My condolences to Mr. Drudge. Cowbell fever is quite tenacious. Europe, on the other hand, can't seem to remember what a cowbell is.

Europe, on the other hand, can't seem to remember what a cowbell is.

That's because they all stopped eating beef after the mad cow outbreak.

Ace,

LOL!

Admittedly, the economic data are good news.

And yes, the meme will remain, "Read my lips, no new jobs."

Sigh.

But, the real joy comes from the cowbell!

I have to link to the song. It cracks me up every time.

If you think being a Cowbell Fever survivor is tough, you should try being a Seared Memory Syndrome survivor.

Ace, you should put together a list of the "Top Ten Cowbell Songs of All Time".

This idea occured to me over the weekend as I was listening to the Beatles "Drive My Car" and realized just how prominently the cowbell was featured in it!

I argue that that is the greatest cowbell song of all time. Blue Oyster Cult be damned!

Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath

Ah, yes. Okay, I know that one. I just forgot it had so much cowbell.

On the other hand, it also has fucking flute.

Flute is the anti-cowbell. I can't see that song making it any higher than nine on the list.

I think the Stones feature a cowbell pretty prominently in the opening of "Honky Tonk Woman", and I think the Beatles use it again in the song "Taxman".

More as they come to me....

I've got two songs with cowbells in them, though neither of them are very good. The first is George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" (back when we thought the "your" in the title referred to the hot asian chick shaking her ass in the video instead of her brother) and the other is that early 90's disco/rave standard "Unbelievable" by EMF.

Hey, you asked.

Good entries.

I actually still like I Want Your Sex. That could be on the higher side of the list. You can't argue that the cowbell is very prominent there.

Unbelievable-- ucch. Hate that song. EMF was always a poor man's Jesus Jones.

Mississippi Queen. Do ya know what I mean.

I really need a life...I also just thought of "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey" (Beatles-White Album) and Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band."

Last one for now...(God, I love my Ipod...)

Lots of cowbell in the Dylan song "Lay Lady Lay".

"Hair of the Dog" by Nazareth
"Down on the Corner" by Credence

Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison.

Isn't someone hammering away on a cowbell in that song??

There's a brief cowbell break in "Live Wire" by Motley Crue.

You need cowbell songs?
I've got just the link for you:
The Cowbell Project.

OK, it's hard to believe, but there's actually a website that lists all the songs with cowbell:

http://www.geekspeakweekly.com/cowbell/

Apparently, the band Kiss, really likes the cowbell...

The Geekspeak list:

