that young lady with my study and music listening habits.

I will admit it that Hüsker Dü can be a bit of an acquired taste for most people. Their very harsh and abrasive take on pop music flew in the face of the great pop sounds that were being pimped all over MTV at the time. And, although they were a Minneapolis band, they sounded nothing at all like Prince and his purple sound. No, Hüsker Dü took the sound of the Ramones to its natural extreme conclusion by speeding up the instruments and cranking up the volume to 11 for maximum distortion. This was hardcore at its hardest and fastest, which made for a delightful change of pace to my normal listening habits of the day.

As the years went by, the more Hüsker Dü grew in stature to me. 1985 was perhaps their finest year as a band, what with the release of TWO classic albums, Flip Your Wig and New Day Rising and a terrific non-album single “Eight Miles High,” a very hardcore cover of The Byrds’ terrific song. They followed all of that with their major label debut, Candy Apple Grey, in 1986. Then, they pulled a Prince-like move by releasing their SECOND double album in three years, the very polished and tame Warehouse: Songs and Stories. Abruptly afterwards, the band announced that they were disbanding. And, all I could think was that I was just discovering them!

Fast forward a couple of years to 1989, around the time my younger son was born, former Hüsker Dü guitarist and vocalist Bob Mould released his first solo album, Workbook. Much like his former band before, this album’s cuts were in massive rotation on the late great Oxford, Ohio, alternative rock music station 97-X, WOXY. Immediately, I was thrown for a loop and the songs were acoustic guitar-based and had a cello in them. WTF?!?!? Yet, I loved it, as one again Mould’s music was flying in the opposite direction of what alternative music had become. Naturally, that album became one of my absolute favorite albums from that year. It was every bit the revelation that Zen Arcade had been in 1984.

From that moment onward, I was a Bob Mould fan. I followed his career as he formed a new power trio Sugar in the mid-Nineties. Once again, just as that band was beginning to emerge commercially, he broke it up and went back to his solo career. Truthfully speaking, his solo career was not much to be interested in during the post-Sugar years until Mould found adult contentment in the 2010s. Since the beginning decade, the man has grown into a very creatively satisfying elder statesman of the music world. He has written one of rock’s finest autobiographies, had a fantastic documentary produced about him and released some of his finest music to date. For a gay man to finally be comfortable in his own skin as he nears 60 years of age should be an inspiration to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, skin color, political bent, etc. The man is a survivor and is at the top of his game.

Therefore, today, I am going to rank all of Bob Mould’s solo albums, along with his Hüsker Dü and Sugar discography according to my preferences. And one last thing: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Put Hüsker Dü into the Hall! If it wasn’t for them, and then the Pixies, we would NOT have had the alternative sound of the Nineties. PERIOD!

25. Modulate – Bob Mould (2002)

24. Land Speed Record – Hüsker Dü (1981)

23. The Living End – Hüsker Dü (1994)

22. Body of Song – Bob Mould (2005)

21. Black Sheets of Rain – Bob Mould (1990)

20. Blowoff – Blowoff (2006)

19. Metal Circus – Hüsker Dü (1983)

18. Everything Falls Apart – Hüsker Dü (1983)

17. The Last Dog and Pony Show – Bob Mould (1998)

16. Life and Times – Bob Mould (2009)

15. Beauty & Ruin – Bob Mould (2014)

14. Candy Apple Grey – Hüsker Dü (1986)

13. Patch the Sky – Bob Mould (2016)

12. Bob Mould – Bob Mould (1996)

11. District Line – Bob Mould (2008)

10. Beaster E.P – Sugar (1993). A fantastic gap-filler between the two formal Sugar albums. This E.P. only made me more excited about the band.

9. Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987). A totally awesome swansong to one of the 80s truly great innovators.

8. File Under: Easy Listening – Sugar (1994). The joke of the title was on those big box retail stores that were carrying this album as it was more reminiscent of Mould’s first band that the power pop trio of Sugar’s now classic debut album.

7. Sunshine Rock – Bob Mould (2019). What?!?! Did Mould go positive? Hell no! Yet, this album is perhaps his most satisfying as it seems to be an excellent summation of all his various sounds of his excellent career.

6. Zen Arcade – Hüsker Dü (1984). I can emphasize enough how much of a game-changer this album was. It was alternative rock’s first rock opera, in addition to its first double album. They were the first to bring the whole Sixties rock excess art form into the early Gen X era. Let’s face it, if it weren’t for this album, would we have gotten Smashing Pumpkins’ classic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness or American Idiot by Green Day? Trust me, the answer is an emphatic NO!

5. Silver Age – Bob Mould (2012). This is the best album from Mould’s renaissance years. I still go back to this album for a spin every now and then. This is the sound of a legend comfortable in his own skin.

4. Flip Your Wig – Hüsker Dü (1985). Did Hüsker Dü really just use an acoustic guitar on this album? What could be more punk rock than that at the time? More please!

3. New Day Rising – Hüsker Dü (1985). Are you kidding me?! Two classic albums in one year from one band?! You bet! Put those two 1985 albums together and you still would not diminish the growth and artistry of Hüsker Dü that year. Throw in that aforementioned single, and you have one of the greatest years for a band since The Beatles in 1964.

2. Copper Blue – Sugar (1992). 1992 was such a heady year for rock music that this one almost falls through the cracks. Mould’s vision had to be to take the songs of 1977-era Cheap Trick and funnel it through Hüsker Dü’s distortion to create power pop for the Nineties. A classic album.

1. Workbook – Bob Mould (1989). I only give this one a slight nod over the previous four only because it was such a mind-blowing affair to hear Mould most discard the distortion and speed for a more rural, laid-back folkie sound. It was every bit as jolting as hearing “Makes No Sense at All” back in ’85.

Back in the Seventies and into the Eighties, record stores often doubled as a head shop for all of your “legal” smoking needs (Who were they fooling? Did anyone ever knowingly smoke tobacco from a bong?) and were named after spiritual or mythical notions. In Muncie where Ball State is located, one such business was called Stonehenge, though it conveniently had two locations, especially the one located in the business area just a couple blocks off campus called The Village. Elsewhere in Central Indiana, there was another set of stores called Karma which could be found in towns all around. Needless to say, it was an interesting time for the independent record store around here.

Now, when I got to Ball State in September of 1981, The Village had aforementioned Stonehenge as well as a used record store creatively name The Used Record Store. It goes without saying that the place unfortunately only lasted a couple of years before the owner picked up stakes and moved to a hipper college community. That was too bad because that guy introduced me to so many cool artists during those years. Stonehenge quickly closed its Village location after The Used Record Store because some lame college variety store called The Discount Den moved in and drove the others away by pulling a Best Buy move of offering new albums at a very discounted price.

But back to Stonehenge. That place was a relic of the Seventies, with the smell of incense permeating throughout the place to “cover” the pot odor. The place was clean, nicely stocked with a great selection of albums and 12-inch singles, which I loved. But, their image was more Led Zeppelin than punk and new wave, so they were having a problem pulling in the average Eighties college student not looking for their smoking wear. Plus, they were always a tad expensive, especially when you could go across the street and down in a basement to buy used records in primo condition. And that guy had everything from The Velvet Underground to The Misfits to The Ramones, all of which I SHOULD have purchased. No, I went for the very poppish new wave stuff instead.

Still, that first weekend at college, I walked down to The Village to do my first record hunt as a big bad college student. As I entered Stonehenge, I perused the records looking for the perfect purchase. To be honest, I had in my mind that I was going to look for the new album by a band I had just read about in Rolling Stone called Squeeze. The album was East Side Story. You see, at the time, the main songwriters, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were being pimped as a modern day Lennon and McCartney, and some of the new album was produced by Elvis Costello. All of that meant I had to buy this album.

So, after a half-hour of bin diving, I picked up the Squeeze album and purchased it. Then, I walked quickly back to the dorm to listen to the album, since I knew I had the room to myself. My roommate that year was an architecture major and those people never had lives at Ball State. Anyway, as I was walking back, I ran into my English professor who stopped me to ask what I had purchased. He was one of those stereotypical boomer profs that wanted to be considered cool and always had awesome theme topics about which to write. He must have read my introduction theme because he knew I was into music. Anyway, I told him this new album by an English band called Squeeze. He told me he couldn’t wait to read about it in a theme. By the way, when my Monday 8 AM English class rolled around, the class was informed that he would no longer be our professor and that this other one would be taking over. I never did learn why he was dismissed. Could he have been visiting Stonehenge too but not for music? Who knows?

