Top 10 Bands of the 1990s

Musical taste is very personal. It’s hard to distinctively say that Band A or Song B are better than Band X or Song Y because the very act of doing so is subjective. Sure, most lists and rankings involve a degree of subjectivity, but there’s usually also some quantitative data. College football rankings are based on wins and losses. World golf rankings are based on a player’s body of work over a certain amount of time. These stats, trends, and averages make it easier to rank college football teams and golfers. The quantitative data available in music just isn’t as cut and dry.

When you rank music you can do the best you can to rely on the Billboard Charts or Grammy nominations, but there are so many different genres of music that things get confusing. What it all comes down to is that music is art and art is judged, felt, and in this case, ranked differently by just about everybody.

I tell you this because a few weeks back some friends and I got to talking about the top 10 bands of the 1990s. The debate lasted for the better part of an hour and even got a little heated when opinions differed significantly. We were able to agree on four or five no brainers in no particular order (ranking them would have led to chaos), but couldn’t come to a consensus about the rest because people were suggesting bands that wouldn’t even make my top 50 (Cake).

Now that they aren’t here to argue with me I’ll present my top 10 for you.

10.) Foo Fighters



The Foo Fighters are one of those bands that have spanned a few decades, so they are tough to place, but they make my cut mainly because of their 1997 album The Colour and the Shape. That album featured three classic Foo Fighter songs in “Monkey Wrench”, “My Hero”, and “Everlong”. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but when I was in 7th grade my older brother Jimmy (in 9th grade at the time) played “My Hero” and “Everlong” every morning before we walked down to the bus stop.

Band origin- Seattle, WA (1994)
Genre- post grunge, pop rock
Influential 90s album- The Colour and the Shape (1997)
Top 90s songs- “My Hero”, “Monkey Wrench”, “Everlong”


9.) No Doubt



If you hear a No Doubt song and don’t think of the 90s then something is wrong with you. Their sound screams 90s. Plus, Gwen Stefani was a legitimate sex symbol at the height of their fame.

Band origin- Anaheim, CA (1986)
Genre- new wave, fusion rock
Influential 90s album- Tragic Kingdom (1995)
Top 90s songs- “Spiderwebs”, “Don’t Speak”, “I’m Just A Girl”


8.) Collective Soul



Probably the biggest wild card in my top 10, but I think they are a worthy band. I know of and really like five of their songs from the decade, which is a lot.

Band origin- Stockbridge, GA (1992)
Genre- post grunge, alternative rock
Influential 90s albums- Collective Soul (1995), Dosage (1999)
Top 90s songs- “Shine”, “Heavy”, “Run”, December”, “The World I Know”

7.) Rage Against the Machine



Rage not only had a unique sound (thanks largely in part to the voice of Zack de la Rocha), but they were also incredibly popular while still seeming authentic. They were anti-establishment, cared about the music, and wouldn’t cave to a sponsor or record label and yet they had a huge following and won multiple Grammys.

Band origin- Los Angeles, CA (1991)
Genre- rap/alternative metal
Influential 90s album- Battle for Los Angeles (1999)
Top 90s songs- “Bulls on Parade”, “Killing in the Name”, “Guerilla Radio”, “Calm Like a Bomb”

6.) Smashing Pumpkins



If I put together a list of the Top 100 songs from the 90s (future blog post?) “1979” would definitely be in the top 5. Music and memory are tied together in such a way that certain songs remind me of specific times and experiences from my life. When I hear “1979” I go back to Mrs. Zacharek’s 4th grade class at St. Matthew’s grammar school.

Band origin- Chicago, IL (1988)
Genre- alternative rock
Influential 90s album- Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
Top 90s songs- “1979”, “Tonight, Tonight”, “Today”, “Disarm”, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”

5.) Dave Matthews Band



They are still incredibly popular to this day, but the majority of their success came in the mid to late 90s. In fact, I would argue that most of the Dave Mathews songs that you know were on their first three albums. When you get high/hammered at their concerts you hope that they play “Ants Marching”, “Crash Into Me”, and “Two Step”.

