A B C D E F

Aerosmith Best known for their classic rock work from the mid-70's, Aerosmith is still around in its original lineup, showing all the young'uns out there how to play some hard rock and roll. These Boston-based rockers made some great stuff. My favorites hail from their early years (I'm not a huge fan of their later stuff...), especially Toys in the Attic and Rocks. Catch their website at http://www.aerosmith.com.

Allman Brothers Band Excellent live and studio output from this band. Anything from their early years (when Duane Allman was still alive) is guaranteed top-notch quality. Their live album from The Fillmore East is a must-have in any collection. See their website at http://www.allmanbrothersband.com.

Anthrax Pure heavy metal, done right. Their early work was great and had the occasional tongue-in-cheek or fantasy-related moment. After singer John Bush joined, however, the band has taken on a much more serious and harder edge to their lyrics. I find their later albums to be the best. The fact that John Bush is an outstanding vocalist, often reminiscent of Ian Gillan, only helps them all the more. Check out The Sound of White Noise and Anthrax 8: The Threat is Real if you like good, strong metal. The got a Egapbewnikaerfecin at http://www.igrecords.com/bands/anthrax/frame_default.html.

Armored Saint John Bush's original band. Much of their stuff is out of print, but can be dug up at your local record stores. Symbol of Salvation should be readily available, and is excellent stuff. Any other AS record, though, is just as good, if not as accessible. It's a double shame that their original guitarist passed away from leukemia and that they didn't make it bigger in the music scene. I heard they got back together, although their members from other bands aren't necessarily quitting those projects. There's something about them at http://www.armoredsaint.com.

Atlanta Rhytm Section ARS have done many great songs and got a wonderful singer in Ronnie Hammond. Lynyrd lovers check them out. Take a listen to Homesick and you'll know what I mean. (Mikael Ahlberg) Web site: http://www.atlantarhythmsection.com.

J.S. Bach If you liked Ritchie's solo from "Highway Star", you'll probably love Bach's chamber music and organ pieces. Although not a rocker, per se, Bach has inspired many a young instrumentalist (and old ones, as well) to infuse their music with riffs reminiscent of his works. My favorites of his include the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brandenburg Concertos and his immortal "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor" for the organ. (Once you hear the T&F, you'll know why I like it. It is almost up there with Jon Lord's intro to "Lazy", it rocks so hard!) His website is http://www.jsbach.org.

Bad Company Great band that Jon Lord almost became a member of. Best work features Paul Rodgers on vocals. Tracks from their first two records, Bad Company and Straight Shooter, have become staples of classic-rock-format radio stations. Even so, they're still quite good, so check them out.

The Beatles Great band of highly talented individuals that really rocked in their day. Personally, I prefer their work from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band onwards, particularly the "White Album" and Abbey Road. Deep Purple Mk. 1 did a few covers of their tunes, so they must have been good, eh?

Black Sabbath Along with Deep Purple, one of the founding bands of what came to be known as heavy metal. They made sounds nobody else had made before and have been copied by many ever since. Tony Iommi & co. have made some outstanding music through the 30+ year history of the band, much of it as legendary and vital as Deep Purple's. Band members from the two outfits have crossed paths many times, many times more if your count band members from DP and BS-related spinoff groups. It's hard to pick which Black Sabbath albums rate the best, or should be bought first, but Paranoid has many of their best moments and is as good a place as any to pick them up. If you like Deep Purple, you will probably like much of Black Sabbath's work. Check out more on this band at http://www.black-sabbath.com.

Blue Oyster Cult Great rock outfit, but don't ask about what their lyrics mean if you have a faint heart. Trust me. Aside from that, they really know how to set a house on fire, even a city, with rock and roll. With killer cuts like "Godzilla", "Black Blade", and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", BOC have cemented their reputation as one of rock's toughest bands and should not be missed. My favorite albums of theirs include Tyranny and Mutation, Extraterrestrial Live, and Agents of Fortune. By the way, they have a DP link through Bobby Rondinelli, who once drummed with Rainbow... how 'bout that? See their cool site at http://www.blueoystercult.com.

