TNT’s Top 5
5. The Beatles – I was not brought up on The Beatles and learned everything once I hit college. The Beatles had a huge influence on so many that I feel it’s a necessity for any musical background.
4. Rancid – We need to start the punk category somewhere, so why not start with Mom’s favorite? The Ramones and Green Day are also included here, but they’ll be singing “Ruby Soho” first. Ska music will soon be to follow. I like to jump around a little, keep the kids on their toes.
3. Queen – Imagine how much fun road trips will be when Queen is playing and everyone is singing along! But seriously, a crash course of Queen will be mandatory.
2. Metallica – Mom was raised on Metallica and her children will be too. My kinder will be the ones giving the devil horns in their playpens.
1. Grateful Dead – I’ve covered a lot of genres with this list, but no band has ever given me a feeling like the Grateful Dead. Please excuse me, but my hippie side is about to come out. There is just something about the music that moves you, that makes you feel like anything is possible and you can have no worries in the world. If only it was 1969 today.
Honorable Mentions: The Get Up Kids would of course be on this list, but I want my kids to listen to this when I did, around 15 or 16 years old. George Gershin, because he is an American musical genius, and a good mix of blues/jazz musicians. Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Allman Brothers, Meatloaf, and of course Lynyrd Skynyrd– no explaination needed, these artists were almost too obvious to put on the list, but had to included them.
Angela’s Top 5
This is a great topic because, no lie, I’ve imagined in my head what bands I will one day be responsible for introducing my kids to. We all know that the kids of the critics and artists are going to be given a fine course in musical stylings.
5. B.B. King and other assorted blues artists – You can not have a proper musical education if you do not include the blues. That’s where contemporary rock and roll started, and some of those old recordings by Muddy Waters and the like are simple, yet brilliant. I feel like I would be doing my kids a disservice if they missed out on listening to the blues.
4. Green Day – If mom’s a die-hard Green Day fan, then so too shall the children be.
3. The Ramones – Legends of punk, The Ramones are integral to them understanding the punk evolution. You do realize the children are going to be well versed in the history of punk rock, right?
2. The Beatles – It would be wrong of me to not include the Beatles as part of their musical education.
1. Queen – You should have known that this was going to be my number 1. My kids are going to know the amazing music of Queen and the genius that was Freddie Mercury.
4. Led Zeppelin – The first time I heard Led Zeppelin as a kid it hit me hard. I remember thinking “do they have a song I don’t like?” I had never experienced that feeling before. I decided it was my mission to acquire every album to answer this question. As it turned out, they didn’t. It would be nice to if my son or daughter had a similar experience.
3. The Talking Heads – The music is a hodgepodge of genres with a touch of eccentric freakishness a la David Byrne. The songs make me dance and sing while laughing out loud at the little absurdities nestled within. All in all, it’s a lot of fun. My kids would probably think I’m a weirdo, but they would have to face the inevitable fact that they are related to me and therefore weird by proxy. Maybe they might like it.
2. The Beatles – I’m a big fan of The Fab Four’s entire catalog. “Do You Want To Know A Secret” and “I Should Have Known Better” are among my favorites. There are so many great tunes to choose from that even if my kids didn’t like the older stuff, they might be able to get into the later albums.
1. Sam Cooke – I love soul music and Mr. Cooke is the king of soul. He introduced soul music to the mainstream and inspired other great soul singers like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and James Brown. I hope that my child or children would have a diverse interest in music and give Sam a chance.
5. Boston – It would be important for my kids to understand the basis of what makes good rock music, what era best illustrates the sound and one of the bands that epitomizes that sound.
4. Gary Numan – Introducing the offspring to different musical genres would be really important to giving them a solid musical grounding. This covers goth/new wave/electro, and even some rock territory, and is a great way to show them that there is a whole world beyond just guitar/bass/drums. Plus, whatever Dad likes, they will have to listen to for quite sometime.
3. Depeche Mode – They will have to get to know another of their Father’s favorite bands, as I show them music based completely on electronics, and to introduce them to gloom, doom, and dancing. Maybe I can even encourage them to start dyeing their hair.
2. The Police – One of the greatest bands to ever grace the music scene. It would best show the young-ins what happens when great songwriting and amazing musicianship come together. It might even encourage them to take up an instrument.
1. BT – The Sonic architect has to be heard to be understood. A great way to help them understand how musical notation and emotions go together, or to encourage them to study hard and follow their dreams, whatever they may be.
5. Alice In Chains – Placing them as the #5 slot doesn’t diminish their importance in the lexicon of my musical tastes. Anyone who’s read any of my posts should-be been able to guess these guys would’ve been on the list, but I want to be clear that the Alice I want my kids to listen to is the original line-up, with Layne Staley on vocals. Even though it will be impossible for them to ever see the original line-up live, I want them to understand the bands roots before they learn of their evolution. One of the greatest rock bands of all time.
4. Meatloaf – An oldie but a goodie, it’s the closest I get to the classic rock of the 1970s, as far as bands influential or inspiring enough to make them part of my kids’ musical education regimen. His albums are story books, each song an elegant chapter, and the man himself will always have a larger than life quality (no pun intended) that will always make his music special.
3. Extreme – It’s not all about “More Than Words” with this band, especially when they consider that song the kiss of death for their career. Extreme is a kick ass, hardcore guitar rock band. “More Than Words” was their power ballad fluke that propelled them to mega-stardom, but it wasn’t representative of the rest of their work. Pornografitti is an incredible album, and Nuno Bettencourt is a living guitar legend. Just because the rest of the music world seems to have forgotten that, I feel like most of the public never really knew, and those of us who did and still do could be considered a cult of followers.
2. Tool – There are some artists or groups that are beyond words, and Tool is one of them. Their music has always mesmerized me, and helped open my mind to all the possibilities that exist in music. I would definitely want them to listen to AENEMA. I once saw an entire abstract, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”-type movie in my head while listening to this album from beginning to end. I one day hope to make the film, but until then, I’ll keep listening to Tool, and make sure my kids do too.
1. Metallica – Distant as I’ve grown to their recent works, there’s no denying that Metallica shaped and defined some of my most formative years…take that for what you will, good or bad. Metallica is one of those bands, at least for me, that are legends from an earlier time, and earlier renaissance of music, where the disconnected youth needed an outlet for their angst and anger. I know there’s no shortage of anger in today’s world, but the outlets are nowhere near the caliber that Metallica is, hence their continued success. I feel like if my kids didn’t at least listen to, if not love Metallica, they would not truly know part of what makes me who I am, as a person, as a man, as their father.
Honorable Mentions: (Let’s face it, there’s so much music I’m going to need to expose my kids to, I could never narrow the list down to 5 without mention a couple of others.) Type O Negative – Peter Steele’s legacy will live on in my household, as Type O was hugely important to me as I was growing up. Smashing Pumpkins – It’s a sin that they aren’t in the Top 5, but I’m taking into account that they’re not always everyone’s cup of tea. I didn’t need to acquire the taste, but others do sometimes…I want to expose my kids to all kinds of music, but I don’t want to be tyrannical.
Nevermind The Posers 