Rock and Reel

Top 10 Tracks of 1978

Previous: 1977

I must have a musical bald spot because my metalhead is starting to show. Bob Dylan never stopped writing great songs, even with his weaker albums. I will never cease to be amazed by Eddie Van Halen’s work on “Eruption.” There are two by Elvis Costello because he’s the man, but Bruce is on top because he’s the boss.

10. The Police- Born in the 50’s (Listen)

9. Judas Priest- Beyond the Realms of Death (Listen)

8. Bob Dylan- Changing of the Guard (Listen)

7. The Clash- (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais (Listen)

6. Van Halen- Eruption (Listen)

5. Funkadelic- One Nation Under a Groove (Listen)

4. Elvis Costello- (What’s So Funny ‘About) Peace, Love and Understanding (Watch Bill Murray sing in Lost in Translation)

3. Elvis Costello- No Action (Listen to non-album live version)

2. Blondie- Hanging on the Telephone (Listen)

1. Bruce Springsteen- Racing in the Street (Listen)

Next: 1979

See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1978

Top 10 Tracks of 1975

Previous: 1974

I discovered the greatness of “So In Love” by Curtis Mayfield when I was going through my iTunes library for a song to use in a homemade Chicago video. I don’t like Horses as much as I should, but I adore “Free Money.” I just don’t like Young Americans, but I adore “Young Americans.” Seeing Blaine listen to “Love is the Drug” on Glee this season was more odd than cool. My two favorite non-Dylan songwriters released my favorite tracks of theirs this year. My favorite songwriter released a record full of so many great tracks that it was tough to pick just one.

10. Paul Simon- Still Crazy After All These Years (Listen)

9. Elton John- Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Listen)

8. Parliament- Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) (Listen)

7. Curtis Mayfield- So In Love (Listen)

6. Patti Smith- Free Money (Listen)

5. David Bowie- Young Americans (Listen)

4. Roxy Music- Love is the Drug (Listen)

3. Bob Dylan- You’re a Big Girl Now (Listen to alternate version)

2. Neil Young- Cortez the Killer (Listen)

1. Bruce Springsteen- Thunder Road (Listen to non-album live version)

Next: 1976

See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1975, Top 10 Movies of 1975

Top 10 Tracks of 1966

Previous: 1965

I never provide any explanation for my rankings, so I’m going to say a few words whenever possible. For a while, these top 10s are going to be unavoidably dominated by the Beatles and Bob Dylan. I put Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness” on my 100 favorite songs list at #82 in part because I used to listen to the song all the time, but after revisiting the tune, I wasn’t quite as fond of it. It still has one of the greatest vocal performances of all time, but the instrumental crescendo doesn’t get to me the way it used to. Off the top of my head, I probably wouldn’t have thought of the Supremes, but it’s infectious and full of life. I completely omitted the Beach Boys from my top 100 list, why I don’t know, but listening to The Smile Sessions has snapped me out of it.

10. The Lovin’ Spoonful- Daydream (Listen)

9. Otis Redding- Try a Little Tenderness (Listen)

8. The Beatles- Rain (Listen)

7. John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers- Steppin’ Out (Listen)

6. The Beach Boys- I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (Listen)

5. The Supremes- You Can’t Hurry Love (Listen)

4. Bob Dylan- Visions of Johanna (Listen to live version)

3. The Rolling Stones- Paint it Black (Listen)

2. The Beatles- Tomorrow Never Knows

1. The Beach Boys- Good Vibrations (Listen)

Next: 1967

See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1966, Top 10 Movies of 1966

Top 10 Tracks of 1965

I recently picked my top 10 albums for each year starting with 1965. (Note: I compulsively update these lists.) More recently, I made an updated list of my 100 favorite songs. In the spirit of those two projects, I’m going to list my top 10 songs for every year starting with 1965. These lists are redundant, but they’re fun and therapeutic to make.

No more than one song per album
Tracks released as a single and on an album in separate years will be eligible for the years of their first release
No more than two songs per artist

10. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons- Let’s Hang On (Listen)

9. The Zombies- The Way I Feel Inside (Listen)

8. The Beach Boys- Help Me, Rhonda (Listen)

7. The Beatles- Yesterday (Listen)

6. Simon & Garfunkel- The Sound of Silence (Listen)

5. The Supremes- Stop! In the Name of Love (Listen)

4. The Byrds- I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better (Listen)

3. Bob Dylan- Like a Rolling Stone (Listen)

2. The Beatles- In My Life (Listen)

1. Bob Dylan- It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Listen to non-1965 live version)

Next: 1966

See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1965

Top 10 Albums of 2007

1. Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago

Listen: “Flume”

2. Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Listen: “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”

3. Kanye West- Graduation

Listen: “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”

4. Dinosaur Jr.- Beyond

Listen: “Crumble”

5. Various Artists, I’m Not There

Listen: “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Antony and the Johnsons

6. Jens Lekman- Night Falls Over Kortedala

Listen: “The Opposite of Hallelujah”

7. Brandi Carlile- The Story

Listen: “The Story”

8. Radiohead- In Rainbows

Listen: “All I Need”

9. The White Stripes- Icky Thump

Listen: “Icky Thump”

10. Arcade Fire- Neon Bible

Listen: “Intervention”

Honorable Mention: Andrew Bird’s Armchair Apocrypha, Colbie Caillat’s Coco, Kevin Drew’s Spirit If…, Flobots’ Fight With Tools, Lil Wayne’s Da Drought 3, Modest Mouse’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, The New Pornographers’ Challengers, Josh Ritter’s The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, The Swell Season’s Once: From the Motion Picture

