Monday, April 30, 2018

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #163



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. Big Tings, by Skindred

If you have never heard of these guys, you have most certainly been missing out. They are a Welsh reggae metal band and they ROCK. I know you would think such a sub-genre would be weird, but somehow they actually make it work in a way that kicks some serious ass. It's some hard rocking tunes with a fantastic groove to them that don't sound like they are just trying to copy the 70's or 80's all over again like a lot of today's revival bands.



2. This is Gonna Hurt, by Sixx: AM

I've always thought that this was one of Sixx AM's best tracks. It's one of those fist pumping, arena rocking anthem-type songs that is definitely good for getting you energized and motivated. Definitely something you want to be listening to if you need a little kick in the ass to get your week going. It's unfortunate though that it seems like the band for the most part is over. I guess they did everything they set out to do.



3. Let Me Hear You Scream, by Ozzy Osbourne

Now as you all know, it's absolutely no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Ozzy and everything he has done the past five decades. That said, I thought the last album he did (Scream, which is already eight years old) was absolute trash. This was the only track on that album that I liked at all. If the rest of Scream would have followed suit, it might have turned out to be a fairly decent record. Oh well. At least this song rocks out with its male chicken out.



4. Down Again, by Black Country Communion

This is hands down one of my absolute favorite Black Country Communion songs, with maybe only one or two ahead of it. Regardless, that guitar riff is just absolutely killer and the steady groove it pushes just hits me in all the right ways. Plus, the vocal performance is absolutely dynamite and full of energy despite Glenn Hughes's noticeably advancing age. He is probably one of the only 70's rock singers still around today aside from Paul Rodgers, Dennis DeYoung, and Ozzy Osbourne who still sound close to the way they did back then.



5. Ten Years Gone, by Led Zeppelin

This is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin tunes that I never seem to hear anyone talking about. It's a great one, though. That cleanly strummed main riff has this lonely, slightly melancholy feel to it that makes me feel all kinds of things. It just goes to show you that when done right, music doesn't need any lyrics in order to evoke deep emotions from the audience. Jimmy Page really was something back in his day.


Friday, April 27, 2018

Throwback Thursday: "Let There Be Rock", by AC/DC



By 1977, AC/DC had had some moderate success outside their homeland of Australia, but they had yet to make any real international impact. They were still building up their fan base and were fighting the panning reviews from the critics. This is when they decided to up their game by lengthening their songs, adding a more punchy guitar sound, and making the solos longer and more wild. The end result was their fourth album (third international) Let There Be Rock.

Let There Be Rock is what many AC/DC fans consider to be the "first true AC/DC album" and where the band finally managed to find itself because it was the first to feature their well known trademark balls to the wall guitar driven sound, thundering rhythm section, blistering solos, and songs that don't end after two and a half minutes. It features some of their most beloved songs such as "Let There Be Rock" and "Whole Lotta Rosie".

The title track "Let There Be Rock" is a hallmarked AC/DC anthem for sure. It has a driving tempo, crunchy guitar riffs, and some of the most attitude singer Bon Scott ever mustered. This is a speakers cranked to 11 tune if I've ever heard one. Interesting fact about this song: when lead guitarist Angus Young was recording the ending solo, his amplifier caught fire but he just kept playing and playing until he got to the end. By the time it was over, the amp was a melted glob of mess.

"Whole Lotta Rosie" is definitely a must at any AC/DC concert. It gets the crowd hyped and you get to see a giant inflatable woman. What isn't to love about that? That aside, it is another hard driving, uptempo, guitar crunching rock n' roll tune, though with lyrics about having a fat fetish (nothing wrong with that, of course). No fancy frills. Just AC/DC rocking it out and blowing out the speakers on your stereo like they should.

Let There Be Rock is an absolute classic. It has some of the band's best material in their entire catalog, though I still wouldn't start someone off with this album as their introduction to AC/DC. Some of the songs do go on just a little too long and start to drown into one another with you barely being able to tell that you have moved on into a different song. That said, the stuff that does stand out is absolutely fantastic and makes the record a worthy buy.

