"We Are Motörhead" - Motörhead

     And just like that, we come to the end of another October. I swear, this month went by insanely fast! I am alright with that though. I love the weather and feeling of October, but I can't wait until the holiday season where you get more days off from work and soon enough there will be snow! Well, I hope October went well enough for you. The month saw us having a rock heavy month, go figure, but there were still 7 stellar metal tracks, 4 country ones, a measly 1 punk track, and 2 others that are hard to define. Overall a strong month, and to serve as the cherry on top we had two 10/10 perfect tracks with "Black Hole Sun" from Soundgarden, and the kick ass "Turbo Lover" by Judas Priest. A month that saw some varying sounds, but all styles come together to give us a memorable month of rock n roll. Alright, well for our final track for October we have Motörhead on a track where they explain to you who they are and what they do. When I was first trying to find the name for this website there were 3 artists I kept coming back to and digging through their lyrics to find the perfect name, those three were AC/DC, Motörhead, and Johnny Cash, three artists that explained the vision of AintNoisePollution. AC/DC was the one to win out, and when the idea popped into my head from "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" it felt like destiny. It felt even more like destiny once nobody owned that domain, like it was sitting there for me to come across once I get to the point of wanting to start up another website project (this is my third). Motörhead doesn't have the most deep lyrics, nor do they have lyrics that instigate revolution, but what they do have is something that is easy to take in at face value. Lyrics that will kick your ass, serve perfectly as an anthem as you drink yourself to a stupor, and songs that are sinful but don't force that Satan imagery in your face. They are Motörhead, and they play rock n roll, and they are here to kick your ass. We will get to that though, I mean this whole song is an explanation of just that. But first, I want to give some history to Motörhead, one of my long time all-time favorite bands. Motörhead are one of the most essential names in heavy metal music, their impact on the genre as a whole is rivaled by few. Lemmy is one of the metal gods and easily is one of the most recognizable icons in the metal world, even the rock world. Motörhead started up in 1975 after Lemmy was let go from Hawkwind after getting arrested for possession of drugs. His place in Hawkwind was getting more and more shaky due to jealousy and taking that rock n roll lifestyle image more seriously. Lemmy gave Hawkwind their biggest hits when he was on vocals, and even started writing a song or two for the band, which did not sit well with vocalist, founder, and frontman Dave Brock. Lemmy chocked it up to "getting arrested for using the wrong drugs" but still, getting the boot really messed Lemmy up, but now he had the minor notoriety and drive to start up his own group, fully under his own ideals and style, he took the name from one of the songs he wrote for Hawkwind called "Motörhead". He would also include that song on the band's debut album, and for those that already know that song from Motörhead, I do suggest going back and listening to the Hawkwind version because it is pretty interesting. I love both versions, but let's be real, so long as Lemmy is there I will be taking my shirt off and waving it over my head. An idol of mine.

     The band's debut album came along in August 1977, and while it failed to gather all too much attention upon its release, it has gone on to be one of the band's most respected. It is the only Motörhead album to sound this way, it is a ton more chaotic and raw, just good time hard rock that isn't trying anything showy. It is also the only Motörhead album that can ride in varying fan bases, be it the punkers with tracks like "Vibrator", rockers on their version of "Train Kept-A Rollin" and the travel weary "White Line Fever", or the metalheads on songs like "Motörhead", "Iron Horse/Born to Lose" and "Keep Us on the Road". A great starting point, and a unique album from Motörhead. Well, as much as a band that didn't alter their sound too much can be unique that is. That debut served as a great start, nothing more, nothing less, though the band's second studio album was one of the most important heavy metal albums to come out in the 1970s. Overkill is an essential album, from start to finish, the album is simply legendary! There were few other albums like it at the time, and even still now, there is nothing like it. Motörhead has a special brand which is almost impossible to replicate without sounding like a copy cat. The only band I can think of that did it well was Girlschool, but those two are like two faces of the same coin. Overkill got the band's name out there, it gave a resurgence in heavy music during the age of disco and soft rock. It gave the finger to society and served as a safe home for rockers and head bangers worldwide to ride out the final years of the original rock sound before everything got synthesized and pop washed. 1979 held both Overkill and my favorite album from the band Bomber, not many bands out there that could have released two perfect albums within the same year. I adore Bomber, from my heel to my head, I will forever be a massive fan of that album. It also was the perfect album to follow up the earthshaking Overkill. Motörhead then had On Parole added to their discography, though it wasn't an authorized release, and honestly is a weak one, and in 1980 released their first live set of tracks on The Golden Years, both of those are for completionists so feel free to miss out on them when first moving through their albums. What you cannot miss out on is the band's 4th studio album (and their most famous) Ace of Spades. This album thrusted Motörhead into a position of godhood, it set them up for life for being one of the most well known bands in heavy metal. It is another genuinely perfect album, that once again, you cannot afford to miss out on! Genuinely one of the greatest albums of all time! Following that they released a handful of EPs, Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers which gave access to some of the songs Motörhead had when recording their debut album, and the damn fun St. Valentine's Day Massacre under the name Headgirl which was a collaboration between Motörhead and Girlschool, that one EP has three of my favorite Motörhead tracks on it. In 1981 Motörhead released their first live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith, which in my opinion is one of the best live albums ever put out. Iron Fist was the band's next album and is once again another fucking great album, following that Lemmy joined fellow visionary Wendy O. Williams from the Plasmatics for the EP Stand by Your Man, it is an odd one but decent one. Once 1983 came rolling along, Motörhead released Another Perfect Day, a Motörhead classic and one of their best. In my opinion, that finished up the golden age of Motörhead, don't get me wrong practically every album they put out after was still great, but they feel a little copy and paste after Another Perfect Day. It sometimes hurts to type the truth, but art is subjective so it might just a me thing. Anyway, Motörhead would go on to release Orgasmatron in 1986, Rock 'n' Roll in 1987, their second live album No Sleep at All in 1988, the war inspired 1916 in January 1991, March or Die in 1992, the intense Bastards in 1993, Sacrifice in 1995, the fan favorite Overnight Sensation in 1996, the disappointing Snake Bite Love in 1998, redeeming live album Everything Louder than Everyone Else in 1999, and finally we get to the one that holds our song of the day We Are Motörhead in 2000.

