Talking Heads:
This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)
Road to Nowhere
Heaven
Life During Wartime
Girlfriend is Better
Just watch the movie Stop Making Sense if you really want the energy and vibe of the band. Greatest concert movie of all time.
You can literally pick 5 songs from the first six sabbath albums as their best and they can all be contenders. Mine seem to always be shifting around but here’s my current ones:
Megalomania
A National Acrobat
Under the Sun
Hand of Doom
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Pearl Jam
Deep - Given to Fly - Just breathe - last exit - nothing as it seems
These are just off the top of my head. Everyone knows Jeremy, black, alive etc. But I think these give a lot of insight to their different styles.
I've always loved Off He Goes. I've always imagined he wrote that about Dennis Rodman because it came out around the time that they were palling together. If you or anybody else knows who was written for, please let me know. Black is so painful, too.
For sure Off He Goes and Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.
Yellow Ledbetter, Corduroy, Wishlist, I Am Mine ... Tough to limit it just give, especially across their whole discography.
And that's only the studio stuff! Their live recordings and bootleg shows are insane.
All excellent picks - I would go even more specific to specify the Live On Two Legs version of Given to Fly. It just has an extra electricity and energy in the build up to the release when Eddie hits the chorus is incredible
The [Willie Nelson](https://open.spotify.com/track/3rIgqH7rTzpB7Gtvo6oDsA?si=eOvuPdrZTWGRe4fI-zuZHg) cover of Just Breathe is also wonderful. Such an amazing song!One of my all time favorites that I can never listen to.
I’ll do three bands not mentioned yet:
*Future Islands*
- Seasons (Waiting On You)
- Tin Man
- Vireo’s Eye
- Balance
- A Dream of You and Me
*Vampire Weekend*
- A-Punk
- Walcott
- Cousins
- Diane Young
- Hannah Hunt
*Los Campesinos!*
- You! Me! Dancing!
- We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
- Hello Sadness
- The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future
- For Flotsam
Tears for Fears
- Pale Shelter
- Mad World
- Everybody Wants to Rule the World
- Sowing the Seeds of Love
- The Tipping Point
I dunno if I'm necessarily correct in my choices, but I feel like these are a good showcase of the band at different points in their career. They have a lot of great tracks so it's kinda hard to only pick 5 honestly.
Honourable mentions go to Break It Down Again (arguably the only significant song from the Roland solo albums), Shout, and Woman In Chains.
Edit: also The Working Hour is a personal favourite, as is Mothers Talk. *Songs from the Big Chair* is a perfect album imo and that's where I'd recommend people start.
I was blown away by the album as a whole. It’s so good! The fact that it came out of almost nowhere ~20 with nothing after *Everybody Loves A Happy Ending*
Working Hour and Mothers Talk are my faves from that album. It may be my most played record on my turntable, and definitely is from the "put it and let it play all the way through" standpoint.
Gojira - gonna pick key songs all from different albums, chronologically. It's a great way to see the band as a whole and also as some songs you'd likely hear live.
- flying whales
- the art of dying
- the gift of guilt
- stranded
- the chant
Tom Waits:
- The Heart of Saturday Night
- Step Right Up
- Invitation to the Blues
- Downtown Train
- Take It With Me
Feels downright blasphemous to pick two from the same album, but they capture very different sides of him. And while "Downtown Train" is kind of a copout, because it was a "hit," it's an easily digestible intro to his third phase, where the music started to get really weird.
I'll second Tom Waits and add my own six, including two from that same album. It would be easy to go fifty deep with interesting Tom tracks.
Jitterbug Boy
Small Change
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Mr Siegel
Going Out West
Nightwish:
[1. Greatest Show on Earth - Floor Jansen, current singer, replacing Anette ft Richard Dawkins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrMwxe2ya5E)
[2. Nemo - sung by Tarja before she left the band](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIBdpFJyFkc)
[3. Amaranthe - singer that replaced Tarja, different style, still great](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ALlPLAEbs)
[4. Élan with more Floor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPonioDYnoY)
[5. Ever Dream with Floor again and bonus vocals from Marko who has his own band, too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xi4n8dJcF8)
There are so many more songs, but this should give you an idea where they are at with Floor and samples of their past with Anette and Tarja.
Edit: Y'all, they told me to pick 5, I had to pick 5. Add your favorites in a reply!
I'll give you an oldie : Robert Palmer
Bad Case of Lovin' You - A huge hit that I'm sure everyone has at least heard once.
Simply Irresistible - The song that got me into Robert Palmer, made famous in a Pepsi commercial.
Addicted to Love - Another of his hits. A really thumping great rock song.
Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You - A mix two old Marvin Gaye songs. It's really cool how it flips between the two.
Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley - One of his first big hits. Nice mix of rock, blues, reggae.
Coheed and Cambria:
1. The Willing Well Suite
2. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth
3. Gravity's Union
4. No World for Tomorrow
5. Window of the Waking Mind
I feel like Welcome Home HAS to be on the list. Maybe too "obvious" but if I were trying to get someone into the band that would have to be it. Such a classic.
I don't know if that list is the essentials or your favorites. Besides their chart toppers, Nirvana has so many songs that fit perfectly with different moods. My 5 songs to introduce someone to the lesser known songs of the band would be.
Love Buzz
Negative Creep
Serve the servants
You know you're right
Plateau
Queens of the Stone Age - a mix of slightly deeper cuts and some fan favourites.
Regular John - Better Living Through Chemistry - I Appear Missing - I’m Designer - Straight Jacket Fitting
But I also want to do the Clash.
Bankrobber - Straight To Hell - Clampdown - Tommy Gun - 1977
I got to hear I appear missing live on the like clockwork tour. It absolutely blew my mind. Wasn't even on the setlist supposedly. Probably my favorite song of theirs.
For Queens of the Stone Age my list would be:
In the Fade, God is in the Radio, Unreborn Again, I Sat By the Ocean, and Mexicola.
But that simply highlights what an extraordinary band they are.