Let There Be Rock, by AC/DC receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Go Down
2. Dog Eat Dog
3. Let There Be Rock
4. Bad Boy Boogie
5. Problem Child
6. Overdose
7. Hell (Ain't a Bad Place to Be)
8. Whole Lotta Rosie

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Let-There-Be-Rock-AC/dp/B00O75SBJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524808923&sr=8-1&keywords=AC%2FDC+Let+There+Be+Rock

Sunday, April 22, 2018

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #162



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. Kurenai [English Version], by X Japan

I wanted to give you guys the Japanese version that appeared on the Blue Blood album because honestly it's a lot better, but unfortunately X Japan's record label is one of those labels that gets REALLY stingy about anything being put on YouTube. That said, this classical meets speed metal ballad is truly something beautiful to behold. The melody translates from classical to metal so incredibly well, although this version doesn't have the string section. Plus, since this version is in English, those of you who prefer English should enjoy this.



2. Runnin' Down a Dream, by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

This was always one of my favorite Tom Petty tunes. I've always loved that driving rhythm and that pedal to the metal kind of vibe it has. For whatever reason the chorus always reminded me of Scooby Doo. Maybe the "working on a mystery" part? Regardless, it always brings back fond memories of sitting in the back of my mom's van on summer vacation without a single care or problem in the whole world.



3. Hash Pipe, by Weezer

Maybe because much of my musical taste is stuck in yesteryear, but I just found out about and learned to play this song recently. It has this nice beefy layered guitar sound in the verses and the choruses have that early 2000's garage rock revival vibe that I personally still love to this day. I'm not really that big into the Mary Joo Wanna drugs, but regardless of subject matter I can still appreciate a good song when it comes along.



4. Meet on the Ledge, by Greta Van Fleet

This is one of the only songs I have heard from Greta Van Fleet that doesn't sound like they are just completely and unapologetically ripping off Led Zeppelin. If anything, this sounds like a classic 70's Aerosmith kind of ballad. If you have ever heard songs like "Major Barbra", you'll know what I'm talking about. It's incredibly melodic and the chorus feels so incredibly big. Definitely the kind of ballad we have needed for a while. Maybe if the boys keep up with stuff like this they will fare better in the long run.



5. My Generation, by The Who

This is the classic song about giving the older folks the middle finger for judging and criticizing the younger folks of your generation. The ironic part about this song is that the people who blared it all the time in their youth are now the older folks that do the very thing they hated their parents' and grandparents' generation for doing. I guess things kind of come full circle, don't they? No wonder there is the lyric "I hope I die before I get old.". You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.


Thursday, April 19, 2018

Throwback Thursday: "Vanishing Vision", by X Japan



Disclaimer

I have elected to leave out the cover art for this particular record because it is borderline too inappropriate for mainstream audiences. I could possibly get away with it, but I'm choosing to err on the side of caution. I am not in the mood to deal with any social media drama for it. If you want to see it for yourself, it isn't too hard to find.

Without further ado...

In 1988, the world was pretty chocked full of some amazing heavy metal from bands and players from all over. However, an unknown at the time speed/power metal band from Japan by the name of X Japan decided it was time for them to throw their hat into the ring with their debut album Vanishing Vision. The album was released independently, but quickly sold thousands and gained them a noticeable following which would act as a jumping board to bigger and better things despite not being an English singing band.

Vanishing Vision is an album that jumps back and forth between speed metal and ballads, though there are also songs that are a blend of the two. For those who are familiar with some of X Japan's more well known work, you can definitely hear the foundation being laid for those songs on this record. In fact, there is even an early version of their hit "Kurenai" that most people who do know the band probably will not have heard.

"I'll Kill You" despite sounding like an incredibly brutal song is more about struggling as a married couple and what goes along with that. Regardless, there is some pretty solid melodic guitar work from hide and Pata and barbarian-like shouted backing vocals. However, Toshi really brings it together with his voice that soars to the heavens with Yoshiki going ape on the drums and Taiji thundering away on bass to keep that driving rhythm going from start to finish.

