Favorite Musicians/Bands of All-time

Nate’s 9: Favorite Music Artists/Bands

                Outside of sports and books, music is probably next on my favorite arts/entertainment lists.  I can definitely say that after preparing to write this blog.  When I first sat down to brainstorm, I came up with 38 artists/bands that I would have had no problem putting on the N9 list.  Even as I sit here with the completed works, there are probably things that could be changed, and we are probably only a few weeks away from a new artist that could make this list.  First I would like to shout out to Jake Foster for the challenge; second I would like to shout out to those that just missed out.  Lennon, Nas, Elton, Chili Peppers, Rhianna, Journey, Aerosmith, BIG, Jay-Z,  Adele, Alicia Keys and everyone else that are probably top 20, but the 9 is tough.

#9. Bruno Mars. This is probably a surprise to about 99% of you that are going to read this blog, but I am dead serious.  When he first came out, I thought it was mostly hyped, and he was a bit overrated.  All of the songs on his first album sounded the same.  I enjoyed the lyrics from the song “Grenade”, but that was about it.  But between the success he’s had with his sophomore album, “Unorthodox Jukebox” and his appearance on SNL, which probably rates in my top 10, he earns a spot on this list.  UJ has a little bit of everything, and shows the range and talent of how good Bruno already is, and maybe a glimpse as to how good he will become (Prince, Babyface). The Saturday night live skit of him singing in the Pandora studio is one of my favorites and is a showcase into how versatile Bruno really is.  (Check it out if you’ve never seen it.)

#8. Outkast.  One of the two duos that made my 38. (Simon & Garfunkel) If you look beyond the actual music, there are a lot of similarities between the two groups.  For one, each group had a superstar and an other guy.  Or at least super talented behind the scenes guy (Andre 3000, Garfunkel). Both groups have shown their longevity.  Outkast has been doing this since SouthernPlayalistic, and S&G did it for 13 years before they split up.  The reason that I put Outkast on here is due to the variety in which they are able to perform.  I can’t think of any other rap group that could split up for a double album and have the same type of success that Outkast did on “The Love Below/Speakerboxx”. For me, it goes down as one of the top 5 hip-hop albums of all-time and solidifies both of them as some of the greats.

#7. JT.  Although you can’t put him on here without mentioning Timbaland, cause I don’t think he has his musical success without him.  He is my second highest ranking individual on this list, and I think he will reach the Michael Jackson, Elvis echelon before he is done in the music industry.  He has had multiple #1 hits on each one of his albums so far, he made N-Sync credible, and he hits on all the other significant pop culture aspects as well. (Owns SNL, could walk a runway if he so chose, or win an Academy).  He even married well.  “FutureSex LoveSounds” belongs in my top 5 pop albums of all-time, and gets Justin a push into my 9.

#6. Rat Pack.  Not the original group of course, but the great Sinatra, Martin and Davis Jr.  These 3 guys could croon for me every night until I fell asleep, and that wouldn’t be enough.  Frankie is probably my favorite and could’ve made it on this list alone, but I feel better served for having all three on the list.  Each one of their sounds was unique, but they all sang well together.  They definitely got to partake in a generation that I wish I could’ve been a part of, but all I have to do is throw on a bit of their music, and I feel like I’m right there. 

 

#5. Led Zeppelin. At the age of 25, I barely knew of them.  I heard other people talk about their music, and I recognized the sound of “Stairway” and “Kashmir”, but I really couldn’t tell you anything about them.  Then, on a whim, I decided to purchase “Early Days” and “Latter Days”, which essentially is Zepp’s greatest hits double album.  Yeah, it was over for me then.  Instant credibility.  Every song rich in sound and soul.  The lyrics were brilliant.  And then the winner… I think “When the Levee Breaks” is probably going to be my favorite song of all-time if you ask me on my death bed.  There’s too many songs to ever really know, but if I only have one choice before I move on, I’m highly certain it’s going to be on my shortlist.  Right at the top.  Just like this great band.

