Music

Long before film soundtracks gave us musical monsters, classical composers were conjuring witches, skeletons, demons and midnight nightmares. From a dance performed by Death himself to a terrifying ride through the night, these seven pieces prove that some of the most wonderfully spooky music ever written is centuries old.

Some songs are remembered for their singers. Others belong to the guitarist, the melody or the lyrics. And then there are recordings where the drummer takes control of the entire experience. These seven tracks demonstrate just how many different ways that can happen. John Bonham creates a sound so enormous that it practically defines a Led Zeppelin classic. Phil Collins turns one carefully delayed drum entrance into a cultural phenomenon. Keith Moon seems determined to play every possible fill, while Stewart Copeland proves that a few precisely placed notes can be more exciting than a hundred. The selection moves beyond conventional rock virtuosity, taking in Tony Allen's extraordinary Afrobeat rhythms and a six-second drum break by Gregory Coleman that helped change the course of popular music. This isn't a ranking of the world's technically greatest drummers. It's about the performances that transform their recordings: the moments when rhythm becomes melody, drama, atmosphere or the entire reason to press play. Seven songs, seven very different approaches to percussion, and a compelling argument for listening to the drummer first.

Punk was never supposed to be polite, technically perfect or universally loved. It was supposed to hit hard, say something and make a racket. From the first-wave explosion of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash to the ferocious American hardcore underground, these seven albums capture punk in its rawest forms. Some changed the direction of rock music; others made their mark without ever needing mainstream approval. Black Flag and Bad Brains pushed intensity to new extremes, while the Germs and Fear delivered the kind of chaotic, confrontational records that made punk feel genuinely dangerous. This is a list built around the music, not the mythology. Seven records, seven different arguments for what punk should sound like. Put the headphones on, listen, and decide which one deserves the top spot.

The Smiths made music that could be beautiful, bitter, funny and devastating, sometimes within the same song. This ranking explores seven tracks that reveal the band’s contradictions: Johnny Marr’s extraordinary melodic invention, Morrissey’s romantic fatalism and black humour, and the strange alchemy that made their songs feel intensely personal. From the rush of This Charming Man to the pitch-black comedy of Girlfriend in a Coma, these are seven different arguments for why The Smiths still matter. Would you rank them differently?

Seven unforgettable ABBA songs, from euphoric pop anthems to heartbreaking ballads. Listen to every track and decide how you would rank them.

Seven essential Daft Punk tracks, from French-house anthems and euphoric disco to futuristic grooves and cinematic electronic music. Listen to every track and decide how you would rank them.

Seven landmark hip-hop tracks from the 1990s, spanning East Coast lyricism, West Coast G-funk and era-defining production. Listen to every track and decide how you would rank them.

Seven essential synth-pop songs from the 1980s: futuristic electronics, unforgettable hooks and iconic sounds that defined a decade. Listen to every track and decide how you would rank them.

Seven defining trip-hop tracks from the 1990s: shadowy beats, cinematic soundscapes and unforgettable voices. Listen to every track and decide how you would rank them.

Seven defining Motown classics: unforgettable melodies, extraordinary voices and the sound of a musical revolution. Listen to every track and decide how you would rank them.

Seven essential Fleetwood Mac songs, from timeless harmonies and unforgettable melodies to the tracks that defined a generation. Listen to each song and decide how you would rank them.

Seven opening tracks that announce an album before you have even heard what comes next.

Seven songs that capture the sound, attitude and cultural moment of Britpop.

Seven useful German phrases for finding concerts and live music in Hamburg.

Blur > Oasis

Seven venues and cultural spaces that form part of Lafayette's unusually rich live-music ecosystem.

Seven artists who represent different generations of Lafayette and Acadiana's zydeco tradition.

Seven artists and creative figures connected with Muncie and its cultural community.

Seven artists and creative figures connected with Eureka and the wider Humboldt County scene.

Seven musicians and musical figures connected with Hattiesburg and its wider cultural story.

Seven musicians whose careers and traditions connect with Sligo and the wider northwest of Ireland.

