If you love power ballads then you know who Aerosmith is. Power ballads are what made this band famous after all. The band began back in the seventies with the release of their first album, the self-titled Aerosmith. Originally, the band consisted of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer and they had met in 1970 and played together for two years before finally landing a record deal.

Aerosmith was released in 1973 and contained the songs “Dream On”, “Walkin’ The Dog”, and “Mama Kin”. “Dream On” would be the band’s first hit single and performed well for the group for much of the 70’s. Tyler did an exceptional job performing this song and showed the world his impressive vocal range with it as well.

Their sound is bluesy but also has elements of pop infused within it. It was a definite rock sound for the time but is now considered to be more of a classic rock sound and feel. Aerosmith has always been good at making the power ballad, you know, the slow tempo complimented by long voiced notes. Much of their work is based on this principle.

The great thing about this band is the unforgettable lyrics and snazzy guitar playing. I mean, Aerosmith songs have that time-less appeal to them, not because they are extremely emotional but because they are good, solid songs.

Another great thing about this band is how diverse they were. They made ground breaking advances in music by combining and working with various styles of music.

They mixed genre’s complimenting R&B with a rock sound to create something people had never heard before. I don’t even know what you’d call it to tell you the truth because both Rock and R&B have a blues influence so you couldn’t call it the blues. It had too much of a dance feel to be blues anyway. An example of this would be “Walk This Way” which was also performed with hip-hop artists Run DMC.

After the release of their self-titled album the band began touring professionally and began work on their next album Get Your Wings which was released in 1974. Songs showcased on this record feature “Same Old Song and Dance”, “Lord of the Thighs” and “Pandora’s Box”. While this album was pretty solid, it only had a handful of rememberable tracks with “Same Old Song and Dance” being the most prominent.

The band continued to tour and then released yet another album the next year in ‘75 titled Toys in the Attic. Songs from this work feature “Walk this Way”, “Sweet Emotion”, and “Toys in the Attic”. “Sweet Emotion” is such a great song, the way the long intro just kind of tosses you into the otherwise choppy sounding lyrics. I really like the guitar in this song too and Joe Perry does an awesome job on this track.

The best thing about this band is their ability to tell a story even if sometimes the stories have a strange topic. Like “Dude Looks Like A Lady”, seriously, what’s up with that? I mean, it’s still a good song but it’s one of those songs that just make you want to go “What?”. Another good thing about this group is how they use Alicia Silverstone in most of their music videos. Great choice Aerosmith, really.

In 1976 the band releases their next album, this time calling the album Rocks. Songs on this album feature such works as “Back in the Saddle”, “Combination”, and “Get the Lead Out”. “Back in the Saddle” was another solid hit for the group as they continued to tour around the country and work on their next album.

This album arrived in 1977 in the form of Draw the Line. Songs on this album were “Get it Up”, “Bright Light Fright” and “Draw the Line”. This album didn’t do quite as well as their previous albums and was followed up with their next studio album titled Night in the Ruts.

Night in the Ruts would be the last album made by the band in the 70’s. By this time drug and alcohol abuse had taken its effect on the band and increased tension within the group lead to the departure of guitarist Joe Perry and rhythm guitarist Tom Hamilton. Songs on Night in the Ruts include “Think About It”, “Three Mile Smile” and “Cheese Cake”. 

With the guitarist leaving the group Steven and the remaining members of the band needed some more artists to play with so they recruited guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay to fill the now vacant spots.

Also during the change the band releases Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits which had all of their hits up to that point in the band’s career. Some of these songs include “Dream On”, “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way”.

It would be two more years until the release of their next work which was titled Rock in a Hard Place. Songs on Rock in a Hard Place feature such songs as “Jig is Up”, “Lighting Strikes” and “Joanie’s Butterfly” along with “Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat)”. This album didn’t produce any hits for the band and isn’t considered to be one of their better albums.

In 1984 the band was once again re-united as Perry and Whitford once again joined the band. This would be the last time that the band would make any changes to the line-up of the group. They celebrated the reunion with their album Done with Mirrors. Songs on this album include “Let the Music do the Talking”, “She’s on Fire”, and “Darkness”. This album was pretty average but still an improvement to their recent streak of lackluster albums.

