Author: ifmyalbumscouldtalk

In the spring of 1981, my high school days were quickly wrapping up, and I was walking through Target with my mom and younger brother. As we neared the music department of the store, jokingly I started yelling “Magnetic draw!” and feigned the magnetic pull of the albums and cassettes on my body. I had them laughing a bit until I turned my head to see that a new Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album was on display (and on sale for $6.98! Those were the days.). All I said, apparently in a longing voice, was, “Tom Petty…” Bless her heart, Mom took the album from my hands and said that I owed her one more good race tomorrow at the Sectional. It was my final year of track and the big Sectional meet was happening. Unfortunately, it just so happened that four of the top six runners in the State meet that year were all in my event, the 800-meter dash. So, running against these guys was equal to running at the State meet each week. For me to advance, I would have to run a great race, but it was not out of the question since I was state-ranked as well.

In 1980, I had placed sixth in the Sectional meet, and was one of five underclassmen in that race. So, it was not out of the question that I could pull off some magic. The bad thing was that I was suffering from the beginning stages of the back issues that have now full-on plagued me through the twenty-first century. Still, I did have a reputation for popping a big performance on big stages.

Unfortunately, that Thursday night on the track of a small sized high school named Elwood High School, I finished eighth with my personal best time. I had given it my all, but my state meet dream ended right there and then. I can still feel the empty pain in my body as I walked off the track for the last time as a high school athlete. The crazy thing is that you could have entered me in any other Sectional in the state that year and I would have been a top 4 finisher and qualified for the Regional meet the following week. But, I had the unfortunate luck of going to a school that was in a loaded Sectional.

After I got home late that night, I took a shower, put my uniform and sweats in the washer, then went to my bedroom to reflect, known to athletes as sulking. That’s when I put Tom Petty’s new album Hard Promises on my turntable and stared at the ceiling. And, that album got me through that rough patch of my once-promising running career coming to an end, not to mention the end of much of adolescent life in my hometown. I really would not come back to this town for another decade as a husband and father who was studying to become a teacher and coach.

You see, Tom Petty’s music got me through all of that stuff. He got me through the end of the high school athletic career in basketball, cross country and track that year. Petty got me through the break-up with my girlfriend with whom I had be with my whole senior year. In retrospect, I handled the whole thing terribly, but my sudden break-up only allowed the two of us get on with life much sooner than we probably could have. And although I was only going to be a half-hour drive from home at Ball State, it might as well been ten states away as calls to the hometown were long-distance rates, plus I did not have a car to run home whenever I wanted. I was gaining my own identity without having to settle for the one I was given in my hometown.

The best part was that Tom Petty’s lyrics seemed to anticipate and understand my state of mind at the time. Even today, 40 years later, I can put Hard Promises on my turntable and feel that very same pit in my stomach telling me that one chapter of my life was ending and that it was time to begin writing the next chapter.

Hard Promises was such an influence on me, that I wrote a theme in my first college English class about how the lyrics to Petty’s overlooked duet with Stevie Nicks “Insider” related to my life. I remember getting an A on the paper, and the professor writing some very nice and encouraging things about this paper and my abilities. Unfortunately, that paper has been lost to time. Sometimes, I wish I had taken my journals and other forms of writing seriously and kept them because their might actually be some gems in those ghosts. Someone along the way had put the idea in my head that I was not a very good writer and should stick with something else. That teacher hated everything I turned in, so I got it in my head in high school that I was not a good writer. Today, I believe my writing is similar to my early days of running in that it is promising but I need to take it more seriously if I want to get better.

Still, Tom Petty taught me that a better day was around the corner and embrace it when it finally arrives. No matter how much bitching and complaining Tom and I do in our writing/lives, we still held on to the idea of hope, of a better future, a better life, a better humanity, a better song (in his case), a better race (in mine).

2016 absolutely sucked for rock music. We lost so many of the great ones, including David Bowie and George Micheal. But for those of us who love Prince and Tom Petty, 2016 blew hard. For me, I lost my two favorite artists of all time. The cool part is that their legacies continue to live on in my music collections.

Now, let’s do the second part of the countdown! Here’s numbers 75 to 51.

75. “Nowhere” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Damn the Torpedoes (Expanded Edition), 2010)

74. “Heartbreakers’ Beach Party” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (B-side of “Change of Heart,” 1983)

73. “Down South” – Tom Petty (Highway Companion, 2006)

72. “Good Enough” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Mojo, 2010)

71. “You and Me (Clubhouse Version)” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (An American Treasure, 2018)

70. “Deliver Me” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Long After Dark, 1983)

69. “Yer So Bad” – Tom Petty (Full Moon Fever, 1989)

68. “You Wreak Me” – Tom Petty (Wildflowers, 1994)

67. “Surrender” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Damn the Torpedoes (Expanded Edition), 2010)

66. “Needles and Pins (live with Stevie Nicks)” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Pack Up the Plantation: Live! 1985)

65. “Nightwatchman” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Hard Promises, 1981)

64. “The Last D.J.” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (The Last D.J., 2002)

63. “Gator on the Lawn” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (B-Side of “A Woman in Love,” 1981)

62. “Think About Me” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough), 1987)

61. “Gainesville” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (An American Treasure, 2018)

60. “Make It Better (Forget About Me)” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Southern Accents, 1985)

59. “Shady Grove” – Mudcrutch (Mudcrutch, 2008)

58. “Into the Great Wide Open” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Into the Great Wide Open, 1991)

57. “Hometown Blues” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976)

56. “Letting You Go” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Hard Promises, 1981)

55. “Handle with Care” – Traveling Wilburys (Volume 1, 1988)

54. “Asshole” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Songs and Music from ‘She’s the One,’ 1996)

53. “A One Story Town” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Long After Dark, 1982)

52. “Casa Dega” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (B-Side of “Don’t Do Me like That,” 1979)

51. “The Best of Everything (Alternate Version)” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (The Best of Everything, 2019)

Have a great weekend! Peace!

I’d really love to say that in 1976, I went into a record store, plopped down a five-dollar bill, and walked out with the debut album of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers after reading about them in Creem magazine. Unfortunately, I did not discover Tom Petty and his ironically named band, The Heartbreakers, until the summer of 1978. Sometimes, we writing this blog, I try to come off as some cool Midwesterner, when in fact nothing could be further than the truth. Still, after discovering Petty in 1978, I developed an immediate musical kinship with the artist and his art, which still put me well ahead of my friends’ tastes in music.

So, how did I discover the magic of Tom Petty’s music? In retrospect, 1978 seemed to be the year of the movie soundtrack. After all, earlier that year, record company impresario and talent manager Robert Stigwood and his favorite band on his roster, Bee Gees, had just struck platinum, as well as a cultural chord with the public, with a soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. Suddenly, the music industry was willing to stuff a soundtrack full of rock songs recorded by a multitude of artists in order to strike upon some hidden formula that Stigwood and the Bee Gees had stumbled across. During 1978, it seemed as though soundtracks were bring dropped every month. Some of the more memorable of these collections were Grease and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (both of which were created under Stigwood’s leadership), the Fever-influenced disco soundtrack Thank God It’s Friday and the soundtrack that was much better than the movie from which it came FM. 

FM, as the title implies, was a collection of songs by artists who continue to be heard on classic rock radio to this day. Seriously, how could an album possibly fail when it has classic rock cuts from the likes of Boston, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Foreigner, Billy Joel, Steve Miller Band, Queen, Bob Seger, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, to list a few found on these two slabs of pressed vinyl. Still, squirrelled away between the likes Foreigner and former Eagles singer/bassist Randy Meisner was this relatively unknown group called Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with their eventual classic “Breakdown.” Back then, unfortunately, many of my friends would simply pick up the needle on the album before Petty’s song came through the speakers. Yet, of all the music packed on these two records, I was most taken with this song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers called “Breakdown.” It got to the point where I was only listening to that single cut on the album, while not listening to the rest. I was hooked, yet I never purchased the Heartbreakers’ eponymous debut album for another three years.

