Author: uylrjp

This life doesn’t come with many guarantees. Death and taxes are foremost among them, but you can also count on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame‘s annual list of nominees — and with it, the inevitable outcry from music fans who feel their favorites got snubbed.

The 2025 slate of nominees includes several rock veterans who are getting their due for the first time, including Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker and Billy Idol. They sit alongside some next-generation rock acts such as the Black Crowes, Oasis, Soundgarden, Phish and the White Stripes. The list is rounded out by pop stars Cyndi Lauper and Mariah Carey, post-punk legends Joy Division/New Order, Mexican pop-rock legends Mana and blockbuster hip-hop duo Outkast.

The UCR staff takes stock of these nominees, discussing this year’s surprises, snubs and our personal top choices for induction. Read on to see our responses.

1. Who is this year’s most surprising nominee?

Bryan Rolli: I didn’t expect to see Mana on this year’s list, but they’re certainly worthy. They’re the bestselling Latin American band of all time with over 25 million records sold, and they’ve got four Grammys and eight Latin Grammys under their belts — not to mention more than 16 million monthly Spotify listeners at the time of this writing. It’s a subtle but welcome nod to rock’s global cultural impact, since many rock fans are often guilty of viewing the genre through a Eurocentric lens.

Nick DeRiso: Chubby Checker. Organizers already introduced a new category specifically tailored for one-hit wonders, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Singles. “The Twist,” Checker’s once-ubiquitous 1960 chart-topper, was a shoo-in. But now he’s become a general nominee, despite boasting a hit resume that basically only includes variants on the same song (“Let’s Twist Again,” “Slow Twistin’,” “Twist It Up,” etc.) It’s certainly a Hall of Fame twist.

Allison Rapp: There’s a part of me that’s surprised to see Phish on this list, but I’m pretty sure that’s because the name Phish just does not enter my conscious brain on any sort of regular basis — I respect them, but I simply don’t understand their language. Speaking of that, I can’t say I was expecting Mana to be on the list. I’m glad though – Latin American music and its wider influence on rock and pop culture shouldn’t be overlooked.

Michael Gallucci: With the popularity of Latin music growing significantly every year, I can understand why the Rock Hall would want to extend its boundaries and nominate Mana. The Grammys gave Latin music its own awards ceremony years ago. But as big as this band is among Latin rock fans, their influence hasn’t reached beyond their genre. This is a reach for the Hall of Fame.

Matthew Wilkening: I fully support the Rock Hall branching out into other genres, but every nominee should still have some degree of the rebellious rock ‘n’ roll spirit in them. Public Enemy, Madonna and Willie Nelson all have it. Mariah Carey most certainly does not.

2. Who is the biggest snub?

Rolli: Fine, twist my arm and get me to rant about Iron Maiden again. It’s an embarrassment and a travesty that the Rock Hall has continued to snub one of the most enduringly popular and influential heavy metal acts in history. It would have been especially nice for them to get another nomination, and induction, while drummer Nicko McBrain is still healthy enough to play a few songs with the band. In the wake of his retirement from touring, there’s no telling how much longer he’ll be fit to do so. Hopefully a while, and hopefully the Rock Hall will right this wrong sooner than later.

DeRiso: After a two-year run of country inductees (2022’s Dolly Parton and 2023’s Willie Nelson), the Rock Hall has now gone two more years without one.

Rapp: I don’t know that this is necessarily a snub so much as a disappointment, but I wish Sinead O’Connor had been given a second chance. (I’m also not loving that only two of this year’s 14 nominees are women.) She was nominated in 2024, the year after her death at 56 years old, and I thought that might boost her odds. To be clear: I don’t think you need to die in order to get into the Rock Hall, quite the opposite in fact, but I was hoping we’d come to a point where her influence and spirit, one of equity and freedom, would be recognized.

Gallucci: They just forgot about Warren Zevon again, right? Sigh.

Wilkening: Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden. You cannot tell the story of heavy metal without mentioning Iron Maiden. So they need to be in, even if they won’t show up and even though they’ve openly mocked your organization. The Zevon thing is even more perplexing because he seems like the kind of artist the voters love. Lastly, it’s weird that they seem to have given up on nominating country legends.

3. Who are you happiest to see get nominated?

Rolli: It’s great to see Billy Idol on the list. From his voice to his showmanship to his catalog of hits, he’s the consummate rock star in every sense of the word. And as one of the first artists to blend punk, rock and pop to astonishing success, he inadvertently set the stage for future generations of pop-punk stars like Green Day and Blink-182.

DeRiso: Joy Division/New Order. Eligible since 2004, this merged lineup has only been nominated once – appearing on the ballot in 2023, then disappearing last year. I figured they were gone for good after an unimpressive fan vote where Joy Division/New Order ended up in ninth place. Probably because Joy Division was always more popular in the U.K. Still, theirs is a very worthy candidacy.

