The second he sang the opening lines — “Close your eyes, and I’ll kiss you” — the crowd’s reaction was so intense that it all but drowned the song out … I understood in that moment one of the reasons why the Beatles had to stop performing. The songs weren’t theirs anymore. They were everybody’s.
Celebrating the “fiftieth anniversary of rock” (so rock was “invented” in uh, 1957? duh!), Rolling Stone magazine is running a special issue listing the top 50 (rock and roll) artists of all time, with a write-up on each artist by a fellow artist who may have worked with them in the past.
Here’s that list:
1. The Beatles by Elvis Costello
2. Bob Dylan by Robbie Robertson
3. Elvis Presley by Bono
4. The Rolling Stones by Steven Van Zandt
5. Chuck Berry by Joe Perry
6. Jimi Hendrix by John Mayer
7. James Brown by Rick Rubin
8. Little Richard by Little Richard
9. Aretha Franklin by Jerry Wexler
10. Ray Charles by Van Morrison
11. Bob Marley by Wyclef Jean
12. The Beach Boys by Lindsey Buckingham
13. Buddy Holly by John Mellencamp
14. Led Zeppelin by Dave Grohl
15. Stevie Wonder by Elton John
16. Sam Cooke by Art Garfunkel
17. Muddy Watters by Billy Gibbons
18. Marvin Gaye by Smokey Robinson
19. The Velvet Underground by Julian Casablancas
20. Bo Diddley by Iggy Pop
21. Otis Redding by Steve Cropper
22. U2 by Chris Martin
23. Bruce Springsteen by Jackson Browne
24. Jerry Lee Lewis by Moby
25. Fats Domino by Dr. John
26. The Ramones by Lenny Kaye
27. Nirvana by Vernon Reid
28. Prince by Ahmir Thompson
29. The Who by Eddie Vedder
30. The Clash by The Edge
31. Johnny Cash by Kris Kristofferson
32. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles by Bob Seger
33. The Everly Brothers by Paul Simon
34. Neil Young by Flea
35. Michael Jackson by Antonio “LA” Reid
36. Madonna by Britney Spears
37. Roy Orbison by K.D. Lang
38. John Lennon by Lenny Kravitz
39. David Bowie by Lou Reed
40. Simon and Garfunkel by James Taylor
41. The Doors by Marilyn Manson
42. Van Morrison by Peter Wolf
43. Sly and the Family Stone by Don Was
44. Public Enemy by Adam Yauch
45. The Byrds by Tom Petty
46. Janis Joplin by Rosanne Cash
47. Patti Smith by Shirley Manson
48. Run-DMC by Chuck D
49. Elton John by Billy Joel
50. The Band by Lucinda Williams
The list goes beyond fifty though. If you’re curious, here’s 51-100:
51. Howlin’ Wolf by Buddy Guy
52. The Allman Brothers Band by Billy Gibbons
53. Eric Clapton by Little Steven
54. Dr. Dre by Kanye West
55. Grateful Dead by Warren Haynes
56. Parliament/Funkadelic by Ice Cube
57. Aerosmith by Slash
58. Sex Pistols by Billie Joe Armstrong
59. Louis Jordan by Ahmet Ertegun
60. Joni Mitchell by Jewel
61. Tina Turner by Janet Jackson
62. Etta James by Bonnie Raitt
63. Phil Spector by Jerry Wexler
64. The Kinks by Peter Buck
65. Al Green by Justin Timberlake
66. Cream by Roger Waters
67. The Temptations by Rod Stewart
68. Jackie Wilson by Peter Wolf
69. Carl Perkins by Tom Petty
70. The Police by Brandon Flowers
71. Frank Zappa by Trey Anastasio
72. AC/DC by Rick Rubin
73. Radiohead by Dave Matthews
74. Hank Williams by Beck
75. The Eagles by Sheryl Crow
76. The Shirelles by Paul Shaffer
77. Beastie Boys by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels
78. The Stooges by Thurston Moore
79. The Four Tops by Smokey Robinson
80. Elvis Costello by Liz Phair
81. The Drifters by Jerry Leiber and Mike
Stoller
82. Eminem by Elton John
83. N.W.A. by Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson
84. James Taylor by Art Garfunkel
85. Black Sabbath by Dave Navarro
86. Tupac Shakur by 50 Cent
87. Gram Parsons by Keith Richards
88. Miles Davis by Mos Def
89. The Yardbirds by Steven Tyler
90. Carlos Santana by Henry Garza
91. Ricky Nelson by John Fogerty
92. Guns n’ Roses by Joe Perry
93. Booker T. and the MG’s by Isaac Hayes
94. Nine Inch Nails by David Bowie
95. Lynyrd Skynyrd by Al Kooper
96. Martha and the Vandellas by Fred Schneider
97. Diana Ross and the Supremes by Antonio “LA”
Reid
98. Roxy Music by John Taylor
99. Curtis Mayfield by Boz Scaggs
100. Lee “Scratch” Perry by Adam Horovitz