Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Best Ballads of All Time

Rolling Stone Magazine ^ | Andy Greene

[ConservativeStatement]

Last week we asked our readers to vote for their favorite ballad or slow jam of all time. Votes were all over the place – from tracks by Pearl Jam to Elvis Presley to Lionel Richie. In the end it was very close, and there was a tie so we had to expand our standard top 10 to a top 12. If this survey has reinforced anything, it's that our readers really, really love Led Zeppelin.

[buccaneer81]

After she sang “Wedding Bell Blues” to him every night on stage for six months, he had no choice!

[dfwgator]

After she sang “Wedding Bell Blues” to him every night on stage for six months, he had no choice!

The irony is that the song was written by a Lesbian, Laura Nyro, years earlier, but the Fifth Dimension chose it because it did mention "Bill" specifically.

[Mr. K]

Tuesday’s Gone has some of the best piano solo I ever heard- along with “Call Me The Breeze”

The piano player in Skynyrd was incredible

[buccaneer81]

Huh. I didn’t know that.

[FredZarguna]

Not to hijack a good thread, but a pet peeve: They drill (and ask) the School Bus Stop question four different ways and barely mention (and never ask) what the protocol is at a 4-way stop sign. The former is a situation most people rarely — if ever — encounter, and the latter is one that suburban drivers run into multiple times per day. I'm so sick of having to renegotiate the vehicle code every stinkin time I encounter more than one driver at a stop sign ... [Now you've got me started ...]

[MarDav]

Has anyone posted “Believe” originally by Savatage (but I prefer the Trans Siberian Orchestra Version better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_7xevfdixY

[Hotlanta Mike]

My favorite of hers...

If I Could Reach You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RC3PKl9_FA

[supremedoctrine]

I was at that auction and that is the BEST possible photo of that car: it was a car that believe me wouldn’t get more than one thousand at a used car lot. You can see some of the metal trim missing on the near side, etc. I was outside for some air after the car got sold, and the guy who got it was talking to the guy who got Michael J. Fox’s sharp looking black BMW loaded sedan, which showed very well, for $7500, as I remember. The guy who bought Fox’s car had to listen to the friendly advice from the guy who bought Lennon’s car about how superexpensive it is to get ANYTHING worked on or replaced on that BMW. Fox’s car sold for $90,000 when it was new.Should be a pic of it on the Internet somewhere. One internet story I saw this AM has the guy who bought Lennon’s car claiming he got it for his kid, and it didn’t matter how old it was or looked like crap, y’know, materialism isn’t that important,etc. etc..
That’s not what I heard him say that day when he bought it!

[GOP Poet]

Just, please...nobody say, “Beth.” That song is an embarrassment to KISS.

lol. I am sure they were embarrassed all the way to the bank and to the Bahamas and to their multi-million dollar, multiple homes.

[Lazlo in PA]

Low money on that car is about $3K. It has the 375 hp 440 which is worth a load of cash on it’s own. Looking at the one that auctioned, that should be in the $4K range. It looks solid and not all modified. Wagon prices are higher than you would think. If that car was perfect, which it doesn’t look like it would be hard to do, it would easily be over $10K. Thanks to years of derby guys destroying big old wagons, the prices are up because the availability is low.

[GGMac]

Got the album - Eva Cassidy; on my ipod now...you didn’t mention her story. OMG.

[GGMac]

Got the album - Eva Cassidy; on my ipod now...you didn’t mention her story. OMG.

[Tex-Con-Man]

I have a more than typical understanding of live vocal performances. That instrumentally simple live version of Fields of Gold is magical.

A Scottish/Irish influenced female voice is as close to angelic as humanly possible, and Eva Cassidy is/was one the purist.

She completely draws you in as you listen. A rare quality.

[Mr. Mojo]

Lately, rather than playing my old records/tapes/CDs from the era you mentioned ('67 - '74) which I've heard millions of times, I've been flipping through the channels on my DTV satellite run through my stereo --- '50s/'60s/'70s pop, classic rock, classic country, bluegrass, big band era jazz, bebop era jazz, symphonic classical, chamber classical, ...and sometimes a little reggae and "adult contemporary." There are literally dozens of other channels, but very few are listenable to these old ears.

When I turn to the classic rock channel I can usually name the tune, band/artist, and album in no more than 5 secs. Mostly great tunes, but I'm just so burnt on it all. And have been for a long time. Usually end up rolling my eyes and flipping to another station.

These days classic country, bluegrass, and big band jazz are more likely to put a smile on my face than anything else. And the chamber classical station for critical listening time. Lotta material I've never heard.

Yeah, some serious delta/river blues happening over there right now. Stay safe.

Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.

[eyedigress]

I'm going to play this again as that first one cuts off early.

Edmund Fitzgerald

[eyedigress]

OK...... LADY

[eyedigress]

They were just showing their ability to move around. Queen got rave reviews after Bohemian Rhapsody.

[eyedigress]

This was our bad-boy ordered in Fairbanks. It was quite a traveler.

[eyedigress]

Good Grief

Edmund Fitgerald

[little jeremiah]

I like that car a lot. Could it be raised up a bit? Quite the low rider.