Rapp: The Gallagher brothers can disagree with me all they want, but I’m happy to see Oasis in the mix again. I spent a pretty penny on tickets to their reunion tour later this year, so this is the opinion of a biased fan — and more specifically, of an American woman who was not even alive when they started making music — but it’s painfully clear to me that this band still has a great amount of power in the world of rock music.

Gallucci: Hopefully, with their repeat appearance, Joy Division/New Order will finally get the nod this year.

Wilkening: Billy Idol, whose image and star power seem to make some people forget that he’s a really great songwriter. Cyndi Lauper is a very close second.

4. Bad Company, the Black Crowes, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Mana, Outkast and Phish are all first-time nominees. Who among them would you like to see get inducted first?

Rolli: Unsurprisingly, I’m going with Idol again. At 69, he’s still out there pounding the pavement and keeping the rock ‘n’ roll flame burning. The establishment can be painfully slow to come around to certain artists, but Idol absolutely deserves the honor, and it would be nice for him to receive it while he’s still got enough vitality (Vital Idol, you might say) to make the most of the opportunity.

DeRiso: Bad Company would continue a line of mainstream rock band inductees that the Hall has touched on lately, including Steve Miller Band (2016), Journey (2017), the Doobie Brothers (2020), Pat Benatar (2022) and Foreigner (2024), among others. These aren’t necessarily critical darlings, but they nevertheless represent a bulwark against those who complain about the Rock Hall not honoring enough “rock” stars.

Rapp: Billy Idol is deserving, I think. But I’d also be pleased to see Joe Cocker get in. Talk about iconic voices in rock ’n’ roll.

Gallucci: The Black Crowes, but honestly there are repeat nominees I’d like to see get inducted first.

Wilkening: A Black Crowes induction would be the cherry on top of what has been a fantastic reunion, but if we only get one vote mine goes to Idol.

5. Of the previously nominated artists, who do you think is the most overdue?

Rolli: Soundgarden, no doubt. After a decade-plus of eligibility and two previous nominations, it’s baffling to me that they still haven’t made it into the Hall. Their album sales and cultural relevance are indisputable, not to mention Chris Cornell‘s unparalleled vocal talent and star power. Nirvana was inducted in 2014, and Pearl Jam in 2017. What’s the holdup here?

DeRiso: Soundgarden. Pearl Jam’s induction in 2017 flung the door wide open for grunge acts. In fact, Soundgarden probably should have been gone in first.

Rapp: It would be overkill for me to continue waxing poetic about Oasis here in this answer, so instead I will champion Cyndi Lauper. I’m thinking specifically about Chappell Roan’s recent performance of “Pink Pony Club” at the Grammys, an elaborate display full of glitter, costumes and color, supporting a song whose essential message is about being yourself. Who does that remind you of? Girls have always just wanted to have fun. Lauper paved the way for much of that to be possible today and I think she deserves a Rock Hall spot.

Gallucci: Joy Division/New Order. It’s rare for a band to be one of the best in their field, lose a member, remake themselves as a different band and become even more influential.

Wilkening: Soundgarden. Partly because it gets us closer to inducting Melvins.

6. Overall thoughts on this year’s nominees?

Rolli: I hope Oasis and the Black Crowes both make the cut and Ray and Dave Davies split the induction duties.

DeRiso: The surprising resurrection of the Black Crowes would be made complete by induction, while the White Stripes help push the Rock Hall into its long-awaited next era.

Rapp: The Buffalo Bills were choked out of this year’s Super Bowl. The least the Rock Hall could do for me is get Oasis in.

Gallucci: 2025 looks much like the past several years of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees: a big pop star or two, a hip-hop artist, someone from way back in the day, a handful of “newer” artists to prove rock music didn’t die in the ’80s, one oddball choice and a couple of vintage artists to quiet fans who complain about the Rock Hall’s expanded direction. Yawn.

Wilkening: There’s clearly a formula to these nominations, with a certain number of slots set aside for each genre. I don’t understand why they cut country music out of that equation. It seems like some very worthy artists will be inducted this year, but it’s certainly not the most exciting or daring class.

7. Who do you predict will make it into the Rock Hall this year?

Rolli: Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Mariah Carey, Oasis, Soundgarden and the White Stripes.

DeRiso: Induction classes tend to have a fan-service approach these days, with an eye toward checking certain boxes for the audiences viewing at home. In keeping, I’d expect the class to include a rock act (Black Crowes), a pop act (Cyndi Lauper), an R&B act (Mariah Carey), a hip-hop act (Outkast) and a buzzy twist (Oasis). There might be room for Joe Cocker too, as a nod to legacy artists.

Rapp: Billy Idol, Phish, Soundgarden, Cyndi Lauper, Oasis and Mana.

Gallucci: Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Oasis, Outkast and the White Stripes.

Wilkening: Wish list: Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, the Black Crowes, Joy Division/New Order, Outkast and Soundgarden. Actual prediction: Idol, Lauper, Outkast, Bad Company, Mana and Mariah Carey.

