THE BLASTERS AIN’T NO CATS!

Perhaps taking a cue from the Book Of Rock Lists, I once considered compiling a list of the best rock records to listen to when going through the breakup of a love relationship. After all, if you grew up with rock 'n' roll as your childhood soundtrack, the music—everything from Phil Spector's teen dreams to the Beatles' hippie anthems— probably helped shape your definition of what love is supposed to be all about (even if a lot of it did turn out to be Disney-like fantasy), and if the music is still good for anything today, it's probably in the identification of shared emotional experiences and that sense of "emotional rescue" the best songs can still offer.

Although the list never materialized, the choices in my head seemed endless: almost anything by Del Shannon for self-pity; Maryin Gaye's Here My Dear for bitterness; the Clash's version of "Brand New Cadillac" for angry frustration; Southside Johnny's Hearts Of Stone for regret; early Elvis C. for revenge fantasies and Get Happy!! for nearly every emotion you can feel under the circumstances, and perhaps the grandest of 'em alj—Dylan's Blood On The Tracks (particularly "Shelter From The Storm") for those moments when you may feel like slitting your wrists but end up passing out instead.