You see, as much as I adored “Breakdown,” I was still not a daring listener when it came to music. I was not really admitting to too many people in my life just which artists I preferred: Queen, Petty, the punk artists of the day, disco, etc. Instead, I maintained a façade in which I loved Rush, Skynyrd, Foreigner, and so on. In reality, I was a combination of tough music with a power pop bent and tough yet sensitive lyrics. And guess who filled that void rather nicely? Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, of course.

Fast forward to Christmas 1979. I was in love with a big radio hit of the day entitled “Don’t Do Me like That.” So, the Dunwiddie sisters from down the street, who were like my own sisters, got me Petty’s third album Damn the Torpedoes for Christmas. And, I LOVED that album. It was the first in a series of albums that were released during a four year period which changed my life forever. From that moment onward, I was a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers fan.

So, today, I finally comeback from my two-month hiatus in order to bring you numbers 76 through 100 on my Top 100 Tom Petty Songs. This list has songs from all versions of Mr. Petty, with and without The Heartbreakers, part of Mudcrutch and the Traveling Wilburys, that supergroup in which Petty joined forces with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and ELO leader Jeff Lynne. I understand there are some more devoted Petty fans out there whose list would be way different, and perhaps more valid, than mine. I make no apologies for the fact that I am mostly a Top 40-kind of guy. I will always dig those classic radio hits from the days of long ago, so that will constantly influence my lists.

100. “Wilbury Twist” – Traveling Wilburys (Volume 3, 1990)

99. “Somewhere Under Heaven” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Non-album single, 2017)

98. “Built to Last” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Into the Great Wide Open, 1991)

97. “Jack” – Tom Petty (Highway Companion, 2006)

96. “U Get Me High” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Hypnotic Eye, 2014)

95. “Rockin’ Around with You” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976)

94. “Kings Highway” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Into the Great Wide Open, 1991)

93. “Accused of Love” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Echo, 1999)

92. “Hungry No More” – Mudcrutch (Mudcrutch 2, 2016)

91. “Alright for Now” – Tom Petty (Full Moon Fever, 1989)

90. “Victim of Circumstance” – Mudcrutch (Mudcrutch 2, 2016)

89. “Have Love, Will Travel” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (The Last D.J., 2002)

88. “For Real” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (The Best of Everything, 2019)

87. “This One’s for Me” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Echo, 1999)

86. “Climb That Hill” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Songs and Music from ‘She’s the One’, 1996)

85. “Love Is a Long Road” – Tom Petty (Full Moon Fever, 1989)

84. “Don’t Pull Me Over” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Mojo, 2010)

83. “Something Big” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Hard Promises, 1981)

82. “Fault Lines” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Hypnotic Eye, 2014)

81. “Two Gunslingers” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Into the Great Wide Open, 1991)

80. “Forgotten Man” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Hypnotic Eye, 2014)

79. “I Should Have Known It” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Mojo, 2010)

78. “Big Weekend” – Tom Petty (Highway Companion, 2006)

77. “Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976)

76. “Runaway Trains” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough), 1987)

And that wraps up the first of four days honoring the greatness of one Tom Petty!

You know, it’s been two years since my mother passed away, but I have only gotten serious about cleaning out her stuff out of the house in which I grew up. Mom and my stepfather are pack rats, or probably more appropriately, hoarders. Now, I have been taking my time as I separate the “treasures” versus the crap, which has caused me to discover some interesting things that were buried in closets and dresser drawers. The crazy thing is that I found some artwork that I made back when I was 9 or 10. As I quickly flipped through this drawing pad, I came across a quick sketch of Alice Cooper, the man, from his School’s Out or Billion Dollar Babies era. I am not sure if I have stated this in the blog or not, but the first rock artist that I was a big fan of was Alice Cooper.

Back in 1972, I was totally into “School’s Out,” the song. I bought the single because I never had enough money to purchase the album. Still, throughout the year, I kept reminding my parents that I wanted that album of the same title. Finally, when Christmas 1972 rolled around, I was given a portable 8-Track tape player by my parents. Then, a couple of days later, my aunt and uncle on my mom’s side of the family give me a present that have THREE 8-track tapes in it. 

First, I pulled out a tape by none other than Elton John. Immediately, I was pumped. Then, I pulled out Goat’s Head Soup by The Rolling Stones. According to my beloved Uncle Dick, he asked his high school students which tapes to give to me, and these were their top three. At the time, to be perfectly honest, I had little idea who The Stones were, but that would soon change. Finally, the last tape I pulled out was specially wrapped. Quickly, I tore through the paper, shredding it to pieces. As soon as I broke through the paper of vintage ’70s Christmas wrapping paper, I discovered that I had another tape. I flipped the tape over to see the cover, and it was the tape I had been coveting for nearly 10 months – School’s Out  by Alice Cooper. Yes!

As soon as the extended family gift exchange commenced, I picked up my tapes, a book I had gotten from my grandparents and my tape player to the room I slept in at my grandparents, the little upstairs guest room above the garage. That was the very same room that Uncle Dick lived in before he got married. This room was the coolest place on God’s green Earth. First, I was at the furthest point away from the rest of the family. And, because of that, I was free to listen to music as loud as I wanted. Of course, loud was the perfect way to experience Alice Cooper’s music.

While listening to this exciting music, I dreamt of what it be like to see this band perform live in concert. Over the course of 1972, I had listened to the high school kids paint a vivid picture of the band’s onstage antics, specifically those of the lead singer who went by the same name as the band, Alice Cooper. While much of their stage performance seemed to provoke parents, my mom recognized much of their antics being similar to “carnival folks” performances at the country fairgrounds in the town in which she grew up. So many of those acts were out to shock their audiences, so she had no problem allowing me to follow this band. So, for an educator, my mom’s acceptance of my rock artists showed her progressiveness when compared to some of my friends’ parents.

Through my Alice Cooper fandom, I was able to quickly discover Kiss, which led to Rush then to AC/DC, Boston, Foreigner, Styx, etc. And, if there was an album that helped me deal with the dissolution of my parents’ marriage, ironically, it was Alice Cooper’s second solo album, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, that helped me out lyrically. Actually, that album chronicles Cooper’s trip through drug and alcohol rehab and the psychological toll the whole journey took on the man who took on the character known as Alice Cooper. While the lyrics dealt with mental illness and addiction, I could relate to the mental illness aspect as I was dealing with depression throughout my life, but the lyrics resonated in my head and heart through 1976. And, because of that, I will always have a special place in my heart of that album. I would love to meet the man to thank him for that album, even though I recognize that the album is not really a classic piece of art. Simply, it was the right album being released at the right time in a young person’s life to help that person through a very difficult period.

So, Alice Cooper, thank you for, first, getting me interested in rock; second, to develop me into a fanatic about it; and, finally, to help me survive the initial year of my parents’ divorce. I definitely would not be the person I am today without Alice Cooper’s three albums, School’s Out, Billion Dollar Babies and Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, although I loved Killer, Love It to Death AND Welcome to My Nightmare as well. And, I would love to apologize to all my teachers, classmates and relatives who I bugged with my Alice Cooper obsession.

Now, to celebrate this rediscovery of the music of my past, let’s take a look at my 40 favorite Alice Cooper songs. So, on with the countdown!