It' was also during this time that the band decides to undergo rehab for their addictions to drugs and alcohol. This was a great thing for the band because they were able to clear their heads and focus on what mattered the most to them, their music. During this time the band released their classic albums titled Classics I and Classics II. Songs on these album feature their hits thus far in their career. Some examples of these songs include “Back in the Saddle”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Let the Music do the Talking” and “Last Child”.

In 1987 the band re-invents themselves with Permanent Vacation, an awesome album from the band. Songs on Permanent Vacation include such hits as “Angel”, “Rag Doll”, and “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”. This album is really one of their better albums and you can definitely hear the progression of the band since they attended rehab.

The hits don’t stop there for the cleaned up group of musicians. In 1989 they continue making hits with their album Pump. Songs featured on Pump include “Love in an Elevator”, “Janie’s Got a Gun” and “Young Lust”. This was another really good album and many of the songs are still favorites of long time fans of the band. The next year would also prove to be a milestone for the band as they appeared on television shows like SNL doing a bit on Wayne’s World and as cartoons in the long running Simpsons show. The band also won their first Grammy in 1990 for “Janie’s Got a Gun”.

Their next album would be probably the best album they ever made, in my opinion, and is called Get a Grip. This album is awesome and has some of their best work so far as a band. Examples of songs on this album include the popular “Livin’ on the Edge”, “Shut Up and Dance”, “Cryin’”, “Crazy” and “Eat the Rich”.

This album is chalked full of great tunes and won the band two more Grammy Awards for “Livin’ on the Edge” and “Crazy”. This is also when Alicia Silverstone starts appearing in their videos.

Their next album, Nine Lives, didn’t fare as well for the band and failed to capture the attention of the mainstream listeners. Songs on this album include “Pink”, “Fallen Angels” and “Nine Lives”. The only song that really got any airplay for the band was “Pink”, which one them another Grammy in 1998.

1998 was also the year that the band had their 1st #1 single in their career with their song “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from the Armageddon soundtrack. This was a truly one of the greatest love songs ever written and received a ton of airplay The next year they also performed at the MTV music awards performing their song “Walk This Way” with Run DMC.

Their next album was called Just Push Play. Songs on this album include “Jaded”, “Luv Lies” and “Just Push Play”. “Jaded” performed well for the band this year and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later in the year.

The bands latest album is called Honkin’ on Bobo and was released in 2004. For this album the band has returned to their roots and it has a more bluesy sound to it. Songs on this album include “Jesus is on the Main Line”, “You Gotta Move”, and “Stop Messin’ Around”.

Pantera is one of those metal bands that if your a fan of the genre, you’ve heard of them. They started out in the 80’s as a glam-rock band performing cover songs by other popular artists at the time like Van Halen and KISS. They had the long hair, the glam-rock style, the whole she-bang. It wasn’t until the 90’s that the band became a truly Metal figure in music.

The band’s first album was titled Metal Magic and made it’s debut in 1983. Tracks on this album include the songs “Latest Lover”, “Nothin’ On (But the Radio)” and “Rock Out”. The band later followed this album up with I Am the Night. Songs on this rare album house the songs “Onward We Rock”, “Valhalla” and “I Am the Night”.

For both of these albums the band still had it’s original lineup featuring Terry Glaze as vocalist, and the rest of the band (Darrell, Vince, and Rexx) performing their duties respectively. Vince playing the drums, Darrell on guitar and Rexx as the bassist.

This lineup continued for the band’s third album which was titled Projects in the Jungle. Songs on this rare album feature “Like Fire”, “Heavy Metal Rules”, and “Projects in the Jungle”.

In 1988 the band changed with the introduction of Phil Anselmo on the bands Power Metal album. Phil replaced Terry as the bands vocalist as Terry was ousted from the band. With Phil, the band had a whole new direction and style this can be heard by listening to Power Metal.

Now, Power Metal is an unique album because it’s kind of roughed in and shows the start of something great. Songs on Power Metal include the tracks “Rock the World”, “Hard Ride”, “Proud to Be Loud” and “Power Metal”.

