TOP 100 Artists/Bands of all Times : 6-10

10. Bruce Springsteen

 from : Freehold, New Jersey, USA / first great sounds : 70’s / style : euphoric rock / essential albums : Born To Run (1975) , Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978), Nebraska (1982), Born in the U.S.A. (1984), The Rising (2002) / Click to read more in the blog

Number 10 in my Top 100… Does this ranking really mean anything ? If  I were to rank Bruce on the number of times I listened to his records and watched his DVD’s and on the emotion and energy I felt at his concerts, he would probably be closer to the number One spot. If I were to make one advice regarding Bruce Springsteen for those who do not really know him and his music, it would be not to do the same mistake I did at first, that is to say go beyond the blue-collar kind of music for typical Americans cliché. His music is indeed very American as he has mixed throughout his career all kinds of influences (pop, soul, rock) but his words must be understood more in a John Steinbeck kind of way rather than George Bush’s one. One word as well on his faithful E-Street Band musicians ; although he is the creative force, they have been the best musical vehicle he could have dreamt of to fulfill his artistic ambitions.

9. Tom Waits

 from : Ponoma, California, USA / first great sounds : 70’s / style : Waitsian music / essential albums : Blue Valentine (1978), Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985), Mule Variations (1999) / Click to read more in the blog

Another amazing artist whose art is often reduced to a cliché too… Yes, Tom Waits has a wolf voice and he may be sometimes closer to Brechtian over exuberant music but his world is a fantastic one. After having spent the 70’s doing beautiful but more standard jazz-blues piano-oriented albums, he met future wife Kathleen Brennan in the early 80’s and began a different style of music thanks to her pushing him to really be what he wanted to. The results are genius sounding records full of weirdness (these instruments…) and emotion (these songs…).

8. Elvis Costello

 from : London, England / first great sounds : 70’s / style : from pub-rock to classical / essential albums : This Year’s Model (1978), Imperial Bedroom (1982), King Of America (1986), Blood & Chocolate (1986), Brutal Youth (1994), When I Was Cruel (2002) / Click to read more in the blog

…and the Attractions should I say such a key element his first band have been throughout his career. Declan McManus (real name) started in the mid-80’s as a kind of fusion of classical rock and punk rock and managed to attract fans of both kinds of music. He went on being a major player in the UK scene, every album in the 80’s bringing a fresh approach to a specific genre of music. As in all great artists and musicians, he had a very strong peak period from 1978 to 1986 but kept on making very nice albums . All essential albums mentioned above are really must-haves so do not lose time and listen to them all!

7. Neil Young

 from : Toronto, Canada/ first great sounds : 60’s / style : acoustic/saturated rock / essential albums : Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969), After The Gold Rush (1970), Harvest (1972), On The Beach (1974), Tonight’s The Night (1975), Zuma (1975), Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Ragged Glory (1990), Le Noise (2010) / Click to read more in the blog

We have already mentioned Crosby, Stills and Nash at number 50 in our Top 100. Although Neil Young was indeed a major force in their best albums, it was necessary to dissociate his so-called solo career, which is not that solo as he did his best music with his band Crazy Horse. Do you still follow me ? Well, if not, go directly to any of the essential albums mentioned above as this is like breathing air as far as I am concerned. You basically have two Neil Young songs : the acoustic folkie-ballad one (often with sad words) and the furious electric saturated one (one with..furious words). Both of them are the Ying and Yang of our favourite Canadian and explain why this guy has been doing great music for ages.

6. The Rolling Stones

 from : London, England / first great sounds : 60’s  / style : from blues to rock / essential albums : Aftermath (1966), Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sitcky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), Some Girls (1978), Steel Wheels (1989) / Click to read more in the blog

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones ! A few of you might have been lucky enough to experience this band on stage either at their peak period (1965-1975) or later. Personally, I am always impressed by these guys and the number of fantastic songs they have been doing. Let’s not forget the importance of this band in the 60’s and overall in the history of the 20th century, as far as society changes are concerned. But moreover Mick, Keith, Charlie, Brian, Bill, Mick (#2) and Ron must be cherished for what they brought to the music world with only a simple love of blues at the start. I would recommend once again Keith Richard’s book “Life” to get the full story.