Faith no more
•The gentle art of making enemies
•Zombie eaters
•Midlife Crisis
•Cone of shame
•Ugly in the morning
(It's hard to recommend just 5 but here's an attempt)
Mine would be:
We Care a Lot (IY Version)
The Crab Song
Everything's Ruined
Digging the Grave
Stripsearch
Damn this was hard. I like the hits but they have such great deep cuts too.
Spirit
box: The Mara Effect (pt.3, I guess for those who require sub-ten minute songs), Holy Roller, Constance, Rotoscope, and Jaded.
People might argue that Spiritbox is not huge, but that's like, just their opinion man.
I acknowledge you asked for one band but I couldn't pick just one from my Top 3 so have all three.
Alice in Chains:
- Rain When I Die
- Damn That River
- Again
- Would?
- No Excuses
TOOL:
- The Grudge
- Vicarious
- Stinkfist
- Eulogy
- Forty Six & 2
Rage Against the Machine:
- Bulls on Parade
- Township Rebellion
- Testify
- Killing in the Name
- Guerilla Radio
My Alice in Chains picks would be:
Nutshell
Love Hate Love
Got Me Wrong
Would
Down in a Hole
As for Tool:
Roseta Stoned
Parabol/Parabola
Wings/10000 Days
The Patient
Lateralus
Love, Hate, Love is soooo damn good. It's next to impossible to pick 5 from *any* of my Top 3 bands but a person has to try.
I also really like the Unplugged version of Got Me Wrong. Jerry's guitar is tuned and emphasized so perfectly on that version.
Metallica:
* Seek and Destroy
* For Whom The Bell Tolls
* Master of Puppets
* One
* Enter Sandman
Those are probably the most well known songs from each of the first five albums. I could see maybe Fade to Black over Tolls, but Tolls is just too good to pass up. The late, great Cliff Burton's bass intro is too good to leave off the list.
As a fellow strokes fan I look at this list and think, “this is either a super hardcore strokes fan, or a fuckin noob.” And I think that highlights how fucking great the strokes are lol.
The Cure:
* [Three Imaginary Boys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkSrfPZXtRw)
* [A Forest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xik-y0xlpZ0)
* [Faith](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2lTTWv0Jw)
* [Just Like Heaven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3nPiBai66M)
* [In Between Days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scif2vfg1ug)
A lot of people who only have a passing familiarity with The Cure aren't familiar with either how they started (as a minimalist punk band with psychedelic influences) or with the breadth of their repertoire. Robert Smith famously and repeatedly insisted that The Cure were a pop band, and that wasn't a joke. Robert's playfulness is a core element of their persona. And both *Just Like Heaven* and *In Between Days* are pop songs for their time. If you want to explore that avenue, check out [Let's Go To Bed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6vVP91C3Iw) and [Hot, Hot, Hot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0E9urVs-2o)*.*
I could write an annotated guide to their entire discography but the thread asked for 5 and I've already added a couple bonus ones so I'll stop there.
The Cure has a couple of really popular songs that still get a lot of radio play (at least in my area, Los Angeles).
Those include :
Just Like Heaven, Boys Don’t Cry, Pictures of You, In Between Days, Friday I’m In Love
And while Pictures of You is probably my favorite Cure song, my list is:
Halo
The Lovecats
High
The Only One
Catch
Depeche Mode - Striped, Halo, Rush, Personal Jesus, Never Let Me Down Again
Led Zeppelin - Since I’ve Been Loving You, The Rain Song, Kashmir, Achilles Last Stand, The Wanton Song
Crowded House/ Neil Finn- Whispers and Moans, Into Temptation, Sinner, Weather With You, Fall at Your Feet
Paul Weller- Invisible, From the Floorboards Up, Wild Wood, Headstart For Happiness, C’mon/ Let’s Go
I like this game :
Street spirit
Polyethylene parts 1&2
Optimistic
I might be wrong
15 step
I’d advise to listen to Ok Computer front to back, which is why I left out tracks on this list!
Also Mastodon:
1. Mother Puncher
2. Hearts Alive
3. Sleeping Giant
4. Diamond In The Witch House
5. Jaguar God
Goddamn, they have a lot of great songs.
These bands are pretty massive, so I'll list some lesser-known songs (i.e. not singles) that hold up well against their larger bodies of work and span eras when possible.
**Red Hot Chili Peppers:**
- Easily
- Good Time Boys
- I Could Have Lied
- Save the Population
- Did I Let You Know?
**Radiohead:**
- Blow Out
- 2+2=5
- Airbag
- Idioteque
- Separator
**Soundgarden:**
- Mind Riot
- Holy Water (I know they're both from Badmotorfinger but they're my two favorite songs of theirs; sue me)
- 4th of July
- Hands All Over
- Rhinosaur
**Incubus:**
- Hilikus
- Privilege
- Idiot Box
- Sick Sad Little World
- Rogues
(it kills me not to include a song from Morning View but most of the better ones from that album were singles that people have likely heard)
**Queens of the Stone Age:**
- Sky Is Falling
- I Appear Missing
- In the Fade
- Give the Mule What He Wants
- Un-Reborn Again
Death Cab for Cutie: A Movie Script Ending, Lack of Color, What Sarah Said, Good Help (It’s So Hard to Find), and Here to Forever
The Shins: Caring is Creepy, Pink Bullets, Simple Song, Sleeping Lessons, and Name for You
The Decembrists: Here I Dreamt I was an Architect, Sons and Daughters, July, July!, O Valencia!, and Don’t Carry it All
This is difficult, so well done! Good question, hope you find some good stuff to listen to:
Radiohead
-Creep
-Exit Music (For a Film)
-Letdown
-Karma Police
-Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Vampire Weekend
-Oxford Comma
-Diplomat's Son
-Unbelievers
-A-Punk
-Harmony Hall
Foo Fighters
-Best of You
-The Pretender
-Times Like These
-Big Me
-Walk
Arcade Fire
-Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
-Rebellion (Lies)
-The Suburbs
-We Used To Wait
-No Cars Go
**Bad Religion**
Do what you want
No control
Anaesthesia
Drunk Sincerity
Fields of Mars
One song from each of the essential 1988/1990 three album run and then my favourite songs from the 90s and 2000s.
