alright, gang... there's a new kid in town calling himself ghostfaceslacker who called out my inclusion of cake in the five greatest bands list. there's a lotta people been doing that... but i just put "sheep go to heaven" on the cd player again & catch the fever.

still... i've suggested to folks that they could replace cake (or rage or ccr) with pretty much any band they'd like. & with that in mind... here's the first in a series of five lists of 30 other bands that COULD garner some consideration. they're in alphabetical order... so you may have to wait to see if yer band made the list...

sorry, ghostface... i don't have tour revenues for them. as far as i'm concerned... the concept of "arena rock" is the primary enemy in the ongoing sucking-the-vitality-out-of-music war that the corporate s.o.b.'s have been putting music lovers through for decades now. i've previously blamed "frampton comes alive" as being the album that destroyed rock 'n' roll by creating the demand for double-length live ARENA ROCK albums... which went on to be all the rage through the 70s & 80s.

& so... in alphabetical order...

1. acdc
formed, 1973 in sydney, australia
debut: high voltage, 1974
frontman: angus young
classic lineup: bon scott/brian johnson, vocals; angus & malcolm young, guitars; cliff williams, bass; phil rudd, drums.
debate: bon scott vs brian johnson
drunk & dead young: bon scott
breakthrough album: highway to hell
definitive album: back in black
my fave album: let there be rock
last GREAT album: flick of the switch
last GOOD album: the razor's edge
best known song: you shook me all night long
best song: ain't no fun waiting 'round to be a millionaire
box set: bonfire, 5 discs.
little known connections: brian johnson had been the singer in a manchester pub rock band called "geordie".
back in black stands as the 3rd-biggest selling album of all time. the young brothers, angus & malcolm, are the only original members of the band. their older brother george young brought rock 'n' roll to australia as a member of the easybeats.

2. aerosmith
formed, 1970 in boston
debut: aerosmith, 1973
frontmen: steven tyler, joe perry
classic lineup: steven tyler, vocals; joe perry & brad whitford, guitars; tom hamilton, bass;
debate: drunk vs sober?
drunk & dead young: no one? how is that possible?
breakthrough album: toys in the attic
definitive album: toys in the attic
my fave album: rocks (but only just... toys is killer)
last GREAT album: done with mirrors
last GOOD album: permanent vacation
best known song: walk this way
best song: nobody's fault
box set: pandora's box, 3 discs; box of fire (you can't afford it)
i once had to explain as patiently as i could that mick jagger & keith richards probably didn't steal many of their chops from tyler-perry. 1982's rock in a hard place featured replacement guitarists brought in when joe perry split to the joe perry project & brad whitford retired. aerosmith will be one of the only bands stil to have the original lineup 35 years later...

3. the band
formed, 1967 in toronto (my hometown)
final show: nov 25, 1976, the winterland
debut: music from big pink, 1968
frontman: robbie robertson
classic lineup: robbie robertson, guitar; rick danko, bass; levon helm, drums; garth hudson, organ; richard manuel, piano
debate: who picked HIM as the frontman?
dead young: richard manuel (1986, suicide)
breakthrough album: music from big pink
definitive album: rock of ages
my fave album: bob dylan's "the basement tapes" (recorded by dylan & the band while dylan was recovering from his near-fatal 1966 motorcycle crash. heavily bootlegged, it was finally released in 1975)
last GREAT album: rock of ages
last GOOD album: northern lights -- southern cross
box set: across the great divide, 3 discs
best known song: the weight
best song: i shall be released
back from the dead: the band re-formed without manuel or robertson to release new studio albums in the 1990s. they may have finally given up the ghost after danko's 1999 heart attack took him from us weeks before his 57th birthday.
originally formed as the hawks, backing ronnie hawkins when he chased the money to canada... these guys also backed bob dylan on his landmark english tour, featuring the royal albert hall show that may stand as the most important single concert of rock history.

4. the beastie boys
formed, 1979 in new york city
debut: rock hard, 1985
classic lineup: ad-rock, mca & mike d, rappers.
debate: CAN white punks rap?
breakthrough album: licensed to ill
definitive album: paul's boutique
my fave album: paul's boutique
last GREAT album: hello nasty
last GOOD album: actually... i've kinda lost track since hello nasty... they've probably had several albums out since then. none of which i've heard yet...
best known song: fight for your right to party?
best song: hey, ladies. me 'n' my bar chums used to crank it three or four times as we got ready for a night out...
as most every beastie-fan knows... these boys started out as part of the hardcore punk scene in nyc in the early 1980s. then they became the first white rap band, creating frat-boy rap with their early records before growing up a little & becoming one of the most important & longest-lasting rap groups ever. every white rap fan over the age of 30 got into rap because of the beastie boys.

5. the clash
formed, 1976 in london (originally known as the london ss)
debut: the clash, 1977
disbanded: 1986
frontman: joe strummer
classic lineup: joe strummer & mick jones, guitars; paul simonon, bass; topper headon, drums.
debate: strummer vs jones. the clash vs big audio dynamite
breakthrough album: london calling
definitive album: london calling
my fave album: london calling
last GREAT album: london calling
last GOOD album: sandanista!
best known song: should i stay or should i go?
best song: guns of brixton
box set: clash on broadway, 3 discs
little known connections: simonon replaced original bassist tony james, who would later make his mark as a member of generation x & later with sigue sigue sputnik. generation x also featured drummer terry chimes, who played on the first clash record while headon was briefly out of the group. chimes would go on to play in under-rated hair metal band hanoi rocks & to replace bill ward in one of the painful 1980s black sabbath lineups.
while a clash reunion was never going to be likely... the death of joe strummer in 2002 has made it out of the question... until cloning or reanimation make death an outdated concept...

up next? 6-10. the count thus far: hard rock, 2; punk 1; rap 1; 'classic' rock 1.