Top Southern Rock Songs

Determining the top Southern Rock Songs is not an argument to be won or lost. Rather, it is a lively discussion between friends and musicians to be explored again and again.
I have decided to let emotion take sway here and give you the first five top southern rock songs that pop into my head. Because, as I learned long ago taking tests in school, your first answer is almost always right.
Coming in at number five, I have, "Hold on Loosely" by 38 Special. This song grabs hold of you in the first two bars and won't let go. The vocal in the verse sucks you in deeper, and just builds intensity into the chorus. Finally, when you don't think you can take anymore, they break into a blistering guitar solo at the end.
At number four, "Can't You See" by The Marshall Tucker Band. Anyone who ever has loved and lost can appreciate this classic. And, there's nothing better than listening to a group of jilted musicians sink their teeth into this tune. The haunting flute and subtle percussion, naively lead you into Toy Caldwell's thumb picked distorted Les Paul.
"Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I know this starts out a little slow, but that is just to set you up for the freight train that is gathering speed down the tracks. Get your lighters out and wait for it, it's coming. This song is a true icon on the 70's and the southern rock genre in general. If the end of this song did not grind your brain into mush, then I guess you missed the point.
"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Turn it up! The seminal guitar lick opening this track is recognized around the world. This is a song that reeks with Southern pride and defiance. Many folks will have this composition at the top of their list and you won't see me argue too hard with them.
And (drum roll please) at number one, "Whipping Post" by the Allman Brothers Band. If you don't understand why I selected this monster classic number one, then get a copy of "Allman Brothers Band, Live at Fillmore East" turn up the volume and take a good hard listen. If Greg Allman is not the voice of Southern Rock; then I don't know who is. Hopefully you been blessed and had the opportunity to see the band perform this in person. Take me now Lord, I'm ready.

The Best Joe Walsh Songs

Joe Walsh has produced outstanding music for over four decades, working as a member of "The James Gang" and "The Eagles." And, also a a highly successful solo artist. Narrowing Walsh's many compositions into a group of the finest Joe Walsh songs, won't be easy or definitive. But, it will be fun!
I'll let emotions take sway here and give you the first seven Joe Walsh songs that pop into my head. Because, as I learned many moons ago, taking test after test in school, your first answer is almost always invariably right.
Holding the lucky seven spot is, "Walk Away." This is the song that got it all going for "The James Gang" and Joe Walsh. The powerful opening guitar chords were a precursor of many great riffs to come.
At number six, "Tend My Garden." This song was atypical of the music of the time and showed that Joe Walsh had more depth, diversity and potential as a musician and composer. It's not uncommon to see this compelling composition on top of many fan's lists.
"Meadows," from the album, "The Smoker You Get, the Player You Drink." The lead-in guitar hook reminds me of the earlier Richie Blackmore lick in "My Woman From Tokyo" by "Deep Purple." Initially this turned me off to the song. However, I couldn't stay away from it. And, whatever happened to "Deep Purple" anyway.
Coming in at number four, "Welcome to the Club," from the album, "So What." This is some of Joe's best guitar chord work coupled with some of his better lyrics. Great drum work dominates on this track as well.
Sitting at number three, "County Fair'" also from the album, "So What." This song subtly glides the listener along a sonically enchanted journey, highlighted by Joe's reverse recorded guitar solo. That must have been tough to get down on tape in the studio.
"Rocky Mountain Way," from the album, "The Smoker You Get, the Player You Drink" comes in at number two. Now I'm sure this is number one on most lists, and you can make a good case for it. I love it too. But, for my money, the next song is just a little bit better.
And (drum roll please) in numero uno slot, "Turn to Stone," from the album, "So What." This was also on the "Barnstorm" album, but the "So What" version is better. How come "Turn to Stone" beats out "Rocky Mountain Way?" Maybe it's because it hasn't suffered from as much over composure. But frankly, "Turn to Stone" has a harder, darker feel that I find more engaging and appealing.