Band origin- Charlottesville, VA
Genre- blue grass rock
Influential 90s albums- Under the Table and Dreaming (1994), Crash (1996)
Top 90s songs- “Ants Marching”, “Satellite”, “Crash Into Me”, “Two Step”, “Warehouse”

4.) Green Day



Green Day came to prominence in the 90s. They were instrumental in reviving the punk rock movement that bands like The Ramones started in the 70s. The Dookie (1994) album is one of my favorites of all time. In fact, it made my list of the Top 10 albums back in 2009. They also get major bonus points for having a song (Good Riddance) featured in the series finale of the best 90s television show (Seinfeld).

Band origin- East Bay, CA (1987)
Genre- punk rock
Influential 90s album- Dookie (1994)
Top 90s songs- “Brain Stew”, “Good Riddance”, “Basket Case”, “When I Come Around”

3.) Nirvana



Nirvana is probably the band from the 90s that immediately comes to mind when you do this exercise. They are rightfully credited for taking the grunge movement mainstream, but I think their success is elevated because of the death of Kurt Cobain. This isn’t to say that they weren’t great. They were. Their video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the second most famous of all time (behind only Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”). All I’m saying is that they are idolized because Kurt Cobain died at or near the peak of their fame. Because of this (un)fortunate timing we always think of him, and Nirvana, as being great. We never got to see the down side of his career and there definitely would have been a downside because no one stays a top the mountain forever.

Band origin- Aberdeen, WA (1987)
Genre- grunge
Influential 90s album- Nevermind (1991)
Top 90s songs- “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Come As You Are”, “Lithium”

2.) Pearl Jam



They were probably never the best band at any given time in the 90s, but they were always in the conversation. They came off the heels of Nirvana and because of this no one could ever conceivably think of them as being better than their predecessors. I would argue that their longevity and total body of work make them arguably more influential than their Washington counterparts. I also think that they’re one of those bands that have a lot more hits than people realize. A similar thing happened to me when I bought a Def Leppard CD. At the time I thought I only knew two of their songs, but it turned out that I knew 7 or 8.

Band origin- Seattle, WA (1990)
Genre- alternative, grunge rock
Influential 90s album- Ten (1991)
Top 90s songs- “Jeremy”, “Better Man”, “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”, “Yellow Ledbetter”, “Alive”


1.) Red Hot Chili Peppers




They released four albums in the 80s, but their real breakthrough success came after they signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1990. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers achieved pop success, but are also admired by the hardcore rockers of the world. They don’t have a mainstream sound, but they have a mainstream following even to this day. They deserve a lot of credit for bookending the decade with their best work- Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) and Californication (1999). I also think it’s cool that the most famous band member (Flea) is their bassist and arguably their second most famous member (Dave Navarro- he’s more famous for what he’s done outside of RHCP, but it still counts) left after only a 3 year stint in the mid 90s. It should also be noted that “Under the Bridge” served as a pump up song for me when I was 17. It’s slow, but something about it got me in the mood to hit people in football.

Band origin- Los Angeles, CA (1983)
Genre- alternative, funk rock
Influential 90s albums- Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), Californication (1999)
Top 90s songs- “Under the Bridge”, “Suck My Kiss”, “Give it Away”, “Scar Tissue”, “Californication”


Other bands receiving votes (alphabetical)- Alice in Chains, Barenaked Ladies, Bush, The Goo Goo Dolls, Hootie and the Blowfish, Korn, Matchbox Twenty, Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, The Offspring, Radiohead, R.E.M., Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Sublime, Third Eye Blind

Utlimate Mix

Back in the Napster/Limewire days of my youth I was pretty into burning CDs. Just like our parents had mixtapes we had mix CD's/CD mixes (can't remember what the proper term was). The only problem was that there were restrictions at just about every turn

