My 65 (Yup, 65) Favorite Musical Artists

Readers of my blog know that I love me some lists. Specifically, I love boring my readers with lists of my favorite movies, music, books, and key lime pies. You know, the usual stuff you see all over the internet. While I’ve done a couple of different versions of my favorite albums lists, I’ve never done a favorite musical artists list, which is what I am regaling you with today.

Why 65, though, you are inevitably wondering? In list making you routinely see Top 10, 25, 50, or 100 lists, but never 65. An odd number to be sure, but not completely random. You have my friend Kurt (last name withheld for anonymity purposes) to thank for this. You see, Kurt may enjoy making lists even more than I, and in 2019 he embarked upon an incredibly ambitious project of listing his Top 365 favorite musical artists alphabetically, day by day, on Facebook. For each artist he wrote a lengthy blurb about their background and history and his own personal connection to them, culminating with a list of his Top 10 favorite songs by said artist.

I was mesmerized by Kurt’s project and went out of my way to read his daily entries. Sometimes his family and work life got in the way and he fell behind a bit, but the guy plugged along and sometimes did more than one entry in a day. As I said, it was incredibly ambitious…and possibly insane.

Inspired by Kurt’s project, I wondered if I could come up with a list of 365 favorite musical artists. I quickly realized the answer is a resounding “No!” There are not even close to 365 bands and solo artists I can call a favorite. I thought I might attempt a list of 165, but even that proved difficult, as I completely petered out by the time I got to 148. And really, many of the entries toward the end were a stretch.

So 165 was out, but 65 seemed very doable. There are 65 artists I can call a favorite without it being too much of a stretch. Hence the list you are about to see. The write-ups on each are only two to three sentences, though, as I don’t want to put you to sleep too quickly. And if you are disappointed because you don’t see your favorite here, rest assured there is a good chance they fell somewhere between 66 and 148. So, without further ado…

65. Rodriguez – Here’s a solo artist from the early 1970s who quickly fell into obscurity until an amazing 2012 documentary called Searching for Sugar Man brought him back to the public’s eye. I first saw the film and heard his music this year and I was instantly hooked. He’s basically a Latin Dylan-Springsteen hybrid. Favorite song: “Crucify Your Mind”

64. Wishbone Ash – Another early 70s act I didn’t know anything about until this year. I’d heard of them for many years, but never went out of my way to listen to them until a friend posted a comment about them on Facebook about four or five months ago. Wishbone Ash is sort of a heavy progressive rock band, with some interesting jazz elements mixed in. Favorite song: “Errors of My Way”

63. Nirvana – I understand that these guys were pivotal in the direction rock music took in the 1990s, but have never adored them to the same extent that many others have. That said, there are a lot of really good songs in their small, three-album history. Favorite song: “Lithium”

62. Journey – I know, I know, cool and smart music aficionados say I’m not supposed to like them, but if I’m honest with myself, I do. I was in junior high and high school when they were at the height of their popularity and they were a part of my music world back then. To this day, when I hear the first few notes of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” come on my car radio I turn the volume up to 11. Favorite song: “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”

61. Heart – Ann Wilson has one of the most iconic and powerful voices in rock music and she used it to turn Heart into a female-driven Led Zeppelin. At least many of their songs were Zeppelin-esque, but they managed to get some lighter ballads in their too, like “Alone.” Favorite song: “Crazy on You”

60. George Harrison – One of three ex-Beatles who will appear on my list (sorry Ringo, I love you, but you didn’t quite make the cut) he has some tunes I love in his solo career. While George was never as front and center as John or Paul, I think he was every bit as good of a songwriter and his solo career reflects that. Favorite song: “When We Was Fab”

59. Van Halen – Existing on the cusp of hard rock and heavy metal, Van Halen churned out a ton of energetic, hard-driving songs that were never particularly deep in meaning, but almost always fun to rock out to. While many are split on whether David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar was better as the lead singer, I almost think it doesn’t matter, since Eddie Van Halen’s virtuoso guitar is what drove the band anyway. Favorite song: "Runnin’ with the Devil”

58. Steve Miller Band – There is nothing fancy about Steve and his band, but their songs are just fun, straightforward rockers. That is, until he put out the song “Abracadabra,” which I can’t stand. On a side note, one of the worst blind dates of my life was at a Steve Miller Band concert, but that’s a story for another time. Favorite song: “Fly Like an Eagle”