For those of you who know X Japan at all, their signature song "Kurenai" actually has an older version than the one that appeared on Blue Blood. The song originally appeared on Vanishing Vision, but in English. It definitely brings this speed metal ballad masterpiece a different vibe for sure. Regardless, it is still incredibly emotion driven and blends soft piano and strings with a full plugged in ripping and running band incredibly well.

Vanishing Vision is definitely not the first record I would recommend someone check out from X Japan, but it definitely has quite a few solid tracks on it that stand out. If you are open minded enough to check out something from a non-English speaking band then I think you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by what you find here. It shows that you don't have to be American or European to rock.

Vanishing Vision, by X Japan receives 3 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Dear Loser
2. Vanishing Love
3. Phantom of Guilt
4. Sadistic Desire
5. Give Me the Pleasure
6. I'll Kill You
7. Alive
8. Kurenai
9. Unfinished

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/VANISHING-VISION-EXC-001-X-Japan/dp/B000064IF1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524196105&sr=8-1&keywords=X+Japan+Vanishing+Vision&dpID=41GOHdDviZL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Monday, April 16, 2018

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #161

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. Raw Power, by Guns N' Roses

The original version by Iggy and the Stooges is pretty damn fantastic, but for me the GN'R cover blasts the song into the stratosphere. The tempo is kicked up, the guitars are more balls to the wall in terms of production, and Duff McKagan just has that punk attitude that no one else could ever seem to match even if they tried. Whenever I need something to get me moving, this is definitely a go-to song for me.



2. Not Dead Yet, by Jen Ledger

If you dig or have ever dug the band Skillet, then their drummer and co-lead vocalist Jen Ledger just put out her debut solo EP last Friday. It's pretty darn spiffy. Despite the heavy pop leanings in it, it still has a VERY noticeable rock n' roll edge to it. Plus, the fact that everything in the songs seems so raw and honest is what sells me on it even though I'm not usually the kind of guy who listens to a whole lot of modern pop music.



3. Easy Fight Rambling, by X-Japan (live)

I wanted to get you guys the studio version of this song, but unfortunately X-Japan or at least their label are very on the ball about keeping people from posting their songs to YouTube. Regardless, this live performance is still pretty solid. If you are willing to jam out to something that isn't in English then I think you might dig this tune. It sounds a lot like a classic Van Halen song, but it's still very much their own thing. Rest assured, the rest of their songs sound completely original.



4. Star Wars, by Buckethead

Buckethead playing Star Wars? What could possibly be better than that? It's a match made in Heaven as far as I'm concerned. Big B puts his own unique personal spin on multiple iconic songs from a galaxy far far away in this rocking medley while still staying true to the emotions of the original pieces. I've always loved to crank this song whenever I'm in a great mood or if I need something to cheer me up when I'm feeling dump trucks.



5. The Ocean, by Led Zeppelin

Ok, ok. I'll give you something that has gotten played to death on every classic rock radio station ever for the past 4+ decades. That said, despite the fact that it has been overplayed "The Ocean" is one of my absolute favorite Led Zeppelin tunes of all time. The riffs just groove and punch in all of the best ways possible. I always have a good time with this whenever I'm bored and want to play along with it on my guitar for certain.


Friday, April 13, 2018

Throwback Thursday: "Who Do We Think We Are?", by Deep Purple



By 1973 Deep Purple was becoming a pretty hot commodity. They had made a HUGE impact with their 1972 smash hit LP Machine Head and from a commercial standpoint, things could only get better. However, this was sadly not the case. There had already been plenty of internal strife within the band (particularly between guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist Ian Gillan) and everyone was getting fed up. However, they still needed to get a follow-up record out, so the result was the troubled Who Do We Think We Are? which would be Gillan's and bassist Roger Glover's last album with Deep Purple until 1984's Perfect Strangers.

