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Well, it’s been over 20 years since the Foo Fighters got started, and over that time, they have become one of the most renowned alternative rock bands in the whole musical landscape. While they’ve had some interesting times together, they’ve also managed to crank out some of the most memorable songs of the last 20 years. Let’s take a look back and review their entire catalogue. 8. Sonic Highways (2014)Their most recent work was also their worst and least essential, besides the 2006 acoustic live Skin & Bones record. This album’s scope was initially great: record songs in different cities…

Anyone who knows me knows that I love record stores. Always have and probably always will, even though all the great ones really don’t exist anymore. Director/Actor/Tom Hanks’ son Colin, whom many might remember from Orange County or season 1 of Fargo has done a great job with this loving documentary about Tower Records. Tower was the behemoth of record stores when I was growing up and its demise in the mid 2000s hurt a lot of people, including myself. The closest Tower I had was somewhere in Richmond near a hospital, and every time I went there, I was…

“The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”― Mark Twain “I would never rule it out completely. But I don’t see it happening,” said longtime Fountains Of Wayne frontman Chris Collingwood in one of several recent interviews promoting the eponymous debut album from his new creative vehicle Look Park. The question: “Could you see Fountains Of Wayne reuniting someday?” It’s not hard to detect the notes of annoyance in the interviews Collingwood has done to promote Look Park; one imagines the inevitability of questions about his old band does little to ease the sting of…

(Photo by Simon Hogg) Big Big Train and I first made our acquaintance nearly a decade ago when a copy of The Difference Machine (2007) landed in my mailbox and captured me completely. One listen and I was a fan; here was a group that put a modern spin on the best elements of classic progressive rock, while imbuing the imaginative compositions of co-founder/songwriter/guitarist Greg Spawton with rich layers of emotion. From that point the band, anchored by Spawton and co-founder Andy Poole, began a steady evolution and growth. The Underfall Yard (2009), the first BBT album to feature vocalist/flautist/songwriter…

The B-52's were once one of the most exciting, almost revolutionary bands of the entire New Wave era. Now they’re the type of band that one can see on retro bills alongside the rotting corpses of Blondie, A Flock Of Seagulls and numerous others. Their career started off with a bang and nowadays it’s a bit of whimper. But the trajectory in between is really something to behold. What the hell happened, you might ask? Well, read on and you’ll hear quite a story. Forming in Athens, Georgia in the mid-‘70s, the band – guitarist extraordinaire Ricky Wilson, his sister…

The career of the Rolling Stones has passed the 50-year mark; the grandchildren of their original fans are now rocking to their music. Among their 24 studio albums are some of the best and definitive releases of the rock ‘n’ roll era. They have never issued a truly terrible album, but there have been a number of stunning ones. So, here they are, from 24 to number one: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Rolling Stones.” 24. Undercover (1983)Some Rolling Stones album has to be last, and so we begin with 1983’s Undercover. It was one of the few times that Mick…

Nothing says Wednesday night like a little rock ‘n’ roll, and this tight, rollicking set by Icelandic foursome Kaleo was more than worth braving some torrential rain. Kaleo (made up of drummer Davíð Antonsson, bassist Daníel Ægir Kristjánsson, lead guitarist Rubin Pollock, and Jökull Júlíusson on vocals and guitars) has been stateside for about a year now, and I’ve been following their single releases like a trail of breadcrumbs toward rock greatness for what feels about as long. They’ve been building a quietly steady buzz for awhile now and seem poised to break through, being tapped as one of Rolling…

Ever since I was a small child, Weird Al has been one of my favorites. One of the undisputed kings of humorous music and one of the bestselling and most respected comedians of all time (take that Cosby!), Weird Al has always had his finger on the pulse of popular music. Over the course of his thirty plus year career, he has released some of the greatest comedy records of all time. With that in mind, I decided it was time to do an overview of the man’s oeuvre. 14. UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack And Other Stuff (1989)This…

One of the challenges in ranking Ronnie Montrose’s catalog is that he really has four catalogs. There is his groundbreaking work with the seminal hard rock band bearing his last name. There are the eight very diverse solo instrumental albums he kicked off in 1978 with the dynamic fusion-oriented Open Fire and continued releasing through the ’80s and ’90s. Don’t forget his stellar 1979-82 run with Gamma, a trail-blazing rock quintet with an electronic edge. And then—before and betwixt all of the above—there were his abundant appearances in a supporting role on albums by a diverse roster of notable artists…

Eric Clapton’s career is now into its sixth decade and shows no signs of slowing down. He is currently the only three-time inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for his solo work and time spent with Cream and The Yardbirds. While he has been releasing solo albums for the past half-century, he spent the first decade of his career jumping from group to group, never staying long, but carving out one of the best legacies in rock music. The following 11 albums represent his best and worst band albums, although there is no real terrible release. 11.…