The following three bands are the most successful to come out of the area around my home town, which I think has a lot to say if you look at it from the perspective of “this was our cultural heyday.”

Blue Öyster Cult – Don’t Fear The Reaper peaked at #12 on the Pop Singles chart, 1976.

Eric Bloom was one of the vocalists and infamous cowbell player for Blue Öyster Cult. He came up in the Geneva, New York music scene of which Hobart College was the epicenter.

Dio – Holy Diver Billboard 200 #56, 1983.

Ronnie James Dio has sang for many bands, “Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio.” He was raised just over the hill in Cortland, New York, were he actually started out playing Rockabilly in the late 50′s. You also may remember him in his roll as himself in the movie Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.

Manowar – Kings Of Metal 1988

Manowar are the hometown boys of Auburn, New York. Band leader Joey DeMaio worked with Ronnie James Dio in ELF and later when Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer of Black Sabbath, DeMaio toured as a bass tec and fireworks manager. There he met fellow New Yorker, Ross the Boss Friedman, a former member of influential proto-punk band The Dictators, and Manowar was soon formed. They have multiple gold records in Germany and tour to this day, as well as holding “the Guinness Book of World Records honour [sic] of ‘World’s loudest band’ being captured at a mind numbing 129.5 dB.”

The Who – Young Man Blues (Live at Leeds)

The Doors – Blue Sunday

Garage rock wunderkind Jay Reatard dead at 29.

I don’t get into much new music these days. But this guy was one that actually caught my ear. He will be missed.

See previous:

Just Punk

No Sir, it ain’t.

For el Serracho, my off the top of my head top ten favorite Led Zeppelin songs you don’t hear on the radio everyday, well some of them you do, sometimes, but they aren’t Stairway to Heaven or Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) immediately followed by Ramble On.

Bron-Yr-Aur – Physical Graffiti

Since I’ve Been Loving You – Led Zeppelin III

Tangerine – Led Zeppelin III

That’s The Way – Led Zeppelin III

Over the Hills and Far Away – Houses of the Holy

In the Light – Physical Graffiti

Down by the Seaside – Physical Graffiti

Baby Come On Home – Coda

Hey Hey What Can I Do – Coda

Travelling Riverside Blues – BBC Sessions