100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs-Schbopo style

Don't care for Pearl Jam but I do have a funny story about that song. When we were still playing & I would whip out the 12 string Bass, somebody in the crowd would holler "play Jeremy" EVERY time. I finally gave in & worked the intro into the end of the solo to keep them happy.

Pearl Jam and Styx are both a thumbs up from me!

Love the Styx song. Not a big fan of Pearl Jam though.

I would also have picked songs by Billy Squier and Styx, but probably different songs (Everybody Wants You, Suite Madame Blue). But good picks anyway.

Suite Madam Blue is an amazing song.

62. The Mission-Deliverance
I only listened to this because OCI made me....but I'm glad he did. It definitely deserves to be on here. Starting with a minute of synth noises, more and more elements are gradually added until it gets to the verse. This progressive-techno rock approach somehow works extraordinarily well. The bass is upfront and galloping, and not since Deep Purple have guitars and keyboards been used so well together. So thank you, OCI, for making me listen to this. It's certainly a great hard rock tune and something truly unique.

61. White Zombie-Black Sunshine
With a little help from Iggy Pop, Rob Zombie and co. ushered in a whole new style of psychedelic-groove-metal, and their masterpiece by far was "Black Sunshine", which was also possibly the darkest song about cars ever written. That opening bass riff is just amazing, and of course you can't overlook Iggy's contribution (the spoken word intro and outro). Rob Zombie, like him or not, is an important figure in metal history, and this song shows him and his band at their best.

The Mission were a good band and strip away the synth it's just rock n roll.

White Zombie leaves me cold.

Isn't The Mission a goth band? I heard they were pretty good. Never heard em though.

White Zombie is a decent band. Not a fave, but not bad either.

The Mission was a great band and I believe John Paul Jones produced one of their albums in the mid 80's.

White Zombie- Great song and love the groove in the song

60. Ram Jam-Black Betty
Southern rockers Ram Jam scored their biggest and only hit with their funky adaptation of a traditional folk song, "Black Betty". Just listen to that opening drum and guitar groove. If that doesn't get your head bobbin', you're either a zombie or just deaf. The verses are pretty much nonsense (what the hell does bam-bu-lam mean anyway?) and yet it's infectious to the point of near annoyance. The middle section is a solo that's more or less full-tilt guitar shredding. Outside of this song, they're pretty much forgotten, but it really shows what potential they had. Never before has funky, groove-driven southern rock been so outrageously heavy.

59. Boston-Don't Look Back
Arena rockers from the get-go, Boston's forte was writing catchy and melodic hard rock, laden with near-perfect production and having more hooks in one song than most bands have in their whole career. On their second record, "Don't Look Back", they took their craft to a new level with the title track. I can't say all that much about this one, because what can you say? It's an AOR masterpiece, and the reason it's still a rock radio staple 30 years later is because it's just a great song.

58. The Guess Who-American Woman
You know this song. You love this song. Everybody loves this song. That blues intro where Burton Cummings assumes that we're too dumb to know how to spell 'American', the signature twangy guitar riff that I guarantee will never leave your head. What I like most about the Guess Who was that they were smart. This song isn't just about some American floozy, it's got a deeper political statement to make...which was one thing that pissed me off regarding the abominable Lenny Kravitz cover of this. Randy Bachman's lead guitar prowess is unmatched, and this song shows the plateau he set for himself that he would never again reach in BTO.

57. Rainbow-Man On The Silver Mountain
Straight out of Deep Purple, guitar god Ritchie Blackmore formed Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio and some other guys. This first track off their first album is still their biggest hit and one of the finest rock songs of all time. With an inverted-power chord riff that could be the second cousin of "Smoke On The Water" and the distinctly powerful voice of Dio, it's a winner, and made Rainbow the first of many successful bands to spin off from Deep Purple.

56. Nazareth-Hair Of The Dog
To quote Ult: Hair Of The Dog starts off with a mean guitar riff, a cowbell driven beat and one of the nastiest sounding vocals to come out of the 70's. I couldn't have said it better myself. This song is one of the heaviest ever recorded, and honestly, has their ever been a better hard rock chorus than "Now you're messin' with *stomp stomp* a son of a biiiitch!" I sincerely doubt it. Even the weird talk-box guitar solo is cool. Everything about this song is just flat out badass. It doesn't get much meaner or nastier than this.