In the pre-iTunes days you needed software in order to burn a CD and in most cases you had to pay for it. There was no way that I was going to pay for burning capibility, so I once searched around and downloaded the trial version of some CD burning software. The catch was that I could only put 10 songs on a CD and I could only burn 10 CDs. This severely limited my song choices, so I had to really think about what songs were the most deserving to be a part of my mixes. I didn't have any room to waste. I couldn't make any rash decisions if I happened to hear a song that I liked 2-3 times. I had to make sure that I would still like it a month or two down the road.

When I finally reached the point where I had unlimited CD burning capibility I soon realized that the next restriction was the amount of space that blank CDs could hold. Some could only hold 70 minutes, others could hold 80, and oddly enough there were some that could hold 74 minutes. This usually limited my mixes to roughly 17 songs, which was a lot more than the 10 I was used to, but it was still a restriction.

Through the years I've made countless mix CD's (My mom bought me 100 blank CDs before I left for college) and there have been plenty of songs that have ended up on multiple mixes. Because of this slight overlap I've always thought about making what I would consider to be the ultimate mix CD.

Now, of course, I've never gotten around to making the ultimate mix, but for some reason the thought occurred to me the other day.

I decided to limit myself to 15 songs and here's what I came up with. I haven't actually made the CD, but if I do the songs would appear in this order.

*After reading through this list feel free to never respect my opinion on music ever again. I won't be offended.


1.) U2- City of Blinding Lights- On my highly acclaimed radio show in college we primarily played rock music, but also had a Rap/Hip Hop pick and Girly pick of the week. My buddy from home wanted me to add a U2 pick of the week and this was the first song that he recommended.

2.) Foo Fighters- Everlong- Do songs ever make you think of a specific time in your life? Well for me, this song makes me think of the Spring when I was in 7th grade.

3.) Guns N' Roses- Sweet Child o' Mine- Quite possibly my favorite song of all time.

4.) The White Stripes- Seven Nation Army- No other song gets me more pumped up for athletic competition.

5.) AC/DC- Thunderstruck- This is a close second.

6.) The Who- Baba O'Riley- The 1:13 musical lead up is just fantastic.

7.) Van Halen- Why Can't This Be Love?- I probably could have picked 3-4 Van Halen songs, but this one is my favorite.

8.) Foreigner- I Want to Know What Love Is- My #1 love song had to be included.

9.) Bruce Springsteen- Brilliant Disguise- A little bit off the map in terms of Bruce songs, but I can't get enough of this one.

10.) Green Day- When I Come Around- Track #10 on Dookie was a no brainer to be Track #10 on my ultimate mix.

11.) Billy Joel- Scenes From an Italian Restaurant- "A bottle of white, a bottle of red."

12.) Tupac- Changes- I'm not embarassed to know virtually every word in this song.

13.) Arcade Fire- We Used to Wait- My #1 song from 2010. It will probably be the first song to get booted from the mix if I realize that I forgot about a song that I love.

14.) Third Eye Blind- How's it Going to Be?- I can't say it better than lead vocalist Stephan Jenkins, "It deals with a question that we ask ourselves whenever a relationship ends: What does that mean? What it means is that you are no longer intimate, and the transition from friends to acquaintances is a brutal one. Because it reminds us, I think, of all the things ending. 'How's it gonna be/When you don't know me?' There's not an answer to that question."

15.) Kanye West- Family Business- Say what you want about Kanye, but this song is awesome.