Tommy Shaw says his opinion changed as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame continues to snub Styx.

“At one time, it used to get under my skin,” Shaw told Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk. “I at one time was saying, ‘Please don’t give it to me now. Wait until I’m dead. Because I don’t want to have to go to one of those [induction] things that charge me $5,000 to get in the door and go up and play with guys who probably don’t want to play with each other.”

That stance has softened a bit over time. In 2024, Shaw expressed hope that he and his bandmates will “live long enough” to get inducted. He didn’t directly address Styx’s Hall credentials during the interview with Trunk, but Shaw admitted he loves it “when a band truly deserves” the recognition.

READ MORE: 145 Artists Not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Styx has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 1998. With more than 54 million albums sold and a catalog of classic hits, they seemingly have a resume worthy of induction. Despite that, the band has never even received a nomination.

Styx Sees ‘Irony’ When Hall of Fame Bands Open for Them

During the conversation with Trunk, Styx singer and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan championed the band’s case for induction.

“To me, I would like to see [induction] for the guys that were in the band long before I was in the band,” said Gowan, who joined in 1999. “I’d like to see it for them, because they built the whole foundation that we’ve been able to extend the life of, you know, since the era that I’ve been involved in.”

READ MORE: Styx Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide

“Bands that get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we always celebrate that,” Gowan continued, “and when I’ve seen them open for Styx, we always make a big deal of the fact that that band or this artist is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It’s not beyond noticing the irony of the fact that some bands that are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be opening the show for Styx. In my mind, that says something.”

Styx Albums Ranked

Come sail away as we rank Styx’s albums, from worst to best.

Gallery Credit: UCR Staff

Real-Life ‘Spinal Tap’ Stories: Styx

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

If you were to make a list of all the rock bands that influenced Oasis, musically or otherwise, it would get long.

Among them would undoubtedly be the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, the Kinks, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, etc. And as far as Noel Gallagher is concerned, there is nothing wrong with wearing your influences on your sleeve.

“When I’m making a record,” he explained to MusicRadar in 2024. “I’ve always been of the notion that if a song sounds like T. Rex, well, fuck it, let’s make it sound more like T. Rex! Do you know what I mean? I know there’s bands that might write something that sounds like the Smiths, and they’ll go, ‘Oh, it sounds like the Smiths, we’ve got to make it sound not like the Smiths.’ And I just go, ‘Fuck it — let’s make it sound like the Beatles. [Laughs] If I’m writing a song and I say to myself, ‘Oh, hey, it sounds like the Kinks,’ then I’m going to turn it into a Kinks track.”

This would also explain why Oasis sometimes paid flat out tribute to some of the aforementioned artists with covers. Below, we’re taking a look at 10 of the best, with two entries each dedicated to Noel and Liam Gallagher‘s solo catalogs.

1. “Heroes”
Artist: David Bowie

“Heroes” was the first song of David Bowie’s that Noel ever heard — he saw the music video for it on television in 1981, as he remembers it. “It totally fucking blew me away. I went down to my local second-hand record shop a couple of days later and got Best of Bowie and never looked back,” Noel said to Rolling Stone in 2016. “It must have been awful to have been one of his contemporaries in the late ’70s going into the ’80s, thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve done something really great here,’ and then every single Bowie put out would be f****** better than the last one.”

2. “To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have a Nice Time)”
Artist: The Jam

For a period in the late ’90s, Oasis would dedicate a portion of their set list for Noel to have his own solo acoustic section. Multiple times, he included a cover of the Jam’s “To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have a Nice Time)” from 1978’s All Mod Cons. Paul Weller was undoubtedly an influence on Oasis, but as years went on, Weller turned his own ear to them, as well as Noel’s solo work. “I’ve liked everything he’s done solo,” Weller told NME in 2018. “I don’t really need to talk about what a great songwriter he is, because everyone knows that. But, for me, he’s got better.”

3. “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
Artist: Neil Young

This may be surprising to some readers — it was to this writer, at least — but Oasis and Neil Young once shared a bill together back on Aug. 31, 1996 at a festival in Ontario, Canada. “He’s always been very respectful to Oasis,” Noel said to Mojo in 2011, “and to me when I’ve met him. I’ve seen him with Crazy Horse, with acoustic gigs, and he always comes from a place of truth. He’s invented a car that runs on f****** grass or something. The world can be split into two camps: people that like Neil Young and people that don’t. And the people that don’t are fucking idiots.”

Liam, for his part, sees common ground between his solo work and that of Young’s. “I stick to my formula and it works,” he told Billboard in 2019. “If people think that’s playing it safe, so be it. Neil Young’s been doing the same thing for f****** 40 years and no one seems to give him shit. I’m not comparing myself to Neil Young, but [to] people who don’t change the formula.”

