71. Klappa s Mora - Mizerja

2013 Music Top

Position: 71 of 100

Artist: Klappa s Mora
Song: Mizerja

Album: Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83482782
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/5izxafmv/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/67446792
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Mizerja+Croatia/5avCcd?src=5

Laugh all you want, but I found the Eurovision song contest, last year, to be extremely inspired and very rich in songs worthy of my attention. While the winner has seemingly shot through and will not even make a mark on this countdown I found myself interestingly drawn to the song representing Croatia despite it not even reaching the final. Though I don't really understand all the lyrics, there is just something so purely melodic in the language and the way it blends with the music. This is by far, my most irrational pick of the Top 100 ever done, but, I guess, that good music, at its core, doesn't need to connect to a person through reason, but rather through emotion, and I suppose that's exactly what this song achieves.

72. Joe Cocker - First We Take Manhattan

2013 Music Top

Position: 72 of 100

Artist: Joe Cocker
Song: First We Take Manhattan

Album: No Ordinary World (1999)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83482251
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/3mdib862/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/3508280
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/First+We+Take+Manhattan/4LhlDY?src=5

Joe Cocker has practically built his entire career on covering someone else's songs. However, the way he does that is by making the song his own and radically different than the original version he's covering. Pretty much all of his hits were penned by others and usually with someone else in mind, but this short English singer is packed so full of soul that it just transpires into every song his voice is lent to. Such is the case for this cover of the Cohen "First We Take Manhattan" to the point where (I know others would cry "blasphemy") I prefer his version. 

73 Heaven & Hell - The Sign Of The Southern Cross

2013 Music Top

Position: 73 of 100

Artist: Heaven & Hell
Song: The Sign Of The Southern Cross

Album: Live At Radio City Music Hall (2007)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83480829
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/g98f6491/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/16961050
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/The+Sign+Of+The+Southern+Cross/3cfDZm?src=5

This is the very first song that I liked from Black Sabbath. Having discovered it in a compilation, I instantly set it apart from all the others. The vocals on this one, seemed much better and much more melodic that the shrieking sounds I was submitted to on the other songs. Little did I know, at the time, that this was not only the work of another singer (as in not Ozzy), but of one of the best voices in Rock history. Here they are with their rendition of the song from their 2007 Radio City Hall concert under the moniker Heaven And Hell, and I have to restate it over and over again, this version is ages better than the original recording.

74. Jonny Lang - Darker Side

2013 Music Top

Position: 74 of 100

Artist: Jonny Lang
Song: Darker Side

Album: Lie To Me (1997)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83333591
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/eh83inb3/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/2433054
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Darker+Side/2Dhhp1?src=5


A nice blues tune from a promising debut album that, so far, hasn't delivered us a great bluesman based on that promise. Still, this particular original track has some very cool and, surprisingly true, observations about the human nature.

75. The Jeff Healey Band - See The Light

2013 Music Top

Position: 75 of 100

Artist: The Jeff Healey Band
Song: See The Light

Album: See The Light (1988)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83332702
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/426t7vr4/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/8146573
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Jeff+Healey+See+The+Light+1988/2LOu4a?src=5

Another blues rocker from the blind Canadian blues guitarist, and what a rocker it is! Hailing from 1988, this song about seeing the light of love in one's eyes, sung by someone who's obviously blind is a definite chill factor. The fact that, by searching on google for "see the light song" you can go through 5 pages without finding a single Jeff Healey reference is just one more symptom of how fucked up this world of ours has become.

76. The Who - Behind Blue Eyes

2013 Music Top

Position: 76 of 100

Artist: The Who
Song: Behind Blue Eyes

Album: Who's Next? (1971)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83331820
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/3xaux4ew/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/2121812
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Behind+Blue+Eyes/59vw3x?src=5

A very touching classic song, that I've obviously identified myself with more than a few times through my life.