10cc Art for Art's Sake
ABBA Fernando
ABBA Dancing Queen
ABC How to Be a Millionaire
ACDC You Shook Me (All Night Long)
ACDC Thunderstruck
ACDC Hell's Bells
Acetone Pricktease
Aerosmith Walk This Way
Aerosmith Sweet Emotion
Aerosmith Last Child
Air Supply The One That You Love
Alan Parsons Project Games People Play
Alice Cooper Raped and Freezin'
Alice Cooper Cold Ethel
Alicia Bridges I Love the Night Life
Andrea True Connection More More More
Andrew Gold Lonely Boy
April Wine Oowatanite
April Wine Weeping Widow
April Wine Drop Your Guns
Aretha Franklin Rock Steady
Argent Hold Your Head Up
Artist Presently Known As Ed New Ex Girlfriend
Asia Heat of the Moment
Asia Only Time Will Tell
Avril Lavigne Complicated
B'52s Love Shack
B-52s Rock Lobster
Babies Looking for Love
Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO) Hey You
Bad Brains Pay to Cum
Bad Company Walk Through Fire
Bad Company Holy Water
Bangles Hazy Shade Of Winter
Barry White Can't Get enough of your love, Babe
Beastie Boys Hey Ladies
Beastie Boys She's Crafty
Beatles Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
Beatles Hard Days Night
Beatles Helter Skelter
Beatles Taxman
Beatles Drive My Car
Beatles You Can't Do That
Beatles I Call Your Name
Beatles Revolution
Beck Mixed Business
Bee Gees Jive Talkin'
Berlin Take My Breath Away
Big Star She's A Mover
Big Star Kangaroo
Big Star In the Street
Bill Chase Get It On
Billy Idol White Wedding
Billy Joel We Didn't Start the Fire
Black Crowes Wiser Time
Black Crowes Gone
Black Crowes P.25 London
Black Crowes High Head Blues
Black Legend You See the Trouble With Me
Black Sabbath Wizard
Black Sabbath Megalomania
Blind Faith Well All Right
Blood, Sweat, and Tears Spinning Wheel
Blue Oyster Cult Don't Fear the Reaper
Blue Suede Hooked on a Feeling
Blues Brothers Band Gimme' Some Lovin'
Blur Tracy Jacks
Boards of Canada Aquarius
Bob Dylan Lay Lady Lay
Bob James Take Me To The Mardi Gras
Bob Seger Her Strut
Bob Seger You'll Accompany Me
Bob Seger Old Time Rock N Roll
Bobby Bloom Montego Bay
Bon Jovi It's my Life
Bon Jovi Blame it on the Love of Rock and Roll
Bon Jovi Bad Medicine
Booker T and the MGs Soul Limbo
Bootsy Collins Roto Rooter
Britney Spears Cinderella
Britney Spears Sometimes
Britney Spears Hit Me Baby One More Time
Britney Spears Crazy
Brother Cane Got No Shame
Bruce Springsteen Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen Darlington County
BTO Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Buena Vista Social Club De Camino a La Vereda
Buoys Timothy
Cake Never There
Cake The Distance
Cake Short Skirt Long Jacket
Carly Simon You're So Vain
Carpenters Superstar
Chambers Brothers Time Has Come
Charlie Daniels Band Devil Went Down To Georgia
Cheap Trick Dream Police
Cheech and Chong Earache My Eye
Cher Halfbreed
Chicago Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home
Chris Rea Fool If You Think It's Over
Christina Aguilera, et al. Lady Marmalade
Cibo Mato About a Girl
Cinderella Shake Me
Clash Clampdown
Climax Blues Band Couldn't Get It Right
Clutch Wishbone
Clutch Release the Dub
Coal Chamber Big Truck
Commodores Brickhouse
Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose Treat Her Like A Lady
Count Five Psychotic Reaction
Cowboy Junkies Anniversary Song
Cranberries Free to Decide
Crazy Switch I've Got a Fever! (Cowbell Remix)
Creedence Clearwater Revival Pagan Baby