Updated: January 30, 2013

Top 10 Albums of 2006

1. The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America

Listen: “Stuck Between Stations” [Non-Album Live Version]

2. Ghostface Killah- Fishscale

Listen: “Shakey Dog”

3. Belle and Sebastian- The Life Pursuit

Listen: “Another Sunny Day”

4. Yo La Tengo- I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

Listen: “Mr. Tough”

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Show Your Bones

Listen: “Gold Lion”

6. Tom Waits- Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

Listen: “Missing My Son”

7. Bob Dylan- Modern Times

Listen: “Thunder on the Mountain”

8. Sonic Youth- Rather Ripped

Listen: “Another Sunny Day”

9. Bruce Springsteen- We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Listen: “We Shall Overcome”

10. Neil Young- Living With War

Listen: “Let’s Impeach the President”

Archival Highlight: Neil Young- Crazy Horse at the Fillmore 1970

Listen: “Winterlong”

Honorable Mention: Lily Allen’s Alright, Still; Islands’ Return to the Sea; My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade; Sufjan Stevens’ The Avalanche; Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds

Updated: November 2, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 2005

1. The Hold Steady- Separation Sunday

Listen: “Your Little Hoodrat Friend”

2. Franz Ferdinand- You Could Have It So Much Better

Listen: “Do You Want To”

3. Kanye West- Late Registration

Listen: “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix feat. Jay-Z)”

4. The White Stripes- Get Behind Me Satan

Listen: “Blue Orchid”

5. Sufjan Stevens- Illinois

Listen: “Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois”

6. Wilco- Kicking Television: Live in Chicago

Listen: “At Least That’s What You Said”

7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Listen: “Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)”

8. My Morning Jacket- Z

Listen: “Off the Record”

9. Serena-Maneesh- Serena-Maneesh

Listen: “Drain Cosmetics”

10. Art Brut-Bang Bang Rock & Roll

Listen: “Emily Kane”

Archival Highlight: Bob Dylan- The Bootleg Series, Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack

Honorable Mention: Fall Out Boy’s From Under the Cork Tree, The New Pornographers’ Twin Cinema, Nine Inch Nails’ With Teeth, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ Nothing But the Water, Bruce Springsteen’s Devils & Dust, System of a Down’s Mezmerize; Tapes ‘n Tapes’ The Loon, Weezer’s Make Believe

Updated: March 9, 2013

Top 10 Albums of 2004

1. Arcade Fire- Funeral

Listen: “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”

2. Kanye West- The College Dropout

Listen: “Never Let Me Down”

3. The Trash Can Sinatras- Weightlifting

Listen: “Leave Me Alone”

4. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds- Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Listen: “Get Ready for Love”

5. Brian Wilson- Smile

Listen: “Roll Plymouth Rock”

6. Iron & Wine- Our Endless Numbered Days

Listen: “Naked As We Come”

7. Sufjan Stevens- Seven Swans

Listen: “Abraham”

8. Rilo Kiley- More Adventurous

9. Wilco- A Ghost is Born

Listen: “At Least That’s What You Said”

10. Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand

Archival Highlight: Bob Dylan- The Bootleg Series Volume 6: Live 1964 - Concert at Philharmonic Hall

Listen: “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”

Honorable Mention: Annie’s Anniemal; The Black Keys’ Rubber Factory; Morrissey’s You Are the Quarry; Prince’s Musicology; TV on the Radio’s Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes; U2’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb; Tom Waits’ Real Gone; The Walkmen’s Bows + Arrows

Updated: October 11, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 2002

1. Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Listen: “Jesus, Etc.”

2. The Streets- Original Pirate Material

Listen: “Stay Positive”

3. Eminem- The Eminem Show

Listen: “White America”

4. The Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Listen: “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell”

5. Clipse- Lord Willin’

Listen: “Grindin’”

6. Paul Westerberg- Stereo

Listen: “Got You Down”

7. Beck- Sea Change

Listen: “Lost Cause”

8. Broken Social Scene- You Forgot It In People

Listen: “KC Accidental”

9. Interpol- Turn on the Bright Lights

Listen: “Obstacle 1”

10. Pedro the Lion- Control

Listen: “Penetration”

Archival Highlight: Bob Dylan- The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Live 1975 - The Rolling Thunder Revue

Listen: “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You”

Honorable Mention: Sonic Youth’s Murray Street, Bruce Springsteen’s The Rising, Tom Waits’ Blood Money

Updated: July 8, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 2001

1. Jay-Z- The Blueprint

Listen: “Renegade”

2. Bob Dylan- “Love and Theft”

Listen: “Cry A While”

3. The Strokes- Is This It

Listen: “Hard to Explain”

4. Daft Punk- Discovery

Listen: “Something About Us”

5. The White Stripes- White Blood Cells

Listen: “Fell in Love with a Girl”

6. Ted Leo- The Tyranny of Distance

Listen: “Biomusicology”

7. System of a Down- Toxicity

Listen: “Prison Song”

8. Bjork- Vespertine

Listen: “Pagan Poetry”

9. Missy Elliott- Miss E…So Addictive

Listen: “Get Ur Freak On”

10. Radiohead- Amnesiac

Honorable Mention: Ryan Adams’ Gold, Basement Jaxx’s Rooty, Ben Folds’ Rockin’ the Suburbs, Stephen Malkmus’ Stephen Malkmus, The Shins’ Oh, Inverted World, Travis’ The Invisible Band, Weezer’s Weezer [Green Album]

Updated: March 5, 2013