Matchbox Twenty/Rob Thomas

If you want to experience Matchbox Twenty the way most of America did in '97, listen to "Push" and "3 AM" in that order. It took nearly a year for their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, to hit its stride, but when it did, it was a juggernaut. By '98, Rolling Stone's readers' poll had named Matchbox Twenty "Best New Band"; they weren't everyone's secret anymore.

There's almost an arena-rock sound to many of these tracks, but absent is the clichéd pose, so we mean it in a good way. The iTunes Originals are the hidden gems here, though. For early adopters, Matchbox Twenty's debut single, "Long Day," still sounds fresh nearly a decade after its original release. Part of the band's genius lies in its appeal: they're alt-rockers to one crowd, arena rockers to another, and Top 40 rockers to yet another. Virtually everyone, it seems, can claim Matchbox as their own.

Matchbox Twenty are the Pittsburgh Steelers of rock — hard-working, no-frills kinda guys. During the post-grunge era, they were no critical darlings, but thanks to relentless touring, they managed a feat few bands ever have: selling ten million copies of an album that never topped the chart. It seemed they were everybody's second-favorite band, but they managed to develop a massively loyal fan base the old fashioned way — fan by fan by fan. And as the loyal part spread, so did the massive part. As of late, leader Rob Thomas has pursued a solo career, but the door is wide open to future band recordings.