Creedence Clearwater Revival Heard It Through the Grapevine
Creedence Clearwater Revival Born On The Bayou
Creedence Clearwater Revival Down on the Corner
Crosby, Stills & Nash Southern Cross
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Cult Love Removal Machine
Curtis Mayfield Freddie's Dead
Cycle Sluts From Hell Badass Mama
Dag Nasty Simple Minds
Dale Hawkins Susie-Q
Dan Fogelberg Language of Love
Dave Mathews Band Warehouse
Dave Matthews Band Cry Freedom
Dave Matthews Band I Did It
David Bowie Diamond Dogs
David Lee Roth Goin' Crazy
David Lee Roth Ladies Night in Buffalo
Days of the New The Down Town
Dead or Alive You Spin Me Around
Dee Lite Groove is in the Heart
Deep Purple You Fool No One
Def Leppard Photograph
Def Leppard Rock of Ages
Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar on Me
Def Leppard Foolin'
Delbert McClinton Givin It Up For Your Love
Detroit Rock and Roll
Dirtbombs Do You see My Love (For You Growing)
Dirty Mary Drinkin' & Drivin'
Disastronaut 808 cowbell (e.p.)
Discarded Follow This
Disturbed Shout
Dixie Chicks Goodbye Earl
Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces
Dixie Dregs Take it Off the Top
Dolly Parton Jolene
Don MacLean American Pie
Donald Fagen New Frontier
Donald Fagen New Frontier
Donna Summer I Feel Love
Donnas You Wanna Get Me High
Donnas On the Rocks
Donnas Who Invited You
Donnas Well Done
Donnas Hook it Up
Doves There Goes The Fear
Dragstrip Syndicate Bricklayer
Dream Theater Trial Of Tears
Dream Theater Caught In A Web
Drivin' 'N' Cryin' Fly Me Courageous
Duran Duran Reflex
Duran Duran Hungry Like the Wolf
Duran Duran Rio
Duran Duran Union Of The Snake
Eagles Hotel California
Earth, Wind, and Fire September
Eddie Murphy Party All The Time
Edgar Winter Group Frankenstein
Edgar Winter Group Alta Mira
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) Evil Woman
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) Mr. Blue Sky
Electric Prunes Wind Up Toys
Elton John Madman Across the Water
Elton John Yellowbrick Road
Elvis Costello Everyday I Write the Book
Elvis Costello Veronica
Elvis Presley A Little Less Conversation (2002 Re-Mix)
Elvis Presley Burning Love
Emerson Lake and Palmer (ELP) Trilogy
EMF Unbelievable
Eminem Real Slim Shady
En Vogue Free Your Mind
Everything But the Girl Missing
Extreme Peacemaker Die
Fatboy Slim Weapon of Choice
Fire Engines Get Up Use Me
Fireballs of Freedom Sweat Vest
Flaming Lips The Gash
Fleetwood Mac Go Your Own Way
Fleetwood Mac Oh Well
Fleetwood Mac Gold Dust Woman
Fleetwood Mac Hold Me
Flock of Seagulls I Ran (So Far Away)
Foghat Fool For The City
Frank Sinatra My Way
Frank Zappa Broken Hearts Are For Assholes
Free All Right Now
Front End Loader All Star Jam
Fu Manchu Ampn'
Fu Manchu Bultaco
Fu Manchu Mongoose
Fu Manchu Urethane
Funkadelic Super Stupid
Funkadelic Better By the Pound
Gap Band Party Train
Genesis Dodo/Lurker
Genesis Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
George Benson On Broadway
Golden Earring Radar Love
Gov't Mule Thorazine Shuffle
Grand Funk Railroad We're an American Band
Grateful Dead Touch of Grey
Grateful Dead Dark Star
Grateful Dead Good Lovin'
Greggers In 'Da Bum
Gritty Kitty Ice Cream
Guadalcanal Diary Cattle Prod
Guided by Voices Rhine Jive Click
Guns n Roses Nightrain
Guns n Roses Bad Obsession
Guns n Roses Mr. Brownstone
Guns n Roses Think About You
Guns n Roses Welcome to the Jungle