"I woke up early this mornin' with a new state of mind
A creative way to rhyme without usin' knives and guns
Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to God
And keep your face to the risin' sun"


Songs that just missed the cut (in alphabetical order by artist):

.38 Special- Caught Up in You
AC/DC- You Shook Me All Night Long
Billy Joel- Allentown
Blink 182- Going Away to College
Bone Thugs 'N Harmony- Tha Crossroads
Brand New- Failure by Design
Bruce Springsteen- Glory Days
Cathy Richardson- Here Come the Irish
Def Leppard- Photograph
Fabolous- This is My Party
Foreigner- Jukebox Hero
Glenn Frey- The Heat is On
Green Day- Good Riddance
Green Day- Waiting
Led Zeppelin- Stairway to Heaven
Metallica- Enter Sandman
Nirvana- Come As You Are
The Offspring- The Kids Aren't Alright
Phil Collins- In the Air Tonight
Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans- I'll Be Missing You
Red Hot Chili Peppers- Under the Bridge
REO Speedwagon- Keep on Loving You
U2- Where the Streets Have No Name
Van Halen- Can't Stop Lovin' You
The Who- You Better You Bet

I'm sure I forgot at least 25 others. Feel free to let me know what songs I missed.

Best of the Decade: Songs

Before we delve into the best songs of the decade, let's first review the criteria.

- Did I enjoy it? Did the movie/song/moment/etc. resonate with me personally?
- Did the people who's opinions really matter like it? Was the movie/song/moment nominated for an Oscar/Grammy/ESPY?
- How much does it typify the decade? In 20-30 years will people think of it when they think of the 00's?

I'll tell you now that there are a few songs on the list that I absolutely hate, but they made the cut because of how well they rate in regards to the other criteria.

Lastly, although I tried to be as thorough as possible, I'm sure that I forgot plenty of songs that deserved to be on this list. Feel free to let me know which songs I left out.

* signifies a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year or Song of the Year
** signifies a Grammy win for Record of the Year or Song of the Year

100.) Crazy Town- Butterfly (2000)

99.) Owl City- Fireflies (2009)

98.) Kenny Chesney- Young (2002)

97.) Gavin DeGraw- I Don’t Wanna Be (2004)- So what if I used to watch One Tree Hill. Sophia Bush is a smokeshow.

96.) M.I.A.- Paper Planes (2009)*- Check out this cool music video type trailer for Slumdog Milionaire (2008) that it was used for.

95.) Hoobastank- Crawling in the Dark (2002)- This might be the YouTube video that I've seen the most and now that Charlie's gone it just doesn't feel the same.


94.) Dave Matthews Band- The Space Between (2001)

93.) Incubus- Pardon Me (2000)

92.) Chris Brown- Forever (2008)- This song's popularity will always be linked to this and this.

91.) T.I.- Whatever You Like (2008)- Gotta love the one white kid in this video.

90.) Finger Eleven- One Thing (2004)

89.) Wheatus- Teenage Dirtbag (2000)- I will forever associate this song with the "friendship test." In the first few weeks of college my cousin and I, like most college kids do, had become friends with many of the kids that lived on our floor. In order to "test" the validity of these friendships we played this song for a few individuals (one by one) and asked them to either sing the first line of the song or to name the title and artist before the chorus began. In case you're wondering, a one Mr. Kyle Korver belted out, "Her name is Noel" almost instantly.

88.) Audioslave- Like a Stone (2004)- Is this song on Guitar Hero yet? The guitar solo is awesome so it better be.

87.) 3 Doors Down- Kryptonite (2000)

86.) JET- Look What You’ve Done (2004)

85.) Big and Rich- Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy (2004)- 2004 World Series of Poker commercials anyone?

84.) Timbland- The Way I Are (2007)

83.) Linkin Park- In the End (2001)

82.) T Pain featuring Young Joc- Buy You A Drank (2007)

81.) U2- Walk On (2002)**

80.) Creed- Higher (2000)

79.) Jimmy Eat World- The Middle (2001)- I wish I was kidding when I tell you that while on vacation in 2006 some kid told my cousin Kate that she had to go back to his room to hear an, "awesome, new song." She wanted nothing to do with this kid, but was too nice to break his heart so she brought me along because it was on our walk home. When he put this on, after hyping up this "awesome, new song", I literally almost lost it. To this day, Kate nor I can hear this song witout laughing.

