100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs-Schbopo style

The Van Halen album that 'Mean Streets' came from maybe Van Halen's darkest album in their discography, and also one of the best American metal/hard rock albums of the 70's.

Ronnie James Dio would approve of your choice of Louie Louie, since in his opinion it is the greatest song ever written.

Always wanted VH to do more in the style of Mean Street. They hit on something there that was so different then most of their party rock.

manny wrote:

The Van Halen album that 'Mean Streets' came from maybe Van Halen's darkest album in their discography, and also one of the best American metal/hard rock albums of the 70's.

Ronnie James Dio would approve of your choice of Louie Louie, since in his opinion it is the greatest song ever written.

That was off of "Fair Warnng", which is probably their least known AND best album. At least, it is my personal favorite, that and "Women and Children First".

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Sorry guys. Not a fan of Motorhead or ZZTop.

They are both bands that others seem to love, but I never have been able to get into.

Be honest, Blaze, you are just disgusted by Lemmy's two Cocoa Puff sized moles stuck on his cheek.

Neuropete wrote:

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Sorry guys. Not a fan of Motorhead or ZZTop.

They are both bands that others seem to love, but I never have been able to get into.

Be honest, Blaze, you are just disgusted by Lemmy's two Cocoa Puff sized moles stuck on his cheek.

No, that's not it.

It IS Lemmy's vocals though.

And now it's CHEA-TING TIME AGAIN!!! *Ace Frehley guitar solo*

3.5. KISS-Calling Dr. Love
The sleazy glam rock of KISS is at it's finest on Gene Simmon's best song ever, "Calling Dr. Love"! Awww yeah, this is the real deal. Great stop-start guitar riff here, along with the distinctly nasal voice of the Demon himself! To me, this just epitomizes what KISS was all about. I mean, it's got the heaviness, the hooks, the filthy lyrics lacking any ounce of subtlety...you gotta love it! It's a shame Gene is such a joke these days, because he actually did have some talent, and this surely should prove it.

3. AC/DC-Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
If you don't know this song, you have obviously never listened to music at any point in your life. By far one of the greatest bands ever, AC/DC was still in their prime (aka when they had Bon Scott on board) when they released their magnum opus, the sleazy and sinister "Dirty Deeds Done Cheap". The primal three-chord rock of the legendary Aussies is never more awesome that it is here. That opening riff is very memorable, and what's that behind it? GASP, you can actually kinda hear the bass in an AC/DC song!!!! Bon Scott throws his one of a kind voice in the mix too, describing a sort of advertisement for a hit man who does "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", as the obnoxiously catchy chorus will tell you. Seriously, if that harmony part on the chorus doesn't get stuck in your head, you are not human. Hands down one of the rawest and, in my opinion, best tune from probably the most successful bands of all time (well deserved, I might add). When it comes to rock n' roll, It just doesn't get much better than this, folks.

2.5-Blue Oyster Cult-Nosferatu
Let me just say that Blue Oyster Cult are one of my favorite bands of all time, so choosing the right song of theirs was torturous, as they have so many songs that could have made it. Well, I simply decided to choose one that I've always felt was their crowning moment, the f*cking creepy as all hell "Nosferatu". It's a chilling tale of the famous vampire of the same name, with the song itself being every bit as disturbing... I don't know if it's just me, but there's something here that just pulls me in, demanding my undivided attention and going beyond a "normal" musical experience in a way that no other song can do. In fact, it's difficult to even write a review right now. Oh, one last thing: BEST. SOLO. EVER.

KISS's Dr Love is a classic, even if it is now used for a Dr Pepper commercial it does not take away the power of this classic from a band that was at one time more than just rock n roll merchandising empire.


AC/DC- This song is example of the sense humor and fun the original line up of AC/DC and one listen to this song and fans understand why Bon is still missed 30 years after his passing.

Blue Oyster Cult-Best song ever written about a vampire.

Interesting story about Dirty Deeds. In 7th grade we met for Sunday School at my friend's house as he lived nearby and we'd get there early and listen to music. We were playing the tape of DD one time and the teacher got on us for being rebellious. I didn't know I was being rebellious, thought I was listening to music I liked. I'm thankful my parents didn't have the attitude this teacher did.

Good call on Dr Love thats a good KISS song.....

im curious to see what your # 1 is

Love those three songs.

As for the number one... has Bohemian Rhapsody been mentioned yet?

Stuff That I Hate Myself For Forgetting To Put On
Naturally, I forgot about some great songs...but THESE? I mean, I hear these Smurf!ng EVERY DAY on the radio, how the hell did I forget these songs? Oh well, they definitely deserve spots in the top 10, and I've already cheated enough, so here's my little "apology".