Anyway, when I finally got back to my dorm room, I unwrapped the album and put it on the turntable. And it was more that what I expected. It was as if Elvis Costello had totally studied at the alter of The Beatles’ Abbey Road and updated the sound with flourishes of new wave production sounds. It was both timeless and of its time, like all great music. Immediately, I became a big fan of the band and specifically of this album. I listened to it often. For several weeks, East Side Story was my musical obsession. The lyrical wordplay was inspiring to my theme writings for the rest of the quarter. I was literally pulling metaphorical phrases out of my ass during that time, which was winning the praise of my professor. It was getting to the point that she asked me at midterm what my major was. When I told her biology and chemistry, her face looked stunned. She asked me if I was sure, and I said that I was. Then, she became the first person in my life outside of elementary school to tell me that I could be a writer. At first I laughed, then she said very firmly to me, “If science does not work out for you, become a writer.”

So, here I am, writing. Most of my writing is still drivel in my opinion, but it does keep me out of trouble. But, I do still listen to Squeeze, and I am so excited that I will finally get to see them perform live this summer when they open for Daryl Hall & John Oates. And, you know, I have never understood why the band never caught on here in the US. It might be their music and lyrics, much like The Kinks, The Jam (Paul Weller and The Style Council too) and Madness, are just too English for Americans to understand. That’s too bad because people over here are generally missing out on some terrific music from Squeeze.

So, today, I am presenting my 25 favorite Squeeze songs. Enjoy!

25. “Christmas Day” (Non-album single, 1979)

24. “Love’s Crashing Waves” – Difford & Tilbrook (Difford & Tilbrook, 1984)

23. “This Summer” (Ridiculous, 1995)

22. “Is That Love? (East Side Story, 1981)

21. “If I Didn’t Love You” (Argybargy, 1980)

20. “When the Hangover Strikes” (East Side Story, 1981)

19. “Last Time Forever” (Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, 1985)

18. “If It’s Love” (Frank, 1989)

17. “Goodbye Girl” (Cool for Cats, 1979)

16. “853-5937” (Babylon and On, 1987)

15. “Take Me I’m Yours” (Squeeze, 1978)

14. “Labelled with Love” (East Side Story, 1981)

13. “Some Fantastic Place” (Some Fantastic Place, 1993)

12. “Happy Days” (Cradle to the Grave, 2015)

11. “Innocence in Paradise” (The Knowledge, 2017)

10. “Up the Junction” (Cool for Cats, 1979). For a single from a sophomore album, this is just a brilliantly written tune. This song may just be a perfect introduction to the band because you get it all, from the nods to Lennon & McCartney to Costello and all points in between.

9. “Annie Get Your Guns” (Singles – 45’s and Under, 1982). An unreleased track added to this fantastic compilation unknowingly was the final stamp on the first phase of the band’s career.

8. “Slap & Tickle” (Cool for Cats, 1979). Who writes songs about questionable subjects and makes it all sound so innocence? These guys do!

7. “Hourglass” (Babylon and On, 1987). Just when everyone was ready to write off Squeeze as a relic from the go-go days of new wave, the boys come up with their biggest hit in the States, this stellar slice of Squeeze perfection.

6. “Cool for Cats” (Cool for Cats, 1979). The song that was the band’s very first calling card number. Since surpassed, but for a year it was all anyone talked about when discussing this band.

5. “Black Coffee in Bed” (Sweets from a Stranger, 1982). The follow-up to “Tempted” just may be the answer song to it. While “Tempted” is all about the allure of an extramarital liaison, “Black Coffee…” is all about the aftermath.

4. “In Quintessence” (East Side Story, 1981). The first song I ever heard by Squeeze remains one of my absolute favorites if only because it answers the unasked question, “How the hell does one write a great pop/rock song with the word ‘quintessence’ in the title?”

3. “Another Nail in My Heart” (Argybargy, 1980). Boy, these guys sure know their way around metaphors even when dealing with the stinging hurt of a teen love lost.

2. “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” (Argybargy, 1980). Once again, the wordplay in their lyrics is unmatched. Just when you think you’re pulling a hamstring, the lyrics are using the imagery of shellfish. Encore!

1. “Tempted” (East Side Story, 1981). Those only non-Difford & Tilbrook song on this list is the band’s most well-known and perhaps most beloved. This tune, sung and written by former lead singer and keyboardist of Ace (“How Long,” 1975) and future member of Mike + The Mechanics Paul Carrack, is a soulful take on the time-honored subject of sexual infidelity. The sexy soulfulness of the music is matched brilliantly by the lyrics. This is a perfect song!

All things equal, I have to admit that I went to college during a pretty good era. We didn’t have the Vietnam War to worry about, although the Cold War could be stressful at times. And, although the stain of Watergate was stilling casting a pall over the country, we were coming out from under that cloud. Oh sure, we lived through the Reagan era, as we still are, but that is simply the ebb and flow of a country’s political cycle. But, let’s face it that when you were actually coming of age with the rise of punk rock, new wave, hip hop and MTV, it was pretty sweet to have all of that as the soundtrack to your life. Now, not everything that was popular was cool, but much cool stuff was happening in the underground or, even better, just under the surface. My age group’s comedy came from Late Night with David Letterman, SCTV and Fridays. And cynicism rained supreme as we watched many of our Boomer friends and our peers sell out to yuppie-dom.

But, man, were we ever living through an excellent time for music! And, boy, in the early-Eighties, artists from the UK had it all over most of their American counterparts. Here, we were bombarded with bands who paid little attention to image while watering down much of the early-Seventies hard rock sound. Don’t get me wrong, I still love me some Styx and Journey, but those bands all started to sound the same. Then, seemingly out of nowhere came the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam, Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Kurtis Blow, Elvis Costello, Prince and so many other artists who were taking old sounds and putting a new generational twist on them. And, then, MTV came on cable and put many of those artists on TV and everything changed for us.

Over night, clothing stores in Central Indiana were selling outfits that the guys in Duran Duran were wearing. Oh sure, they were cheap knock-offs of the stuff sold on the coasts, but finally Hoosiers could get a hold of clothing besides jeans and concert T-shirts (though they still tend to be my outfit of choice, along with athletic wear). Everywhere you went, you could hear the latest by Adam Ant, Billy Idol and the Thompson Twins. All of this pop/rock music known as new wave set the stage for much of the Eighties’ fashion, even with Hair metal.

Back in 1982, I remember being at a friend’s house and we were watching MTV when this new band’s video came on. The both of us were staring at the screen perplexed by what we were seeing. The sound was a soothing update on the Motown sound with a pleasing touch of reggae with the voice of an angel rising over it. Yet, it was the visual that had us transfixed, until my friend just blurted out, “Is that a man or a woman?” Honestly, I had no idea.

That was my introduction to Boy George and the video for “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” I cannot emphasize just how subversive it really was at the time. By the end of the video, I was certain that I had just seen my first drag queen performance. I know my friend and I argued about it for another couple of minutes, but we both agreed that the song was a potential hit. And, that the band’s image was definitely a salute to David Bowie’s androgynous glam days.

When I got home later that evening, I flipped on MTV when that same video came on. Immediately, I yelled for Mom to come in to see this. I figured that Mom could help me put an end to the earlier discussion since she was an art teacher and former drama teacher. You see, I was exposed to gay culture when I was younger while Mom was working on her art master’s degree. And, although she was taking classes at Ball State, there were many gay and lesbian classmates who I enjoyed talking to. Well, when Mom, bless her heart, saw Boy George strut across the screen, she immediately screamed with delight and laughter, “That’s a drag queen, and he’s lovely!” She went on and on about him and how she loved the musical Cabaret, but that’s Mom in a nutshell: everything related back to a musical.

With Culture Club, what we got was a man with the falsetto voice of a Smokey Robinson or Eddie Kendrick, a crack band able to blend some light reggae popularized by Men at Work or The Police with the classic Motown sound from the Sixties, and a popping visual image of stylized musicians backing a nearly openly gay man proudly parading in front. It was a striking image to say the least, but they never would have been successful if they didn’t write some very timeless songs, played the hell out of them and created some very cinematic videos to promote them.

I will go to my grave arguing about the brilliance of their sophomore album Colour by Numbers. That album is absolutely an Eighties milestone and totally lost in the hype and controversy over Boy George’s image and subsequent fall from grace. Before a drug addiction brought an early end to the band’s meteoric rise, George was an excellent interview. I loved how he could play coy with his sexuality buy saying things like, “Gay?!?! I’m bisexual! If I want sex, I have to buy it.” Or, as he said when the band won the Grammy for Best New Artist, “America knows a good queen when it sees one.” The man was a master of playing with the conservative media.

Yet, behind those campy quotes, his lyrics spoke to a man deeply hurt by his sexuality. As a scientist, I have always felt there was a genetic reason behind every disease or affliction or psychological issue or sexuality. Now, in the early Eighties, that was a unique stance. But, I believed it. Seriously, who really wants to get against everything that society believes unless there is some genetically telling you to be a certain way. I cannot turn on and off my ADHD or depression when it would benefit society, how can we possibly tell an individual to turn off their sexuality? And, guess what people, scientists are beginning to discover a scientific reason for sexuality!