     I want to make one thing clear, when I said that 1983 marked the end of the golden age of Motörhead I still adore many of the later albums, and I know there are a ton of fans of those albums so know that I am not spitting on them. Most of the albums hold top tier tracks, pure metal power, and some are great albums. But being someone who has abused the living fuck out of their discography for what feels like my whole life, it is hard for me to love the others like the core albums. I think many would agree with that, some bands put out a ton of albums and some are just OK and that is alright, doesn't mean it is bad nor does it mean it is great, just an OK album. Alright, enough about the discography for now, especially since we only got to 2000 which leaves 8 more studio albums to go, but if I kept on dropping names then we would have our first 4 paragraph post. "We Are Motörhead" comes off the band's 15th studio album of the same name. It is a good one to start Motörhead off into the 2000s, and shows that the band hasn't lost any of that punch they had back in the day. It is a track by track kind of album for me, some songs I really dig and others I could leave behind without tears. This album has a strange overhanging to it, since Motörhead was competing against themselves in sales. The band had two greatest hits albums released in the same year due to money hungry record labels. It would be weird trying to show off your new work while people are releasing compilations of your material without your go ahead. So with that in mind, this album didn't sell as hot as some of their previous releases but still managed to peak at #5 on the UK charts. In a year when metal was throwing their seeds left and right, Motörhead was still keeping true to their core sound, a sound that people return to time and time again to get that fix. Me being one of them. We are Motörhead is a rallying call album for both the band and the fans. Modernly, it doesn't get too much love outside the band's cover of "God Save the Queen", the mellow "One More Fucking Time", and our song of the day "We Are Motorhead". ​For me, I come back to this album mainly for this one track. I come back to 2000s Motörhead often for this song, and while I am there I stick around for some of the other tracks, but in the end I cannot wait for the final track off this album to come along. A fast-paced and mean Motörhead track from start to finish. They remind you who they are, as if you needed a reminder, they are Motörhead, and they are here to kick your ass. Throughout the track, they poke at their past songs but also say proudly that they are also the future. Plenty of those lines are damn kick ass, lines I wish I could say about myself like "we are electric prophets, here to twist the world". Kick ass lyrics, man. Once again, Motörhead doesn't write lyrics that will change the world. No, they write lyrics that are meant to be taken at face value, and "We Are Motörhead" is the best example of just that. They are a rock n roll band that brings forth thick bass strings, drum flurries, and machine gun guitar work to beat you into the ground. A great group. RIP Lemmy. Metal gets colder and colder without the old gods watching over it. We had Ozzy this year, Lemmy in 2015, Dio in 2010, and now we have Rob Halford being the last man standing. Well, while the body might rot, their music and impact to the genre will live on forever. If I have kids, one of the first bands I will show them is Motörhead. So loud they will never be able to hear again, but why would they want to when they already heard the best? All jokes. But if you want to save my child, I will make a trade. How about you listen to this track as loud as you can stand it, and I will spare my nonexistent newborn baby, deal? Deal. Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 2000
Album: We Are Motörhead (2000)
Genre: Heavy Metal
Mood: Rowdy 
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Driving fast, Going to the bar, Pregaming for a show
Where To Next: "Manowar" - Manowar
Rating: 7 / 10

