Lots of bands have attained one-hit-wonder status, but it’s a rare thing for a group to churn out hit singles time and time again. Though their glory days are far behind them, the following bands remain heroes to classic-rock radio and to manufacturers of 45-rpm records.
Creedence Clearwater RevivalGiven the distinctive songwriting style of frontman John Fogerty, it’s ironic that
CCR’s first two singles (“Suzi Q” and “I Put a Spell on You”) were written by other people. Beginning with “Proud Mary,” however, Fogerty unleashed a string of radio gems that made CCR the premiere hit-makers of their day. Buried in their swamp-pop fare was some of rock’s most incisive social commentary.
Best Single: “
Fortunate Son”
Guess WhoPeople who dismiss the
Guess Who as lightweights would do well to revisit the band’s “Best of” disc. Few groups have explored as wide a range of styles within the parameters of the three-minute pop song. From the cool-jazz vibe of “Undun” to the blues-guitar wail of “Share the Land” to the hard rock fury of “American Woman,” Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings proved to be a winning songwriting combo.
Best Single: “
American Woman”
Alice CooperForget the mascara, the guillotines, and the boa constrictor. What made the
Alice Cooper Group a great band wasn’t the theatrics but rather the anthemic energy packed into their radio fare. Even the band’s lesser-played hits―“Caught in a Dream” and “Be My Lover,” for instance―boast some of the most glorious garage-pop riffs ever caught on tape.
Best Single: “
School’s Out”
The WhoFor all the ambition unleashed on
Tommy and
Quadrophenia, the early
Who were at heart a singles band. Songs such as “Substitute,” “I Can’t Explain,” and “My Generation” couched teen angst in tightly wrapped pop packages, and in many ways anticipated the punk rock movement. Few bands have boasted as strong a chemistry as that of the original four members.
Best Single: “
I Can See for Miles”
Rolling StonesIn some respects the
Rolling Stones pushed the boundaries of what a pop single could be. Early hits such as “The Last Time” and “Satisfaction” were crafted around wonderfully succinct riffs, but more daring was the densely textured atmosphere that drove such songs as “Gimme Shelter” and “Street Fighting Man.” An underrated lyricist, Mick Jagger continues to be a master of double entendre.
Best Single: (tie) “
Honky Tonk Woman,” “
Tumbling Dice”
The BeatlesWhere oh where would we be had the
Fab Four never existed? In the span of barely six years, Lennon and McCartney created a multitude of gold standards by which other worthy pop songs are measured. The fact that the group’s evolution occurred under the microscope of unprecedented fame and public scrutiny makes their accomplishments all the more remarkable.
Best Single: Take Your Pick
The DoorsDoors drummer John Densmore once said the band never set out to write singles, preferring instead to concentrate on the more ambitious task of crafting cohesive albums. Nonetheless, each of the studio albums the Doors made with Jim Morrison produced its share of radio ready material. Jim Morrison’s Nietzsche-inspired lyrics, Robby Krieger’s bluesy riffs, and Ray Manzarek’s carnival-esque keyboard work were the key ingredients in the Doors’ style.
Best Single: “
Light My Fire”
Sly and the Family StoneAs the King of Crossover before the term “crossover” existed,
Sly Stone wrote songs that aimed to bring people together during an era of turbulence and racial strife. His belief in (and expression of) the unifying power of music―captured in such songs as “Stand!,” “Everyday People,” and “Everybody is a Star”―was matched by his extraordinary gifts for melody and rhythm. Stone’s long slide into silence may well have been a measure of the extent to which his faith in music’s healing properties was dashed.
Best Single: “
Everyday People”
The RaspberriesChanneling the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Who,
the Raspberries made transcendent pop music at a time when such music was out of favor. Caught between the heavy metal brigade (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple) and “people’s” bands (the Doobie Brothers, Grand Funk), Eric Carmen and his ’mates came off as a throwback to more innocent times. Heard today, songs such as “Let’s Pretend,” “I Wanna Be With You,” and “Go All The Way” sound precisely like what they are: pristine pop gems redolent of the heyday of AM radio.
Best Single: “
Go All The Way”
The EaglesWhatever one thinks of
the Eagles today, there’s no denying the brilliance of the band’s ’70s run as a hit machine. “Take It Easy,” “One of These Nights,” and “Take it to the Limit” sound as fresh as they did decades ago, and the guitar solo on “Hotel California” still thrills. And for anyone ready to end a bad relationship, “Already Gone” is simply the best kiss-off song ever.
Best Single: “
Hotel California”
Honorable Mentions: Beach Boys, Aerosmith, Doobie Brothers