77. Rainbow - Ariel

2013 Music Top

Position: 77 of 100

Artist: Rainbow
Song: Ariel

Album: Stranger In Us All (1995)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83330714

Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/7hhnsi3h/

Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Ariel/2g7Ehl?src=5

After Ritchie left Deep Purple for the second time in 1993 he made one last go at Rainbow, this time recruiting Dougie White for the lead vocals and surrounding himself with a batch of brand new musicians. What came out was probably one of the best hard rock albums of all time and unfortunately one that is most often overlooked by most Rainbow and Blackmore fans alike. This song, has long since been a favourite of mine. The ominous riff somewhat reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, the cadence of the song and lyrics giving the feeling of being trapped before some ominous conclusion, the foreshadowing presence of Candice Night on backing vocals, it's all there. A man clearly caught in that moment where he changes between the legacy of his past and the very different path of the future.

78. Tito & Tarantula - Back To The House That Love Built

2013 Music Top

Position: 78 of 100

Artist: Tito & Tarantula
Song: Back To The House That Love Built

Album: Desperado Soundtrack (1995)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83329957
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/adh42986/
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Back+To+The+House+That+Love+Built+Tito+And+Tarantula/47p82L?src=5

Robert Rodriguez burst into public consciousness along with Antonio Banderas and the remarkable Selma Hayek back in 1995 when Desperado swept the movie screens worldwide. However there was another apparition on the worldwide scene that we'll focus on today. Tito Larriva the lanky lead guitar player, the head of Tito & Tarantula, that had cameos in every movie that he scored contributed a cameo and two songs to the soundtrack of Desperado. This one is a very haunting piece of rock music, the kind that stays in your mind, throughout the day.

79. Adrian Zmed - Little Demon

2013 Music Top

Position: 79 of 100

Artist: Adrian Zmed
Song: Little Demon

Album: Bachelor Party Soundtrack (1984)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83329320
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/qzr6jt8v/
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Little+Demon/31sGpA?src=5

Last year was a very intense wedding season, for some reason. You know, that time of the year where every two weekends someone is getting hitched and you're invited to a wedding. Well, one of these weddings was for one of my best friends since childhood and I was a little more involved in the festivities than most of the other ones. As a result, I found myself nostalgically going back to the 1984 classic comedy Bachelor Party starring a very young Tom Hanks and a very musical Adrian Zmed who was actually talked into recording this song for the movie soundtrack. It's just a silly, slapstick, 80's song that happens to hail from the year when, I believe, the free world peaked. Note to guys, if you stick it out the the end of the video, there are boobs involved.

80. Melvin Taylor - Blue Jeans Blues

2013 Music Top

Position: 80 of 100

Artist: Melvin Taylor
Song: Blue Jeans Blues

Album: Rendezvous With The Blues (2002)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83327338
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/meyyu3yy/
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Blue+Jean+Blues/3I5Sml?src=5


Like I've said before, sometimes the trick to achieving a great blues song is all about the sound. That perfect combination of tone, pitch and guitar tuning will sometimes outclass results even from the most perfect technicians. Such is the case with this rendition of the classic Blue Jeans Blues that, I consider, takes the song to 100% outclassing the original (ZZ Top - a very good song) and a very good Jeff Healey Band cover that had been floating in my library for many years. I discovered this 2002 song while scouring through Youtube for a Solomon Burke song and this appeared in the side bar. While I'm not aware of ever having been a collaboration between Solomon Burke and Melvin Taylor, I am glad this song found it's way into my library because not only is it the best Blue Jeans Blues I've ever heard but it's, now, one of the best blues songs that I own.

81. Great White - Shotgun Willie's

2013 Music Top

Position: 81 of 100

Artist: Great White
Song: Shotgun Willie's

Album: Elation (2012)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83022429
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/rr91zm1z/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/23314091
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Shotgun+Willie+s/4GB8Pr?src=5

This incarnation of Great White, without their legendary vocalist (Jack Russell), is still capable of churning out great rock songs. This one, coming of their 2012 album, is written around the idea of chasing back your youth, of finding yourself in a place that hasn't changed as you have through the years and rediscovering the all too familiar feelings of your younger self. "Take me back in time, under the moon of '89"...

