Contents:

1. Rock and Pop Songs That Mention Famous Political Leaders
2. Favorite Classical Composition
3. Some of my Favorite Rock/Pop Songs
4. Mr. Doser's Not Well Thought Out and Incomplete Top 10 Rock/ Pop Albums of All Time
5. The Real List of Top Selling Albums of All Time
6. Books I've Read Recently
 

Rock and pop songs that mention famous political leaders. (E-mail me if you think of some others to add to this list.)

P.S. These are not in any way comments by me about the people mentioned in the songs, only a list of
what political leaders get mentioned in rock and pop songs.

Artist               Song                                    Person(s)
Queen             Killer Queen                         Nikita Khruschev, John F. Kennedy
"Building a remedy for Khruschev and Kennedy..."

Beatles            Revolution                            Mao Zedong
"If you go carry pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow..."

Neil Young      Rockin' in The Free World    George Bush (the elder)
"A kinder gentler machine gun hand."
President Bush once said that he wanted a kinder, gentler America. Neil Young refers to that statement in his song, but interprets it differently.

Beatles        Tax Man      Harold Wilson, Edward Heath
"Don't ask me what I want it for [ha ha Mr. Wilson], if you don't want to pay some more [ha ha Mr. Heath]
because I'm the taxman..."

Favorite Classical Composition:

Pachelbel - Canon

Some of my favorite Rock/Pop songs:

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
REM - Can't Get There From Here
Peter Gabriel - Mercy Street
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters
Boris Grebenshikov - Winter
Smashing Pumpkins - Landslide (yes this is a cover of a Fleetwood Mac song.)
Connels - Slackjawed
Matthew Sweet - I've Been Waiting
John Lennon - Instant Karma

Mr. Doser's Not Well Thought Out and Incomplete Top 10 Rock/ Pop Albums of All Time
(This list is subject to change at any second.) All of these albums are great from beginning to end. These are all original release albums, greatest hits albums don't count!

1. Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed - Although the title is a joke about the Beatles' Let It Be album, this album
is no joke. It's a great album start to finish, including songs like Gimme Shelter and You Can't Always Get What You Want.

2. Beatles - Revolver - Breakthrough album. I still can't believe it was recorded in 1965. It has an awesome timeless quality to it. Includes songs such as Taxman, Got to Get You Into My Life and Tomorrow Never Knows.

3. Pink Floyd - The Wall - Roger Waters' conceptual masterpiece. Includes Another Brick In The Wall, The Thin Ice and Mother.

4. Peter Gabriel - Debut. An underrated 1977 solo debut from the former singer of Genesis. Includes Games Without Frontiers, Biko and Family Snapshot.

5. Beatles - White Album - While the Beatles were falling apart, the music was still together. This double album includes While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Back in the USSR and Glass Onion.

6. U2 - The Joshua Tree - U2 hit international stardom with this 1987 album. Includes I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Where The Streets Have No Name and Bad.

7. Boston - Debut. What? What kind of joke is this? OK, so it's not deep, but you have to admit that Boston makes good time, clap your hands rock n roll. Plus, guitar player Tom Scholtz is an M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) graduate and invented a number of revolutionary effects devices for guitar players - like the Scholtz Rockman. It let every guitar player vary his sound. This revolutionary 1976 album includes More Than A Feeling, Peace of Mind and Long Time.
Note: I've changed my mind about this album - I am sick of hearing it on the radio. It's out of my top 10 - but I don't have time yet to replace it!

8. Led Zeppelin IV - Page, Plant, Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, Rock n' Roll - no more needs to be said.

9. Bee Gees and others - Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack - OK, most people old enough to remember the 1970's had a copy of this album, although they may not admit it. But it was a great collection of disco songs including Stayin' Alive and Jive Talkin. (I was going to put Fleetwood Mac's Rumours here but decided to include a disco album.)

10 Pearl Jam - Ten - OK, so I had to put at least one album from the 1990's on this list. The band that started the "Grunge" sound fills the bill. Songs like Jeremy and Alive put this album in the list.

OK - I left out many albums. Did you really think that its possible to make a top 10 list and not leave out albums? Of course not. I really want to start an argument here. I tried to pick albums from various eras and musical styles. Other albums that come mind that could make the list as great rock or pop albums include The Allman Brothers - Eat A Peach and yes, Michael Jackson - Thriller. OK, it never thrilled me but the tunes are catchy pop and thrilled 24 million people around the world. I guess Alanis Morisette also should be mentioned for here 1995 Jagged Little Pill release.

For Your Information:

Here are the top selling albums of all time (this list includes Greatest Hits albums):

Artist, Title Copies of album sold (There are 11 entries due to ties.)

1. Michael Jackson, Thriller, 24 million
1. Eagles - Greatest Hits 1971-75, 24 million
3. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, 17 million
4. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV, 16 million
4. Boston - Boston, 16 million
4. Whitney Houston and others - The Bodyguard Soundtrack, 16 million
7. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA, 15 million
7. Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill, 15 million
7. Hootie & The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View, 15 million
10. Eagles - Hotel California, 14 million
10. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction 14 million

Source: Recording Industry Association of America, 1998.

Books I've Read Recently

Tim Russert - Big Russ & Me
Bill Bryson - I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
Chris Matthews - Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think
Jeremy Isaacs & Taylor Downing - The Cold War
Michael Crichton - Timeline
Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg - Ruthless.com
Bob Woodward - Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate
Tim O'Brien - The Things They Carried
Helen Thomas - Front Row at the White House
Toni Morrison - Song of Solomon

More will be added whenever I feel like it (or get around to it!)

Send me your opinions, hopefully you disagree!