Rocktober '70s Song #19: "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC (1979)

Well folks, it's Halloween, which means that we must close the door on another successful Rocktober.  As always, thanks for indulging me for the last few weeks.  Next year, we'll be onto the '80s.  But in the meantime, please be sure to tune in tomorrow and all next month for Soul-Glovember, a daily look at history's most impressive Jheri curls.  First up:  Ice Cube. 

The last song in our '70s-themed Rocktober is a true hard rock classic:  AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," off of their 1979 album of the same name.  The album was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who, at the time, had produced some albums and some songs, but was not the producing legend that he became.  This album kind of established him as one of the most sought-after rock producers of the early to mid '80s, as he would go on to produce AC/DC's Back in Black and For Those About to Rock We Salute You, Def Leppard's High 'N' Dry, Pyromania, and Hysteria, Foreigner's 4, The Cars' Heartbeat City, and many others.  Of course, he would go on to produce and marry Shania Twain in the '90s, but that's neither here nor there.

Highway to Hell was perhaps a prescient album and song title, as the album was the last to feature AC/DC's original singer Bon Scott, who would tragically die in February 1980 by what was classified as "death by misadventure," which is apparently what British coroners meant for "dying by alcohol poisoning while trying to sleep it off in a Renault."  The song -- which was co-written by Scott, Angus Young, and Malcolm Young -- starts off with that now-instantly-recognizable riff from Angus, and then Phil Rudd comes in with a beat that makes you bob your head, before Scott and his charismatic singing takes over.

Rocktober '70s Song #18: "The Time Warp" by The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast (1975)

Creepy and campy aren't always mutually exclusive, as 1975's cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show proved.  It was your classic tale of a square couple whose car breaks down on a rainy night near a castle, so they go to the castle to try to use the phone.  Turns out, the Annual Transylvanian Convention is happening that night at the castle. A transvestite doctor (in name, at least) is nearly done creating his own version of Frankenstein's monster, named Rocky.  Meanwhile, various other strange friends and hangers on populate the castle, including Riff Raff (an igor-like henchman), Magenta (Riff Raff's vampiric sister), Columbia (a mousy-voiced groupie), and Eddie (an unfrozen motorcycle-riding guy played by Meat Loaf).  Brad and Janet will never be the same!

Perhaps the most enduring song from the film is "The Time Warp," which was, like the film and its stage predecessor, written by Richard O'Brien, who plays Riff Raff and sings most of the verses.  It's a glammy, Jim Stineman-esque send up of group dance songs, and it's a nice song to play come Halloween-time.

Tuesday Top Ten: '70s Halloween Songs

With Halloween approaching in two days, I have already provided you with this year's version of my Ultimate Halloween Party Playlist, but since that is so long, I don't provide embedded songs for your listening pleasure, requiring you to seek out your dark master on your own time.  As I was going over this year's list, I noticed that a lot of songs on the list were from the '70s -- and not only that, but they were some classics.  Thus, I decided to give '70s Halloween songs their own Tuesday Top Ten.

These are all songs you can (and should) put on any Halloween party playlist.  As always, I'm only going with one song per artist, so that this didn't turn into a list of ten Black Sabbath songs.  For a change, I'm putting them in alphabetical order by artist.

1.  "Night Prowler" by AC/DC (1979)
"Night Prowler," off of AC/DC's seminal 1979 album Highway to Hell, is a creepy song allegedly about a boy sneaking into his girlfriend's bedroom in the middle of the night.  I have never bought that, given some of the lyrics to the song, like "And you don't feel the steel / Till it's hangin' out your back."  I know plunging a knife into someone's back is generally associated with teenage love, but come on.  The song took on more sinister connotations in the spring and summer of 1985, when Richard Ramirez -- who was an AC/DC fan and a fan of this song -- murdered more than a dozen people in LA and San Francisco.  He dubbed himself the "Night Stalker."


2.  "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath (1970)
This eponymous track was the first off of Black Sabbath's eponymous debut album.  Can you imagine what this must have sounded like in 1970?  Less than two months after the end of the '60s and flower power, heavy metal was born with this song.  It starts off with rain and some distant church bells, perhaps in a quaint village in the English countryside.  And then plunges into the devil's triad -- an inverted tritone (I have no idea what that means!) that was very rarely used in music because it was said to summon Satan.  It doesn't get any more metal than that.  But then it does.  Ozzy's voice is chilling, and the lyrics are chilling, describing a figure in black pointing at the narrator, who tries to run away.  Turns out it's Satan, and he's smiling.  Shit.  The lyrics were inspired by a now-infamous metal legend, experienced by bassist Geezer Butler a couple years earlier.  He had painted his apartment black -- as one does when he is obsessed with the occult -- and he had, among other things, a black occult book that Ozzy had given him, which was written in Latin (obviously) and contained various pictures of Satan.  Butler put the book on a shelf next to his bed before he went to bed one night.  Then he wakes up in the middle of the night to see a giant figure in black standing at the end of his bed and pointing at him.  After the figure disappeared, Butler got up and the book was gone.  I think I would have gotten some primer and some off-white paint as soon as the hardware store opened the next morning.

3.  "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult (1976)
Long before this song was featured in the now-legendary "More Cowbell" sketch on SNL, it was a creepy song that seems to be about some sort of suicide pact, but according to BOC's lead guitarist and sometimes singer, Buck Dharma (not his given name), the song is about the inevitability of death and eternal love.  So when he sings "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity," he's not suggesting you and your lover kill yourselves so that you can live together forever in the afterlife.  Hell, according to most religions that ascribe to the existence of a sky deity, suicide means you don't go to the good place, so you'd probably both end up in hell, just out of each other's earshot, so you're all "Romeoooo!," and he's just far enough away that he can't hear you, so you give up and turn away, just as he turns around to see you, and he's all "Julieeeettt!," but you're too busy racking your brain about ways to better project your voice.  This process repeats itself for the next infinity years.  Moral of the story:  don't kill yourself.


4.  "I Love the Dead" by Alice Cooper (1973)
Alice Cooper kind of invented "shock rock," bringing theatrics to rock and roll arenas.  The last track off of their seminal 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies was "I Love the Dead."  There are plenty of metaphors in music, but this one is not.  It's a song about necrophilia.