But, back to his lyrics, George was depressed and repressed and discriminated against and hurt, and it’s all there in his lyrics. Who knows why anyone tries to self-medicate their mental illnesses other than convenience? But, that has thwarted many a great artist, and that’s what caused Culture Club’s downfall. And while their first album was good and their second album is a bonafide classic, their third and fourth albums were spotty, mainly due to George’s addictions getting the better of him.

Maybe that’s all the rock gods were willing for George to give us. Regardless, it is an excellent catalog of terrific music that continues to grow in stature to those of us who lived through that period of music. Culture Club were our Miracles. For that, I would like to honor them with a Top 20 list. Here’s to Culture Club, one cutting edge band that made everything else that came in their wake possible. Frank Ocean, Right Said Fred and so many others should be thankful for this band’s ability to make their careers so passe.

20. “Life” (Life, 2018)

19. “Your Kisses Are Charity” (Don’t Mind If I Do, 1999)

18. “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” (Kissing to Be Clever, 1982). Quick college story: Some drunk freshman once fell about five stories from the fourth floor down to basement in our dorm. Fortunately, since he was so very intoxicated, he only need stitches in his head but was badly beat up with bruises. When he was released from the hospital, he was going through the cafeteria when his buddies started his this song to him in front of everyone. Although I felt sorry for it, it was pretty hilarious all thing considered. Once again, i have a very dark sense of humor.

17. “White Boy” (Kissing to Be Clever, 1982).

16. “Love Is Love” (Waking Up with the House on Fire, 1984)

15. “I Just Wanna Be Loved” (Don’t Mind If I Do, 1999)

14. “I’m Afraid of Me” (Kissing to Be Clever, 1982)

13. “Black Money” (Colour by Numbers, 1983)

12. “Everything I Own” – Boy George (Non-album single, 1987)

11. “The Crying Game” – Boy George (The Crying Game OST, 1992)

10. “Miss Me Blind” (Colour by Numbers, 1983). Pop music with a searing guitar solo? Yep! And it was all the rage back in the day.

9. “It’s a Miracle” (Colour by Numbers, 1983). A pleasant little tune with up-beat lyrics, which was quite a departure for George.

8. “Move Away” (From Luxury to Heartache, 1986). An unjustly forgotten gem from a troubled time for the band. I really hoped at the time that George was getting his demons under control.

7. “The War Song” (Waking Up with the House on Fire, 1984). At the time, this song was written off because of its child-like lyrics. Yet, to me, that’s what makes it such a compelling protest song in that you could have elementary kids singing this song while making a subtle political point. Not everything needs to be Bob Dylan-esque to be brilliant.

6. “Mistake No. 3” (Waking Up with the House on Fire, 1984). Here’s yet another long overlooked song. Please, tell me why this wasn’t a hit here in the States? Boy, this just might be George’s second most personal song the band ever released.

5. “Church of the Poison Mind” (Colour by Numbers, 1983). I remember while working in Wisconsin during the summer of 1983, there were some people from the UK working there as well. I got to befriend one of them, and he told me if I liked Culture Club that I was going to love this song. He was not wrong. George’s lyrics had grown so much in such a short time. He was making a subtle stab at bigotry here.

4. “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” (Kissing to Be Clever, 1982). The song that broke the Club nearly broke it apart, as this was a paean to George’s lost lover, drummer Jon Moss.

3. “Karma Chameleon” (Colour by Numbers, 1983). THE biggest hit and most well-known Culture Club song IS brilliant in its simplicity. This is a worthy landmark song.

2. “Victims” (Colour by Numbers, 1983). Here is the emotional centerpiece of this brilliant album. Unfortunately, it was never a hit over here, so it’s always been more of a deep cut to Americans. But, this remains the band’s most vulnerable performance. Plus, singer Helen Terry soulfully pushes George to greater emotional heights than he ever went. This song is like a duet between Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson. I am blown away every time I hear it.

1. “Time (Clock of My Heart)” (Kissing to Be Clever, 1982). The band’s second hit in the States is a perfect little Motown ditty that has more emotional ties to me than artistic reasons. Nevertheless, what can you say about a song when it makes a whole bar of twenty-somethings sing it in unity? That alone tells you about the power of the song.

Fifty-seven years ago today, my parents traveled through a snow storm to get Mom to the hospital because she was in labor. Around 6:30 am, I was unleashed on this world. Since my dad was a rising high school basketball coach at the time, my birth announcement made the sports page in a local newspaper, marking the first time my name was on a sports page. Unfortunately, today also marks the first anniversary of Mom’s passing, so today is now a mixed bag. But, let’s stick with the good stuff, and Mom’s life was pretty good too.

It may come as a surprise to my friends, but my birthdays are not really that exciting to me. To be perfectly honest, I have preferred to playing or coaching basketball or track on my birthdays. When I was born, my birthday marked the beginning of Sectional week in Indiana, which was when every schools’ teams played in a week-long single-elimination tournament to determine which school had the best team in the area. Now, that week is two weeks later, but you are getting ready for the championship week. Also, in Indiana, President’s Day always marked the opening day of the track & field season, so I always had something going on during the athletic and coaching days.

In fact, I had a grand total of two birthday parties in grade school. The first was when I was in first grade, and the second was in third grade when I had three guys spend the night, and we went to a high school basketball game. Then, my junior year, my mom held a “surprise” birthday party for me in which my basketball teammates, cheerleaders, friends and some coaches attended. That happened to be the last non-alcoholic party I had, though this party did devolve into a bunch of teen guys singing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” to a bunch of girls. Thank God we did not have smartphones back then.

Of course, in college, we partied on my birthday since it was always the weekend before Finals Week of Winter Quarter. Those last weekends were always blowouts right before Finals, no matter the quarter, but since it was my birthday weekend, the parties were hearty, especially my 21st, which I hear was a great time. However, I have little recall of the event after my roommate and I met up with a lab partner who was this crazy man from Canada. After he brought over five shots of Canadian Mist over for each of us, I lost track of things. You have to remember that I started drinking that day before an afternoon Ball State basketball game, so when the Mist hit me, I was done. Still, it must have been a stellar night as I came home from the bar crawl with a bandanna wrapped around my head, singing Donna Summer’s “Dim All the Lights” as we got back. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.

Of course, there was my 30th birthday which was another surprise, in which a bunch of college friends met up with us at a restaurant and ended the night at a comedy club. I can’t remember who the comedians were, but I do remember the female emcee being impressed with my deep voice. Fortunately, she couldn’t see me and just had to use her imagination. But, she kept asking me to talk. Then, during one of the comedians, we were laughing so hard, that my old college roommate literally fell out of his chair onto the floor laughing, which caused me to follow suit. Of course, the comedian just starting ripping on these two thirty-year-old “men” who were rolling on the floor in laughter. Of course, the booze was flowing that night.

Don’t get me wrong! I just prefer my birthdays to be more subdued. I am not sure why, but I just like to spend the time with my family. So, today, I will be spending my time with the family. I guess I’m just getting too old for that crap.

So, instead of going down the usual musical path today with one of my ten favorite artists, I thought I would dip into a birthday memory with the music of Donna Summer. Now, you might ask why I was singing Donna Summer at the end of my 21st birthday night, especially in 1984? Well, first, my mind is warped, meaning the years of Monty Python and SNL had taken a toll. Apparently, while at a nightclub, the DJ was playing Summer’s “She Works Hard for the Money,” and I took offense. So, I marched my beer/whiskey/rum-and-Coke soaked body up to the DJ booth and demanded “classic” Donna Summer, to which the DJ immediately played “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love” and “Dim All the Lights” in succession for me. According to reports, I led the crowd in a rousing throwback of disco dancing in the club, along with getting the crowd to sing the first and last songs. Of course, upon the conclusion of that outburst, my friends quickly got me out of the club and back to my room, safe and sound. Oh, and did I mention that the night supposedly ended before 1:00 am? By ending at that moment, I had had a strong 12 hours of partying under my belt without any sickness or smart-ass comments to people. So, my friends cut their losses and got me home before my mouth started going.

Therefore, in honor of my 21st birthday and that night that supposedly happened (once again, there is no concrete evidence, only stories from my bar crawling posse so can they really be trusted?), let’s take a look at one of music’s most grossly overlooked singers, Donna Summer. Summer is remembered as the Queen of Disco, but that title is extremely limiting to what she truly was. Yes, Summer casts a HUGE shadow on the disco floors of the day, but she created, along with Chic, the whole dance/rock genre of the Eighties that Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Duran Duran and INXS all delved into. Think about this: Summer not only created the erotic sounds of “Love to Love You Baby,” gave us perhaps the disco anthem of “Last Dance,” the 80s dance/rock template with “Hot Stuff,” covered Bruce Springsteen on “Protection,” did Eurodisco in the late-Eighties with “This Time It’s for Real,” modernized the Gospel sound on “He’s a Rebel” AND brought techno to the dance floors with “I Feel Love.” So, please tell me why the woman does NOT belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This woman’s voice was versatile enough to be both a diva, a Broadway vocalist AND a pop star at the same time. Please!