The band’s fifth album is Cowboys from Hell, it’s with this album that the band begins to gain a fan base. I being one of them. Songs on this album showcase how Metal this band can really be. Musical tracks on this album feature “Cemetery Gates”, “Cowboys From Hell”, and “The Art Of Shredding”. The explosive and complex guitar playing is like none other.  If you listen to this album, turn down the volume on “Cemetery Gates” because you can seriously blow your hearing out by the end of the guitar solo. That’s how loud this song is, it’s pretty cool.

Up next for the band is their Vulgar Display of Power album. This album has such songs as “Mouth For War”, “Walk”, and “This Love” featured on it. With this album the band sets the bar a little higher for other metal bands, it is one of the most compelling albums ever from the band.

The edgy guitar riffs, the masterful solo’s, hard hitting percussion and deep bass lines are what make this album really stand out. Not to mention Phil pouring out track after track of some serious vocals.

Johnny Cash, also known as the man in black, was a great American folk singer who started making music in back in the 50’s. Johnny had always had a talent for playing the guitar and singing since he was a young farmhand working in the fields. In the 50’s though he was enlisted in the United States Air Force and started his first official band called the Landsberg Barbarians. While in the service he was stationed in Germany after his basic training in Texas. It was also in Texas where he met his first wife Vivian Liberto.

Johnny’s family was both religious and musical and his mother would often play hymns and folk songs while working in the fields at the family’s farm. This is what originally inspired Johnny to become a musician. Johnny just had a natural gift for music and all things musical. He was definitely a natural born musician and performer. 

After his discharge from the Air Force, Johnny married Vivian and the pair made their way down to Memphis Tennessee where John worked odd jobs while trying to get his feet wet in the music industry. It was 1954 when Johnny auditioned as his first gig as a solo artist for Sun Records which was ran, at the time, by Samuel Phillips.

His first attempt at landing a record deal was unsuccessful but Johnny wasn’t the kind of guy that gave up on things. Later that year he was back at the studio with a three man band and were calling themselves the Tennessee Three. The band consisted of Cash, Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant and was signed to the label shortly after. Before being the Tennessee Three, Perkins and Grant were in a band called the Tennessee Two, adding Johnny to the group required the obvious name change.

The group recorded singles and started performing various gigs in 1954 through 1956. It was in ‘56 that Johnny was invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry and a year later released his first studio album titled Johnny Cash and His Hot and Blue Guitar. Songs on this album include  “I Walk the Line”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Cry Cry Cry” and “Hey Porter”.

Also featured on this album are “Get Rhythm” and “(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle”. The album was later re-released with unreleased tracks never before heard with alternative versions of “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line”. You can get the expanded album, in vinyl form here.

Johnny then releases The Songs That Made Him Famous the following year and this album would be his last release under the Sun label. Songs on this record include “Big River”, “There You Go” and “Home of the Blues”. After this album Johnny went to the Columbia record label in search of more freedom to his art form. Johnny really wanted to sing gospel music, since he was raised on the gospel and all. 

Now, under a new label, Johnny continues to perform a great amount of shows. He even performed on national television a few times for shows like the Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show amongst others. His first album release for Columbia is called The Fabulous Johnny Cash. Songs feature on this album include “Frankie and Johnny”, “One More Ride”, “Pickin’ Time” and “Shepherd of My Heart”.

It was also during this time that Johnny and his wife Vivian moved out of Tennessee and moved into a home in California. Here Johnny started to rely heavily on amphetamines and alcohol to keep the show going on the road. This was not good. He still continued touring however and kept recording records as well during this time.

His next album release is Hymns by Johnny Cash. Featured on this record are the songs “It Was Jesus”, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, “He’ll Be a Friend” and “I Saw a Man”. Hymns by Johnny Cash would be followed up by Songs of our Soil. Songs on this work feature “Clementine”, “Caretaker”, “Drink to Me” and “Don’t Step on Mother’s Roses”. The Fabulous Johnny Cash, Hymns by Johnny Cash and Songs of our Soil were all released in 1959.

See, Johnny was a no nonsense kind of guy. He wasn’t perfect by any means but he was an honest man. He may not have been the best role model in the world but he was certainly talented in the art of playing music.

I mean, he sang the gospel but definitely lived by the method of do what I say, not as I do during this time.  He was a religious man and liked to spread the good word, even if he couldn’t follow it in his own life. I think this is why he always wore black; to add color to his music, instead of his clothing.