5.  "Gates of Babylon" by Rainbow (1978)

Rainbow was formed by guitarist Richie Blackmore as kind of a side project from Deep Purple, but it turned out to be a full-time gig, and it introduced the world to the vocal power of one Ronnie James Dio -- who did, in fact, bring the devil horns to rock and roll.  "Gates of Babylon" is about sleeping with the devil, which is something we can all relate to.  But there is a lesson to be learned here:  sleep with the devil, and then you must paaaayyyyyyyy.  Presumably because the devil has balanital chancroids.


6.  "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads (1977)
Another song that is incorrectly assumed to be about a famous serial killer, "Psycho Killer" was not about the Son of Sam -- who was terrorizing New York in 1976 and 1977.  The song was actually written in 1975, and though it was about a serial killer, it was written long before David Berkowitz was pretending to be taking orders from a neighborhood dog possessed by a 2,000-year-old demon.  It just happened to be released in 1977.


7.  "Runnin' With the Devil" by Van Halen (1978)
The world's introduction to Van Halen came not with the wild finger tapping of Eddie Van Halen, but with the pounding bass of Michael Anthony at the beginning of "Runnin' With the Devil," the first track off of the band's self-titled debut album in 1978.  Last week, I ran a 5k dressed as the devil, playing this song on my phone as I ran.  It was worth it.


8.  "Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group (1972)
The only instrumental on this list, The Edgar Winter Group's 1972 jam wasn't actually named for Frankenstein (or his monster), but because the song was originally so damn long that it required extensive editing and splicing to get it down to a radio-palatable length.  Whatever they did, it worked, as the song went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. If nothing else, the cover photo on the album is pretty creepy.


9.  "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder (1972)
Funk can rock too, and Stevie Wonder's 1972 classic "Superstition" proved that.  It's got that unmistakable repeating riff that makes you bob your head and almost forget that Wonder is singing about believing in things you don't understand, like the fact that I'm clearly wearing the wrong t-shirt right now because, as I'm writing this, the Astros are behind 7-2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6 of the World Series.


10.  "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon (1978)

We couldn't possibly have a list of the top ten Halloween songs of the '70s without Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London," a sardonic and catchy track about a werewolf roaming around various London neighborhoods, looking for Chinese food.  With lines like "He's the hairy-handed gent / Who ran amok in Kent" and "I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's / And his hair was perfect," how can you not love this song?

Honorable mention:  "We Are The Dead" by David Bowie (1974); "Friend of the Devil" by Grateful Dead (1970); "Magic Man" by Heart (1975); "Hotter Than Hell" by KISS (1974); "Dead Men Tell No Tales" by Motörhead (1979); "Frankenstein" by New York Dolls (1973); "Dead Flowers" by The Rolling Stones (1971)

Rocktober '70s Song #17: "See No Evil" by Television (1977)

Next up on the dark-themed selections for Halloween Week is "See No Evil" by punk/post-punk/art rockers Television.  The band was a CBGB staple in the mid to late '70s, with lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Verlaine leading the way.  Punk legend Richard Hell was an earlier member, but he left the band in 1975.

Their debut album, 1977's Marquee Moon, is one of the most influential albums of the punk era.  While Television certainly (rightly) is lumped in with punk, their sound kind of crosses genres.  It's punky, but it's also kind of poppy, proto-punky, more guitar-driven, and what people in the '80s would have called "college radio" songs.  Certainly, no punk band was including ten-minute songs on their albums (like the title track to Marquee Moon).  Verlaine and the band's other guitarist, Richard Lloyd, play off each other magically, and the subject matter of their songs are a little more heady than most punk bands.  They even look more intellectual than other punk bands of the day.  When you listen to the album, you can hear how it inspired alternative bands of the '80s and '90s, like REM, the Pixies, and Sonic Youth.  Unfortunately -- as often happens with rock and roll bands -- the band broke up a year later after releasing their second album, although they reformed in 1992 and released a third album, and they have sporadically toured since then (though Lloyd left the band in 2007).

Since we are in Halloween week, I'm going with "See No Evil," which is the first track off of Marquee Moon.  The guitars are great, especially Lloyd's solo.  If you haven't listened to this album before, I highly recommend it.

Rocktober '70s Song #16: "Children of the Grave" by Black Sabbath (1971)

It's Halloween week -- or Halloweek, if you're into word combinations, like I certainly am -- which means the Rocktober songs will shift to the dark side.  The final four songs of this '70s-themed Rocktober will feature songs about the dead, the undead, the macabre, Satan, and the like.

Of course, we couldn't possibly have a '70s Rocktober without Black Sabbath.  With their self-titled debut album in 1970, the boys from Birmingham essentially invented heavy metal, with their dark themes, devil's triad, insane riffs, and thunderous drumming.  While Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi rightfully get a lot of love, I think the rhythm section of Geezer Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums is underrated and one of the best in rock history.  Butler -- a pacifist vegetarian (now vegan) -- holds down the bottom with amazing bass lines, on top of writing most of Sabbath's lyrics.  Ward's drumming was influenced by jazz and rock, and his style was unusual and varied, certainly now that we know what "traditional" metal drumming sounds like.

I could have chosen any one of dozens of Sabbath songs, but I am going with "Children of the Grave" off of 1971's Master of Reality.  While the song's title may invoke visions of zombie babies -- or zombabies, as I call them -- it's actually an anti-war song about nonviolent civil disobedience and love rising up to conquer hate.

The song just blows you away from beginning to end.  The pace matches the urgency of the lyrics.  Iommi's riff is blistering, and Ward's drumming has always stood out to me on this one -- it's like there's two of him, one of whom is playing the standard beat and other who is whacking away on the toms, like an army of zombabies frantically knocking on their caskets before reemerging to reap the brains of the living.  This is the last track on the album, and just so you know it's Black Sabbath, on the original LP, a whispered "Children of the Grave" is continually looped.  Thankfully, on this version below, they put some of that at the end.

Rocktober '70s Song #15: "Strutter" by KISS

The '70s kind of belonged to KISS more than any other rock band, although I'm pretty I've said that about like five other bands.  Picking a KISS song for Rocktober was tough task.  I wanted to pick a song that I hadn't showcased yet, but the fact that I did three Tuesday Top Tens about KISS in February, leading up to my kids' first KISS concert in early March -- Ranking KISS's "Love" Songs, Non-Charting KISS Songs By '70s Studio Album, and Ranking KISS's Charting Singles -- made it difficult to pick one that I haven't already talk about.