57. Foreigner – These guys just put out hit after hit after hit from the late 70s to mid-80s. I really don’t have much else to say about them other than, I really like many of those hits they put out. Favorite song: “Cold as Ice”

56. Talking Heads – Here’s a band that had one of the more unique sounds of the 70s and 80s. They are very hard to classify, but I guess you’d put them somewhere on the new wave to punk spectrum. As unique was their sound, so was their general vibe, which was perpetuated by their oddly compelling leader David Byrne. Favorite song: “Psycho Killer”

55. Van Morrison – Somewhere between soul and folk exists the often catchy, often tender tunes of Van Morrison. I got into him in my early 20s and wore out a cassette tape of his album Tupelo Honey, which I absolutely love. Favorite song: “Wild Night”

54. System of a Down – I’m not going to pretend to know much about this Armenian-American heavy metal band, since all I know of them is from one album—Toxicity. But wow, what an album it is! Some of the tunes are so fast and heavy they make Metallica look like The Carpenters, but beyond the speed and heaviness is a smoothness and intensity that is incredibly compelling. Favorite song: “Aerials”

53. Lionel Richie – Perhaps I should be embarrassed that I included Lionel Richie on this list, but frankly, I don’t care, because I’m trying to be honest here. And if I’m being honest, in the early 1980s I couldn’t get enough of this guy who was the king of the romantic ballad. While I’m recognizing him as a solo artist on this list, I want to acknowledge that he also wrote some great songs while he was still with The Commodores. Favorite song: “Hello”

52. Joan Osborne – Another artist whose placement on this list is based entirely on the strength of one really good album. That album would be Relish, a bluesy, soulful masterpiece, best known for the single “One of Us,” (which, incidentally, I used as the basis for an article I wrote for MAD.) While “One of Us” is a very good song, there are many others on this album that I like even more. Favorite song: “St. Theresa”

51. Elvis Costello – My brother Mark was a rabid fan of Elvis Costello in the late 70s and early 80s and thus, exposed me to the catchy tunes of this punk/new wave icon. His songs vary from slow and soulful to fast-paced and toe-tapping, but all are a great listen. Favorite song: “Alison”

50. Sting – In 1985, Sting left his incredibly successful band, The Police, to embark on a solo career. He was equally as successful as a solo artist, though his music took on a distinctly different, jazzy sound than his work with The Police. My favorite song of his is inspired by one of my favorite novels, Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice. Favorite Song: “Moon Over Bourbon Street”

49. Eagles – These guys were mega-hit makers in the 1970s and Hotel California is one of the best-selling albums of all time. I do like a lot of their songs, but there is a certain sameness to their sound that eventually wears thin. They also have the distinction of being the one band I saw live with both my brothers and their wives. Favorite song: “Desparado”

48. Paul McCartney and Wings – I guess I could have just put Paul McCartney here, but I realized, when looking at his discography, that it’s really his work with Wings that I like the best. While his work with Wings is obviously not on the same level as The Beatles, there are still lots of really good songs to be had from this ensemble. And as a kid, I absolutely loved the fact that they made a Bond theme song. Favorite song: “Live and Let Die”

47. R.E.M. – A light, ethereal alternative music band that put out a lot of radio hits in the 80s and 90s, I definitely like a lot of their tunes, but have never been a rabid fan. As such, I really have nothing else to say about these guys. Favorite song: “Losing My Religion”

46. The Kinks – One of the early and more successful British Invasion bands. The Kinks had an interesting mix of straightforward rock songs like “You Really Got Me” and quirky, novelty tunes like “Lola.” Favorite song: “Apeman”

45. The Four Tops – I like a lot of Motown, but none more so than the songs put out by these guys. The Four Tops was Motown with an edge, as some of their tunes had a much darker, heavier feel to them than the work being done by their peers. I absolutely love several of their songs, but my favorite is this devastating number… Favorite song: “7-Rooms of Gloom”

44. Green Day – This is not a band that I’ve ever known that much about, seen live, or really think of when I’m thinking of favorite bands. But as I worked on this project I came to realize that over the years I unwittingly came to really like many of their songs. When a Green Day song comes on the radio whilst I’m driving, I will inevitably turn up the volume and violently shake my head back and forth in time with their catchy tunes. Favorite song: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”