Wrexham has produced a musical story far more varied than you might expect. From Neck Deep’s internationally successful pop-punk to K-Klass dance-floor anthems, intricate post-rock, Welsh indie and towering psychedelic doom, these seven acts show how much musical ground one North Wales town can cover. Some have reached global audiences; others are cult favourites waiting to be discovered. Start listening, find your own favourite, and decide which act deserves the top spot.

RANKD Team Americana edition.

Seven Sheffield stories showing how an industrial city became one of Britain's most influential musical cities.

It’s hard to rank these songs when all of them are so good, but this is my first ranking. I might #rerank it, who knows

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

Williamsburg is one of Brooklyn’s most compelling places to experience live music, with everything from intimate rooms championing emerging artists to ambitious concert halls, experimental performance spaces and jazz clubs with deep community roots. The best venue is not necessarily the biggest or the most famous. Sometimes it is the room where you discover a band before anyone else knows their name; sometimes it is the sound, the crowd or the atmosphere that makes an ordinary gig unforgettable. This ranking brings together seven distinctive places to hear music across Williamsburg, each offering a different reason to go out. Whether you are chasing your next favourite artist, looking for a proper jazz night or planning a memorable concert with friends, these are venues worth knowing. Explore the options, follow the Maps links and decide which one deserves the top spot.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

Williamsburg does live music in every register: intimate rooms where you discover your next favourite band, ambitious spaces built for the big night out, experimental performances that stretch the definition of music, jazz, bowling between sets and clubs where the DJ takes over after dark. This is a seven-stop guide to making a night of it in Brooklyn, whether you want guitars, left-field sounds or a dance floor that keeps you out later than planned. Check the venue calendar before heading out: the right bill on the right night makes all the difference.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

I’m not entirely happy with my own work here. Found it very difficult to distill best songs of all time. Feel free to disagree with me.

A birthday playlist should do more than acknowledge that someone has survived another trip around the sun. Stevie Wonder brings the all-out celebration; 50 Cent turns the occasion into a club anthem; The Beatles deliver a rock-and-roll singalong; and Katy Perry goes straight for the dance floor. Then there’s the traditional song, which everyone knows, almost nobody sings particularly well, and nobody can quite escape. Seven birthday songs, from the genuinely heartfelt to the gloriously shameless. Which one deserves to soundtrack the big day?

A community remix of another RANKD.

A community remix of another RANKD.

A community remix of another RANKD.

A community remix of another RANKD.

A community remix of another RANKD.

A new community RANKD.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

What makes a truly great singer? Is it the voice itself — its range, power and precision — or the ability to make a song feel as though nobody else in the world could sing it? The greatest singers can stop a room with a single note, turn heartbreak into something universal, or make an entire stadium sing back at them. This RANKD brings together seven defining voices from different corners of popular music. Freddie Mercury made theatrical rock feel limitless. Whitney Houston paired extraordinary control with a voice built for soaring melodies. Aretha Franklin brought gospel-rooted authority to soul, while Michael Jackson turned vocal phrasing into part of the choreography. Adele makes vulnerability sound monumental; Elton John combines a distinctive voice with an unmistakable musical identity; and Beyoncé has continually reinvented what a modern pop performer can be. They are not interchangeable, and their greatness cannot be measured on one simple scale. Some are most powerful in a live performance, others in the studio; some are instantly recognisable from a single phrase. This is a ranking built to provoke debate, not settle it. Seven extraordinary singers, seven different arguments for greatness. Who belongs at number one — and whose voice would you add?

What makes a great guitarist? Speed, feel, invention, tone, songwriting — or the ability to make six notes sound more important than another player’s six-minute solo? These seven guitarists represent radically different answers. Jimi Hendrix expanded the instrument’s vocabulary; Eric Clapton made blues phrasing sing; Jimmy Page built monumental riffs and intricate arrangements; David Gilmour turned space and sustain into emotion; Eddie Van Halen reinvented rock technique; Slash made hard-rock melody feel dangerous; and Stevie Ray Vaughan brought Texas blues roaring back into the mainstream. This isn’t a ranking of technical exercises. It’s a debate about the players who made the electric guitar sound unmistakably their own. Who deserves number one?