40. “Brutal Planet” (Brutal, 2000)

39. “From the Inside” (From the Inside, 1978)

38. “Keepin’ Halloween Alive” (Non-album single, 2009)

37. “Love’s a Loaded Gun” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

36. “Detroit City” (The Eyes of Alice Cooper, 2003)

35. “Desperado” (Killer, 1971)

34. “Rock and Roll” (Detroit Stories, 2021)

33. “You’re My Temptation” (The Last Temptation, 1994)

32. “Might as Well Be on Mars” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

31. “Dead Babies” (Killer, 1971)

30. “Wicked Young Man” (Brutal, 2000)

29. “Muscle of Love” (Muscle of Love, 1973)

28. “Hurricane Years” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

27. “Hello Hurray” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

26. “Teenage Lament ’74” (Muscle of Love, 1973)

25. “Teenage Frankenstein” (Constrictor, 1986)

24. “Dangerous Tonight” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

23. “Social Debris” (Detroit Stories, 2021)

22. “Department of Youth” (Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975)

21. “Clones (We All Are)” (Flush the Fashion, 1980)

20. “Be My Lover” (Killer, 1971)

19. “Is It My Body” (Love It to Death, 1971)

18. “Billion Dollar Babies” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

17. “Welcome to My Nightmare” (Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975)

16. “You and Me” (Whiskey and Lace, 1977)

15. “Poison” (Trash, 1989)

14. “The Black Widow” (Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975)

13. “I Love the Dead” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

12. “Cold Machines” (Brutal, 2000)

11. “Sick Things” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

10. “How You Gonna See Me Now” (From the Inside, 1978)

9. “Generation Landslide” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

8. “Elected” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

7. “Under My Wheels” (Killer, 1971)

6. “Feed My Frankenstein” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

5. “I Never Cry” (Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, 1976)

4. “I’m Eighteen” (Love It to Death, 1971)

3. “Only Women Bleed” (Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975)

2. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

1. “School’s Out” (School’s Out, 1972)

And that’s a wrap! Thank you must go to Alice Cooper and his former band for 50 years of some terrific music. This is my tribute to the heir to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins shock rock throne. Peace!

Every year, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces its list of nominees, a few of my friends always want to know why a pop artist such as Madonna or ABBA or hip hop artists like N.W.A or Tupac are nominated. They say, “Janet Jackson is R&B and pop, so she should be inducted into those Halls not the Rock & Roll one.” In the past, I have attempted to answer these questions with a historical view, or go on a self-serving treatise about how the term “rock & roll” was a term for the music of the Fifties that is basically useless today. And, all it does is leave all parties unsatisfied why those artists matter as much as Pink Floyd, the Stones and Aerosmith.

So, for the better part of the past six weeks, I have researched this topic in an attempt to assimilate this whole concept into a coherent essay. Unfortunately, each time I attempted this feat, something along the lines of a writer’s block crept in. Only, it’s not a writer’s block but more of a thinker’s block. For weeks on end, I have been turning to my music collection, be it vinyl, CD or mp3, and streaming in an effort to put this thing altogether into words. Along the way, I have absorbed disparate music from the likes of David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Motown, Cheap Trick, Queen, Parliament/Funkadelic, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and so many others. Then, this morning, I streamed Eddie Kendricks’ greatest hits, some Chaka Khan and Fugees, then watched a concert film of The Who and started to watch a Bowie film on Hulu when I decided enough was enough. I HAD to write.

Back in the early-Eighties, some important players in the music industry decided they wanted to create a Hall of Fame to honor many of the artists from the beginning so they would never be forgotten. It was a noble thought and idea, but I remember immediately upon learning this that the Hall could end up being controversial in who gets into it after the Fifties giants are inducted. Look, unlike jazz, the blues and country, the basics of rock & roll have evolved, mutated and changed into something completely unrecognizable by my parents standards for whom much of the early rock & roll sounds were geared.

When did rock & roll begin? Honestly, no one really knows. The term “rock & roll” was a common euphemism for sex in the black community of the early half of the twentieth century. Seriously, music historians have discovered recordings from as far back as the first decade of the twentieth century in which rock & roll was used in the titles of the songs. But, the phrase was never attached to a type of music until the Fifties. DJ Alan Freed, one of the first white DJs to embrace, promote AND play this music, is the man that is credited with attaching “roll & roll” to the music he was playing.

Now, for a little history, Fifties-era America was NOT a shining beacon of gracious racial integration, not that it’s much better today, so this new music, which was initially coming from the black communities across the nation, was labeled as “Rhythm & Blues” or by the more troubling label “Race Records.” And, labels would slap the “Rock & Roll” anointment upon cover versions of these “race records” by cleanly-scrubbed white artists like Pat Boone. God bless her, but my mom, for whatever reason, had left me copies of “Tutti Frutti” by both Little Richard and Pat Boone. Of course, I immediately knew that Little Richard would have scared the white folks of my mom’s hometown, and that Pat Boone would sound more acceptable. Those two records taught me more about America than anything I learned in history classes. At the dawn of rock & roll, the public was being trained that white musicians were playing rock & roll and black artists were doing R&B. Yet, for all the differences I heard in those two records, the one that stuck out the most to me was that the Boone version lacked the whole “roll,” or rhythm, that the original Little Richard version contained. Immediately, at the age of 16, my mom’s record collection taught me an important lesson: you cannot have rock & roll without the “roll.”

This thing called rock & roll was more than simply the rock side of things, which predominantly white musicians focused and developed beginning in the mid-Sixties, while mainly black artists continued to keep that roll going in their contributions to modern music. Now, that’s not to say that the two never met or interacted with each other. No, those was continual cross-pollination happening all the time. Additionally, artists would spring up attempting to bridge the two sides in the form of Sly & the Family Stone or Prince & the Revolution or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. While others purposefully developed sounds that belied their skin color. For example, the hard rock Eighties band Living Colour were an all-black band and the Beastie Boys were all-white hip hop crew. The Average White Band were doing funk, while KC & the Sunshine Band was creating disco. And on the flip side, The Chambers Brothers and Love were rocking every bit as hard as white bands during those eras. You see, this is not a race thing, it’s a music thing.

Personally, when I was a teenager, I too that that only the rock portion of rock & roll was worth listening to. But, Mom’s records taught me a little, as did reading books about music. Recently, I mentioned that I bought The Book of Rock Lists, which I attribute me influencing my current definition of rock & roll. Still, I will leave it to the words of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame itself:

“The more immediate roots of rock and roll lay in the so-called “race” music, or rhythm and blues, and “hillbilly” music, or country & western, of the Forties and Fifties. Other significant influences include blues, jazz, gospel, boogie-woogie, folk and bluegrass…

Over the past five decades, rock and roll has evolved in many directions. Numerous styles of music — from soul to hip-hop, from heavy metal to punk, from progressive rock to electronic — have fallen under the rock and roll umbrella.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognizes these different types of music and looks forward to seeing how rock and roll will continue to reinvent itself in the future.”

So, this is why I have no problem with artists like Whitney Houston getting in the Hall. Actually, I wish the Hall would loosen their stupid induction requirements, or at least set it up to be similar to the Baseball Hall of Fame, so more artists would be inducted, all of which might alleviate this whole feeling of metal artists or prog rockers feeling ripped off because the Hall might induct Dionne Warwick or Kate Bush or Devo instead of them. And, actually, I think it’s more of a fan issue than it is a musician’s, though there are musicians with this attitude (Gene Simmons, I’m looking at you!).

But, that’s what is so cool about music. All of this stuff speaks to each of us individually. For me, there are days when Tom Petty knows exactly what I am battling. Then, there are others when it’s Earth, Wind & Fire to do the trick, or it could be The Flying Burrito Brothers. Or Fishbone. Or ABBA. Or Pat Benatar.

Whoever your favorite musical artist is, they will always maintain their rightful place in the most important Hall of Fame, your heart. Personally, I follow the words of the prophet Billy Joel in his great classic “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”: “Hot funk, cool punk, even if it’s old junk/It’s still rock and roll to me.”

Very few record companies had the impact that Motown as had. Over the years, we had watched as artist after artist attempted to cover songs from the Motown cannon to varying levels of success, with few of them actually coming close to the level of artistic integrity of the original. So, where did the magic come from?

Some have opined that it was the studio, only to have artist after artist try to record there with little success. Others claimed it was their record producers, only to use one of those men to produce an album with little success. And artist after artist attempted writing sessions with some of the big songwriters of the day, only to leave the sessions stymied. So, what was it?

