Classic rock. The very term conjures images of stadium concerts, roaring guitar riffs, and anthems that have defined generations. But with so much incredible music out there, what truly are the top classic rock songs? It’s a debate that ignites passions among music lovers, and one that radio stations across the globe tackle head-on. This Memorial Day Weekend, legendary rock radio station WPDH, the Home of Rock and Roll in the Hudson Valley, added their voice to the conversation with their annual countdown of the top 500 songs of all time, coinciding with their 45th anniversary as a rock station. And this year, the number one pick sparked quite a discussion, proving that the spirit of rock and roll is alive and well.
For those eager to dive into rock and roll history and see where their personal favorites landed, here is the complete list of WPDH’s Top 500 Classic Rock Songs. Prepare for a journey through the decades, from blues-infused beginnings to hard-rocking anthems and power ballads that still resonate today.
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JOAN JETT – I Love Rock ‘N Roll
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QUEEN – Bohemian Rhapsody
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PINK FLOYD – Another Brick In The Wall(Pt II)
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LED ZEPPELIN – Black Dog
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BON JOVI – Livin’ On A Prayer
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GUNS N’ ROSES – Sweet Child O’ Mine
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD – Sweet Home Alabama
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AC/DC – You Shook Me All Night Long
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BOSTON – More Than A Feeling
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AEROSMITH – Sweet Emotion
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SCORPIONS – Rock You Like A Hurricane
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KANSAS – Carry On Wayward Son
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VAN HALEN – Panama
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WHITESNAKE – Here I Go Again
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DEF LEPPARD – Pour Some Sugar On Me
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JOURNEY – Don’t Stop Believin’
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RUSH – Tom Sawyer
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BILLY IDOL – Rebel Yell
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AEROSMITH – Dream On
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QUEEN – We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions
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ZZ TOP – Sharp Dressed Man
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HEART – Barracuda
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TOM PETTY – I Won’t Back Down
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GUNS N’ ROSES – Welcome To The Jungle
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BLACK CROWES – Hard To Handle
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AC/DC – Back In Black
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PHIL COLLINS – In The Air Tonight
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EAGLES – Hotel California
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PINK FLOYD – Comfortably Numb
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LED ZEPPELIN – Rock And Roll
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OZZY OSBOURNE – “Mama, I’m Coming Home”
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DEF LEPPARD – Photograph
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD – Free Bird
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SCORPIONS – No One Like You
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BOSTON – Peace Of Mind
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BLUE OYSTER CULT – Don’t Fear The Reaper
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VAN HALEN Jump
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BON JOVI You Give Love A Bad Name
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BILLY IDOL White Wedding
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AEROSMITH Walk This Way
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ROLLING STONES Start Me Up
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QUEEN Another One Bites The Dust
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AC/DC Highway To Hell
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STEVE MILLER The Joker
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TOM PETTY Free Fallin’
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RUSH Limelight
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JOURNEY Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
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BON JOVI Wanted Dead Or Alive
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LED ZEPPELIN Immigrant Song
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ZZ TOP Gimme All Your Lovin
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GUNS N’ ROSES Paradise City
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BRYAN ADAMS Summer Of ’69
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BOB SEGER Turn The Page (Live Bullet)
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BLACK SABBATH Paranoid
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PINK FLOYD Wish You Were Here
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CARS Just What I Needed
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BILLY SQUIER The Stroke
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HEART Crazy On You
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PAT BENATAR Heartbreaker
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AEROSMITH Rag Doll
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JOHN C MELLENCAMP Jack & Diane
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OZZY OSBOURNE Crazy Train
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VAN HALEN Runnin’ With The Devil
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KISS Rock And Roll All Nite (Live)
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JIMI HENDRIX All Along The Watchtower
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LED ZEPPELIN Over The Hills And Far Away
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CHEAP TRICK I Want You To Want Me (Live)
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AC/DC Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
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TOM PETTY Runnin’ Down A Dream
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BLUE OYSTER CULT Burnin’ For You
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QUEEN/DAVID BOWIE Under Pressure
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EDDIE MONEY Take Me Home Tonight
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ROLLING STONES Beast Of Burden
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JOURNEY Any Way You Want It
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FOGHAT Slow Ride
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POLICE Roxanne
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STEVE MILLER Rock’N Me
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EAGLES Life in the Fast Lane
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DEF LEPPARD Animal
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WHO Who Are You
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ZZ TOP Legs
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GEORGE THOROGOOD Bad To The Bone
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HEART Magic Man
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PINK FLOYD Hey You
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MOTLEY CRUE “Girls, Girls, Girls”
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AEROSMITH Come Together
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VAN HALEN Eruption/You Really Got Me
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BAD COMPANY Feel Like Makin’ Love
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LED ZEPPELIN Ramble On
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STYX Renegade
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YES Owner Of A Lonely Heart
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THIN LIZZY The Boys Are Back In Town
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DIRE STRAITS Money For Nothing
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JOURNEY Wheel In The Sky
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AC/DC T.N.T.
