Full-length classic rock ready for the construction site?

August 16, 2008 12:30 PM

A friend of mine recently went to work for a construction team. Their current music selection on their field boom box is limited to CDs of Journey's Greatest Hits, Led Zeppelin 3 and 4, and Mötley Crüe Shout at the Devil. "Tragically," they recently lost their Huey Lewis and the News Sports CD as well. We (mostly) agree that these are perfectly fine records, but there's only so much of this one can stand in a 40-hour week. I was going to help out my buddy track down some new music, but all I'm coming up with is Bob Seger, Eagles, and Steve Perry's Street Talk solo lp. What construction-and-hard-work-friendly full-length releases could be introduced to this stack of CDs to make both my friend and his co-workers happy? He works with men in their late 30s and early 40s, so nothing too outré (No Lightning Bolt or Hair Police.)
posted by porn in the woods to media & arts (55 comments total)

A couple of Queen's greatest hits albums.
Bruce Springsteen.
posted by stavrogin at 12:40 PM on August 16, 2008

Current plan is to loan them copies of the stuff I own: CCR's Greatest Hits and some Zep they're missing, but beyond that, I've drawn a blank. This is what i get for having 100something Fall albums in my house.
posted by porn in the woods at 12:41 PM on August 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Band
Tom Petty
posted by kimdog at 12:44 PM on August 16, 2008

Dire Straits - The very best of
posted by zippy at 12:44 PM on August 16, 2008

Van Halen: Van Halen I
Guns n' Roses: Appetite for Destruction
Various greatest hits: Boston, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp
AC/DC: Back In Black

Really, I think most of your classic rock standbys would probably do the trick. I'd probably keep anything you bring in before 1990ish, although the Darkness's Permission to Land would be an interesting experiment.
posted by evisceratordeath at 12:48 PM on August 16, 2008

Any Rolling Stones greatest hits albums (look for something with Sympathy for the Devil and/or Gimme Shelter on there.)

The Police - Message in a Box

CCR (as you mentioned)

Deep Purple - Machine Head

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Def Leppard - Pyromania (I'm only half serious - some good songs on there though.)

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive

Bad Company - Bad Company

The Allman Bros. Band - Any greatest hits compilation or 'Eat A Peach'

Aersomith - Rocks or Greatest Hits

Tons more, but that's what I can come up with off the top of my head.
posted by Rewind at 12:48 PM on August 16, 2008

Rolling Stones (Hot Rocks is a great compilation; otherwise something like Exile on Main Street or Sticky Fingers)

The Who, Who's Next or Who's Greatest Hits

Cream, Strange Brew (best of)

Is there a good AC/DC best-of?

Definitely some Springsteen. (My personal favorites, Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad, are probably not the best selection, though.)

Would Nirvana's Nevermind or the Clash (I'm thinking Combat Rock, probably) be considered outre?
posted by scody at 12:50 PM on August 16, 2008

Talking Heads, Little Creatures?

(kidding, kidding.)

What about Steely Dan, Rolling Stones, Foreigner, Boston, Rush, etc.
posted by jayder at 12:51 PM on August 16, 2008

Oh, and maybe some Red Hot Chili Peppers -- Blood Sugar Sex Magik or a best-of.

Also, is Bowie too outre? If no, the Changesbowie compilation from 1990 might be the best one for these purposes.
posted by scody at 12:57 PM on August 16, 2008

ZZ Top, The Doors, Kansas.
posted by jet_silver at 12:58 PM on August 16, 2008

Not sure what kind of a reception Nevermind would get, but I'm tempted to loan him a copy to gauge results. And the Steely Dan Citizen Dan is infinitely replayable (why, I'm listening to "Third World Man" right now).

Keep 'em coming; I'll make a shopping list for my buddy and he can shop the used CD outlets, thereby pissing off Garth Brooks. Everybody wins.
posted by porn in the woods at 12:58 PM on August 16, 2008

In addition to previous excellent suggestions:

George Thorogood
Styx
AC/DC
Doobies
ZZ Top
The Who
Foghat
Pink Floyd (maybe not so much - little too 'moody' for construction?)
Steve Miller Band
Ted Nugent
posted by SquidLips at 12:58 PM on August 16, 2008

Hmmm..... Maybe if the crew prove open-minded to this addition classic rock sides and can hang with the likes of Nevermind, I'll make a brief Fall comp with the more "straightforward," "catchy" stuff with an eye towards work and play ("My New House," "Container Drivers," "Fit and Working Again," "Kicker Conspiracy," etc.) and see if it flies.
posted by porn in the woods at 1:06 PM on August 16, 2008

The Donnas Gold Medal. Best straight-ahead '70s rock album of the millenium.
posted by nicwolff at 1:09 PM on August 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