If you have watched the excellent-though-dated documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, you probably know the answer. You see, back in the post-World War II years, there was a migration of poor blacks and whites from the South to Detroit in search of jobs in the automobile factories there. Of course, when a huge influx of people enters an area, so does an influx in musical talent. So, when Barry Gordy Jr. decided to start his own record label, he went in search of the best musicians in the area to become his “house” band. These men were seasoned veterans of the Detroit blues and jazz scenes and were all virtuosos at their craft. The beautiful thing was that they were both black and white musicians who appreciated each other not only for their musical talents but for each other. For some reason, these men, who became known as “The Funk Brothers,” had a chemistry that extended beyond the studio, regardless of the color of their skin. And, they brought a spirituality to their sessions by praying before each one.

No, it wasn’t just the studio or songwriters or producers or songs, it was the musicians who brought it all to life that made Motown special. It was the Funk Brothers. And, this is true of all the great recording studios throughout the history of rock and roll. From Stax to Atlantic to LA to Muscle Shoals, all of the big successful recording studios and record labels of this era had crack studio bands with great chemistry. And the Funk Brothers, in my humble opinion, were the greatest of them all. That is why I have been proposing for the better part of a decade that the whole group known as the Funk Brothers be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

You know that The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Four Tops and all the rest were unbelievably talented vocalists, and in the case of Gaye and Wonder, talented musicians in their own right. But it was the Funk Brothers who made those songs jump from the speakers. Those guys played uncredited on more hits than Elvis, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined. Yet, few know about them.

So, the next time you have a hankering for some Motown music and begin to listen to the music on your prefer mode of audio entertainment, remember that the music of this fabled label was arranged and played by some of the most incredibly talented musicians ever collected in one room. And they like to call themselves the Funk Brothers.

So, let’s take at look at the work of the Funk Brothers, who can be found on all the classic music recorded before 1971. By 1972, Motown had left behind Detroit for the glitz of Los Angeles. Not only did Motown abandon Detroit upon their move, they abandoned their crack coterie of blues/jazz/R&B/funk players collectively known as The Funk Brothers.

Now, for the countdown.

50. Boyz II Men – “End of the Road” (1992)

49. The Undisputed Truth – “Smiling Faces Sometimes” (1971)

48. The Supremes – “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1966)

47. The Temptations – “Cloud Nine” (1968)

46. Four Tops – “Baby I Need Your Loving” (1964)

45. Stevie Wonder – “Isn’t She Lovely” (1977)

44. Diana Ross – “I’m Coming Out” (1980)

43. The Miracles – “Love Machine (Part 1)” (1975)

42. Diana Ross – “Love Hangover” (1976)

41. Jackson 5 – “Never Can Say Goodbye” (1971)

40. Stevie Wonder – “My Cherie Amour” (1969)

39. The Supremes – “Baby Love” (1964)

38. The Miracles – “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” (1962)

37. Four Tops – “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” (1965)

36. The Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964)

35. Stevie Wonder – “Boogie On Reggae Woman” (1974)

34. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – “I Second That Emotion” (1967)

33. Marvin Gaye – “Got to Give It Up (Part 1)” (1977)

32. The Miracles – “Shop Around” (1960)

31. Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get It On” (1973)

30. The Miracles – “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965)

29. The Marvelettes – “Please Mr. Postman” (1961)

28. Barrett Strong – “Money (That’s What I Want)” (1959)

27. The Supremes – “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965)

26. Stevie Wonder – “Higher Ground” (1973)

25. Commodores – “Easy” (1977)

24. Jr. Walker & the All Stars – “Shotgun” (1965)

23. Martha & the Vandellas – “(Love Is Like a) Heatwave” (1963)

22. The Contours – “Do You Love Me’ (1962)

21. The Temptations – “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” (1971)

20. Four Tops – “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” (1966)

19. The Miracles – “Ooo Baby Baby” (1965)

18. Mary Wells – “My Guy” (1964)

17. The Temptations – “My Girl” (1964)

16. The Supremes – “You Can’t Hurry Love” (1966)

15. Stevie Wonder – “Superstition” (1972)

14. Jimmy Ruffin – “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” (1966)

13. Martha & the Vandellas – “Dancing in the Street” (1964)

12. Edwin Starr – “War” (1970)

11. Rick James – “Super Freak” (1981)

10. The Temptations – “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (1966)

9. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1967)

8. Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On” (1971)

7. Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” (1969)

6. Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke” (1977)

5. Four Tops – “Standing in the Shadows of Love” (1966)

4. The Temptations – “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972)

3. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – “The Tears of a Clown” (1970)

2. Martha & the Vandellas – “Nowhere to Run” (1965)

1. Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)

And, there you have it! My Top 150 Motown Songs. Peace.

When it comes to music, there are singles, album cuts and albums that have played an important part in the development of my musical tastes. However, the one thing that truly did more in my rock music development was a book entitled The Book of Rock Lists written by former Creem magazine editor Dave Marsh and Kevin Stein. Now, in the Seventies and Eighties Books of Lists were quite the rage, but no one had focused upon rock and roll. That book single-handedly changed everything for me.

Prior to reading The Book of Rock Lists, I mainly listened to Journey, REO Speedwagon and Styx, though I had been discovering artists like Cheap Trick, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Blondie, Devo, The Police, Parliament/Funkadelic and Chic. But, perhaps, nothing changed my musical life more than Chapter 33, entitled “Top of the Pops.”

Let me begin by saying, I had no idea at the time the authors were referencing the great weekly British program of the same name with that title. More importantly, Marsh and Stein made an effort to list the best 40 songs and albums for each year of the rock era, which at the time spanned from 1955 through 1980. They used the criteria that each song and album had to have reached the Top 40 of Billboard’s charts for albums and singles. As I read those lists, I discovered that the definition of rock and roll was far more inclusive than I had previously been lead to believe. When I finished that chapter, I gained the confidence that my tastes in music were in line with some of my favorite rock critics. At that moment, my definition of rock and roll expanded to include my beloved Hall & Oates, and that rock and roll included not only poppish artists but black, jazz and country artists as well. So, instead of focusing upon a small, white (artist)-based sound, I was free to include disco, R&B, the Raspberries, southern rock, the Jackson 5 and folk musics in my definition of rock and roll. Suddenly, music went from a thing of relaxation and enjoyment to something of an obsession. And, it remains that way today.

It was while reading this book that I learned how an important of a role Motown played in the development of rock and roll both directly and indirectly. These men showed me the company’s importance by the number of singles and albums recorded by their artists found in their yearly lists in Chapter 33. Suddenly, this skinny lad from the flatlands of Central Indiana found it enrichening as he played Alice Cooper, followed by Thelma Houston, then Journey, Tom Tom Club, Kenny Loggins, Heart, Marvin Gaye, etc. while making mixtapes.

This revelation influenced by DJ-ing as well. Suddenly, I found it musically amusing to watch kids dancing to dance tunes by Donna Summer and Frankie Smith, only to have songs by The Clash or Devo or, God forbid, Foreigner slid into the mix without anyone leaving the dancefloor. All of this was possibly due to The Book of Rock Lists, especially that now-fabled Chapter 33.

And Motown, especially that classic stuff from the Sixties, was still so good that kids of the early-Eighties continued to dance to those joyous, carefree songs. Plus, Motown seemed to just put a smile on the faces of those on the dancefloors. And, I’ve kept those memories locked with the sounds of those classic songs.

So, let’s get that countdown restarted, beginning with number 100 on my list of my 150 favorite Motown songs. 