Since it’s my birthday, and this is my blog, I am presenting my 25 favorite Donna Summer songs. And, remember, a party ain’t a real party until Donna Summer is blasting out of the speakers! Not Snoop or Dre or Biggie or Ramones or The Boss! Okay, yes, Prince or Michael or Madonna, but ya gotta have some Donna Summer to making it perfect! Plus, I want to prove to all the Taylor Swift fans out there what true talent is.

25. “I Love You” (Once Upon a Time, 1977)

24. “Who Do You Think You’re Foolin'” (The Wanderer, 1980)

23. “I Remember Yesterday” (I Remember Yesterday, 1977)

22. “Love Shock” (All Systems Go, 1987)

21. “He’s a Rebel” (She Works Hard for the Money, 1983)

20. “Could It Be Magic” (A Love Trilogy, 1976)

19. “Winter Melody” (Four Seasons of Love, 1976)

18. “State of Independence” (Donna Summer, 1982)

17. “Cold Love” (The Wanderer, 1980)

16. “Walk Away” (Bad Girls, 1979)

15. “Heaven Knows” – Donna Summer & Brooklyn Dreams (Live and More, 1978)

14. “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” – Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand (On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 and 2, 1979)

13. “The Wanderer” (The Wanderer, 1980)

12. “On the Radio” (On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 and 2, 1979)

11. “Bad Girls” (Bad Girls, 1979)

10. “MacArthur Park” (Live and More, 1978). Donna Summer took this cheesy 60s song and made it into a disco anthem. Sure, no one can discern the lyrics, but in this version, no one cares.

9. “She Works Hard for the Money” (She Works Hard for the Money, 1983). Just four years after Summer created the female-empowering Bad Girls album, she comes back with an anthem for all working women. And, don’t call this a comeback!

8. “Dim All the Lights” (Bad Girls, 1979). Laugh all you want! I think this song is sexy.

7. “This Time It’s for Real” (Another Place and Time, 1989). Disco never really died in the UK and Europe. So, when Rick Astley hit big, his producers were ready to help bring the Disco Queen back to the dance floors around the world. And, together, they created a timeless comeback (And, yes, this WAS a comeback!).

6. “Protection” (I’m a Rainbow, 1981). This album was supposed to be the last collaboration between Summer and über producer Giorgio Moroder, but for some reason the album was shelved for a decade or so. Regardless of that mistake, we got Summer’s finest example of her dance/rock sound she was perfecting with this Bruce Springsteen-penned song that should have been a megahit back in the day. As great as Blondie’s “Call Me” is, this is the better song.

5. “Hot Stuff” (Bad Girls, 1979). What?!?!?! A disco song with a guitar solo?!?! This song made it possible for Prince to dominate the Eighties.

4. “Love to Love You Baby” (Love to Love You Baby, 1976). Now, just imagine a thirteen-year-old boy hearing this song on the radio. Uh huh…

3. “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)” (Donna Summer, 1982). Everyone seems to want to forget this Quincy Jones-produced album, but how can you? This song alone previewed us to the magic Jones and Michael Jackson were making on Thriller. This hit song was a major dance hit at Ball State. Plus, I’ve got a great memory of dancing to this song at some campus dance. That’s where my memory will end.

2. “Last Dance” (Live and More, 1978). THE disco anthem…period.

1. “I Feel Love” (I Remember Yesterday, 1977). One of the five most important songs of the 70s, “I Feel Love” dropped the whole synthesizer vibe on us and made us dance. We are still feeling the ripples of its innovations in music today. I cannot emphasize enough just how important a song this continues to be. Everything from synth pop to techno to industrial rock have their roots in this dance classic. It was the sound of the future in 1977.

When you finally clean a bunch of rooms in your home for the first time in nearly three decades, you discover many treasures, or what my wife calls crap. Of all the things hidden in various closets were a couple of my Eighties-era mixtapes, one marked Beta Sigma Psi Valentine’s Day Party 1983. Being the archivist that I am, I sat down to read through the playlist I had written on the label. Lo and behold, it was loaded with many gems of the era; I mean, what’s an early-Eighties party without the likes of Duran Duran, John Cougar Mellencamp and Prince. Yet, as I was wont to do, I recorded the tapes in my typical party mix order of three consecutive “fast” songs, followed by a slow song, then a mid-tempo, an “oldies” party anthem, a dance song, then two more slow songs. And I worked that 3-1-3-2 system throughout those college tapes, and it seemed to work well.

The other tape was labeled “Make Out Music.” From the looks of the track listing, it seems to be from my pre-wifey days of 1984. The tape had many of the standards of the day, such as “A Girl like You” by Foreigner, Culture Club’s “Time (Clock of My Heart)” and Stevie Wonder’s “That Girl.” Something that I did notice was I attempted to string along songs that seemed to share something of a particular groove, as if I were attempting to set some sort of mood. Well, of course I was! Who in the hell labels a mixtape “Make Out Music” and is NOT trying to set a mood. Setting aside obvious influence of an overabundance of testosterone floating around my body and brain, I was discovering just how powerful R&B and soul songs could be in these situations. I immediately noticed how I strung together Motown and early-Seventies soul songs into some sort of potential hormone-secreting suite.

So, that tape, along with the fact that it is Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I thought what kind of mixtape would the nearly 57-year-old me make today? Now, I have 40-plus years of musical experience, plus much more confidence in my ability to choose the correct songs for that special mood. So, the theme is do I still possess the ability, and wherewithal, to handle such an undertaking? Or, would my playlist, to use the current parlance, simply be an ode to an aging fart out of touch with his youthful idealism? Or, is it a little bit of both? Well, I will let you, my loyal reader, make the call.

Now, without any further adieu, here is my 2020 Romantic Valentine’s Day Mixtape Playlist, including the order I would place them in. Use at your own risk.

1. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (2011)
2. The Beatles – “Something” (1969)
3. Talking Heads – “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” (1983)
4. U2 – “One” (1991)
5. The Style Council – “Long Hot Summer” (1983)
6. The Pretenders – “I’ll Stand by You” (1994)
7. Sade – “Smooth Operator” (1984)
8. D’Angelo – “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” (2000)
9. Bruce Springsteen – “Secret Garden” (1995)
10. The Jeff Healey Band – “Angel Eyes” (1989)
11. Rufus featuring Chaka Khan – “Sweet Thing” (1975)
12. Mayer Hawthorne – “Cosmic Love” (2016)
13. Earth, Wind & Fire – “Reasons” (1975)
14. Tina Turner – “Let’s Stay Together” (1984)
15. Elvis Costello & the Attractions – “Everyday I Write the Book” (1983)
16. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – “Shallow” (2018)
17. R.E.M. – “Nightswimming” (1992)
18. Whitney Houston – “Saving All My Love for You” (1985)
19. Elton John – “Your Song” (1970)
20. Michael Jackson – “Rock with You” (1979)
21. Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get It On” (1973)
22. Leon Bridges – “Beyond” (2018)
23. Daryl Hall & John Oates – “One on One” (1982)
24. The Cure – “Lovesong” (1989)
25. Journey – “Faithfully” (1983)
26. The Commodores – “Still” (1979)
27. Spandau Ballet – “True” (1983)
28. The Beach Boys – “God Only Knows” (1966)
29. John Mayer – “Your Body Is a Wonderland” (2001)
30. Paul McCartney & Wings – “Maybe I’m Amazed (live)” (1977)

Fear not people for I am still alive. I have been facing a writer’s block lately. I’ve attempted to force my way through it like I would do when my body would not respond during training for sports, but my brain is refusing to respond.

I have tried all kinds of things that my writer friends have suggested such as journaling (boring!), getting back to my screenplay (I suck!) or just scribbling down ideas (I don’t have any! That’s the issue!). So, I started going through my old playlists on my outdated iPod. Boy! That’s how desperate I’ve become. Anyway, I stumbled upon a playlist entitled “The Genesis Family.” It seems that I had grouped together music by Genesis (from all incarnations), solo Phil Collins, solo Peter Gabriel, solo Steve Hackett, solo Tony Banks and Mike + The Mechanics. It’s an interesting mix of songs and styles, shedding some light on the evolution of this eclectic group of musicians.

You see, Genesis began as a slightly second-rate English Prog band whose eccentric performance artist of a lead singer began to flex his creative muscles to make the band something a vehicle for his vision. Just as the band was gaining a rabid audience across the globe, the lead singer, Peter Gabriel, left the band for a solo career. Immediately, the quintet attempted to carry on as a quartet for one album with drummer Phil Collins becoming the lead singer. But, after that album, guitarist Steve Hackett left for a solo career as well.

What was left was a trio of talented musicians, guitarist Mike Rutherford, keyboard whiz Tony Banks and Collins, who were free to streamline the prog tendencies of the original band and blend it with a pop/rock/soul sound that allowed the band to eventually capture the ears of a whole new generation in the Eighties. By the mid-Eighties, Genesis, along with the solo career of Phil Collins, had become a stadium-filling hit-making machine. This whole transformation was remarkable, though as the band, as well as Collins, reached greater heights, I honestly became less interested in the band. Additionally, Hackett’s solo career lacked any kind of pizzazz that had interested me during his Genesis tenure.