4. “My Generation”
Artist: The Who

Liam and his band have supported the Who live on a few occasions over the years, and he’s a proper fan. According to a social media post of his from 2019, his favorite Who songs are “My Generation,” “Disguises” and “Armenia City in the Sky.” Pete Townshend, however, might be the only person on the planet who is “disappointed” that Oasis will reunite in 2025, but only “because I really like their solo albums” he said to The Standard in 2024. (Side Note: If you’re not following Liam on X yet, we highly recommend it. He’s a riot.)

5. “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”
Artist: Bob Dylan

“The Oasis Brothers, I like them both,” Bob Dylan said to The Wall Street Journal in 2022. That’s about as profound of a compliment you’ll likely get out of a man who rarely gives interviews or, frankly, compliments. Here we pause to focus on a few songs recorded by Noel and Liam post-Oasis split, starting with Noel and his High Flying Birds’ version of “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” This is the 1971 version from Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Volume II, not the Basement Tapes version, which has different lyrics.

6. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”
Artist: The Smiths

Noel is actually good friends with Johnny Marr, formerly of the Smiths — you’ll often spot the two of them sitting together at Manchester City soccer games — which must be something of a full circle moment for Noel, who soaked up the Smiths music as he was coming into his own as a musician. “I never invented anything like the Smiths, who were the most unique band ever to come out of England,” he said in a 2018 episode of Once in a Lifetime Sessions (via Far Out). “So I had an idea of what it should be like, but then when the songs came it was just unbelievable.”

7. “Natural Mystic”
Artist: Bob Marley and the Wailers

You might not think a reggae song by Bob Marley and the Wailers would sound all that good sung by a Britpop artist. And yet, Liam’s cover of “Natural Mystic” works. In 1998, both Gallagher brothers were asked by NME what song they would like to be played at their respective funerals. Noel chose “Going Underground” by the Jam,” Liam chose “Natural Mystic.”

8. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
Artist: The Rolling Stones

Liam appears to admire the Rolling Stones and also be grateful he is not them. In August of 2017, he brought up Mick Jagger specifically in an interview with GQ: “Fair play to ol’ dinosaur hips, but I’m not that man. I’m anti-entertainment. Poor sod, he’s got to dance until he’s 108.” Just a few months later, he had kinder words to share with NME: “The Stones, as much as the Beatles were great, the Stones were the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll band as far as I’m concerned. the Beatles were like wizards, where the Stones were the boys, man.”

9. “I Am the Walrus”
Artist: The Beatles

This simply wouldn’t be a list about Oasis without a few Beatles covers. It also would be fair to say that without the Beatles, there’s a real possibility Oasis might not have existed at all — their influence on the band was so strong that they sometimes are jokingly referred to as the world’s biggest Beatles cover band. As Liam once eloquently put it on social media, “the Beatles could shit in my hand bag I’d still hide my polo mints in there.”

10. “Help!”
Artist: The Beatles

According to Noel, he literally entered the world to the soundtrack of the Beatles. “Sgt. Pepper is special for me because I was born on May 29, and it came out on the 1 June,” he said to BBC News in 2007. “So when I was being born in Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, it was being played on hospital radio.”

Feature Photo: Bruce Baker from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach has opened up about leaving the band back in 2002.

Leach sang on the Massachusetts metalcore favourites’ first two albums before departing. He was replaced by Howard Jones, but returned to the band in 2012.

In the new issue of Metal Hammer, Leach describes the mental health crisis he went through while touring for the band’s 2002 breakthrough album Alive Or Just Breathing. He says feelings of social anxiety and depression began building up after the album’s release, eventually leading to suicidal thoughts.

The singer remembers, “The moment we got signed [to Roadrunner Records] and things started to happen, that’s when people wanted my autograph. People wanted to grab a picture with me and it was like, ‘What? That’s wild.’ It started to build social anxiety within me. I started to dread it.”

He continues, “Back then, I was a very insecure, social anxiety-ridden kid, who didn’t have a total handle on my art. I started to get depressed. My anxiety was crippling me. I would hide out before the show, play the set, hide out after, not be sociable, not have fun, and that just started wearing thin on me. I felt very alone, I was having a rough time with my voice and my mental health. I became pretty much suicidal. I had the wherewithal at least to bail and get out of there.”

Leach adds that the discourse around mental health in the metal scene was in a much different place in 2002 than it is today. He remembers posting about his wellbeing on Myspace and receiving several hate comments, but says he also started some discussion and support among fans.

“You kind of weave through all that [the hate comments], then you see the gems,” he continues, “the comments of someone who’s like, ‘I’m a firefighter… a big, tough guy… I’ve got issues. Thank you so much for speaking out.’ This empowers me to want to talk more about it and that narrative.”

Leach finishes by saying that he’s learned to live with his depression and anxiety, calling it his “muse”. “You learn how to live with it,” he explains. “You exercise certain techniques and thought patterns, and there’s so many things you can do to sort of live with mental disorders. If I’m going through a bout of depression, I can write some pretty intense stuff.”