100. The Temptations – “The Way You Do the Things You Do” (1964)

99. Lionel Richie – “All Night Long (All Night)” (1983)

98. Teena Marie – “I Need Your Lovin’” (1980)

97. The Supremes – “Love Child” (1968)

96. The Temptations – “Runaway Child, Running Wild” (1969)

95. Stevie Wonder – “I Wish” (1976)

94. Rare Earth – “I Want to Celebrate” (1971)

93. Mary Jane Girls – “In My House” (1985)

92. Mary Wells – “Two Lovers” (1962)

91. Jackson 5 – “ABC” (1970)

90. Smokey Robinson – “Quiet Storm” (1975)

89. Stevie Wonder – “That Girl” (1982)

88. Diana Ross – “Touch Me in the Morning” (1973)

87. The Temptations – “Psychedelic Shack” (1970)

86. Martha & the Vandellas – “Jimmy Mack” (1967)

85. The Supremes – “Stoned Love” (1970)

84. Gladys Knight & the Pips – “I Don’t Want to Do Wrong” (1971)

83. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross – “Endless Love” (1981)

82. Marvin Gaye – “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” (1964)

81. Rockwell – “Somebody’s Watching Me” (1984)

80. Eddie Kendricks – “Boogie Down” (1973)

79. Jackson 5 – “I’ll Be There” (1970)

78. Gladys Knight & the Pips – “If I Were Your Woman” (1970)

77. Commodores – “Nightshift” (1985)

76. The Temptations – “(I Know) I’m Losing You” (1966)

75. Little Stevie Wonder – “Fingertips (Part II)” (1963)

74. Marvin Gaye & Kim Westin – “It Takes Two” (1966)

73. Stevie Wonder – “For Once in My Life” (1968)

72. Smokey Robinson – “Cruisin’” (1979)

71. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” (1968)

70. Gladys Knight & the Pips – “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” (1972)

69. Stevie Wonder – “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” (1965)

68. Isley Brothers – “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)” (1966)

67. Four Tops – “It’s the Same Old Song” (1965)

66. The Temptations – “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” (1970)

65. The Marvelettes – “Beechwood 4-5789” (1962)

64. Marvin Gaye – “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” (1971)

63. Dazz Band – “Let It Whip” (1982)

62. The Supremes – “Come See About Me” (1964)

61. Commodores – “Brick House” (1977)

60. Stevie Wonder – “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” (1980)

59. David Ruffin – “My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)” (1969)

58. Diana Ross – “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” (1975)

57. Eddie Kendricks – “Keep on Truckin’ (Part 1)” (1973)

56. Thelma Houston – “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (1976)

55. The Temptations – “I Can’t Get Next to You” (1969)

54. Gladys Knight & the Pips – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1967)

53. Johnny Gill – “Rub You the Right Way” (1990)

52. David Ruffin – “Walk Away from Love” (1975)

51. Commodores – “Three Times a Lady” (1978)

I hope to finish this off this week. Peace.

Honestly, I think I was born with Motown ingrained into my DNA. Of course, I had no idea what Motown was when I was little. I simply knew what songs I liked and those I did not, though many of those grew on me as I got older. As I watch my grandchildren react to music, there is something innately programmed into us to want to dance. So, when I heard Motown artists, Mom said I would dance through the house.

As I got older, Motown’s music continued to move me. I distinctly remember being an elementary kid when Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” was a hit. Since I realized early on that I lacked musical talent, I focused on the lyrics. And, “What’s Going On” spoke to me. I probably did not understand everything that was going on in the song, but I knew anguish and despair when I heard it. And, Marvin was in pain, and that knowledge moved me. Still, I did not know Gaye was a Motown artist.

Eventually, I began to learn that this label called Motown was and continued to be a label that was home to many talented artists who I loved. I was the right age for Stevie Wonder to be a major artist on the radio, and old enough to watch a majority of my classmates get excited during lunch whenever the jukebox would play “Love Machine (Part 1)” by The Miracles. Through in Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and a little live Marvin Gaye ditty called “Got to Give It Up,” and we’d have a nice soundtrack to our lunch period.

When I got to college, I immediately discovered that some of my favorite new wave artists, like Culture Club and The Style Council, had a Motown-fixation that was a definite influence on their music. With that in mind, I slowly began to accumulate some Motown music. And, whenever I read a rock history book, there was always large portions of the book reserved for this formerly Detroit-based label and its subsidiaries (Tamla, Melo-dy, etc.). It was then I learned that Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Temptations, Four Tops and The Supremes had all grown up together. And, that Stevie Wonder blew the whole “Motown Family” away as a pre-teen by playing almost every instrument in the fabled Hitsville U.S.A. studio at the Motown building (which was actually a small home).

And during those same college years, I began to weave Motown songs into my party mixtapes, discovering these beautifully classic songs kept the party rocking. It was then that I realized I was not the only person in my age group who loved Motown, arguably the greatest record label with the finest array of musical talent.

Today, I am going to begin another of my series of Favorite Songs of an artist, genre or, like the next few days, a record company. Therefore, let’s no longer delay the countdown. Kick it!

150. DeBarge – “Rhythm of the Night” (1985)

149. Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers – “Does Your Mama Know About Me” (1968)

148. Stevie Wonder – “Overjoyed” (1985)

147. Rick James – “You and Me” (1978)

146. G.C. Cameron – “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” (1975)

145. Brenda Holloway – “Every Little Bit Hurts” (1964)

144. Smokey Robinson – “One Heartbeat” (1987)

143. Eddie Holland – “Jamie” (1961)

142. The Velvelettes – “Needle in a Haystack” (1964)

141. Commodores – “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” (1981)

140. Stevie Wonder – “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” (1970)

139. Smokey Robinson – “Just to See Her” (1987)

138. Michael Jackson – “Ben” (1972)

137. The Supremes – “Back in My Arms Again” (1965)

136. Commodores – “Sail On” (1979)

135. Shanice – “I Love Your Smile” (1991)

134. Marvin Gaye – “I Want You” (1976)

133. Jermaine Jackson – “Let’s Get Serious” (1980)

132. Mary Wells – “The One Who Really Loves You” (1962)

131. The Spinners – “It’s a Shame” (1970)

130. Jackson 5 – “The Love You Save” (1970)

129. Commodores – “Oh No” (1981)

128. Stevie Wonder – “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” (1974)

127. Boyz II Men – “Motownphilly” (1991)

126. Kim Weston – “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)” (1965)

125. Lionel Richie – “Truly” (1982)

124. Marvin Gaye – “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” (1971)

123. Stevie Wonder – “I Was Made to Love You” (1967)

122. Diana Ross – “Upside Down” (1980)

121. Mary Wells – “You Beat Me to the Punch” (1962)

120. Boyz II Men – “On Bended Knee” (1994)

119. Stevie Wonder – “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (1973)

118. Rare Earth – “Get Ready” (1970)

117. Smokey Robinson – “Being with You” (1981)

116. Commodores – “Still” (1979)

115. Stevie Wonder – “I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It” (1980)

114. Another Bad Creation – “Iesha” (1991)

113. Lionel Richie – “Stuck on You” (1983)

112. Billy Preston & Syreeta – “With You I’m Born Again” (1979)

111. The Marvelettes – “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game” (1966)

110. Michael Jackson – “Got to Be There” (1971)

109. Rick James – “Give It to Me Baby” (1981)

108. Four Tops – “Bernadette” (1967)

107. Bettye LaVette – “Right in the Middle (Of Falling in Love)” (1981)

106. Brenda Holloway – “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” (1967)

105. Stevie Wonder – “Living for the City” (1973)

104. Bonnie Pointer – “Heaven Must Have Sent You” (1978)

103. Boyz II Men – “I’ll Make Love to You” (1994)

102. The Supremes – “I Hear a Symphony” (1965)

101. Diana Ross – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1970)

Next time, let’s do 50 more. Peace.

At 0800 EST in the USA on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 16-artist Nominees List from which five to seven will become members of the Class of 2021 Induction Class for the Hall. And, every year, a coterie of rock music aficionados, loosely known as The Hall Watchers, will converse through various modes of electronic communication, though we mostly found on Twitter waxing poetic about our favorite artists we swear is being snubbed the most by The Hall’s Nominating Committee. I must say that this loosely organized covey consists of some very fine people with interesting occupations, all of whom have a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fetish.

