Your top 3 classic rock songs of all-time

[Jetsfan80]

That's right.  You can only pick 3.  Here are my choices, after much thought:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shevys]

Not sure I’d go with that particular Zeppelin tune. However, Won’t Get Fooled Again is pretty much the ultimate rock song, so I concur. 

[The Crimson King]

So, era and criteria?

I never get this category right. Always thought of it as 70's dorm room vinyl FM "singles" which disqualifies that one know-it-all-guy who has a huge collection of stuff that no one has heard of by bands that got no airplay other than WNEW-FM at night.

So no Mahavishnu, RTF, 11th House, Weather Report, KC, Yes, Genesis, ELP, Procol Harum/Trower, Beck, TOP or other prog or jazz, OK? How's:

1. Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo - Johnny's version

2. Run, Run, Run - Jo Jo Gunne

3. Kitty's Back - Springsteen (OK, OK, yes that's David Sancious doing the organ solo). Alternative would be NYC Serenade (and yeah, Sancious does that piano opening too)

 

[munchmemory]

Like picking a favorite child, this exercise is impossible.  Too many great and important songs will be omitted.

Here goes (at least for this Saturday afternoon):

1. "Johnny B. Goode".  Chuck Berry's visionary approach, recorded in 1958, still sets the standard for rock today.  His use of double stops, hammer ons, pull offs, and lead line fills took boogie woogie and turned it into rock & roll.

2. Won't Get Fooled Again", The Who.  Opening chord as well as Daltry's scram at the end still give me goosebumps.  Lyrics remain poignant as well. 

3. "The Song Remains the Same", Led Zeppelin.  Maybe because I saw Page slide across the stage at MSG as this opened the concert.  Or because of its brilliant construction and expertly linked musical passages.  Either way, it's my favorite Zeppelin tune amongst many.

[Wonderboy]

Free Bird 

Hey Jude

Close to the Edge

 

[Bugg]

Freebird

Can You Hear Me Knockin?

5:15

 

No knock on anyone else, simply what I would pick today. If you asked me 10 days ago or 10 days from now would be different.

[Lith]

Don't think I can pick just 3 favorites, but these are the first three to come to mind:

5:15

Born to be Wild

Satisfaction

[southparkcpa]

LA Woman

Kashmir

Born to RUN.  And I despise Springsteen.  
 

[Larz]

 

 

This list would change every month and classic rock can mean many different things but.....

 

 

 

 

[Integrity28]

Hmm. Rock, as in rock n' roll in its conventional definition... not the derivative genres it has led to over the past 60 years? If yes, then categorically... these are my favorite. Not saying the greatest ever. Just my favorite.

 

 

 

Tough to settle on 3. I could do a list of 10 AC/DC songs alone. 

[Integrity28]

Top 3 contenders:

• Space Oddity - Bowie
• Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones
• Voodoo chile (slight return) - Hendrix

[Gastineau Lives]

Gimme Shelter was the best song of the sixties.

The End

Kashmir

[Jetsfan80]

21 hours ago, shevys said:

Not sure I’d go with that particular Zeppelin tune. However, Won’t Get Fooled Again is pretty much the ultimate rock song, so I concur. 

Yeah.  It's not a typical top Zeppelin choice but its always been my favorite for some reason, but not by a wide margin.  Zeppelin has just too many great songs to pick from.  

[Jetsfan80]

10 hours ago, munchmemory said:

Like picking a favorite child, this exercise is impossible.  Too many great and important songs will be omitted.

Here goes (at least for this Saturday afternoon):

1. "Johnny B. Goode".  Chuck Berry's visionary approach, recorded in 1958, still sets the standard for rock today.  His use of double stops, hammer ons, pull offs, and lead line fills took boogie woogie and turned it into rock & roll.

2. Won't Get Fooled Again", The Who.  Opening chord as well as Daltry's scram at the end still give me goosebumps.  Lyrics remain poignant as well. 

3. "The Song Remains the Same", Led Zeppelin.  Maybe because I saw Page slide across the stage at MSG as this opened the concert.  Or because of its brilliant construction and expertly linked musical passages.  Either way, it's my favorite Zeppelin tune amongst many.

 

Excellent choices, and not just because we share # 2 on your list, lol.  Johnny B. Goode really was the start of rock n roll in many ways.

[Darnold Schwarzenegger]

 

 

 

Ask me again TM and my answer will probably change

[Drums]

I hate the term classic rock but i do love me some rock and roll. Going to have to think about this but and weigh in tomorrow but i predict:

cream - first power trio, come on  

ccr  - one of USA’s greatest bands

ac/dc - if we are talking one classic rock song, it is hard to beat them when all of their songs kind of sound the same

possibly grand funk, who knows. 