78.) The Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling (2009)

77.) Kanye West- The Good Life (2007)

76.) Bruce Springsteen- The Rising (2002)*- This list wouldn't be complete without The Boss.

75.) Sara Bareilles- Love Song (2008)*

74.) Hinder- Lips of an Angel (2006)- Although my friend Matty K is probably wondering why JoJo- Too Little Too Late (2006) didn't make the cut, this should suffice.

73.) Howie Day- Collide (2005)

72.) Fabolous- This Is My Party (2003)

71.) Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow- Picture (2003)

70.) Katy Perry- I Kissed A Girl (2008)*

69.) Dave Matthews Band- Everyday (2001)- Judah Friedlander's breakout role. Can you think of anyone better to star in this music video? I can't.

68.) Green Day- Wake Me Up When September Ends (2005)

67.) Akon featuring Snoop Dogg- I Wanna Fuck You (2006)

66.) Train- Drops of Jupiter (2001)*

65.) John Mayer- Waiting on the World to Change (2006)- Fairfield's finest

64.) Kenny Chesney- I Go Back (2004)

63.) Coheed and Cambria- A Favor House Atlantic (2004)

62.) Nappy Roots- Awnaw (2002)

61.) Kanye West- Family Business (2004)-
I woke up early this mornin' with a new state of mind
A creative way to rhyme without usin' knives and guns
Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to God
And keep your face to the risin' sun

60.) John Legend- Ordinary People (2005)*

59.) Coldplay- Viva La Vida (2008)**

58.) The Black Eyed Peas- Let’s Get it Started (2005)*

57.) O.A.R.- Love and Memories (2005)

56.) Kenny Chesney- The Good Stuff (2002)- The lyrics of this song tell a great story.

55.) Beyonce- Single Ladies (2008)

54.) Gwen Stefani- Hollaback Girl (2005)*- My least favorite song on the list.

53.) The Killers- Mr. Brightside (2005)

52.) Warren Zevon- Keep Me in Your Heart (2003)


51.) Fabolous- Into You (2003)

50.) Kings of Leon- Use Somebody (2009)

49.) Amy Whinehouse- Rehab (2007)**

48.) Fall Out Boy- Sugar, We’re Goin Down (2005)

47.) The Roots- Seed (2.0) (2003)- If you've ever watched Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (is anyone else routinely awake at 1:30 a.m.?) you know that The Roots are incredibly talented.

46.) Nelly- Country Grammar (2000)

45.) Kelly Clarkson- Miss Independent (2003)

44.) Blink 182- Adam’s Song (2000)

43.) Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown- No Air (2008)- Her dad is a former New York Giant and the song was performed on Glee. Both positives if you ask me.

42.) Coldplay- The Scientist (2002)- Probably best known for the video in which everything is going in reverse.

41.) Usher- Burn (2004)

40.) Shakira- Whenever, Wherever (2001)- Right back at ya Shakira. Whenever, wherever.

39.) 50 Cent featuring Eminem- Patiently Waiting (2004)

38.) Dr. Dre featuring Eminem- Forgot About Dre (2001)- Detroit what

37.) Carrie Underwood- Before He Cheats (2007)*- Easily the hottest chick on this list. Did anyone else see her in those leather pants during her Christmas special?

36.) Gnarls Barkley- Crazy (2006)*

35.) Outkast- Ms. Jackson (2001)*

34.) Jay-Z and Linkin Park- Numb/Encore (2004)- Now batting, #13, Alex Rodriguez

33.) U2- Beautiful Day (2001)**

32.) Green Day- Minority (2000)

31.) Usher featuring Young Jeezy- Love in this Club (2008)

30.) Soulja Boy- Crank That (Soulja Boy) (2007)- The girls I went to college with made sure that everyone knew that they knew the dance to this song.

