Much of what we consider a part of the Rock Canon are artists, songs, and albums found in “greatest ” lists.  ’Greatest lists’ can be found on TV, the radio, websites, and in magazines.  

two main types of ‘greatest lists’ exist:     1. as voted by the fans   or     2. staff picks

As voted by the fans lists, such as the annual Q104.3 “Greatest 1043 Rock Songs Countdown”, seem to succeed due to the fact people enjoy hearing the ‘best songs’.  Also, people who vote will listen to see where their favorite songs place on the list.  However, does this really constitute a ‘greatest list’?  The radio station is predominantly listened to by middle aged men and tends to broadcast primarily 1970s classic rock.  Lets see the results.

The second type of ‘greatest lists’ is the Staff picks list.  These lists, such as Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Song of All Time”, are not merely based on personal preference for the song.  These lists examine influence, lyricism, and overall enjoyability of the songs.   Rolling Stone affirms its desicions through such quotes as “Just as Dylan bent folk music’s roots and forms to his own will, he transformed popular song with the content and ambition of “Like a Rolling Stone.”…No other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the commercial laws and artistic conventions of its time, for all time.”     Lets look at Rolling Stone’s “Greatest Songs”

Let’s compare.  So the top 3 songs according to Q104.3 (aka the fans) aren’t even in the top 30 on the Rolling Stone list!  Rolling Stone placed Bob Dylan’s “like a rolling stone” as the ‘greatest song ever’…. but its #32 on the Q104.3 list!   The one thing they agree on… The Beatles wrote a lot of great songs.

You might say, “these are only 2 lists, who cares?” Well, friend, you should care.  My point is not ‘don’t trust the lists’ … Conversely, trust ALL the lists.  Go download every song on both the lists.  They are all great songs.  There’s a whole lot of Rock songs, and there’s enough room in the Rock Canon for all of them.

Collini out.

This isn’t School of Rock… but it might be close to it.  

When one hears of the Canon of Classical music, it seems natural to think of names like Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn.  In The Essential Canon of Classical Music, David Dubal uses the term “canon” to refer to the all-encompassing societal and cultural aspects of Classical music.  Composers are members of the canon.  Pieces of music, whether a score or a recorded performance,  make up the body of the canon.  In this sense, the term “canon” refers to the most influential and important artists of Classical music.  In examining the Canon of Rock,  I will use the term “Canon” to refer to pieces, artists, albums, and composers that have played a pivotol role to musicologists and music fans alike.  Rather than outline Rock history, I will attempt to examine how and why entities are added to the Rock Canon.

So stick around.  Its going to be fun.