Did you ever wonder what Josh rocked out to after he was born but before Andrew came around and screwed everything up? C-c-c-check it out:

Honorable mention. Queen - Fat Bottom Girls

This song is funny, insulting, politically incorrect, empowering, hard driving, and catchy all at once. Plus, not only could Freddie Mercury become the idol of millions despite teeth that looked like a horse kicked him from the inside out but he was such an amazing singer that all those women completely missed his flaming homosexuality and spent long nights fantasizing about going on a “bicycle ride” with him. Straight out (gay out?) amazing rock, back when rock meant more than just distortion on a guitar. Besides, who doesn’t love lyrics like:

“Now I got mortgages on homes, I got stiffness in the bones, Ain’t no beauty Queens in this locality (I tell you)”

5. Meat Loaf - You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Nights)

Despite skeezy Jim Steinman’s weird werewolf fantasy opening, this song is amazing. Are you kidding me? Meat Loaf with his crazy tux shirts, creepy/hot late 70’s chick backup singers and long ass rock ballads? The guy ruled. Anyone who says different is a liar. Bat Out of Hell is a classic and has a bunch of great songs on it. Just ignore anything more recent where his hair is short. Original video version of the song is here.

4. Blondie - Dreaming

Already mentioned on Brothersroot previously, this song is still completely wonderful. Sure, I love it because Debbie Harry was/is absolutely hot back then (and trashy 80’s chick hot is HOT), and because it was in some snowboarding video I watched 500 times in high school. But the fact is that it’s a great song without all of that. Clem Burke is one of the most entertaining drummers to watch play that I have ever seen. The song is 2:56 of tight catchy high energy pop.

3a. Commodores - Brick House

Is this song doesn’t move your butt, you don’t have a soul. The best thing Lionel Richie ever did, by far (including ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ and his daughter). Full brass line, bug glasses, funky bass line, and a muppet version of the the video. How can you go wrong?

3b. God Save the Queen - The Sex Pistols

Banned by the BBC. Banned by the IBA. Still made it to #2 on the charts (and probably kept from #1 by “the man”). The song ruled and brought in a whole new wave of minimalistic punk to sweep away some of the mindless drek of the late 70’s. Sure, the Sex Pistols might have been mindless, and maybe even drek, but at least they rocked. And rocked hard. Plus, the story of the band and Sid’s fall from such great heights is a classic in the annals of rock history. No future indeed.

2. Jackson 5 - I Want You Back

Okay, this one predates Josh by a few years. 1969 is more a ‘Ben’ type time frame. But it’s just too high-quality of a song to not mention here. When you watch the ‘hit parade’ (or whatever music TV show it was) video of this song, you realize just how talented Michael Jackson really was. You know, before he went crazy and started melting his face with plastic surgery and having sex with all those little boys. But hey, that’s all in the future. Tiny Michael is just full of progress and parental abuse. Amazing guitar hook on this song as well. Don’t forget that.

1. Bruce Springsteen & the E st Band - Born to Run

First off, yes, that video is from the 1984 ‘Born in the USA’ tour. But the song itself is from the mid 70’s. It is one of my favorite examples of the ‘wall of sound’ style that many great late 70’s mid 80’s songs had. Springsteen, for as weird as he is, has placed some of his best music inside the envelope of a big band type sound, and the size and instrumentation of the E St band has always been a part of that. And christ, look at the size of the crowds that they played to during the “Born the USA’ tour. How insane is that?

And then came Andrew:

Once Andrew arrived, what did we get for popular music? Oh, just this little gem:

Thanks Andrew.