29.) Kanye West- Gold Digger (2005)*- Speaking of dances, Kanye's dance in this video where he throws his head back is hysterical.

28.) Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys- Empire State of Mind (2009)

27.) Rascal Flatts- Fast Cars and Freedom (2005)

26.) Chris Brown- Run It (2005)

25.) Justin Timberlake- SexyBack (2006)

24.) Beyonce- Irreplaceable (2007)*

23.) James Jones- We Fly High (2006)- Any song that references grey poupon and is adopted by the New York Giants defense is A-OK in my book.

22.) Kanye West featuring Jay-Z- Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix) (2005)

21.) James Blunt- You’re Beautiful (2006)- One day I was going somewhere with my mom and I was driving. Now I can't remember the exact song that was playing at the time, but it was from one of my CD's and the word "fuck" was in it. As soon as my mom heard the explitive she said, "Turn this garbage off. Can't we listen to something without any curse words. What about that James Blunt song? Can you play that?" Now of course she had only heard the edited version on the radio and didn't know that the actual lyric is, "She could see from my face that I was fucking high." You better believe that I let her know that Mr. Blunt wasn't as innocent as he seemed.

20.) Rihanna featuring Jay-Z- Umbrella (2007)*- The most overplayed song on the entire list.

19.) Alan Jackson featuring Jimmy Buffett- It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere (2003)- From September 1st 2008-November 30th 2008 I had a desk job and I listened to this song just about every day.

18.) Kelly Clarkson- Since U Been Gone (2004)

17.) Beyonce featuring Jay-Z- Crazy in Love (2003)*

16.) The Black Eyed Peas- Where is the Love? (2003)*

15.) Vanessa Carlton- A Thousand Miles (2002)*- This song came on in the ESPN cafeteria the other day just as I started to stand up to go back to my work station. Obviously I sat right back down and waited until the song was over before returning to my work station.

14.) Taylor Swift- Love Story (2008)

13.) Nelly- Grillz (2006)- An underrated contender for Artist of the Decade.

12.) Avril Lavigne- Complicated (2002)*- If she wasn't Canadian this might have cracked the top 10.

11.) Alicia Keys- Fallin’ (2001)**

10.) Rodney Atkins- These Are My People (2007)-


An awesome song that makes me think of my friends from home. Let's go orange.

9.) R. Kelly- Ignition (Remix) (2003)

8.) Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland- Promiscuous (2006)*- I just found out that Nelly Furtado is Canadian, so I'm sorry Avril, but props to her for mentioning fellow Canadian celeb Steve Nash in this song.

Hey, is that the truth or are you talking trash?
Is your game MVP like Steve Nash?

7.) Justin Timberlake featuring Timbaland- Cry Me A River (2003)

6.) 50 Cent- In Da Club (2003)

5.) Eminem- Lose Yourself (2002)

4.) Kanye West- Through the Wire (2004) -


I'm not so sure about his claim as the artist of our generation, but he could make a great case for artist of the decade. This is his 5th appearance in the countdown.

3.) Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland- Dilemma (2002)*

2.) Outkast- Hey Ya! (2003)*- Shake it like a polaroid picture

1.) Usher featuring Lil John and Ludacris- Yeah (2004)- Peace up, A-town down

Top 10 Albums

Recently on a pop culture blog that I frequent readers were encouraged to send in their top 10 desert island albums. The idea being that if you were stranded on a desert island and you could have 10 albums there with you what would they be? This of course assumes that there's a cd player somewhere on the island, which is about as far fetched as the entire stranded on a desert island notion. Basically readers were asked to send in a list of their top 10 albums. When I started to think of what I would put in my top 10 I realized that we don't really appreciate or even think in terms of albums in our age of file sharing, illegal downloading, and the iTunes store. Now maybe I'm way off and it's just me and my somewhat distant relationship with the world of music (I've only purchased 2 CD's in 2009). I do read/skim Rolling Stone every month though.