Guns n Roses It's So Easy
GWAR Rock N' Roll Never Felt So Good
Hall and Oates Private Eyes
Hall and Oates Method Of Modern Love
Harry Nilsson Coconut
Harry Nilsson Jump Into The Fire
Head East Never Been Any Reason
Heart White Lightning and Wine
Heaven 17 Penthouse and Pavement
Hentchmen Polish Lady
Hippos Wasting My Life
Honey Boy Martin Hey Leroy
Hot Hot Heat Talk to Me, Dance with Me
Huey Lewis and The News Heart and Soul
Hugh Masekela Grazin' In The Grass
Human League Don't You Want Me
Iggy And The Stooges Raw Power
Inxs Wild Life
Iron Butterfly Innagaddavida
Iron Maiden Hooks in You
Iron Maiden Can I Play With Madness?
Isaac Hayes Hung Up On My Baby
J. Geils Band Ain't Nothing Like A House Party
J. Geils Band Give It To Me
Jackie Moore This Time Baby
Jaggerz The Rapper
Jam 'A' Bomb In Wardour Street
James Brown My Thang
James Brown The Spank Part I
James Gang Funk #49
Janet Jackson Black Cat
Jeanette "Lady" Day Come Let Me Love You
Jefferson Starship Jane
Jennifer Trynin Better Than Nothin
Jerry Reed Amos Moses
Jerry Reed When You're Hot, You're Hot
Jethro Tull Cross Eyed Mary
Jethro Tull Black Satin Dancer
Jethro Tull Minstrel in the Gallery
Jethro Tull Bungle in the Jungle
Jigsaw Sky High
Jimi Hendrix Fire
Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze
Jimi Hendrix Stone Free
Jimi Hendrix Dolly Dagger
Jimi Hendrix Ez Ryder
Jimmy Buffet Magarittaville
Jimmy Buffet Fins
Jimmy Buffet Cheeseburger in Paradise
Jimmy Buffett Fins
Jimmy Eat World The Middle
Joe Cocker Leave Your Hat On
Joe Jackson Right and Wrong
Joe Satriani Mighty Turtle Head
Joe Satriani Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing
Joe Satriani Look My Way
Joe Walsh Rock Mountain Way
Joe Walsh Life's Been Good
John Cougar Mellencamp Cherry Bomb
John Cougar Mellencamp Pink Houses
John Cougar Mellencamp Minutes to Memories
John Cougar Mellencamp I Need a Lover
John Denver Annie's Song
John Lennon Imagine
Journey Open Arms
Journey Wheel in the Sky
Judas Priest Breaking the Law
Juliana Hatfield Everybody Loves Me But You
KC & the Sunshine Band Get Down Tonight
Kim Carnes Betty Davis Eyes
King's X Fall on Me
Kingsmen Louie Louie
Kiss Calling Dr. Love
Kiss All the Way
Kiss Firehouse
Kiss Ladies Room
Kiss The Oath
Kiss Dark Light
Kiss Rock and Roll All Night
Kiss Mainline
Kiss Love Her All I Can
KMFDM Power
Knack My Sharona
Knacker Girlfriend
Led Zeppelin Good Times, Bad Times
Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin Kashmir
Led Zeppelin Moby Dick
Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy
Led Zeppelin Bring it on Home
Les McCann & Eddie Harris Compared to What
Linda Ronstadt Poor Poor Pitiful Me
Linda Ronstadt It's So Easy
Linda Ronstadt Just One Look
Linkin Park The End
Lionel Ritchie All Night Long
Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross Endless Love
Lipps, Inc. Funky Town
Liquid Liquid Optimo
Little Feat Fat Man in the Bath Tub
Little John Inevitable
LL Cool J Rock The Bells
Local H Cool Magnet
Lofreq High Roller
Lords of Acid Pussy
Lotion Juggernaut
Lou Reed Vicious
Love and Rockets So Alive
Loverboy Working For the Weekend
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gimme Three Steps
Madonna Justify My Love
Madonna Bad Girl
Madonna Holiday
Marvin Gaye Give It Up
Matchbox Twenty Disease
Matthew Sweet Into Your Drug
Matthew Sweet So Far
Melissa Manchester Don't Cry Out Loud
