Sedimentary Rock

The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Meat Loaf, Kiss, U2, Def Leopard, Bon Jovi, Guns’n'Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Jack White.

I’ve become a little obsessed with www.threadless.com. I’ve ordered 8 shirts over the last three weeks, and those were just the ones I really really dug AND they had in my size.

Basically, you become a member and you can buy tees, submit designs, and vote on other designs. If you become a designer, they give you money when you win (and you get your tee printed, which is the grand prize in my mind). The tees are fairly cheap as far as cool-ass printed t-shirts from the internet are concened. Only 15 bucks (US) for mens, 17 for womens. Shipping is by weight and seems to be rather prompt.

I have posted the design above WITHOUT PERMISSION because it has sparked a bit of a debate among voters. The consensus seems to be that it is brilliant. The debate has spawned from the designers choice of Rock artists.

He said that he wanted pure rock verging on punk only, and thus was able to omit Elvis and the Beatles. This was where the first problem began.

A rock shirt that doesn’t give credit to the Beatles? That’s a bit outrageous. Personally, I think anyone who doesn’t like the Beatles should be considered for institutionalization, but everyone’s opinion varies and that makes the world an interesting place, blah blah blah. If you don’t like the Beatles, fine. At least admit that they CHANGED THE DIRECTION OF MUSIC, or their producer did. It seems that although Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and whats-his-face were geniuses in their own right, George Martin’s influence allowed their evolution from good to mind-blowing (for the times).

Admittedly I’ve not heard a lot by the Rolling Stones, however I do own a couple of their early records, a best of, and even the comatose have heard a majority of their singles. I’m no officianado; my knowledge of the Beatles is more substantial. That being said, it doesn’t seem to me that the Rolling Stones have changed their sound in the last 75 years*. The Beatles evolved from cheezey boy band to acclaimed musical innovators over a period of only 8 years. If you include the Stones, you include the Beatles.

This little rant is far from being directed only to the designer. It’s more like the thing that finally broke me about this anti-Beatles cult I’ve seen spawning among music appreciators. You know what? Tom Waits did more for Rock than anyone, HOWEVER Tom Waits isn’t rock. He is his own genre, and his stuff influenced most artists who have really created a solid, inovative style. There are pleanty of other unknowns-among-the-philistines musicians who have silently influenced rock over the years. Captain Beefheart, Anton Newcombe, and there are others I’m sure, but I don’t know them.

So that is the major downfall of the design, in my opinion. Other problems include: No Bob Dylan, and yet the inclusion of Jimi. Interesting, since many Jimi songs were written by Dylan. Many of everyone’s songs were written by Dylan because he’s a bit of genius, poor singing voice or not. Same with Leonard Cohen, but that’s not really the point.

I’d chuck Meat Loaf, Jovi, Nirvana (and I’m a fan of Nirvana, a serious fan, not like I’m a Jovi fan), maybe Pearl Jam (I only own Vitalogy, which I’ve heard is NOT the quintessential PJ album), definitely Green Day (even though they were the first rock-like band I got into — they were my gateway band that took me from Celine Dion (my grandmothers influence, I swear!) and Miriah Carey to Nine Inch Nails and The Sex Pistols) and make the list the following (not in correct choronological order because I’m lazy):

1. The Beatles

2. The Rolling Stones

3. Eric Clapton/Cream

4. The Who

5. Jimi Hendrix

6. Led Zeppelin

7. Bob Dylan

8. The Velvet Underground

9. David Bowie

10. Sam Cooke

11. The Kinks

12. Queen

13. Aerosmith

14. VanHalen

15. U2

16. Def Leopard

17. Guns’N'Roses

18. Fleetwood Mac

19. Pearl Jam

20. Radiohead

And Rock died for a little while with Radiohead, and was revived by “the” bands like The Strokes. I wouldn’t include bands like the Strokes just because there is no proof that they have changed rock.

Okay, I left off the Red Hot Chili Peppers for personal reasons. The reason being I hate the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m open to any debate as to why they changed the directon of music.
*I’ve done some Stones research on Wikipedia, clearly the greatest source of information ever, and the biography says they have dabbled in generes from blues (I believe it) to raggae (I don’t like raggae. This was confirmed yesterday when “Raggae Lunch” turned into “Raggae Afternoon” at the bakery. After 6 hours of raggae, I know am sure I don’t like raggae). If there is a Stones album out there that equals the diversity on the White Album, I’d love it for my birthday. Or my unbirthday.