82. Solomon Burke - None Of Us Are Free

2013 Music Top

Position: 82 of 100

Artist: Solomon Burke
Song: None Of Us Are Free

Album: Don't Give Up On Me (2002)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83021584
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/3axautqi/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/806396
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/None+Of+Us+Are+Free/2BtkAV?src=5

Courtesy of my explorations of House MD for the previous year, I discovered another great song. Solomon Burke's take of the classic None Of Us Are Free from 2002 used here in the ending of a Season 2 episode. Again, I find myself shocked that a song written about slavery can still be perceived today as having very actual and relevant lyrics.

83. The Jeff Healey Band - As The Years Go Passing By (Live)

2013 Music Top

Position: 83 of 100

Artist: The Jeff Healey Band
Song: As The Years Go Passing By (Live in Germany)

Album: - (1995)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83020523
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/yk6kstqm/


Jeff Healey, a blind man that learned to play the guitar sitting down became one of the best blues guitarists of all time. Unfortunately he already passed away from glaucoma by the time you're reading these lines. All we have is his work from up until now, and here, in this 1995 concert we see him do the outmost justice to the Albert King classic. When the guitar kicks in, you can't tell me you can't feel the chill.

84. Joe Bonamassa - Had To Cry Today

2013 Music Top

Position: 84 of 100

Artist: Joe Bonamassa
Song: Had To Cry Today

Album: Had To Cry Today (2004)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83019695
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/r7wk3twe/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/7731962
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Had+To+Cry+Today/2gHQIz?src=5
Joe Bonamassa is one of the last new real blues guitarists that I've seen come out. While he might be odds on favourite to hold the distinction of being the last of a dying breed (especially since Jeff Healey died and Jonny Lang withered away stylistically), he is surely deserving to be placed in the same conversation as some of the other great blues guitarists of all time such as Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the rest of them. Following his 2003 amazing album (Blues Deluxe) in which he managed to play in the style of many of the afore mentioned guitar players, he released in 2004 the album Had To Cry Today with the title track being a cover of the famous Blind Faith song from 1969. And what a cover it is! I've always maintained that whenever an artist is covering a song he should do his best to take that song to achieving as close as 100% of its potential. Well, boy does Bonamassa ever deliver! This being, hands down, the best version of Had To Cry Today I have ever heard and I think he truly brought the song to a point from which there can be no further improvements. That's what I call 100%!

85. Bobby Vinton - PS I Love You

2013 Music Top

Position: 85 of 100

Artist: Bobby Vinton
Song: PS I Love You

Album: Mad Men - Music From The Series, Volume 1 (2008)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83019487
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/ify4gt4u/
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/P+S+I+Love+You/4UpSkf?src=5


This song came to my attention via the TV Show Mad Men. Used all the way back in season 1 it fit perfectly to the mood and time of the show. A love song sung from the perspective of one who is away from his loved one, a classic hit that has since been recorded by more famous singers among which even one Frank Sinatra, this version from Bobby Vinton stands out through the simplicity of the composition and the warm voice that brings it to life.