Ride this Train would be his next album released in 1960. Songs on this album include “Loading Coal”, “Boss Jack”, “Old Doc Brown” and “Dorraine of Ponchartain”. This would be his fourth album for Columbia records. His old label, Sun Records, was also still releasing some of Johnny’s work as well. Under the Sun label he releases Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams and Other Favorites in this year too, songs covered on this album feature “Hey, Good Lookin”, “I Can’t Help It”, and “You Win Again”.

Throughout his career, and even after his death Johnny Cash has won an astonishing 13 Grammy Awards. The first one in 1967 for a duet with Carter performing the song “Jackson” and the last one being in 2007 for “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”. He also had his own television show in 1969 called The Johnny Cash Show. He recorded over 1,500 tracks and performed with many talented artists within his career and was an advocate for prisoner’s rights. Some of his life was also turned into a feature film in 2005 called Walk the Line.

Sadly on September 12, 2003 Johnny dies due to complications from diabetes. He was a talented performer, a skilled musician and will be missed by millions of adoring fans. He had come a long way from being a Barbarian, to a member of the Tennessee Three, and finally resting on a solo music career. May we always remember the man in black.

Women are talented when it comes to writing and songwriting because they are more used to sharing their emotions. Women are an emotional creature and can reach much higher vocal ranges than most men. This comes in handy being a musician because that’s what music is all about, sharing emotions and singing well. There have been many women over the history of Rock and Roll music to grace the stages for the millions of adoring fans.

You’d really think there would be more female groups out there, you know with having smaller hands than men. I mean, they would be better able to play guitar than a man if they would cut their nails. Sure, there are many country singers who can sing splendidly but that’s not what this article is about.

No, this article is about Rock, the women of Rock to be specific and I hope you enjoy it.

The women of rock are emotional freight trains of energy who were born ready to rock. They spread their tales of heartache and joy to the millions of fans that love them. This article will not be covering Pop Diva’s or Country Stars, as while those artists are well and good, Rock chicks are definitely more about the attitude.

There have been many greats in music, the women in particular have fought twice as hard due to unfortunate prejudice against them in the early days of music. Pioneers like Janis Joplin, Annie Lennox, Stevie Nicks, and Carly Simon have made the struggle easier for the new artists of today.

It was tough for these artists because the record industry was ran entirely by men. Male producers, male promoters, male managers and other male executives. The artists would have to be not only really good but also want to work for pennies on the dollars. This was truly unfair for these artists because they were doing the same work as their male counter parts.

I do have to say though, the women of rock were and are amazing. I prefer listening to them because they have really good “thinking” music. I wouldn’t say I can relate to some of it and that’s why it’s good, because it makes you think.

Now, I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s but didn’t really get into music until the 90’s. A time when 4 Non-Blondes, Ace of Base, and Salt N’ Pepa were just making their debuts on MTV. In between videos of Veruca Salt and Hole, I really started listening to classic rock. Pat Benatar was probably the first classic artist that really caught my eye.

Pat Benatar started her career in 1977 and her first album was called In The Heat of the Night. Pat Benatar is such a talented singer. I mean, the first time I heard “Love is A Battlefield”, the little hairs on my arm stood up. I didn’t see the music video until a few years later and I was still impressed. She can really dance. Pat also won 4 Grammy Awards and has released 11 albums over the course of her career.

After my listening to Pat I really started to wonder about other female artists and began listening to Roxette heavily. Roxette is probably my favorite female lead band ever. Just because of the way the music sounds. Per Gessle is my favorite guitarist ever and I’ve listened to a lot of guitar. I mean a lot of guitar. The solo’s are amazing, the rhythm is fantastic and the harmonies with other instrument put many other bands to shame. It’s so complicated and intricate, the man is a genius I tell you.

If you don’t know who Roxette is they are a Swedish band consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle and have been playing since 1986. They are still around today and still tour. Check out their website here if you want to know more. Anyway, this band shares the singing duties on some tracks and are generally considered to be a pop artist. Their guitar riffs, however, are pretty much solid rock with the accompanying instruments providing the pop sounding flavor. Their music comes to life in many of their tracks. Some of my personal favorites are “Joyride”, “Dangerous”, “The Look”, “Milk and Toast and Honey”, “How Do You Do”, and “A Thing About You” amongst others.