Killswitch Engage will release This Consequence, their fourth album with Leach since his return, next month. The singer told Hammer last year that the follow-up to 2019’s Atonement contains lots of “righteous anger”.

“It sounds insane,” he said. “It sounds maybe different to how we’ve sounded before. The songs are really full of piss and vinegar. There’s a good handful of thrashy songs, there’s a lot of anger, but it’s righteous anger – it’s not down in the dumps and negative. There’s a lot of ferocity and frustration.”

The band will tour North America from March through to July to promote their newest release. See dates and details via the Killswitch Engage website.

Read the full interview with Leach in the new issue of Hammer. The magazine also features an interview with cover stars Spiritbox, getting the insider info on new album Tsunami Sea, as well as the story of Limp Bizkit’s surprise 2020s renaissance. Order your copy now and get it delivered directly to your door.

If, like us, you frequently wonder what happened to Døvydas Maščinskas, who reached the final of Lithuania’s Got Talent in 2009 but finished last following a disagreement with the show’s producers over what he should wear for his performance, wonder no more.

These days, Maščinskas is in the US, a successful busker with a sizeable social media following. And when we say sizeable, we mean it: he’s got 1.84 million followers on YouTube alone. He’s so successful, in fact, that he’s discarded his surname altogether, and is known simply as Døvydas. You know, like Prince, Madonna or Ozzy.

In 2017, footage of Døvydasa playing an ad-hoc take on Steve Vai’s Tender Surrender during a sparsely-attended four-hour show at Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton, FL, went viral.

“The first hour was empty,” said Døvydasa. “I played for myself, took some video, made up music. [The] second hour was when a party of three people showed up and that was my first audience of that slow Tuesday night. I’ve greeted them and began interacting in between songs. And after building up a rapport one lady felt comfortable enough to shout out a request. The rest you can see in the video.”

A live audience of three. 11 million subsequent views and counting. A lightbulb moment.

“If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around to hear it does it still make a noise?” he asked. “Well, it does if you put it on video.”

Døvydas is now in California and pumps out videos most days. Many are watched by millions. Typical clips feature the musician playing guitar and percussion, building songs using a Boss RC505 Tabletop Loop Station, allowing him to compile complete performances on the fly.

The videos come with enticing titles like Jimmy Page Comes to Listen When Someone Requests Led Zeppelin at The Crossroads Guitar Festival (Spoiler: Jimmy Page doesn’t appear in the clip), this week’s I Ask if She Knows Pink Floyd and This Violinist Stuns The Crowd (Spoiler: The crowd isn’t actually stunned) or When You Play Johnny Cash in a Waffle House (OK, we’re sold).

The same violinist who stunned the crowd in the Pink Floyd video also showed up in I Ask if She Knows Led Zeppelin and This Violinist Steals The Show just before Christmas. The mystery violinist, otherwise known as fellow YouTuber Karolina Protsenko (following: 8.6 million), accompanies Døvydas on an apparently unrehearsed version of Whole Lotta Love, and while it’s entirely possible that the pair did, in fact, prepare the performance earlier, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt because they’re both so prodigiously talented.

Meanwhile, across the internet, Katerina’s YouTube channel hosts a video filmed at the same time entitled I Ask a Rockstar if He Knows Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and Steal His Show, which features Døvydas looking as innocent and unprepared to play Led Zeppelin as she did in his clips. You get the idea. They’re in cahoots, but it doesn’t matter because it works.

Check them out.

For many prog giants the 1980s was a challenging era – and the same can be said for Rush, who endured mixed fortunes during the decade in which they released Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire and Presto. In 2016 Prog listed the 12 best songs from those seven albums.

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Ah, Rush in the 1980s. They began the decade as one of the biggest prog metal bands on the planet, and ended it with certain factions of their immense fanbase scratching their heads at a perceived lack of direction or over-reliance on synthesizers.

It’s worth noting that in 1980 the band were playing five nights at London’s Hammersmith Odeon on the Permanent Waves tour, then a year later is was three nights at Wembley Arena in support of Moving Pictures. Even on their final UK appearances of the 80s – for Hold Your Fire in 1988 – they were still packing them in at three Wembley nights.

Given that they kicked off the decade with the majestic Permanent Waves and followed it with the imperious Moving Pictures, it would have been easy to compile this list from those two albums alone. But in the spirit of fairness, and because the remainder of the band’s 80s output featured some stellar tunes, we’ve spread things out a little.

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12. Time Stand Still (from Hold Your Fire, 1987)

Time has not been kind to 1987’s Hold Your Fire album. Geddy Lee once said he’d be a happy man if he never heard Tai Shan again, and Alex Lifeson is hardly a fan either. But powerful album opener Force Ten certainly hits the right note, pipped here only by the sheer songwriting finesse of the single Time Stand Still, which remains one of the band’s most accessible songs.