"Heart Attack" - Toxik

     Toxik is a band that really needs more appreciation in the thrash community. They fly right under the big names that fill that world. For those that don't know, thrash metal is one of the leading forces in the metal world. It was the first true genre from the metal world to step into the limelight completely. Bands like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax serve as the "big four" of thrash metal. They are the ultimate place to start, and those four left an imprint on the metal community that will never fade. Shit, who doesn't know Metallica? They are as famous as you can possibly get, both in the metal and the rock world. Aside from the big four there are legions of other phenomenal bands, ones out of the 1980s that focused solely on breakneck speed, thrashing, mashing, and moshing like Overkill, Exodus, Death Angel, Testament, and more. Then the 1990s brought forth groups that expanded that thrash sound, groups like Pantera thrashed with a groove metal backing, Sepultura came into the light with a death metal laced thrash sound, but Sepultura is a creature of their own, they dabbled in almost every single metal genre at one point or another. Following that there have been plenty of bands both modern and older bands making a comeback that has kept thrash metal alive and well since 1983. It is truly the backbone of the whole genre, and I don't think that will change too much, even with metal taking a different route years after thrash had its golden years. Now where does Toxik come into this mess, you might be asking? Toxik is a little more on the technical thrash metal side, they don't rely solely on face melting playing or double bass pedals punching you in the gut, that doesn't mean these guys don't do that since they certainly do, but there is a little more thought in some of their tracks in comparison to some of the other thrashers out there. So far in their career they have released four studio albums, two of which came out in the 1980s, and the other two (which I have yet to listen to) came out in 2018 and 2022. Those first two albums are hidden gems in the thrash metal world, and even though our song of the day "Heart Attack" might be their most popular song and has an impressive amount of streams on Spotify, even that track is underrated. Toxik was one of the first bands I listened to when I first got onto the modern version of Spotify almost 10 years ago. Up until I got onto Spotify, most of my life was revolving around an iPod that held my whole life. I pirated all I could possibly fit in that thing, which was a lot for its time, since it was the largest GB you could get on an iPod classic. I had hundreds of albums on that thing, but it did limit me, but Spotify on the other hand really changed the game. I could listen to almost anything I liked, and as years rolled along more was available for me, and here we are doing the song of the day posts all these years later. Getting off track. Toxik was one of the first bands I listened to on Spotify, and I was instantly hooked on those first two albums. Their debut album World Circus has this strange album cover that grabbed me, it had the symbolism I was looking for, that cool logo work, and a great color scheme, so I decided to start there. When an album has an intro track as hackle raising as "Heart Attack" it is damn near impossible to stop listening to the album there. And while that is their most famous song, World Circus has an obscene amount of top tier metal that I couldn't help but come back often enough that they soon were up there with some of my favorite metal bands of the 1980s. That only got strengthened when I listened through their second album, Think This. Another album cover that kept the theme, and while both are kind of ugly album covers, there is something special about those earlier metal album covers. Anyway, that album is just as good, if not better in some ways, as their debut gem. Following that... I dropped the ball, I just never went and listened to their more recent ones, but sometimes I do that with bands for no reason. I will get to them eventually.