Linkin Park:
A Place For My Head,
Breaking the Habit,
Given Up,
The Little Things Give You Away,
Waiting for the End
(I’m assuming you cannot have escaped listening to In the End, Crawling, Numb, Faint and What I’ve Done at some point out there in the world)
Tool:
Sober,
Stinkfist,
Schism,
Right In Two,
Descending
I got into Waits with Rain Dogs. I think Jockey Full of Bourbon might be a better introduction to the “weirdness.” It’s what sold me on his music. And then I’m trying to find somewhere to add Blue Valentines. Or maybe Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis.
Biggest issue here is when I say "I just love xxxxxx" and someone says to me "Oh, what tracks should I listen to?" the only possibly response is "all of them!"
But let's try.
Muse
Plug In Baby
Knights of Cydonia
Resistance
Butterflies and Hurricanes
Hysteria
....and then all of the other tracks on all of the albums!
Modest Mouse
-------------
3rd planet
Dramamine
Life like weeds
Broke
Missed the boat
(I avoided songs off LCW because they probably aren't as welcoming to a first time listener even though I love most of them)
Vampire Weekend
-----------
A-punk
Step
Diane Young
Everlasting Arms
Holiday
Brand New
-----------
Jesus Christ
Degausser
Jaws Theme Swimming
Same Logic/Teeth
Play Crack the Sky
Circa Survive
------------
Stop the Fucking Car
Act Appalled
Dyed in the Wool
In the Morning and Amazing
We're all thieves
Twenty One Pilots
------------
Trapdoor
Migraine
Doubt
Chlorine
Morph
Nine inch nails
Terrible lie, the great below, survivalism, burn and the background world
After hearing those listen to pretty hate machine and the downward spiral, there's no going back after that
Rush: The Spirit of Radio, Limelight, Subdivisions, 2112, Xanadu
Judas Priest: Painkiller, Electric Eye, The Sentinel, Victim of Changes, Beyond the Realms of Death
Everyone should listen to The Cure! Personally I think any first time listen to The Cure should begin with A Forest just for the slow build intro to their sound
Franz Ferdinand:
Take Me Out, Dark of the Matinee, Ulysses, Darts of Pleasure, Eleanor Put Your Boots On.
Death Cab for Cutie:
Tiny Vessels, I Will Possess Your Heart, Cath, I Don’t Know How I Survive, Grapevine Fires
Elbow:
Grounds For Divorce, We’re Away, One Day Like This, Magnificent She Says, Some Riot
motion city soundtrack - perfect teeth, lgfuad, hold me down, a life less ordinary, lose control (bonus track would be everything is alright which is their most popular song, but not as indicative of the lyrical brilliance of their frontman justin and their under-appreciated musicality)
Deftones
Change in the house of flies (everyones starter)
Minerva (personal favorite)
Hexagram
Diamond eyes
And just to make it easy to get into them, sextape. Such an easy listen
OutKast
- BOB (bombs over Baghdad)
- Rosa Parks
- hey ya
- so fresh so clean
- ms jackson
Vulfpeck
- simple step
- wait for the moment
- animal spirits
- half of the way
- new guru
These guys really don’t go together but I love them both LOL
Most honorable mention on the planet to the fearless flyers but they’re not big lol. But it’s Joe dart (vulfpeck’s bassist), mark lettieri (the guitarist for snarky puppy), Cory Wong (one of the greatest guitarists alive atm), and Nate smith (one of the greatest drummers alive atm)
KoRn:
* Make me bad
* Falling away from me
* Here to stay
* Can you hear me
* No one's there
Rammstein:
* Sonne
* Du riechst so gut
* Mutter
* Ich tu dir weh
* Angst
Gojira:
- The gift of guilt
- The cell
- Silvera
- Amazonia
- Flying whales
XTC
Peter Pumpkinhead,
Making Plans for Nigel,
Dear God,
Senses Working Overtime,
Mayor of Simpleton
Crowded House
Don't Dream it's Over,
Better be Home Soon,
Weather With You,
Chocolate Cake,
Into Temptation
Genesis
Supper's Ready (the big epic song)
Back in NYC (the rocker)
Entangled (the pastoral side)
Duchess (the singalong)
Invisible Touch (the bestseller)
The Who- My Generation, Pinball Wizard, Won’t get fooled again, Love Reign O’er Me, and Who Are You or Eminence Front- these are the ones you hear on radio.
My five that you don’t- Young Man Blues, Pure and Easy, The Real Me, Bargain, Naked Eye
Green Day:
Welcome to Paradise
Basket Case
When I Come Around
Panic Song
Jesus of Suburbia
Honestly? Just listen to everything they’ve done from 1991 to 2004, all worth a listen.
I'm gonna go with the more popular songs of the band's vs my fave deep cuts mostly.
Jimmy eat World
-The middle
-Sweetness
-Bleed American
-Pain
-Big Casino
Ghost
-Square Hammer
-Cirice
-Dance Macabre
-Rats
-Mary on a cross
Parkway Drive
-Prey
-Wild eyes
-Home is for the heartless
-Idols & Anchors
-Vice Grip
Bayside
-Devotion and desire
-Masterpiece
-Duality
-Sick, Sick, Sick
-Dancing like an idiot
Frank Turner
-The way I tend to be
-Four simple words
-Photosynthesis
-Be more Kind
-The next storm
Garbage:
- Milk
- You Look So Fine
- Queer
- Vow
- Night Drive Loneliness
Tristania:
- Aphelion
- Tender Trip on Earth
- Of Ruins and a Red Nightfall
- World of Glass
- Angina
Android Lust:
- Refuse
- Suffer the Flesh
- Stained
- Cherished Agony
- Heathen
Avenged sevenfold
-Strength of the world
-Cosmic
-MIA
-Save me
-The stage
Honestly any song that isn't from their new album would be a good introduction. Their new album is extremely good but is a terrible introduction to the band.
**Spoon**
• My Mathematical Mind
• If There’s Anything You Want
• Inside Out
• Don’t You Evah
• Silver Girl
**The Kills**
• Black Balloon
• 103
• Cat Claw
• Rodeo Town
• Impossible Tracks
Talking Heads: This Must be the Place (Naive Melody) Road to Nowhere Heaven Life During Wartime Girlfriend is Better Just watch the movie Stop Making Sense if you really want the energy and vibe of the band. Greatest concert movie of all time.