Black Betty, one of those songs that gets stuck in your head and drives you crazy.
Boston-Love those first two albums, pure gold.
Never much into The Guess Who but that song is great.
How many times has MOTSM been redone but never topped?

Ram Jam's Black Betty is 100% classic horn dog rock n roll.

Boston I am a Boston fan and certainly not in fanboy leagues but I am fan, and this is one of their better tunes.

Never cared for the Guess Who and even care less for the 5000 cover versions of this song.

Rainbow's debut album is an excellent album and this song shows the powerful chemistry between Dio and Blackmore.

Nazareth is one of the most underrated metal bands of all time, Dan's vocals are spot on angry rock n roll, great song.

55. Saxon-Princess Of The Night
One of the defining bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Saxon could never get out of the shadow of their competitors Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but their metallic masterpiece "Princess Of The Night" was what broke them out, and was their biggest (and probably only) US hit. Just hearing that opening guitar riff lets you know that you're about to get rocked. Sure the lyrics about a train are kinda weird, but when Biff Byford sings them, you don't care. It will forever be a mystery why Saxon aren't bigger than they are, and this tune should really show why they deserve to be.

54. Journey-Wheel In The Sky
Journey are known more for their pop ballads and the amazing voice of Steve Perry than for being a real rock band, but this was the song that convinced me that they were actually kinda good. It's got the big, anthemic feel that most of their other stuff has, but it also rocks pretty hard. Neal Schon is a good guitar player (with cool hair), and his playing shines here. It's atmospheric. It makes you feel like you're walking down some dusty highway by yourself with no means to get home. It's awesome.

Yes!!!! Princess Of The Night is a stellar song, NWOBHM classic that every troo rocker has to like.

I really like Journey. Old enough that they were a staple at the skating rink and they really have some great songs that aren't ballads.

Schbopo wrote:

57. Rainbow-Man On The Silver Mountain
Straight out of Deep Purple, guitar god Ritchie Blackmore formed Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio and some other guys.

The bassist on the debut, Craig, was almost my boss at a job I decided not to go for. Strange story.

Great songs. Journey is one of my all time favorites.

I think it's cooler to like Journey now then when I was in High School.

Great calls on the Saxon and Journey!

You've got good taste friend!

'Edge of the Blade' is another great Journey song on the heavier side.

Saxon is one of the best bands from NWOBHM and I always wondered why they never made it to the big leagues in the states.

Journey is a cool band and write great songs.

manny wrote:

Saxon is one of the best bands from NWOBHM and I always wondered why they never made it to the big leagues in the states.

Journey is a cool band and write great songs.

I wonder why Saxon never made it too....

Steve Perry has such a GREAT voice!!!

Journey was the band when I was in high school. I had several of their albums. It was later Journey (mid 80s) that followed Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain into the vast pop wasteland, but the albums that still have Gregg Rolie on keys (Infinity, Evolution, Departure) are great, blues-based heavy rock. The live album with that lineup (Captured) is one of the best from the late 70s/early 80s. Good call!

53. Motley Crue-Kickstart My Heart
If you're willing to look past the opening riff (which is a TOTAL ripoff of "Whole Lotta Love"), then this song is one of the finest songs to come out of the hair-metal scene. This is the Crue at their most unpolished, raw, gritty, and un-glammed, yet still being hooky and fun, the way I like them best. It's not a great work of art, but it's entertaining, and isn't that what rock is supposed to be about?

52. Steppenwolf-Don't Step On The Grass, Sam
A more obvious choice might have been "Born To Be Wild" or perhaps "Magic Carpet Ride"...but I like this one better. This song is a deliciously spiteful and pretty humorous attack at anti-marijuana propoganda, and the music reflects this. It's got such a funky blues-rock-groove that you can't help but want to go get blazed. Don't be such an ass, Sam.

51. Grand Funk Railroad-Inside Looking Out
This 10 minute extended blues-jam session is one of the most amazing things ever put on tape, and shows off the side of GFR that was around before their post-railroad hits. The talent of these three guys is outstanding. The scorching blues guitar playing and soulful voice of Mark Farner is downright sexy, with Mel Schacher and Don Brewer coming in as one of rock's all-time greatest rhythm sections. I mean....jeez. Screw writing a review, I'm gonna go play air-bass for a while.

That Motley Crue song is a good call. Actually the whole album "Dr. Feelgood" is one of the crowning achievements of the whole glam metal scene.