Mellisa Ethridge Come to my Window
Metallica Master of Puppets
Metallica For Whom the Bell Tolls
Metallica My Friend of Misery
Meters Chicken Strut
Miami Sound Machine Rhythm is Gonna Getcha
Michael Jackson Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Midnight Oil Beds Are Burning
Montrose Rock the Nation
Mother Hips Song in a Can
Motley Crue Live Wire
Motley Crue Come On And Dance
Motley Crue She Goes Down
Motley Crue Dr. Feelgood
Mountain Mississippi Queen
Mountain Never In My Life
Move Do Ya
Mr. Bungle Squeeze Me Macaroni
Mungo Jerry In the Summertime
Nazareth Hair of the Dog
Nazareth Whisky Drinkin' Woman
Nazareth Carry Out Feelings
Nebula You Mean Nothing
New Order Perfect Kiss
New York Dolls Private World
Norah Jones Come Away With Me
Offspring Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)
Ohio Players Love Rollercoaster
Olivia Newton-John Physical
Outlaws Waterhole
Pantera Revolution Is My Name
Pantera Drag the Waters
Parliament Funkadelic One Nation Under a Groove
Patsy Cline Crazy
Paul Revere And The Raiders Just Seventeen
Paul Simon Late in the Evening
Pavement Silent Kid
Peaches and Herb Shake Your Groove Thing
Pebbles Mercedes Boy
Perry Como Moon River
Pet Shop Boys Always On My Mind
Pete Droge If You Don't Love Me (I'll kill myself)
Peter Frampton Do You Feel
Peter Gabriel And Through the Wire
Peter Gabriel Family Snapshot
Peter Gabriel Games Without Frontiers
Peter Wolfe Lights Out
Petony Goin' On
Phish 46 Days
Pink I'm Coming Up
Pink Floyd Young Lust
Pink Floyd Pigs (three different ones)
Pixies U-Mass
Poison Back To The Rocking Horse
Poison Look What the Cat Dragged In
Poison Unskinny Bop
Police Walking on the Moon
Police Roxanne
Porno for Pyros Pets
Powerstation Some Like it Hot
Presidents of the USA Bath of Fire
Pretenders Brass in Pocket
Prince You Got The Look
Prince Endorphinmachine
Prince Cream
Prince Little Red Corvette
Prince Little Red Corvette
Procol Harem Whiskey Train
Procol Harum Whiskey Train
Puddle of Mudd She Hates Me
Queen We Will Rock You
Queen Keep Yourself Alive
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Queensryche Silent Lucidity
Quincy Jones Sanford and Son Theme
R.E.M. Ignoreland
Radio Four Dance To The Underground
Radiohead Creep
Radiohead Electioneering
Rage Against The Machine Killing In The Name
Rage Against the Machine Freedom
Rainbow Still I'm Sad
Ramones Suzy is a Headbanger
Randy Edelman Concrete and Clay
Rapture House of Jealous Lovers
Rapture Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks
Raspberries The Partys Over
Raw Power F*ck Authority
Red Hot Chilli Peppers Skinny Sweaty Man
Red Hot Chilli Peppers Breaking the Girl
REO Speedwagon Like You Do
Replacements Left of the Dial
Replacements Alex Chilton
Rick Derringer Uncomplicated
Rick Derringer Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo
Ricky Nelson Hello Mary Lou
Ricky Nelson I'm a Traveling Man
Robin Trower Lady Love
Rodney Dangerfield Twist And Shout
Rolling Stones Wild Horses
Rolling Stones Satisfaction
Rolling Stones Lets Spend the Night Together
Rolling Stones Honky Tonk Woman
Run DMC King of Rock
Runaways I Love Playin' With Fire
Runaways Rock and Roll Music
Rush Big Money
Rush In The Mood
Rush Witch Hunt
Rush Limelight
Rush Trees
Rush I Think I'm Going Bald
Salt n Pepper Push It
Sam and Dave Hold On I'm Comin'
Santana Oye Como Va
Santana Everybody's Everything
Santana Evil Ways