After a trip to Costco, three hours of Tae Bo, and some really intense stretching, it came to me.  I would go back to the beginning.  The first song off of the self-titled debut album:  "Strutter."  It's a wonderful rock song about some uppity tease who's got it and knows she's got it.  After all, she wears her satins like a lady, but she gets her way just like a child.  You're all excited because she lets you take her home, so you're thinking, man, I'm finally gonna get some leg tonight.  You get home, and you put a log on the fireplace.  You each have a glass or two of Franzia's White Grenache, and you put on some Barry White --'cause that's just some good love-makin' music.  Things seem to be progressing well.  And then she's all "maybe."  Then you're thinking, What the fuck does "maybe" mean?  According to Jack Johnson, it pretty much always means "no." Well shit, I don't want this to turn into an Aziz Ansari situation.  But I also want to tap that ass.  Did I just say "tap that ass?"  Yeah, I did.  Oh Jesus, I've been silent for like thirty seconds now, staring at her with a deer-in-headlights half-smile on my face.  And by that time, she's got her coat on and is giving you the "sorry, I have to get up early tomorrow" excuse.  A peck on the cheek later and she's gone.  It's a terribly frustrating situation, but one that any guy who has been strung along by that glimmer of hope that a hot chick might actually be into you can relate to.  The song should have been called "Blue Balls."

Hair Band Friday - 10/25/19

1.  "Ride the Whip" by Trixter


2.  "Drive Me Crazy" by Ratt


3.  "Killer" by KISS


4.  "Road to Nowhere" by Ozzy Osbourne


5.  "Save Me Tonight" by Giant


6.  "Homebound Train" by Bon Jovi


7.  "Shake This Place" by Slaughter


8.  "So Fine" by Guns N' Roses


9.  "Holding On Forever" by Bonham


10.  "Pulling Weeds" by Faster Pussycat

Ultimate Halloween Party Playlist v. 6.0

Halloween is a week from today.  Halloween parties will be happening this weekend.  Call me a classic Satanist who enjoys a good chicken sacrifice -- or a bad one! -- but Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year.  

As I've done in years' past, I'm giving you the tools you need to make your Halloween party a blinding success.  I have added 3 more songs to the list this year -- because that's all that Baphomet commanded of me this year -- compiling the best songs for you to use either at a Halloween party to set the mood right or in the background on Halloween night, when you're dressed like Anton LaVey, passing out gummy pentagrams (new from Haribo this year!) to the neighborhood kids while telling people "The Black Pope wishes you only the best my child" and then laughing like Vincent Price at the end of "Thriller," but for like fifteen seconds too long.

Halloween is the one time of year when it's okay to embrace evil.  At any Halloween party or during trick-or-treating, you want there to be a certain level of creepiness, as well as some campiness, because Halloween is supposed to be a mixture of paganism, macabre, and fun.  As a result, the playlist below includes songs that have dark and evil themes, talk about monsters or the devil or witches or the like, mention the word "Halloween," or are just plain creepy.  My mix has a lot of heavy metal, but that's kind of expected, since metal bands are more likely to embrace darker subject matter than, say, Lizzo.  That said, it's all pretty palatable, even to those ears that might not be used to wailing guitars and double bass drums.  

As always, you don't want to go too dark, like, say, Norwegian black metal, because you're going to lose your party-goers, or the neighbors are going to think you're really into church burning.  And if you are into church burning, you're probably not going to want to tip the neighbors off by blaring Caprathian Forest out your front door while handing their children candy corn, even if it should be obvious from the fact that you're wearing all black (other than the fresh pig intestines you're using as a sash), swinging a flail around, and the candy corn is covered in their dogs' blood.

For parties, you'll probably want to mix these songs in with your regular party mix.  After all, who doesn't want to hear "Children of the Grave" after "Juice"?  For trick or treating, you're probably going to want to just go straight spooky, which probably means a heavy dose of Ghost, Pentagram, Misfits, and Black Sabbath.  Just make sure the songs you choose for trick or treating don't have any swears in them.  Parents can be real assholes about that.

With that, here are my recommendations for your Halloween playlist, in alphabetical order by artist, with comments where I felt it was necessary.  For your sake and the safety of your offspring, I suggest you add at least some of these to your Halloween party playlist, lest you'll get a midnight visit from a cloven-hoofed cat with three faces and an empty stomach.

1-4.  "Highway to Hell," "Hells Bells," "Night Prowler," and "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" by AC/DC

"Highway to Hell" is an obvious choice and a crowd pleaser.  "Hells Bells" has those instantly recognizable bells -- hells bells, if you will.  "Night Prowler" is a slower, creepy song that, several years later, serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka, "the Night Stalker") claimed inspired him, or something like that.  "If You Want Blood" was added solely to appease Countess Bathory.

5.  "Demon Eyes" by The Answer

6.  "Zombie Graveyard Party!" by Be Your Own Pet

7.  "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles
This should be played just before or after "Look At Your Game, Girl" by Charles Manson.

8.  "Howling for You" by The Black Keys

9-13.  "Black Sabbath," "War Pigs," "The Wizard," "Children of the Grave," and "Heaven and Hell" by Black Sabbath

"Black Sabbath" was inspired by a vision Geezer Butler had one night after reading a book about witchcraft that Ozzy Osbourne gave to him.  He woke up in the middle of the night, and a black figure was standing at the foot of his bed.  The figure disappeared, and when Butler went to get the book, it too was gone.  "War Pigs" is about war, death, and bodies burning.  "The Wizard" is about a wizard.  "Children of the Grave" is about zombabies, presumably.  "Heaven and Hell" is the title track from the first Sabbath album with Ronnie James Dio as the lead singer, and it is awesome.

14.  "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult

But do fear sprouts because the consumption of raw sprouts may result in an increased risk of foodbourne illness, such as salmonella or e-coli.

15.  "We Are The Dead" by David Bowie

16.  "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow

17.  "Howl" by JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound

18.  "Satan Is My Motor" by Cake

19.  "Halloween Theme" by John Carpenter

Instantly recognizable as one of the more creepy horror movie themes.