It also features a fine vocal performance from US artist Aimee Mann, duetting with Lee – a first for the band. Mann also appears in the horribly dated promo video, the less said about which the better…

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11. The Body Electric (Grace Under Pressure, 1984)

Many didn’t take too fondly to Grace Under Pressure on its arrival, but time has proved the doubters wrong. True, it’s not on a par with the band’s first three albums of the 80s, but set against the Cold War backdrop of the period, the album’s dystopian themes and sound have aged well.

It’s also a tough call to take just one song from the record – but we’ve opted for The Body Electric’s story of a humanoid’s attempts to break from the structures of its robotic society. Inspired by a Ray Bradbury story, it perfectly sums up the feel of the whole LP.

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10. The Pass (Presto, 1989)

From 1989’s often overlooked Presto comes The Pass, a song Neil Peart wrote having shared a bicycle ride with a close friend as they discussed juvenile suicide. Despite the delicate subject matter – which the drummer later revealed was the hardest piece on the album to write – The Pass was a big band favourite. It was also the main reason Peart wanted to re-record the album in full, if they’d ever had the chance.

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9. The Big Money (Power Windows, 1985)

Power Windows remains a big favourite among its creators, hitting the right note between the use of technology and crashing analogue chords. Never was that more prominent than on The Big Money, a single that also perfectly encapsulates the album’s themes of manifestations of power.

Rolling Stone once referred to the album as the link between Yes and the Sex Pistols. But then they’ve never understood Rush, have they?

8. The Analog Kid (Signals, 1982)

Reports that Alex Lifeson was angered by the increased use of synthesizers on Signals to the detriment of the guitar have abounded for years. But there was still much of his skilled six-string work to be heard all over the album as the band adapted to change – something now seen as a prime factor in the trio’s longevity and success.

This up-tempo rocker gives plenty to appease the hardcore rockers in the fanbase, and made a welcome return in the Clockwork Angels tour set list.

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7. Marathon (Power Windows, 1985)

Amid the turmoil raging from 1982 to 1989 over the increased use of synths in Rush music, Marathon is a perfect balance of both sides of the band’s character, with both Lee’s keyboards and Lifeson’s guitar taking their respective bows.

Lee’s opening bass expresses the rhythm of the marathon runner; and the song depicts writer Peart as an allegory for life itself: keep going, tackle life’s obstacles – but don’t push yourself too hard and burn out on the way.

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6. Jacob’s Ladder (Permanent Waves, 1980)

Just to prove they hadn’t entirely broken with the past, Rush provided a couple of epics on Permanent Waves. The best was Jacob’s Ladder, a song inspired by the natural phenomenon of sunlight breaking through the clouds – an allegory for the Biblical vision of angels seen by Jacob.

Weaving through a myriad of time signatures, the song also nods towards the band’s fondness for Led Zeppelin. And despite Geddy Lee’s assertion on the R40 tour that the song hadn’t been performed live previously, it featured in the 1981 live album Exit… Stage Left.

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5. Red Barchetta (Moving Pictures, 1981)

Red Barchetta is here primarily because it highlights Peart’s abilities as a storyteller, which, as the 80s dawned, were taking on a more nuanced style. Inspired by Richard Foster’s 1973 short story A Nice Morning Drive, Peart tells the tale of a forbidden journey and high-speed chase; and the “gleaming alloy air car” always evoked memories of Luke Skywalker in his landspeeder.

Barchetta, Italian for craft, also refers to two-seated vehicles in the motor world. Oh, and it’s also got a killer riff.

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4. Subdivisions (Signals, 1982)

The first two Rush albums of the 80s showed the band becoming more streamlined in their writing, then the third, 1982’s Signals, saw them dive headfirst into the heady waters of new technology sweeping the decade. Predictably it didn’t sit too well with those hankering for Fountain Of Lamneth Part Two, accusing the band of sounding like The Police on the single New World Man.

The pulsating synth sound that drives Subdivisions on became a staple of the band’s live shows, while the lyrics returned to themes of alienation present in Moving Pictures’ Limelight.

3. The Spirit Of Radio (Permanent Waves, 1980)

It might have been the album that signalled a shift to some shorter songs, but in Permanent Waves opener The Spirit Of Radio, Rush had a bona fide gem to kick things off.

Fired on by Lifeson’s crystal clear riff, the song – inspired by their hometown radio service Toronto CFNY – proved a hit on stations around the world, introducing the band to a whole new audience unaware of their 70s predilection for sword, sorcery and sci-fi epics. It became their most successful UK single, reaching No.13 in March 1980.

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2. Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures, 1981)

“We had more trouble with that song than almost any other song. I had real doubt about whether the song was working at all,” Geddy Lee once told Prog about the making of Tom Sawyer. It was clearly worth it though as – the track is among the best-known tracks in Rush‘s impressive canon of work.

It was inspired by a poem entitled Louis The Lawyer, written by Pye Dubois of Max Webster, who co-wrote it with the band. “It went from being this immovable thing to the obvious candidate to open the record – that opening and then Neil’s drums,” recalled Lifeson. “But I do remember it being a real relief to tick off the chalkboard.”