#4. Tupac.  Along with a limited number of other artists, he is one of the musicians than transcends his entire genre. You can ask anyone that listens to hip-hop, and they will know who Tupac is…  Believe it or not, I long preferred Biggie or Nas to Tupac back in my early years.  I thought he was angry all the time, he held a grudge for various reasons, he couldn’t handle the supremacy of east coast hip-hop, he had a huge ego problem, but now I can appreciate all he’s done for hip-hop.  I even think at the end of the day I probably still like Nas, Jay-Z and Biggie just a little bit more, but as a fan of the industry, it’s Tupac I have to put high up on this list.  He made the genre mainstream; he was just a thug with a gift.  Just like Michael Jordan getting cut from his high school team, we never really know where greatness comes from.  But we always know when we see it.

#3. The Beatles.  The greatest group of all-time to be ranked third, ha ha.  I know for a lot of people these guys are the cream.  I understand that completely and am in full agreement with that.  There is little to no separation between my number one and my number three if that can be said.  I even call my top three “the Holy Trinity of Music”.  For me, my love for the Beatles really grew after I came back from Europe.  I had always enjoyed their stuff, but I never purchased or really dabbled into learning their music.  But the way Europe treats the Beatles… it’s like nothing I have ever seen before.  Maybe the same way Texas treats high school football.  These guys are the Kings over there.  Now that I know, I really think they are the only group in the history of music to never release a bad song.  I’m sure some have been made, but everything that made it through production and onto the soundtracks is truly great.  I have a hard time whittling down the top 100 Beatles songs.  There’s no other group that can say that, realistically.  On top of this, I have no doubt that John Lennon is the brother that I never had.  Full of optimism and life, I feel like we would have been great friends.  And he could appreciate that there are a few just a little bit better than him and his band.

#2 Floyd.  It pains me to put them here.  I really think their genius goes unmatched as far as music goes.  But I didn’t grow up with them.  In fact, I didn’t start listening to them until about six years ago.  I pretty much ignored the great music of the 60’s and 70’s, because I didn’t grow up on it, and no one really introduced it to me.  At home, it was soft contemporary and the music of the 1980’s.  When I was with my father, it was country music.  With friends and family it was the early days of hip-hop and rap music.  And for myself I enjoyed the jams of the 1990’s like Boyz II Men, Jagged Edge and the like.  So I really knew just about everything except for the classic rock and the psychedelic of the 1970’s.  And I’m sad that I missed it because it’s a fantastic genre of music, and for me, Pink Floyd is the staple of all that.  I have a 3 year old that loves most of their songs.  When I meet someone new, Floyd is generally a topic on which we can find some common ground.  And personally, I can just get lost in the music.  High Hopes, Have a Cigar, Set the Controls, Waiting for the Worms, Comfortably Numb, Us and Them, Stay, Wish You Were Here, Echoes, Pigs, Dogs, Time, Pigs on a Wing, Bike, See Emily Play, Cymbaline, the list just goes on and on and on.  If I could only choose one group for the rest of my life to listen to, well, with no discredit to my favorite group, but I know I would pick Floyd.  And be happy because of it.

#1. Wu-Tang.  “Wu-Tang again?” “Ah, again and again”.  And so goes one of the greatest love stories of all-time.  My love for the Wu is probably unrivaled and incomparable.  Between their collaborations and everyone’s solo albums, I own every single album but 5.  It’s intense for me.  I think the reason that I like them so much is that because of their uniqueness and the fact that there are nine/ten (depending on the day, and who is writing about them) members that make every song different and distinguishable.  You can throw Ghostface and Raekwon together and just go nuts.  You can put the RZA and the GZA on a track together and they’ll make you think about everything that they say.  You can put the whole crew on it, and know that it’s going to be hot.  Every single one of them can go hard alone.  Keeping that in mind, they have released some absolute crap, and some of their albums are very forgettable and lacking in the teeth.  But for having ten different personalities and the individuality that each one brings to the group… well for me it’s til death do us part.