So much fun. That's what I think when I listen to many a Rolling Stones song. These guys really had a blast playing their music. And in turn, I have a blast when I listen to them having a blast, if you know what I mean.

The Rolling Stones really started the "I don't give a feck, let's just plug in and play" rock and roll mentality. That's why their music was so pure and enjoyable. They never really took themselves seriously, especially Mick Jagger, as he dances and twirls his way across the stage when the Stones play live. They're just a group of boys who love to play the blues.

But, the Rolling Stones is a great band musically too. They're not famous for being fun and goofy alone, although it helps. They managed to write great, memorable music and played it with conviction. Mick screams, Keith Richards slams down the power chords, Charlie Watts keeps the beat, and Ron Wood makes the music move. They all equally contribute to make a song great.

Also, they really knew how to start a song. Listen to the beginning of any of their songs, especially "Gimme Shelter," "Monkey Man," "Brown Sugar," or "Satisfaction," and you just feel like you want to spend the next 3 or so minutes listening to the rest. The Stones just have that inexplicable groove, that drive that makes them so great.

As a sum of all parts, the Rolling Stones really are the "greatest rock band in the world." They have the attitude, the playing ability, the songs, and the sound. Rock on.

Words don't seem to be fitting to describe the musical talent of Jimi Hendrix. He was so creative, so genre-bending, so universial that I find hardpressed to find words to fit Jimi. If there is one word to describe Jimi Hendrix and his music, I would pick this: wonderful.

James Marshall Hendricks grew up in Seattle in the late-40s and 50s, and during his upbringing he encountered many famous and talented blues musicians. Here in lies Jimi's base, his foundation: blues. No matter how psychadelic "Voodoo Chile" sounds, no matter how sonically disturbing the last minute of "Bold As Love" seems, Hendrix always had the blues in heart. But he managed to make his music so much more than a standard 12-bar with distortion.

That's why people love Jimi; he took what was familiar, bent it in all kinds of crazy directions, and gave it back to his listeners in a new, beautiful form. Jimi knew exactly what he was playing at all times on his guitar, in fact he often played his bizarre solos with his eyes closed. He had complete artistic control over what he produced, especially later in his career. These were the times before MTV...the musician really got the opportunity to live.

Some people might describe Jimi Hendrix as a wild, unappealing thrasher on guitar. "Come on, just give me distortion and I could play exactly what he did," a friend of mine told me once. But that's the thing: you can't. No matter how close we get to replicating his effects, Jimi had that amazing tone; when one of his songs comes on the radio, you know it's Jimi Hendrix manning the axe. Instantly. He was so intimate with his instrument that he created pure love, pure magic out of that amp, that no one will ever be able to replicate. And that's just sweet, that's why Jimi Hendrix's music will always live on.

Yes, Eric Clapton is a very talented guitar player, he's not a bad singer and he can write a good tune. He'll play all different kinds of music and feel comfortable while doing so. He has a great tone that no one can replicate. But, Eric Clapton definitely is not "God," as his fans like to call him.

Eric Clapton became famous after performing on John Mayall's album "Blues Breakers (With Eric Clapton)." He played firey blues licks that no one had ever heard a "white boy" play before. 'Only black Americans play blues,' thought the British pop scene, but Clapton broke the barrier. Maybe that was his greatest acheivement: he brought the blues to rock.

However, many equal, if not better, guitarists came before and after Clapton's inception. If you want to listen to real blues, listen to Robert Randolph. If you want to listen to real "rock," listen to Jeff Beck on "Beck Ola" or Led Zeppelin. To me Clapton just seems average in that regard; I would rather listen to many other musicians rather than him.

So really, Clapton is a great musician. He knows how to play guitar, and he knows how to play well. However, especially later on in his career, he never really made anything too fresh. There are plenty of other musicians out there that you may enjoy more than Clapton if you like "classic rock/blues." He's kind of the mean, the average, in my mind.

I'm so happy that Mr. Garza gave his three sons instruments when they were little and forced them to play. Because they play some pretty damn fine music. It's like a breath of fresh air, hearing songs like "Crazy Dream" eminate from my speakers, just giving me a glimpse of the fallen blues/rock heroes like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Roy Buchanan. These guys are the real deal.

The Garza brothers wrote all of the songs on this album, play their instruments wonderfully, harmonize beautifully, and perform with such energy. This whole album is pretty much recorded live, with some brush ups; no artificial overdubs or studio effects here. Just great, classic rock/blues music.

While most people probably bought/will buy this album just because of "Heaven," the Boys' biggest hit, one will miss much if he does not listen to the rest of the CD. Great songs pepper the entire collection, notably "Crazy Dream," "Senorita," and "Onda." Any blues/rock afficionado who wishes that Stevie Ray Vaughan was still alive should sorrow no longer: Los Lonely Boys are the next big thing.

I can't help but sit down and marvel at this song. What a catchy song. This tune has so many layers to it that it's difficult to take in one sitting. What amazes me about Jeff Beck and his band on this album is that they play so cohesively; they have this great groove that just makes you want to move your feet.

There are two parts in this song that just give me goosebumps. About 1:39 into the song, Beck just blasts into a slide solo; I've never heard someone play with a slide and sound the way Jeff does here. It has this spongy sound that's just strange and fantastic. Also, later into the song at about 3:58, Beck ends the keyboard solo with this groovy, heavy solo that feels like it bounces off the walls like a rubber ball. Just way cool.

If you own Wired, and you've never paid attention to this song (because it does have a slow beginning), give it a run and see if you like it. It's one of my favorite songs on the album, and it's one of my top ten favorites of Jeff Beck.