Ode to Katrina...

Katrina, my stepdaughter, a while back forwarded to me a YouTube link to the group Black Keys predicting they would become popular. That was long before they were the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Having been in high school in the 60’s and 70’s their sound reminded me of the various garage bands that played in neighborhoods long before people would complain about kids being kids and we chased them out of neighborhoods and into crack houses. So I’m somewhat familiar with the sound of a promising young garage band. Today I thought we could post the list of what I consider to be the ultimate garage band must-play song list.

Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin – NY 1973

Iron Butterfly – In A Gadda Da Vida

Steppenwolf – Born to be Wild (1969)

The Troggs – Wild Thing

Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze, Hey Joe and Heartbraker

Joe Cocker – Unchain My Heart and Cry Me A River from 1970

We can’t leave Janis out, Janis Joplin – Cry Baby from Toronto in 1970 and Piece of My Heart (1967)

Smoke On the Water with Deep Purple

Cream’s, Sunshine Of Your Love.

For a slow dance go to Carlo Santana’s Samba Pa’ Ti” or in a pinch go to Pink Floyd. Santana’s lonely wale of his guitar is about as close as you can get to being high but without the drugs.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising and Born On the Bayou

Toss in some of Fortunate Son can work for you.

No garage band song set is complete without some Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. From the 1970’s Déjà vu album.

And we’ll never forget Woodstock, which my mother refused to let me go.

To cut this short here is a compilation of classic 70’s rock hits.

It includes some of the above along with Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, Queen, Joe C, The Boss, The Doors, Santana, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Yes, Jethro Tull, MeatLoaf who was phat even back then, AC DC, Bachman Turner Overdrive were taking care of business, Bad Company doing what they did and couldn’t get enough of your love, (Who were the Talking Heads?), Black Sabbath that I saw live three times (I think) once at The Garden in Boston, Boston singing taking my time and a very young Eric Clapton with Derek and the Dominos.

You can cut this entire process short with the BEST 10 Classic Rock Songs Ever, but you’d be cheating yourself. These were the times when garage bands were being born and new high school freshman classes were giving birth to rock & roll.