20.  "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash

21.  "The Night Time is the Right Time" by Ray Charles

Baybaaaaayyyy!

22.  "Spooky" by The Classics IV

23.  "I Love The Dead" by Alice Cooper

24.  "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" by The Cramps

I wasn't.

25.  "Zombie" by The Cranberries
Sure, it's about The Troubles, but it takes on a more prescient and sinister tone now that Dolores O'Riordan is dead.  Or should I say, undead?

26.  "Am I Demon" by Danzig

No, no I'm not.

27.  "One Way Ticket" by The Darkness
You see, it's a one way ticket to hell.  And back.

28.  "Demon's Eye" by Deep Purple

29.  "Am I Evil?" by Diamond Head

"Yes I am."

30.  "A Nightmare on My Street" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

This is a classic late '80s rap song, playing off of the popularity of Freddy Krueger, who, for many of us growing up in the '80s, was the most terrifying of all the horror movie villains.  I should also note that I did, in fact, perform this with a friend for our elementary school talent show in fifth grade.  I was Freddy.  It was pretty awesome.

31.  "Dream Warriors" by Dokken

Speaking of Freddy, this was the title track to Nightmare on Elm Street 3:  Dream Warriors.

32.  "Season of the Witch" by Donovan

33-34.  "The End" and "People Are Strange" by The Doors

"The End" is one of the creepier Doors songs, which says a lot.

35.  "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran

36.  "Murder On the Dancefloor" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

In case you're spiking your M&Ms with molly.

37.  "Zombie Eaters" by Faith No More

38.  "Trick or Treat" by Fastway

'80s metal band Fastway played the soundtrack to the 1986 the metal-themed horror film Trick or Treat.  This is the title song.

39.  "Satan Is My Master" by Ben Folds Five

40.  "Kiss Me Deadly" by Lita Ford

41.  "Close My Eyes Forever" by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne

42.  "Evil and a Heathen" by Franz Ferdinand

43.  "Halloween Blues" by The Fratellis

44-51.  "Monstrance Clock," "Year Zero," "Stand by Him," "If You Have Ghosts," "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen," "Cirice," "Nocturnal Me," and "Rats" by Ghost

"Monstrance Clock" is about conceiving "Lucifer's son," and "Year Zero" is about Satan in general and has a nice gothic feel to it.  "Stand by Him" is about "the night of the witch," which is, in fact, tonight.  "If You Have Ghosts" is a Roky Erickson cover about having ghosts.  "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen" is about Ghuleh and a zombie queen.  "Cirice" is a sold song about souls merging.  "Nocturnal Me" is about you, assuming you're nocturnal.  "Rats" is off their new album, and it's mostly about rats.  To be honest, I would suggest just including all songs from Ghost's four albums and two EPs -- Opus Eponymous, Infestissumam, If You Have Ghost, Meloria, Popestar, and Prequelle -- especially if you're looking for trick-or-treating background music.  They are demonic in a polite Swedish way.

52.  "Friend of the Devil" by Grateful Dead

53.  "Maneater" by Hall & Oates

54.  "Hallow's Eve" by Hallows Eve

55-56.  "Halloween" and "Mr. Torture" by Helloween

German power metal band Helloween obviously has the right name for a Halloween mix, and their song "Halloween" is included for obvious reasons.  I also chose to go with "Mr. Torture" because I like the song.  So there.

57.  "Friendly Ghost" by Harlem

This one's a little more light-hearted, to offset the vast majority of this list.

58.  "I Put a Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

I prefer the original to CCR's cover (which is still very good) because Hawkins adds a level of voodoo campiness that CCR just couldn't have matched.

59.  "Magic Man" by Heart

60.  "I Ain't Superstitious" by Howlin' Wolf

61.  "Devil Inside" by INXS

62-64.  "Killers," "Murders in the Rue Morgue," and "Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden

It was tough figuring out just one Iron Maiden song to include, so I went with three.  The first two are from 1981's Killers album:  "Killers," which is essentially about someone being stalked and murdered, and "Murders in the Rue Morgue," which is not only my favorite Iron Maiden song, but is also based on short story by Edgar Allen Poe of the same name.  The third, "Number of the Beast," is a metal classic off of the 1982 album of the same name.  Because of this song, my children know that 666 is the number of the beast.

65.  "Thriller" by Michael Jackson

This is a no-brainer and should be played at every Halloween party for eternity.

66.  "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane

This is especially good if your partygoers are all on LSD.

67.  "Devil's Child" by Judas Priest

68.  "Hotter Than Hell" by KISS

69.  "Pretend We're Dead" by L7

70.  "Vampire" by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

71.  "Heeby-Jeebies" by Little Richard

72.  "Look at Your Game, Girl" by Charles Manson

Recorded when Manson was still trying to break into the LA music scene and before he started ordering his minions to murder movie stars and grocery store owners, this song comes across as an innocent folky acoustic song.  Then you realize it's sung by Charles Manson, and it becomes super creepy.

73.  "Evil Love" by Meat Puppets

74-75.  "Fade to Black" and "Creeping Death" by Metallica

76-79.  "Halloween," "Death Comes Ripping," "Mommy, Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight," and "Bloodfeast" by The Misfits

80.  "Shout at the Devil" by Mötley Crüe

81-82.  "Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "I'm Your Witch Doctor" by Motörhead

83.  "Frankenstein" by New York Dolls

84.  "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt

85.  "Running Scared" by Roy Orbison

86.  "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff

87-88.  "Bark at the Moon" and "Zombie Stomp" by Ozzy Osbourne

89.  "Dracula's Wedding" by Outkast

90.  "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.

91.  "Satan's Bed" by Pearl Jam

92.  "Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram)" by Pentagram

Doom metal pioneers Pentagram have a good number of hard-rocking creepy songs, but this one is probably the most relevant to Halloween.

93.  "Zombie Zoo" by Tom Petty

94.  "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt Kickers

This is a classic Halloween song that should be played at least once at every Halloween party.

95-96.  "Fallen Angel" and "Flesh and Blood (Sacrifice)" by Poison

97.  "Halloween" by Matt Pond PA

98.  "(You're The) Devil in Disguise" by Elvis Presley

99.  "Going to Hell" by The Pretty Reckless

100.  "Gates of Babylon" by Rainbow

The song is about sleeping with the devil.  And then paying for sleeping with the devil.  Probably because the devil gave you the clap.