43. Iron Maiden – As a wannabe metal-head in the mid-to-late 1980s, Iron Maiden was required listening and for a couple of years they were one of my favorite bands. I saw them live four times in this period, thrice in arenas and once in Brooklyn’s legendary rock club L’Amour, where I experienced my first mosh pit. I don’t listen to them much these days, but can’t deny their musical impact on me. Favorite song: “Run to the Hills”

42. James Taylor – The king of wistful, tender, folk rock, James Taylor could not be any more different than the prior entry on this list. But his thoughtful tunes and emotional delivery connect with me on an almost spiritual level. Favorite song: “Fire and Rain”

41. Queen – Of all the artists on this list, Queen is probably the band that has the biggest array of songs I either really, really like or really, really can’t stand (“Another One Bites the Dust” makes my skin crawl.) But there are a large enough number of songs in the "really, really like" category to place them here on my list. Favorite song: “The Prophet’s Song”

40. Bob Dylan – This may have been the toughest artist to place on my list, and Dylan landing here may cause both my brother Mark and friend John to disown me. The challenge is that while I recognize that he is one of the greatest songwriters of all time, it is also true that I inevitably like covers of his songs more than his own versions. The Hendrix version of “All Along the Watchtower,” Clapton’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and Joel’s “The Times They Are A-Changin” are just a few of the many examples of Dylan covers I love. For this list, though, I’ll go with a favorite based on Dylan’s own version. Favorite song: “Subterranean Homesick Blues”

39. Simon and Garfunkel – Very much influenced by Dylan, this short-lived duo churned out a lot of great songs in their six years together. Their final album together, Bridge Over Troubled Water, is one of the greatest folk rock albums of all time. They also did the amazing soundtrack to my favorite film, The Graduate. Favorite song: “The Sound of Silence”

38. Tom Petty – For whatever reason, even though I really like every Tom Petty or Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song I hear on the radio, I’ve never gone out of my way to purchase his music. Maybe that makes me a jerk, but the reality is, if I feel like hearing a Tom Petty song, all I have to do is turn on the radio and flip back and forth between four different stations and within about 20 minutes I’m almost guaranteed of hearing one of his songs. Favorite song: “Refugee”

37. The Police – Over the course of their short career, The Police put out five albums in five years, all of which went platinum. Their music was a compelling punk-reggae combo that accompanied unique, often very literary lyrics penned by front man Sting. While they were only around for half a decade, the amount of great, catchy songs they put out is remarkable. Favorite song: “Message in a Bottle”

36.  Emerson, Lake & Palmer – The great thing about naming your group Emerson, Lake & Palmer is that fans will never forget the names of the band members. But given the incredible virtuosity of Keith Emerson on keyboards, Greg Lake on bass and guitar, and Carl Palmer on drums, there’s no reason anyone should ever forget the names of these guys. They were prog-rock gods and their album Brain Salad Surgery (ridiculous name and all) is ELP at their finest. Favorite song: “Still…You Turn Me On”

35. John Lennon – My favorite Beatle also had my favorite solo career by the Fab Four. With his unique combo of quirky, sardonic wit and peace-loving sensibility, he is also one of my favorite personas in rock (musical ability aside.) But, of course, the musical ability was incredible too as his way too short solo career bares out. Favorite song: “Mind Games”

34. 10,000 Maniacs – This band formed in the early 1980s, but I did not become aware of them until the release of their last studio album in 1992. They are an alternative band with a pleasing, mellow sound (which seems to contradict the band’s name) that makes me want to sit by a small campfire and put my arm around a friend. In their heyday the band’s lead singer was Natalie Merchant, who went on to a very successful solo career that I will discuss further down this list. Favorite song: “These Are Days”

33. Depeche Mode – For years I dismissed this band as electronic dance music with no substance. So I never noticed when they evolved into a deeper, more intense sound. As it turns out, this is my wife’s favorite band, so when we got together she exposed me to the magic of the album Violator and I finally started to pay attention. Favorite song: “World in My Eyes”

