ROCKTOBER: NIRVANA "BREED" (1991)

What more can be said about Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic? This is "Breed" from their 1991 Halloween concert (16 years ago today!) at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. That was the year they singlehandedly brought rock music back from the brink.



I hope you enjoyed ROCKTOBER. I know I did.

ROCKTOBER: THE BEATLES "LET IT BE" ROOFTOP CONCERT (1969)/LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM (1965)

ROCKTOBER could not be complete without The Beatles.

"Let It Be" is not currently in print, but these three clips from their famous rooftop concert in 1969 are the highlights (unless you prefer watching it in nine separate parts).

Part 1 ("Get Back"/"Don't Let Me Down")


Part 2. ("I've Got A Feeling"/"One After 909")


Part 3. ("Dig A Pony"/"Get Back")


Ah, screw it, here's one more clip, because it's ROCKTOBER and I fucking said so. Live from the (thankfully) soon-to-be-demolished Shea Stadium in 1965, named after Cuban guerilla leader Che Stadium. They just started cracking up during "I'm Down", because they knew no one could really hear them.

("Twist And Shout"/"Baby's In Black"/"I'm Down")


Some might disagree, but you can't name a more influential band in rock history. And they did it all in the span of about 7 years.

ROCKTOBER: QUEEN "BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY" (1982)

Quite simply, the greatest rock voice of all time: Freddie Mercury. Here's Queen performing "Bohemian Rhapsody" live at Milton Keynes Bowl, June 5, 1982.



I still have this 45 that I bought when I was 5 years old. Believe it or not.

ROCKTOBER: BUILT TO SPILL "STOP THE SHOW" (1999)

Doug Martsch is a guitar god. However, I didn't really appreciate him until seeing B2S (yeah, that's my cool shorthand) live in 2002. "Stop The Show" is from their essential Perfect From Now On album from 1997. This live video with mostly tight shots of the guitars is very interesting.

ROCKTOBER: SONIC YOUTH "TEEN AGE RIOT" (1988)

Great song from the Daydream Nation album. Great video, too: a short-attention span, 80s pop-sub-culture feast. See how many you can spot! Patti Smith! Pee Wee! Harvey Pekar on Late Night With David Letterman! I just wish it wasn't so grainy, it sucks even for YouTube.



Sonic Youth set the tone for every shaggy haired slacker indie band to come out of the 90s, for better or worse.

ROCKTOBER: STEVIE NICKS "EDGE OF SEVENTEEN" (1981)

I realized that women are horribly underrepresented here during ROCKTOBER, so what better female rock singer to choose than Stevie Nicks? In the 80s, every rock fan wanted to either be Stevie or be with her, or both. Here she is singing "Edge of Seventeen" on Dec 12, 1981, the last night of her first solo tour before returning to record with Fleetwood Mac.



(I love the comment, "Is something wrong with Stevie?" Yes, SHE'S HIGH! She's a rocker in the 80s, probably on a heroic amount of cocaine. Helloooo?)

There's a commentary version here that's very interesting. She wrote the song about John Lennon, which I never knew.

ROCKTOBER: SPOON "JONATHON FISK" (2002)

From the fantastic Kill The Moonlight album, here's the Austin, Texas band Spoon with "Jonathon Fisk".



"Religion don't mean a thing, it's just another way to be right wing."

ROCKTOBER: THE CULT "SHE SELLS SANCTUARY" (1985)

The Cult live at the Ritz in New York City singing their classic "She Sells Sanctuary", from the essential 1985 album Love.



These guys are back out there touring again with a new album, but this was the Cult in their prime before they convinced themselves they were rockstars.

ROCKTOBER: BLACK KEYS "YOUR TOUCH" (2006)

The Black Keys performing "Your Touch", live at Grimey's Records in Nashville, TN, 2006.



I can't get enough of these guys. There were about 145 videos I could have chosen, but this is one is just down home and dirty.

ROCKTOBER: U2 "OCTOBER/NEW YEARS DAY (LIVE AT RED ROCKS)" (1983)

Today's ROCKTOBER entry can be found over at Open Hockey blog: U2 "OCTOBER/NEW YEARS DAY (LIVE AT RED ROCKS)".

ROCKTOBER: FOO FIGHTERS "BEST OF YOU" (2005)

I would be remiss if I didn't include the Foo during ROCKTOBER. Dave Grohl is my rock hero. Here's the great video for 2005's "Best of You".



They just put out another album Echoes Silence Patience & Grace, and although it might not be their best, it predictably rocks. That's hard to come by on today's album charts.

There goes my hero, watch him as he goes.

ROCKTOBER: TENACIOUS D "KICKAPOO" (2006)

There was no way I could resist a Tenacious D video during ROCKTOBER. This clip kicks off the movie Pick of Destiny and includes a side of Meat Loaf, singing in his first movie since Rocky Horror Picture Show's "Hot Patootie". Here is "Kickapoo" featuring a hilarious young JB.



DIO!

ROCKTOBER: THE HIVES "TICK TICK BOOM" (2007)

These Swedish dudes sure are strange, but they are no stranger to the rock, no? Here's their interesting video for the first single off of their "Black and White Album" album, "Tick Tick Boom" (2007).



They built their own studio in Sweden called "Hive Manor". How zany. I bet it's furnished completely by IKEA.

ROCKTOBER: THE WHITE STRIPES "FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL" (2002)

From the album White Blood Cells, this is a good use for those old LEGOs you might have around the house. This "brickfilm" (didn't even know that was a term) was directed by Michel Gondry.

ROCKTOBER: THE CLASH "POLICE ON MY BACK" (1983)

There will only be ONE music festival and that's the US Festival.

Here's The Clash, live at the US Festival in California in 1983, doing "Police on My Back".

ROCKTOBER: JANE'S ADDICTION "THREE DAYS" (1997)

I actually attended the show at the Hammerstein the previous night (Oct 30, 1997) featuring Flea on bass, and I might have even smoked something. It was sort of an accident; I had gone to Filene's in Danbury to buy Devils hockey tickets, and the cashier asked if I wanted to buy them since he had printed out tickets for the incorrect date for someone else.

Here's the fantastic "Three Days" (in Two Parts).

Part I:


Part II:


I'm going watch this and try to forget that ESPN featured Perry, Kelly Rowland and 50 Cent on some NCAA college football game night song last Saturday night.

ROCKTOBER: THE CURE "NEVER ENOUGH" (1990)

I think The Cure's Robert Smith must have listened to a lot of Jimi as a kid.



(I'm two weeks into this and not one person has commented. Oh well, fuck it. I kinda knew I was doing it for my own entertainment anyway.)

ROCKTOBER: PIXIES "WHERE IS MY MIND?" (1988)

I saw them open up for Love & Rockets and The Cure back in 1989 in Giants Stadium. That seems like a long, long, long time ago now.

ROCKTOBER: DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 "ROMANTIC RIGHTS" (2005)

These guys were only around for a few years (2002 - 2005), but they knew how to rock.



"I don't want you, I need you."

ROCKTOBER: RUSH "TOM SAWYER" (1981)

Today's ROCKTOBER entry features one of the best live bands ever, doing what they do best. This video has the most hockey hair on display than all the others. It's the Exit Stage Left version, even.



Oh Canada!