For those about to rock

I've wanted to be in a band ever since my dad got a white Squier Stratocaster for his 45th birthday. I was playing Metallica and Nirvana riffs by ear, badly, then I learned what a power chord was. Then I played those riffs, only louder. Today, I'm way better at Guitar Hero then I ever was at actual guitar, but I still have a fairly decent singing voice. But anytime the opportunity to be in band presented itself, I chickened out; one such opportunity came in college, with a band that went on to be the most popular on campus for, oh, two years or so. But who needs a band when you can sing "Jeremy" and "Take a Picture" every single week at the Thomas Hall open mic night?

So when opportunity knocked again a few weeks ago, I knew I couldn't slam the door again. Two practices later, I'm singing in a band with a former colleague and his buddies, and it looks like we're going to play a 30-minute set in the South suburbs in April. I won't jinx it just yet by giving the specifics; needless to say, I'm excited. We've rehearsed a couple Who tunes, a couple R.E.M. tunes, some Wilco, and a few others. (And hopefully, at my suggestion, we'll be doing Tegan & Sara's "Walking With a Ghost," too.) We don't have a name yet, so suggestions are welcome. If it was up to me, we'd probably have some horribly nerdy name like The DHARMA Janitors or Locke's Wheelchair. I did come up with a great name for a rap act, though: Hot Tub Rhyme Machine.

After practice today, I visited my parents in Wheeling for dinner, and found myself looking through the stack of old records in the basement. I fired up the dusty turntable and listened to Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" (a favorite of my father's, apparently, which I didn't know until tonight), The Beatles' "Fool on the Hill," Peter, Paul & Mary's "A'Soalin'," and even Jerry Goldsmith's theme from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." I really, really want a turntable now, especially after browsing a store packed with brand new records last week.

That store was at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, which I have now visited three times in the past four years. It is an essential tourist spot, and far more entertaining and informative than I ever imagined. The exhibits are cool enough -- wanna see Jim Morrison's Cub Scout uniform, John Lennon's original handwritten lyrics to "In My Life," and Bruce Springsteen's Oscar? -- but the museum also features a number of films and multimedia presentations. The highlight is a continuously running, three-screen film that depicts every induction class since the hall of fame's establishment in 1986. One song from each artist is featured, accompanied by archival interviews and performance footage. It's awesome.

So that got me thinking: Wouldn't the ultimate iTunes playlist be the soundtrack from that film? So, fueled by caffeine, I spent much of Friday night compiling said list: 163 songs, one for each artist inducted into the Hall. Each song on the list -- with a few exceptions, no doubt, because my memory may have failed me -- is used in that film that Cleveland tourists enjoy daily.

So here's the list, in case you want to join me in my madness. Of the 163 songs, only 38 were already in my iTunes library, so I have a lot of burning and buying to do to fill it out.

The Ultimate Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist

Class of 1986
Berry, Chuck -- "Johnny B. Goode"
Brown, James -- "I Feel Good"
Charles, Ray -- "Hit the Road, Jack"
Cooke, Sam -- "Chain Gang"
Domino, Fats -- "Blueberry Hill"
Everly Brothers, The -- "Wake Up Little Susie"
Holly, Buddy -- "That'll Be the Day"
Lewis, Jerry Lee -- "Great Balls of Fire"
Little Richard -- "Tutti Frutti"
Presley, Elvis -- "Hound Dog"

Class of 1987
Coasters, The -- "Down in Mexico"
Cochran, Eddie -- "Summertime Blues"
Diddley, Bo -- "Who Do You Love"
Franklin, Aretha -- "Respect"
Gaye, Marvin -- "Let's Get It On"
Haley, Bill -- "Rock Around the Clock"
King, B.B. -- "The Thrill is Gone"
McPhatter, Clyde -- "Treasure of Love"
Nelson, Rick -- "Lonesome Town"
Orbison, Roy -- "Oh, Pretty Woman"
Perkins, Carl -- "Matchbox"
Robinson, Smokey -- "Tracks of My Tears"
Turner, Big Joe -- "Shake, Rattle and Roll"
Waters, Muddy -- "Hoochie Coochie Man"
Wilson, Jackie -- "Higher and Higher"

Class of 1988
Beach Boys, The -- "God Only Knows"
Beatles, The -- "A Hard Day's Night"
Drifters, The -- "On Broadway"
Dylan, Bob -- "The Times They Are-a Changin'"
Supremes, The -- "Baby Love"

Class of 1989
Dion -- "Runaround Sue"
Redding, Otis -- "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay"
Rolling Stones -- "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
Temptations, The -- "My Girl"
Wonder, Stevie -- "Superstitious"

Class of 1990
Ballard, Hank -- "Finger Poppin' Time"
Darin, Bobby -- "Beyond the Sea"
Four Seasons, The -- "Sherry"
Four Tops, The -- "I Can't Help Myself"
Kinks, The -- "You Really Got Me"
Platters, The -- "Only You"
Simon and Garfunkel -- "Mrs. Robinson"
Who, The -- "My Generation"

Class of 1991
Baker, Lavern -- "Jim Dandy"
Byrds, The -- "Mr. Tambourine Man"
Hooker, John Lee -- "Boom Boom"
Impressions, The -- "It's All Right"
Pickett, Wilson -- "Midnight Hour"
Reed, Jimmy -- "Ain't That Lovin' You"
Turner, Ike and Tina -- "Proud Mary"

Class of 1992
Bland, Bobby Blue -- "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City"
Booker T and the MG's -- "Green Onions"
Cash, Johnny -- "Folson Prison Blues"
Isley Brothers, The -- "Twist and Shout"
Jimi Hendrix Experience, The -- "Purple Haze"
Sam and Dave -- "Hold On, I'm Coming"
Yardbirds, The -- "For Your Love"

