Author: Christian Adams
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1973–1974)
Progressive rock and art rock dominated the landscape in 1973–1974. Southern rock and reggae were among the up-and-coming genres. The four horsemen of the rock apocalypse were Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones. And don’t forget about glam rock! Ultimately, I’m here to help you decide if these records are worth…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1971–1972)
In terms of must-hear albums, 1971–1972 featured the emergence of jazz fusion and art rock, and the continued development of progressive rock. We’ll hear some cool progressive soul and R&B from Stevie Wonder. Meanwhile, record labels are pushing artists to release two, sometimes three albums per calendar year. Several double-dipping artists will be discussed below.…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1969–1970)
All hell broke loose in the late-’60s and early-’70s, and despite (or maybe because of) the chaos, we have boatloads of albums you must hear before you die. Equally important, we’re now seeing a phalanx of splinter genres reaching maturity: psychedelic, folk rock, country rock, heavy metal, hard rock, acid rock, jazz fusion, jazz rock,…
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Rock Genres Beginning with E
Leave it to the letter E to school me on just how much I don’t know about music. Of the 14 genres listed below, I could only write two descriptions off the top of my head. A few of these rock genres were revelations, i.e., they have a name for that? Join me on a…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1993–1994)
It started as a joke in late 2014. A friend had a copy of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (third edition, 2010, edited by Robert Dimery). Flipping through the pages, I muttered and scoffed. “Oh, come on! You do not have to hear Jamiroquai before you die.” My friend countered, “You should…
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Rock Genres Beginning with D
The letters of the alphabet may have been created equal, but you can’t say the same thing about rock music genres. The letter D has more than its share of misfits and malformations. Can you guess why? I’ll give you two words: death and doom. If I knew I’d be writing about and listening to…
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Great Rock Set Lists from 1984
There was never really a bad year for rock music or rock set lists; some years were just more exciting than others. 1984 was a turning point in my concert-going career because I turned 16, got my driver’s license, kept my grades up, and made Eagle Scout, which was an incredibly important beacon of trust…
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17 Great 80s Rock Bands (You Might Have Missed)
It’s hard to find great 1980s rock bands that were overlooked because the market was saturated by MTV and radio. It’s easier to find great bands from the 1970s and the 1990s, too, when the rise of digital recording rocked the infrastructure and landscape of music. Most of the bands on this list had some…
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Rock Genres Beginning with C
Genres of rock music are interesting concepts because some genres are media contrivances, e.g., college rock. Nobody has ever made, nor will anybody ever make “college rock.” It’s a bullshit term to categorize the audience, i.e., the kids who listen to a certain type of music. On the other hand, some genres are perfect descriptors,…
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Dan Epstein Interview: Co-Author of Now You’re One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross
I’m old enough to remember a time when rock star memoirs were rare occurrences. The last 20 years have brought an avalanche of memoirs and autobiographies from some of rock’s biggest—and sometimes, not-so-big names. What’s driving the rock memoir boom is another subject entirely. But let’s just say that rock musicians are strongly motivated to…
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18 Great 70s Rock Artists (You Might Have Missed)
Great 1970s rock bands have a habit of falling through the cracks. For every Kiss and Led Zeppelin, thousands of overlooked artists were as good, if not better, than the superstars. The bands and artists on this list aren’t one-hit wonders or obscure local favorites. With one exception, I’m talking about bands actively putting out…
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Rock Genres Beginning with B
The second installment of my regrettable rock genres project, Rock Genres Explained, in which I attempt to explain every genre on this list of rock genres (copy-pasted from Wikipedia and doctored with numerous additions). “While strategizing for the 2025 website overhaul, I thought it might be cool to annotate the list from start to finish. It seemed…
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Weird and Quirky Cover Versions of Great Rock Songs
I’m a sucker for a good cover song, whether sincere or satirical. I’ve spent entire weeks listening to nothing but Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine, the Mike Flowers Pops, and Pat Boone’s In a Metal Mood (2007). I’d be a bigger fan of Weird Al if he didn’t have that damn accordion. These…
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10 Great Rock Songs (Surprisingly) Inspired by Books and Literature
Rock music is littered with songs and albums inspired by great literature. Some heavy metal bands don’t have much to say if they’re not retelling “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. The Cure have consistently dropped tracks inspired by Robert Smith‘s reading habits. Radiohead is quite fond of books, too. Some of the greatest songs…
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Interesting Rock Set Lists of 1975
In 1975, an eight-year-old recalls a typical suburban family life with limited technology. Music dominated leisure time, with iconic television shows like The Midnight Special showcasing famous artists. From concerts to set lists of bands like Kiss and Barry Manilow, the era predominantly celebrated live performances and radio hits, forging lasting memories.