And here’s a curio for you: the song was used as the opening music to the Brazilian dub of the spy TV show MacGyver!

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1. Limelight (Moving Pictures, 1981)

Alongside The Spirit Of Radio and Tom Sawyer, Limelight is one of Rush’s most memorable songs, and one of the most popular in broadcast media.

As every fan worth their salt knows, the lyrics deal with Peart’s increasing feelings of isolation as the band’s stature grew, encompassed in such emphatic lines like “One must put up barriers to keep oneself intact” and “I can’t pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend.” The solo was always Lifeson’s favourite to perform live.

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Janey Roberts 6 minutes ago

Feature Photo: rhysadams from Derby, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

(A-B)

3 – The Singles Collection (2009)
Alien – Britney Jean (2013)
Amnesia – Circus (2008)
And Then We Kiss – B in the Mix: The Remixes (2005)
The Answer – In the Zone (2003)
Anticipating – Britney (2001)
Autumn Goodbye – …Baby One More Time (1999)
…Baby One More Time – …Baby One More Time (1998)
The Beat Goes On – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Before the Goodbye – Britney (2001)
Better – Glory (2016)
Big Fat Bass – Femme Fatale (2011)
Blur – Circus (2008)
Body Ache – Britney Jean (2013)
Bombastic Love – Britney (2001)
Born to Make You Happy – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Boys – Britney (2001)
Brave New Girl – In the Zone (2003)
Break the Ice – Blackout (2007)
Breathe on Me – In the Zone (2003)
Brightest Morning Star – Britney Jean (2013)

(C-D)

Can’t Make You Love Me – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortes) – Glory (2016)
Chaotic – Britney & Kevin: Chaotic (2005)
Chillin’ with You – Britney Jean (2013)
Cinderella – Britney (2001)
Circus – Circus (2008)
Clumsy – Glory (2016)
Coupure Électrique – Glory (2016)
Crazy – Playing with Fire (2006)
Criminal – Femme Fatale (2011)
Dear Diary – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Deep in My Heart – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Do Somethin’ – Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004)
Do You Wanna Come Over? – Glory (2016)
Don’t Cry – Britney Jean (2013)
Don’t Go Knockin’ on My Door – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Don’t Hang Up – In the Zone (2003)
Don’t Keep Me Waiting – Femme Fatale (2011)
Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
(Drop Dead) Beautiful – Femme Fatale (2011)

(E-G)

E-Mail My Heart – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Early Mornin’ – In the Zone (2003)
Everybody – Blackout (2007)
Everytime – In the Zone (2003)
Freakshow – Blackout (2007)
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Gasoline – Femme Fatale (2011)
Get Back – Blackout (2007)
Get Naked (I Got a Plan) – Blackout (2007)
Gimme More – Blackout (2007)
Girl in the Mirror – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Girls and Boys – Britney Spears: In the Zone (2004)

(H-J)

Hands – Non-album single (2016)
Hard to Forget Ya – Glory (2016)
He About to Lose Me – Femme Fatale (2011)
Heart – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Heaven on Earth – Blackout (2007)
Hold It Against Me – Femme Fatale (2011)
Hold Me Closer – The Lockdown Sessions (2022)
Hold on Tight – Britney Jean (2013)
The Hook Up – In the Zone (2003)
Hot as Ice – Blackout (2007)
How I Roll – Femme Fatale (2011)
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
(I Got That) Boom Boom – In the Zone (2003)
I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll – Britney (2001)
I Run Away – Britney (2001)
I Wanna Go – Femme Fatale (2011)
I Will Be There – …Baby One More Time (1999)
I Will Still Love You – …Baby One More Time (1999)
I’ll Never Stop Loving You – …Baby One More Time (1999)
I’m a Slave 4 U – Britney (2001)
I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman – Britney (2001)
I’m So Curious – …Baby One More Time (1999)
I’ve Just Begun (Having My Fun) – Britney Spears: In the Zone (2004)
If I’m Dancing – Glory (2016)
If U Seek Amy – Circus (2008)
Inside Out – Femme Fatale (2011)
Intimidated – I’m a Slave 4 U (2001)
Invitation – Glory (2016)
It Should Be Easy – Britney Jean (2013)
Just Like Me – Glory (2016)
Just Luv Me – Glory (2016)

(K-M)

Kill the Lights – Circus (2008)
Like a Virgin / Hollywood – Remixed & Revisited (2003)
Lace and Leather – Circus (2008)
Let Me Be – Britney (2001)
Liar – Glory (2016)
Lonely – Britney (2001)
Love Me Down – Glory (2016)
Lucky – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Make Me – Glory (2016)
Man on the Moon – Glory (2016)
Mannequin – Circus (2008)
Me Against the Music – In the Zone (2003)
Mind Your Business – Non-album single (2023)
Mmm Papi – Circus (2008)
Mona Lisa – Britney & Kevin: Chaotic (2005)
Mood Ring – Glory (2016)
My Baby – Circus (2008)
My Only Wish (This Year) – Platinum Christmas (2000)
My Prerogative – Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004)
Matches – Glory (2020)