Santana She's Not There
Santana w/ Michelle Branch Game of Love
Scorpions Pictured Life
Screaming Jets Sick And Tired
Screaming Jets Shine On
Selena Dreaming
Shania Twain That Don't Impress Me Much
Sheila E. Glamorous Life
Shirley Bassey Goldfinger
Sigur Ros Svefn-G-Englar
Simon & Garfunkle Sounds of Silence
Simple Minds New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)
Sinead O'Connor Nothing Compares 2 U
Sir Mix-a-Lot Baby's Got Back
Skid Row Monkey Business
Slade Good Time Gals
Slade The Bangin' Man
Slayer South Of Heaven
Sleater Kinney Sympathy
Sleater-Kinney Sympathy
Sly and The Family Stone Family Affair
Sly and The Family Stone Dance to the Music
Smashing Pumpkins 1979
Soft Cell Tainted Love
Son Volt Drown
Soundgarden Spoon Man
Southern Culture on the Skids Soul City
Southern Culture on the Skids Fried Chicken and Gasoline
Southern Culture on the Skids Shotgun
Southern Culture on the Skids Camel Walk
Spade Cooley Cowbell Polka
Squad 5-0 Bombs Over Bahgdad
Squatweiler Dale Evans
Stampeders Sweet City Woman
Standells Good Guys Don't Wear White
Stealer's Wheel Stuck in the Middle With You
Steely Dan Do It Again
Stephen Stills Love the One You're With
Steve Miller Jungle Love
Stevie Wonder Master Blaster
Strawberry Alarm Clock Incense and Peppermints
Sugar Hill Gang Rapper's Delight
Sugar Hill Gang Apache
Supertramp Logical Song
Survivor Eye Of The Tiger
Survivor Burning Heart
Sweet Little Willy
Swingin Medallions Double Shot of My Baby's Love
SWV Free Your Mind
Sylvers Boogie Fever
Syndicate of Sound Little Girl
Talking Heads Once in a Lifetime
Talking Heads And She Was
Tantric Breakdown
Ted Nugent Great White Buffalo
Ted Nugent Free For All
The Refreshments King of the Hill Theme
Three Dog Night Black And White
Throw Rag Lady Boo
Throw Rag Bag of Glue
Tim Curry Sweet Transvestite
Tim McGraw Must be the Cowboy in Me
Tina Turner Better Be Good to Me
Todd Rundgren Heavy Metal Kids
Tom Jones She's A Lady
Tom Petty You Wreck Me
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Jammin' Me
Tommy James & The Shondells I Think We're Alone Now
Tone Loc Funky Cold Medina
Tony Orlando and Dawn Knock Three Times
Trapeze Black Cloud
Tremeloes Here Comes My Baby
Trey Parker Hang the Bastard
Turtles She'd Rather Be With Me
Turtles Outside Chance
Turtles She'd Rather Be With Me
Twisted Sister We're Not Going to Take It
U2 Unforgetable Fire
U2 Stories For Boys
U2 Refugee
Uncle Tupelo Graveyard Shift
Urge Overkill Sister Havana
US3 You Can't Hold Me Down
USA For Africa We Are The World
Utopia Hammer In My Heart
Van der Graaf Generator La Rossa
Van Halen Drop Dead Legs
Van Halen Dance the Night Away
Van Halen Dancing In the Street
Van Halen Jump
Van Halen Black and Blue
Vanity Fair Hitchin' A Ride
Velvet Underground Some Kinda Love
Velvet Underground Sweet Jane
Vicious Circle Sleep Again
Victoria Williams Boogieman
Vixen How Much Love
Wadsworth Mansion Sweet Mary
WAR Low Rider
Warrant Cherry Pie
Warren Zevon Basket Case
Warren Zevon Johnny Strikes Up The Band
Whitesnake Is This Love
Whitney Houston I Will Always Love You
Wilco Casino Queen
Wild Cherry Play That Funky Music
Willie Bobo Spanish Grease
Winger Easy Come, Easy Go
Woodshed Wide Open
XTC Merely a Man
Yardbirds For Your Love
Yello Bostich
Yes Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Ying Yang Twins Say I Yi Yi
You Am I Deliverance
Zager & Evans In The Year 2525

Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac

And, I adore you, Ace.

Thank you for the extra cowbell

Next time, can we try Celine Dion's death by cowbell? Might actually make her more enjoyable.

OK, maybe I should read the posts right before mine.....

Then again, he only beat me by 2 minutes. He was linking while I was inefficiently cut and pasting....

I feel like an Afghan woman running the 100 yard dash.

My gawd! Who dropped all that shit? Check out "Tales of Brave Ulysses" by Cream. Ginger Baker is playing something that sounds like cowbell but the credit list has a bunch of high falutin' names . . . for cowbell. BTW did you soup up the cowbell image or is that just the after-affect of a two-martini lunch?

That list is greatly appreciated, but...

...sorta takes the fun out of the process, doesn't it?

Way to fucking ruin it for the rest of us, Mr. Page. You stole all your best riffs from poor black men, too.

Anyway, Ace, my number #1 Cowbell Song (as a confirmed lover of both music - 3000+ CDs - and cowbell) is The Beatles' "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey." It's off of The Beatles (aka The White Album), and if you've ever heard it you'd agree that not only does it have cowbell fever, it has cowbell RUBELLA: the cowbell is the lead freakin' instrument in that song, and totally creates the air of insane, zippy excitement which makes it a loopy classic.

Jeff,

Err, I've heard of the White Album, believe it or not.

I'm comfortable with that level of "obscurity."

I'm not an audiophile who keeps on the latest not-yet-broken-big bands.

But that doesn't mean I'm retarded.

Ace, you don't understand.

I'm 23.

I went to Johns Hopkins (i.e. a school populated with a.) engineering students; b.) pre-meds c.) foreigners)

I'm used to having to explain the most basic musical concepts to people. I once had to teach my suitemates the difference between The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan (and yes, a little piece of me died that night.)

Anyway, sorry for the unintended condescension. But I often forget to adjust my tone to more knowledgeable people.

No problem. I didn't take it as insulting or condescending; I just thought it was amusing that you were explaining The White Album to me.

I mean, Me and My Monkey is semi-obscure, so I wouldn't think much about identifying the record it's on. (I actually know, but I used to listen to the Beatles a lot; but I'd understand that someone might want to identify the record.)

But to say it's on "The Beatles (aka The White Album)" I just thought was sort of funny.

Sort of like explaining, "See, before Elvis Presley got fat, cheesey, and dead, he actually was considered a major rock and roll star. He had a whole string of hit records in the fifties through seventies."

Is there any cowbell on "A Day in the Life"?

It's on Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which, despite the title, is actually a Beatles album.

They're just dressing up like another band on the cover. Don't be fooled.

I'm inclined to think every instrument known to Brits in 1967 is on 'A Day in the Life.' I mean, there's even a credit fo the guy who set off the alarm clock.

I'll never forget the horror when an 18 year old kid asked me "Who the hell are the Beatles?" It was 1985 and I was completely flored. On another note, didn't that "Ink is BLack, the Paper is White" song have heavy cowbell? I thought it was Blood Sweat and Tears too, but I didn't see it in the list above.

Jimmy, you are gay.

It doesn't count unless you can recall the song off the top of your head, IMO.

Also, the all-time great cowbell song has to fit the mood of the cowbell addendum to a post, which is one of raucous, drunk-ass-tri-delt-about-to-lift-her-t-shirt-for-the-nice-man-with-the-video-camera-going-"Wheeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooo" good-cheer (with just a hint of "fuck you" mixed in). "Don't fear the reaper" while obviously a seminal work, does not fit that mood, nor does "Me and my monkey." "Honky Tonk Woman" is pretty good, but it loses points for the Stones' lack of Americanosity (which also hurts the excellent "You Shook Me"), and the extreme fruitiness of Mick Jagger.

Another problem is that some of those songs are too "cool." The ideal cowbell song would not be on the jukebox in a bar where beers cost seven bucks, EVEN ironically. The ideal cowbell song's got just a LITTLE bit too much cowbell spirit to fit into your narrow little boxes of "Not Corny," or "Chicks like it," OK maaaaaaaaaan?

For my money, the greatest cowbell song that meets the following criteria:

1. "Wheeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooo"
2. "Fuck you"
3. 'Murrican
4. Balls
5. Cowbell featured VERY prominently
6. Somewhat uncool

has got to be Springsteen's "Darlington County." Go listen, I'll wait. I know he kicked us all in the balls a little bit recently signing on for that fucking tour, but COME ON!!! That song is as fucking cowbell as you can get:

1. "We drove 800 miles without seein a cop/ we got rock'n roll music blasting out the t-top"
2. See 1.
3. "Me'n Wayne on the 4th of July"
4. "Hey lil girl stand'n on the corner/ today's your lucky day for sure alright"
5. The first sound you hear on the track is a cowbell.
6. "Shalala, shalalalalala."

I rest my case.

PS: Now that I look at the list, though, Solo Dave's "Going Crazy" might be a pretty strong contender. I haven't heard that one since Dial MTV...

To answer your question Ace,

Yes! There is cowbell on "A Day in the Life". Lennon was credited with playing it.

The Senator: Your one stop source for Beatles/Dylan trivia.

I got 3 words for you: SANFORD AND SON

The theme from "Sanford and Son" is cowbell-ariffic!

The Sanford & Son theme is called The Streetbeater, by jazz composer and arranger Quincy Jones.

I heard the economic news on the radio this morning on the way to work. First thought - I gotta have more cowbell!

And, if you like a song but it does not contain enough cowbell, let me know. I can kick it up a notch!

Level 5 Beatles Geek Alert: there is no cowbell on "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me and My Monkey" - that sound you hear is the an overdubbed ride cymbal. I now move up to Level 6!

Hey, take it easy on Jimmy Page: If that list weren't posted, I'd have never heard of the "Lords of Acid Pussy".

DTLV-

For the record, I am not gay. Lightly effeminate perhaps, but not gay.

Yeah, The Beatles are OK, I guess.
But "House Of Jealous Lovers" by The Rapture takes the cowbell to the next level. SHAKEDOWN!

If there's no cowbell on "Everybody's Got Something To Hide"...then why have I seen Ringo Starr say in print that he played the cowbell on this song (as opposed to, say, McCartney or Lennon, who could have been equally plausible candidates)?

Son, I'm a Beatles Geek myself. And a musician - dammit, I know my ride cymbals from my cowbells! And "Everybody's Got Something To Hide" is one of the few songs in modern rock history that actually DOESN'T need more cowbell...since there's so much of it in the first place.

One of my favorites is the minimal application in the last verse of The Stones, "Dead Flowers." It might in fact be a cymbal, I will defer to the experts on that point. Whatever it is, that little accent is magic.

Jimmy,

Have we learned nothing from the Mike Piazza situation? The gayest thing ANYONE can possibly do is publicly deny that he is gay. The denial is always a bigger headline than the allegation, and in the end all people will remember is seeing your name and the word "gay" in the same sentence.

"Jimmy Page Denies Swirling Allegations of Gay Butt-sex"

"Page to Fans: I'm Not Gay"

See what I mean? Just let it go, Tom.

I missed the moment but I can’t pass up the (probably apocryphal) anecdote of two teenagers overheard ion a record store. One says to the other , “Did you know that Paul McCartney had a band before Wings.”

The really sad part, I just realized, is that even the anecdote is dated.

I think Jimmy Page should get bonus points for the rubella reference, though. That's old school.

Jeff B, I say tomato, you say cowbell. Everybody know's Ringo's a liar - he didn't even play drums for the Beatles! It was secretly Jimmy Page all those years.

Which reminds me of my all-time favourite John Lennon quip. Someone says to Lennon, "Ringo's not exactly the best drummer in the world, is he?" And Lennon replies, "he's not even the best drummer in the Beatles." Ouch.

It's a little astounding that you could come up with such a long list and leave out "King of Pain" by the Police.

Just in case readers' eyes glaze over while reading that monster list, let me draw special attention to "Take It Off The Top" by the Dixie Dregs. Steve Morse is one of the great southern Seventies guitarists, and that song is one of the few radio-friendly instrumental tunes of the rock era.

Is there a song of the band Tool which features a cowbell?