Larry Anderson's 10 List

Hi, I am Webmaster for www.smokestacklightnin.com and I am also a huge music fan. My taste in music covers a lot of ground, but it is ground that I am sure others will enjoy. My music roots start in a suburb of Detroit, where I loved rock and roll. The louder, the better. I grew up listening to what is now the classic rock and roll; Bob Seger, Alvin Lee, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, Kiss, etc. I never realized that the bulk of the music I listened to was either blues or very blues based until several years ago. That is when I started to really discover the blues. There is a loose pattern with the blues that I enjoy. I like the electric guitar, so Guitar Shortie, Ronnie Baker Brooks and even B.B. King are among my favorites. I like songs that have backup vocals. They add so much depth to a song. I like songs with great vocals, like Emerson, Lake and Palmer (I know, that is not blues!). I also like songs that tell a story, in the style of Black Cat Bone or Three O'clock Blues. I also like well engineered songs, that take advantage of both of our ears, like the Grass Roots; Let's Live for Today.

So, here is my first 10 list. Now this is not my top ten list of all time, I could never ask anyone to do that, but it is a collection of 10 songs that I can listen to over and over and over again!

I will change the songs out on occasion, so check back to this page to listen to what I have compiled. Feel free to e-mail me with your thoughts on this music selection. If you enjoy the song, click on the link below to purchase and download the MP3 from Amazon to add to your collection. The MP3's are DRM free, which means you can put it on your MP3 player and do not have to worry about licensing issues. If a song is not available, buy the CD. This is music you want in your collection!

  1. Miracle - Rocky Athas Group - I really like this song. The guitar is so smooth and the vocals tell fit right in with the song. The lyrics are excellently written.

  2. Black Cat Bone - Lee Rocker - Mr. Stray Cat does an excellent job with this song. It makes you want to be sitting on a fence post bobbing your head back and forth to the music with the other cats. The song is one that many others have done, but this version is one of the best I have heard.

  3. Second Hand Love - Little Milton - This is the 1st song that I ever heard by Milt and it is one of the best that I have heard from him. A close second is The Messiah is Coming. The vocals on SHL are excellent and the guitar playing is perfect.

  4. A Long Goodbye - Ronnie Baker Brooks - Song starts out with some nice guitar rips and then Ronnie starts to sing. The song is well written and the backup vocals really finish this song, making it sound complete.

  5. Something Wicked - Chris Duarte - Chris has something special here, in fact, something wicked. The guitar here is very wicked. Over a minute of it to start the song out, then he goes into the vocals and you are hooked.  Thirteen minutes later, you are wishing the song would never end. Excellent song.

  6. Three O'clock Blues - Eric Clapton and B.B. King - Get Eric and B.B. together and you have to expect some greatness. A song B.B. made famous many years ago, this version blows it away. Put your headphones on and listen to Eric and The King take turns singing and playing guitar. Throw in some awesome piano and this is a top 100 song in everyone's list.

  7. Let My Guitar Do the Talking - Guitar Shorty - I can't find much by Mr. Shorty that I do not like. This is not my favorite, but it is up there. "With his axe in his hand, he does a lot of talking with it." Raised in Kissimmee, which is 15 minutes from where I live now, I wish I knew of this guy when he lived here.

  8. Sinner Street - Jimmy Thackery - This is the song that sold me on J.T. It sounds like it could be a theme song for a TV show. No vocals, just some sweet guitar playing. I do not like everything by this guy, but this one I do. This guy needed someone to hook up with that could sing as good as he played the guitar and he could have been a superstar.

  9. I Woke Up This Morning - Ten Years After - No TEN list from me will not be complete without Mr. Lee. One of my favorite songs by Alvin, it has a great story and of course, some great guitar playing. I feel poor Alvin did not get the recognition that he deserved. IMHO, his style is very strong blues based and then he tried to turn it into solid rock and roll. Even now, I do not think that he gets the nods for his blues songs. He has an excellent voice for the blues and can play guitar better than most of the best.

  10. Let's Live For Today - Grass Roots - Here is a trip back in time. I love the way that the vocals start out completely in the left speaker and then end up in the right. Put the headphones on and is sweet. The words to the song are great and might be a pretty good philosophy for a lot of people. An excellent engineered song that was well written and well sung.