When was the compiler of such a list born? Where did he or she grow up? Did siblings or roommates put that person off some artists or genres forever? Was the listener at a high or low point in their life when they first heard those songs on the radio, or even live in an era when radio was listened to?
It's pointless to argue that one song, singer, or group is better than another. Music is not a competitive sport.
Still, it's fun to peruse lists. People love to post their picks of "The Best Songs of All Time". A great example is Charles Olney's list of Beatles songs.
Anyway, the following is the music that I resonate with. These are the songs I regard as rock classics by virtue of the fact that I like their hooks, riffs, lyrics, and whatnot. For the record, I was born in the late 50s, I'm male, and I grew up in an English-speaking country (not the UK or USA). Those facts and others have a bearing on the music that moves me now.
Doubtless, there's a lot of great music that I'll have forgotten to include. Inform me, please do! Who are the artists that I've so glaringly overlooked? Send me the titles of their best work and I'll give those tunes a listen. I shan't damn them unheard. And whether or not I decide to insert them as new favorites, I promise to be polite when I voice my opinion.
This is an ongoing project. It promises to remain in a state of flux. On with the show . . .
It turns out that the majority of the music that I enjoy originates from a small number of artists.
Update:
I've recently re-evaluated and added to the list. I've scored 500 songs with a perfect '5'. Hereunder, in order of output, the groups/artist that got at least 4 pieces of music onto that list
Beatles 42
Jimi Hendrix 40
Doors 31
Jethro Tull 23
Led Zeppelin 17
U2 16
Neil Young 12
Ten Years After 12
Who 12
Beach Boys 11
Pink Floyd 11
Police 11
Black Sabbath 10
Crosby Stills and Nash 10
Oasis 10
Rolling Stones 8
Steely Dan 8
Byrds 7
David Bowie 7
Love Psychedelico 7
Stephen Stills 7
Yes 7
B52s 6
Joni Mitchell 6
Paul McCartney 6
Split Enz 6
Deep Purple 5
Jefferson Airplane 5
Love 5
Moody Blues 5
Tim Buckley 5
Velvet Underground 5
Serge Gainsbourg 5
Astrud Gilberto 5
Carpenters 4
Janis Joplin 4
Pharrell Williams 4
And so, without further ado, may I introduce my NOT the Best Rock Songs of All Time
Beatles A day in the life
Beatles All you need is love
Beatles Anytime at all
Beatles Can't buy me love
Beatles Come together
Beatles Don't bother me
Beatles Eight days a week
Beatles Eleanor Rigby
Beatles Get back
Beatles Got to get you into my life
Beatles Hard day's night
Beatles Help
Beatles Hey Jude
Beatles I am the walrus
Beatles I saw her standing there
Beatles I should have known better
Beatles I wanna be your man
Beatles I want to hold your hand
Beatles I want you (she's so heavy)
Beatles If I fell
Beatles I'll be back
Beatles I'm happy just to dance with you
Beatles I'm looking through you
Beatles I'm only sleeping
Beatles I'm so tired
Beatles It's for you
Beatles Julia
Beatles Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Beatles No reply
Beatles Norwegian wood
Beatles Now and then
Beatles Nowhere man
Beatles Penny lane
Beatles Please please me
Beatles Revolution
Beatles Something
Beatles Strawberry Fields forever
Beatles Things we said today
Beatles Tomorrow never knows
Beatles Wait
Beatles Yer blues
Beatles You can't do that
Jimi Hendrix 1983 a merman I should turn out to be
Jimi Hendrix All along the watchtower
Jimi Hendrix Belly button window
Jimi Hendrix Can you see me?
Jimi Hendrix Castles made of sand
Jimi Hendrix Dolly Dagger
Jimi Hendrix Fire
Jimi Hendrix Foxy lady
Jimi Hendrix Freedom
Jimi Hendrix Gypsy boy
Jimi Hendrix Gypsy eyes
Jimi Hendrix Hey baby
Jimi Hendrix Hey Joe
Jimi Hendrix House burning down
Jimi Hendrix I don’t live today
Jimi Hendrix In from the storm
Jimi Hendrix Little wing
Jimi Hendrix Look over yonder
Jimi Hendrix Machine gun
Jimi Hendrix Manic depression
Jimi Hendrix May this be love
Jimi Hendrix Message to love
Jimi Hendrix Night bird flying
Jimi Hendrix One rainy wish
Jimi Hendrix Pali gap
Jimi Hendrix Peace in Mississippi
Jimi Hendrix Purple haze
Jimi Hendrix Rainy day, dream away
Jimi Hendrix Room full of mirrors
Jimi Hendrix Somewhere over the rainbow
Jimi Hendrix Star spangled banner
Jimi Hendrix Still raining, still dreaming
Jimi Hendrix Stone free
Jimi Hendrix The stars that play with laughing Sam's dice
Jimi Hendrix The wind cries Mary
Jimi Hendrix Third stone from the sun
Jimi Hendrix Voodoo chile
Jimi Hendrix Wild thing
Jimi Hendrix Wild thing
Jimi Hendrix You got me floating
Doors 5 to 1
Doors An American prayer (full album)
Doors Break on through
Doors Crystal ship
Doors Ghost song
Doors Hello, I love you
Doors I can’t see your face in my mind
Doors I looked at you
Doors L.A. woman
Doors Light my fire
Doors Love her madly
Doors Love me two times
Doors My eyes have seen you
Doors Not to touch the earth
Doors Peace frog
Doors People are strange
Doors Riders on the storm
Doors Shaman's blues
Doors Soul kitchen
Doors Strange days
Doors Summertime
Doors Take it as it comes
Doors The end
Doors The ghost song
Doors The soft parade
Doors Touch me
Doors Unknown soldier
Doors Waiting for the sun
Doors When the music's over
Doors Who scared you?