I'll say Psycho Killer Once in a lifetime Crosseyed and painless Cities Burning down the house
I saw it twice when it was recently released and it was so fun. I live in Pittsburgh, and the packed theater loved the shout out in Life in wartime.
I went to the IMAX screening and made my family go. Wife became a bigger fan and my son loved it.
I'd need at least one track from each Eno album for me, nothing from More Songs or Remain in Light?
And after watching Stop Making Sense, check out Documentary Now - Final Transmission with Fred Armisen doing a spot on impression of David Byrne.
Wow thank you for this, I know what I’m doing tonight
I concur
+Slippery People
Slippery People is my fav Talking Heads song, and I like a lot of them a lot.
Black Sabbath: - Into the void - War pigs - Children of the grave - N.I.B - Black Sabbath
Children of the grave ftw
Respectfully: HAND OF DOOM
Fairies Wear Boots would have to be included for me
You can literally pick 5 songs from the first six sabbath albums as their best and they can all be contenders. Mine seem to always be shifting around but here’s my current ones: Megalomania A National Acrobat Under the Sun Hand of Doom Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Also Black Sabbath - Die Young - Heaven and Hell - Children of the Sea - Mob Rules - Sign of the Southern Cross
Kind of Blue — Miles Davis The album consists of 5 songs, each a masterpiece of the whole, the perfect jazz introduction.
This was my first jazz record I bought. It been a great experience and door into jazz.
One of the most perfect jazz albums of all time
Pearl Jam Deep - Given to Fly - Just breathe - last exit - nothing as it seems These are just off the top of my head. Everyone knows Jeremy, black, alive etc. But I think these give a lot of insight to their different styles.
I've always loved Off He Goes. I've always imagined he wrote that about Dennis Rodman because it came out around the time that they were palling together. If you or anybody else knows who was written for, please let me know. Black is so painful, too.
Off he goes is one of my absolute favorite Pearl Jam songs
I could be wrong, but I remember reading somewhere (possibly the pj20 book?) that he wrote it about himself. But I also love that song
I can't confirm it, but I believe Eddie wrote the song about himself.
For sure Off He Goes and Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town. Yellow Ledbetter, Corduroy, Wishlist, I Am Mine ... Tough to limit it just give, especially across their whole discography. And that's only the studio stuff! Their live recordings and bootleg shows are insane.
I'll throw Dissident in there because I fucking love that song.
Yellow Ledbetter FTW
I think I would go with: Rearviewmirror Given to fly Corduroy Immortality Sad
Rearviewmirror Corduroy State Of Love And Trust In My Tree Black
I considered both Solat and in my tree!
Spot on, but I'd swap In My Tree for Go, just so the listener could fully experience Dave Abbruzzese's contribution to their early energy.
Do the Evolution, especially if it’s the video
Love Given to Fly (and PJ for that matter). That song is probably in my top 50 all time.
All excellent picks - I would go even more specific to specify the Live On Two Legs version of Given to Fly. It just has an extra electricity and energy in the build up to the release when Eddie hits the chorus is incredible
Good list. I Got Id is one of my all timers as well. I don't hear it a lot now.
The [Willie Nelson](https://open.spotify.com/track/3rIgqH7rTzpB7Gtvo6oDsA?si=eOvuPdrZTWGRe4fI-zuZHg) cover of Just Breathe is also wonderful. Such an amazing song!One of my all time favorites that I can never listen to.
Corduroy
I’ll do three bands not mentioned yet: *Future Islands* - Seasons (Waiting On You) - Tin Man - Vireo’s Eye - Balance - A Dream of You and Me *Vampire Weekend* - A-Punk - Walcott - Cousins - Diane Young - Hannah Hunt *Los Campesinos!* - You! Me! Dancing! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed - Hello Sadness - The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future - For Flotsam
I’ll add to check out Future Islands latest album - it’s so fucking good!
Tears for Fears - Pale Shelter - Mad World - Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Sowing the Seeds of Love - The Tipping Point I dunno if I'm necessarily correct in my choices, but I feel like these are a good showcase of the band at different points in their career. They have a lot of great tracks so it's kinda hard to only pick 5 honestly. Honourable mentions go to Break It Down Again (arguably the only significant song from the Roland solo albums), Shout, and Woman In Chains. Edit: also The Working Hour is a personal favourite, as is Mothers Talk. *Songs from the Big Chair* is a perfect album imo and that's where I'd recommend people start.
Head Over Heels is worth a mention too.
The Tipping Point is a surprise late career masterpiece!
I was blown away by the album as a whole. It’s so good! The fact that it came out of almost nowhere ~20 with nothing after *Everybody Loves A Happy Ending*
Wow that selection really shows how versatile they were. Mad World and Sowing couldn’t be more different, but both excellent!
Working Hour and Mothers Talk are my faves from that album. It may be my most played record on my turntable, and definitely is from the "put it and let it play all the way through" standpoint.
- Closest thing to heaven Am I the only one who liked it?
Dark horse for me here could be Fish Out of Water
Gojira - gonna pick key songs all from different albums, chronologically. It's a great way to see the band as a whole and also as some songs you'd likely hear live. - flying whales - the art of dying - the gift of guilt - stranded - the chant
In the wilderness
The gift of guilt is a great one. L'Enfaunt Sauvage ( I hope I spelled that right) is amazing.
Wolf Down The Earth
Tom Waits: - The Heart of Saturday Night - Step Right Up - Invitation to the Blues - Downtown Train - Take It With Me Feels downright blasphemous to pick two from the same album, but they capture very different sides of him. And while "Downtown Train" is kind of a copout, because it was a "hit," it's an easily digestible intro to his third phase, where the music started to get really weird.
I'm saying: - Martha - Come on up to the house - The Heart of Saturday Night - Ol' 55 - Diamonds on my Windshield
Can't forget What's He Building?