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FOREIGNER Juke Box Hero
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TOM PETTY Refugee
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PAT BENATAR Hit Me With Your Best Shot
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ROLLING STONES “Paint It, Black”
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QUEEN Fat Bottomed Girls
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STEVIE NICKS Edge Of Seventeen
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J. GEILS BAND Centerfold
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38 SPECIAL Hold On Loosely
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PINK FLOYD Young Lust
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DEF LEPPARD Rock Of Ages
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WHO Baba O’Riley
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MOTLEY CRUE Kickstart My Heart
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BILLY SQUIER Lonely Is The Night
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FLEETWOOD MAC Go Your Own Way
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VAN HALEN Intruder/Pretty Woman
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GUNS N’ ROSES Live And Let Die
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LED ZEPPELIN Kashmir
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DOORS Break On Through
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JOHN C MELLENCAMP Small Town
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ZZ TOP La Grange
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FOREIGNER Cold As Ice
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AC/DC Hells Bells
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CLASH Should I Stay Or Should I Go
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U2 Pride (In The Name Of Love)
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BAD COMPANY Bad Company
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ROLLING STONES Miss You
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STEVE MILLER Take The Money And Run
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PINK FLOYD Money
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DON HENLEY Boys Of Summer
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JOAN JETT I Hate Myself For Loving You
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TOM PETTY Mary Jane’s Last Dance
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD Simple Man
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AEROSMITH Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
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DEF LEPPARD Foolin’
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EDDIE MONEY Two Tickets To Paradise
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LED ZEPPELIN Whole Lotta Love
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ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Don’t Bring Me Down
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DEEP PURPLE Smoke On The Water
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DIRE STRAITS Sultans Of Swing
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GOLDEN EARRING Twilight Zone
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FOREIGNER Hot Blooded
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QUEEN Killer Queen
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VAN HALEN Jamie’s Cryin’
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BAD COMPANY Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy
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ZZ TOP Tush
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JIMI HENDRIX Purple Haze
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BON JOVI Bad Medicine
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AC/DC Thunderstruck
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BLACK SABBATH Iron Man
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POISON Nothin’ But A Good Time
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ROLLING STONES (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
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WHO Behind Blue Eyes
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD What’s Your Name
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PINK FLOYD Brain Damage/Eclipse
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BOB SEGER Old Time Rock & Roll
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STEVE MILLER Threshold/Jet Airliner
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EAGLES Take It Easy
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AEROSMITH Janie’s Got A Gun
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LED ZEPPELIN Stairway To Heaven
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TOM PETTY American Girl
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POLICE Message In A Bottle
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GUNS N’ ROSES Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
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MOTLEY CRUE Home Sweet Home
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RUSH Freewill
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38 SPECIAL Caught Up In You
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TOTO Hold The Line
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CARS Good Times Roll
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DEF LEPPARD Love Bites
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MANFRED MANN Blinded By The Light
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FREE All Right Now
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U2 I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
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JOHN C MELLENCAMP Hurts So Good
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AEROSMITH What It Takes
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ERIC CLAPTON Cocaine
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STYX Come Sail Away
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VAN HALEN Hot For Teacher
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LED ZEPPELIN The Ocean
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ROLLING STONES Sympathy For The Devil
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PAT BENATAR Love Is A Battlefield
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TOM PETTY Don’t Do Me Like That
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AC/DC Moneytalks
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BON JOVI Runaway
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FOREIGNER Double Vision
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PINK FLOYD Time
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CLASH Rock The Casbah
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EAGLES Already Gone
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BILLY SQUIER Everybody Wants You
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STEVE MILLER Fly Like An Eagle
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CARS Let’s Go
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD Gimme Three Steps
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BOSTON Rock & Roll Band
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OZZY OSBOURNE Flying High Again
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QUEEN Somebody To Love
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DEF LEPPARD Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
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DOORS People Are Strange
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FLEETWOOD MAC The Chain
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JIMI HENDRIX Foxey Lady
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JOURNEY Lights
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LED ZEPPELIN D’Yer Mak’er
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RUSH The Spirit Of Radio
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RATT Round And Round
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AC/DC For Those About To Rock
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AEROSMITH Love In An Elevator