To be perfectly honest, I have learned a cornucopia of information about the inner workings and politics of the Hall, as well as gained some insight concerning the nomination process. Yet, for all the faults built into the Hall, I still love it. Back during my college days, I read an article in Rolling Stone magazine that the rag’s owner, Jann Wenner, wanted to head a monetary drive to open a Hall of Fame for the world of rock music. The vision of the place would be a museum with displays honoring artists from all eras, covering the pre-rock & roll Fifties up to and including the most current flavor of the moment. And, if you have ever visited the place, located in Cleveland, Ohio, it is truly magical. So much so that even my lovely wife, who only has a passing interest in music, found the Hall to be one of her favorite places we have ever visited, which includes her beloved Disney World. And, she still puts the RRHOF ahead of Magic Kingdom and the rest of the sprawling land containing the so-called “Happiest Place on Earth” (my boys, during their teenage years, would beg to disagree). The Hall, on the other hand, was just breath-taking.

Over the years, we have told our friends that they would love the place. So much so that after the pandemic so been slowed enough, there will be a caravan of crazies from Central Indiana making our own pilgrimage of sorts to Northeastern Ohio to visit this I.M. Pei shrine to the most influential artform of the twentieth century. I really want this trip to be my entry back into the world of humanity.

Anyway, every year, my social media friends and I write our annual blogs or create our annual podcasts as to our predictions for the Nominee List for the RRHOF. And, every year, each of us praise some of the choices on the list and bemoan those whom have been snubbed. Personally, I love to see how many of the artists I predicted actually end up on the list. Now, I always have one artist that is a personal favorite of mine who I become known as that person’s biggest fan. Up until their their 2016 induction, I kept adding Cheap Trick’s name to my list, even telling my boys that I would boycott the Hall until the band from Rockford, Illinois were finally let into the place. So, since 2016, my boycott is over, and Cheap Trick is an inducted member of the RRHOF. Since that time, I have placed The Jam, my beloved artist Paul Weller’s FIRST induction-worthy band, on my prediction for that year’s Nominee List. Unfortunately, The Jam’s snubbing continues into 2021. C’mon people! Ya gotta induct The Jam, then solo Paul Weller, then, when the world finally catches up to the visionary work of his Eighties band, The Style Council. And, right now, I am suffering a little bit more each year The Jam is left off the ballot for induction. Watch out friends! I may have to turn up the heat a bit for this terrific first-wave punk band.

So, let’s review my list from 29 October 2020. On that day, I wrote a blog entitled “Will Anyone Listen to Me? My Picks for the Nominees List for the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.” First off, what a long, meandering headline! What was I thinking? No wonder few people actually read the damn thing! Oh, Christ! Anyway, who was on my list? Here it is! I predicted the Nominee List would consist of the following artists: Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, heavy metal gods Judas Priest, dark prog rockers King Crimson, German synthesizer pioneers Kraftwerk, 80s rap god LL Cool J, 60s political proto-punks MC5, 80s hard rock pioneer Pat Benatar, 70s funkateers Rufus & Chaka Khan, Seattle grunge gods Soundgarden, New Wave dance gurus The B-52’s, punk pop pioneers The Go-Go’s, my punk faves The Jam, rock’s greatest comeback queen Tina Turner and my other favorite, rock & roll producer/rocker/video visionary and all-around Renaissance man Todd Rundgren. That means that I got 6.5 correct out of my 15 choices, which, in my mind, sucks.

To begin with, how can Pat Benatar and Soundgarden get left off the 2021 after having Top 5 showings in the Fan Voting in 2020? That is an insult, especially to Benatar after finishing second in that balloting. Next, Kraftwerk was just ONE ballot away from getting an automatic induction into the Hall if they had made the Nominee List in 2021. This is known as the seven consecutive nominations rule. Get nominated seven times in a row, and you get an automatic induction. Guess we couldn’t allow that to happen, exactly the same thing the Hall did to Chic, whom have not been nominated since 2016 when the Hall, in its infinite wisdom, inducted band member Nile Rodgers while thumbing their collective noses at the rest of the band. That was bad form!

So, here are the 16 Nominees for the 2021 Induction Class for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The five to seven nominees will be announced sometime in May 2021 with the induction ceremony to take place in Cleveland in November 2021. After many complaints, the Nominating Committee finally put together a very diverse list of men and women, straight and otherwise and of various nationalities and races. For that I am thankful and pleased. And, the quality of the nominees is terrific, covering many genres within the rock world.

And, the nominees are…

Mary J. Blige. This is Miss Blige’s first nomination. She is the Voice of the Nineties and the diva from Generation X. What made her a more approachable diva as opposed to Mariah Carey is that Blige has much more street cred. She was never afraid of acknowledging that in her music, which transposed her peerless vocals against music grounded in hip hop. She is very deserving of this nomination, but it just is not her year…YET!

Kate Bush. Miss Bush hit my radar in two ways. First, I had a pen pal from      Australia who was fanatical in her devotion to Kate Bush. Then, I saw her perform one very quirky near-art performance of her British hit song at the time on SNL. Of course, being a teenage male, I was taken immediately by her beautiful. Then, her unusual singing style immediately hooked me. In the Eighties, Bush developed a cult following in the US, while attaining star status in the UK and throughout the British empire. I still think her cult status here in the States will hurt her induction chances this year. Yet, I do envision her induction one day. Unfortunately, she is suffering due to the stupid backlog of worthy artists that needs to be rectified by the Hall ASAP.

Devo. If you were a teen in the late-70s/early 80s, you were taken by the whole performance art schtick of Devo immediately after seeing them deconstruct “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” on SNL  in 1978 and then again in 1980 when the performed a rousing version of “Uncontrollable Urge” on the late, great ABC late night sketch comedy show Fridays! A whole generation of computer geeks got sucked into Devo’s world, not unlike we got sucked into “Dungeons and Dragons” back in the day. This band is on the edge of getting the call and being left out again.

Foo Fighters. Nobody is surprised that Dave Grohl’s second band was nominated during their first year of eligibility. My older son has described Grohl as being the last of the traditional rock stars with a dynamic stage presence. The last thing about these Nineties alternative nation survivors is they are still creating excellent music, as heard on their brand new LP called Medicine at Midnight, which happens to be one of the best albums ever. The Foos are a slam dunk to be inducted.

The Go-Go’s. This band became a trendy pick for nomination after all the positive reviews and stories of their excellent documentary The Go-Go’s. By now, you know they were the first all-female band who wrote their own songs to have a number one album on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart back in the spring of 1982. After Joan Jett and Heart, you cannot underestimate this band’s lasting impact. Just ask recent inductees Green Day who one of their biggest influences are. The Go-Go’s will definitely be one of that band’s bigger influences.

Iron Maiden. Heavy metal has be unfairly marginalized. Sure, Sabbath, Zep and Metallica are all in, along with hard rock stalwarts AC/DC. but recent nominees like Judas Priest, Motörhead and Thin Lizzy have been unfairly passed over. Could Maiden’s first nomination be enough to get the boys in the Hall? I think it could.

Jay-Z. Arguably one of rap’s greatest MCs, Jay-Z should be a slam dunk for induction during his initial year of eligibility. It doesn’t hurt him that his Mr. Beyoncé either.

Chaka Khan. This poor woman! Sometimes she has been nominated with her former band of funk masters Rufus, and other times as a solo artist. She should be inducted in both manners. Her non-induction should be remedied soon. Unfortunately, 2021 won’t be the year for her.

Carole King. Can you believe this lady has NOT been inducted as a performer yet? This has been one of the biggest outrages of the past 30 years. She should be in the Hall if she had only recorded Tapestry. When she is inducted, this will become her second induction, with the first being as a songwriter with her ex-husband and former songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. Many have been yelling sexism concerning her exclusion. I expect this oversight to finally be rectified this year.

Fela Kuti. Few artists of color have done more for the music of their country outside of Bob Marley and Jamaica than Kuti has done with funkified versions of his native Nigeria’s music. World music artists have long been overlooked outside of a couple of reggae studs. Fela’s nomination was the feel-good left field nomination we get each year. Now, people will stream his long-deserving material much like everyone (re)discovered John Prine after his surprise nomination a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, Kuti will not be inducted this year, meaning the backlog of deserving artists continues to grow.

LL Cool J. One of the first transcendent hip hop stars of the Eighties, LL has been overlooked for a very long time since he has been concentrating on his acting career. But, back in the day, he was every bit as good as Run-DMC and Kurtis Blow (another overlooked rapper). He was dominate in the Eighties, at least until Eric B. & Rakim and Public Enemy came along. And they inspired LL Cool J to greater heights with Mama Said Knock You Out. Unfortunately, with Jay-Z on the ballot, LL will be outside looking in again.

New York Dolls. So what?! They dressed up like women. Everyone does that now and again. However, not in the Seventies. Therefore, no one, especially in the Midwest, took the band seriously. If they had just debuted three years later, they would have been punk heroes. Instead, they are another of the proto-punk bands beloved by those in the know, like we love The Stooges (inducted in 2010) and MC5 (still not in either). This band is on the fence for induction.

Rage Against the Machine. The band took the political fury of MC5, The Clash and Woody Guthrie, set it to metal music with a guitar that could sound like a scratching turntable in hip hop and hip hop rhythms to create something totally new and unique. RATM is yet another band that is straddling the fence this year.

Todd Rundgren. Rundgren is still one of my personal all-time faves, so I think he should be inducted. And, honestly, I believe things are breaking his way. He just might be inducted, whether he says he cares or not.

Tina Turner. That’s right! She has not been inducted for her stellar solo career. Oh, she was inducted as part of Ike & Tina Turner along with her asshole ex-husband who made Tina into a punching bag during their marriage. But, Tina ran off in the middle of the night in order to escape Ike, resumed her career, and became one of the best artists of the Eighties.

Dionne Warwick. This woman made Burt Bacharach’s middle of the road music come alive, with a touch of soul. Dionne’s craft was one of vocal restraint and not fireworks as her niece, Whitney Houston, made as her calling card. Warwick is another singer that people will find surprising that she is not an inductee. Since becoming a witty Twitter user over the winter, Warwick’s presence is at an new high, which means that she just might get inducted.

So, which of the outstanding 16 acts do I believe will be inducted? Usually, when choosing, we only go with five acts, since that was the policy of the RRHOF that caused this massive backlog of uninducted artists. Personally, I believe there are four slam dunks: Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Carole King and Tina Turner. My fifth is Todd Rundgren. If the Hall went with six inductees, as they have the past few years, I believe The Go-Go’s will get in. After that, I put the rest in this order of their chances: Dionne Warwick (7), Devo (8), Iron Maiden (9), New York Dolls (10), Rage Against the Machine (11), Chaka Khan (12), Kate Bush (13), LL Cool J (14), Fela Kuti (15) and Mary J. Blige (16).

This does not mean I dislike any of these fine artists. I just believe some of these people have a better chance of induction right now than some of the others. I can’t wait to discover just how wrong I have been!

Now that the election has finally been put to rest, I have noticed that many of my friends have, like me, been feeling a bit nostalgic lately. For my high school class, we are celebrating our 40th anniversary of our graduation so that may be causing so many to wax poetic about our youth. Now, when I say this I do not mean to cause controversy, but I NEVER want to be a teenager again. The thing I miss the most is the relatively lack of responsibility for anyone else. And, since I am mainly a fairly self-sustained person (introverted with a touch of shyness) that goes in the opposite direction of my image (I’m a paid extrovert, but that takes much energy to go into that mode). As a teen, I was very insecure about every aspect of my physical appearance and personality. But, when I got home, I could retreat to my bedroom, pop on a record and escape into a world in which the songwriter knew exactly to express my inner thoughts.

So, the thing about disco music that I have learned over the years was how revolutionary it truly was as a cultural movement. Foremost, it was a music forum that celebrated diversity in sounds, textures and in all humanity. Disco clubs were the one place in which people danced with and next to others of different color, culture and sexual orientation. Unfortunately, when that happens, people who are scared of such changes are going to push back against anything that promotes this stuff in the public forum. And, this push and pull continues to this day. And, maybe it always will. But, at least baby steps are being made along the lines of true equality in which we celebrate the diversity of each other. Maybe we should begin to look at the States as being not so much a melting pot, as we have been taught for decades, but actually a gumbo in which are seasonings are celebrated and work together for the betterment of the taste of the pot of a mixture.

Unfortunately, we really haven’t had a galvanizing movement is the intervening years. We have lived through many movements within the musical world from punk and new wave through rap and country to nu-metal, grunge, teen idols, hair metal, pop punk and EDM, none of which have brought the masses together in one cohesive movement. In science, inertia says that all matter is looking to become individualistic and chaotic, so by an extension, so to must humanity, I’m afraid. It would just be cool to see something like The Wyld Stallions from the Bill and Ted movie franchise actually happen again.

So, I am left to dream of this scenario. And to reminisce about a bygone era, the disco era. With that said, here’s my Top 50 songs of the Disco Era, as I listen to some Bee Gees.

50. The O’Jays – “Love Train” (1972)

49. Kiss – “I Was Made for Loving You” (1979)

48. KC & the Sunshine Band – “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” (1976)

47. Bee Gees – “Jive Talkin'” (1975)

46. ABBA – “Dancing Queen” (1976)

45. Frankie Smith – “Double Dutch Bus” (1981)

44. Lipps Inc. – “Funkytown” (1980)

43. Peaches & Herb – “Shake Your Groove Thing” (1978)

42. Amii Stewart – “Knock on Wood” (1979)

41. Madonna – “Holiday” (1983)

40. Heatwave – “The Groove Line” (1978)

39. Sister Sledge – “We Are Family” (1979)

38. Diana Ross – “Love Hangover” (1976)

37. Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band – “Chez La Femme/Se Si Bon” (1976)

36. Sugarhill Gang – “Rapper’s Delight” (1979)

35. Prince – “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (1979)

34. KC & the Sunshine Band – “Get Down Tonight” (1974)

33. Dan Hartman – “Instant Replay” (1978)

32. Ohio Players – “Love Rollercoaster” (1975)

31. Donna Summer – “Love to Love You Baby” (1975)

30. Patrick Hernandez – “Born to Be Alive” (1979)

29. Chic – “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” (1977)

28. Thelma Houston – “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (1976)

27. Cheryl Lynn – “Got to Be Real” (1978)

26. Andrea True Connection – “More, More, More (Part 1)” (1976)

25. Michael Jackson – “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” (1979)

24. Blondie – “Call Me” (1980)

23. Barry White – “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” (1974)

22. Chaka Khan – “I’m Every Woman” (1978)

21. Village People – “Y.M.C.A.” (1979)

20. Diana Ross – “I’m Coming Out” (1980)

19. Donna Summer – “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)” (1982)

18. Chic – “Good Times” (1979)

17. Bee Gees – “You Should Be Dancing” (1976)

16. The Dazz Band – “Let It Whip” (1982)

15. The Jacksons – “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground” (1978)

14. Rick James – “Super Freak” (1981)

13. Sylvester – “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” (1978)

12. Gloria Gaynor – “I Will Survive” (1978)

11. McFadden & Whitehead – “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” (1979)

10. The Spinners – “Rubberband Man” (1977)

9. Evelyn “Champagne” King – “Shame” (1978)

8. The Rolling Stones – “Miss You” (1978)

7. A Taste of Honey – “Boogie Oogie Oogie” (1978)

6. Blondie – “Heart of Glass” (1978)

5. Donna Summer – “Last Dance” (1978)

4. Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)

3. Chic – “Le Freak” (1978)

2. The Trammps – “Disco Inferno” (1976)

1. Donna Summer – “I Feel Love” (1977)

What a wonderful musical moment in time! Peace.

Man, the month of January 2021 has been something of an epilogue for the story of 2020. Remember, around Christmas, my dad tested positive for COVID-19 and began to show symptoms. He was then hospitalized for a couple of days, appeared to be medically stable and discharged on New Year’s Day. Then, within 48 hours, everything went south for him. His wife had him rushed to the hospital via ambulance. Thus, he began what has turned into a month-long stay in two different facilities. Finally, he is beginning to get to the point in which I believe the medical team will begin to discuss his release. This is miraculous as he is 85, but his physical conditioning has always defied his age. The man had a pre-coronavirus activity of stretching, push-ups, sit-ups and walking 2.5-3 miles a day. I think this might be his secret for his survival up to this point.

So, it is with a joyful heart in which I tackle this second day of my 150 favorite disco songs. After apologizing my aberrant behavior as a naïve sixteen year-old in 1979 for unwittingly promoting xeno- and homophobia with my “Disco Destroyer” t-shirt, today, I would rather praise the attributes of this unfairly maligned era in rock history.

Thus far, the only “disco” artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are Donna Summer, Bee Gees and Abba, though one might say both Abba and the Bee Gees were more of pop groups with a catalog and resume similar to that of Madonna, with the ability to jump from one genre to the next. On the other hand, Donna Summer was referred to as the “Queen of Disco.” And, yes, it was true that she dominated the club dancefloors. Yet, I would argue that she were no different that Janet Jackson in her effort to make her music transcend the dancefloor while making art.

Therefore, it is my belief that Chic and KC & the Sunshine Band’s accomplishments and music should be reevaluated, as well as Sylvester, Grace Jones and Cher. All of these artists were given a huge black eye during the “Disco Sucks” backlash in the aftermath of that “Disco Demolition Night” in July 1979 in Chicago. First, I know the whole Chic argument seemed to be put to rest when the Hall, in its infinitely stupid decision, decided to induct Chic guitarist and half of the songwriting and production partnership known as the Chic Organization Nile Rodgers for Musical Excellence. But, how could the Hall overlook the contributions of Rodgers’ partner and bassist Bernard Edwards, along with the whole crew of vocalists, drummer Tony Thompson and other musicians who all worked together to not only create some everlasting dancefloor classics, but helped birth hip hop along the way. Remember, no “Good Times,” no “Rapper’s Delight,” and thus no big bang moment for rap music.

And, I could go on forever about my firm belief that what Chic did for R&B music with the “Deep Hidden Meaning” in their lyrics is exactly what Steely Dan did for rock. Yet, Steely Dan gets a Hall induction and universal adoration, and Chic, many of whose members were actual jazz, rock and jazz fusion musicians before coming together to form a band whose big hits happened to be disco standards of the day, are left out of the Hall. Few in the rock world can play bass like Edwards, play guitar like Rodgers or drum like Thompson. So, if you are going to ignoring Chic their due since of their disco hits, why then don’t we turn our backs on Kiss (“I Was Made for Loving You”), Rod Stewart (“Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”) and the Grateful Dead (“Shakedown Street”) for their disco hits? As far as Chic is concerned, go listen to their first three albums, Chic, C’est Chic and Risqué, as well as the recent Chic Organization compilation, Nile Rodgers Presents the Chic Organization: Up All Night which collects the best of all of their production works with Chic and others.

Besides Chic, the other artists I listed who are all unfairly labeled as “Disco” are artists whose production work and musicianship influenced the way music moved in the year immediately after their successes and running into this very day. KC & the Sunshine Band paved the way for the Bee Gees big late-Seventies run by showing that Miami had a very vibrant music scene going on back in the day that continued through Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s Latin-influenced run up to today’s hits by Pitbull and others. Likewise, Sylvester and Grace Jones’ gender-bending images and lyrics made important strides for the acceptance of the LGBQ+ community during a time when acceptance was barely happening. And, Cher, who is now universally loved for her Bowie-like musical chameleon ability to adapt to the times, is still laughed at by the boomer-aged music critics running the Hall. Yet, that woman is a survivor and a forerunner to Madonna with a more diverse musical catalog.

Disco is NOT a “bad word” in music. The music represents the widest range of musical sounds within a genre this side of new wave. And, like new wave the sprung up in disco’s wake, the attitude of acceptance was everywhere. I am talking about the acceptance of race and sexual orientation. The problem for mainstream America is that all of this acceptance was beginning to make them feel as though they were loosing their “American” identity. Sound familiar? In this regard, disco was not really a mindless, feel good dance music movement but the beginnings of a revolution of liberal love and acceptance in a cultural war that is still being waged over four decades later. Will the insurrection that occurred on 6 January 2021 become the same cultural conflict point as Disco Demolition Night between games of a twilight double header in Chicago on 12 July 1979? Who knows, but as long as I am around, I will continue to point out the parallels between the two.

Please give disco its due! This was a fan moment in time, although I was actually too young to get the full club experience at the time. The one time I really did experience a “real” disco happened during that week I was in Fort Collins, Colorado, during the summer of 1978 for a national athletic event. But, does a disco for teens really count? Did I have fun each night? You bet! Then, yes.

So, get on with the countdown, will ya Keller? Here we go!

100. S.O.S. Band – “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” (1980)

99. Donna Summer – “Hot Stuff” (1979)

98. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes – “Bad Luck” (1975)

97. Musique – “In the Bush” (1978)

96. Van McCoy – “The Hustle” (1975)

95. KC & the Sunshine Band – “Boogie Shoes” (1978)

94. G.Q. – “Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)” (1979)

93. Carol Douglas – “Doctor’s Orders” (1975)

92. Bell & James – “Livin’ It Up (Friday Night)” (1979)

91. Carl Carlton – “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)” (1981)

90. Brothers Johnson – “Stomp” (1980)

89. The Weather Girls – “It’s Raining Men” (1982)

88. The Pointer Sisters – “I’m So Excited” (1982)

87. Foxy – “Get Off” (1978)

86. Earth, Wind & Fire – “September” (1978)

85. Instant Funk – “I Got My Mind Made Up” (1979)

84. Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean” (1982)

83. Isaac Hayes – “Don’t Let Go” (1979)

82. Donna Summer – “She Works Hard for the Money” (1983)

81. Indeep – “A DJ Saved My Life Last Night” (1982)

80. Kool & the Gang – “Celebration” (1980)

79. Patrice Rushen – “Forget Me Nots” (1982)

78. Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music” (1976)

77. Ohio Players – “Fire” (1974)

76. Funkadelic – “One Nation Under a Groove” (1978)

75. Michael Sembello – “Maniac” (1983)

74. The Emotions – “Best of My Love” (1977)

73. Anita Ward – “Ring My Bell” (1979)

72. Alicia Bridges – “I Love the Night Life (Disco ‘Round)” (1978)

71. David Naughton – “Makin’ It” (1979)

70. Donna Summer – “Dim All the Lights” (1979)

69. BT Express – “Do It (‘Til Your Satisfied)” (1974)

68. Vickie Sue Robinson – “Turn the Beat Around” (1976)

67. The O’Jays – “I Love Music” (1975)

66. Shannon – “Let the Music Play” (1984)

65. Blondie – “Atomic” (1979)

64. Sister Sledge – “He’s the Greatest Dancer” (1979)

63. Disco Tex & the Sex-O-Lettes – “Get Dancin'” (1974)

62. Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” (1982)

61. Tavares – “More Than a Woman” (1977)

60. Bee Gees – “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977)

59. Donna Summer – “McArthur Park” (1978)

58. Silver Convention – “Fly, Robin, Fly” (1975)

57. Sylvester – “I Wanna Funk” (1982)

56. Chic – “Everybody Dance” (1977)

55. Machine – “There but for the Grace of God I Go” (1978)

54. Donna Summer – “Bad Girls” (1979)

53. The Gap Band – “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” (1982)

52. Santa Esmeralda – “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (1977)

51. Kool & the Gang – “Get Down on It” (1982)

Fifty more to go! See you next time. Peace.