Right after I got new speakers hooked up to my Mac, of course I wanted to give them a good test. So I found a Meat Loaf concert on YouTube and cranked up the volume. The new speakers sounded great! And I could not stop watching – and listening – to Meat Loaf.
I wondered where Meat Loaf ranks among the great singers. His voice is so sweet and pure, and then so raucous and powerful. I looked up Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time,” as voted on by “a panel of 179 experts” in 2008.
Guess what? Meat Loaf is not on their list. No Barbra Streisand, either. Or Frank Sinatra. Or Andrea Bocelli. Or Jimmy Buffett. Or Neil Fucking Diamond.
The “100 Greatest” list contains a lot of names I respect, and about 10 for which I draw a complete blank. Joe Cocker and not Meat Loaf? Dolly Parton and not Barbra? Jesus.
I’ll never again put any faith at all in anyone’s Best Of list.
100 Mary J. Blige
99 Steven Tyler
98 Stevie Nicks
97 Joe Cocker
96 B.B. King
95 Patti LaBelle
94 Karen Carpenter
93 Annie Lennox
92 Morrissey
91 Levon Helm
90 The Everly Brothers
89 Solomon Burke
88 Willie Nelson
87 Don Henley
86 Art Garfunkel
85 Sam Moore
84 Darlene Love
83 Patti Smith
82 Tom Waits
81 John Lee Hooker
80 Frankie Valli
79 Mariah Carey
78 Sly Stone
77 Merle Haggard
76 Steve Perry
75 Iggy Pop
74 James Taylor
73 Dolly Parton
72 John Fogerty
71 Toots Hibbert
70 Greg Allman
69 Ronnie Spector
68 Wilson Pickett
67 Jerry Lee Lewis
66 Thom Yorke
65 David Ruffin
64 Axl Rose
63 Dion
62 Lou Reed
61 Roger Daltrey
60 Björk
59 Roger Stewart
58 Christina Aguilera
57 Eric Burdon
56 Mavis Staples
55 Paul Rodgers
54 Luther Vandross
53 Muddy Waters
52 Brian Wilson
51 Gladys Knight
50 Bonnie Raitt
49 Donny Hathaway
48 Buddy Holly
47 Jim Morrison
46 Patsy Cline
45 Kurt Cobain
44 Bobby “Blue” Bland
43 George Jones
42 Joni Mitchell
41 Chuck Berry
40 Curtis Mayfield
39 Jeff Buckley
38 Elton John
37 Neil Young
36 Bruce Springsteen
35 Dusty Springfield
34 Whitney Houston
33 Steve Winwood
32 Bono
31 Howlin’ Wolf
30 Prince
29 Nina Simone
28 Janis Joplin
27 Hank Williams
26 Jackie Wilson
25 Michael Jackson
24 Van Morrison
23 David Bowie
22 Etta James
21 Johnny Cash
20 Smokey Robinson
19 Bob Marley
18 Freddie Mercury
17 Tina Turner
16 Mick Jagger
15 Robert Plant
14 Al Green
13 Roy Orbison
12 Little Richard
11 Paul McCartney
10 James Brown
9 Stevie Wonder
8 Otis Redding
7 Bob Dylan
6 Marvin Gaye
5 John Lennon
4 Sam Cooke
3 Elvis Presley
2 Ray Charles
1 Aretha Franklin