Deep Purple-Lazy
Deep Purple took elements of both blues and jazz and incorporated them into their heavy-metal sound, but never is it more evident than on their magnum opus "Lazy". Jon Lord + Ritchie Blackmore = Something awesome. These two really show their talents here, Lord on the keyboard and Ritch on the guitar. They both lay down some of the tastiest licks ever played over a jazzy rhythm section, jamming like the virtuosos they are. Ian Gillan is of course one of the best rock vocalists of all time, but his performance here, although pretty much flawless, is very subdued and brief, willingly giving the glory to the rest of the band. I'm curious as to what he does on stage for the four minutes before he starts singing. I guess he's just "lazy" (rimshot). Anyhoo, the ultimate Deep Purple song, showing off their talent and ability to write kickass songs.

Rush-Working Man
*smacks forehead*. How could I forget Rush? They're one of my all-time favorite bands, and this song has always struck me as their best. Is it as technical as their later stuff with Peart? No. Is it as intelligently written? No. Does it rock much, much harder? HELLZ YEAH. This is Rush the way they were meant to be: raw and rocking, with this tune being their pinnacle of heaviness. Any true rock fan can identify this song in three notes or less. What set Rush apart from the bands they were influenced by (Zeppelin, Cream, etc...) were the one of a kind vocals of Geddy Lee. His intense wail gives this song an epic feel like no other before or since, and his bass playing is damn good too. The big, dueling, free-form solo from he and Alex Lifeson is one of the best jams ever. It's seven minutes and ten seconds of awesome that you'll never forget.

Deep Purple are one of my favorite bands of all time and this song is killer, especially the live version from 'Made In Japan'


'Working Man' from Rush is an undisputed classic.

No shame. I'm amazed at your knowledge and those are both excellent songs.

2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience-Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
So it turns out that one-time Oakland Raiders shortstop Jimi Hendrix played guitar, and damn good I might add. Off of the classic "Electric Ladyland" double album comes this monster rocker. Hendrix's bluesy, wah-wah guitar riff at the beginning is very memorable, and leaves you thinking "yeah....I'm about to get rocked" and you do. While his rhythm section, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, "The Experience" are certainly important to the sound, this tune is all about Jimi. This is his song. This is the defining Hendrix track. No other moment in the studio captured him playing with so much soul, so much feeling. Of course, the huge amount of guitar effects don't hurt either, adding such an unforgettable heavy groove, laden with psychedelia. At the very last song on the album (and if I'm not mistaken, the very last studio track Hendrix ever recorded), making it possibly the greatest album-closer of all time. The fact that Hendrix records full of new material are still being released forty years after his death is a testament to his genius, and the song that best captures and preserves his spirit is the classic "Voodoo Child".

Excellent choice and excellent little write about on Jimi.

I always thought Jimmy Hendrix was overrated.



*** ducks all the rotten tomatoes thrown at him ***



Just gotta be honest though.

Metallic Blaze wrote:

I always thought Jimmy Hendrix was overrated.



*** ducks all the rotten tomatoes thrown at him ***



Just gotta be honest though.

I think you are great guy and have excellent taste in music, but I respectfully disagree.

I'm not the hugest Hendrix fan, only have a greatest hits but as many people say he influenced them in his short life, he must've been great.

Oh I'm not denying he was talented and groundbreaking.

I agree he was.

Just a bit overrated IMO.

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Oh I'm not denying he was talented and groundbreaking.

I agree he was.

Just a bit overrated IMO.

God (Jimi) can never be overrated.

manny wrote:

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Oh I'm not denying he was talented and groundbreaking.

I agree he was.

Just a bit overrated IMO.

God (Jimi) can never be overrated.

1.5. Led Zeppelin-Kashmir
Everybody and their grandmother is (or at least should be) a fan of Led Zeppelin. Their unique brand of powered-up blues created the template for heavy metal and changed music forever, becoming possibly the biggest hard rock band of all time. You'd be hard pressed to find a song of theirs that wasn't a classic in its own right, so I just picked one that I think everybody can agree on; the driving, mystical journey through the middle-east known as "Kashmir". The opening riff is straight out of the classical era, possibly spearheading the 'neo-classical' movement to come later, and is one of the most memorable riffs ever. That three-note progression is perfectly haunting yet extremely heavy, laying the foundation down for the rest of the tune. Robert Plant of course tosses his legendary voice into the mix, uttering the mysterious lyrics about "a traveler of both time and space", and as this magical sludgefest plods along, we even get full-on orchestration going on! It just never lets up! What can I say, really, besides that this song shows the peak of Zeppelin's songwriting and should accurately display why they're one of the most celebrated bands of all time, hard rock or otherwise.

Great job on this thread Shoppy.

As a fellow Led Zep fan, I know how hard it can be to find one song that defines the band. The obvious choice is "Stairway..." a great song in its own right, but hands down I think "Kashmir" is the better choice. That odd little riff working against John Bonham's pounding of the regular meter is unsettling. If there is such a thing as a "desert-island" song, this would be my representative from Led Zeppelin. Great tune, and great job with the countdown, Schbopo! (I'm respectfully using your correct nick! After this, you deserve it, at least once! )

manny wrote:

Great job on this thread Shoppy.

A little early for that; we still got one last tune to go before the thread's over.