Now this is going to offend some people. I love Zeppelin more than a lot of bands but I find it hard to choose a song so I’m leaving them off. 

 

[Jetsfan80]

3 minutes ago, Drums said:

Now this is going to offend some people. I love Zeppelin more than a lot of bands but I find it hard to choose a song so I’m leaving them off. 

They're my favorite band of all time and I completely understand what you're saying here.  

[shevys]

1. Won’t Get Fooled Again - The Who. The best rock anthem, period. 
2. LA Woman - The Doors. Love the progression.
3. Revolution - the Beatles. That opening riff still sizzles.

This list is as of this minute.  Tomorrow could be totally different!

 

[#27TheDominator]

Black Dog

5:15

You Really Got Me

[chirorob]

Sweet Emotion 

Golden Slumbers Medley

Paint it Black 

[chirorob]

59 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Yeah.  It's not a typical top Zeppelin choice but its always been my favorite for some reason, but not by a wide margin.  Zeppelin has just too many great songs to pick from.  

My favorite zeppelin song was When the Levee Breaks, which is on no one's top 10.    I love that song.

Also, what is and what is and what should never be.

[Jetsfan80]

2 minutes ago, chirorob said:

My favorite zeppelin song was When the Levee Breaks, which is on no one's top 10.    I love that song.

Also, what is and what is and what should never be.

I was strongly considering When the Levee Breaks as my top Zep choice as well.  Between "The Ocean" and "When the Levee Breaks" you'd be hard-pressed to find 2 better end-of-the-album tracks by any band, ever.  

[#27TheDominator]

I usually gravitate towards Physical Graffiti because we used to just listen to it over and over again in the dorm, but I always lean to "I don't know, but I've been told that big legged woman ain't got no soul."  Luckily my wife selected Thank You as our wedding song and not Black Dog.

I almost went away from 5:15 because so many people selected it, but when I thought of the topic, I though Who Are You?  Then I thought, that's not even my favorite Who song.  When I thought of my favorite Who song, I thought "outta my brain on the train" and the movie with the little Townsend kid tripping.

I like the Kinks better than most and it gets bonus points for being remixed by the band.  FWIW, I much more of a Low Budget man.  Probably should have picked that, but the album is still on my turntable.  I rarely use it, but have probably had Low Budget or Outlandos D'Amour on it for the past 20 years.

Edited May 31, 2020 by #27TheDominator

[chirorob]

30 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

I was strongly considering When the Levee Breaks as my top Zep choice as well.  Between "The Ocean" and "When the Levee Breaks" you'd be hard-pressed to find 2 better end-of-the-album tracks by any band, ever.  

Ocean is another Great song.  Totally agree.

[#27TheDominator]

12 hours ago, The Crimson King said:

So, era and criteria?

I never get this category right. Always thought of it as 70's dorm room vinyl FM "singles" which disqualifies that one know-it-all-guy who has a huge collection of stuff that no one has heard of by bands that got no airplay other than WNEW-FM at night.

So no Mahavishnu, RTF, 11th House, Weather Report, KC, Yes, Genesis, ELP, Procol Harum/Trower, Beck, TOP or other prog or jazz, OK? How's:

1. Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo - Johnny's version

2. Run, Run, Run - Jo Jo Gunne

3. Kitty's Back - Springsteen (OK, OK, yes that's David Sancious doing the organ solo). Alternative would be NYC Serenade (and yeah, Sancious does that piano opening too)

 

Did you like the The?   All the guys I knew like that loved them.

[RobR]

39 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

I usually gravitate towards Physical Graffiti because we used to just listen to it over and over again in the dorm, but I always lean to "I don't know, but I've been told that big legged woman ain't got no soul."  Luckily my wife selected Thank You as our wedding song and not Black Dog.

I almost went away from 5:15 because so many people selected it, but when I thought of the topic, I though Who Are You?  Then I thought, that's not even my favorite Who song.  When I thought of my favorite Who song, I thought "outta my brain on the train" and the movie with the little Townsend kid tripping.

I like the Kinks better than most and it gets bonus points for being remixed by the band.  FWIW, I much more of a Low Budget man.  Probably should have picked that, but the album is still on my turntable.  I rarely use it, but have probably had Low Budget or Outlandos D'Amour on it for the past 20 years.

Easily one of their most underrated songs that I believe is from #2. Not the greatest version but you've heard it before.

 

[JetPotato]

Usually my favorite Zep tune is whatever one is currently playing. But this one stands out at this time:

This one is a no-brainer:

 

And of course

Hard to limit to three. Pains me to not include anything Stones or Allmans or Dead, but thats the list for now.