Now what’s an article about women of rock if I don’t mention Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. This band rocked, Jett embodied the spirit of rock and roll in many of her songs. “I Love Rock and Roll” was probably her most famous hit but there were many others like “Crimson and Clover”, “I’m A Real Wild Child” and “A.C.D.C.”. Joan’s attitude is what really made her. She had one of those rebellious attitudes mixed with subtle sex appeal and her music was great.

Also on the list of female rockers is Alanis Morissette. Now, I love Alanis, I think she’s great and I really like her music. All of my female friends have the Jagged Little Pill album and sometimes (I admit it) I listen to it and rather enjoy it. Alanis has that sound that just makes you want to listen to her. Her songs are witty, funny and full of emotion. They are definitely female empowering tunes which makes me (a man) want to listen to them. I mean, she talks about her frustrations with relationships and how she feels. It’s great to listen to her when trying working through your own personal problems and I really enjoy her female perspective on things. Jagged Little Pill is also available as an Acoustic Album.

The Rolling Stones have been involved in music since the early 1960’s. The Stones get their name from a song by blues artist Muddy Waters. They are a very complicated band, they have a lot of music and much of it is pretty good. With Mick Jagger and Keith Richards leading the band, the band has received a lot of publicity in both positive and negative forms.

They are often the subject of “band offs” like the question as to who is better. The Stones or The Beatles? or the Stones or Led Zeppelin?

This is often a hard question to answer because the Stones are very accomplished musicians much like many of their other fellow musicians. So really, their is no winning when it comes to versing the bands against each other. When it comes down to it, all the bands are different from one another. It’s how you care for the music is what really matters not winning and losing.

In 1964, The Rolling Stones released their very first album. This was their self-titled album but is also referred to as England's Newest Hitmakers. This album is what started it all for both the musicians and their fans alike. With this album the band releases songs like “Route 66”, “Walking the Dog”, and “Can I Get A Witness”.

It was also in ‘64 that they performed their first headlining tour in the U.K. and later in the year moved on to do a full-fledged American tour.

Later that year came the second Stones album which was titled 12 X 5. Songs from this album include the tracks “Good Times, Bad Times”, “Confessin’ The Blues”, and “2120 South Michigan Avenue”.

The Rolling Stones No. 2 is the bands next release in the beginning of 1965. Songs on this album include the hits “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”, “What a Shame”, and “Susie Q”. This album is followed up later that year by The Rolling Stones, Now! which contains tracks like “Heart of Stone”, “Mona (I Need You Baby)”, and “Little Red Rooster”.

At this point, the band has released four albums and have only been producing records for two years. This is very rare in the world of music as most bands will wait a full two years in between album releases. The Stones, however, are relentless when it comes to making music.

Out of Our Heads is the third album released in 1965 from the band and the fifth total from the band. Songs on this album feature “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, “Play with Fire”, and “I’m Alright”. “Satisfaction” is one of the Stones most popular songs and is known by millions of their adoring fans. If you weren’t listening to the Stones after “Route 66” odds are that you were after “Satisfaction” came out.

The Stones don’t stop there. There is much more music from the band, more music later that year in fact. December’s Children (And Everybody’s) is the bands  6th album and is released in the end of 1965, making this the bands fourth album in this year. An insane amount of material from the band or any band for that matter. Songs from this album include the songs “Blue Turns to Grey”, “Get Off of My Cloud”, and “She Said Yeah”.

Aftermath rocked crowds and other fans the next year. Songs from Aftermath feature “Paint It, Black”, “Lady Jane”, “Think” and “It’s Not Easy”. “Paint It, Black” would also be featured in the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket.

The Stones Greatest Hits album comes out next and is released in two versions. The US version, which is released first and the U.K. version shortly after. The tracks on these album differ because of the popularity of the Stones singles were different between the two countries. There are many Rolling Stones Greatest Hits albums however, this is the first.

Got Live if You Want It would be the bands 8th full-length album and was also released in ’66. Tracks from the album feature the songs “Not Fade Away”, “Under My Thumb” and “Fortune Teller”. This is the bands first Live album and is definitely worth checking out if your a hard-core fan of the group.

