Scott Freeman

Sometime in the next couple of hours I will hit 100,000 on the stat counter. Remember the lucky person wins a free book. Let me know if it is you.
My series on non-violence will not be continuous. The next installment will probably be on Thursday or Friday. Thanks for the comments so far.

Now on to my weekly top 10. A couple of rules for this list: No greatest hits packages and only one album per artist.

10. Journey–Escape: Pure candy. Every song is still a delight to listen to 25 years later. I still remember the disappointment when I bought Frontiers and realized that they were unable to maintain that level of excellence. They should have stopped recording after that Separate Ways video Favorite Track–Don’t Stop Believin’ Overlooked Gem–Still They Ride

9. Queensryche–Operation Mindcrime: For a three year period of time all I listened to was heavy metal. This is the most timeless album of those days. I could have named several other albums: Appetite for Destruction, Master of Puppets, Among the Living, Halfway to Sanity. However, this is the one album from that period of my life that I still want to listen to from time to time. Favorite Track: Revolution Calling Overlooked Gem: The Needle Lies

8. John Mellencamp–Scarecrow: Subtitled Scott Freeman Grows a Social Conscious. This album was an awakening for me and ushered in an era of listening to more overt political music: Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Billy Bragg, etc. Anybody remember White Lion’s Little Fighter? Favorite Track–Rain on the Scarecrow Overlooked Gem–Between a Laugh and a Tear

7. Reo Speedwagon–Hi Infidelity: I still remember getting this album from Columbia House, plugging in the headphones, picking up the tennis racket and giving the ultimate concert in my room. Favorite Track–Don’t Let Him Go Overlooked Gem–In Your Letter

6. Styx–Paradise Theater: My local record store staged a phony petition to get them to come to Little Rock on this tour. This qualifies as my first true rock and roll show after years of Shaun Cassidy and Helen Reddy concerts. (Note to the band: You don’t have Dennis DeYoung with you? Then please, for the love of all that is sacred in this world, stop. Put down the instruments and back away. I Am the Walrus? Come on.) Favorite Track–Nothing Ever Goes As Planned Overlooked Gem–She Cares

5. Bruce Springsteen–Nebraska: The folkie in me awakes. The despair in this album still grabs me. The grappling with the loss of innocence, the pain of the forgotten and the stark realities of life is a reminder to me to count my blessings. Favorite Track–Atlantic City Overlooked Gem–Reason to Believe (Hope concludes the album. Priceless.)

4. Rick Springfield–Living in Oz: I know, I know. But Springfield was my favorite artist for years. This is the album where he left behind the bubble-gum and proved that he could write a great lyric. Doubt that? Listen to Souls again. Favorite Track–Souls Overlooked Gem–Alyson

3. ‘Til Tuesday–Everything’s Different Now: Still on the list of my five favorite albums of all time. If you have never heard this album then by all means find it. A tremendous deconstruction of a failed relationship. Every song bleeds in this heart-breaking paean to lost love. Favorite Track–Rip in Heaven Overlooked Gem–The whole album was overlooked but I have to give a nod to Why Must I

2. Paul Simon–Graceland: Quite simply, one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Favorite Track–Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes Overlooked Gem–Crazy Love Vol II

1. U2–Joshua Tree: What can I say? The greatest rock and roll band of my lifetime churns out a definitive disk. It doesn’t get better than this one. Favorite Track: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For Overlooked Gem: Running To Stand Still

I have to add these three honorable mentions:
* Survivor–Vital Signs: The only problem with this album is that, although I truly believed in the sentiment behind The Search Is Over, the girl that I had dedicated the song to did not agree. Favorite Track–I Can’t Hold Back Overlooked Gem–I See You In Everyone

* Stevie Nicks–Bella Donna: For this 13 year old in 1981 Stevie Nicks was the most beautiful woman on the planet. And that voice. I was in love. Favorite Track and Overlooked Gem: After the Glitter Fades

* Husker Du–Candy Apple Gray: My punk days. Couldn’t explain it then. Can’t explain it now. But I loved the melancholy in Bob Mould’s voice. Favorite Track: Don’t Want to Know If You are Lonely Overlooked Gem: Too Far Down

What about you?

