All clear? Good. Now dig in and enjoy…
100 GOODBYE TO ANOTHER YEAR
The Urban Voodoo Machine
Back in 2010, this raggle-taggle collective of mavericks, miscreants and snakecharmers came into our lives and made it noisier, more debauched and a lot more fun. This standout track, a heady mesh of junkyard blues, gypsy punk, mariachi horns, stompy drums and the best of times, was a vibrant summary of all the Urban Voodoo Machine stood for. PG From: Goodbye To Another Year, 2010
99
LIVE TILL YOU DIE
Magnum
Since reuniting unexpectedly in 2001, Magnum have enjoyed an unexpected twilightyears purple patch. The opener of their eighteenth studio album was heralded by a keyboard flourish, frontman Bob Catley then chirruped gamely, and the enduring Midlanders set to work with a sprightly, colourful and super-hummable slice of pomp-rock that stood its ground alongside Magnum’s records from the 80s. DL From: Escape From The Shadow Garden, 2014
98
MR BRIGHTSIDE
The Killers ‘Fuck off, that wasn’t a rock song!’ some might moan. Oh but it was, albeit one with the sort of stickin-your-head, singat-a-club-evenwhen-blind-drunk melody and lyrics that all bands dream of. In a list of the moststreamed songs of 2019, dominated by young pop and urban stars, the driving alt. rock debut single by Las Vegas rockers The Killers was among the top 20. To date it’s the longest-charting single in UK history. No small beans. PG From: Hot Fuss, 2004
97
SOAK UP THE SUN
Sheryl Crow
Anyone who thinks that Sheryl Crow was just a 90s success story is only halfright. True, that was the decade in which the rock-comecountry-come-pop star delivered All I Wanna Do, If It Makes You Happy and other singles, but her noughties wave had some magical moments too, the best of which was Soak Up The Sun. Part classy surfer dude pop-rock anthem, part upbeat Americana ballad, it was a dulcet tonic for anyone needing a break from the nu metal banging on everyone’s door. PG From: C’mon, C’mon, 2002
96
BAD DAY
R.E.M.
It might have been kicking around in R.E.M.’s ‘Abandoned Ideas’ drawer for close to 20 years when it made its proper debut in 2003, but Bad Day proved they were still kings of canny pop nous, jangly Byrdsian guitars and tongue-twisting lyrics. As one of two new songs presumptuously included on a ‘Best Of’ compilation, it deserved its place. SL From: In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003, 2003
95
NEW DAY RISING
Von Hertzen Brothers
To some extent an anomaly in the wider Von Hertzens catalogue (the rest of their records have largely been more progressive), this was the Finnish brothers’ Foo Fighters moment. Having thrown all their resources and energy at their sixth studio album, they emerged with a legitimate arena-ready rock anthem that has remained in our heads and playlists ever since. PG From: New Day Rising, 2015
94 THE RAVEN THAT REFUSED TO SING
Steven Wilson
He’d already proved his post-Porcupine Tree mettle with his two previous albums, but it was his third – and this track in particular – that made the world really take notice of Steven Wilson the solo artiste. Given this exquisite down-tempo masterpiece with
a dark yet tender narrative quality, it’s not difficult to see why. PG From: The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories), 2013
93
CURL OF THE BURL
Mastodon
One of the world’s most interesting and successful metal bands, Mastodon brought a QOTSAnodding groove to the table with this hard-hitting highlight from career-high album The Hunter. Following on from Crack The Skye (a sprawling record that dealt with astral travel, wormhole theory, Rasputin and the suicide of their drummer Brann Dailor’s sister) it was a meaty statement of intent. PG From: The Hunter, 2011
92
TIME
Ginger Wildheart
To say that Ginger has been a busy man since 2000 would be an understatement. With The Wildhearts put to bed (or so it seemed), he poured his capacity for on-the-money rock tunes into 10 solo studio albums – plus singles, live records collaborations and compilations, all since 2005. But such quantity did not mean diminished returns, as Time proved with sublime ease, grit and sweetness. PG From: 555%, 2012
91 WHEN THE WORLD WAS ROUND
Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter came up with one of his finest ever pop songs to bemoan the sheer media overload that increasingly engulfs us all in the modern age, using the metaphor of the world being round for the pre-internet bygone era in which we watched or listened to the news and read newspapers and made up our own mind about what was happening and why. In these pandemic-affected days the words ‘there’s too much information but not enough to go on’ perhaps now carry an additional resonance. DL From: Shrunken Heads, 2007
90 UNTOUCHABLE (PT I & II)
Anathema
Anathema, for some people the 21st century’s answer to Pink Floyd, hit a peak with this stirring, stunning epic, all 11 or so minutes of which is still extremely popular when the band play live. The fact that the Liverpudlian brothers (and their lifelong mates who make up the band) managed to make something this sweeping and grandiose feel so intimate is quite remarkable. Heartbreaking but ultimately rousing stuff. PG From: Weather Systems, 2012