Doors You're lost, little girl
Jethro Tull A love story
Jethro Tull A new day yesterday
Jethro Tull A song for Jeffrey
Jethro Tull A time for everything
Jethro Tull Alive and well and living in
Jethro Tull Back to the family
Jethro Tull Bouree
Jethro Tull For a thousand mothers
Jethro Tull Jeffrey goes to Leicester square
Jethro Tull Living in the past
Jethro Tull Look into the sun
Jethro Tull Mother Goose
Jethro Tull My Sunday feeling
Jethro Tull Nothing is easy
Jethro Tull Nursie
Jethro Tull Reasons for waiting
Jethro Tull Singing all day
Jethro Tull Sweet dreams
Jethro Tull Teacher
Jethro Tull Up the pool
Jethro Tull We used to know
Jethro Tull Witches promise
Jethro Tull With you there to help me
Led Zeppelin Black dog
Led Zeppelin Four sticks
Led Zeppelin Heartbreaker
Led Zeppelin In my time of dying
Led Zeppelin Kashmir
Led Zeppelin Misty mountain hop
Led Zeppelin No quarter
Led Zeppelin Ramble on
Led Zeppelin Rock and roll
Led Zeppelin Since I've been loving you
Led Zeppelin Stairway to heaven
Led Zeppelin Thank you
Led Zeppelin The battle of evermore
Led Zeppelin The song remains the same
Led Zeppelin What is and what should never be
Led Zeppelin When the levee breaks
Led Zeppelin Whole lotta love
U2 Electrical storm
U2 Gloria
U2 I still haven’t found what I'm looking for
U2 I will follow
U2 New Year's Day
U2 One
U2 Original of the species
U2 Pride (in the name of love)
U2 Staring at the sun
U2 Sunday boody Sunday
U2 The miracle
U2 Two hearts beat as one
U2 Until the end of the world
U2 Vertigo
U2 Volcano
U2 Zoo station
Neil Young Country girl
Neil Young Cowgirl in the sand
Neil Young Don’t let it bring you down
Neil Young Down by the river
Neil Young I am a child
Neil Young I've been waiting for you
Neil Young Last trip to Tulsa
Neil Young Like a hurricane
Neil Young Southern man
Neil Young The loner
Neil Young The needle and the damage done
Neil Young When you dance I can really love
Ten Years After Good morning little school girl
Ten Years After Hard monkeys
Ten Years After Help me
Ten Years After Here they come
Ten Years After I can't keep from crying sometimes
Ten Years After I'd love to change the world
Ten Years After I'm going home
Ten Years After Let the sky fall
Ten Years After Love like a man
Ten Years After One of these days
Ten Years After Slow blues in C
Ten Years After You give me loving
Who Baba O'Riley
Who Bargain
Who Behind blue eyes
Who Go to the mirror
Who I can see for miles
Who I'm free
Who My generation
Who Pinball wizard
Who See me hear me (listening to you)
Who Summertime blues
Who Won’t get fooled again
Who Young man blues
Beach Boys All summer long
Beach Boys Girl don’t tell me
Beach Boys God only knows
Beach Boys Good vibrations
Beach Boys In my room
Beach Boys Leaving this town
Beach Boys Let's go away for a while
Beach Boys Pet sounds
Beach Boys Surfer girl
Beach Boys Surf's up
Beach Boys The warmth of the sun
Pink Floyd Atom heart mother
Pink Floyd Breathe (in the air)
Pink Floyd Funky dung
Pink Floyd Money
Pink Floyd Shine on you crazy diamond
Pink Floyd Speak to me / breathe
Pink Floyd Summer '68
Pink Floyd The great gig in the sky
Pink Floyd Time
Pink Floyd Us and them
Pink Floyd Wish you were here
Police Every breath you take
Police Every little thing she does is magic
Police Message in a bottle
Police Next to you
Police Roxanne
Police Spirits in the material world
Police Synchronicity 1
Police Synchronicity 2
Police Walking in your footsteps
Police Walking on the moon
Police Wrapped around your finger
Black Sabbath Changes
Black Sabbath Into the void
Black Sabbath Lord of this world
Black Sabbath N.I.B.