(N-Q)

Now That I Found You – Britney Jean (2013)
One Kiss from You – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Ooh La La – The Smurfs 2: Music from and Inspired By (2013)
Ooh Ooh Baby – Blackout (2007)
Oops!… I Did It Again – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Out from Under – Circus (2008)
Outrageous – In the Zone (2003)
Outta This World – Blackout (2007)
Over to You Now – Britney & Kevin: Chaotic (2005)
Overprotected – Britney (2001)
Passenger – Britney Jean (2013)
Perfect Lover – Blackout (2007)
Perfume – Britney Jean (2013)
Phonography – Circus (2008)
Piece of Me – Blackout (2007)
Pretty Girls – Non-album single (2015)
Private Show – Glory (2016)
Quicksand – Circus (2008)

(R-S)

Radar – Blackout (2007) / Circus (2008)
Rock Boy – Circus (2008)
Rock Me In – Circus (2008)
S&M (Remix) – Non-album single (2011)
Scary – Femme Fatale (2011)
Scream & Shout – #willpower (2012)
Seal It with a Kiss – Femme Fatale (2011)
Selfish – Femme Fatale (2011)
Shadow – In the Zone (2003)
Shattered Glass – Circus (2008)
Showdown – In the Zone (2003)
Slumber Party – Glory (2016)
SMS (Bangerz) – Bangerz (2013)
Soda Pop – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Someday (I Will Understand) – Britney & Kevin: Chaotic (2005)
Sometimes – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Stronger – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Swimming in the Stars – Glory (2020)

(T-Z)

That’s Where You Take Me – Britney (2001)
Thinkin’ About You – …Baby One More Time (1999)
Tik Tik Boom – Britney Jean (2013)
Til It’s Gone – Britney Jean (2013)
Till the World Ends – Femme Fatale (2011)
Tom’s Diner – Déja Vú (2015)
Touch of My Hand – In the Zone (2003)
Toxic – In the Zone (2003)
Toy Soldier – Blackout (2007)
Trip to Your Heart – Femme Fatale (2011)
Trouble – Circus (2008)
Trouble for Me – Femme Fatale (2011)
Unusual You – Circus (2008)
Up n’ Down – Femme Fatale (2011)
Walk on By – Stronger (2000)
What It’s Like to Be Me – Britney (2001)
What You Need – Glory (2016)
What U See (Is What U Get) – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
What’s Going On – Non-album single (2001)
When I Found You – Britney (2001)
When Your Eyes Say It – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Where Are You Now – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)
Why Should I Be Sad – Blackout (2007)
Womanizer – Circus (2008)
Work Bitch – Britney Jean (2013)
(You Drive Me) Crazy – …Baby One More Time (1999)
You Got It All – Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)

Check out more Britney Spears articles detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com

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Complete List Of Britney Spears Albums And Songs

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Complete List Of Britney Spears Songs From A to Z article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2025

About The Author

Janey Roberts

More from this Author

Janey Roberts lives in Chelsea, London. She has worked for various British musical publications writing album and concert reviews. Originally from Balboa Park, San Diego, Janey brings an international cross cultural perspective to rock journalism.

Opeth singer/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt once got to play a guitar owned by late Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain – and wasn’t at all taken with it.

Talking to Revolver, the frontman says that, along with fellow Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, he recently visited the Martin Guitars factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

A connoisseur of all things six-stringed, he likens the experience to “visiting the Holy Land”, and got to see instruments once owned by Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Cobain.

Åkerfeldt even got to play one of Cobain’s old guitars, an unspecified Martin model, but admits it didn’t feel as special as many would assume.

“It was very beat up,” he says. “It didn’t feel that good. There was nothing special about it, other than it had belonged to Kurt. Someone told us that guitar was haunted, like people who had that guitar had accidents.

“I’m a Nirvana fan, but it was just a regular guitar to me.”

Luckily, not all of Åkerfeldt’s brushes with musical royalty have been lacklustre. In the same Revolver interview, he looks back on meeting fellow Swede and Abba icon Agnetha Fältskog while making the 2011 Opeth album Heritage.

“We did the Heritage record in the studio where Abba used to record, and the owners had their flat on top of the studio,” he remembers. “They invited us for dinner when the record was done, and Agnetha was there.

“We all got to sit down with her and have dinner, and she brought this expensive champagne.”

A devout Abba fan, Åkerfeldt admits he was starstruck during the interaction. “I’m a huge fan, so I got to ask her all these questions about their songs. She was super cool.

“But when she first came up as I was entering the flat, I froze […] After shaking her hand, I went out and had like five cigarettes in a row just to calm myself down. I get starstruck easily, I think.”

Opeth released their latest album, The Last Will And Testament, in November and are currently touring Europe. See dates and details via the band’s website.