In 1967 the band continues with yet another album release. This time they would call it Between the Buttons. Songs appearing on this work include “All Sold Out”, “Complicated”, and “Miss Amanda Jones”. Also this year, while the band is performing in Vienna, a smoke bomb incites a riot at one of their venues and Brian goes to court due to the police allegedly finding narcotics in his home. 

The band finishes up the year with Their Satanic Majesties Request album. Songs contained on this album feature “2000 Man”, “The Lantern”, “Citadel”, and “On With the Show”.

1968 is a relaxing year for the band as they take some much earned time off to spend some of their fortunes and look into other creative aspects of their careers. Mick plays a role in the movie Performance and he and the rest of the band enjoy a much needed vacation. They also work on soundtracks for a few movies that year but nothing that is too big. Also this year they work on their new album which is released at the end of that year. The album is called Beggars Banquet and features a slew of new hits. This album is named after a newly purchased home by Jagger during his time away from the band. Some of these tracks include “Prodigal Son”, “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Salt of the Earth”.

The next year the band releases their 13th album titled Let it Bleed. Songs include “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, “Love in Vain”, “Gimme Shelter” and “Midnight Rambler”. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is a classic Rolling Stones hit and gives the band new life with this phenomenal track.

Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out is the bands next album in 1970. Songs on this record include “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Stray Cat Blues”, “Honky Tonk Women” and “Street Fighting Man”. Jumpin’ Jack Flash is also the name of a movie which stars actress Whoppi Goldberg in which she has to listen to the song of the same name to get clues about a mysterious computer hacker. In the movie the actress says “C’mon Mick, speak English” as she attempts to sound out the singers vocals. It’s kind of ironic if your a Stones fan.  

The next year the band releases Sticky Fingers. This is another great Rolling Stones album. Songs included on this album feature “Brown Sugar”, “Wild Horses” and “B*tch”. “Wild Horses” is a classic Stones great. Other songs on the album include “Dead Flowers”, “Moonlight Mile” and “Sway”.

In 1972 the band debuts Exile on Main St. This is one of The Rolling Stones longer albums and contains the hits “Happy”, “Shake Your Hips” and “Loving Cup”. All in all this is a pretty decent album from the band although it is not one of the bands most popular albums.

Goats Head Soup is the band’s following album released in 1973. Hit’s on this album include “Angie”, “100 Years Ago”, and “Silver Train”. Then a year later they release It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll which features such songs as “It’s Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It)”, “If You Can’t Rock Me”, and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”. Other songs on the album include “Time Waits for No One”, and “Fingerprint File”. “It’s Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It)” is a very catchy tune from the band. It’s one of those songs that just gets stuck in your head and stays in your heart.

In 1974 the band continues to release new material, this time they would call their album Black and Blue. Songs on this album include “Hot Stuff”, “Melody”, and “Hand of Fate”. Black and Blue would be the bands 19th album. I think it’s by this time the band has set a record or something in how much material they have actually released. Also, it’s at this point the band has been making music professionally for a full decade. At 19 full length releases, extensive touring on the road, a few compilation albums and a good amount of singles they have established themselves as the hardest working band in rock ‘n roll.

The Stones keep rocking on their next album Love You Live. On this live album the band showcases some of their best work. Hits from this record include “Brown Sugar”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, and “Sympathy for the Devil”. They also include new songs on the album like “If You Can’t Rock Me/Get Off My Cloud”, “Mannish Boy” and “Tumbling Dice”.

Some Girls would close out the 70’s for the band. Tracks from this album feature “Shattered”, “Beast of Burden”, and “Imagination”. 

As the 80’s came rolling in, the Stones continued touring and release their next album Emotional Rescue. Songs from Emotional Rescue include “She’s So Cold”, “All About You”, and “Summer Romance”. Then, in 1981, they release Tattoo You which features “Start Me Up”, “Worried About You” and “Waiting on a Friend”.

Still Life is next up for the band and includes songs like “Take the “A” Train”, “Twenty Flight Rock”, and “Going to a Go-Go”. Then the follow this album up in ‘83 when they debut their album titled Undercover. Songs on this album feature the hits  “She Was Hot”, “Undercover of the Night” and “Wanna Hold You”.