Yet, the artist I was most interested in from the Genesis family was the solo Peter Gabriel. I was totally enamored with his minimalist prog rock vision that he was spearheading in the late-Seventies with the likes of David Bowie, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp. To me, these guys were taking on a punk ethos to their perfectionist tendencies to create some very compelling music. Solo Gabriel’s music was electric and vital even as he ascended to the top with 1986’s So album.

But, the most striking thing about this playlist is that you really can appreciate how you can hear all the different paths the members had taken over the years in the band’s rudimentary sound at the beginning. And, now, nearly 50 years later, I can more fully appreciate this band and all the different paths these men had blazed.

So, today, I am going to sum up this family’s hits with my own list of my 50 favorite songs by this very talented group of musicians. Honestly, this list should convince any music lover of Genesis’ deserving place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as Peter Gabriel. And, I can now see me backing Phil Collins as a solo artist, though I am still partial to his first two solo albums.

50. “Don’t Lose My Number” – Phil Collins (No Jacket Required, 1985). Everyone like this song better when it was a Steely Dan song. (I only put this song in my Top 50 so I could use this line.)

49. “Do You Know, Do You Care” – Phil Collins (Hello, I Must Be Going, 1982)

48. “Red Rain” – Peter Gabriel (So, 1986)

47. “Take Me Home” – Phil Collins (No Jacket Required, 1985)

46. “Steam” – Peter Gabriel (Us, 1993)

45. “Paperlate” – Genesis (Three Sides Live, 1982)

44. “I Have the Touch” – Peter Gabriel (Security, 1982)

43. “No Self Control” – Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel (III: Melting), 1980)

42. “All I Need Is a Miracle” – Mike + The Mechanics (Mike + The Mechanics, 1985)

41. “I Don’t Care Anymore” – Phil Collins (Hello, I Must Be Going, 1982)

40. “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven” – Phil Collins (…But Seriously, 1989)

39. “Another Day in Paradise” – Phil Collins (…But Seriously, 1989)

38. “A Groovy Kind of Love” – Phil Collins (Buster OST, 1988)

37. “Sussidio” – Phil Collins (No Jacket Required, 1985)

36. “You Can’t Hurry Love” – Phil Collins (Hello, I Must Be Going, 1982)

35. “Separate Lives” – Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin (White Knights OST, 1985)

34. “Easy Lover” – Phillip Bailey with Phil Collins (Chinese Wall, 1984)

33. “We Can’t Dance” – Genesis (We Can’t Dance, 1991)

32. “Invisible Touch” – Genesis (Invisible Touch, 1986)

31. “Taking It All Too Hard” – Genesis (Genesis, 1983)

30. “Illegal Alien” – Genesis (Genesis, 1983). A sad attempt at parody.

29. “Abacab” – Genesis (Abacab, 1981)

28. “The Living Years” – Mike + The Mechanics (The Living Years, 1988)

27. “One More Night” – Phil Collins (No Jacket Required, 1985)

26. “Man on the Corner” – Genesis (Abacab, 1981)

25. “Don’t Give Up” – Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush (So, 1986)

24. “No Reply at All” – Genesis (Abacab, 1981)

23. “No Son of Mine” – Genesis (We Can’t Dance, 1991)

22. “In Too Deep” – Genesis (Invisible Touch, 1986)

21. “Land of Confusion” – Genesis (Invisible Touch, 1986)

20. “Throwing It All Away” – Genesis (Invisible Touch, 1986)

19. “Silent Running” – Mike + The Mechanics (Mike + The Mechanics, 1985)

18. “I Missed Again” – Phil Collins (Face Value, 1981)

17. “Mama” – Genesis (Genesis, 1983)

16. “Misunderstanding” – Genesis (Duke, 1980)

15. “That’s All” – Genesis (Genesis, 1983). This is as country of a sound that Genesis could muster. Still, it fondly reminds me of a pretty great time in my life.

14. “Turn It On Again” – Genesis (Duke, 1980). A great concert opener.

13. “Big Time” – Peter Gabriel (So, 1986). This song just might be an example of Gabriel at his loosest.

12. “Follow You, Follow Me” – Genesis (…And Then There Were Three, 1978). Unfairly, the first release by the newly minted trio version of Genesis never caught on with the public, though you hear it more now than back in the day.

11. “Family Snapshot” – Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel (III: Melting), 1980). What we have here is the sound of Gabriel finding how to fully express his alienation in both audio and verbal manners.

10. “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” – Genesis (Invisible Touch, 1986). Sure, this one was used in a Michelob commercial, but it’s still a killer song. And, yes, it just might be the Son of “Mama,” which was the Son of “In the Air Tonight.” Is that really so bad?

9. “In Your Eyes” – Peter Gabriel (So, 1986). An iconic song used in an iconic scene from one of Cameron Crowe’s most underrated movies.

8. “Against All Odds” – Phil Collins (Against All Odds OST, 1984). I remember thinking that Collins truly had his heart ripped out when he wrote this monster hit. This is a case in which the song was bigger than the movie.

7. “Solsbury Hill” – Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel (I: Rain), 1977). It took Americans about 20 years or so before they caught onto this brilliant number, but better late than never. I guess!

6. “Shock the Monkey” – Peter Gabriel (Security, 1982). I’m showing my age, but the video was such a step forward for the medium at the time. Gabriel was the perfect MTV star. On a personal note, back in college, I was watching this video at a party when I got motion sickness and threw up. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

5. “I Don’t Remember” – Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel (III: Melting), 1980). Gabriel’s third solo album remains my favorite album from this family to this day. And, this one has been a driving force behind my opinion.

4. “Biko” – Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel (III: Melting), 1980). It seems that I learned more about geopolitical issues from rock music and musicians back then than I did from most of my teachers and professors. If it weren’t for “Biko,” I doubt many people would have ever learned about the man.

3. “In the Air Tonight” – Phil Collins (Face Value, 1981). Peter Gabriel had Phil Collins play drums on his third album, which was known for its unique drum sound that included a lack of cymbals. When Collins released this song, Gabriel rightfully cried foul. But, you gotta admit that what Collins did with the sound was a HUGE step forward. Plus, it made for one iconic scene with Mike Tyson in The Hangover.

2. “Games Without Frontiers” – Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel (III: Melting), 1980). This is a beautiful allegory to the political climate at the time. Shoot, it still works today. Timeless, absolutely timeless!

1. “Sledgehammer” – Peter Gabriel (So, 1986). The moment when the world finally caught up with Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer” is aptly named. The song has a slinky funk sound that is completely rooted in English art rock. This is a nearly perfect song. And, it still remains the landmark video of all videos.

I am coming to you in the midst of a three-week home renovation that my wife and I are totally over. As repairs and changes are being made in our home, I have been banished with our two very nervous dogs to live in my music room that is crammed with crap from other rooms, so that is why I have not made a blog entry in a very long time. And, this entry could very well be the last in a couple of weeks as well.

Now, in preparation for this whole endeavor, I decided to “cut the fat” from my CD collection that had gotten completely out of hand lately. You know you have a problem when you remove over 400 CDs from your collection and still have twice that many left. The only thing that has come from this is that I am now only going to purchase vinyl just like in the old days.

Perhaps the biggest reason for this decision is that I simply feel more invested in the music when I listen to vinyl. First, the experience requires me to physically change sides more often than a CD. Next, the sound is warmer coming through my “Close-and-Play” speakers from vinyl than it is from the CD. And, finally, and perhaps most importantly, I can actually read the liner notes with my old eyes. It seems that I need a magnifying glass to read the lyrics on a CD. Hell, I’m even going to streaming instead of downloading (Yeah, I know! I am a holdout on that. I just prefer to hold control over my music since radio playlists and algorithms seem to totally ruin my listening experience these days. I long for the days of the DJ being a music expert AND entertainer. Am I old or what?).

So, what is about music that I love so much? I mean, I have a baseball and basketball card collection that is pretty cool but just takes up so much space that I really no longer appreciate it. Plus, all you can do is look at them, although when you are a kid you do figure out ways to play games with them. I actually had developed a basketball league in which I drafted players to teams, much like fantasy sports leagues these days, but use dice from board games and Dungeon and Dragons to determine points scored by players. I did that for my pre-music days, which meant I was doing this from ages 10 to 14. Now, I am holding onto those cards for my boys to show their kids. Of course, I have to store them here.

But, the boys and I all agree that collecting music is so much more interactional. You can listen to it in addition to treating the covers as you would a baseball card. Then, there’s the whole emotional response elicited by the music, depending on when that piece entered your life. And, the younger you were, the more intense the response is. For some reason that scientists are just beginning to understand music and your emotions become entwined in a dance that is life-long.