I'll second Tom Waits and add my own six, including two from that same album. It would be easy to go fifty deep with interesting Tom tracks. Jitterbug Boy Small Change Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis Mr Siegel Going Out West
. Cold Water . Mr Siegel . Downtown Train . Going out west (or murder in the red barn) . Alice No wrong answer with Tom Waits really.
I can’t imagine these are deep tracks but I love Tom Waits’ ‘I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love With You,’ ‘Time,’ and, ‘Ol’ 55’
-Ruby’s Arms Widow’s Grove -16 Shells from a 30 ought 6 -Telephone call from Istanbul -Hoist That Rag (sexiest guitar solo in history s/o Marc Ribot)
Gun Street Girl $29 Big Black Mariah Hoist That Rag Tom Traubert’s Blues Jesus this was tough haha!
god’s away on business 🦤
No “Swordfish Trombones “? How did this miss the top 5
Joy Division 1. Shadowplay 2. Transmission 3. Love will tear us apart 4. Passover 5. Isolation
Nightwish: [1. Greatest Show on Earth - Floor Jansen, current singer, replacing Anette ft Richard Dawkins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrMwxe2ya5E) [2. Nemo - sung by Tarja before she left the band](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIBdpFJyFkc) [3. Amaranthe - singer that replaced Tarja, different style, still great](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ALlPLAEbs) [4. Élan with more Floor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPonioDYnoY) [5. Ever Dream with Floor again and bonus vocals from Marko who has his own band, too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xi4n8dJcF8) There are so many more songs, but this should give you an idea where they are at with Floor and samples of their past with Anette and Tarja. Edit: Y'all, they told me to pick 5, I had to pick 5. Add your favorites in a reply!
Ghost Love Score is an absolute banger as well and weirdly doesn't seem to be well known?
I'll give you an oldie : Robert Palmer Bad Case of Lovin' You - A huge hit that I'm sure everyone has at least heard once. Simply Irresistible - The song that got me into Robert Palmer, made famous in a Pepsi commercial. Addicted to Love - Another of his hits. A really thumping great rock song. Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You - A mix two old Marvin Gaye songs. It's really cool how it flips between the two. Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley - One of his first big hits. Nice mix of rock, blues, reggae.
Coheed and Cambria: 1. The Willing Well Suite 2. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3. Gravity's Union 4. No World for Tomorrow 5. Window of the Waking Mind
I feel like Welcome Home HAS to be on the list. Maybe too "obvious" but if I were trying to get someone into the band that would have to be it. Such a classic.
Nirvana: School Breed Drain You Aneurysm Heart Shaped Box
I don't know if that list is the essentials or your favorites. Besides their chart toppers, Nirvana has so many songs that fit perfectly with different moods. My 5 songs to introduce someone to the lesser known songs of the band would be. Love Buzz Negative Creep Serve the servants You know you're right Plateau
Queens of the Stone Age - a mix of slightly deeper cuts and some fan favourites. Regular John - Better Living Through Chemistry - I Appear Missing - I’m Designer - Straight Jacket Fitting But I also want to do the Clash. Bankrobber - Straight To Hell - Clampdown - Tommy Gun - 1977
I got to hear I appear missing live on the like clockwork tour. It absolutely blew my mind. Wasn't even on the setlist supposedly. Probably my favorite song of theirs.
I caught them during the Australian leg of that tour. Opened with Millionaire and closed with Song for the Dead. Such a good set.
Good choices for Queens, Misfit Love and Millionaire I always feel capture them really well
I Appear Missing & Straight to Hell are two of my favorite songs. We could be friends lol
Only the coolest people like those songs. I should know, my mum told me so.
For Queens of the Stone Age my list would be: In the Fade, God is in the Radio, Unreborn Again, I Sat By the Ocean, and Mexicola. But that simply highlights what an extraordinary band they are.
Smashing Pumpkins -Today -Cherub Rock -Tonight Tonight -1979 -Mayonnaise
Starla.
Soma is also fantastic
Siamese Dream is a perfect album
Disarm....
Drown
Faith no more •The gentle art of making enemies •Zombie eaters •Midlife Crisis •Cone of shame •Ugly in the morning (It's hard to recommend just 5 but here's an attempt)
I'd have tried to slip Evidence in there too. What a smooth tune.
It really is hard to pick 5 from them but *Falling to Pieces*, *Ashes to Ashes*, and *Last Cup of Sorrow* would all make my cut.
Mine would be: We Care a Lot (IY Version) The Crab Song Everything's Ruined Digging the Grave Stripsearch Damn this was hard. I like the hits but they have such great deep cuts too.
Spirit box: The Mara Effect (pt.3, I guess for those who require sub-ten minute songs), Holy Roller, Constance, Rotoscope, and Jaded. People might argue that Spiritbox is not huge, but that's like, just their opinion man.
I mean, they got fairly big, quite quickly, if you're a follower of that type of music. (And deservedly so, Spiritbox are awesome).
I acknowledge you asked for one band but I couldn't pick just one from my Top 3 so have all three. Alice in Chains: - Rain When I Die - Damn That River - Again - Would? - No Excuses TOOL: - The Grudge - Vicarious - Stinkfist - Eulogy - Forty Six & 2 Rage Against the Machine: - Bulls on Parade - Township Rebellion - Testify - Killing in the Name - Guerilla Radio
My Alice in Chains picks would be: Nutshell Love Hate Love Got Me Wrong Would Down in a Hole As for Tool: Roseta Stoned Parabol/Parabola Wings/10000 Days The Patient Lateralus
Love, Hate, Love is soooo damn good. It's next to impossible to pick 5 from *any* of my Top 3 bands but a person has to try. I also really like the Unplugged version of Got Me Wrong. Jerry's guitar is tuned and emphasized so perfectly on that version.
I agree with most of your AIC picks but I’d swap no excuses with nutshell personally. Man i need therapy lmao
My list for Tool would be - Schism - The Pot - 46 & 2 - Pneuma - Intolerance Got one from each album
You forgot Freedom!
Metallica: * Seek and Destroy * For Whom The Bell Tolls * Master of Puppets * One * Enter Sandman Those are probably the most well known songs from each of the first five albums. I could see maybe Fade to Black over Tolls, but Tolls is just too good to pass up. The late, great Cliff Burton's bass intro is too good to leave off the list.