Either way, I went ahead and compiled a list of my top 10 albums, but I did so according to a few rules.

1.) I must already own at least half of the albums on my list.
2.) Greatest Hits albums are allowed, but only ones that are contained to a single disc.

(in no particular order)


1.) Dookie (1994) by Green Day



Favorite Tracks: 7.) Basket Case, 10.) When I Come Around

Synopsis: Although I hesistate to call them my favorite band, I own more Green Day CD's (4) than any other artist/band. I loved Dookie as a 13 year old and I still love it now, a decade later. I mean, with a name like Dookie how can I not? This is one of those albums that you can listen to from start to finish over and over. It's short (only 39:46), but packed with that pure punk/rebel edge that Green Day is known for.


2.) Complete Greatest Hits (2002) by Foreigner



Favorite Tracks: 14.) Jukebox Hero, 15.) I Want to Know What Love Is

Synopsis: Foreigner is the first of two British rock bands on this list that have more hits than you initially realize. I'm fairly confident that you have all heard at least 6 of the songs on this album at some time in your lives.

I've been told that one of my friends from college used to get into a personal trance before high school hockey games whenever he heard "Jukebox Hero" like one of Elaine's boyfriends in a Seinfeld episode did when he heard The Eagles hit "Desperado".


3.) U218 Singles (2006) by U2



Favorite Tracks: 3.) Pride (In the Name of Love), 9.) Where the Streets Have No Name, 11.) Sunday Bloody Sunday

Synopis: U2 has released some very good studio albums, but none of them have enough of my favorite songs, so I had to opt for U218, which is a greatest hits type compilation. Back in college a friend and I had a radio show for about a year and a half. We mainly played rock, punk, and alternative music, but we also played a "Rap/Hip Hop Pick of the Week" and a "Girly Pick of the Week". One of our 10 listeners (my brother) seemingly requested "Sunday Bloody Sunday" every week, so during our second year on the air we started a "U2 Pick of the Week". It worked out well for a while but eventually the show folded and I think it's fair to say that Thursday afternoons on WVOF were never the same.


4.) Best of Volume I (1996) by Van Halen



Favorite Tracks: 9.) Why Can't This Be Love, 13.) Right Now, 14.) Can't Stop Lovin' You

Synopsis: If Van Halen doesn't get your blood flowing I don't know what will. I'm not much of a concert goer, but Van Halen currently sits atop my list of bands I wan't to see live. Fun fact- the song "Right Now" is featured on my high school lacrosse team's highlight videos from both my junior and senior years and I coincidentally score a goal on both videos just as the song picks up.

Although the album is called Best of Volume I, there is no Best of Volume II.


5.) Back in Black (1980) by AC/DC



Favorite Tracks: 1.) Hells Bells, 7.) You Shook Me All Night Long

Synopsis: Is there any doubt that AC/DC is the greatest thing ever to come out of the country/continent of Australia? Although I try to avoid being mainstream (it's the second best-selling album of all time, trailing only Thriller), this CD was too good to leave off of my list. "Hells Bells" gets me all sorts of fired up in that calm/intense kind of way.


6.) Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995) by Def Leppard



Favorite Tracks: 2.) Photograph, 6.) Animal

Synopsis- The second British band that has more hit songs that you initially think. I bought this CD back in January and it's definitely in the running for my best purchase of the year. This album is like a movie that you see once and sort of enjoy, but when you see it for a 2nd and 3rd time you start ranting and raving about how good it is.


7.) Street Dreams (2003) by Fabolous



Favorite Tracks: 2.) Not Give A Fuck, 10.) This Is My Party, 17.) Throw Back

Synopsis: Let me just say that I am by no means an advocate of this genre of music, nor do I keep up with who has beef with who, etc., but I do enjoy me some rap every once in a while. I'm probably the whitest kid you know, but everyone needs a little variety from time to time. I particularly enjoy "Throw Back" because of the references to all of the sports franchises, mascots, and athletes.