Black Sabbath Paranoid
Black Sabbath Snowblind
Black Sabbath Supernaught
Black Sabbath Sweet leaf
Black Sabbath Under the sun / every day comes and goes
Black Sabbath Wheels of confusion
Crosby Stills and Nash Almost cut my hair
Crosby Stills and Nash Carry on / questions
Crosby Stills and Nash Déjà vu
Crosby Stills and Nash Everybody I Love You
Crosby Stills and Nash Guinnevere
Crosby Stills and Nash Long time gone
Crosby Stills and Nash Ohio
Crosby Stills and Nash Suite Judy blue eyes
Crosby Stills and Nash Wooden ships
Crosby Stills and Nash Woodstock
Oasis Columbia
Oasis Falling down
Oasis Listen up
Oasis Live forever
Oasis She is love
Oasis Stop crying your heart out
Oasis Supersonic
Oasis The shock of the lightning
Oasis The turning
Oasis Wonderwall
Rolling Stones Gimme shelter
Rolling Stones I can't get no) satisfaction
Rolling Stones Jumping Jack Flash
Rolling Stones Monkey man
Rolling Stones Sister Morphine
Rolling Stones Some things just stick in your mind
Rolling Stones Street fighting man
Rolling Stones Sympathy for the devil
Steely Dan Do it again
Steely Dan Josie
Steely Dan King of the world
Steely Dan Kings
Steely Dan Razor boy
Steely Dan Reeling in the years
Steely Dan Rikki don't lose that number
Steely Dan Show biz kids
Byrds Eight miles high
Byrds Everybody's been burned
Byrds I knew I'd want you
Byrds It happens each day
Byrds It won't be wrong
Byrds Renaisance Fair
Byrds Thoughts and words
David Bowie China girl
David Bowie Let's dance
David Bowie Letter to Hermione
David Bowie Modern love
David Bowie Space oddity
David Bowie Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed
David Bowie Wild-eyed boy from freecloud
Love Psychedelico Everybody needs somebody
Love Psychedelico Happiness
Love Psychedelico Lady Madonna
Love Psychedelico Mind across the universe
Love Psychedelico Moonly
Love Psychedelico Shadow behind
Love Psychedelico This way
Stephen Stills 4 and 20
Stephen Stills Cherokee
Stephen Stills It doesn't matter
Stephen Stills Love the one you're with
Stephen Stills Move around
Stephen Stills The treasure (take 1)
Stephen Stills To a flame
Yes And you and I
Yes Close to the edge
Yes I see you
Yes I've seen all good people
Yes Perpetual change
Yes Roundabout
Yes Siberian khatru
B52s 52 girls
B52s Dance this mess around
B52s Dirty back road
B52s Give me back my man
B52s Party out of bounds
B52s Rock lobster
Joni Mitchell Cold blue steel and sweet fire
Joni Mitchell Edith and the kingpin
Joni Mitchell In France they kiss on main street
Joni Mitchell Shades of scarlet conquering
Joni Mitchell The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell The jungle line
Paul McCartney Bluebird
Paul McCartney Junk
Paul McCartney Letting go
Paul McCartney Love in song
Paul McCartney Maybe I'm amazed
Paul McCartney Rock Show
Split Enz Jamboree
Split Enz Spellbound
Split Enz Stranger than fiction
Split Enz Titus
Split Enz Under the wheel
Split Enz Walking down a road
Deep Purple Lazy
Deep Purple My woman from Tokyo
Deep Purple Smoke on the water
Deep Purple Strange kind of woman
Deep Purple (Mk1) Hush
Jefferson Airplane Crown of creation
Jefferson Airplane Somebody to love
Jefferson Airplane Today
Jefferson Airplane White rabbit
Jefferson Airplane Wooden ships
Love A house is not a motel
Love Alone again or
Love Andmoreagain
Love My flash on you
Love Red telephone
Moody Blues Gypsy
Moody Blues Ride my seesaw
Moody Blues The best way to travel
Moody Blues The story in your eyes
Moody Blues Tuesday afternoon
Tim Buckley Dream letter
Tim Buckley Get on top
Tim Buckley Hallucinations
Tim Buckley Make it right
Tim Buckley Sweet surrender
Velvet Underground Femme fatale
Velvet Underground Heroin
Velvet Underground I'll be your mirror
Velvet Underground Sunday morning
Velvet Underground Venus in furs
Serge Gainsbourg Ballade de melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg Cargo culte
Serge Gainsbourg Chez Max, coiffeur pour hommes
Serge Gainsbourg Initials BB
Serge Gainsbourg Melody
Astrud Gilberto Agua de Beber
Astrud Gilberto So nice (summer samba)
Astrud Gilberto The girl from Ipanema
Astrud Gilberto and Joao Gilberto Desafinado
Janis Joplin Ball and chain
Janis Joplin Kosmic blues
Janis Joplin Move over
Janis Joplin Summertime
Pharrell Williams Gust Of Wind
Pharrell Williams Happy
Pharrell Williams It girl
Pharrell Williams Marilyn Monroe
Carpenters Close to you
Carpenters Rainy days and Mondays
Carpenters Superstar
Carpenters We've only just begun
Canned Heat Going up the country
Canned Heat Let's work together
Canned Heat On the road again
Carlos Santana Black magic woman
Carlos Santana She's not there
Carlos Santana Soul sacrifice
Cream Dance the night away
Cream Sunshine of your love
Cream White room
Jim Morrison Can you hear me?