Before I begin let me lay down my ground rules for this list:
1. This is my list, therefore it’s highly subjective. So, you won’t see The Beatles on this list. They have the number 1 spot on my “most overrated bands ever” list.
2. Longevity matters. As much as I might like Keane and The Killers, they don’t qualify. Nor does Guns & Roses. These bands endured.
3. This is ROCK bands. So you won’t see The Eagles on this list. Don’t tell me they rock. They don’t. A little bit of guitar in “Already Gone” doesn’t change that fact.
4. Feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments. Give me your own list.

Here they are:

10. Queen–There was only one Freddy Mercury. His tenor provided a distinct sound that is unparalled in rock history. Skip over the kitschiness of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and try on “Tie Your Mother Down” or “Under Pressure.”

9. Pink Floyd–Transcendently psychedelic, these rockers have a library of cuts that defy musical genres. Scathing social commentary (“Money”), mournful dirges (“Wish You Were Here”) and trippy lyrics (“The Wall”) combined to provide one of the most influential acts in rock history. Say what you want but the experimentation of music would not be as advanced if not for these pioneers. Check out the social justice epic “On the Turning Away.”

8. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band–Bruce, the solo artist, has never come close to the musical tour de force that comes when he has collaborated with his long-time mates. Our need to isolate the frontman as the heart and soul of a band does a great disservice to the virtuosity of Clarence Clemons, Little Steven, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and others. “Darkness on the Edge of Town” is one of the greatest albums ever put on vinyl.

7. The Pretenders–This band deserves special merit for laying to rest the myth that a woman cannot front a rock band. It is sexism in the highest order to just single out the Pretenders as a female-led quartet. They stand as giants in the annals of rock because they are great band. Chrissie Hynde is one of rock’s most dynamic voices. Check out “Stop Your Sobbing” or “Hymn to Her.”

6. Metallica–More than anyone else, this group brought Heavy Metal to the mainstream. I’m somewhat critical of some later career moves they have made but the material they released through “The Black Album” is pure thrash at it’s finest. Check out “Ride the Lightning” especially the beautiful brilliance of “Fade to Black.”

5. Led Zepplin–I’m as tired of “Stairway to Heaven” as the next guy. But I defy you to find a better first six albums, up through Physical Graffiti, than their initial run. With Bonzo on the drums, a mean bass player in John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page’s landmark guitar licks and Robert Plants distinctive range this band was one of the first true supergroups. Check out “Houses of the Holy.”

4. The Who–Sure, they won’t stay retired. But that’s not a bad thing. No band has as many pure rock and roll anthems as do The Who. Daltrey and Townsend weathered the loss of a seminal drummer in Keith Moon and still kept churning out the rawk. I challenge you to find greater arena rock than “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again” or “Who Are You.”

3. Ramones–Greatest.Punk.Band.Ever. If a song lasts three minutes then there’s too much filler. The Ramones were my favorite band between the ages of 18–25. The tragic part is that 75 percent of them died shortly after they broke up. There will never be another band that was so easily able to produce such readily likeable punk classics.

2. The Rolling Stones–They are, without a doubt, the grandfathers of rock and roll. Still going strong after 40+ years they are continually churning out quality music. During their heyday from the mid-60s to mid-80s they released more timeless tunes than anyone else. 44 years later Exile on Main Street is still fresh.

1. U2–They rose to prominence as I was coming of age. I’ve grown up with them and still find hope, meaning and redemption in all of their music ranging from Boy to Atomic Bomb. They have done more than release music, they have changed minds, influenced followers, revolutionized the world and shaken the ideas of what a band can do. Bono is the greatest frontman of all time of the greatest band of all time. But they are more than a band, right?

Thoughts?