86. Jorn - Song For Ronnie James

2013 Music Top

Position: 86 of 100

Artist: Jorn
Song: Song For Ronnie James

Album: Dio (2010)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83016327
Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/71t9zt8n/
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Song+For+Ronnie+James/55pDcM?src=5
Originally meant as a tribute to Ronnie James Dio when initially recorded in 2009, the album became an epitaph upon its release in the wake of Dio's death in 2010.
Jorn Lande is a very interesting singer whom I first came across by accident when I found some Whitesnake songs that turned out not to be Whitesnake. To put it eloquently I'm gonna quote what Mickey Moody or Bernie Marsden (I can't remember exactly which) said to the other one: "you should check out this kid I found in Norway, sounds like a young David Coverdale". It's true, David Coverdale is the closest voice I can place Jorn Lande to, but his bag of tricks doesn't end here. I don't know how he does it, but he can also mimic very well Ian Gillan's style of singing as well as Ronnie James Dio and even Phill Lynott (check out his 2008 album of covers Unlocking The Past it is absolutely remarkable). I can understand a guitarist doing it, like Joe Bonamassa mimicking the styles of BB King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck and even Jimmy Page, but, for the life of me, I don't know how a vocalist can do it.
The fact that Jorn was a big fan of Dio is evident, not only in this song, but also due to the fact that on his 2013 album there are at least two more songs dedicated to "the father of the sign". This particular song, filled with themes from the lyrical universe of Dio is, in a way, a lament to the life and art of a man that enriched the universe with his presence and left it poorer for his passing.

87. Heaven & Hell - Falling Off The Edge Of The World (Live)

2013 Music Top

Position: 87 of 100

Artist: Heaven & Hell
Song: Falling Off The Edge Of The World

Album: Live At Radio City Music Hall (2007)

Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/83016326

Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/yizyq6qq/

Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/16961054

This particular incarnation of Black Sabbath has always been my favourite (despite owning only three of their songs for a very, very long time) exceeding even the one that featured Deep Purple's Ian Gillan. I wonder if the people at this concert realised how lucky they were to be attending one of the best concerts ever in the history of music. The band is absolutely flawless, the mix is perfect and Dio is in excellent voice (despite being 65 and probably already carrying the seeds of his fatal cancer) and it just elevates every song to the quality of a masterpiece. Most songs recorded up to even the mid 80s are robbed of their full potential (especially in the rock arena) because of either the poor tools available for recording or for sound processing or because of certain chemical influences on the performers that would end up affecting their abilities to play (most famous case would be Jimmy Page) so whenever one of these songs gets re-recorded in the current era, provided that the singer's voice hasn't deteriorated beyond the point of no return, the results are absolutely astounding. Such is the case of this concert that takes the "Dio Years" Sabbath songs and puts them on steroids and, in this case, bigger turns out to be better.

This particular song starts out as a ballad of a man slowly slipping into insanity only to turn on a rhythm break and a Dio phrase into a full on rocker where we're all falling into madness and, to be honest, looking at the world today, I'm almost shocked that lyrics written back in 1981 can still prove to be so current. Geezer Butler really stands out on this song as his rhythm line is all over the place from slow and ominous to frenetic but he ends up keeping the song together and on track and delivering a truly great performance.

88. Robbie Williams - Let Me Entertain You

2013 Music Top

Position: 88 of 100

Artist: Robbie Williams
Song: Let Me Entertain You

Album: Life Thru A Lens (1997)

Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/83016325

Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/mqiiase3/

Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/3087542

Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Let+Me+Entertain+You/4Bo7tg?src=5

I was on the elevator one day, leaving the house to go to work when this song popped into my earphones and BAM! All of a sudden I found myself filled with this rich amount of energy and I took a second to realise that this is actually a very good song and that Robbie Williams, for all his Take That poppiness, churned out one of the best rockers of the late 90s. No surprise that the video is inspired by KISS' stage persona - one of the most outrageous rock shows on Earth. Bottom line to take away: whenever you find yourself low on fuel, this song is a great kickstarter.

89. Joe Cocker - Highway, Highway

2013 Music Top

Position: 89 of 100

Artist: Joe Cocker
Song: Highway, Highway

Album: Have A Little Faith (1994)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83015919

Vplay link: http://vplay.ro/watch/wt1bf7bm/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/3508465

One of the first albums I ever received as a present from my folks when I was a kid was Joe Cocker's Have A Little Faith whose selection I know was nothing short of accidental, but still, what an album! This 1994 jewel contains about as many great songs as there are tracks on the album. The last song on side A (I know, cassette tapes!) was this ballad that most likely started my fascination with the concept of the highway to the point where, today, there probably isn't a song about "a highway" that I've heard and didn't like. In this particular song, the highway is the symbol of that road of life that we're all going on, or that it is carrying us depending on which perspective you feel like adopting. Last year I was feeling a little nostalgic and this song proved the perfect way of connecting again with that kid who found a Joe Cocker tape stuck into his boots on Saint Nick's morning, back in 1994.