Jim Morrison The white blind light
Jim Morrison Wait for morning
Kinks Lola
Kinks The way love used to be
Kinks Waterloo sunset
Paul Simon 50 ways to leave your lover
Paul Simon Graceland
Paul Simon Still crazy after all these years
Simon and Garfunkel Mrs Robinson
Simon and Garfunkel Sound of silence
Simon and Garfunkel The boxer
Stills Young Band Fontainebleau
Stills Young Band Guardian angel
Stills Young Band Make love to you
Traffic Hidden treasure
Traffic Rainmaker
Traffic The low spark of high heeled boys
Amy Winehouse Rehab
Amy Winehouse Tears dry on their own
Carole King I feel the earth move
Carole King It's too late
Frank Zappa Peaches en regalia
Frank Zappa Willie the Pimp
GODSPELL Bless my lord
GODSPELL Day by day
John Lennon Imagine
John Lennon Oh my love
Lou Reed Perfect day
Lou Reed Walk on the wild side
Mamas and Papas Monday Monday
Mamas and Papas Trip, stumble and fall
Midnight Oil Only the strong
Midnight Oil Outside world
Ryuichi Sakamoto Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Ryuichi Sakamoto The last emperor
Seals and Crofts Diamond girl
Seals and Crofts Summer breeze
Yann Tiersen I've never been there
Yann Tiersen La Valse d'Amelie
Al Stewart Year of the cat
Alexander Borodin Polovtsian Dances
Alvin Lee I want you (She's so heavy)
Animals House of the rising sun
Ant Trip Ceremony Four in the morning
Arzachel Queen St. Gang
Ayaka 絢香 やさしさに包まれたなら
Azumi Inoue 井上あずみ 君をのせて
Beady Eye Flick of the finger
Blond Redhead Dr. Strangeluv
Blue Oyster Cult Don’t fear the reaper
Buffalo Springfield For what it's worth
Chris Isaac Wicked game
Crowded House Take the weather with you
Derek and the Dominos Layla
Devo Girl you want
Diana Ross Love hangover
Dogfeet Mr Sunshine
Donovan Wear your love like heaven
Doobie Brothers Jesus is just alright
Elis Regina Águas de Março
Emerson Lake and Palmer From the beginning
Eric Burton / Animals Monterey
Fallen Angels Look at the wind
Focus Hocus pocus
Fourmyula Nature
Gary Glitter Rock and roll part 2
Gary Jules Mad world
Hollies The air that I breathe
Isaac Hayes Shaft
Jewel Who will save your soul
Joao Gilberto Girl from Ipanema
Johnny Cash Hurt
Knack My Sharona
Laura Nyro Eli's coming
Link Wray Rumble
Louis Armstrong What a wonderful world
Loving Spoonful Summer in the city
Lynyrd Skynyrd Free bird
Marvin Gaye What's going on?
Mason Williams Classical gas
Melanie Kafka Lay down (candles in the rain)
Michael Jackson Billie Jean
Nirvana Smells like teen spirit
Peddlers Girlie
Pilgrim Peace of mind
Queen Bohemian rhapsody
Sergio Mendez Mas que nada
Shakti & John Mclauchlin Natural elements (entire album)
Shocking Blue I'm your Venus
Status Quo Pictures of matchstick men
Steam Na na hey hey kiss him goodbye
Stevie Wonder Living for the city
Stranglers Get a grip on yourself
Will Smith Just the two of us
Young Rascals How can I be sure?
Yo-yo Ma Farewell
Zombies She's not there
