The 100 Greatest Bands of all time - #70 Steely Dan

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker first met at Bard College in 1967 and right away began playing together with one band or another. After a few years of trying to make it as songwriters, they put together a group of crack studio musicians like Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Denny Dias, Jim Hodder, and David Palmer to record their first album “Can’t Buy a Thrill”. It produced a couple of hit singles and a good deal of interest in the band and their jazz-influenced arrangements. Though there was a good deal of shuffling of the backing players through the 70s, the essence of the band remained the partnership between Fagen and Becker. Walter Becker has been one of rock’s most original guitarists creating some of the more interesting and intricate guitar solos of the 70s. Donald Fagen is a tremendous lyricist telling stories that drip with irony and he’s a hell of a good keyboard player as well. The partnership has lasted for over 40 years. They are still touring and recording to this day having sold more than 30 million albums through their career and getting inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2001.


Here's Do It Again, their first big hit.





Here's Reelin in the Years. Check out who introduces the band.





A fantastic song set to a great piece of video. Won't you show me the shine of your Japan, the sparkle of your China. Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva. Oh yeah. Walter Becker kicks ass.





You might use it if you feel better, when you get home.





Another favorite. When Black Friday comes.





They call Alabama the Crimson Tide. Call me Deacon Blues.





It's your favorite foreign movie.





One of my very favorites. Here come those Santa Ana winds again.





The Cuervo Gold. The fine Colombian. Make tonight a wonderful thing. We conclude our look at Steely Dan with this classic

The 100 Greatest Bands of all time - #71 INXS

The second best Aussie band ever came out of Sydney in the late 70s and found global success in the early 80s as a part of the new wave explosion. The hit 1987 album Kick produced four top ten hits. It was September 14^th, 1988 when they played Birmingham, Alabama. Michael was wearing the famous leather jacket that he wore in the “Need You Tonight” video. He had taken it off and laid it on an amp on the side of the stage. As he continued singing his song, some dude out of the crowd jumped up onstage, grabbed the jacket, and leapt back into the crowd. I don’t know what happened to that dude but I’ll always remember that. They were definitely among my favorite bands of my high school years. Michael Hutchence was one of the all-time great frontmen. Kirk Pengilly’s sax work was also memorable. Garry Gary Beers on bass, Andrew Farriss on keys, Tim Farris on guitar, and Jon Farris on drums made up the rest of the band. Excellent players, all. I particularly enjoyed Jon’s drumming. Michael is greatly missed.


Great video from MTV's early days.



INXS - The One Thing by UniversalMusicUK


This was one of the coolest videos of the 80s. The motorcycles and the tricked-out Japanese big-rigs. Michael Hutchence with Jim Morrison level charisma. Fantastic song. Just awesome.





Tilt my hat at the sun
and the shadows they burn dark
light me and I'll burn for you
and the love song never stops



INXS - Burn For You by UniversalMusicUK


Listening to this song makes me feel fifteen again. I just have to hear that "What What What" and it is 1986 all over again.





My favorite track from the incredible Listen Like Theives album.

Falling down the mountain
end up kissing dirt
look a little closer
sometimes it wouldn't hurt



INXS - Kiss The Dirt by universalmusicdeutschland


This great video was the one that put them over the top and made them into superstars. Loved that leather jacket.





Devil Inside, Devil Inside, every single one of us, the devil inside.





and we conclude our look at INXS with Never Tear Us Apart. This is my favorite INXS song. Just a magnificent love song with a beautiful video filmed in Prague. I've always wanted to visit Prague.

The 100 Greatest Bands of all time - #72 Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac is an odd case. They are a band that found success in two very different incarnations; first as a late 60s British blues band and later as a mid 70s California pop/rock group. Forming in London in 1967, singers and guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, drummer Mick Fleetwood, and bassist John McVie became one of the top blues bands in Britain, having hits with Black Magic Woman (before Santana) and Albatross. As the 70s went on, the band lost Peter Green to schizophrenia and Jeremy Spencer to a religious cult. Then in 1975, Mick, John and John’s wife Christine found themselves in Southern California looking for a new direction. They found a duo called Buckingham Nicks. The addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks turned Fleetwood Mac into one of the top acts of the 70s. Rumours is still one of the biggest selling albums ever released.




The original version of Black Magic Woman. Peter Green was a great guitarist.





Impressive. I particulary like Mick Fleetwood's drumming here as well as the interplay between Green and Spencer on guitar.





Great version of Rhiannon, my favorite Fleetwood Mac song. The addition of Buckingham and Nicks made the bnd hugely successful. The fact that Stevie Nicks is one of the most beautiful women ever born was probably helpful too. and she looks great in this video.





Beautiful track. One of their best.





Thunder only happens when its rainin'





Of course it wasn't all about Stevie Nicks. Here we have the wonderful Christine McVie singing You Make Loving Fun.





Ah, Tusk!





Always loved this video.





The video for Gypsy was released in 1982. I was 11 years old. It was the first time I remember laying eyes on Stevie Nicks and I developed one of my very first big time celebrity crushes.



Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy by jpdc11


and we conclude our look at Fleetwood Mac with their 1987 hit Big Love.