89 WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
Alice Cooper
After two more industrial metalgeared records, Vincent Furnier returned to hard rock with 2003’s The Eyes Of Alice Cooper. On stand-out track What Do You Want From Me?, a punchy, stick-it-to-the-man (or rather, woman) shit-kicker, he sounded like the Alice Cooper we all knew and loved. ‘Woke’ by Gen-Z standards? Hell no (‘I burned all my porno, you say it offends you/ Disconnected my XBox’ he snarled). Filthy, fun and fired up. PG From: The Eyes Of Alice Cooper, 2003
88 WHEN I WAS A BOY
Jeff Lynne’s ELO
Following the spectacular rebirth of the Electric Light Orchestra in Hyde Park in 2014, a disbelieving Jeff Lynne hunkered down pretty much alone to create his first album of all-new material in almost 15 years. Its charming lead-off single presented the autobiographical tale of Lynne as a young boy in his bedroom and setting his sights on stardom: ‘Don’t want to work on the milk or the bread/Just want to play my guitar instead.’ DL From: Alone In The Universe, 2015
87
DAKOTA
Stereophonics
Classic Rock said Dakota (one of only two songs in our countdown to make the UK No.1 spot) was “a breathtaking anthem whose cutting-edge production belies a depth of feeling that Kelly Jones has rarely shown before”. The singer was no less enthusiastic about his band’s return to full-throttle rock after a couple of albums dominated by laid-back acoustics. He told us he strove to write a song “that sounded great when you were driving or dancing or in bed with someone. I wanted it to sound sexy and dark and spacy.” And it is. SL From: Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, 2005
86
ONLY FRIEND
The Temperance Movement
The opening track of their debut album, this catchy, classy cocktail of Rolling Stones swagger and Faces-via-southern gospel passion set The Temperance Movement’s bar very high. Put simply, it made them the modernday classic rock band to beat. With singer Phil Campbell’s departure it’s unclear what the future holds, but with gems like this they already occupy a special place in rock’n’roll’s latter-day renaissance. PG From: The Temperance Movement, 2013
85
SOAP ON A ROPE
Chickenfoot
He might be a technically eyepopping guitarist, but Joe Satriani is a classic rock guy at heart. So when he joined with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith in this supergroup it was no surprise that the results, of which this is the pinnacle, were nothing short of joyous. Chunky, loose-limbed and enormous fun. PG From: Chickenfoot, 2009
84 NEW YORK CITY COPS
The Strokes
The Strokes’ debut album Is This It was the perfect marriage of new-millennium cool and vintage attitude, and everything great about them was bottled in New York City Cops, a song that could easily have been wrenched straight from the CBGB stage circa 1975. DE From: Is This It, 2001
83
JUST BECAUSE
Jane’s Addiction
The freak-rock visionaries’ muchanticipated reunion album Strays might have been a damp squib, but it did offer one flash of
genius in its title track. Swapping out the smack-addled chaos of old for gleaming arena rock, this was the sound of a bunch of ex-junkies hitting the gym. But there was enough weirdness in guitarist Dave Navarro’s psychedelia-on-steroids riff and Perry Farrell’s dog-whistle urgings to ensure that Just Because sounded like absolutely no one else. DE From: Strays, 2003
82 PLEASE READ THE LETTER
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
They made an odd couple: Plant, the grizzled rock warhorse, and Krauss, the glamorous, fiddleplaying bluegrass star 23 years his junior. But their voices were perfectly matched on an album that gave Plant the biggest hit of his post-Zep career. Their duets ranged from blues to folk, country to rock’n’roll. Some songs dated from the 50s and 60s. Others merely sounded old, such as standout Please Read The Letter, originally written and recorded for Page & Plant’s album Walking Into Clarksdale. Plant, in harmony with Krauss, has rarely sung better. PE From: Raising Sand, 2007
81
TOKYO
Massive Wagons
The business of nailing a genuinely lovable rock banger, when so many have already been written, can feel like a tall order even for the best songwriters. With Tokyo, Massive Wagons proved that it really doesn’t have to be. The ingredients are simple: big ol’ lip-smacking guitars, va-va-voom by the caseload and a tune the size of Texas. Thought they didn’t make ’em like this any more? Au contraire. PG From: Full Nelson, 2018
80 (IT’S NOT WAR) JUST THE END OF LOVE
Manic Street Preachers
With the ghost of Richey Edwards having been exorcised on 2006’s Journal For Plague Lovers, the Manics returned with two self-described “big radio hits” that represented their “last attempt at mass communication”. Crammed with strings, standout single (It’s Not War) Just The End Of Love arrived like a sunbeam puncturing a storm cloud, echoing Everything Must Go’s widescreen drama. Brilliant. HY From: Postcards From A Young Man, 2010