I’ve been somewhat critical of the commodification of Christian music. But I cannot deny the impact that many artists and songs have had on my life.
I began to think earlier this week about which songs would rank as my top 10 of all time. As I began to hone the list I decided to stick with CCM songs and stay away from the field of praise/worship songs. These songs are probably not ones that you sing on Sunday morning. I also decided to limit it to one song per artist. If I didn’t it would probably be 6-7 Rich Mullins tunes and a couple of others.
Also, they had to have stood the test of time for me. If they grate on my nerves now, they don’t make the list–sorry, “Awesome God.”

10. Thank You–Ray Boltz: This is a sappy song, sure. But I can’t think of a Christian song that had a greater initial impact on me than this one. 15+ years later I still well up when he sings that line “Now, I know up in Heaven you’re not supposed to cry but I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes.” What we do on this earth matters. Boltz catches that beautifully here.

9. Two Sets of Jones–Big Tent Revival: Randy Williams, the guitar player, was a good friend of mine in high school. But that’s not the reason this song makes the list. It’s the strongest lyric BTR ever put out and does what a great story-song does: leaves an indelible picture in your head. I see this song in my head every time I hear a certain parable now.

8. He Came, He Saw, He Conquered–Petra: If you are a fan of Christian Rock at all, then you owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Petra. They are the pioneers of the field. This is nowhere near their best tune but it is the one that taught a relatively uptight 19 year old that Christians can rock to lyrics that extol God.

7. Secret Ambition–Michael W. Smith: I went through an intense, and necessary, period of questioning my faith between the ages of 19-21. When I emerged on the other side relatively unscathed this song was waiting for me. I’ll never forget a somewhat bizarre journey to Nashville with two good friends to catch a glimpse of Amy Grant. This song was listened to repeatedly on that trip. I still wasn’t sure why Jesus would die for me but I was sure glad he did.

6. The Robe–Wes King: When you leave behind a world of legalism, songs that capture the awesome grace of God become earth-movers. This song’s stirring lyrics continually remind me that it doesn’t matter what I look like, or where I’ve been. To Him, I am always loved.

5. Wedding Dress–Derek Webb: Webb is a gadfly and contemporary prophet in the world of Christian music. This song was too much for many Christian retailers. But we have played the whore too often. This tune, on his debut solo disk, was a sure sign that his music would shake the Christian community. And it’s still his strongest song.

4. Untouched by Human Hands–Wayne Watson: 18 years after first hearing this song, I still wrestle with the implications of it. Watson challenges us to dirty ourselves through our willingness to be “touched” by the least of these. This song, and much of Watson’s early work, serves as an appropriate forerunner to more socially conscious Christian artists today, such as Derek Webb.

3. Hold Me, Jesus–Rich Mullins: No Christian artist has had a greater impact on me than Mullins. He lived outside of the commerce of Christian music and made art that was unflinching and uncompromising in its honesty. No song captures that as vividly as this song of doubt, uncertainty and, ultimately, surrender.

2. Hands in the Air–The Waiting: Another timeless song of surrender, this tune acknowledges our propensity to fight against God, to resist what He calls us to do and be. How hard it really is to say “Have thine own way.” I mourn the passing of this band, whose self-titled album is one of the greatest in Christian music history.

1. Worlds Apart–Jars of Clay: I have a strong affinity for songs of weakness and struggle. We have this false notion that ministers are further along on the road to having it all together. I’m not. I am frail and fallen. I struggle with the chasm between what I live and proclaim. I’m a hypocrite proclaiming the mercy of God. I tremble at the notion that God can use even this jar of clay to do His good work. No song captures that struggle like this one:

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
Battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain,
And wash my feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak,
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
My sin-soaked heart – make it yours
Take my world all apart,
Take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can’t deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and blow away
I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
Steal my heart and take the pain
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart
Take my world apart
And I pray, and I pray, and I pray
Take my world apart
Worlds apart

What about you? What are your thoughts on these tunes? What songs would make your list?