Having this album on my list also fulfills my rap quota and while I'm on the topic of quotas/other genres of music I should have you know that I did not add a Country album to the list, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I wanted to add an Alan Jackson album (whoa, alliteration), but none of his greatest hits albums contained "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" and this was a dealbreaker for me.

Other rap/hip hop albums that I own:

1.) The Black Album (2003) by Jay-Z
2.) 2001 (1999) by Dr. Dre
3.) The Eminem Show (2002) by Eminem
4.) Real Talk (2004) by Fabolous
5.) We Are The Streets (2000) by The LOX
6.) Graduation (2007) by Kanye West
7.) Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) by OutKast (does this one even count?)


8.) Greatest Hits (1995) by Bruce Springsteen



Favorite Tracks: 2.) Thunder Road, 4.) The River, 10.) Glory Days

Synopsis: Although I despise the state of New Jersey (mainly for the parkways that turn into expressways that turn into turnpikes that turn back into parkways), I've got to give it up for The Boss. Springsteen's performance at this year's Superbowl was one of the few halftime shows that I have ever looked forward to, let alone watched. Seriously, he is the epitome of Americana.

Bruce is also one of the only artists whose music attracts both fathers and sons. In fact I don't think any of my friends have ever told me that they were going to a non-Bruce concert with their dad. One of my friends even claims that his dad never gave him "the talk", but he instead told him to listen to "The River". Funny thing is, I believe him.


9.) Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel (2004) by Billy Joel



Favorite Tracks: 1.) Tell Her About It, 12.) Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

Synopsis: The album cover might prevent me from ever actually buying it, but that's okay because I have a few Billy Joel mixes that I've made over the years. Billy has so many hit songs that it's hard for him to put them all on one CD (most of his compilations have multiple discs), but this one has enough of my favorites to make my list. I was actually surprised to see a CD that included "Uptown Girl" (a song that he no longer performs live), "We Didn't Start the Fire", and "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant".

It also should be noted that this album contains two potential wedding songs in "She's Got a Way" and "Just the Way You Are" if I ever decide to get married.


10.) Third Eye Blind (1997) by Third Eye Blind



Favorite Tracks: 6.) How's It Going to Be, 8.) Burning Man

Synopsis: I used to have a 12 song playlist on my iPod of all Third Eye Blind songs that I would fall asleep to every night during my sophomore year of college. In fact, Third Eye Blind sort of has that college, alternative rock sound that I think many of us can relate to. Their music, even though it's borderline pop sometimes, seems to speak directly to the issues that we all faced while growing up.

Never Compromise Your Integrity

Even though I co-hosted arguably the most popular rock show in WVOF 88.5 FM history for two years (which means that we got about 12 listeners a week), I still can not define my musical taste. I feel like other people have a better grasp on the type of music I like than I do. Time and time again, people tell me to listen to songs that they think I would enjoy, and more often than not they are right.

If there's one thing that I do know about my musical taste it's that I like the band Green Day. I mean, any band with an album named Dookie is good in my book. I own 4 Green Day albums, including the most recent, 21st Century Breakdown. It's been playing in my car non stop for the past 2 weeks. The album has a great title track, a fake ass ballad (They're a punk band, ballads are virtually out of the question), and a ready made Guitar Hero III song. For a more professional analysis, here's the Rolling Stone Review.

It's hard to imagine, but the CD gets even better. After watching their appearance on the Colbert Report, I learned that the band was having a little tiff with Walmart. Apparently Walmart wanted the band to make an edited version of the album because of curse words and suggestive language, and they said no. I love that Green Day took a stand against the world's number one retailer. Instead of caving to sell more records, they maintained their artistic integrity and as fate would have it, they still have the top selling album in the country.

Here is one of their most explicit songs: