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I defy you to find a better Rock n Roll logo than this one for Average White Band? I know they are probably more funk and R&B then Rock n Roll, but still…nothing beats this logo.

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First, a disclaimer.  I am not claiming to be good at dancing.  In fact, the opposite is true.  If you consider yourself a skilled dancer, move on and ignore this post.  If you are bad at dancing or hesitant to dance in public, this post is written specifically for you.

Growing up, I hated dancing.  I wasn’t confident enough to go out on the floor to dance, so I’d just hang back.  If I was at a wedding, I’d spend the entire time at my table.  An easy answer for this is I was often alone and nervous.  Still, people would ask me to dance and I would always say no.  Luckily, I moved on from this phase once I was finished with college.

Weddings are infinitely more fun if you are dancing

I’m glad I decided to dance at weddings because every year since college graduation I’ve gone to two to three weddings and had a blast at them.  Generally, you’ll see me out on the dance floor until the wedding reception ends.  Some people argue that wedding receptions are fun because you get to catch up with your friends.  I agree with that, but save that for the dinner portion of a reception.  After the bridal party dances, get out on the dance floor.
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This week I read Chuck Klosterman’s Fargo Rock City.  The book is part memoir, part analysis of 80s glam rock.  It begins with Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil and hits it’s climax at Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction.

First off, I absolutely adored this book.  Within 50 pages I realized that I wanted to read everything Klosterman writes.  By the end of the book, I was more interested in glam rock than I had ever thought possible.

The album that Klosterman probably spends the most time talking about is Appetite for Destruction.  Now, I’m extremely familiar with Appetite for Destruction.  The album cover is burned into my brain as are the three big hits from that album – Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City & Sweet Child O’ Mine.  If you had asked me if I owned that album, I would have quickly said yes.  The problem is I didn’t own it nor had I ever.  I never owned it on tape, cd (burned or otherwise) or had a copy digitally.

After finishing Fargo Rock City, I went out and finally bought my very own copy of Appetite for Destruction.  I’ve spent the past few days listening to it over and over again and I have to admit that it’s even better than advertised.  There are a handful of songs that are as good as the singles and more importantly, there isn’t any filler on the album – every song rocks.

Still, I’m fascinated that I had been so familiar with an album I didn’t even own.  Obviously it was a big seller, but I was only four years old when it was released so I don’t think I could have been influenced that much by the sales.  After some though, I realized that I have some distinct memories that are specifically tied to that album.

GNR Memory 1

Growing up in Spooner, WI there was a bowling alley in town.  Occasionally I’d go to this bowling alley with friends, but we also went there for gym class for a week.  There wasn’t anything that stood out about this bowling alley (outside of it being the only one within 15 miles), but I distinctly remember there being a Guns N’ Roses pinball machine located between the bowling alley and bar area.

In fact, I remember this pinball machine so well that I’m starting to question it’s actual existence.  There are times that I find my memories conflicting with fact and I’m afraid that this might be another example of this occurring.

GNR Memory 2

When I was in high school, I took an Honors English 2 class my junior year.  At the time, I was starting to become friends with a quiet kid named Zach.  I was just beginning to get to know him because he had gone to Catholic school up until our freshman year.  I knew that he was nice and had a sense of humor that seemed to come out of nowhere.  Still, I didn’t expect he would do what he did one day in Honors English 2.

We were asked to bring in a poem that we liked and read it to the class.  This poem request was rather liberal since we were allowed to bring in song lyrics (which looking back on it, seems silly).  We were supposed to bring our poem in front of the class, read it and explain to the class why it meant something to us.

Zach quietly came up to the front of the class and proceded to read the lyrics to Welcome to the Jungle.  The brilliant part of this reading was threefold.  First off, he didn’t tell anyone he was doing it.  Often great ideas are too difficult to keep secret and are often spoiled with anticipation.  Second off, he read the entire thing without cracking a smile.  Some of the class was laughing so hard that my friend Josh and I literally fell out of our chairs laughing.  Finally, Zach read off the entire lyrics, including pronouncing every single na in the “Watch it bring you to your shun na,na,na,na,na,na,na knees, knees” line.  Quite honestly, it was the single funniest comedic moment I’ve ever experienced in my life.

GNR Moment 3

When Molly and I first started dating, I remember having a fight that I honestly thought was going to be the beginning of the end of our relationship.  She was listening to Sheryl Crow’s version of Sweet Child O’ Mine and I remember mentioning how she should stop wasting her time with that version and just listen to the original Guns N’ Roses version.  She defended the Crow version and even argued that it was better than the GNR original.  I remember that this made me so mad because I could not comprehend such faulty thinking.  I remember thinking, “if she can make such a mistake on something as obvious as this, what else is she wrong on?”

I’m happy to say that she has moved on and recanted such a silly statement.  I also admit that it’s ridiculous to think that a difference in a matter of opinion could shake me so much.  Still, it’s honestly the biggest argument I have had with her that I can remember so clearly  - even though it happened 7 years ago.

In conclusion, I’m fascinated by Chuck Klosterman.  I’m really digging Appetite for Destruction and I’m amazed that I could have so many memories and strong feelings about an album that I had never owned until a few days ago.

I decided to look at the top 10 year runs in music history and rank the top 5. I looked at both solo artists and bands and tried to take the best 10 year runs of their careers. For most major artists, I’m familiar with their work, but I also relied on All Music as a reference.  I tried to give weight to both quantity and quality along with popularity and influence.

5.)  Neil Young ( 1969 – 1979 )

This period marks the first 10 years of Neil Young’s solo career.  The highlights include Everybody Knows this is Nowhere, After the Goldrush, On the Beach, Tonight’s the Night and Harvest.  This also includes the live albums Rust Never Sleeps & Live Rust.  Outside of a brief resurgence in the late 80s-early 90s, I think this decade includes all of the essential Neil Young albums.

4.) Bob Dylan ( 1962 – 1972 )

This is also marks the first 10 years of an artist’s career.  This includes most of Dylan’s major releases, such as The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Highway 61 & Blonde on Blonde.  One could argue that you could change this to 65 – 75 and include Blood on the Tracks & Basement Tapes, but then you are missing his 63-64 work.  Either way, Dylan belongs on this list.

3.) The Rolling Stones ( 1964 – 1974 )

Once again, this represents the beginning of The Rolling Stones’ career.  This includes Between the Buttons, Aftermath, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Beggars Banquet & Exile on Main Street.  Much like Neil Young, I think this 10 years encompasses everything you need to listen to from The Rolling Stones.  They produced a ton of records in this 10 year span.

2.) Bruce Springsteen ( 1973 – 1983 )

This is the first, and only, entry that doesn’t span into the 1960s.  I went with The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle thru Nebraska.  One could argue that you could start with Born to Run and go thru Born in the USA, but I prefer The Wild.  There are only 5 albums (1 double album) released in this decade, but they are all top notch 5 star masterpieces.   If you pushed it to best 15 year runs, I suspect Springsteen would vault to the top spot on this list.

1.) The Beatles ( 1963 – 1970 )

This might be a little unfair, because it only spans 7 years, but I don’t care.  They were a band from 1960 – 1970, so I think it should still count.  Either way, it doesn’t matter since they have the best discography of all time, they just crammed it in 7 years.

Honorable Mention: The Who ( 1965 – 1975 )

Is there anyone I missed?  Leave any suggestions or thoughts in the comments.