90. Cargo - Destin

2013 Music Top

Position: 90 of 100

Artist: Cargo
Song: Destin

Album: Destin (1995)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/83015435
Vplay link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/2xitk1bi/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/58115331
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Destin/3NNYsw?src=5

Despite ripping off part of the riff from Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral", the end result turned out quite satisfactory and the vocals are a definite upgrade over Ozzy's voice. I first discovered this song back in the days of cassette tapes, from a very good friend, but since I wasn't into this much rock at the time, it remained overlooked until, a couple of years ago, I did some extensive web prowling trying to build back a Cargo discography from their original period. I believe Ovidiu Ioncu "Kempes" to have been the best Romanian rock vocalist of all time, his voice having the effortless capacity to send shivers up one's spine and have long regretted the way he chose to leave the music scene back in the early 2k years. Setting aside the personal troubles of the man, if one was ever to assemble a catalogue of the best Romanian rock, this song would undoubtably belong very high up in its ranks. On a more personal note, this song about death, was unfortunately revived late last year after an unexpected brush with its protagonist but whose encounter, so far, we've been lucky enough to avoid.

91. Daft Punk - Get Lucky

2013 Music Top

Position: 91 of 100

Artist: Daft Punk ft Pharell Williams
Song: Get Lucky

Album: Random Access Memories (2013)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/82578066
Vplay link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/8irsf6s8/

Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/67238735 - album version
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Get+Lucky+feat+Pharrell+Williams/59nNFy?src=5 - album version

This was definitely the hit of the summer, not only for me but for the entire world as well. Daft Punk's album was a smash and, on a personal note, a serious enticement for me to explore their music further. On this particular song, though, Nile Rodgers, formerly of Chic and one of the most prolific producers ever, is involved which probably helped lend the composition such a catchy vibe (he's the guy in the video that's playing guitar). This guy has been responsible for an amazing decade of hits and is probably one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century. Setting aside the work he did with Chic and Sister Sledge (though samples of two of those songs ended up launching Hip-Hop altogether - Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight - and revitalising the musical career of one Will Smith with Gettin' Jiggy With It), this guy produced the following: Diana - Diana Ross, Let's Dance - David Bowie (incidentally his biggest selling album), Original Sin (single) - INXS, The Reflex, The Wild Boys and then the entire Notorious album from Duran Duran, Madonna's Like A Virgin album, B52's multi-platinum comeback album from 1989 called Cosmic Thing (one might remember Love Shack off this album), multiple movie soundtracks as well as video-game soundtracks among which the bestselling Halo and Resident Evil. This is what you get when you let loose a musician of this calibre on today's scene. Within 24 hours of the single's release Spotify announced it was its most streamed song in both the US and the UK for the entire 5 year history of Spotify's life. It's just such a cool and positive song that clings to your brain and you keep hearing it on and on and on even long after it's finished playing and that, my friends, is the stuff that hits are made of.

92. 3 Doors Down - Dangerous Game

2013 Music Top

Position: 92 of 100

Artist: 3 Doors Down
Song: Dangerous Game

Album: Away From The Sun (2002)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/82579049
Vplay link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/d5uvk8fq/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/2172902
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/s/Dangerous+Game/2NQOKd?src=5

To my shame, I only discovered this song back in 2012, when it was already a decade old. This happens to be one of the last good rockers from the 2k years and such a better staple of American modern rock than Nickelback ever was. Unfortunately this style was nothing more than a passing phase as rock music continued its so called "evolution" to the point where I haven't heard a good mainstream rock song having been released in the last few years with the exception of a few new releases by "old" artists, perhaps. The "dangerous game that we play" is the one called life I guess. A great pick me up song.

93. Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat

2013 Music Top

Position: 93 of 100

Artist: Al Stewart
Song: Year Of The Cat

Album: Year Of The Cat (1976)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/82574768
Vplay link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/2fv5nvdk/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/3100130
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Year+Of+The+Cat/2IuI5O?src=5

This song found itself peaking at number 8 on the Billboard charts back in 1977 ushering in a new genre of folk that involved more instruments and enabled some of the great ballads of the 80s to come alive. This particular song, Al Stewart's most recognisable hit worldwide went as high as number 3 in the Canadian charts. Filled with images of the old world, the melodic British English and Bogart movie references, it has more than enough bait to get me hooked. The lyrics are some of the most beautiful I've heard in a song ever. Going against the rule that songwriting needs to be kept simple and to the point in order for the listener to connect, passages such as "strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre contemplating a crime" or "she comes out of the sun in a silk dress running like a watercolour in the rain" or "the drum-beat strains of the night remain in the rhythm of the newborn day" are simply mesmerising poetry that carry over to song perfectly. In the end, the song is about finding what you never knew you needed when you never knew to look for it, it's about breaking your cycle (in this case fate has it broken for you) and just going with the flow. A feeling I know most of us would enjoy, but are never put in that magical circumstance where things just happen, and we all know we never go chasing for it of our own volition.

94. Robbie Williams - The Road To Mandalay

2013 Music Top

Position: 94 of 100

Artist: Robbie Williams
Song: The Road To Mandalay

Album: Sing When You're Winning (2000)

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/82574767

Vplay link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/nms4797a/

Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/3102428

Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/The+Road+To+Mandalay/4CN9E1?src=5

Save me from drowning in the sea... Robbie Williams definitely left his mark on the late 90s and the early 2k years. He was much greater in Europe where his albums dominated the charts, than in the US. Srangely enough, once he did cross over to the states, he faded away and lost his successful streak. This track, from his amazing 2000 album, is a song that feels like it's about the closure of an era and it's perfectly suited for me as I transition from my 20s (already two years behind me, but somehow still refusing to let them go) and into my 30s.

95. ZZ Top - Jesus Just Left Chicago

2013 Music Top

Position: 95 of 100

Artist: ZZ Top
Song: Jesus Just Left Chicago

Album: Tres Hombres (1973)

Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/82574765
Vplay link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/a2qu9hgy/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/3667320
Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Jesus+Just+Left+Chicago/2gWLT1?src=5

Back before the beards and the 80s Synthesizer period (Eliminator, Afterburner & Recycler albums) ZZ Top was a strong blues trio from Texas and their 1973 release made their name known. This particular Chicago-style blues song is so full of feeling showing a side of Billy Gibbons' guitar style that is often overlooked when thinking of this musician today. The religious aspect of the song is not the typical usage of religious themes in blues songs, but rather a device to get to one of the best puns I've heard in a song with Jesus turning Muddy Waters into wine, all in all a great song.

96. Deep Purple - Dead Or Alive

2013 Music Top

Position: 96 of 100

Artist: Deep Purple
Song: Dead Or Alive

Album: The House Of Blue Light (1987)

Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/82574764
Vplay link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/zzhvufqj/
Deezer link: http://www.deezer.com/track/2518255Grooveshark link: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Dead+Or+Alive/2Jqfw4?src=5

Another song off the 1987 Deep Purple album, this one features the back and forth passages between Jon and Ritchie that had become a staple of the MK2 lineup. Again a straight-up rocker with a no-bullshit rhythm line held by Pace and Glover. Off course neither of these two songs (this one and The Spanish Archer) was the single off the album, instead, the record company pushed a poppy, tongue-in-cheek, "Call Of The Wild" which was such a poor choice that the band didn't want any part of filming the video. As a result, gems such as this and there's at least two more awesome songs on the album, got overlooked and the album was marked down as a failure which is a real shame because, again (unfortunately) "Dead Or Alive" is a song that's much better than most songs that Deep Purple put out in the current MK7 line-up.