After a day of observance for the death of James Brown, we can now finish the countdown. The envelope please.

1. Motley Crue -- "Dr. Feelgood": There was no doubt in my mind that the "Crue" was going to be number one. I make no mistake in believing that they, not Poison, were the signature band of that genre. Some people may argue my song of choice by saying that Motley Crue was no longer considered a glam metal band when they released the Dr. Feelgood album. That's a fair argument but I counter by saying just because the band survived the destruction of the genre doesn't mean they were any less a part of the genre. They need to be applauded for being good enough to survive when many didn't. That being said every Crue song was fair game.

My first thought was using "Girls Girls Girls", as that was the signature song of the band in that era and the epitome of what the Crue was about. However, it just isn't that good of a song. I enjoy "Home Sweet Home" but I've already had plenty of power ballads on this countdown. I also considered "Wildside" and "Kickstart My Heart", but in the end Dr. Feelgood is my absolute favorite Crue song for both musical content and the message.

Musically it starts with a terrific drum intro by Tommy Lee (a highly underrated musician which is partially his own fault) and continues with a hard sound that pumps adrenaline through the system. It was also the peak of a band that was confident enough in their music that they didn't need to do anymore of the silly antics.

And this story of a young man who rose to power through the drug dealing game is so ironic because at the time the Crue made this album, they were trying to get away from Dr. Feelgood. In the end he was destroyed and so were many of the band's addictions to drugs. Or at least the really really bad drugs. Anyway, here's the No. 1 hair band jam of all time. Dr. Feelgood.

Labels: Hair Band Countdown