Classic Rock Competition

(1) Genesis Land of Confusion http://www.youtube.com... (2) Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire http://www.youtube.com... (3) Bonnie Tyler - I Need a Hero http://www.youtube.com... (4) Lita Ford, ft. Ozzy Osbourne - Close My eyes Forever http://www.youtube.com... (5) Heat Of The Moment - Asia http://www.youtube.com... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There were two primary objectives here, that I hope I accomplished. The first is to offer a variety of some of the best classic rock songs ever made. The second is share that list with DDO. I started out with Jimmy Hendrix, Mountain, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and The Hollies. Those were the glory days of late 60's and 70's early classic rock. While Hendrix and the Stones are widely known, Clapton (and his former band) as well as Mountain and The Hollies never reached the same level of prominence (well, Clapton did) but nevertheless deserve recognition and I hope you enjoyed them. I salute my opponent's choosing Harry Chapin, Don McLean and Bonnie Tyler. Those were great choices. I like Journey too, but ever since Journey songs have been Glee-ified, they just leave a bad taste in my mouth. In the next round, I chose some massive hits that came out of or around the 1980s. Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Ozzy and Kiss were seminal to what 80's music was and what the power ballad was all about. Theirs were songs that were fun to sing, fun to hear, but those same artists would come out with songs that would touch the heart. This selection is only the beginning of 80s music. There is so much more, and I hope that you take what's here and use it to launch explorations into music history of your own. In the following round, More Def Leppard, some Guns and Roses, Brian Adams, Skid Row and back to the Rolling Stones. It's no surprise, Def Leppard is probably one of my all time favorite bands and they are the face of Classic Rock. Vh1 made a movie about their story called Hysteria that I'd encourage you to look into if you like. It's fkn amazing. Brian Adams is kind of the outlier, but I put that in to show contrast. What's awesome about Brian Adams is that he was singing about classic rock, in what is now a classic rock song. Meta-classic rocking, ftw. Perhaps that's pushing it though. It's cool. In this final round, I want to talk about Genesis for a bit. Phil Collins was the lead singer and that band nothing less than paved the way for an entire genre of metal that would develop out of some of the stuff that he and Genesis did together. Land of Confusion was later remade by Disturbed, whose cover was just as good but brought the song into the new millennium. Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire is a song that talks about change over time, the problems of a generation, and the inheritance a the Baby Boomers were about to receive from their parents... Now, we're in the same boat. It's cool to think about time like that. Pay attention to the lyrics. If you don't know what something is, learn! (That song has actually been used in classrooms for the past two decades). Bonnie Tyler and Lita Ford are my shout outs to the ladies of classic rock, who deserve every bit as much attention as the guys do. I thought about putting Heart in here, but there are only so many songs I can list per round. Lita Ford's song ft. Ozzy Osbourne is about suicide, and it will almost make you cry if you open yourself up to the song's meaning. It's chilling; no doubt. Finally, Heat of the Moment is a great place to end. It's fast, it's fun, and it sums up what classic rock is all about: savoring the moment, because it doesn't last, but it can sure as hell still be enjoyed. I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you gained an exposure to Classic Rock, perhaps for the first time, or perhaps for the millionth time. In any case, peace out.