The 10 Best Albums Of All Time

We all know that there are no right or wrong answers when naming the greatest albums of all time. It's a purely subjective thought process that is influenced, more than anything, by age. Most of us think that the albums we grew up with - the ones that provided the soundtracks to our youth, are the best. However, the perceived wisdom is that there are ten albums, all of which were released between 1965 and 1979, that provided the template for everything that followed. These are as follows:
1. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles. Released in 1967, this album combines concept, sublime songwriting, art, musicianship and technology to create a heady and unforgettable mix. The thirteen songs comprise the apex of The Beatles' recorded work. Ambitious beyond belief, it took 700 hours to record and it's multi-tracking and lush orchestration changed the way music was made. Paul McCartney described it very modestly as "...just us doing a good show".
2. Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys. The inspiration for Sgt Pepper, songs like "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" and "I'm Waiting For The Day" signalled the end of the innocent pop music previously associated with the band. In reality, this was a Brian Wilson solo effort, with the band being used to flesh out the vocal parts. This undoubted genius created a wistful, melodic, heartbreaking masterpiece.
3. Revolver - The Beatles. More adventurous than 'Rubber Soul', it was the genesis of psychedelia on it's release in 1966. Lennon's "Tomorrow Never Knows" was a musical trip and McCartney's astonishingly mature "Eleanor Rigby" and "For No One" are indicative of his position as the pre-eminent songwriter of the 60's. Revolver meant that pop music could now go just about anywhere.
4. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan. Recorded in a week and released in the Summer of 1965, this album changed just about everything. It contains the epic "Like A Rolling Stone" - a six minute classic which is rightly regarded as the greatest pop song of all time, and which managed to combine tart sarcasm, grace, beauty and a breathless melody. The final track, "Desolation Row" was a surreal vision of hell that, in retrospect, was a warning of much darker times to come.
5. Rubber Soul - The Beatles. Released at Christmas in 1965, this was the moment when The Beatles ceased being the four mop-tops, and morphed effortlessly into an album band. And the Dylan influences ("Norwegian Wood", "I'm Looking Through You") brought a harsher edge to the music.
6. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye. Marvin's greatest work encompassed his thoughts on the Vietnam war, the civil rights movement and the environment and smashed Motown's formula of bouncy pop and gloopy love songs in the process. Even though the album was made in a drugged up haze, Gaye intuitively hit the zeitgeist bullseye on every track.
7. Exile On Main Street - The Rolling Stones. The band's first double album was recorded in an atmosphere of decadence of debauchery in the South of France at the turn of the 70's. It's a dirty melange of blues, boogie and prototype grunge rock. It includes the single "Tumbling Dice" and Keith Richards' finest solo moment, "Happy".
8. London Calling - The Clash. Recorded in London in 1979, the band's third studio album sounds like an apocalyptic calling card from the end of the universe. It's the sound of anger, hope and the redemptive power of music. Punk's finest moment - by far.
9. Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan. Released in 1966, it was the first double album from a major recording artist. It features Dylan's trademark aggression, sharp, poetic wit and also a healthy dose of surrealism. The feature cuts are "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" and the beautiful "Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands".
10. Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd. Released in March 1973, this album quickly transcended music, and became a global cultural happening. It embraces a basket of concepts like madness, conflict, greed and the remorseless passage of time. It's not as psychedelic as earlier Floyd albums, and therefore more accessible to a broader audience. It is atmospheric, powerful, haunting and beautifully executed. Rock music at it's most thought provoking. And it sounds as contemporary today as it did in 1973.
Of course, once I'd read what I'd written above, I became acutely aware that there are a great many albums that other people would want to see included in this 'Top Ten'. I don't really know whether the albums I've name-checked are the best, but what I do know with some certainty is that much of what has followed since owes something, and in many cases, everything, to at least one of these great pieces of work.

