As news of the death of the Stooges‘ Ron Asheton spread this morning, fans shared memories of the guitarist (and sometime bassist) and pledged to revisit the band’s catalog. Here’s a few signature tracks to help celebrate Asheton’s legacy:

“Search and Destroy” [Listen]

“I Wanna Be Your Dog” [Listen]

“Dirt” [Listen]

“T.V. Eye” [Listen]

“1969″ [Listen]

“No Fun” [Listen]

“1970″ [Listen]

“Gimme Danger” [Listen]

“Raw Power” [Listen]

“My Idea of Fun” [Listen]

Photo: Bedder/Getty

The best songs from albums reviewed in our current mag (Britney Spears on the cover of the Hot Issue):

Britney Spears
“If U Seek Amy” [Listen]
“Unusual You” [Listen]
From Circus [Review]

Cat Power
“Dark End of the Street”
“Fortunate Son”
From Dark End of the Street [Review]

Scott Weiland
“Missin’ Cleveland” [Listen]
“She Sold Her System” [Listen]
From “Happy” in Galoshes [Review] (more…)

Photo: Getty

Taylor Swift
“Fifteen”[Listen]
“The Way I Loved You” [Listen]
From Fearless [Review]

The Knux
“Life in a Cage”[Listen]
“The True” [Listen]
From Fearless [Review]

Little Joy
“Don’t Watch Me Dancing”
“The Next Time Around”
From Little Joy [Review]

T-Pain
“Ring Leader Man”
“Change”
From Thr33 Ringz [Review]

Hinder
“Use Me”
“Take It to the Limit”
From Take It to the Limit [Review]
(more…)

Bob Dylan, “Mississippi”
Three versions of this stark, bluesy Time Out of Mind outtake appear on Tell Tale Signs, and each is a hard-boiled but heartfelt meditation on loss, both personal and historical.
[Listen] [Review]

Rise Against, “Audience of One”
A poignant fist-pumping anthem about graduating from tiny clubs to arenas, it’s proof that power ballads are back.
[Listen] [Review]

Lucinda Williams, “Little Rock Star”
Electric guitars swell while Williams unleashes a cautionary tale about the excesses of fame. Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse should listen up.
[Listen] [Review]

(more…)

TV On the Radio, “Halfway Home”
Brooklyn rockers mash up New Wave guitars, doo-wop vocals and nursery-rhyme melodies for a genre-exploding anthem that’s thoroughly modern.
[Review]

Jackson Browne, “Off of Wonderland”
A lovely, soft-rockin’ jam that celebrates the best of the Sixties, from MLK and RFK to the days of living “ankle-deep in contraband.”
[Review]

Jenny Lewis, “Jack Killed Mom”
Finger-snapping acoustic blues that’s sharper than the knife Lewis brags about brandishing. Murder ballads never sounded so sexy.
[Review]
(more…)

Metallica, “All Nightmare Long”
Combining the riffs of their Eighties classics with the hooks of their Nineties hits, it may be the perfect Metallica song.
[Review]

Ne-Yo, “Miss Independent”
The synths are choppy, but Ne-Yo navigates his upper register with a smoothness befitting the jam’s pickup lines.
[Review]
(more…)

Jonas Brothers, “Love Bug”
Joe Jonas croons his pain in a ballad that begins as an acoustic ode to first kisses, then erupts into a full-blown rocker.
[Listen] [Review]

Ra Ra Riot, “Dying Is Fine”
With Arcade Fire-style strings, Vampire Weekend’s pop sense and lyrics from E.E. Cummings, it’s every indie-rock kid’s dream combo.
[Listen] [Review]

One Day as a Lion, “Last Letter”
Jamming on his keyboard with full force, Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha proves he hasn’t lost his fire.
[Listen] [Review]

(more…)

Nas, “N.I.*.*.E.R. (The Slave and the Master)”
Over an orchestral hook, Nas launches a narrative tour de force that skewers institutional racism.
[Listen] [Review]

Randy Newman, “A Few Words. . .”
An instant classic set to Dixieland piano, this state-of-the-union ballad calls out Caesar, Hitler, Stalin — and, of course, Dubya.
[Review]

Conor Oberst, “Moab”
With delicate vocals and defiant acoustic strums, Oberst delivers a moving runaway anthem about the healing power of the road.
[Listen] [Review]

(more…)

Beck, “Orphans”
All he needs is psychedelic guitars, fireside strumming and airy harmonies, and suddenly the Summer of Love
is back.
[Listen] [Review]