101.  "The Time Warp" by The Rocky Horror Picture Show cast

102.  "Diablo Rojo" by Rodrigo y Gabriela

103-105.  "Sympathy for the Devil," "Dead Flowers," and "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones

106-108.  "Soul Sacrifice," "Black Magic Woman" and "Evil Ways" by Santana

109.  "Li'l Red Riding Hood" by Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs

110.  "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra

111.  "Angel of Death" by Slayer

While I would generally recommend steering clear of Slayer at parties, there is no more appropriate time to let it loose than Halloween.  And you can always use it as a way to clear people out.

112.  "Bullet With Butterfly Wing" by Smashing Pumpkins

It just wouldn't seem right to have a Halloween playlist without a Smashing Pumpkins song on it.  I went with this one, not only because it starts by exclaiming -– wrongly, mind you -– that "the world is a vampire," but also because it's an awesome song.

113.  "Serial Killa" by Snoop Doggy Dogg

114-115.  "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and "The Witch" by The Sonics
Halloween has room for garage rock, too.

116.  "Fell On Black Days" by Soundgarden

117.  "Wicked Garden" by Stone Temple Pilots

118.  "To Hell With the Devil" by Stryper

In case you are concerned that your playlist might be a little too devil-heavy, you can balance it out with this '80s Christian hair band classic.

119.  "Santeria" by Sublime

120.  "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads

"You're crazy!"  

"That's what they said about Son of Sam."

121.  "Devil's Daughter" by Tax the Heat

122.  "See No Evil" by Television

123.  "Here Comes the Night" by Them

124.  "Killer On the Loose" by Thin Lizzy

125-126.  "Demon On Demand" and "Sinister Minister" by Township

127-128.  "Running With the Devil" and "D.O.A." by Van Halen

129.  "The Black Angel's Death Song" by The Velvet Underground

I have never done acid, but I assume this song is what a bad acid trip would have sounded like in Victorian England.

130.  "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" by W.A.S.P.

131.  "Burning the Witches" by Warlock

132.  "Got My Mojo Working" by Muddy Waters

133.  "If My Mind is Evil" by White Lion

134-137.  "Death Letter," "Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground," "Little Ghost," and "Walking With a Ghost" by The White Stripes

138.  "Boris The Spider" by The Who

139.  "Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group

140.  "Friends of Hell" by Witchfinder General

141.  "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder

142.  "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon

"I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's / And his hair was perfect."  Great line.

143-144.  "Dragula" and "Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie

Rocktober '70s Song #14: "Emerald" by Thin Lizzy (1976)

Thin Lizzy is yet another band that I had to include in this Rocktober.  I didn't really fully discover them until about 2006, and then I dove in head first.  They are now one of my favorite bands, and it amazes me that they weren't bigger in the U.S. because their songs are fantastic.  Phil Lynott was like an Irish Bruce Springsteen, creating great tales, scenes, and characters in his songs.  And, of course, guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson popularized the twin lead guitar sound that was the calling card of the band -- and which would influence other bands, like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, to name a few.  I also can't forget to mention drummer Brian Downey, who was a great rock drummer.

Picking a song was tough, but I decided to narrow it to the "classic" lineup of the aforementioned foursome.  That was the lineup on four of Thin Lizzy's twelve studio albums:  Nightlife, Fighting, Jailbreak, and Johnny the Fox (and three tracks on Bad Reputation).  

I decided on "Emerald," which is the final track off of the band's most successful album, 1976's Jailbreak.  It's a plodding rocker about warring Irish clans, and Gorham and Robertson's guitar work particularly stands out.  Their interplay in the solos is something to behold, and the song ends arguably the band's best album on a high note.  If I can give you one piece of advice during this '70s-themed Rocktober, it's listen to more Thin Lizzy.

Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite '70s British Glam Songs

I meant to post this yesterday, but life and my weekly water worship class.  H2O is the way to go!  Like my Tuesday Top Ten last week about '70s punk songs, I felt like I needed to do a glam Tuesday Top Ten because there isn't enough time in the month for me to get to all of the songs and bands I want to highlight.

My second song of this year's Rocktober was "20th Century Boy" by T. Rex, and in that post, I noted how Marc Bolan and T. Rex essentially invented glam music, with its makeup and garish, glittery costumes.  The genre was taken to new levels by David Bowie, who reinvented himself as Ziggy Stardust and put out three classic glam albums, 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1973's Aladdin Sane, and 1974's Diamond Dogs.  On "Rebel Rebel" from Diamond Dogs, Bowie essentially declared the end of glam and its poseurs, but that really didn't stop other bands from following in the footsteps of T. Rex and Bowie.

'70s glam influenced the next generation of rockers, which became the hard rockers and hair bands of the '80s, so you know I have a spot in my heart for glam.  While glam wasn't an exclusively British genre, most of what I would consider the classic '70s glam bands were from the UK, so I'm going to limit this list to bands from the British Isle.  Here are my ten favorite British glam songs in no particular order.  As I always do in these types of posts, I'm going to limit the list to one song per artist.

1.  "All The Way From Memphis" by Mott the Hoople (1973)
Mott the Hoople is best known for their Bowie-penned "All the Young Dudes," which is a great song, but I'm a bigger fan of "All The Way From Memphis," a song about a guy whose guitar is shipped to somewhere in Kentucky instead of Memphis.  I saw these guys in concert earlier this year.  A friend of mine from high school who lives in Vegas was jealous because they weren't coming through Vegas as part of their tour.  Then he saw Def Leppard a month ago or so in Vegas.  He did a meet-and-greet with them, which I am super jealous of, but he was chatting up Joe Elliot and told him my name and that I had seen Mott the Hoople earlier this year, knowing that Elliot is a big Mott the Hoople fan.  I kid you not, Joe Elliot said my name, saying -- in his Sheffield accent -- "Lucky mate, that [Give Me Your Handreau]."  My life is complete.


2.  "Ziggy Stardust" by David Bowie (1972)
This is my favorite Bowie song.  I love the riff.  I love the lyrics.  I love the choruses.  It's just a fantastic song by an artist who was redefining himself and music.


3.  "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet (1973)
Sweet -- or The Sweet, if you're British -- put out a lot of great glam songs, but none is better in my mind than "Ballroom Blitz," an energetic rocker inspired by a gig where the band was driven from the stage because people were throwing bottles at them.  Good times!


