Lists, We Love to Bitch About Lists!

Our "friends" at Rolling Stone concocted a list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". I know this is old-ass news (2004). But, I can't recall addressing it before. And, what's more fun than bitching about a published list? Here it is: click on link here

OK, the Top 5 contains few surprises:

1) The Beatles
2) Bob Dylan
3) Elvis Presley
4) The Rolling Stones
5) Chuck Berry

I could bicker slightly with order, but a solid Top 5.

6) Jimi Hendrix
7) James Brown
8) Little Richard
9) Aretha Franklin
10) Ray Charles

I'm perfectly happy with Hendrix at 6. Is J.B. really 7th greatest of all time? Seems high to me, but maybe I've just always underestimated him. I have to question Little Richard at 8, too. I just can't quite seem to come to terms with him as a Top-10 guy. Pardon the lame joke, but I have no R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Aretha Franklin at #9, either. Are you shitting me? If we're going to go all girl-power-revisionist-historian here, let's get a better recipient of our heaping generosity than Aretha. Finally, Ray Charles is a f*cking icon, so I can abide #10 for him.

11) Bob Marley

TIME OUT! Hold the f*cking phone! Bob Marley as #11? Number ELEVEN?!!?! Clearly, this list has lost its final shred of credibility. Top 50, maybe, but number 11 is an absolute sham.

12) The Beach Boys
13) Buddy Holly
14) Led Zeppelin
15) Stevie Wonder
16) Sam Cooke
17) Muddy Waters
18) Marvin Gaye
19) The Velvet Underground
20) Bo Diddley

The Beach Boys at 12 just underscores (as if it needs underscoring) how abso-f*cking-lutely ridiculous Bob Marley at #11 is. Jeeee-zus. Bob Marley ahead of the Beach Boys? Gimme a break! Either Buddy Holly is a bit overrated at #13, or Bo Diddley is a bit underrated at #20. Shouldn't be that much distance between them, in my humble opinion. The mighty Zep should've been Top 10. I mean, #14 is a freaking slight, an absolute 'dis' (in the parlance of our times). It seems a bit of a squeeze that Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye are both Top 20, but I'll pass on further comment.

21) Otis Redding
22) U2
23) Bruce Springsteen
24) Jerry Lee Lewis
25) Fats Domino
26) The Ramones
27) Nirvana
28) Prince
29) The Who
30) The Clash
31) Johnny Cash
32) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
33) The Everly Brothers
34) Neil Young
35) Michael Jackson

OK, I must stop now. Neil Young is 11 slots behind the boof-Boss, and barely squeaks in ahead of Michael Jackson??!!! Otis Redding and Fats Domino are Top 25, but Johnny Cash is only #31?!?!! The "Killer" is only #24 compared to Little Richard at #8?

My head is spinning. More to follow....maybe....