Musical Instruments - The Keyboard

There are many kinds of musical keyboards, from the accordion to player pianos. It is traditionally defined as a set of adjacent levers or keys that can be depressed to create a sound. A properly built keyboard can traditionally represent the twelve notes on the musical scale, with smaller keys for octave intervals.
Sound is created on a keyboard is created when the key is depressed, which leads to a string being struck or plucked, air going through a pipe or a bell being struck. The most commonly encountered keyboard instrument is the piano, which has led to the layout being called the 'piano keyboard'.
Accordion
The accordion is a kind of musical instrument that hails from Europe. Likely made popular in North America by Weird Al Yankovic, it produces an extremely distinct sound, one that is not likely to be mistaken for anything else. Due to the way that it is operated, it is often called a "squeezebox".
Most models of accordions are diatonic, which means that they produce a different sound depending on whether or not air is entering or exiting the instrument.
Playing the accordion requires more dexterity than the average keyboard instrument. It requires the user to 'pump' or 'squeeze' the instrument as they are playing the accordion, with both hands controlling either side of the accordion. It is, however, extremely rewarding and unique as an instrument.
The Harpsichord
Like the accordion, it is a European keyboard instrument. It makes its sound by plucking the string rather than striking it the way a piano would. Otherwise, it is extremely similar to a piano in terms of looks. However, it only looks like a piano. It sounds completely different.
This keyboard was most widely used during the Renaissance and is best used in Baroque music. While use of this instrument waned after the age of rebirth, it found new life in the twentieth-century, coming back into style in pop culture through new musical compositions.
The Organ
The organ is an ancient style of piano which uses air power as opposed to striking a string like a normal piano would. When an organ player presses a key, it completes a circuit that releases air through a pipe, generating a sound. This gives it the ability to sustain a note, something that a normal piano cannot do.
Unlike a piano, which is made to lead an arrangement, organs are traditionally delegated as the body of a musical piece. It can give a lot of depth to an arrangement as it can sustain a note indefinitely. Most of the time, its part is to offer support to the rest of the piece.

Drums and Percussion Musical Instruments

A variety of factors help determine the most appropriate type of drums and percussions to choose from before making a purchase. Therefore, it is important to know the different types available in the market and what they are specifically meant for. In addition, having some basic knowledge on the history of any musical instrument provides a better experience.
Drums are actually examples of percussions, which refer to musical instruments that produce sound when rubbed, shaken or hit. According to some historians and anthropologists, percussions were the first musical instruments humans invented.
The percussion instruments are grouped into different categories depending on how they are used and the type of sound they produce. The two main categories are membraphones and idiophones.
Membraphones:
Membraphones are also known as rhythmic percussions. They have different types of skin that players hit with other objects, including their own hands, drumsticks, soft mallets and brushes. Most of the membraphones do not have definite pitch. Examples of rhythmic percussions are drum sets and timpani.
Drum sets were initially assembled towards the end of the 1800s. The bass drum pedal that had been invented by then enabled one person to play a number of instruments simultaneously. New techniques were developed as more instruments were included in the drum set. Basically, a drum set refers to a group of percussion instruments that one musician plays.
The largest of these instruments is the bass drum, which produces a deep, low sound. It produces this sound when the drum head is hit by a beater that is attached to a foot pedal.
The snare drum, which is made of a shallow cylinder and band of metal wires, produces a higher-pitched sound that is quite distinctive. Sound is generated by pulling the wires across the drum's bottom head. Depending on how it is played, the snare drum produces either a snapping or buzzing sound.
Timpani, on the other hand, is made of either fiberglass or copper in the shape of a kettle, with a drumhead on top. The player can adjust the drumhead's tension using a pedal mechanism; thus changing the pitch produced. As a result, it is the only type of drum that produces definite musical notes. Timpani can also be hit with mallets to produce a deeper tone and they are usually played in groups of two or four.
Other instruments in this group include the tabla, tom-tom, octoban, darbuka, bongos and congas. Membraphones are basically the drums, whether they are manual or electronic.
Ideophones:
These instruments are often made of a single type of material and they produce sound on their own. Some of the materials used include metal, wood and bone. These musical instruments are also known as melodic percussions.
A good example of melodic percussion is the xylophone, which is made of wooden bars of varying sizes. Mallets are used to strike the bars to generate the required sound.
The South-east Asians were already using xylophones by the 1300s and their use later spread to Europe, Latin America and Africa. The first time a xylophone was used in an orchestra was in 1874, in 'Dance Macabre' by Camille Saint-Saens who was a French composer.

Lara Dutta on of Hi Blitz magazine September 2010

Lara Dutta graces on traditional pose exposes her hot nave on the cover of Hi Blitz magazine for September 2010 Photo scan.

Lara Dutta on of Hi Blitz magazine September 2010