4.  "Saturday Night" by Bay City Rollers (1973, 1974)
Bay City Rollers were certainly more pop-oriented than glam-oriented, but their biggest hit, "Saturday Night," qualifies as glam.  It was originally released in 1973, sung by Nobby Clark, who was replaced a year later as lead singer by Les McKeown, and the band re-recorded the song in 1974 with McKeown on lead vocals.  It was that version that hit #1 in the U.S. and was a favorite of Stuart MacKenzie in So I Married An Axe Murderer.  Heeeed!


5.  "Street Life" by Roxy Music (1973)
I first heard this one as a cover by Def Leppard on their wonderful 2006 covers album, Yeah!  Roxy Music was more arty than the other glam bands, but many of their songs still fell within the genre.  "Street Life" is a one of those.  


6.  "Jeepster" by T. Rex (1971)
Since I already did the aforementioned separate post about my favorite T. Rex song ("20th Century Boy"), I'm going with my second-favorite song, "Jeepster," off of the band's seminal 1971 album, Electric Warrior.  This is just a fun little ditty, in which Bolan declares, "Girl, I'm just a jeepster for your love."  I have no idea what that means.


7.  "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" by Slade (1972)
Slade were kind of the crazy uncles of glam.  They dressed in funny outfits -- well, funnier than the normal glam outfits -- and they had purposely misspelled words in their songs.  Of course, two of their songs -- this one and "Cum On Feel The Noize" -- were covered in the '80s by Quiet Riot with great success. Here's a version of the song from Top of the Pops.


8.  "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard (1973)
I love me some Christmas music, and Wizzard released a classic in 1973 with "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday," which went to #4 on the UK pop charts and was, oddly enough, beat out by a Christmas song by another glam band, Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody," which hit #1.


9.  "Tie Your Mother Down" by Queen (1976)
Queen wasn't necessarily a glam band, but many of their songs fall within the genre, and several of their albums are considered quintessential glam rock albums.  "Tie Your Mother Down" off of 1976's A Day at the Races, is a glammy rocker that fits nicely on this list.


10.  "Jealous Mind" by Alvin Stardust (1974)
Alvin Stardust, the alter ego of Bernard William Jewry, channeled Elvis in both his look and vocals.  "Jealous Mind" was his only #1 in the UK, and the video is sufficiently creepy. It's a glam classic, although it likely wouldn't be on this list if I hadn't limited myself to one song per artist.

Rocktober '70s Song #13: "Candy's Room" by Bruce Springsteen (1978)

I can't have a celebration of '70s rock without including something by The Boss.  After his first two albums didn't sell quite as well as he and his record company would have hoped, in 1975, Bruce Springsteen released what is arguably the finest American rock and roll album:  Born to Run.  His popularity exploded, and he became the superstar he has been since then.

But not all was well and good in Jersey.  After Born to Run, Springsteen and his former manager, Mike Appel, got into a bitter legal battle, which kept Springsteen out of the studio until it was resolved.  In the '70s, three years between albums was an eternity, but The Boss settled his dispute with Appel in 1977, and he and the E Street Band finally got back in the studio to record the follow up to Born to Run.

Darkness on the Edge of Town is grittier and darker (no pun intended) than Born to Run, and Springsteen's working-class themes and dreams of escaping to a better life continued.  He stayed true to himself, rather than get caught up in the tug-of-war between punk and disco.  He made a rock and roll record.  Even the album cover shows a guy who doesn't understand or want to be a part of punk or disco.  He just wants to get a beer after his shift at the factory ends and listen to the Stones.

There are many great songs on Darkness on the Edge of Town, but I'm going with "Candy's Room" because it's a great fucking song, but one that you never hear on the radio.  It starts off with a fast-paced high-hat beat, which almost makes you think it's going to be a disco rock song, but those fears are quickly dispelled by some spoken-word stanzas about Candy -- a woman who is beautiful and complicated.  It's a classic Springsteen or Roy Orbison narrative, as the working-class, down-to-earth guy is the one she wants, rather than the d-bags from the city who give her fancy presents.  This exact theme was made into dozens of movies in the '80s.

Musically, Max Weinberg's frenetic drumming drives the song and its Wall of Sound as we experience the euphoria of a guy who's outkicking his coverage, and maybe he knows it.  At 2:51, it's the second-shortest song on the album, and it almost has to be because we all know that Candy's feelings for the narrator are eventually going to give way to her material desires and her need to be taken care of.  But until then, it's going to be a torrential tryst while she gets it out of her system.  I think this song sticks out as one of the highlights among many great songs on the album.

Rocktober '70s Song #12: "Teacher" by Jethro Tull (1970)

In solidarity with my many friends who are Chicago Public Schools teachers, who are currently on strike, I'm giving you my favorite Jethro Tull song:  "Teacher."  Jethro Tull undoubtedly was the biggest rock band of the '70s that prominently featured a flutist.  That's all I have to say today.

Rocktober '70s Song #11: "Awaiting On You All" by George Harrison (1970)

The Beatles broke up in 1970, officially marking the end of the '60s.  Not missing a beat, in 1970, all four Beatles released solo albums.  Ringo Starr released two albums -- Sentimental Journey and Beaucoups of Blues, John Lennon released Plastic Ono Band, McCartney released McCartney, and George Harrison released the best of the bunch:  All Things Must Pass, a triple album for the ages.

In case it hadn't already been known, All Things Must Pass showed that George's songwriting was right up there with John and Paul.  Co-produced by Harrison and Phil Spector, the album has a wonderful sound, and George had a who's who of '70s rockers contributing to various tracks.  Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Peter Frampton, Badfinger, pretty much everyone in Derek and The Dominos, and many others joined George at some point on the album.  Needless to say, the result was a masterpiece.  There's rock, pop, blues, folk, and jams.

It hit #1 in the U.S., the UK, and six other countries.  It has gone 6x platinum in the U.S, and it produced two of his most enduring hits:  "My Sweet Lord" (#1 in the U.S., UK, and seven other countries) and "What Is Life" (#10 in the U.S. and Top 10 in six other countries).