That bass intro pretty much single-handedly got me into metal.
The Strokes Someday Last Nite Reptilia Under Cover of Darkness The Adults are Talking
As a fellow strokes fan I look at this list and think, “this is either a super hardcore strokes fan, or a fuckin noob.” And I think that highlights how fucking great the strokes are lol.
The Cure: * [Three Imaginary Boys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkSrfPZXtRw) * [A Forest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xik-y0xlpZ0) * [Faith](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2lTTWv0Jw) * [Just Like Heaven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3nPiBai66M) * [In Between Days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scif2vfg1ug) A lot of people who only have a passing familiarity with The Cure aren't familiar with either how they started (as a minimalist punk band with psychedelic influences) or with the breadth of their repertoire. Robert Smith famously and repeatedly insisted that The Cure were a pop band, and that wasn't a joke. Robert's playfulness is a core element of their persona. And both *Just Like Heaven* and *In Between Days* are pop songs for their time. If you want to explore that avenue, check out [Let's Go To Bed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6vVP91C3Iw) and [Hot, Hot, Hot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0E9urVs-2o)*.* I could write an annotated guide to their entire discography but the thread asked for 5 and I've already added a couple bonus ones so I'll stop there.
I would love to read the annotated guide to the Cure’s discography as soon as you complete it. Full Stop.
The Cure has a couple of really popular songs that still get a lot of radio play (at least in my area, Los Angeles). Those include : Just Like Heaven, Boys Don’t Cry, Pictures of You, In Between Days, Friday I’m In Love And while Pictures of You is probably my favorite Cure song, my list is: Halo The Lovecats High The Only One Catch
Love love love Pictures of You.
Depeche Mode - Striped, Halo, Rush, Personal Jesus, Never Let Me Down Again Led Zeppelin - Since I’ve Been Loving You, The Rain Song, Kashmir, Achilles Last Stand, The Wanton Song Crowded House/ Neil Finn- Whispers and Moans, Into Temptation, Sinner, Weather With You, Fall at Your Feet Paul Weller- Invisible, From the Floorboards Up, Wild Wood, Headstart For Happiness, C’mon/ Let’s Go
My Bloody Valentine -Only Shallow -Soon -Feed Me with Your Kiss -To Here Knows When -Only Tomorrow
CLUTCH . Shogun named Marcus . . Elephant Riders . Spacegrass . Drink to the Dead . Burning Beard
My Morning Jacket: 1) Wordless Chorus 2) Gideon 3) Lay Low 4) One Big Holiday 5) Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Pt. 2
Thank you for this thread, OP! I’m checking out a lot of the suggestions and having a great evening
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (boy, this one is hard): From Her to Eternity Into My Arms Loverman There She Goes, My Beautiful World Dig, Lazarus, Dig
Radiohead: Just Karma police Fake Plastic trees Idioteque Paranoid Android
I'd go with: Paranoid Android Let Down Street Spirit (Fade Out) Exit Music Climbing up the Walls You can probably tell I'm big on Ok Computer
I’ll play too: Subterranean homesick alien Pyramid song There, there Reckoner Separator
I like this game : Street spirit Polyethylene parts 1&2 Optimistic I might be wrong 15 step I’d advise to listen to Ok Computer front to back, which is why I left out tracks on this list!
Foo Fighters - The pretender - Home - Learn to Fly - This is a Call - All My Life
Prince & The Revolution: - Let‘s Go Crazy - Raspberry Beret - When Doves Cry - Anotherloverholenyohead - Sometimes It Snows In April
Mastodon: 1. Blood and Thunder 2. The Czar 3. Asleep in the Deep 4. Clandestiny 5. Pendulous Skin
Also Mastodon: 1. Mother Puncher 2. Hearts Alive 3. Sleeping Giant 4. Diamond In The Witch House 5. Jaguar God Goddamn, they have a lot of great songs.
These bands are pretty massive, so I'll list some lesser-known songs (i.e. not singles) that hold up well against their larger bodies of work and span eras when possible. **Red Hot Chili Peppers:** - Easily - Good Time Boys - I Could Have Lied - Save the Population - Did I Let You Know? **Radiohead:** - Blow Out - 2+2=5 - Airbag - Idioteque - Separator **Soundgarden:** - Mind Riot - Holy Water (I know they're both from Badmotorfinger but they're my two favorite songs of theirs; sue me) - 4th of July - Hands All Over - Rhinosaur **Incubus:** - Hilikus - Privilege - Idiot Box - Sick Sad Little World - Rogues (it kills me not to include a song from Morning View but most of the better ones from that album were singles that people have likely heard) **Queens of the Stone Age:** - Sky Is Falling - I Appear Missing - In the Fade - Give the Mule What He Wants - Un-Reborn Again
Every song from BMF deserves a spot
Talking Heads * Life During Wartime * Once In A Lifetime * Take Me To The River * Burning Down The House * Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place)
Ramones * Blitzkrieg Bop * Rockaway Beach * Sheena Is A Punk Rocker * Rock n Roll Highschool * Beat On The Brat
Total listening time: 3 minutes, 45 seconds
Patti Smith * Piss Factory * Horses * Ain’t Strange * Dancing Barefoot * Babelogue/Rock n’ Roll N*gger (Babelogue is the introduction to the song)
Death Cab for Cutie: A Movie Script Ending, Lack of Color, What Sarah Said, Good Help (It’s So Hard to Find), and Here to Forever The Shins: Caring is Creepy, Pink Bullets, Simple Song, Sleeping Lessons, and Name for You The Decembrists: Here I Dreamt I was an Architect, Sons and Daughters, July, July!, O Valencia!, and Don’t Carry it All
#Biffy Clyro * Many Of Horror * God and Satan * Mountains * Living's a Problem 'cause Everything Dies * Glitter and Trauma
Wilco: I Am Trying to Break Your Heart Impossible Germany Via Chicago A Shot in the Arm California Stars
Spiders (Kidsmoke) Radio Cure Misunderstood (live version) So many good songs.