John Mellencamp, “My Sweet Love”
A Bo Diddley rhythm and bright backup vocals bolster this ode to a love that’s as classic as country rock.
[Listen] [Review]

Girl Talk, “Set It Off”
What would Jay-Z sound like if Radiohead was his backing band? This tour-de-force DJ mash-up delivers the answer.
[Review]
(more…)

Coldplay, “Lost!”
With soaring church organs and a kick-drum stomp, the band reaches the heights of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
[Listen] [Review]

Lil Wayne, “3Peat”
Alien synths and a drum-machine beat showcase Weezy’s genius couplets: Who else can rhyme “Viagra” with “Adam Sandler”?
[Listen] [Review]

Wolf Parade, “Kissing the Beehive”
An epic 11-minute jam built on pounding prog rhythms, angry guitar lines and pure animal magnetism.
[Listen] [Review]

The Virgins, “Love Is Colder Than Death”
It rocks like the Strokes’ best party tunes, but its jittery bass line captures all the anxiety of the morning after.
[Listen] [Review]

Martha Wainwright, “Comin’ Tonight”
Pete Townshend guests on this Stevie Nicks-style tune, and Wainwright conjures more drama than her brother, Rufus.
[Listen] [Review]

My Morning Jacket “Two Halves”
Americana meets doo-wop on this wistful, harmony-laden tribute to youth and being old enough to miss it.
[Review] [Listen]

Weezer “Pork and Beans”
Rivers Cuomo mocks Top 40 success on this wry cut, but with charging guitars and a singalong chorus, he’s already got a big power-pop hit.
[Review] [Listen]

The Ting Tings “Shut Up and Let Me Go”
With its sassy disco-funk strut, this ode to independence is perfect for dumping your boyfriend or your record label.
[Review] [Listen]

N.E.R.D. “Spaz”
Banking on weird synth hooks and a skittery groove, this club anthem proves the Neptunes save the best beats for themselves.
[Review]

Fleet Foxes “He Doesn’t Know Why”
Airy pop melodies, soaring “ahs” and lyrics about “hair grown long” make this pretty tune a modern hippie classic.
[Review] [Listen]

Photo: Getty

Nine Inch Nails “1,000,000″
All the classic signatures still work: industrial riffs, a pounding beat and a chorus where Trent Reznor vents his rage like a hair dryer.

Foxboro Hot Tubs “27th Ave Shuffle”
Billie Joe & Co. get nostalgic for their old junkyard days with a Nuggets-style garage-rock boogie.
[Listen]

Elvis Costello “No Hiding Place”
Costello rails against the Net on this slow-burn rocker, but he’s not too angry to leave out the “na-na-nas” and “woo-oos.”
[Listen] (more…)

Death Cab for Cutie “Grapevine Fires”
A stark end-of-days prophecy that sounds its alarms softly, with organs and shuffling drums.
[Review]

The Roots “Get Busy”
Swampy synths coat this groove while ?uestlove expertly thumps and thwacks at the drums, working his way into a thick funk.
[Review] [Listen]

Duffy “Mercy”
This Welsh singer-songwriter channels Dusty Springfield with a swinging soul melody and a voice so smoky it could fog glass.
[Review]
(more…)

Madonna “Give It 2 Me”
Pharrell provides the siren synths, and Madonna brings the fierceness on a bouncy dance tune that’s just as demanding as its title.
[Review]

Mudcrutch “Crystal River”
Think Tom Petty isn’t really a jam-band guy? This sprawling, organ-laden, Grateful Dead-style groove will prove you wrong.
[Review] [Listen]

Santogold “Creator”
Santi White howls over alien-sounding keyboards and heavy dancehall rhythms in the best new tribal anthem not written by M.I.A.
[Listen]
(more…)

The Raconteurs “Carolina Drama”
Jack White tells the story of a boy who kills his mom’s boyfriend — it’s an epic blues jam even Jerry Springer would love.
[Listen]-[Review]

The Rolling Stones “She Was Hot”
Jagger and Co. rescue this 1983 groupie tale from obscurity, building it into a bold ode to nostalgia.
[Listen]-[Review]

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds “Today’s Lesson”
Over a hypnotic bass line, Cave howls an awesomely dirty love song about a guy who digs a girl with “pretty knees.”
[Review]

Gnarls Barkley “Charity Case”
Cee-Lo filters his voice through druggy, distorted funk loops, then bargains for salvation over tinkling chimes and chain-gang gasps.
[Listen]-[Review]

Foals “Electric Bloom”
Interlocking guitars and electromagnetic percussion help this Oxford group find the perfect middle ground between Brit pop and art rock.
[Review]