Monday, April 13, 2015

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #21

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Picking Up the Pieces, by Quiet Riot

Before 80's metal staple Quiet Riot made their mark on the world with songs like Cum On Feel the Noize and Metal Health (Bang Your Head) they had a more pop rock oriented sound. Kind of unusual, don't you think? Most bands transition from heavy to poppy if they do shift their sound. Anyway, this tune features original guitarist Randy Rhoads, who would later go on to play for Ozzy Osbourne at the start of his solo career and would help write songs like Crazy Train, Mr Crowley, Over the Mountain, etc. Here you can hear his melodic roots. It's a great tune to dance around and party to; especially if you need a pick-me-up.


2.  10 Lovers, by The Black Keys

When I think of The Black Keys I don't normally think of their newer non-bluesy stuff. However, I still think the song 10 Lovers from the Turn Blue album is pretty fantastic. It blends 70's Stevie Wonder style funk, modern dance music, and stoner rock. It makes for a unique experience. You can definitely dance to it, no doubt about that. That bass line is killer. The synth melody is pretty futuristic sounding to me, but I love it when it transitions into a guitar solo at the end. It takes that same melody and adds a whole bunch more soul and depth to it.


3. Foxey Lady, by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Can't go wrong with a Hendrix classic, right? It's so inspiring to listen to the ways Hendrix took blues, jazz, and rock n' roll in order to go off on his own tangent and be the single most innovative guitar player to ever live. Guitarists even to this day are still trying to mimic and come even a fraction of the way close to Hendrix's sound. Foxey Lady even to this day is a fantastic tune to groove to. It's simple, yet colorful. His solos get so creamy and smooth while his chords are so dirty in all the best ways possible. Stoner rock at its best.


Another Brick in the Wall Part 2, by Pink Floyd

EVERYONE knows this song. If they don't they have somehow been living under a rock for the past few decades. It is the most anti-education/teacher/establishment song known to mainstream rock. This song got us all at some point or another singing "We don't need no education....". Despite there being plenty of other great songs that have gotten this same message across, none are anywhere near as widespread and iconic. It gained that status for a reason. It does it so well. It plays to one's emotions and digs up those feelings of extreme resentment for teachers who really did you wrong and made you want to rebel.


5. She's the Woman, by Van Halen

In 2012 Van Halen put out its first album with original front man David Lee Roth in almost 30 years titled A Different Kind of Truth. While some fans might poopoo it, I thought it was actually pretty good. Half the songs were ones they had held onto but hadn't used from the 70's. One of them is She's the Woman. That opening bass line is eargasmically fantastic the way it climbs up and up again like a computer program. Of course the tune itself has that early Van Halen swagger to it which I absolutely LOVE. Roth's voice might have aged some, but it still has its old charm here. If you give the song a chance you may be pleasantly surprised.

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