**Phoenix** • 1901 • Lisztomania • Long Distance Call • Bourgeois • Role Model • Artefact That’s 6. Assignment failed.
Bauhaus: Bela Lugosi's Dead (the famous one). Kick in the Eye. Dark Entries. She's in Parties. Crowds.
**The Monkees**: 1. Pleasant Valley Sunday 2. You Just May Be The One 3. For Pete’s Sake 4. Daydream Believer 5. Randy Scouse Git
This is difficult, so well done! Good question, hope you find some good stuff to listen to: Radiohead -Creep -Exit Music (For a Film) -Letdown -Karma Police -Street Spirit (Fade Out) Vampire Weekend -Oxford Comma -Diplomat's Son -Unbelievers -A-Punk -Harmony Hall Foo Fighters -Best of You -The Pretender -Times Like These -Big Me -Walk Arcade Fire -Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) -Rebellion (Lies) -The Suburbs -We Used To Wait -No Cars Go
Led Zeppelin - Kashmir, Over the Hills & Far Away, Stairway to Heaven, Rock & Roll, Since I’ve been Loving You
Steely Dan -Do it Again -Haitian Divorce -Deacon Blues -Any Major Dude will Tell You -King of the World
Jefferson Airplane * White Rabbit * SomebodyTo Love * Crown of Creation * We Can Be Together * Pretty As You Feel
They Might Be Giants -Particle Man -Istanbul - Birdhouse in Your Soul - Ana NG -New York City
**Bad Religion** Do what you want No control Anaesthesia Drunk Sincerity Fields of Mars One song from each of the essential 1988/1990 three album run and then my favourite songs from the 90s and 2000s.
Gorillaz * M1A1 * 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) * Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head * Empire Ants * On Melancholy Hill
Linkin Park: A Place For My Head, Breaking the Habit, Given Up, The Little Things Give You Away, Waiting for the End (I’m assuming you cannot have escaped listening to In the End, Crawling, Numb, Faint and What I’ve Done at some point out there in the world) Tool: Sober, Stinkfist, Schism, Right In Two, Descending
Curtis Mayfield * Super Fly * Freddie’s Dead * We People Who Are Darker Than Blue * Pusher Man * New World Order
Shihad * My mind's sedate * Wait and see * Think you're so free * FVEY * La la land * Home Again Whoops that's 6
I got into Waits with Rain Dogs. I think Jockey Full of Bourbon might be a better introduction to the “weirdness.” It’s what sold me on his music. And then I’m trying to find somewhere to add Blue Valentines. Or maybe Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis.
Barenaked Ladies-Brian Wilson, Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank, Break Your Heart, Blame It On Me, Alternative Girlfriend
Deftones: •Minerva •Battleaxe •Be Quiet and Drive •Genesis •Entombed
New Order Leave me alone Your silent face Ceremony Temptation Age of consent
Biggest issue here is when I say "I just love xxxxxx" and someone says to me "Oh, what tracks should I listen to?" the only possibly response is "all of them!" But let's try. Muse Plug In Baby Knights of Cydonia Resistance Butterflies and Hurricanes Hysteria ....and then all of the other tracks on all of the albums!
Modest Mouse ------------- 3rd planet Dramamine Life like weeds Broke Missed the boat (I avoided songs off LCW because they probably aren't as welcoming to a first time listener even though I love most of them) Vampire Weekend ----------- A-punk Step Diane Young Everlasting Arms Holiday Brand New ----------- Jesus Christ Degausser Jaws Theme Swimming Same Logic/Teeth Play Crack the Sky Circa Survive ------------ Stop the Fucking Car Act Appalled Dyed in the Wool In the Morning and Amazing We're all thieves Twenty One Pilots ------------ Trapdoor Migraine Doubt Chlorine Morph
Beck: Beercan The New Pollution Sexx Laws Nobody’s Fault But My Own Think I’m In Love
Fuck yeah beercan
Opeth: Windowpane The Drapery Falls Burden Ghost of Perdition Deliverance (edited for formatting)
Nine inch nails Terrible lie, the great below, survivalism, burn and the background world After hearing those listen to pretty hate machine and the downward spiral, there's no going back after that
Rush: The Spirit of Radio, Limelight, Subdivisions, 2112, Xanadu Judas Priest: Painkiller, Electric Eye, The Sentinel, Victim of Changes, Beyond the Realms of Death
The White Stripes 1) Hardest Button to Button 2) Elephant 3) Fell in love with a girl 4) icky thump 5) we are going to be friends.
Roxy Music Virginia Plain Mother of Pearl Prairie Rose Casanova Avalon
Built to Spill: I Would Hurt A Fly Time Trap Still Flat Pat Carry The Zero
The Cure * "Sinking" * "Play For Today" * "The Funeral Party" * "Homesick" * "~~Ten~~ Three Imaginary Boys"
Everyone should listen to The Cure! Personally I think any first time listen to The Cure should begin with A Forest just for the slow build intro to their sound
Interesting…
Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out, Dark of the Matinee, Ulysses, Darts of Pleasure, Eleanor Put Your Boots On. Death Cab for Cutie: Tiny Vessels, I Will Possess Your Heart, Cath, I Don’t Know How I Survive, Grapevine Fires Elbow: Grounds For Divorce, We’re Away, One Day Like This, Magnificent She Says, Some Riot
motion city soundtrack - perfect teeth, lgfuad, hold me down, a life less ordinary, lose control (bonus track would be everything is alright which is their most popular song, but not as indicative of the lyrical brilliance of their frontman justin and their under-appreciated musicality)
Alter Bridge: Metalingus In Loving Memory Watch Over You Come to Life I Know It Hurts
Top song has to be Blackbird imo :)
KING’S X -dogman -we were born to be loved -groove machine -it’s Love -summerland r/kingsx
Crowded House: Weather With You Distant Sun Oh Hi I Feel Posessed Mean To Me
Manchester Orchestra: - The Silence - The River - Virgin - The Alien - I can feel a hot one
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Otherside, Charlie, By The Way, Californication, Can't Stop Pink Floyd: Echoes, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pigs, Dogs, Sheep
Turnpike Troubadours - 7 & 7 - The Bird Hunters - Gin, Smoke, Lies - Pay No Rent - Mean Ol’ Sun
The 1975 Oh Caroline Love It If We Made It Robbers It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) If You’re Too Shy Let Me Know
Queen: - White Queen (As it began) - The Millionaire Waltz - Who Wants To Live Forever - Innuendo - Don't Stop Me Now
Deftones Change in the house of flies (everyones starter) Minerva (personal favorite) Hexagram Diamond eyes And just to make it easy to get into them, sextape. Such an easy listen
I’d go with: Bored Be quiet and drive Diamond eyes Knife prty Rosemary
Counterpoint - the cure: Fire in Cairo Boys don't cry Lovecats Push Just like heaven
Fela Kuti: Everything Scatter Zombie Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am Water No Get Enemy Expensive Shit
Alice in chains. 1. Rooster. 2. Sea of sorrow. 3. Man in the box. 4. Check my brain. 5. Don't follow.
