Damn

The members of supergroup Damn Yankees were all stellar players – besides Ted Nugent, they boasted rock & roll veterans Tommy Shaw (Styx), Jack Blades (Night Ranger), and Michael Cartellone (Dixie Dregs) – and clearly stood over most of their peers. Still, patching together two albums' worth of highlights and calling it "essential" is a somewhat ludicrous concept. Anyway, both of the band's albums delivered solid if unspectacular rock radio-friendly singles such as "Coming of Age," "Don't Tread," and, of course, the group's über-power ballad "High Enough." This is the best place to start your Damn Yankees collection.

Avril Ramona Lavigne (/ˌævrɪl ləˈviːn/ AV-ril lə-VEEN; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has released seven studio albums and has received several accolades and nominations, including eight Grammy Award nominations…

Not long after You're Gonna Get It, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' label, Shelter, was sold to MCA Records. Petty struggled to free himself from the major label, eventually sending himself into bankruptcy. He settled with MCA and set to work on his third album, digging out some old Mudcrutch numbers and quickly writing new songs. Amazingly, through all the frustration and anguish, Petty & the Heartbreakers delivered their breakthrough and arguably their masterpiece with Damn the Torpedoes…

This Grammy-winning comeback set brought Buddy Guy back to prominence after a long studio hiatus. There are too many clichéd cover choices – "Five Long Years," "Mustang Sally," "Black Night," "There Is Something on Your Mind" – to earn unreserved recommendation, but Guy's frenetic guitar histrionics ably cut through the superstar-heavy proceedings (Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler all turn up) on the snarling title cut and a handful of others. The Expanded Edition of Damn Right, I've Got the Blues features two bonus tracks, "Doin' What I Like Best" and "Trouble Don't Last."