Mosher

All musicians amaze me, and yet I still find time to get all judgmental when I don't like what they do. Perspective.

I don't think Vapor is very good, and the debut was their weakest and not something I'd ever have sought out, but none of those are 'bad' albums.

To me a 'filler' track is a track that the artist knows is pointless and is merely there because ya gotta fill up the album. I don't think even BU2B2 fits that and I wish there'd been a choice to vote 'no filler'. BU2B2 does fit the story and to me it isn't filler. However, it isn't terribly interesting to me so I voted it as weakest track. I'm not trying to be pedantic, because I do believe many people do think the song is filler. I don't see it as a song, I see it as story-telling device to advance the plot, similar to when Alex is messing around trying to figure out how a guitar works in 2112. On it's own it would be so misplaced, but in context it has a point. BU2B2 is not a track I would ever listen to outside of album context, and I don't think it's supposed to be.

I love Marley. I love reggae anyway, and Bob's work deserves the high praise it gets. Mr. Brown Johnny Was I Shot the Sheriff No Woman No Cry War Redemption Song Probably a few others, but those are all fantastic.

A lot, without the lyrical depth. I'm a huge Oils fan, and only a passing fan of the Hip. But Gord is actually a very good lyricist.

There's an awful lot of Queen that doesn't do much for me, and also quite a bit I love. Sometimes they bore me, honestly. But at no time, even at some moment where Mercury had temporarily lost his voice, is Geddy ever better than Freddie. Who's the better drummer, Neil or me? It's really that far apart.

Sun Ra should count- and if he counts, then Sun Ra. I love the oddballs.

If you've never heard the albums The Last Temptation, Brutal Planet and Dragontown, I highly recommend them. I've heard none of those, but I'm no snob nor do I believe artists 'lose it'. They either try to hard or they simply change what they want to do, but a good artist should always be capable of doing good work. So in that spirit I will definitely check those out with high expectations!

Halo of Flies is proof enough that Alice Cooper could do anything, while Poison is proof that he shouldn't. Big fan of his/their early stuff. In fairness, I have not bothered to check out much from the 80's and beyond, because I disliked the singles and as a kid that's all I heard. I should check out everything else, because his 70's work was so very good and proves he can do it.

That actually was a great listen despite the sound. Extra points for the Geddy Lee superfan that couldn't shut up. He entertained me between songs. edit: This is a reply to Brucey's video.

It's sad that I only recognise half these. The shuffle managed to miss The Oils and Cold Chisel. Colin Hay is super I'm a massive Oils fan. Courtney to me is just a genius lyricist. I like the old 70's garage rockers like X, Scientists, Lime Spiders, Radio Birdman- they were a big influence on American bands even if American fans don't know 'em. Alchemist/Levitation make terrifically creative metal. My favorite band as a youth was Men at Work, and Colin Hay deserves way more attention than he gets. Birthday Party were Nick Cave's band way back in the day. Stonefield I just stumbled upon. All sisters, the drummer is the singer. Also-- I didn't know half of yours either. I am WAY more into seeing people list bands I don't know then seeing a list that could be mine. I want to hear new (to me) bands- so I'm checking the ones I didn't know from yours out!

Rush - Here Again Fly By Night - Beneath, Between and Behind Caress of Steel - The Fountain of Lamneth 2112 - Something For Nothing A Farewell to Kings - Xanadu Hemispheres - Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Permanent Waves - Natural Science Moving Pictures - Limelight Signals - Analog Kid Grace Under Pressure - Kid Gloves Power Windows - Territories Hold Your Fire - Prime Mover Presto - Chain Lightning Roll the Bones - Dreamline Counterparts - Between Sun and Moon Test for Echo - Driven Vapor Trails - Earthshine Snakes and Arrows - Far Cry Clockwork Angels - The Anarchist

And since I now live in Canada, even though I'm American, here's a Canadian 15. Does anyone here know any Canadian music? Friendly Fire -- Why Bother United Steel Workers of Montreal -- Small Town Banks Rush -- Nobody's Hero Jazzberry Ram -- Behind Me the Sun Crash Test Dummies -- My Own Sunrise Jivewires -- What You See is What You Get Rush -- Prime Mover Bare Naked Ladies -- Wrap Your Arms Around Me Metric -- Gold Gun Girls Alanis Morissette -- All I Really Want SNFU -- Life of a Bag Lady Martha and the Muffins -- Echo Beach K-Os -- The Man I Used To Be Diana Krall -- Love Me Like a Man Jim Bryson -- Rust and Fade

Today's shuffle: Inspired by IWillChooseFreewill's Aussie playlist, I will also throw out an Aussie list: Midnight Oil -- Sell My Soul Courtney Barnett -- Kim's Caravan X -- Batman Midnight Oil -- When the Generals Talk Colin Hay -- Lonely Without You Midnight Oil -- Knife's Edge Stonefield -- Higher Atlantics -- Riff a Go Go Scientists -- Shake Together Tonight Levitation Hex -- Breathing Aparatus Men At Work -- Touching the Untouchables Alchemist -- The Eve of War Courtney Barnett -- An Illustration of Loneliness Birthday Party -- Rolan Around in that Stuff Beasts of Bourbon -- Drop Out

I hate the Blaze albums, as indicated in my vote, but I really like The Clansman a lot. Not everything was awful, even on those awful albums.