Uh, this millenium!
posted by nicwolff at 1:10 PM on August 16, 2008

UFO: Strangers in the Night
posted by and for no one at 1:10 PM on August 16, 2008

Possibly Jethro Tull, from a specific time around Aqualung - possibly Bursting Out. The Kinks, maybe Blue Oyster Cult.
posted by dilettante at 1:12 PM on August 16, 2008

Doobie Brothers
posted by Class Goat at 1:12 PM on August 16, 2008

another thought: it may be getting a little obscure for your intended audience, but the two post-Small Faces bands -- Faces and Humble Pie -- both had that good classic rock, bluesy-boogie feel. Good Boys...When They're Asleep is a nice recent Faces comp, and the Humble Pie: Definitive Collection is just that. I found them both used.

Oh, and if Nevermind goes over well, try Sugar's Copper Blue.
posted by scody at 1:12 PM on August 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

They like Huey Lewis and the News? Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercial and artistically.

- Stray Cats
- Genesis
- Phil Collins
- Doobie Brothers
- Elvis Costello (Huey has been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humour)

So, these guys....can they handle listening to chicks, or what? I don't see too many women in any of these suggestions (on preview....yay!). Is listening to female vocalists or bands with women in them something that male construction workers just don't do?

- Joan Fucking Jett, baby.
- Pat Benetar.
- Deborah Harry/Blondie.
- The Pretenders.

Oh, and these men, they aren't old dogs. You can teach them new tricks. It's ok to play music made after 1990.... ;P
posted by iconomy at 1:16 PM on August 16, 2008

The Hold Steady.
posted by ludwig_van at 1:39 PM on August 16, 2008

I suspect that these dudes like this stuff largely because it's familiar--they associate it with good times in their lives, and they've been listening to it for the last thirty years (ridiculous I even need to say this, but there's nothing wrong with that--now, excuse me while I cue up Giant Steps for the millionth time).

I don't mean for this to sound rude, but maybe just listen to classic-rock radio for a couple hours and jot down some names?

Here are a couple that haven't been mentioned:
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Heart
Johnny Cash (think 'Classic Cash,' not the Rick Rubin albums)

If you want to go out on a limb, go for Sly Stone or glam or Pearl Jam or Kid Rock. Again, think familiarity.
posted by box at 1:52 PM on August 16, 2008

About Nevermind: Lots of these guys were in their late teens and early 20s when Nevermind came out. I think they may have heard of it.

Bands that my totally decrepit, stodgy, stuck in his ways, Van Morrison-loving construction worker husband likes listening to at work:

Counting Crows
Luscious Jackson
Veruca Salt
Black Crowes
The Band
Little Feat
posted by iconomy at 1:52 PM on August 16, 2008

Well, youŕe a good influence on him, ico.

Some more, further afield:
Bob Dylan - Greatest Hits Volume II would probably be best
Bob Marley - Legend
Stevie Wonder - Musiquarium, or Songs in the Key of Life
posted by box at 2:01 PM on August 16, 2008

Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
Scorpions - Love at First Sting
Aerosmith - Rocks
Rainbow - Straight Between the Eyes (not their best, but very 80s hard rock)
Fastway - S/T
Ted Nugent - Cat Scratch Fever
Mountain - Climbing
posted by The Straightener at 2:06 PM on August 16, 2008

Drive-By Truckers!
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:06 PM on August 16, 2008

Well, youŕe a good influence on him, ico.

I swear I added you as a contact before you said that ;)

Why don't you take all these suggestions and make a couple of mix tapes or CDs? Then your friend can gauge their reactions and note their comments and you can take it from there. I mean, if 20 guys scream FUCK YEAH when they hear the The Ramones then you know you've got a winner.
posted by iconomy at 2:12 PM on August 16, 2008

Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps
Queens of the Stone Age
Kyuss -- Blues For the Red Sun
Metallica -- And Justice For All

Guys like this that I know often get very into A Perfect Circle and Tool, and maybe Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains and Pantera.
posted by Bookhouse at 2:14 PM on August 16, 2008

Nazareth
Billy Squier
38 Special
Neil Diamond
Meat Loaf
Wings
Rod Stewart
Steve Miller Band
posted by geekyguy at 2:20 PM on August 16, 2008

Night Ranger - Midnight Madness
Whitesnake - S/T
Quiet Riot - Metal Health
Kiss - Rock and Roll Over
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
posted by The Straightener at 2:20 PM on August 16, 2008

Blue Oyster Cult - Some Enchanted Evening
Alice Cooper - Greatest Hits
Jane's Addiction
Bachman Turner Overdrive - Greatest Hits
Neil Young - Live Rust
posted by quidividi at 2:21 PM on August 16, 2008

I didn't see Born in the USA by Springsteen. I'm not a huge Bruce fan personally, but that is a classic "blue collar" record.
posted by COD at 2:34 PM on August 16, 2008

I found an old playlist on ArtOfTheMix, which I made when I was like 17 and which was entitled "hit by a truck full of ROCK." You might want to use some of this, although it's a bit doofy and high-schoolish..