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Rock Genres Beginning with A
One of our most popular pages on BSM (in terms of organic search traffic) is a barebones list of rock genres from A to Z (copy-pasted from Wikipedia and doctored with numerous additions). It didn’t even have a featured image until recently. The list has sat unmolested for over a decade, collecting clicks. For whatever…
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Top 50 Rock Vocalists of All Time (According to Me)
Part of my job at a Taiwanese publishing company was writing speeches for kids. We followed a customized Rule of Threes for public speaking. The title of this post informs you that I’m going to talk about the best rock singers in history—according to my experience. It’s my opinion. Fair enough. Every singer on this…
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Great Rock Set Lists of 1983
My parents started letting me go to concerts with my friends in 1981, but I only went to a couple of shows, mainly because we lived in the suburbs and hence, needed a driver. Our parents weren’t always cooperative. It sometimes came down to an older sibling with a shared interest in the gig. My…
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Great Rock Set Lists of 1974
Progressive rock and art rock slipped into mainstream consciousness in 1974. We received extremely important and, in some cases, watershed records from Brian Eno, Sparks, Steely Dan, King Crimson, Queen, Genesis, Supertramp, Kraftwerk, and Roxy Music. We haven’t exactly moved on from the over-indulgence of bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), Electric Light Orchestra…
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25 Songs About California
You’ll be disappointed if you clicked on this post expecting to see “Hotel California” by the Eagles anywhere on the list. The best-selling rock hit of 1977–78 isn’t even among my top 50 songs about the Golden State. Why? Of the 50 United States, only two, maybe three states come close to California in terms…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1991–1992)
There was one morning I woke up in 1992 and I felt like I’d been asleep for a couple of years. Right here, right now, 1992, I think the 1001 Albums list should end and start over. The book and list should be split into two volumes: Analog Era (1956–1992) and Digital Age (1993–present). My point is very simple.…
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25 Songs About Going Down to Mexico
Because geography, there are few things more quintessentially American than the concept of “going down to Mexico.” Nobody ever says they’re going up to Mexico—that would be silly. Whether you’re an outlaw in search of refuge or a college kid on Spring Break, it seems like almost everybody, at some point in our lives, will…
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Robert Plant Didn’t Ruin It For Anybody
I used to think that Robert Plant ruined it for everybody. One could argue that rock music does not have a single, universally beloved figure, for lack of a better term. Nobody can agree on The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones. Some people never liked Elvis or Bob Dylan. Nickelback may be the most hated…
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Bill Dolan Interview Part 2
Guitarist Bill Dolan is one of my favorite musicians and one of the most underrated, unsung guitar players of my lifetime. He also happens to be my friend. Twenty years ago, Bill and I—along with Ronnie Kwasman and Matthew Tucker—played in a couple of bands together in Chicago. I don’t like telling people what they…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1989–1990)
Comparatively speaking, we’re going to breeze through this period. There’s a revolution of sorts on the horizon. At this point, recording artists are either making records that sell, or they aren’t making records. There will be fewer suggested alternatives simply because the unofficial 1001 AYMHBYD list contains most of the must-hear records. You could almost…