Over the years I have noticed how certain songs actually transport me back to a specific time in my past. How when I hear KC & the Sunshine Band’s “Please Don’t Go,” I remember slow dancing with a girl at a Christmas dance in high school. Or, hearing “Saturday Night” by the Bay City Rollers, I remember my buddy Mike Bond and me doing a silly “radio” show in my bedroom on New Year’s Eve 1975. Or, the memory of watching my cheerleader neighbor Lori Dunwiddie doing a cheer routine to “Free Ride” by the Edgar Winter Group. Or how Adam Ant’s “Goody Two Shoes” reminds me of the dorm party that got so out of hand when 50 people were crammed in our dorm room and when that song came on my party tape, two Ball State football players spilled out into the hall doing Adam Ant video “dancing” down the hall that we all got busted. Or how I am reminded every time I hear “Pour Some Sugar on Me” that my older son would turn to me every time MTV would play that video and say, “Dad, they’re playing our song!” when he was just three years old.

And, I know this happens to all of us, because I am constantly reading social media posts from people from my past putting songs on along with their memories those songs invoked. But, it’s not simply the memories.

As a former athlete, I used music to get ready for a game or a meet. Now, the control freaks that I had as coaches never understood how our age group could possibly need that in a pre-game ritual. So, I had to be sneaky about it. Initially, I thought listening to hard rock was the best way to get ready for a basketball game or a track/cross country meet. But, as I found out, that was like caffeine, just a short-term jolt. For basketball, I found that funk and early rap music really fit the flow of the game, which was completely out of step when you’re from a farming community in the late-Seventies. Additionally, disco and later dance and new wave music was best for running, since those are rhythmic races. But, if I had to run in the four-by-four hundred meter relay, I needed punk rock or metal, something full of aggression.

I remember the night that I listened to “Rapper’s Delight” before a basketball game against a rival city school. All of a sudden I felt in sync with the game like never before. I seemed to be walking on air that night as I lit up a friend of mine from that school for 20 points. The best part of the night was he kept trying to get in my head by calling me “Caspar.” You see, he was an African-American and I am a translucent, blonde-haired white guy who was frustrating this guy so much that he turned to name-calling. After the game, we hugged and he asked me what got into me. I just told him “Rapper’s Delight.” And, he just cracked up and asked me what I was doing listening to HIS music. I told him I was tired of Willie Nelson. Every time I see him to this day, he asks me what rap music I listening to today, laughs and shakes his head. You see, I went to that city to play against his teammates more than I played with my own teammates because they were better players. The downside was I really didn’t build a good rapport with my teammates and coaches, which hurt me. I see that in retrospect.

Of course, I have millions of stories which are entwined with songs, as we all do. I just wish people would take their music-listening experiences back to a communal level. Hell, even dances are beginning to be a solo event instead of a shared one. I believe that is diminishing the whole emotional aspect to music. While the whole Walkman craze of the Eighties was exciting, I distinctly pining for the communal experience of blasting music out of your dorm window while playing football in the bowl outside. Now, you stream your music for yourself and it’s a solitary experience. Perhaps, I am a romantic, but I want my music to breathe in the air. Sure, my listening habits may bother my neighbors, but it could lead to a conversation.

And, those conversations could lead to a mutual understanding. And, conversations could drown out those echo chambers that we tend to exist in. I know, romantic.

EEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWWW! Did you hear the news that’s totally made me forget about the whole Rock Hall situation? Daryl Hall & John Oates are going out on tour this summer!

As my wife and I were traveling down to her hometown in southeastern Indiana to see her ailing father, she kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday. And since I am a man of very limited interests, she started throwing out the usual stuff that I enjoy: a Pacers, Butler or Ball State basketball game. I countered with a high school game in order to take the grandkids to get them hooked since there’s nothing like a high school game in Indiana for kids. Then, she asked if I wanted to go to a record store, and I’m like of course! Then, she started bringing up concerts for the summer, joking that we could get some country music package for the nearby music shed. Of course, I about threw up. Sorry fans, but I hate the current state of country music. As I have quoted before, Tom Petty once said that country music today is like bad Eighties music with a fiddle.

So, then she asked me about seeing The Doobie Brothers, and I told her I am lukewarm on them, especially if the ticket prices are astronomical. Actually, I said that I definitely wanted to see The Boss, no matter the cost. And, I would go see Hall & Oates again, knowing that at our ages, no one would get pregnant (see one of my previous posts about how dangerous Hall & Oates music and concerts can be with us). I told her I have signed up for alerts for both artists. She gave a courtesy laugh, shook her head, then we changed the subject.

Then, yesterday, it happened. My phone started blowing up with alerts from every conceivable source saying that our favorite duo were announcing a tour with Indy on the docket. Immediately, I text her the news. She was pumped up because she text back immediately, even though she probably was working with a student at the time. Priorities are priorities.

So, I have been trying to figure out this whole Hall & Oates fascination and how it all started. Well, it is a very easy story. For the last six years of my hometown schooling years, I used to go down to the neighbors’ house almost every day to hang out with their daughters, both of whom were around my age. Lori was my age, and the two of us looked so similar that people often thought we were brother and sister. And, Kim was a couple of years older than Lori and me. Anyway, Kim LOVED Hall & Oates from the moment “Sara Smile” was a huge hit. She was the first person I knew that actually saw them in concert back in the Seventies.

Initially, I did buy that silver eponymous titled album with “Sara Smile” and took it down to the girls’ house to listen to it often. Although both girls loved the album, Kim became obsessed. I can vividly remember Kim making me dance with her every time she bought a new Hall & Oates album. I was dancing, in private, to “Rich Girl” and “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” back in the mid-Seventies. Eventually, Kim graduated from high school and moved to Ball State. But, Lori and I continued to listen to Hall & Oates, burning them deep into my psyche.

When I got to Ball State in the fall of 1981, I couldn’t believe how many people loved the duo, unironically I might add. Here I was, a guy who was mainly into punk, new wave and hip hop, but I loved Daryl Hall & John Oates. That November, I took my brother down to Indiana University to see the Electric Light Orchestra, since he was a huge fan, while I went to see Hall & Oates open. And, that night, I became a HUGE Hall & Oates fan. They were not simply a slick studio concoction, but the total live package. That night, they announced that “Private Eyes” had just hit number one, so when they played it the audience went nuts. The duo’s band was hot, with über guitarist G.E. Smith, creative collaborator and bassist the late Tom “T-Bone” Wolk (my all-time favorite bassist), future Bryan Adams drummer Mickey Curry and longtime multi-instrumentalist and saxophonist supreme Charlie “Mr. Casual” De Chant. These guys were the real deal, and I’ll be damned if I won’t spend the rest of my life giving them their due.

Guys, Daryl Hall and John Oates are not some Yacht Rock relic, nor are they an Eighties mustache caricature. Go listen to any of their albums and you will hear rock experimentations; hip hop influences; folk and acoustic tinges; and soul, funk and disco flourishes in addition to their trademark rock ‘n’ soul pop sound. Then, you hear their voices come together, with John’s lower folk register versus Daryl’s superman soul quality. It’s as though the two differences made the whole amalgamation greater than the individual parts, as great as those individuals are solo.

In retrospect, I loved Daryl Hall and John Oates’ music in the Seventies, but they took it to a completely different level in the Eighties. It seemed like the duo were energized by the dawn of a new decade. Surprisingly, their 1980 album Voices had a slow rise to the top. But, when “Kiss on My List” exploded to #1 in the spring of 1981, followed by the pure pop pleasure of “You Make My Dreams” that summer, Hall & Oates were on the cusp of becoming one of the dominant forces of rock music in the early-Eighties. Few artists have experienced a run like these guys had from 1980 through 1985, when their fifth album during that time finally ran out of steam. They had racked up five number one songs, along with a huge list of Top Twenty hits in addition to the albums Voices, Private Eyes, H2O, Rock ‘n’ Soul: Part 1 and Big Bam Boom.

I know I probably have done this in the past, but I thought I would present a longer, fresher list of my 50 favorite songs by the greatest duo of the rock era, Daryl Hall and John Oates. Kim Gill and Lori Eppert, this is for you two, with my brotherly love!