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BLACK CROWES She Talks To Angels
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MOTLEY CRUE Dr. Feelgood
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POISON Every Rose Has Its Thorn
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POLICE Don’t Stand So Close To Me
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PAUL MCCARTNEY Live And Let Die
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VAN HALEN Dance The Night Away
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BOB SEGER Night Moves
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GUESS WHO American Woman
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GUNS N’ ROSES Patience
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TOM PETTY You Got Lucky
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ROLLING STONES Gimme Shelter
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QUEEN Crazy Little Thing Called Love
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STEPPENWOLF Magic Carpet Ride
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BILLY IDOL Dancing With Myself
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QUIET RIOT Cum On Feel The Noize
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SUPERTRAMP Give A Little Bit
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LOVERBOY Working For The Weekend
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ZZ TOP Cheap Sunglasses
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BOSTON Foreplay/Long Time
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FLEETWOOD MAC Dreams
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CARS My Best Friend’s Girl
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PINK FLOYD Run Like Hell
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ROMANTICS What I Like About You
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DEF LEPPARD Armageddon It
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KANSAS Dust In The Wind
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JOE WALSH Life’s Been Good
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CHEAP TRICK Surrender (Live)
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BRYAN ADAMS Run To You
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REO SPEEDWAGON Take It On The Run
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LED ZEPPELIN Fool In The Rain
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U2 With Or Without You
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TOM PETTY Don’t Come Around Here No More
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VAN HALEN Ain’t Talkin ‘Bout Love
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AEROSMITH The Other Side
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GEORGIA SATELLITES Keep Your Hands To Yourself
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OZZY OSBOURNE No More Tears
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AC/DC Shoot To Thrill
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FOREIGNER Feels Like The First Time
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JIMI HENDRIX Fire
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DEREK & THE DOMINOS Layla
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DOORS Roadhouse Blues
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RED RIDER Lunatic Fringe
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JOHN C MELLENCAMP Pink Houses
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POLICE Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
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NAZARETH Hair Of The Dog
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JUDAS PRIEST You’ve Got Another Thing Comin
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Born In The U.S.A.
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ROLLING STONES You Can’t Always Get What You Want
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BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
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LED ZEPPELIN Hey Hey What Can I Do
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PINK FLOYD Learning To Fly
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TESLA Signs
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GOLDEN EARRING Radar Love
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BLACK SABBATH War Pigs
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TOM PETTY Breakdown
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AEROSMITH Livin’ On The Edge
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FOO FIGHTERS Learn to Fly
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BOSTON Don’t Look Back
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DEF LEPPARD Rocket
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FOREIGNER Urgent
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SCORPIONS Wind Of Change
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VAN HALEN I’ll Wait
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JOURNEY “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'”
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WHO Won’t Get Fooled Again
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CARS You Might Think
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REO SPEEDWAGON Keep On Loving You
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JOE WALSH Rocky Mountain Way
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TALKING HEADS Burning Down The House
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EDDIE MONEY Baby Hold On
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BAD COMPANY Shooting Star
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DOORS “Hello, I Love You”
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BEATLES Come Together
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OZZY OSBOURNE Shot In The Dark
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NIRVANA Come As You Are
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TWISTED SISTER We’re Not Gonna Take It
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LED ZEPPELIN All My Love
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AC/DC Have A Drink On Me
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ROLLING STONES It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It)
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AEROSMITH Back In The Saddle
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EAGLES Heartache Tonight
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CREAM White Room
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GEORGE THOROGOOD I Drink Alone
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ASIA Heat Of The Moment
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U2 New Year’s Day
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CARS Shake It Up
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STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN Pride And Joy
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SIMPLE MINDS Don’t You Forget About Me
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TOM PETTY The Waiting
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BOB SEGER Hollywood Nights
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD Call Me The Breeze
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SKID ROW 18 And Life
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NIGHT RANGER Sister Christian
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QUEEN You’re My Best Friend
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AC/DC It’s A Long Way To The Top…
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STYX Too Much Time On My Hands
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VAN HALEN Right Now
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BOSTON Smokin’
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BAD COMPANY Can’t Get Enough
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ELTON JOHN Bennie And The Jets
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DON HENLEY Dirty Laundry
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NEIL YOUNG Rockin’ In The Free World
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DEF LEPPARD Hysteria