Blues Traveler This band's name might be a bit misleading. Not really a blues outfit, but they do travel a lot. Actually, their sound is like The Grateful Dean meets Cat Stevens meets some other band that really rocks, but has a sound so unique, you can't quite put your finger on it. John Popper's vocals and harmonica playing are worth the price of the CD or concert ticket, alone. Lyrically, this band has put forward some very well-written songs that demand the listener take the time to pick up the lyrics sheet and read along. The band has a dedicated following and consistently produces great work live and in the studio. They are also quite popular at the time of this writing, so their works are easy enough to find. You'll never guess that they have a website at http://www.bluestraveler.com.

Commander Cody (also Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen) He's played blues, country, folk, rockabilly, rock, and novelty tunes (among others). Once the house band for the Armadillo World Headquarters in beautiful Austin, Texas, Commander Cody's groups have been a good source for lots of fun music. Be warned that he does touch on country music quite a lot: if you don't really have a taste for that style, you might not like 100% of the album. On the other hand, if you like music in general, you'll like Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen just fine. Following the trend of eponymous websites, he can be tracked dwon to http://www.commandercody.com.

Cream Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, and Jack Bruce were immensely popular in this power trio of the late 60's. Playing rock with heavy blues influences, they were alongside Led Zeppelin, the Yardbirds, and others in establishing the blues-rock sound. Their best album (arguably) is Disraeli Gears, and well worth acquiring.

Dick Dale King of the Surf Guitar! You ever hear "Misirlou"? It was used in the movie, Pulp Fiction. You probably have: it's a killer track, with Dale playing his guitar like a mandolin and getting some awesome effects out of it. If you like guitar heroes, he's one you've gotta get. His sound, although not metal itself, served as the basis for much of later metal bands. It's great stuff, so go look him up. Are you surprised he has a web page at http://www.dickdale.com?

Dio He's been in Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath (twice) and has an illustrious solo career. He has one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in rock, and gives his all in concert appearances. He's one of the best, and you gotta collect his works. My favorite release of his solo career is Last in Line, his best with Rainbow has to be Rainbow Rising, and all three of his studio releases with Black Sabbath are superb. More Dio information is at his website, http://www.ronniejamesdio.com.

Dire Straits Not one of my personal favorites-of-the-favorites, but a great band nonetheless that quite a few DP fans appreciate greatly. Personally, I enjoy their work, especially the haunting riffs of "Sultans of Swing" and the wry humor of "Industrial Disease." They're played on classic-rock-format stations quite often, so listen carefully next time you hear a DS song and see what you think about it.

The Doors When I think of The Doors, I think of trippy organ solos and Jim Morrison's awesome vocals. Their first record, The Doors, is a tour-de-force you must own simply because it is so monumental. There is quite a lot of their stuff released, both studio work and live performances, so there is a wide variety of choice with them. Get the first record, and see where that leads you. For fans, the website to see is http://www.thedoors.com.

Dread Zeppelin Kooky is an understatment for these guys. The band is made up of an Elvis impersonator and a reggae band and they cover classic rock tunes, particularly Led Zeppelin ones. Definitely an acquired taste, but if you like the wierd and classic hard rock AND Bob Marley, you might really go for these guys. You'll probably want to try 'em before you buy 'em, but they're definitely worth the try.

Dream Theater They have even done a cover of "Perfect Strangers" live, on their CD Change Of Season (if I recall right). Great "Symphonic rock." (Mikael Ahlberg)

Elf Ronnie James Dio's outfit in the early 70's, all the band (except the guitar player) became the first incarnation of Rainbow (with Ritchie Blackmore). The band is quite solid, if mainstream. Their rock is good, and their first record has recently been released on CD. Their other work is hard to find, but well worth the search effort.

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer They've been called bombastic, overindulgent, and other disparaging adjectives, but they could really jam out on a grand scale at the drop of a pin. Keith Emerson is, of course, keayboard-playing kin to Rick Emerson, Jon Lord's alter-ego. It is quite interesting to compare their respective sounds. Get their album Brain Salad Surgery to start with: it has my favorite of theirs, "Karn Evil 9" on it (the one that starts, "Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends...")

The Firm Jimmy Page on guitar and Paul Rodgers on vocals. This recommendation is primarily for their first album, The Firm. (Their second one didn't quite do it for me, and they only made the two records...) That album is just great, a real powerhouse. The best track on it is the epic, "Midnight Moonlight." It's one of the finest moments for either Page or Rodgers. Like I said, get the FIRST album, OK?