Why is The Number of the Beast so low? I knew I'd get flack. I don't really know. I realize it's THE album, and I love some of the tracks. It's more that I like the others above it better. I think it falls victim to the ubiquitous nature of the album. I've heard so many tracks in so many releases over so many years that the others, old as some are, always seem more exciting. I love Run- it's the first one I memorized. Love Number. Children is great. Hallowed never did as much for me as others, Gangland and Invaders aren't very good. 22 has a cool riff. I always put Dance higher than most people too. Paschendale is just fantastic. And I know people knock it- but I love Dance of Death (song). But like so many I adore Powerslave and Piece of Mind

Powerslave Piece of Mind Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Somewhere in Time Killers Iron Maiden The Book of Souls Dance of Death Fear of the Dark The Final Frontier The Number of the Beast Brave New World A Matter of Life and Death No Prayer for the Dying The X Factor Virtual XI

Bleach 1st, but they're all very good and on some days others might come first.

Talking Heads first, because I simply think they were more original overall and their weird stuff works for me. If I put together a 20 song set from any of these bands the Police might have the edge, but I find Talking Heads to make better albums because the Police had some glaring clunkers, more than the other top three. The Cars third, fantastic pop sense and a worthy number one so no quibble with those who did at all. Blondie at fourth. They were so very very good early on, when they were right there with their New York peers. But for me they slid quite a bit. To the point a lot of people aren't aware of their early stuff (Detroit 442, Shark in Jet's clothing, Rip her to Shreds).

Someone can appear pretentious when they aren't. I think Neil sometimes sounds like he's trying hard to be clever, to sound intrinsically like an especially clever and erudite man. I know from personal experience that I love to play with words. I prefer the less common word, the more challenging word, when I write or speak. I learned that the reader and/or listener often hates this and sees it as pretentious, even though you're just enjoying writing and honestly like how it sounds. I can't get in Neil's head, but I can understand the criticism. Because even though I know I love to write in a seemingly pretentious fashion, I also know that I honestly like how it sounds and it really is who I am. If that fits Neil, then he isn't pretentious. If he's trying to sell that he's more than he's not, than he is. I suppose the fact that he never wants to talk to anyone makes it less likely he's trying to prove anything, because when he doesn bother to talk to people publicly he's consistently the same way. To me that isn't pretension. Since there is, and there certainly was a desire among critics to return rock to it's 'pure' form and reject anything beyond 1-2-3 go, calling something 'pretentious' was an easy go to for them. They could reduce someone's entire album's worth of effort to worthlessness with the single remark of 'pretension'. In my opinion, it's the critics who are pretentious. They're the ones assuming that they have some special role in deciding what has value to another listeners ear. It isn't honest criticism, it's reductive. It sets a foundation where if you aren't in a proper time signature, then they won't even try to listen to anything else. They make wild claims about how the band is working overly hard to project falsehoods, while barely acknowledging that the band isn't trying to be The Ramones. These critics decide that even though you can play in complex fashion, that you shouldn't. In other words, bands like Rush (and the probably more vilified Tull) are judged by how much they sound like 'normal' rock and roll. In fact, a common criticism was that they weren't playing rock and roll. If they aren't playing rock and roll, though, then the criticism never had any value in the first place. Rock critics, especially back then, would be like this: Individual hands a critic an apple: Critic-- "These here apples, these are damned fine apples. Best apples I ever tasted!" Individual hands a critic an apple pie: Critic-- "These here apples have been stretched beyond all recognition! It's just chucks of apple with weird outside elements stirred all around, all stuck into what I can only imagine is the chef's idea of cohesion. But all an apple eater could get out of this mess is a sugar high with no real apple truth. Pretentious apples.

Because I love in Bizzaro world I don't hear Anthrax the way others do. I prefer Bush's voice, for one. Spreading the Disease isn't all that fantastic for two. I love Anthrax, though. My favorite of the Big Four. I still haven't listened to Kings, sadly. Sound of White Noise Persistence of Time Among the Living Stomp 442 Worship Music Volume 8: The Threat Is Real State of Euphoria Spreading the Disease We've Come for You All Fistful of Metal

VaporTrailsSnakes&ArrowsClockworkAngels is their worst album. Circular argument time! :) Clockwork is one of their very best albums. ... But I also love Caress.

Roundabout is by far my favorite Squire work, and this is a great choice.

I think Johnny Cash's life was such that he certainly can interpret Reznor's song honestly and with complete conviction. Cash's version is incredibly powerful, and it's more than clear that Reznor's words described much of Johnny's actual life. But I loved Reznor's song to begin with, and it's also powerful. I like the ethereal music in the original, it lends a hollowness to the tune that it needs. Cash's vocal performance carries more weight, though. In the end, it's a tie.

Dr. Bogenbroom -- Jethro Tull Dr. Wu -- Minutemen Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive -- Men at Work