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SAMMY HAGAR I Can’t Drive 55
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AEROSMITH Angel
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JIMI HENDRIX Hey Joe
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ROLLING STONES Jumpin’ Jack Flash
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OZZY OSBOURNE Bark At The Moon
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LED ZEPPELIN Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid
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WHO Pinball Wizard
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DOOBIE BROTHERS Black Water
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DOORS Riders On The Storm
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STEPPENWOLF Born To Be Wild
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GEORGE THOROGOOD Who Do You Love
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TOM PETTY You Don’t Know How It Feels
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JUDAS PRIEST Living After Midnight
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EDDIE MONEY Shakin’
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PAUL MCCARTNEY Maybe I’m Amazed (Live)
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MARSHALL TUCKER BAND Can’t You See
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U2 Sunday Bloody Sunday
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BILLY IDOL Mony Mony
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RUSH Closer To The Heart
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RAM JAM Black Betty
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EDGAR WINTER Free Ride
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GREAT WHITE Once Bitten Twice Shy
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JOURNEY Stone In Love
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FLEETWOOD MAC Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)
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STEVE MILLER Jungle Love
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VAN HALEN Why Can’t This Be Love
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SUPERTRAMP The Logical Song
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BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE Takin’ Care Of Business
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ROBERT PALMER Addicted To Love
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BILLY SQUIER My Kinda Lover
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GRAND FUNK We’re An American Band
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LED ZEPPELIN What Is And What Should Never Be
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NAZARETH Love Hurts
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KISS Detroit Rock City
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STYX Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
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EAGLES The Long Run
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DOORS Touch Me
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PETER FRAMPTON Show Me The Way (Live)
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REO SPEEDWAGON Roll With The Changes
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ROLLING STONES Honky Tonk Women
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PETE TOWNSHEND Let My Love Open The Door
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TOM PETTY Learning To Fly
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AEROSMITH Same Old Song And Dance
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FOREIGNER Head Games
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ELTON JOHN Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting
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AC/DC Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution
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JOHN C MELLENCAMP Authority Song
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WHITESNAKE Still Of The Night
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MOUNTAIN Mississippi Queen
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PINK FLOYD Have A Cigar
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DOOBIE BROTHERS Listen To The Music
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DEF LEPPARD Too Late For Love
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DAVID BOWIE Fame
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ALICE COOPER School’s Out
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SANTANA Black Magic Woman
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LED ZEPPELIN Going To California
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PHIL COLLINS I Don’t Care Anymore
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RUSH Fly By Night
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Born To Run
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VAN HALEN And The Cradle Will Rock…
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METALLICA Nothing Else Matters
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CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL Have You Ever Seen The Rain
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MOTLEY CRUE Smokin’ In The Boys Room
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ROLLING STONES Brown Sugar
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STEVE MILLER Swingtown
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R.E.M. The One I Love
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TOM PETTY You Wreck Me
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U2 Mysterious Ways
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CARS Bye Bye Love
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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Under the Bridge
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RICK DERRINGER “Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo”
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OZZY OSBOURNE Over The Mountain
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EAGLES One Of These Nights
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BOB SEGER Rock And Roll Never Forgets
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GUNS N’ ROSES November Rain
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LED ZEPPELIN Misty Mountain Hop
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WARREN ZEVON Werewolves Of London
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BEATLES Revolution
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PETER GABRIEL Sledgehammer
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METALLICA The Unforgiven
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DIO Rainbow In The Dark
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ZZ TOP Got Me Under Pressure
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ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND Ramblin’ Man
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T REX Bang A Gong (Get It On)
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VAN HALEN Dreams
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DAVID BOWIE Changes
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DOOBIE BROTHERS Long Train Runnin’
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DOORS Love Her Madly
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ROLLING STONES Shattered
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WHO My Generation
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MOLLY HATCHET Flirtin’ With Disaster
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PINK FLOYD Speak To Me/Breathe
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ROBERT PALMER Bad Case Of Loving You
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STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Interstate Love Song
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JOHN C MELLENCAMP I Need A Lover
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Glory Days
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KINKS Lola
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JOAN JETT Bad Reputation