1 Iron Maiden - Wrathchild
2 Black Sabbath - Iron Man
3 Slayer - Aggressive Perfector
4 Therapy? - Screamager
5 The Jesus Lizard - Lady Shoes
6 Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
7 Husker Du - Masochism World
8 The Melvins - Hooch
9 Killing Joke - Wardance
10 Sonic Youth - Silver Rocket
11 Magazine - Shot By Both Sides
12 Mission of Burma - That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate
13 NoMeansNo - My Politics
14 Opeth - A Fair Judgment
15 Big Black - Jordan Minnesota
16 The Leather Nun - No Rules
17 The Fall - Smile
18 The Revelators - Don't Look At Me When I'm Looking At You
19 Wire - 1 2 X U
20 The Pillows - Biscuit Hammer
21 Gluecifer - The Good Times Used To Kill Me
posted by nasreddin at 2:39 PM on August 16, 2008

How about the Nuggets compilations for some psychedelic garage rock? There's a box set and at least two best-of CD's, but A Classic Collection... would be a good one to start with.

If that goes over well, there are greatest hits collections for The Seeds, The Yardbirds, and The Animals. The Dave Clark Five too, but it looks like they're out of print.

The Cars' greatest hits usually goes over well.
posted by hydrophonic at 2:39 PM on August 16, 2008

G'n'R - Appetite for Destruction
The Cult - Electric
Steely Dan
Van Halen - anything up through and including For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, except Diver Down, which sucked
posted by ikkyu2 at 2:41 PM on August 16, 2008

The Bottle Rockets - I'm thinking The Brooklyn Side is best, or Brand New Year.

Pretty much anything by the Reverend Horton Heat.
posted by altcountryman at 2:57 PM on August 16, 2008

The Pretenders, ZZ Top. You might try Pavement or White Zombie.
posted by lukemeister at 2:59 PM on August 16, 2008

Ooops, gotta add 24 Hours a Day to my Bottle Rockets recommendations list.
posted by altcountryman at 3:09 PM on August 16, 2008

Well, let's see who's left...

Billy Joel, Yngwie Malmsteen, and try The White Stripes or The Killers on 'em.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 3:18 PM on August 16, 2008

I am surprised no one has mentioned Loverboy!!! Even 19 years olds love this, for some unearthly reason. A greatest hits should suffice, make sure "Everybody's Workin' For the Weekend" is on it!! That's a classic hardworkin' song if ever I've heard one.

While stuck in the 1980s, throw in some REO Speedwagon just for good measure.
posted by kuppajava at 4:00 PM on August 16, 2008

ZZ Top!

Dude, I'm friends with hair police, and I kind of resent that.
posted by phrontist at 4:05 PM on August 16, 2008

I don't mean for this to sound rude, but maybe just listen to classic-rock radio for a couple hours and jot down some names?

My classic-rock picks are so far away from construction rock that it's better left untouched. I'd be grooving to Big Star and Badfinger's "Baby Blue" while ignoring the (possibly) far better rock.

Dude, I'm friends with hair police, and I kind of resent that.

Fear not, I wanted to give them props, not poison darts, Hair Police are the SHIT - especially on the Burning Star Core/Hototogisu split, where HP played rhythm. They were my example of non-construction-friendly rock (although, in certain circles, you could blast the fried psych of Air Conditioning and call it an on-the-job learning requirement.)
posted by porn in the woods at 4:23 PM on August 16, 2008

I only saw Foreigner listed on here once, and in my mind that's a no brainer. Journey with no Foreigner? No, they must go hand in hand, like jackhammers and earplugs!

How about some Fleetwood Mac, like Rumors or Tango in the Night? Or maybe a greatest hits album?
posted by onlyconnect at 4:44 PM on August 16, 2008

I'd be grooving to Big Star and Badfinger's "Baby Blue" while ignoring the (possibly) far better rock.

Aw, there's not much better than Big Star. Come to think of it, why not make a mix of the more rockin' cuts off #1 Record and Radio City? They may not exactly be ready for "The Ballad of El Goodo" (or even "September Gurls") but perhaps "Feel," "In the Street," "You Get What You Deserve," etc. might be up the right alley.

