Bjcorbin's Blog

As we start a new year, it has become commonplace to see lists compiled of the Top Ten movies or songs or news stories… from the previous year; and every once in a while, someone sets out to create a new list of the Top Hundred… of all time. Being a lover of rock and roll, I’m always interested in these lists as they pertain to the area of music; and as I recently reviewed yet another list of the top rock artists of all time, it occurred to me how difficult it is to agree on a particular artist’s rightful place in music lore. I believe that is because there are so many different ways in which you could measure an artist’s greatness. Perhaps the easiest measure is that of an artist’s popularity, which could be gauged by record and ticket sales. But a musical purest would rightly argue that popularity does not necessarily equate to quality and therefore favor some other scale. For some it might be the artist’s impact on music; for others it could be their impact on popular culture; for others it might be based on their skill as a musician, or as a performer, or as an artist or as an innovator. Depending on which measure you choose, certain artists can rapidly ascend or descend on the scale.

A great example of this would be Michael Jackson. He was undoubtedly one of the great performers of all time. His dance moves were almost surreal, his popularity was phenomenal and his use of the music video format was revolutionary. Based on those measures, he’d be high on the list. But for the musical purest, his singing and songwriting skills were less than spectacular and arguably his songs did little to impact the face of popular music or culture.

On the other end of the spectrum is someone like Bob Dylan, who many consider to be a voice that spoke for an entire generation. Based strictly on his songwriting ability he might make many a critic’s all-time list; but as a musician and a performer his stature becomes debatable. While die-hard fans might consider his music to be “nuanced” and his vocals to be “distinctive”, others might view these aspects through a less charitable lens. Where Dylan might fall on one’s list would likely depend on their overall perception of him as a performer.

The results will vary greatly depending on which aspect we choose to center our attention. If we focus strictly on performers, names like Elvis, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison, The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and even a band like Kiss might rise to the top. If we talk about performers who changed the face of music, we would have to include artists like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, U2, Prince and maybe even groups like the Sex Pistols, Public Enemy and Nirvana. If we focused on artistry, we might add names like Bob Dylan, Carole King, Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John and Sting. If we think of innovation, we would probably incorporate artists like Jimi Hendrix, Credence Clearwater Revival, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd and Steely Dan. If we talk about virtuoso musicians, we would need to include people like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, (the band) Yes, Stevie Ray Vaughn, (the band) Rush and Eddie Van Halen, in the conversation. If we consider incredibly talented assemblies, we might add groups like The Byrds, Cream, Crosby-Stills & Nash, The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. If we take mass appeal into account, groups like the Bee Gees and ABBA would also have to be considered. Some of these artists, like the Beatles, Jim Morrison (and the Doors), Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen, would rank high in multiple categories. While others, like The Grateful Dead, Freddie Mercury (Queen), Steely Dan, Yes, Prince… might not even appear on many people’s top 100 list. Ultimately, it all depends on the measure that you decide to use.

As a lover of music, I’m less inclined to consider an artist’s impact on music or culture and more apt to judge them on their sound. While I can appreciate that a group like the Sex Pistols helped to usher in a new era or that Frank Zappa took music to a place it’s never been, I don’t have any real inclination to listen to their recordings. For me, the song is the thing. Based on that, I’d take the Beatles over Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin over the Stones, the Doors over Hendrix, Simon & Garfunkel over Clapton, Springsteen over Neil Young and the Eagles over the Grateful Dead. For rock historians that may not be very satisfying, but on my CD player, it’s right where it needs to be. Beyond these members of rock’s royal family, there are a whole slew of other bands, who aren’t necessarily revered by critics (e.g. Three Dog Night, Bad Company, The Doobie Brothers, Heart, ZZ Top, Boston, Journey, Tom Petty…), but who created a sizable catalog of highly listenable music. For me, some of those recordings would be more welcome in my collection than many of the ones which have been hailed as “classics”. Though these lists are interesting to ponder, in the end, it’s doubtful that any two people would pick them the same.