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HEART Straight On
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STEVE MILLER Abracadabra
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OUTFIELD Your Love
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ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Evil Woman
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TWISTED SISTER I Wanna Rock
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BOSTON Feelin’ Satisfied
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GENESIS That’s All
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TOM PETTY Into The Great Wide Open
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WHITESNAKE Is This Love
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BOB SEGER Her Strut
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LED ZEPPELIN Houses Of The Holy
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STYX Fooling Yourself (The Angry Man)
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PETER FRAMPTON “Baby, I Love Your Way (Live)”
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POLICE Every Breath You Take
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CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL Fortunate Son
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CARS You’re All I’ve Got Tonight
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REO SPEEDWAGON Time For Me To Fly
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VAN HALEN Finish What Ya Started
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SKID ROW I Remember You
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DOOBIE BROTHERS China Grove
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JOE WALSH All Night Long
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ERIC CLAPTON I Shot The Sheriff
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FOO FIGHTERS My Hero
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PAUL MCCARTNEY Band On The Run
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DAVID BOWIE Space Oddity
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ROLLING STONES She’s So Cold
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DIRE STRAITS Walk Of Life
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AC/DC Who Made Who
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KANSAS Point Of Know Return
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U2 Where The Streets Have No Name
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SUPERTRAMP Goodbye Stranger
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WHO You Better You Bet
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LED ZEPPELIN Good Times Bad Times
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD Saturday Night Special
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STEVIE NICKS Stand Back
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TOM PETTY Here Comes My Girl
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BOSTON Something About You
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ALICE COOPER No More Mr Nice Guy
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TESLA Love Song
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DAVID ESSEX Rock On
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DOORS Light My Fire
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GUNS N’ ROSES Mr. Brownstone
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JOURNEY Who’s Crying Now
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POLICE Synchronicity II
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BOB SEGER Fire Down Below
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DOORS L.A. Woman
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VAN HALEN Unchained
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JOHN C MELLENCAMP Crumblin’ Down
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PEARL JAM Alive
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ROLLING STONES Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo…
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GREG KIHN Breakup Song
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ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Do Ya
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PINK FLOYD Us & Them
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DAVID BOWIE Let’s Dance
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FOREIGNER “Long, Long Way From Home”
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TALKING HEADS Once In A Lifetime
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FLEETWOOD MAC You Make Loving Fun
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LED ZEPPELIN Dancing Days
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TED NUGENT Cat Scratch Fever
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BLACK CROWES Twice As Hard
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ROD STEWART Maggie May
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SAMMY HAGAR There’s Only One Way To Rock
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VAN HALEN Dancing In The Street
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RUSH Subdivisions
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AC/DC Girls Got Rhythm
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STEELY DAN Do It Again
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OZZY OSBOURNE I Don’t Know
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BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE Let It Ride
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R.E.M. Losing My Religion
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EDGAR WINTER Frankenstein
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GEORGE THOROGOOD “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD That Smell
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JOHN CAFFERTY On The Dark Side
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EDDIE MONEY Think I’m In Love
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BOB SEGER Mainstreet
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SUPERTRAMP Take The Long Way Home
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GENESIS Land Of Confusion
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GRAND FUNK Some Kind Of Wonderful
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ELTON JOHN Rocket Man
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GUNS N’ ROSES Civil War
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SANTANA Evil Ways
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BILLY IDOL Cradle Of Love
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WHO Eminence Front
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BAD COMPANY Ready For Love
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FOREIGNER “Blue Morning, Blue Day”
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BILLY SQUIER In The Dark
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LOVERBOY Turn Me Loose
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AEROSMITH Train Kept A-Rollin’
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NIRVANA Smells Like Teen Spirit
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LED ZEPPELIN Trampled Under Foot
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REO SPEEDWAGON Ridin’ The Storm Out (Live)
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STEVIE NICKS/TOM PETTY Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
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GRATEFUL DEAD Touch Of Grey
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U2 Desire
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STYX The Grand Illusion
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38 SPECIAL Rockin’ Into The Night
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD Tuesday’s Gone
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POLICE Wrapped Around Your Finger
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DAVID BOWIE Modern Love
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AC/DC Shot Down In Flames
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J. GEILS BAND Freeze-Frame
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JAMES GANG Funk #49