And speaking of "In the Street," what about some Cheap Trick? They're one of those bands, like the Cars, that pretty much everyone seems to like when you throw on the classic early records.
posted by scody at 5:10 PM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]

I will also say that at the auto shop my brother works at they're huge fans of Sirius, they listen to a lot of Hair Nation (which, I have to admit, is a lot more fun than it should be) mixed in with other various hard rock programming, which tends to be somewhat more varied and interesting than standard FM shit. I believe you can get a portable Sirius box, not sure if he would find it worth the cost.
posted by The Straightener at 6:22 PM on August 16, 2008

I'm surprised nobody has suggested a CAREFULLY compiled mix-CD of Guided By Voices.

I've always thought that they sounded like a hipster, lo-fi underground version of the first Asia album.

As I mentioned, GbV put out a lot of filler crap, but if you go out and get the fantastic Human Amusements at Hourly Rates best-of compilation, most of the work has already been done for you.
posted by melorama at 6:59 PM on August 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

trout mask replica

early residents

einstürzende neubauten

foetus

if they don't like it, with any luck someone will smash or shoot the radio and no longer subject the world to such mundane overplayed classic rock
posted by KenManiac at 9:24 PM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]

^^^ ROFL. Yeah, get Strategies Against Architecture. Also FLIPPER..
I think all the standbys are on here already but figured I would throw out some more for whoever is interested..

So, what about Soundgarden Superunknown? All the classic rock ppl at my highschool loved it & it's a solid album all the way through. Though like most grunge pretty grim lyrically, that's the trouble. I guess Soundgarden Badmotorfinger as well & Pearl Jam Ten. They would probably like U2 wouldn't they?

Cosign Queens of the Stone Age esp Songs for the Deaf, whole album is good.

Screaming Trees Dust
Tad Inhaler
Blue Cheer Vincebus Eruptum

Monster Magnet? I don't listen to them so can't recommend a particular album but they might fit in. Space Lord kind of rules, LOL fish eye lens late 90's Hype Williams parody video.
posted by citron at 11:45 PM on August 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Toadies Rubberneck
The Clash London Calling
The Replacements Let It Be
posted by aperture_priority at 4:27 AM on August 17, 2008

Man, OK, I used to work at a Mexican restaurant and had to both fight for control of the radio and cater to the classic rock circa '97 sound.

Most of the good stuff has been mentioned, but:

Jimi Hendrix—The Ultimate Collection (or any of innumerable other best-ofs. While I love Axis, it has some weird shit on there).
Cheap Trick—Live at Budokan
Ministry—Psalm 69
Electric Wizard—s/t
Jay Reatard—Blood Visions
The Paybacks—Knock Loud
The Avatars—Never A Good Time
The White Stripes—Elephant
Motorhead—Any greatest hits, pretty much
posted by klangklangston at 11:19 AM on August 17, 2008

J. Giels Band
Georgia Satellites
Cheap Trick
George Thorogood
Stevie Ray Vaughn
posted by maloon at 5:03 PM on August 17, 2008

I read your question the other day, but was away from my computer so I had to come back with my playlist. Your friend is living the dream. I think about quitting my job all the time so I could just work at a job outside in jeans, listening to loud butt rock. Here's what I listen to when I am working on projects around the house:

AC/DC. Get the entire catalog and pull off the best 3-6 songs from each album.
Aerosmith, early stuff
Audioslave
Billy Squier's album Don't Say No is the ultimate champion of greatest Butt Rock albums ever.
Black Rebel Motocycle Club, Ain't No Easy Way
Black Sabbath
The Faces, esp. Miss Judy's Farm
Guns N' Roses
Judas Priest, Another Thing Coming and Living After Midnight
Rob Zombie and White Zombie
Rush
Soundgarden

I think everything else I listen to has been named. Zeppelin. Chili Peppers. Faith No More. The Who. I would also throw in Dick Dale, King of the Surf Guitar for good measure.

Do I get a best answer too?
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:28 AM on August 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

Do I get a best answer too?

Sorry, fresh out.

Everyone, thanks for the help. I don't know jack about classic rock sides outside of Neil Young, Steely Dan, CCR and Zep.

I think Flipper at the job site is a great idea... "Love Canal" will really go over well.
posted by porn in the woods at 2:02 PM on August 18, 2008

Oh, and forgot:

I think about quitting my job all the time so I could just work at a job outside in jeans, listening to loud butt rock.

Lawrence: Fuckin' A.
posted by porn in the woods at 2:06 PM on August 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

Monster Magnet? I don't listen to them so can't recommend a particular album but they might fit in.

What's funny about MM is that they were at one time quite amazing. The first few cassettes and singles are sludgy space rock a la Mudhoney meets Chrome, or, as someone once said, "Spacemen 3 done right" (ha ha!) Try the Circuit single for top-notch psych.
posted by porn in the woods at 2:14 PM on August 21, 2008 [1 favorite]