Who Do We Think We Are? does not seem to get all that adventurous in comparison to previous Purple records. Most of the songs on there are straight up blues grooving no frills rock n' roll songs. Stuff that in theory was perfect for radio for the time, though the only song from it that still gets any play these days is their hit "Woman From Tokyo". That said, there are still some other songs on there worth giving nods to.

"Woman From Tokyo" has some of Ritchie Blackmore's best blues riffing in all of the Deep Purple catalog. While the main riff isn't anywhere near as iconic as "Smoke on the Water", it will still get ingrained into your head pretty quickly and easily. The way the song ranges in dynamics and changes keys also shows that even when playing more commercial friendly rock, Deep Purple could shine and be the creative group that they are.

One of my personal favorites from this album that no one ever seems to mention has to be "Mary Long". That chorus (particularly the vocal melody) just gets to me every time. The band is pretty tight with the rest of the song. The organ squalls from Jon Lord really do give the song some timbre, but Ian Paice's technically proficient drumming brings it to a whole other level. Still though, it's definitely the vocal performance that makes it as excellent as it is.

Though this is not Deep Purple Mark II's best work, it is still a pretty solid album considering the tense circumstances it was written and recorded under. You can definitely tell that the band had had enough at that point and they were ready for a change. Regardless, it has some good and even a couple great songs on it and it is an essential part of any Deep Purple fan's collection. Also still worth checking out even if you're not the most into Purple.

Who Do We Think We Are?, by Deep Purple receives 3.2 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Woman From Tokyo
2. Mary Long
3. Super Trouper
4. Smooth Dancer
5. Rat Bat Blue
6. Place in Line
7. Our Lady

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Who-Do-We-Think-Are/dp/B000026KGA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523598468&sr=8-1&keywords=who+do+we+think+we+are+deep+purple

Monday, April 9, 2018

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #160

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. Bonded By Blood, by Exodus

When people think of thrash metal, it's easy for the Big 4 to come to mind and forget all of the other great bands out there who deserve just as much, if not more of the spotlight. One such band is Exodus, who incidentally Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett was a part of until he left to join Metallica in 1983 to replace Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine. This title track from the band's 1985 debut album is pretty spectacular and is a good taste of what the band is about.




2. Thrasher, by Evile

Evile is a pretty awesome newer thrash metal band from the UK. Their sound is pretty reminiscent of the classic 80's heyday of thrash metal, but done completely in their own sped up, rougher style. This is the track that introduced me to them quite a few years back when I saw this video posted to a fellow metalhead's Facebook page. I dug the ridiculously fast tremolo picking of the main riff and was sucked right in.




3. Hardwired, by Metallica

Believe it or not, Metallica's most recent album, 2016's Hardwired...to Self-Destruct didn't suck in the slightest. I wouldn't say that it was on the same level as their classic material, but it definitely sounded like a much welcomed return to form after years of writing and playing commercial hard rock. This tune sounds like something that could have been on the band's 1983 debut album Kill 'em All, though James Hetfield's voice has definitely aged and there is better studio production on this.




4. Raining Blood, by Slayer

This is a thrash metal classic. Its riffs are iconic and has some of the best guitar work that the band ever did. Believe it or not though, Slayer's music is NOT pro-Satan despite the image they have presented over the decades. A lot of it has more to do with real world topics like war, politics, anti-religion, and other tough hard hitting topics. Definitely not a band for the faint of heart, but you definitely can't say they didn't have something passionate to say.




5. Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing on Rainbows, by Andrew Huang

And now for something completely different. This is one of my absolute favorite songs of all time and I have absolutely no shame in admitting it whatsoever. It's bright, upbeat, cheery, and always puts me in a better mood if I'm feeling like absolute dump trucks. It might just do the same thing for you as well if you are willing to give it a chance. If it doesn't, well then maybe go find something that will and share it with the class?



Thursday, April 5, 2018

Throwback Thursday: "Medusa", by Trapeze



The 70's were a rich time full of all kinds of amazing rock n' roll music. Some bands are still celebrated by the masses to this day, some not so much. One of the bands that unfortunately has slipped through the cracks is a funk rock band known as Tapeze, which for a brief period was fronted by future Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes. One of the greatest treasures they ever produced was their 1970 sophomore effort  Medusa.

