A rock and roll primer.

I don’t know if any of my readers are interested in classic rock, but here is a primer not of great albums (since who downloads albums anyway?), but of great artists through their greatest hits packages and some career retrospectives. My hope is that if you like the songs on these, then you might download some of their albums as well.

Mainstream rock and roll:
• The Kinks had a long career, with many different phases and greatest hits packages covering all of them. But my choice for their best era was the late 60s, and The Kink Kronikles covers that period very well, and is one of my very favorite greatest hits packages;
• To fully appreciate The Beatles, you really need to listen to all their albums individually. There are not really that many of them; they only recorded 13 British format albums,the recommended versions. But it you know have heard more about the Beatles than by the Beatles, you can start with their 2 collections of all their singles and “B” sides, Past Masters, Volume 1 and Past Masters, Volume 2, the first covering their early, more pop music, and the second their later, more sophisticated music;
• Few artists are more consistently good than Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and you will undoubtedly find numerous songs that you’ve heard previously in their Greatest Hits;
• One of the finest straightforward rock and rollers was Bob Seger, whose Greatest Hits contains music that you wish could be hearing live;
• Although he has been a rock legend for nearly four decades, most of the songs which made Bruce Springsteen’s reputation were recorded in his first ten years of his career, which is why Live 1975/1985 is essential rock and roll;
• Alice in Chains have influences from all over the rock spectrum, but anybody who likes mainstream rock should enjoy their Live;
• The Band started out as a backup band first for Ronnie Hawkins, then for Bob Dylan. But their solo stuff equaled their mentors, the best of which can be found in the live Rock of Ages;
• The Very Best of Jackson Browne, my favorite singer-songwriter;
• One of the most popular singles band was Creedence Clearwater Revival, whose Chronicles shows they were much more than that;
• Chris de Burgh is a superstar in Germany, but sadly underappreciated in this country. There are few greatest hits packages better than his Spark to a Flame;
• Bob Dylan likely needs no introduction, except to state that Biograph is just a sampler of his immense talent;
• Foo Fighters are a classic rock band who combine rhythm with hard rock. Their Greatest Hits is one of the finest recent such packages available;
• Offspring was a punk rock band with great senses of both humor and rhythm, as shown in their Greatest Hits;
• U2 can be uneven at times, but at their finest they compare well with the great rock and roll bands. Try The Best of 1980-1990;
• The Waterboys are another underappreciated band, but I strongly recommend The Best of ‘81-‘90.

Folk Rock: It is a legend that all rock and roll descended from the blues. While it originated in the blues, there have been numerous other influences as well, including both American folk music and Celtic folk music.
• Richard Thompson has probably had more retrospective collections than any other artists, but my favorite covers the first half of his solo career (including recordings with then-wife Linda), Watching the Dark;
• The Strawbs is another band which may not be as well-known as other artists on this list, but they are just as talented, as shown by their sublime Halcyon Days;
• Ian Anderson is a giant of folk-rock, and an excellent cross-section of his music can be found in 20 Years of Jethro Tull;
• The Best of Steve Forbert displays the best of an underrated singer-songwriter who combines traditional folk music with modern rock and roll;
• The Lovin’ Spoonful were another popular singles band, but the songwriting and singing of John Sebastian makes their music stand out over many of their peers. Their Anthology is highly recommended.

Progressive Rock: This music which is more intricate than your typical pop music or mainstream rock music, ranging from introspective to jazz-rock to full-blown symphonic.
• Pink Floyd is a rare rock band who appeal to nearly all taste, and Echoes contains much of their finest music;
• Renaissance is a symphonic band with one of the greatest voice in rock music. Live at Carnegie Hall is a strong sampler;
• Yes rocks more than Renaissance, but otherwise has many similarities. Yessongs was recorded live at their peak years;
• Frank Zappa combines jazz-rock with outrageousness, usually succeeding. Have I Offended Someone? covers all aspects of his multi-varied career;
• The Very Best of Rick Wakeman displays a keyboard virtuoso who played with both the Strawbs and Yes at various times in his career.

Career-spanning boxed sets:
• Elton John is one of the most talented songwriters and performers, whose albums often show an inability to weed out weaker material. There is no such problem on his box set To Be Continued... ;
• Lennon contains much of John Lennon’s solo material, and thus is must listening;
• Wingspan celebrates Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles group Wings, a group which at their peak compared favorably with his former band;
• The Moody Blues verge between progressive rock and soft-rock, and Time Traveler contains much of their finest excellent music;
• Van Morrison is a very talented songwriter and an excellent performer. Still On Top describes its contents well;
• In some ways, Simon & Garfunkel were the spokespersons of the 1960s, and Old Friends is the sound of that decade.