[munchmemory]

12 hours ago, Jetsfan80 said:

 

Excellent choices, and not just because we share # 2 on your list, lol.  Johnny B. Goode really was the start of rock n roll in many ways.

Chuck was  a very flawed human being.  But his influence on how r&r is played, especially the solo, is unarguable.  You can hear his riffs--especially one classic phrase in particular--in every lead guitarist's arsenal (past and present) across all of rock's genres. 

Here, take Eric Clapton's explanation from Taylor Hackford's must see film, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll:

11 hours ago, chirorob said:

My favorite zeppelin song was When the Levee Breaks, which is on no one's top 10.    I love that song.

Also, what is and what is and what should never be.

I had a difficult time keeping "Ramble On" off my list above.  Page and company created so many memorable rock songs.  He was especially brilliant when re-working classic blues numbers and giving them a modern, harder edged, spin.  

Just listen to how Page reinterpreted Kansas Joe McCoy's more up tempo original.  Adding the slide and Bonzo's drums up front was both brilliant and magical.

 

[Drums]

11 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

Black Dog

5:15

You Really Got Me

How could I forget the Kinks? WTF

[Drums]

4 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

Chuck was  a very flawed human being.  But his influence on how r&r is played, especially the solo, is unarguable.  You can hear his riffs--especially one classic phrase in particular--in every lead guitarist's arsenal (past and present) across all of rock's genres. 

Here, take Eric Clapton's explanation from Taylor Hackford's must see film, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll:

I had a difficult time keeping "Ramble On" off my list above.  Page and company created so many memorable rock songs.  He was especially brilliant when re-working classic blues numbers and giving them a modern, harder edged, spin.  

Just listen to how Page reinterpreted Kansas Joe McCoy's more up tempo original.  Adding the slide and Bonzo's drums up front was both brilliant and magical.

 

I think Chuck and Little Richard are two of the fathers of rock and roll (Sorry Elvis, I love you but you are not the King of Rock and Roll), and they played rock and roll, but I don't consider them Classic Rock which is why I don't like that label anymore and prefer the simple ROCK AND ROLL a hell of a lot more, and I don't do the 'n' crap or the hand signal haha.

[Drums]

11 hours ago, Jetsfan80 said:

They're my favorite band of all time and I completely understand what you're saying here.  

Yeah definitely one of my favorites too. That was in no way a diss to them but more an honor haha. As a drummer, Bonham is one of my heroes and was a huge influence-- I have a 24" in bass drum (he had 26 but I went with the 24 like Mitch Mitchell) and I have Giant Beat cymbals, which he played before he switched to 2002s. My kit is from Buddy Rich but guess who was one of Bonham's heroes? I like to go after my influences influences if that makes any sense.

[munchmemory]

One interesting observation from reading this thread:  As a life-long Who fan, I'm happily surprised at the number of references to "5:15".  Never would I have though that could be a favorite Who song let alone in all of the rock catalog.  We covered the tune in a couple bands I was in at the time and always enjoyed playing it, whether we had a horn section or not.  

I could flip a coin and list either Who's Next or Quadrophenia as my favorite album of all time.  Both are such incredibly powerful works from start to finish.  I could have easily added "The Real me" or "Dr. Jimmy" to my original list.

 

[munchmemory]

4 minutes ago, Drums said:

I think Chuck and Little Richard are two of the fathers of rock and roll (Sorry Elvis, I love you but you are not the King of Rock and Roll), and they played rock and roll, but I don't consider them Classic Rock which is why I don't like that label anymore and prefer the simple ROCK AND ROLL a hell of a lot more, and I don't do the 'n' crap or the hand signal haha.

I have never liked the term "classic rock".  Have always just used "rock".  And I will gently disagree with you on Chuck as not being "classic rock".  You could not get more classic in the genre that Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Little Richard and a few others from the original golden age of rock and roll.

[Drums]

Okay now for a more official list:

Cream: Swlabr - I recommend checking out the demo version because Jack Bruce really tears it up on bass (much more pronounced)

CCR: Run Through the Jungle

T. Rex: 20th Century Boy -- you know you feel something as soon as that f'n guitar tone hits

 

Screw you 80! This was really hard. I left off Queen, The Animals, and a ton of other bands.

 

 

 

[Drums]

6 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

I have never liked the term "classic rock".  Have always just used "rock".  And I will gently disagree with you on Chuck as not being "classic rock".  You could not get more classic in the genre that Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Little Richard and a few others from the original golden age of rock and roll.

They are the fathers of Rock. Bo Diddley is probably my favorite out of them and I love them all dearly but yeah I would never call them classic rock. Rock and roll, yes. R & B, yes. And don't forget about my boy Fats Domino. Classic rock to me was a bit later which is one of the main reasons I don't like the name.