50. “Philly Forget Me Not (with Train)” (Non-album single, 2018)

49. “Ooh Child” (Our Kind of Soul, 2004)

48. “Forever You” (Do It for Love, 2002)

47. “Promises Ain’t Enough” (Marigold Sky, 1997)

46. “Downtown Life” (Ooh Yeah!, 1988)

45. “Don’t Hold Back Your Love” (Change of Season, 1990)

44. “It’s Uncanny” (No Goodbyes, 1977)

43. “A Night at the Apollo Live! The Way You Do the Things You Do/My Girl (with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks)” (Live at the Apollo, 1985)

42. “Missed Opportunity” (Ooh Yeah!, 1988)

41. “Romeo Is Bleeding” (Marigold Sky, 1997)

40. “I Can Dream About You” (Our Kind of Soul, 2004)

39. “Man on a Mission” (Do It for Love, 2002)

38. “When the Morning Comes Around” (Abandoned Luncheonette, 1973)

37. “Your Imagination” (Private Eyes, 1981)

36. “How Does It Feel to Be Back” (Voices, 1980)

35. “Las Vegas Turnaround” (Abandoned Luncheonette, 1973)

34. “Do What You Want, Be Who You Are” (Bigger Than Both of Us, 1976)

33. “Possession Obsession” (Big Bam Boom, 1984)

32. “Everything Your Heart Desires” (Ooh Yeah!, 1988)

31. “The Woman Comes and Goes” (X-Static, 1979)

30. “Jingle Bell Rock” (Non-album single, 1983)

29. “Head Above Water” (Private Eyes, 1981)

28. “Why Do Lovers (Break Each Other’s Hearts?)” (Beauty on the Back Street, 1977)

27. “Don’t Go Out (unreleased song, 1981)” (Do What You Want, Be Who You Are, 2009)

26. “Do It for Love” (Do It for Love, 2004)

25. “Method of Modern Love” (Big Bam Boom, 1984)

24. “Italian Girls” (H2O, 1982)

23. “Back Together Again” (Bigger Than Both of Us, 1976)

22. “Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid” (Big Bam Boom, 1984)

21. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” (Voices, 1980)

20. “One on One” (H2O, 1982)

19. “Family Man” (H2O, 1982)

18. “It’s a Laugh” (Along the Red Ledge, 1978)

17. “Did It in a Minute” (Private Eyes, 1981)

16. “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” (Along the Red Ledge, 1976)

15. “So Close” (Change of Season, 1990)

14. “Adult Education” (Rock ‘n’ Soul: Part 1, 1983)

13. “Private Eyes” (Private Eyes, 1981)

12. “Dreamtime” – Daryl Hall (Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, 1986)

11. “Say It Isn’t So” (Rock ‘n’ Soul: Part 1, 1983)

10. “Rich Girl” (Bigger Than Both of Us, 1976). The duo’s first number one song, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers claims he learned everything there is to know about writing a hit song from this one. Who knows, he may be right. Then again, when was the last time Flowers or his band had a hit song? He may need to listen to more of their songs. Still, this is a nearly forgotten classic.

9. “Wait for Me” (X-Static, 1979). Damn it! I will never understand why this song did not become a bigger hit. Oh wait! That’s right! Schlock meister David Foster produced the damn thing, nearly sucking the life out of it. Regardless, I love it!

8. “Kiss on My List” (Voices, 1981). I love it when the general public misses sarcasm. I remember the girls in my high school wishing their beaus would think this way about them. Even the girl I was dating at the time thought that way. Little did she know that I actually was.

7. “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” (Private Eyes, 1981). This song has been sampled by so many hip hop artists that you would not believe the legs it continues to have. Hall & Oates were never as big on Urban Radio, as it was called then, than with this song. It’s no wonder why ?uestlove pushed for Hall & Oates for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

6. “Out of Touch” (Big Bam Boom, 1984). The duo’s last number one held Wham! back for a couple of weeks before the English duo briefly took Hall & Oates’ mantle.

5. “Maneater” (H2O, 1982). I remember when this song was released, the Boomer critics were bitching about the Motown bassline. Who cares!?!?!? They synthesized a sexy pop/rock/soul hit song using it.

4. “Sara Smile” (Daryl Hall and John Oates, 1975). “Sara Smile” broke Hall & Oates as a hit-making machine with their unique blend of soul cool and pop slickness with touches of rock and folk thrown in for good measure.

3. “You Make My Dreams” (Voices, 1980). THE perfect pop rock songs of the Eighties, “You Make My Dreams” has taken on a life of its own. The song is both of its time AND timeless.

2. “She’s Gone” (Abandoned Luncheonette, 1973). While it took three years before the song became a hit, it is now perhaps one of their five most recognizable hit songs in their cannon.

1. “Everytime You Go Away (live in Tokyo 1996, unreleased)” (Do What You Want, Be Who You Are, 2009). I now prefer this version of their stellar studio version because this song epitomizes the live Hall & Oates experience. As Daryl says while announcing the song, “Taking ya ta church.” And the listener gets to hear the song in all its gospel and blues glory, highlighting Daryl’s scorching vocals. That man is peerless. This version showcases everything that is great about this duo: impeccable songwriting, masterful musicianship and otherworldly vocals.

What has my life become?!?! Eight years ago, I retired from teaching, very begrudgingly, due to some stupid complications to a failed back surgery. Up to that point, I had transitioned from a high school athlete to a college student who still dabbled in sports to a medical technologist to a teacher and coach, and I was truly digging my life. I was a very fortunate person as I was following a calling into teaching and coaching when I could have been making some serious cash if I had stuck with the science world. But I felt I had to teach, and coach. And, I got to play a role, albeit a very minor role, in the lives of some terrific young people who are now great parents and people. As one of my colleagues once told me that my disappointment with this new path was that I never got to control when I bailed on the professions. There is nothing more frustrating than waking up from a dream in which you have developed a new basketball out of bounds play or a training method for a pole vaulter only to realize that you can no longer do those things. And, boy, did I ever have teaching down to a scientific art form. I was on the cusp of getting this gig mastered, only to have the rug pulled out from under me. And, I must admit, I did spend many years pissed off by the whole thing.

Then, one day, a dear friend of mine, Larry Wilson, and his former wife, Heather Gemmen, suggested that I should begin writing. Larry wrote a blog that I liked to contribute to in the comments. Since both were writers, they thought I might have some untapped talent and encouraged me to develop it. Now, I had been on the high school newspaper staff where I was constantly being told to stop editorializing in my sports articles. And, I really don’t remember how many times I was told to stop my snide sarcastic comments in those very same articles. Yet, for some reason, I was named the Sports Editor my sophomore and junior years, giving me a monthly column for all of those silly comments. And, I also got to write my first album reviews under the very original “Dr. Rock N Roll” moniker (See?!?! Juvenile!). Writing was always something of a joke to me, a subversive method to see just how far I could push the boundaries. My theme papers were mostly written to get under the skin of some of my English teachers or to humor my classmates. But, if you properly used a semi-colon and sentence and paragraph transitions, cut down on the run-on sentences and had creative moments of insight and use of metaphors, you could easily get great grades. If I had only known that you could really make a living doing this if I had properly honed my skills, I might have been writing for The National Lampoon.

Anyway, Larry suggested that I write about music or sports. Now, being a former coach and something of a former athlete, sports would have seemed to be a more natural place for me. But, watching sports at the time was an emotionally painful activity for me, so I went with my hobby, which had always been an emotional refuge for me. So, now, here I am writing about music as though I really know what I am talking about.

In addition to science and math, I have had a long love of history, so I began tackling rock history with great vigor in college. Originally, I did it to earn a place on a college bowl team that I ended up not trying out for. Subsequently, I have spent nearly 40 years devouring all kinds of books on rock music all the while never learning to play any instrument (Fear of failure? Probably!). Now, I have nearly a thousand vinyl albums and another thousand or so CDs, with a whole bunch of 7-, 10- and 12-inch singles and EPs. Needless to say, I have an issue, but it does give me a perspective that I now share. So, here we are.

Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally announced their inductees for the Class of 2020. In the past, they used to announce the class before Christmas, but for some reason decided to extended their inanity for another month. The whole process is wrought with problems, which is a whole other issue, but we do finally have the nominee list of 16 artists pared down to six inductees. Why six? I have NO idea. All I know is that there is a HUGE backlog of artists awaiting their moment, and no one has a plan with how to deal with it.

Anyway, the six artists being inducted are Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and T. Rex. At first glance, I am both satisfied and underwhelmed. First, I am satisfied that each artist deserves to be inducted. But, I am underwhelmed by the lack of female inductees and the lack of truly landmark artists. Sure, we got some musical and racial diversity, but the whole class seems a little vanilla to me. We are not getting arguably the most influential band of the past 40 years, Kraftwerk, inducted. We are not getting one of the first dominant female rock voices in all history, Pat Benatar, inducted. We are not getting one of the pioneers of punk rock, The MC5, inducted. We are not getting one of the first heirs to Aretha Franklin’s throne, Chaka Khan, inducted. We are not getting a true rock renaissance man in Todd Rundgren inducted. Hell, we are not getting two of metal’s most important cornerstones, Judas Priest and Motorhead, inducted. And, finally, the fans’ top vote-getter, Dave Matthews Band, wrongly or rightly, is not being inducted for the first time in history.

I mean, WTF!?!?!? It’s no wonder the Hall gets blasted by the critics and Hall watchers on an annual basis. And, the whole nomination and voting process is completely done in secret. At least the Baseball Hall of Fame, which has its insipid reputation, has a voting process that is somewhat open; we at least get to see some ballots and percentages are released for every player receiving a vote. But, the Rock Hall, based upon the music of the people, is done behind closed doors? What?! Is this a Russian thing? Or a Trump White House thing?