32. Bob Seger – Whether solo or with his Silver Bullet Band, Bob Seger put out a ton of great songs, some rockin’ and some of a more ballad-like nature. He was also constantly reminding his fans of how great rock music is in general, with songs like “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” and “Old Time Rock and Roll.” Favorite song: “We’ve Got Tonight”

31. Squeeze – This British new wave band put out four great albums from 1978 to 1981. They had a lot of fun, catchy tunes in that timeframe, but never quite had A-list level success in the United States. My brother Mark and I got to see them open for Fleetwood Mac (who did not quite make this list), which was an odd pairing, but they put on a great set. Favorite song: “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)”

30. U2 – One of the most commercially successful bands of all time, this Irish rock-pop band has put out a ton of popular hits. Their tunes run the gamut from catchy to wistful to political. My wife is a much bigger fan than I, but I still like them enough to place them this high up on my list. Favorite song: “New Year’s Day”

29. Bowling For Soup – Here’s another band that my wife turned me on to. They are a punk band that emerged in the 90s with a bunch of extremely catchy, extremely funny tunes. They had a sliver of radio success in 2004 with their song “1985,” about a middle-aged mom stuck in the 80s, which is just plain fun. They also have an unusual amount of songs about bad breakups and angry dads trying to catch their daughter’s boyfriends, so clearly those are themes they have firsthand experience with. Favorite song: “Girl All the Bad Guys Want”

28. Bob Marley and the Wailers – In the late 1980s my good friend Alex got me into reggae. And when you get into reggae you quickly realize that Bob Marley and the Wailers are to reggae what The Beatles are to the rest of music. Marley wrote songs that were smooth and intense and dealt with social issues through a spiritual lens. Favorite song: “Redemption Song”

27. Ozzy Osborne – The lead singer of Black Sabbath (coming up later) departed that band to start his own very successful solo career. Going solo allowed Ozzy to increase his theatrical gothic stage persona, which went well with the grandiose metal tunes he put out. And he does, indeed, put on a great show, which I found out the one time I got to see him in concert in 1990-ish. Favorite song: “Mr. Crowley”

26. David Bowie – There was no one in the history of rock quite like Bowie. His music was always tough to classify—was it rock? Pop? New wave? Avant garde? It was all of that and more, but the common thread in his music is that it was always compelling. Beyond the music itself, Bowie was a pop culture icon, who was still producing at a high level when he passed away at the age of 69. Favorite song: “Suffragette City”

25. Paul Simon – When he and Garfunkel split, Paul Simon took his music to a whole other level. For a while he continued to make really good folk-pop tunes, but then in the 80s he started experimenting with sounds from different parts of the world resulting in the great, but distinctly unique albums “Graceland” and “The Rhythm of the Saints.” And the one time I saw him in concert he put on one of the great live shows I’ve ever been to. Favorite song: “You Can Call Me Al”

24. Zebra – This band would be obscure to most people, unless you came of age amidst the hard rock, heavy metal scene of Brooklyn in the 1980s. I, and my cronies, saw these guys live many times at the aforementioned rock club L’Amour. They put out three albums in the 80s that got minor radio airplay and then they faded away, but not before leaving a significant impact on a large number of East Coast rockers. Favorite song: “Tell Me What You Want”

23. Styx – These guys were actually my favorite band for a few years toward the end of elementary school. Their album Cornerstone was the first one I ever purchased with my own money.  They were all over the radio in the 70s and early 80s and I dug them, but as I got into other bands, they slowly slid down my list of favorites until landing here. Favorite song: “What Has Come Between Us”

22. Cream – While only making music from 1966 through 1969, this power trio’s song catalogue packs an incredible wallop. Their album Disraeli Gears, by itself, has at least six songs that I would consider great. Unfortunately, the virtuoso combo of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker only lasted a few years, but they made an enormous impact on the trajectory of hard rock in their short time together. Favorite song: “Tales of Brave Ulysses”

21. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Following an oddly similar, yet even shorter trajectory as Cream, this incredible power trio made three amazing albums over the course of two years. Sadly, rather than coming to an end because of simply parting ways, the band ended with the death of Hendrix at the way too early age of 27. But the unparalleled guitar playing of Hendrix, accompanied by the outstanding playing of drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, resulted in three albums of astonishing quality. Favorite song: “Fire”