While I love "What Is Life," I'm going with a song that is a deeper cut.  "Awaiting On You All" is a gospel rock song that reflects Harrison's deepening spirituality.  Backed by most of the members of Derek and the Dominos -- Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, and Jim Gordon -- as well as Klaus Voormann and Jim Price, Spector's Wall of Sound comes through in full force on this one.  I'm not a religious guy, but music is as close to religion as you can get, in my opinion, and this song is just fantastic.  Listen to it, and find your inner happiness, wherever that might come from.

2019 World Series Preview and Mindless Minutiae

The 2019 World Series is now set.  In the NL, the Montreal Expos -- er, I mean Washington Nationals -- swept the Cardinals last week to clinch their franchise's first-ever pennant.  In the AL, my beloved Astros clinched their third pennant in dramatic fashion on Jose Altuve's walk-off two-run moonshot Saturday night, to finish off the Yankees.  When that left the yard, I cheered loud enough that I may have woken up half the neighborhood -- or at the very least my sleeping dog.

Needless to say, I'm pumped about the World Series.  It's the Astros/Expos matchup everyone was clamoring for in the 1994 NLCS, but which never happened because of the strike.  This one should be a pitching clinic, with Cole/Verlander/Greinke for the Astros and Scherzer/Strasburg/Corbin/Sanchez for the Nats.  All seven of those pitchers ranked in the MLB's Top 27 in ERA this year, with all but Sanchez in the Top 16.  And for the first time in World Series history, five of the top ten pitchers in regular season strikeouts are in the World Series:  Cole (#1), Verlander (#2), Strasburg (#6), Scherzer (#8), and Corbin (#10).

The bats aren't too shabby either, with 7 of the MLB's Top 30 in batting average playing in the Series:  Anthony Rendon (Was, #5), Michael Brantley (Hou, #11), Jose Altuve (Hou, #19), Yuli Gurriel (Hou, #20), Trea Turner (Was, #21), Alex Bregman (Hou, #22), and George Springer (Hou, #30).  Six players hit more than 30 home runs in the regular season:  Bregman (Hou, 41), Springer (Hou, 39), Rendon (Was, 34), Juan Soto (Was, 34), Altuve (Hou, 31), and Gurriel (Hou, 31).

The Astros have home-field advantage, but both teams have shown thus far that they can win on the road in the playoffs, with the Nats winning four of five road games in the playoffs and the Astros winning two of three at Yankee Stadium.  On the other end, the Astros are 5-1 at home in the playoffs, and the Nats are 4-1.

Here is the schedule (all times Central), the location, and the probable starting pitchers, to the extent known.  All games are being televised on Fox:

Game 1 (at Houston):  Tuesday 10/22 7:08 p.m.; Scherzer (Was) vs. Cole (Hou)

Game 2 (at Houston):  Wednesday 10/23 7:07 p.m.; Strasburg (Was) vs. Verlander (Hou)

Game 3 (at Washington):  Friday 10/25 7:07 p.m.; Greinke (Hou) vs. Corbin (Was)

Game 4 (at Washington):  Saturday 10/26 7:07 p.m.; starters TBD

Game 5 (if necessary) (at Washington):  Sunday 10/27 7:07 p.m.; starters TBD

Game 6 (if necessary) (at Houston):  Tuesday 10/29 7:07 p.m.; starters TBD

Game 7 (if necessary) (at Houston):  Wednesday 10:30 7:08 p.m.; starters TBD

If the Astros win, it will be their second World Series title (and second in three years).  If the Nationals win, it will their franchise's first World Series title, and the city of Washington's first World Series title since 1924.

Now, here are some mindless stats about this year's World Series and current droughts.

Fewest World Series titles between teams

The Astros and Nationals have a combined one World Series title (Astros in 2017).  

Since 1920, there has only been one World Series in which neither team had previously won a World Series title:  the 1980 World Series, in which the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals.  Here are the years since 1940 where the two World Series teams had three or fewer World Series titles when they met:

Three

2015:  Kansas City Royals (1) vs. New York Mets (2)

1984:  Detroit Tigers (3) vs. San Diego Padres (0)

1983:  Baltimore Orioles (2) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (1)

1970:  Baltimore Orioles (1) vs. Cincinnati Reds (2)

1959:  Los Angeles Dodgers (1) vs. Chicago White Sox (2)

1945:  Detroit Tigers (1) vs. Chicago Cubs (2)

Two

2005:  Chicago White Sox (2) vs. Houston Astros (0)

1997:  Florida Marlins (0) vs. Cleveland Indians (2)

1993:  Toronto Blue Jays (1) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (1)

1992:  Toronto Blue Jays (0) vs. Atlanta Braves (2)

1948:  Cleveland Indians (1) vs. Boston Braves (1)

1940:  Cincinnati Reds (1) vs. Detroit Tigers (1)

One

2019:  Houston Astros (1) vs. Washington Nationals (0)

2008:  Philadelphia Phillies (1) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (0)

1969:  New York Mets (0) vs. Baltimore Orioles (1)

Zero

1980:  Philadelphia Phillies vs. Kansas City Royals

Fewest World Series appearances between teams

Including this World Series, the Astros and Nationals have a combined four World Series appearances prior to this World Series (Astros in 2005, 2017, and 2019, and Nationals in 2019).  Since 1920, this is tied with three other years for the fewest World Series appearances between the two World Series teams.  Here are the years:

2019:  Houston Astros (3) vs. Washington Nationals (1)

1980:  Philadelphia Phillies (3) vs. Kansas City Royals (1)

1969:  New York Mets (1) vs. Baltimore Orioles (3)

1948:  Cleveland Indians (2) vs. Boston Braves (2)

Record of first-time World Series participants

With their first appearance, the Nationals leave the Seattle Mariners as the only Major League franchise that has not yet appeared in a World Series.  First-time World Series participants are 13-15.

