top five from the pie

Another late to the party post. Sigh, I guess thats what I get for being lazy.

Anyway, Topps American Pie was released a few weeks ago and I think its a fun little document of American history and pop culture in the past 70 years. Today I will highlight my five favorites in the set, all involving music. In no order except chronological, here we are:

Miles Davis is a fantastic artist. Admittedly, I haven't heard much from him but what I have I really liked. Kind of Blue is a masterpiece in the Jazz medium. A guy I definitely need to hear more of.

The Beatles. What hasn't already been said about them? One of my favorite bands of all time, The Beatles playing Shea Stadium was a monumental event in popular music. Ed Sullivan may have broke them into American homes but this show catapulted them into the stratosphere in popularity. Shortly after this show, they stopped playing live altogether, due to their dislike of not being able to be heard over screaming teenage girls. A point they hated about playing Shea. I think it worked out for the better because after they stopped touring they were able to focus on the music and came out with defining moments in rock and roll with albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver and the epic Sgt. Peppers.

Hendrix was a master in his art. Tragically lasting only a scant five years in the spotlight, the impact he made remains one of the biggest in music. From his startling American debut at the Monterey Pop Festival (where he smashed his guitar then proceeded to light it on fire, much to the horror of the audience) to his electric performance at Woodstock and the albums in between plus his guitar mastery and studio experimentation. A legend in music, certainly.

This was the card that made me want this set in the first place. I saw the Ramones card and got totally excited and needed to obtain it. The Ramones are another favorite of mine, especially the first four albums (Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia and Road to Ruin). Sure the songs were simple but they harken back to a fun era in the 50's and 60's pop music, just faster. More legends in their own right.

Nirvana is and always has been one of my favorite bands ever. I don't like how this card focuses on his suicide and would rather them focus on the band instead. Either way, I'm glad this card made it in the set. I still remember hearing about it and being pretty upset. I was 12 after all and this band was huge to me at the time. A definite tragedy for such a young talent (him, not me).


That wraps up the American Pie. I'm almost done with the set and can't wait to finish it off and start reading those cards!