20. The Rolling Stones – While often considered second only to The Beatles in the pantheon of rock, I never quite connected to them on the same level as some of the other British rock bands that emerged in the 60s. That said, the sheer volume of good to very good songs that they have put out over the decades lands them at the back end of my Top 20. Oh, and when I was a kid I once got a big pair of wax lips and went to a Halloween party as Mic Jagger. Favorite song: “Angie”

19. The Cranberries – The Cranberries emerged in the early 90s, as female alternative rockers started to really break through. On their first album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s lilting Irish voice accompanying the lullaby-like tunes, has an almost hypnotic effect on the listener. By the time they get to their third album, To The Faithful Departed, the lullaby vibe has been replaced by an anarchistic outrage, but O’Riordan’s voice is no less hypnotic. Favorite song: “Salvation”

18. Black Sabbath – Commonly considered to be the progenitors of the heavy metal music genre (unless you are delusional, like Pete Townshend, who recently said that he invented heavy metal), Black Sabbath took hard rock in a new direction. With ominous tunes, and lyrics that were often terrifying, their first two albums, both released in 1970, were masterpieces of the genre. Once Ozzy Osborne left in 1979 they were never quite the same, but for a decade these guys blazed a pioneering trail in rock music. Favorite song: “War Pigs”

17. Phish – This Vermont-based band’s music was like manna to college-aged hippies in the early 1990s. I was sort of a fringe hippy during that timeframe, so I eventually got wind of their music. The flower child vibe at their concerts I could take or leave, but I fell in love with their complex prog-jazz musical style and bizarre, stream of consciousness lyrics. Favorite song: “Stash”

16. Natalie Merchant – In 1995, two years after parting ways with the band 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant released her first solo album, Tigerlily. That album, along with her next two solo albums, managed to find its way straight to my soul. Her tender, emotive voice, singing lyrics that are sometimes wistful, sometimes joyful, and always a wonderful earful, is my favorite female voice in rock/pop music. Favorite song: “Ophelia”

15. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Here’s another band whose style is difficult to define, though they often just get lumped into “alternative,” despite the fact that they might be funk, punk, or maybe even metal depending on the album and/or who you ask. They flew very much under the mainstream radar for about seven years before becoming mega-stars with their fifth album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. That’s when I first became aware of them and I’ve been a big fan ever since. Favorite song: “Parallel Universe”

14. The Doors – There may be no band in the history of rock whose persona hinged so completely on their charismatic front man. Jim Morrison was a rock and roll poet who embodied the stereotypical excesses of a rock star. His often trippy lyrics, combined with Ray Manzarek’s hypnotic lead keyboards gave The Doors a distinctive sound that many critics dismissed, but I and millions of others adored. Favorite song: “My Eyes Have Seen You”

13. Jethro Tull – Fronted by singer and flutist Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull had a unique prog-rock style that almost sounded Renaissance-like. Their album Aqualung is one of my favorite albums of all time, but they have a ton of other great songs throughout their catalog. And as of this writing they remain the biggest snub of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Favorite song: “Locomotive Breath”

12. Billy Joel – One of the most commercially successful songwriters of all time, the Long Island born piano man, has produced an incredible amount of hit songs. From 1971 to 1993 Joel put out a dozen albums, of which eleven went platinum, and then at the age of 44 he stopped making new rock music, unlike most of his peers. He hasn’t disappeared though, as he still tours and I’ve been fortunate enough to see him live four times. Favorite song: “All For Leyna”

11. Elton John – One of the most commercially successful songwriters of all time, the British born piano man, has produced an incredible amount of hit songs. Unlike his friend Billy Joel (whom he has sometimes toured with) he did not retire in 1993 and has put out 30 albums in his illustrious career, of which 16 have gone platinum in the United States. I’ve also managed to see him four times, including one of the aforementioned tours with Billy Joel. Favorite song: “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding”

10. Live – I became aware of this 90s alternative band a couple of years before they found mainstream success with their hit “Lightning Crashes.” Almost a decade later, when I met the woman who would become my wife, we discovered we were both huge Live fans, so they sort of became our band. As a result, we ended up using one of their songs as the first dance at our wedding, and it remains my favorite of theirs to this day. Favorite song: “Dance With You”