Next up for the band is Dirty Work. This is the band’s 26th full length album. Songs on Dirty Work feature “Harlem Shuffle”, “One Hit (to the Body)”, and “Sleep Tonight”. The band brings the 80’s to a close with Steel Wheels in 1989. Songs on this album include “Almost Hear You Sigh”, “Rock and a Hard Place” and “Mixed Emotions”.

In the 90’s the band releases a handful of releases like Flashpoint, Voodoo Lounge, Stripped, Bridges to Babylon, and No Security. It’s at this point that the band had released over thirty albums and they are still rocking strong. The albums in the 90’s have various arraignments of the bands previous work as well as some new material from the band.

Voodoo Lounge is the 1st album in this decade that the Stones released totally new material. Songs on this album feature “Love is Strong”, “I Go Wild”, and “Out of Tears”. There is also a DVD released with this album showcasing the bands work for the album.

In 1997 the band debuts Bridges to Babylon. This album also features never before songs heard from the band. Tracks featured on this album include “Saint of Me”, “Anybody Seen My Baby?” and “Low Down”.

Their next album titled A Bigger Bang was released in 2005. This was the bands second album released in the new millennium, the first being Live Licks that was released a year earlier and featured recent Stone hits live. A Bigger Bang contained the songs “Rain Fall Down”, “Dangerous Beauty” and “Look What the Cat Dragged In” and other songs like “Sweet Neo Con”, “Oh No, Not You Again” and “Driving Too Fast”.

The bands latest album is titled Shine A Light and is available as a deluxe 2-disc set and is definitely worth checking out. This album is the soundtrack for the documentary of the same name. Tracks feature “Shine A Light”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Paint It Black”, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, “Sympathy for the Devil” and an intro by Martin Scorsese. This album also features the Stones with other artists like Buddy Guy, Jack White III and Christina Aguilera, so pick it up if your a fan of the band.

The Stones are probably the hardest working band in music ever and have also been featured in various movies like Rock and Roll Circus and Let’s All Make Love in London. Mick Jagger has also enjoyed a solo career in many movies while not playing with the Stones or working on his solo music project. Some of these movies include Freejack, Ned Kelly, Performance, Bent, Enigma, The Man From Elysian Fields, Mayor of the Sunset Strip, Manufacturing Dissent and Martin Scorsese’s documentary Shine A Light. Mick is a pretty good actor and I enjoy his roles in those films.

Sure, you can listen to the Stone’s albums and watch their DVDs but the best way to be apart of the Stones experience is to see them live in concert. This is what they are best at, they are born performers after all.

The Rolling Stones have an ageless stage presence that is truly explosive. Mick does his patented Strut that continues to awe millions of adoring fans around the world. While they may have started out in England their culture as spread to just about everyone in the world who listens to Rock and Roll. They have spread their inspiration to musicians and fans alike all across the globe and will forever hold a spot in the hearts of loyal fans everywhere.

The band has been touring and making records since the beginning of Rock and Roll back in the 60’s and are still active in the music world today. Recently they appeared on an episode of the Simpsons playing themselves as mentors at Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in that episode.

Jagger has also had some success as a solo artist away from the rest of the group. So far he has released 5 solo albums when not playing with the Stones. These works include She’s the Boss, Primitive Cool, Wandering Spirit, Goddess in the Doorway and The Very Best of Mick Jagger. Also, in 2003 Mick Jagger was knighted by the Prince of Wales to become Sir Michael Phillip Jagger.

Keith Richards has also ventured into the solo arena and has another band called the X-pensive Winos. During his solo career he has released 3 albums. These works include Talk is Cheap, Live at the Hollywood Palladium, December 15, 1988, and Main Offender.

The Stones have won two Grammy awards in their career, both of which were in 1994. One was for Best Rock Album and the other for Best Music Video. These Grammy awards were for Voodoo Lounge and “Love is Strong” respectively.

There is one event in the history of the band that will forever remain infamous. The Altamont Free Concert in 1969. For those that do not know, this concert ended with 4 deaths and 4 births. The death of Meredith Hunter remaining the most profound. In this unfortunate event, a member of the Hell’s Angels slew Hunter in self defense after Hunter brandished a fire arm in the crowd. The other deaths were purely accidental.

The band, while seeing both up and downs in their career, have released well over 35 albums. Probably the most of any band ever in the history of existence. They rock.