Class of 1993
Brown, Ruth -- "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean"
Cream -- "White Room"
Creedence Clearwater Revival -- "Down on the Corner"
Doors, The -- "Break on Through (To the Other Side)"
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers -- "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"
James, Etta -- "At Last"
Morrison, Van -- "Brown-Eyed Girl"
Sly and the Family Stone -- "Dance to the Music"

Class of 1994
Animals, The -- "House of the Rising Sun"
Band, The -- "The Weight"
Eddy, Duane -- "Peter Gunn"
Grateful Dead, The -- "Sugar Magnolia"
John, Elton -- "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
Lennon, John -- "Instant Karma"
Marley, Bob -- "Three Little Birds"
Stewart, Rod -- "Maggie May"

Class of 1995
Allman Brothers Band, The -- "Whipping Post"
Green, Al -- "Let's Stay Together"
Joplin, Janis -- "Piece of My Heart"
Led Zeppelin -- "Black Dog"
Martha and the Vandellas -- "Dancing in the Street"
Young, Neil -- "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World"
Zappa, Frank -- "Dancing Fool"

Class of 1996
Bowie, David -- "Starman"
Gladys Knight and the Pips -- "Midnight Train to Georgia"
Jefferson Airplane -- "Somebody to Love"
Little Willie John -- "Fever"
Pink Floyd -- "Money"
Shirelles, The -- "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"
Velvet Underground, The -- "Venus in Furs"

Class of 1997
Bee Gees, The -- "How Deep is Your Love"
Buffalo Springfield -- "For What It's Worth"
Crosby, Stills and Nash -- "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"
Jackson 5, The -- "I Want You Back"
Mitchell, Joni -- "Big Yellow Taxi"
Parliament Funkadelic -- "We Want the Funk"
Young Rascals, The -- "Groovin'"

Class of 1998
Eagles, The -- "Hotel California"
Fleetwood Mac -- "Go Your Own Way"
Mamas and the Papas, The -- "California Dreamin'"
Price, Lloyd -- "Personality"
Santana -- "Black Magic Woman"
Vincent, Gene -- "Be Bop a Lula"

Class of 1999
Joel, Billy -- "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
Mayfield, Curtis -- "Superfly"
McCartney, Paul -- "Maybe I'm Amazed"
Shannon, Del -- "Runaway"
Springfield, Dusty -- "Son of a Preacher Man"
Springsteen, Bruce -- "Thunder Road"
Staple Singers, The -- "I'll Take You There"

Class of 2000
Clapton, Eric -- "Wonderful Tonight"
Earth, Wind and Fire -- "September"
Lovin' Spoonful, The -- "Do You Believe in Magic"
Moonglows, The -- "Ten Commandments of Love"
Raitt, Bonnie -- "Thing Called Love"
Taylor, James -- "Fire and Rain"

Class of 2001
Aerosmith -- "Sweet Emotion"
Burke, Solomon -- "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
Flamingoes, The -- "I Only Have Eyes For You"
Jackson, Michael -- "Beat It"
Queen -- "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Simon, Paul -- "Graceland"
Steely Dan -- "My Old School"
Valens, Ritchie -- "La Bamba"

Class of 2002
Hayes, Isaac -- "Theme From 'Shaft'"
Lee, Brenda -- "Sweet Nothings"
Pitney, Gene -- "Town Without Pity"
Ramones, The -- "Judy is a Punk"
Talking Heads -- "Psycho Killer"
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- "American Girl"

Class of 2003
AC/DC -- "Highway to Hell"
Clash, The -- "London Calling"
Costello, Elvis -- "Pump it Up"
Police, The -- "Roxanne"
Righteous Brothers, The -- "Lost That Lovin' Feeling"

Class of 2004
Browne, Jackson -- "The Pretender"
Dells, The -- "Oh What a Night"
Harrison, George -- "My Sweet Lord"
Prince -- "Kiss"
Seger, Bob -- "Hollywood Nights"
ZZ Top -- "Gimme All Your Lovin'"

Class of 2005
Guy, Buddy -- "Damn Right I've Got the Blues"
O'Jays, The -- "Love Train"
Pretenders, The -- "Brass in Pocket"
Sledge, Percy -- "When a Man Loves a Woman"
U2 -- "Where the Streets Have No Name"

Class of 2006
Black Sabbath -- "Paranoid"
Blondie -- "Heart of Glass"
Davis, Miles -- "So What"
Lynyrd Skynyrd -- "Sweet Home Alabama"
Sex Pistols -- "Anarchy in the U.K."
(No song plays for the Pistols in the film; an angry letter from Johnny Rotten refusing the Hall's invitation is shown in silence. But "Anarchy" seems fitting, doesn't it?)

Class of 2007
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- "The Message"
R.E.M. -- "Losing My Religion"
Ronettes, The -- "Be My Baby"
Smith, Patti -- "Horses"
Van Halen -- "Why Can't This Be Love"

Class of 2008
Dave Clark Five, The -- "Because"
Cohen, Leonard -- "Dance Me to the End of Love"
Madonna -- "Vogue"
Mellencamp, John -- "Jack and Diane"
Ventures, The -- "Walk Don't Run"

Class of 2009
Beck, Jeff -- "I Ain't Superstitious"
Little Anthony and the Imperials -- "Tears on My Pillow"
Metallica -- "Enter Sandman"
Run-DMC -- "King of Rock"
Womack, Bobby -- "Across 110th Street"

So there you have it. How many of these do you already own?