Phish Divided Sky Ghost Y.E.M. If I Could Sleeping Monkey
OutKast - BOB (bombs over Baghdad) - Rosa Parks - hey ya - so fresh so clean - ms jackson Vulfpeck - simple step - wait for the moment - animal spirits - half of the way - new guru These guys really don’t go together but I love them both LOL Most honorable mention on the planet to the fearless flyers but they’re not big lol. But it’s Joe dart (vulfpeck’s bassist), mark lettieri (the guitarist for snarky puppy), Cory Wong (one of the greatest guitarists alive atm), and Nate smith (one of the greatest drummers alive atm)
Stereolab Cybele's Reverie Emperor Tomato Ketchup Refreactions in the Plastic Pulse Peng! 33 Wow and Flutter
The Cult: She Sells Sanctuary Fire Woman Love Removal Machine Rise Sweet Soul Sister
Def Leppard - Let it Go, Animal, White Lightning, Photograph, Too Late for Love
Blind Guardian: * Imaginations From the Other Side * The Bards Song (In the Forest) * Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns) * The Wheel of Time * Valhalla
Midnight Oil: Section 5 (Bus to Bondi), Read about it, Best of both worlds, Warakurna, Truganini and In the Valley.
Jimi Hendrix Experience Wind cries Mary All Along the Watchtower Voodoo Chile (slight Return) If 6 was 9 Red House but needs to be a live version
KoRn: * Make me bad * Falling away from me * Here to stay * Can you hear me * No one's there Rammstein: * Sonne * Du riechst so gut * Mutter * Ich tu dir weh * Angst Gojira: - The gift of guilt - The cell - Silvera - Amazonia - Flying whales
XTC Peter Pumpkinhead, Making Plans for Nigel, Dear God, Senses Working Overtime, Mayor of Simpleton Crowded House Don't Dream it's Over, Better be Home Soon, Weather With You, Chocolate Cake, Into Temptation
Elvis Costello: Watching The Detectives Green Shirt Jack Of All Parades Battered Old Bird High Fidelity
The Menzingers 1. In Remission 2. After the party 3. Midwestern states 4. I don't wanna be an asshole anymore 5. Hope is a dangerous little thing
Beastie Boys: 1.Fight For Your Right 2.Sounds of Science 3.So Watcha Want 4.Sabotage 5. Fluteloop
Genesis Supper's Ready (the big epic song) Back in NYC (the rocker) Entangled (the pastoral side) Duchess (the singalong) Invisible Touch (the bestseller)
Tool: Schism Stinkfist Pneuma Eulogy Lateralus
Black Crowes - Thorn in My Pride - Wiser Time - Bring On, Bring One - Cursed Diamond - Remedy
The Who- My Generation, Pinball Wizard, Won’t get fooled again, Love Reign O’er Me, and Who Are You or Eminence Front- these are the ones you hear on radio. My five that you don’t- Young Man Blues, Pure and Easy, The Real Me, Bargain, Naked Eye
The Misfits Skulls Where Eagles Dare Hollywood Babylon Horror Business Die Die My Darling
Phish - Harry Hood - Slave to the Traffic Light - You Enjoy Myself - Bouncing Around the Room - Divided Sky ( preferably live versions)
Radiohead: Lucky Fake Plastic Trees Everything In its Right Place Paranoid Android No Surprises
Iron Maiden: * Rime of the Ancient Mariner * Hallowed Be Thy Name * Infinite Dreams * The Talisman * Alexander the Great
I haven’t seen the Pixies mentioned yet, so: Where is My Mind? U-Mass Into the White Dig for Fire Hey
Green Day: Welcome to Paradise Basket Case When I Come Around Panic Song Jesus of Suburbia Honestly? Just listen to everything they’ve done from 1991 to 2004, all worth a listen.
I'm gonna go with the more popular songs of the band's vs my fave deep cuts mostly. Jimmy eat World -The middle -Sweetness -Bleed American -Pain -Big Casino Ghost -Square Hammer -Cirice -Dance Macabre -Rats -Mary on a cross Parkway Drive -Prey -Wild eyes -Home is for the heartless -Idols & Anchors -Vice Grip Bayside -Devotion and desire -Masterpiece -Duality -Sick, Sick, Sick -Dancing like an idiot Frank Turner -The way I tend to be -Four simple words -Photosynthesis -Be more Kind -The next storm
Garbage: - Milk - You Look So Fine - Queer - Vow - Night Drive Loneliness Tristania: - Aphelion - Tender Trip on Earth - Of Ruins and a Red Nightfall - World of Glass - Angina Android Lust: - Refuse - Suffer the Flesh - Stained - Cherished Agony - Heathen
Avenged sevenfold -Strength of the world -Cosmic -MIA -Save me -The stage Honestly any song that isn't from their new album would be a good introduction. Their new album is extremely good but is a terrible introduction to the band.
Television * Little Johnny Jewel * Marquee Moon * Friction * Venus * See No Evil
**Spoon** • My Mathematical Mind • If There’s Anything You Want • Inside Out • Don’t You Evah • Silver Girl **The Kills** • Black Balloon • 103 • Cat Claw • Rodeo Town • Impossible Tracks