This Summer's List

Another summer, another definitive, completely objective list from Dez. Longtime GNABB readers know that I like to throw up a list of some sort each summer. There have been mini-lists at other times, but the big guns tend to come out over the summer. So far I've given you Dez's: Top 100 Albums, Top 50 Movies and Presidential Rankings.

Rolling Stone Magazine recently published their updated 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list. If you read the intro in the issue, it explains more precisely that it is their 100 Greatest Artists of the Rock and Roll Era, which better explains some of their omissions. The list was compiled by polling a panel of "experts," a mixture of artists, producers, critics, and other music insiders. They first published their list in 2004, and then updated it in 2011. My friends over at Future Rock Legends have conveniently posted both lists side by side if you want to see the results, here.

Of course, that got me thinking, who would make my list? So I present you with Dez's Favorite Rock and Roll Artists. More details about the list:

1. This will be more interesting than just standard bios and discographies. I have wanted to stretch my writing skills, so I will try and focus on an interesting aspect of the artist, controversy, particular era or album, memory associated with them or something else specific. I want to try and write interesting essays inspired by or associated with the artists vs. giving you a Wikipedia-like entry. Two of my regular readers and good friends, JMW and ANCIANT, are writers by trade. I am not. But I figure that since I am most comfortable writing about music, that was the best place to try to stretch myself a little bit.

2. All joking aside, this list is purely subjective. I am giving you the artists that have given me the most enjoyment and challenged me or inspired me so far in my nearly 40 years of existence.

3. I've listened to them for awhile. I will not have newer discoveries here, they have to have been with me for awhile to be able to view them in perspective.

4. I chose Rock/Pop because as I was ranking them, I was having difficulty really comparing Mozart or Miles Davis to my #1 pick, Wham. (OK, not really. Wham! is not on my list). But it was just easier and more fair to set other genres like jazz, blues, soul and classical (all of which I also really love, but do not have that direct connection with) aside and just focus on Rock and Roll. So this is not just "Rock and Roll Era," this is Rock and Pop.

5. I am limiting it to 30 artists. I could easily give you 100 and still leave off artists that I love, but you don't want to read 100 essays. I figured 30 was a good number, enough to be somewhat representative, but not overkill. Please understand that I am leaving off artists who still mean a great deal to me, who at different times I have obsessively listened to. I considered just doing 11 of them, because as I was ranking I found that #'s 1-11 immediately and easily fell into place, but I struggled more with ranking #'s 12-30. But thirty works.

I will post about other things as well, as I know not everyone obsesses over music as I do, and this blog is supposed to be about a variety of topics. Alright, first entry coming soon.