The summer Olympics, as you already know, are in London this year, and when they did their opening ceremonies, I was in classic rock heaven. England is home to some of the best rock groups to ever come into existence, and when they did their segment with British music through the ages, I was in my glory, especially when they played some David Bowie, and followed him with Queen. Oh baby! And their start with the 1960's? All I could think of was Pirate Radio (a movie that takes place in England during the 60s when rock music was banned).
Since I've been in Brit rock paradise, I thought I'd share some of the best music our hosts across the pond have to offer, from the 60s-80s. I'll start you all off with The Troggs, "With a Girl Like You" (I blame the Bell commercial for getting it stuck in my head constantly, but that's alright because it's a good song). And Pirate Radio? This song is on the soundtrack.
The Who is also an awesome English export. Though they have tons of good stuff, my favourite has to be "Baba O'Riley" which some might also know as "Teenage Wasteland." It's the keyboard work that does it. Ok, so the rest of the song is pretty epic too.
I must make a confession, and I know that this confession is going to result in a whole whack of people wanting to hate on me, but that's fine. I'm not really a fan of The Beatles. They have some stuff that's worth listening to, but in general, they're overplayed, and taught musical acts of the present day that they can be famous for warbling on about "Tangerine Cream" and marshmellow pies. And then present-day people start getting miffed when they hear "musicians" sing about stuff that makes no sense, like milkshakes, or lip gloss. But, that being said, John, Paul, George, and Ringo have a few songs that I like, one of them being "Paperback Writer." How appropriate.
I'm also not big on Led Zepplin (I can hear the insults being hurled at me for sure now). I find that they're also over-rated, and over-played (three words: "Stairway to Heaven"). However, there is a song of theirs that I'm a fan of. When I still had my video copy of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Robert Plant started his tribute with "Thank You." Ever since, that's the one Zepplin song that I actually want to hear. See? I'm not a complete hater.
Last night, as I lay in my bed, I had the urge to get my Def Leppard on. Though "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is an awesome song, I chose to go to bed with a "Rocket." Come on. You can't expect me to post the blatantly obvious, can you? Well, you could, but you might be disappointed when I don't, because I'm cool like that. So, to show my awesomeness, here's "Rocket."
By now, if you've read previous posts, or if you know me, you might have realized that I love David Bowie. Not only has he aged incredibly well, but his music still kicks ass. And if you haven't seen the movie Labyrinth, you need to get on that stat, because David Bowie plays the Goblin King, and is amazing. Bowie, without question, is one of my childhood staples, despite me being born at least a decade into his career. Even though "Rebel Rebel" was my big song as a child (I knew all the words to it by the time I was three), lately, I can't seem to get enough of "Oh! You Pretty Things."
I don't think any of you could possibly understand just how much I wish I could have been alive during his Ziggy Stardust days. I've convinced myself that the concerts would have been awesome. At least there's still the music, so I suppose I'll just have to make due.
And finally, the one band that I'm certain you've all been waiting for. This band lost its leader many years ago to AIDS, and unlike other bands, this vocalist cannot be replaced. When this band and Bowie recorded a song together, to say that it was magic would be the understatement of the century. This lead vocalist's voice can never be replaced, and though many have tried to replicate it, they just don't quite hit the mark. This is a band that I would give just about anything to be able to go back in time, and see them perform live. I'm certain you've figured out that I'm talking about one of my all-time favourite bands, Queen. To say that Freddie Mercury was incredible doesn't quite sum him up enough.
I know I said I'm not about to share the most blatantly obvious song, but this time, I am. I'm thinking you've already thought to yourselves, "oh great. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' again," and that's fine. What you're probably not expecting is for me to share Queen performing "Bohemian Rhapsody" live at Wembley Stadium. THAT is a concert I really wish I could have been at.
Awesome.
And there you have it. A few of my favourite Brit rock bands. I really was born in the wrong decade.
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