Musicallessness
XRLQ links to VH1s 50 most awesomely bad songs ever. I, just like you, actually dig some of the tunes on that list, like What’s Up and Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. The list is missing every song ever by The Scorpions and Dave Matthews (ed: DMB the band actually kicks ass, it’s that singing voice that irritates the crap out of me). I’m sure the Toby Keith tune is on their for political reasons. The song isn’t that bad, for country, which is to say it’s the top turd on the pile.
From a while back, there were a few bloggers doing the best guitar riffs. Ricky, Michele and Jay chimed in with some good lists. My vote for number one is definitely Cult of Personality. Vernon Reid is the man. I know these types of lists wax nostalgic for the good old days but there are some riffs that are new that are influential, to wit:
Blind – Korn: After this tune, every metal band ever tried to imitate this sound.
Nookie – Limp Bizkit: Though XRLQ will poo poo it, the riff is actually good (even though it’s almost the same as the Chili Peppers Suck My Kiss).
Creep – Radiohead: Not so much a riff really as a sound. Mind you, that sound is the only saving grace for this boring, never changing song. And, by the way, Radiohead otherwise blows. How can a band release songs with no hook, no melody and no anything and sell them?
Man in the Box – Alice in Chains: Catchy riff and every bar band ever covers this song.
Outshined – Soundgarden: Dropped D tuning goes mainstream. Good lick too.
May 17th, 2004 at 11:42 am
That riff at the beginning of Blind will go down in my book as one of the coolest, most recognizable riffs ever. It’s even better when you know (and like) the song because the riff is a build up to a kick ass tune.
Uhh..yes. I just admitted to liking Korn.
May 17th, 2004 at 12:01 pm
I used to like Creep quite a bit. Well, I still do, but I noticed something in the past few years.. It’s a note-for-note rip-off of “The Air That I Breathe” by the Hollies.
Compare the two sometime.. you’ll be surprised at the similarity.
May 17th, 2004 at 12:17 pm
I like the Scorpions, from the second album through Blackout. The next album, Love at First Sting, was so-so; everything after that was horrendous. Either that or I just got old.
I think the best thing about “Creep” is the the underlying logic. What does being (or not being) “special” have to do with being a creep? Then again, fractured logic in songs is even more common than fractured rhymes.
May 17th, 2004 at 1:19 pm
Ditto on “Cult of Personality.” Also on “Man in the Box” and “Outshined,” although I guess “new” is somewhat relative: those songs are more than 10 years old!
Man, time sure does fly.
May 17th, 2004 at 1:21 pm
Uncle:
I notice your list is heavily slanted toward more recent stuff. For recent riffs, I would add Last Resort by Papa Roach as a killer one. And add Linkin Park’s Papercut and One Step Closer.
Looking back a bit further, Clapton’s Layla riff has got to be up there, and Hendrix’s Foxy Lady, and Van Halen’s Running With the Devil.
Cult of Personality is a cool riff, although probably not my favorite of all time. Vernon Reid, like George Lynch before him, tends to get lost in his solos — that is, the solos have little to do with the rest of the song.
Drop-D tuning went “mainstream” a lot earlier than Outshined. Van Halen’s 5150 used it, off the top of my head, and I understand that it wasn’t the first hit to use it. But my personal favorite use of Drop-D (though not mainstream) was just about anything King’s X ever did, especially on their “Gretchen Goes to Nebraska” album.
Now I need to look through my old CDs and find other riffs that I like.
May 17th, 2004 at 1:33 pm
THib,
10 years is long ago but most other lists were from 20 years ago.
Tom,
I don’t consider 5150 to be good. No matter how good eddie is, alex’s cymbal work ruins every van halen song.
And AIC used drop D some on facelift too but never had a hit other than MIB.
The papa roach riff is cool but i can’t stand that whiny singer.
I never got into King’s X. Saw them live once and they were good.
May 17th, 2004 at 1:34 pm
Oh, and concerning “every bar band ever” covering a song, there was a bar in Milwaukee called T.A. Vern’s (get it?) that was a rock bar, and was really big during the hair metal days. There was an unwritten rule that said that every cover band that played there had to do a cover of For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica.
Speaking of Metallica, I was never a huge fan, but Master of Puppets is an awesome album, and has several good riffs on it (the title track especially).
May 17th, 2004 at 3:00 pm
C’mon, AIC only had one hit? Did you hear any radio in the 90s? What about Again, Rooster, and Grind (just to name 3 of about 10 or 20 moderate to big hits), any of which are on my favorite riffs list. Jerry Cantrel is a musical genius – he wrote all the AIC hits as well as a few solo numbers post Staley. You want old stuff? How about anything by Jimi Hendrix? I especially like the intro to Voodoo Child. Something obscure? How about Breed by Nirvana off of their Nevermind CD. And besides Van Halen, the band which consistently puts out the best riffs is Collective Soul. Pick any of their CDs and you can find several if not all of the songs which have awesome riffs.
May 17th, 2004 at 3:02 pm
AIC only had one hit
Off the album facelift, yes. Dirt had all those other hits.
May 17th, 2004 at 3:10 pm
My bad. I guess I should read the entire post before I get offended about one of my favorite bands. By the way, I love your website – I read it every day, and not just because it is one of a few that aren’t blocked at work.
May 17th, 2004 at 3:16 pm
10 years is long ago but most other lists were from 20 years ago
Oh, I know. I was just thinking, “Hey, I used to listen to those songs all the time back when…WHOA! How long ago was that?”
May 17th, 2004 at 3:18 pm
That’s the same feeling I had when I realized Friends debuted after I got my undergraduate degree. Egad!
May 17th, 2004 at 3:20 pm
Thanks Gryphon. Don’t leave many comments though, do ya?
May 17th, 2004 at 3:31 pm
I tend to be a bit late on threads, so by the time I visit the comments section, whatever I wanted to say has already been said. Doesn’t seem like there is much of a point is posting to say “Me too!”. But (ir)regardless, I do stop by at least once or twice a day. And yeah, I’m starting to feel a bit dated when I realize that the songs I grew up with are 10-15 years old now. There are kids in college now who don’t even know who AIC is!!!
May 17th, 2004 at 3:42 pm
I heard AIC played on a “classic rock” weekend and I weeped.
On Metallica, “Battery” has the best riffs ever.
May 17th, 2004 at 3:44 pm
When our local classic rock station starting playing metallica, it was devestating.
May 17th, 2004 at 3:49 pm
Oh, don’t get me started on “classic rock” radio stations. That’s a rant unto itself.
May 17th, 2004 at 5:44 pm
Some other obscure stuff I thought of:
9th of June and About Mrs. Leslie by Galactic Cowboys.
Lack of Communication by Ratt (yes, it’s true, there’s some 80’s hair metal that I still like…)
As for cymbal work and whiny singers, I didn’t realize we were talking about the entire quality of the song, I thought we were just talking about guitar riffs.
May 17th, 2004 at 7:04 pm
I got a couple of thirty year old ones:
“Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” by Blue Oyster Cult. Just play the first three notes and you know the song.
A real obscurity is “In the Time of Job (When Mammon was a Hippie)” by Lucifer’s Friend. Recorded just before “heavy metal” was invented. Long, looping, descending riff. Sounds kinda Deep Purplish.