Winners

-Boston Americans/Red Sox (1903)

-New York/San Francisco Giants (1905)

-Chicago White Sox (1906)

-Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1914)

-Cincinnati Reds (1919)

-Cleveland Indians (1920)

-Washington Senators/Minneapolis Twins (1924)

-St. Louis Cardinals (1925)

-New York Mets (1969)

-Toronto Blue Jays (1992)

-Florida/Miami Marlins (1997)

-Arizona Diamondbacks (2001)

-California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels (2002)

Losers

-Pittsburgh Pirates (1903)

-Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1905)

-Chicago Cubs (1906)

-Detroit Tigers (1907)

-Philadelphia Phillies (1915)

-Brooklyn Robins/Brooklyn Dodgers/LA Dodgers (1916)

-New York Yankees (1921)

-St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles (1944)

-Kansas City Royals (1980)

-Milwaukee Brewers (1982)

-San Diego Padres (1984)

-Houston Colt .45s/Astros (2005)

-Colorado Rockies (2007)

-Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (2008)

-Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (2010)

Longest spans between World Series appearances and titles for cities

This is the first time a team from Washington, DC is in the World Series since 1933.  That 86 years is the longest drought between World Series appearances for any city that has had a Major League Baseball team.  Below are the droughts between World Series appearances and World Series titles for cities with Major League teams.  Obviously, these respective lists require a city's team or teams to have been in the World Series and won a World Series more than once.  Current droughts do not count.  Also, for purposes of any list in this post, I consider Los Angeles and Anaheim separate.

Years between World Series appearances

86 years:  Washington (Senators in 1933 and Nationals in 2019)

46 years:  Chicago (White Sox in 1959 and 2005)

41 years:  Cleveland (Indians in 1954 and 1995)

33 years:  Pittsburgh (Pirates in 1927 and 1960)

30 years:  Philadelphia (Phillies in 1950 and 1980)

29 years:  Kansas City (Royals in 1985 and 2014); Los Angeles (Dodgers in 1988 and 2017)

28 years:  Boston (Red Sox in 1918 and 1946)

27 years:  San Francisco (Giants in 1962 and 1989)

25 years:  Detroit (Tigers in 1909 and 1934)

24 years:  Milwaukee (Braves in 1958 and Brewers in 1982)

22 years:  Minneapolis (Twins in 1965 and 1987)

21 years:  Brooklyn (Robins in 1920 and Dodgers in 1941); Cincinnati (Reds in 1940 and 1961)

18 years:  St. Louis (Cardinals in 1946 and 1964)

14 years:  Oakland (Athletics in 1974 and 1988); San Diego (Padres in 1984 and 1998)

12 years:  Houston (Astros in 2005 and 2017)

10 years:  New York (Mets in 1986 and Yankees in 1996)

8 years:  Baltimore (Orioles in 1971 and 1979)

6 years:  Miami (Marlins in 1997 and 2003)

3 years:  Atlanta (Braves in 1996 and 1999)

1 year:  Toronto (Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993)

Years between World Series titles

88 years:  Chicago (White Sox in 1917 and 2005)

86 years:  Boston (Red Sox in 1918 and 2004)

50 years:  Philadelphia (Phillies in 1930 and 1980)

35 years:  Cincinnati (Reds in 1940 and 1975); Pittsburgh (Pirates in 1925 and 1960)

30 years:  Kansas City (Royals in 1985 and 2015)

28 years:  Cleveland (Indians in 1920 and 1948)

24 years:  St. Louis (Cardinals in 1982 and 2006)

23 years:  Detroit (Tigers in 1945 and 1968)

16 years:  Los Angeles (Dodgers in 1965 and 1981); New York (Giants in 1905 and 1921)

15 years:  Oakland (Athletics in 1974 and 1989)

13 years:  Baltimore (Orioles in 1970 and 1983)

6 years:  Miami (Marlins in 1997 and 2003)

4 years:  Minneapolis (Twins in 1987 and 1991)

2 years:  San Francisco (Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014)

1 year:  Toronto (Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993)

Current World Series droughts for franchises and cities

The logical extension of the prior section is to look at the longest current World Series appearance and title droughts for franchises and cities. 

Current World Series appearance droughts for franchises/cities

The Nationals/Expos had the longest current drought, having never been to a World Series since their founding in 1969, and they also broke Washington's 86-year absence as a city from the World Series.  With the Nats winning the NL pennant, here are the ten current longest World Series appearance droughts (including the Mariners, which have never been), with the year of their last World Series appearance.  Of course, since these teams cannot go to this year's World Series, I am adding a year.  It's the same list for franchises and cities, so deal with this:

1.  43 years:  Seattle Mariners (1977) (have never been)

2.  41 years:  Pittsburgh Pirates (1979)

3.  38 years:  Milwaukee Brewers (1982)

4.  37 years:  Baltimore Orioles (1983)

5 (tie).  30 years:  Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics (1990)

7.  29 years:  Minnesota Twins (1991)

8.  27 years:  Toronto Blue Jays (1993)

9.  22 years:  San Diego Padres (1998)

10.  21 years:  Atlanta Braves (1999)

I guess what this means is that 2/3 of the league has been to a World Series in the last 20 years, which seems like a decent stat

Current World Series title droughts for franchises

For shits and giggles, I'll include the franchises that have never won a World Series.  The franchise's last World Series appearance or founding year is in parentheses.  Here are the ten longest current title droughts:

1.  Cleveland Indians:  72 years (1948)

2.  Washington Senators/Texas Rangers:  59 years (never, franchise began in 1961)

3 (tie).  Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals:  51 years (never, franchises began in 1969)

6.  Seattle Mariners:  43 years (never, franchise began in 1977)

7.  Pittsburgh Pirates:  41 years (1979)

8.  Baltimore Orioles:  37 years (1983)

9.  Detroit Tigers:  36 years (1984)

10.  New York Mets:  34 years (1986)

Current World Series title droughts for cities

Now let's look at how long current cities with Major League Baseball franchises have gone without winning a title.  With all the jumping around, especially in the '50s and '60s, as well as two-team cities, this list looks slightly different that the one right above.  Again, I'll include the cities where the current franchise has not won a World Series.  Here are the ten longest droughts for cities:

1.  Washington:  95 years (Senators in 1924)

2.  Cleveland:  72 years (Indians in 1948)

3.  Milwaukee:  63 years (Braves in 1957)

4.  Dallas:  59 years (Rangers founded in 1961, have never won)

5.  San Diego:  51 years (Padres founded in 1969, have never won)

6.  Seattle:  43 years (Mariners founded in 1977, have never won)

7.  Pittsburgh:  41 years (Pirates 1979)

8.  Baltimore:  37 years (Orioles in 1983)

9.  Detroit:  36 years (Tigers in 1984)

10.  Los Angeles:  32 years (Dodgers in 1988)

Anyway, go 'Stros!