It’s okay Keller! Come down, or you will have to double up on your blood pressure meds! Deep breath! Remember: stress leads to back spasms, and God knows you don’t want those again! Be in the moment. Exhale. Deep inhale! Slow exhale. Calm. Down.

Okay, the BP is down, but I’m still pissed. Anyway, let’s take a look at the inductees.

Depeche Mode. The synth poppers who morphed into goth rockers influenced everyone from Nine Inch Nails to heavy metal icons to even having Johnny Cash cover “Personal Jesus.” I have been a huge backer of DM and am very excited for their induction. Remember, their career would not have happened if Kraftwerk weren’t around to influence them! And, they would admit it too.

The Doobie Brothers. Many people my age grew up on the Doobies. They were a great boogie band at the beginning of their career who evolved into one of the first Yacht Rock masters after some lineup changes. I do remember arguing with a high school-aged neighbor that “Long Train Running” was a better song than Seals & Crofts’ “Diamond Girl.” I was a fourth grader, so how would I have ever understood at the time what a make-out song was? Throw in “Black Water” and “What a Fool Believes” and you’ve got a pretty good case for the band without ever bringing up their stellar compilation Best of the Doobies. I am wondering if the inducted members number will rival the number inducted with Parliament/Funkadelic?

Whitney Houston. The Voice of My Generation. Next!

Nine Inch Nails. Mastermind Trent Reznor took the angst of The Cure, the Goth stylings of Depeche Mode and Siouxsie Sioux with the industrial sounds of Ministry and KMFDM to create the sound of the Nineties. NIN set the stage for Marilyn Manson and so many others. Plus, you can now hear Reznor’s influence in his thrilling soundtrack work and in that sample of his in that stupid Lil Nas X song that’s everywhere.

The Notorious B.I.G. Oh, I can hear a couple of my former athletes now filling up my inbox that Biggie and Whitney are NOT rock and roll. And, no matter how many times I try to explain that “rock and roll” and “pop” are synonymous terms, I just tell them that it’s classic rock radio’s fault for their limited definition. Anyway, Biggie’s casts a huge shadow over hip hop, and rock. Too bad that Kurtis Blow,LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Wu Tang Clan are all still on the outside.

T. Rex. I can hear it now, “What the heck is T. Rex getting into the Hall for?” C’mon now! They are a very important band in the whole Glam Rock movement of the early-Seventies, which begat that stupid Glam (or Hair) Metal movement of the Eighties. T. Rex was as important an artist in the UK as Bowie to a whole lot of musicians, from Def Leppard, the New Romantic bands to Oasis and the other Britpop artists. Sure, we Americans only know “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” but their story is so much larger.

Well, there you have it, the RRHOF Class of 2020, for better or for worse. This is what they gave us, and we’ll have to live with it for another year. And will I watch the HBO Special this spring? You bet! I’m that sucker that’s born every minute Mr. Barnum.

It’s happened again. We’ve lost yet another giant from the rock world. And, not just any giant, but arguably the greatest drummer of all-time, Rush’s Neil Peart. Peart has been long held alongside Buddy Rich and The Who’s Keith Moon as the three greatest drummers ever. And as great as those men were, Peart was actually a man with no peer, as he took what those other two men accomplished, mastered their techniques, amalgamated them, and took them light years beyond. As many have stated in their own tributes to the man, Neil Peart was the Maestro.

As all rock know, Peart was not the original drummer of Rush. No, that honor belonged to John Rutsey. But, when Rutsey abruptly bolted the band due to health reasons after the first album, guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee regrouped with Peart before the second album, and the rest was history. Finally, Rush had a drummer who could push the others sonically and lyrically, allowing the band to bridge the gap between hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock and jazz.

Just like most people my age, I discovered Rush during the summer of 1976 when a friend of mine told me about their album 2112. Personally, I was blown away by the science fiction lyrics, as I was a science fiction nerd at the time. The playing was like a cross between Yes and Led Zeppelin, making it doubly cool to a teenage boy. Sure, I recognized the lyrically allusions to Ayn Rand’s writings, as I was reading her stuff too. Now, every teen is totally moved by the fact that they feel as though every adult is trying to stifle them, so Rand’s writing should appeal to them. And, when a band’s lyrical content is based upon her philosophy, then you gotta listen to them.

Now, as I got older and studied more and more literature, history and science, I noticed the major faults in Rand’s philosophy, as did lyricist Neil Peart. So, as the years passed, the band’s music and lyrics moved onward. Sure, Peart remained a libertarian as such, but the band’s musicianship continued to evolve. Now, I am no Rush fanatic, just a rock fan who admired the band’s evolution from prog metalists to prog pop/rockers to prog synth rockers back to prog metal gods. Their evolution has been one of the more fascinating travels in rock history, and all along they maintained their rabid fan base in addition to their integrity. And, for that, the band should be respected.

Now, in retrospect, I fully understand why Peart said at the end of the band’s last tour that he was retiring, although Lee tried to say otherwise. At the time, I thought Peart was simply ready to move on toward other life goals, when in reality he was beginning his last stand against brain cancer. Unfortunately for us, his drum set has been silenced.

Now, to really get a full appreciation of Peart’s abilities, go back and listen to any of the band’s hundred or so live albums, all of which have yet another example of his drum solos. But, to get a full overview of his important place within Rush, I present my 25 favorite Rush songs in honor of the Maestro. Oh, and Rush fanatics, please give me a break for not placing your favorite piece on my list.

25. “Roll the Bone” (Roll the Bone, 1991)

24. “Clockwork Angels” (Clockwork Angels, 2012)

23. “Distant Early Warning” (Grace Under Pressure, 1984)

22. “Anthem” (Fly by Night, 1975)

21. “Workin’ Them Angels” (Snakes & Angels, 2007)

20. “Nobody’s Hero” (Counterparts, 1994)

19. “Fly by Night” (Fly by Night, 1975)

18. “Finding My Way” (Rush, 1974)

17. “YYZ” (Moving Pictures, 1981)

16. “Subdivisions” (Signals, 1982)

15. “A Passage to Bangkok” (2112, 1976)

14. “Time Stand Still (with Aimee Mann)” (Hold Your Fire, 1987)

13. “Freewill” (Permanent Waves, 1980)

12. “Far Cry” (Snakes & Arrows, 2007)

11. “Jacob’s Ladder” (Permanent Waves, 1980)

10. “Working Man” (Rush, 1974). The song that started everything for the band. May have taken a couple of years, but the rest is history.

9. “The Trees” (Hemispheres, 1978). This lyrical allegory for the cession movement of Quebec from Canada back in the Seventies is the start of Rush applying their sound to pop structures.

8. “Red Barchetta” (Moving Pictures, 1980). Once again, this song about a car carries a much deep meaning about one’s self as well as society.

7. “Closer to the Heart” (A Farewell to Kings, 1977). This song should have been a big pop hit, even with all the prog rock flourishes it contains.

6. “New World Man” (Signals, 1982). The great thing about Rush is how while they were musically embracing new technologies, lyrically their were displaying skepticism in those same technologies.

5. “Tom Sawyer” (Moving Pictures, 1981). Mark Twain’s most famous title-character is the perfect lyrical starting point for Rush. In the fantastic band documentary, Beyond the Lighted Stage, Peart even admitted that this song was a nightly challenge for him to play perfectly. Imagine that! And, it sounds so easy.

4. “Limelight” (Moving Pictures, 1981). Once again, a seemingly brilliant pop song has a complex musical arrangement along with lyrics that bare Peart’s uneasy toleration of being a rock star. After nearly 40 years, this song is still so perfect.

3. “La Villa Strangiato” (Hemispheres, 1978). This song (or is it a suite?) was the culmination of Rush’s most prog rock tendencies taken to its ultimate conclusion in the studio. Once again, according to Beyond the Lighted Stage, the band recorded this song in three parts and spliced it together. Then, they had to learn to play it live, with all of those crazy changes in time signatures. This just might be the band’s ultimate calling card.

2. “2112: Overture/The Temple of Syrinx/Discovery” (2112, 1976). 44 years after the fact, how could one band made of three musicians ever create this? This song blew away all of my preconceptions of what rock could be and could do. Rush may have started this whole prog Zeppelin thing on “By-Torr and the Snowdog” and perfected it on “La Villa Strangiato,” but this became the band’s mission statement of sorts.

1. “The Spirit of Radio” (Permanent Waves, 1980). Now, if you cannot sit through a whole side of a Rush suite and want to hear the band’s sound distilled to the length of a radio pop song, then this is the song for you. You get everything that makes Rush great: crazy time changes, prog rock posturing, lyrics that only a middle class suburbanite kid could understand and a not one, but two hooks within one song. You get the whole Rush vision in a song too short for a radio DJ to take a restroom break. It doesn’t get any better than that!