Medusa is where Trapeze really hit their stride as a band. The power trio was tighter than ever and it truly showed through their music. Plus, the album showed how versatile they could be with straight up grooving rock tunes, laid back ballads, and long epics. There was most certainly no stopping this train just yet. Some of the more notable tunes from this album are ones like "Medusa", "Black Cloud", "Seafull", and more.

"Black Cloud" is one of those unique songs that on surface level just seems like a straight up no frills or creativity rock tune, but upon further dissection is more interesting. There are some cool layers of acoustic and electric on top of one another. The way the verses transition into the choruses definitely gives the song a bigger punch in terms of dynamics due to the verses being primarily acoustic and the choruses electric, though both still having elements of one another to different extents.

"Medusa" is one of Trapeze's crowning jewels. Glenn Hughes still plays it at many of his live shows even to this day. It's one of those songs that is just, big, riffy, lumbering, and heart string pulling. I know I always get the feels when listening to it. The only thing that kind of holds it back is the lack of decent production, which makes it feel a bit hollow in certain places. Regardless, it is still a song that should have been a classic rock staple.

If you're getting tired of the same 20 songs on classic rock radio and want to give something different a try that still has that classic 70's feel, then Medusa should be right up your alley. The production on it is a little dated, but that doesn't really matter when the awesomeness of the songs still shines through like the sun anyway. In my opinion, that is the mark of a truly good album. Definitely worth your time and money.

Medusa, by Trapeze receives 3.75/5 stars

Track List:

1. Black Cloud
2. Jury
3. Your Love is All Right
4. Touch My Life
5. Seafull
6. Makes You Wanna Cry
7. Medusa

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Medusa-Trapeze/dp/B000W2187K/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1522989639&sr=8-1&keywords=Trapeze+Medusa

Sunday, April 1, 2018

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #159

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. Keep On Keepin' On, by Brenda Patterson

Brenda Patterson is/was a Memphis based blues singer who got her start by being a backing vocalist for bigger names like Bob Dylan and Ry Cooder. Throughout the 70's she teamed up with native American band Redbone to release some solo albums. As powerful and luscious as her voice could be, she sadly never quite made the cut to join the big time and thus over the years has fallen deep into obscurity.



2. Kingdom Come, by Sir Lord Baltimore

Sir Lord Baltimore was arguably one of the first bands to ever have the label "heavy metal" thrown upon them, as it was used to describe their sound in a review of their 1970 debut album Kingdom Come done by Creem magazine. Regardless, this band is definitely one of the godfathers of the stoner metal genre. Many of today's bands whether they realize it or not are influenced by Sir Lord Baltimore and owe them a great deal.



3. Into the Fire, by Suck

Suck was a short lived band that existed for eight months between 1970-71. They were from South Africa and were considered to be among if not the absolute first hard rock bands from the area. They released one album Time to Suck, which was primarily cover songs. This one in particular is of an obscure Deep Purple track "Into the Fire" from their In Rock LP which had come out maybe a year before this album came out.



4. Go Back, by Crabby Appleton

Crabby Appleton were a short lived pop rock band from Los Angeles. They had a sound that was somewhat similar to Kiss in terms of catchy melodies, pleasant chord progressions, and a rocking guitar sound to back it all, but they were more polished and refined in some ways. This tune of theirs from their 1970 debut record was their only Top 40 hit in 1970, and from there their 15 minutes of fame ended pretty quickly. The following year they split up after their second album Rotten to the Core flopped.



5. Come on to Town, Ned, by Blue Jug

These guys were one hell of a dandy southern rock/country band from the mid-70's. Their vocal harmonies were immaculate and blended so well that you could have almost considered them in some ways to be a hillbilly choir. They had just enough of a pop and rock vibe to them though to keep them from sounding too heehaw and appealing to a wider audience. Unfortunately though, due to lack of interest they broke up after only one album.