9. They Might Be Giants – With their lyrics that are sometimes goofy, sometimes educational, and always entertaining, this two-person band never fails to make me smile. The two Johns (Flansburgh and Linnel) match their fun lyrics with simple, catchy tunes for the full feel-good effect. Not surprisingly, they have also put out a few great kids albums, of which two of them—Here Come the ABCs and Here Come the 123s, I played constantly for my kids when they were toddlers. Favorite song: “Birdhouse in Your Soul”

8. Yes – Player for player, Yes may have had the most talented musicians in the history of rock. This resulted in some incredibly epic albums, including my favorite of theirs, Fragile, which contains my favorite song by any musical artist, to be revealed momentarily. They also went through a lot of lineup changes, resulting in some mediocre albums later in their career, but their great stuff was so incredibly great, they wind up here on my list. Favorite song: “Roundabout”

7. Metallica – The undeniable kings of metal, their first four albums, all made in the 1980s, are unmatched in their genre. Their fifth album, released in 1991, featured much shorter, more polished songs, including a (gasp!) love song, and suddenly these guys were mainstream. Their output from that point onward was very hit or miss, but a decade’s worth of some of the best heavy songs ever produced lands them squarely in my Top 10. Favorite song: “Master of Puppets”

6. The Who – Pete Townshend may not be one of the flashiest guitarists in rock history, but he may certainly be one of the best songwriters. With Roger Daltrey singing the words and Keith Moon on drums and John Entwistle on bass, behind Townshend’s guitar, this foursome churned out one of the best catalogs in all of rock. The pinnacle of their career was the album Who’s Next, which is one of my favorite albums ever. Favorite song: “Behind Blue Eyes”

5. Pink Floyd – The album that I have probably listened to from beginning to end more than any other is The Wall, but the irony is, it’s not even my favorite album by Pink Floyd; that distinction belongs to Wish You Were Here. Oh, and arguably their most acclaimed album, Dark Side of the Moon, ain’t too shabby either. All three of these albums, as well as several others they put out in the 70s and 80s, have a mind-bending, psychedelic sound that is unlike any other musical artist before or since. Favorite song: “Welcome to the Machine”

4. Led Zeppelin – Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham formed the greatest heavy rock band of all time. Their tunes were epic, hard-driving, and oftentimes quite trippy. From the time this band formed in 1969 until John Bonham’s untimely death in 1980, Led Zeppelin put out less than a hundred songs, but almost all of them were somewhere between very good and amazing. Favorite song: “Dazed and Confused”

3. Bruce Springsteen – If the album Born to Run were the only one Springsteen ever made, he still would have wound up in my Top 10, so good was this piece of vinyl, which is my favorite to this day. Of course, The Boss made a lot of music both before and after Born to Run, much of which is also amazing. Perhaps it is the urgency of the tunes, or the poetry of the lyrics, or the way he performs, or really all of these things combined, but for me, no solo artist is in the same stratosphere as Bruce. Favorite song: “Jungleland”

2. The Beatles – They are the most influential band in the history of modern music, with far and away more recognizable songs than any other artist. Their albums are all pretty much on the great to masterpiece spectrum. I still listen to them on a regular basis today and from time to time some songs that I didn’t think too much of previously, suddenly jump out at me due to their greatness, making picking a favorite very difficult, so I’ll just stick with my stock answer. Favorite song: “Norwegian Wood”

1. Rush – Dismissed by many as a geeky, prog-rock novelty act, from the time I was in my mid-teens I connected to this band more than any other before or since. Who knows what goes on in my neurons that causes this, but the virtuosity of singer/bassist Geedy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart, speaks to me on a whole different level. They are also amazing to see live, which I have done on a dozen occasions. I apologize in advance for my favorite song, which did not get any airplay and will only be known by other Rush fans. Favorite song: “Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage”

Thank you for sticking with another one of my lengthy list blogs. (Assuming you did stick with it, and if you didn’t, I really can’t blame you.) One caveat about the favorite song entries—while I do have some longtime definitive favorite songs for some of these musical artists, for many it was really my favorite song by them at the moment I was writing this, with the possibility of it changing tomorrow and the next day and on and on. As with all forms of art our tastes evolve. And remember to check back with me next month for my list of 65 favorite key lime pies.