     The title to "Heart Attack" really tells you all you need to know about the song, which is it will give you a heart attack with its ruthless attack to your senses. I am all for it, I can think of few better ways to die than having a heart attack since something was so damn heavy. "Heart Attack" is not quite the best example of my statement earlier where I said that Toxik are a touch more technical than other thrash bands, since most off their debut is pedal to the metal. This one track will easily get the metalheads hooked on the band, it is the type of song that forces you to lose yourself to the metal. One of the many things I love about this track is its homage to previous metal types, Toxik feels like it came out of 1983 both in recording quality and using some heavy metal weapons of the time like the powerful battle cry and "marching off to war" pounding backed by reckless abandon playing. I would put "Heart Attack" next to tracks from Anthrax's debut, or even next to speed metal gods like Exciter, Sanctuary, and Raven. Certainly still a thrash band, but they put out an early 1980s sound in 1987 when this album was released. Another thing I adore about this track is how well it does at setting you up and knocking you down. The intro is one of the best pointers of that, the beeping of monitors moves into rumbling drums that then bring in the guitar, and lastly we have the battle cry before all is ramped to climax, and then they let you go to die in the mosh. A perfect thrashers mosh pit rally call, and a perfect example of how heavy metal really does control your limbs to fuck some shit up! Anyway, the song does it a couple of times, but most notably on the chorus which is immensely addictive. I am sure it is a good reason to why "Heart Attack" is the band's most loved song. Those vocals out of Mike Sanders are damn intense, and while this brand of metal didn't age the best according to plenty of modern mainstream metalheads, I find it to have aged like fine wine, or maybe stinky cheese. Once you enjoy the taste of the stink, you want it more and more! No, that isn't an insult, I say that with admiration. The whole song is just so damn intense I cannot even put it into words! Something you just gotta listen to in completion to understand, which is fairly easy due to the song never once growing stale through its almost 4-minute playing time. After "Heart Attack" we move into "Social Overload" which is another killer track, shit, all of this album is killer, not even a single dull moment. One of the most core sounding thrash metal albums that I have ever heard, it pulls no punches. No life til leather! World Circus came out boldly in 1987, one of the best metal expansion years. We had Candlemass putting out their flawless Nightfall, Helloween solidified their place in the metal history books with Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1, D.R.I. showed the power of melding punk and thrash metal on the genre defining Crossover, and I could go on and on. 1987 was an immensely powerful year for metal, especially in the sense of genre expansion, so Toxik sadly sort of fell behind all that was going on but still managed to put out something just as good as that year's most legendary albums. Well, I guess I will just let you find out for yourself. That is if you haven't listened to the track already before reading this, but if you did, I really don't think you would be here since you would be busy picking the pieces of your brain off the floor. Great song, man, that I cannot state enough, and I am so glad to have it here on the website. Few better tracks to bring October to a close. Give the song a play! Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1987
Album: World Circus (1987)
Genre: Thrash Metal
Mood: In-fuckin'-tense! 
​Perfect For: Thrashing, Smashing, Crashing, Lashing, Bashing, Driving fast, Violence (don't tell the PMRC)
Where To Next: "Metal Thrashing Mad" - Anthrax
Rating: 9 / 10

"Godlike (Chicago Trax Edition)" - KMFDM

     Alright folks, we got a post today to shake some things up! KMFDM is one of the most well known names in the industrial metal and rock world. There are plenty of reasons for that, those reasons I intend to lay out for you! Well, first off, the band was first started as a performance art project, which isn't too shocking since the KMFDM brand of imagery and style is completely unique. They came along before many in the industrial world. Their brand of heavier music doesn't rely on the more metal side, plenty of their material is more so under the industrial rock category than anything. Maybe each of their albums don't switch it up too much from the previous, sure, but that just means you know you are going to love what is within. Some are heavier, some are more mellow, some are mostly made up of elecro-industrial music, but overall you are going to have a unique experience with each one. KMFDM is the drug against war, and there are few funner bands to get properly fucked up to. The band is run by the musical revolutionary Sascha Konietzko, a man with a plan and vision. KMFDM came along with their first studio album in 1986, a little piece called What Do You Know, Deutschland? A stand-up debut, but you can tell that Konietzko was still on the artsy path, but could you blame him? This type of music was still years away from its heyday. Germany has always had their radar pointed towards the most catchy music known to man, and they also know how to put music out that people can't help but dance to. What I love most about German music is it tends to be either completely cleaned up, or complete chaos, there is rarely a middle ground. KMFDM is often quite chaotic, but there is method to the madness, it has something rise inside you. This was just the start of the career, and while it might not be an essential album, it is something worthwhile for those that like KMFDM. Their follow-up album Don't Blow Your Top showed that the group was getting their bearings, not quite there yet, but you can feel the progression between the albums. As for their third studio album, we are getting to something good. UAIOE is a strange album that cannot sit still, it sees the group bringing in some dub into their style, something that rubs some fans right and some fans wrong, for me this is one of those albums that I come back to often when I am feeling greasy. It shows the band fully pulling it together, no more artistic abstract beats, more easy to drink yet flat beer for your partaking. I honestly was a fan of KMFDM for years before I went back to take in those albums for my studies, in a way I was waiting until I had the time to take in some of the missing pieces to their large discography. I will admit, you can burn yourself out on KMFDM if you abuse the living hell out of them, so maybe unveil a new album once a month if they grab you. Once I first heard "Rip the System" off their 3rd studio album, I was instantly hooked, and unlike most of the groups I take the money and run with, I moved forward from that song instead of backwards. It seemed like the band got better album by album. Even with some experimentation, there is never any doubting who is playing once KMFDM kicks on. "Rip the System" was the one that popped my ear cherry, but it was their fourth studio album Naive that I found the love for the band that has followed me for the last many years. 

    Our song of the day comes off of Naive, and in my opinion I find it to be one of the best albums to start into the band, but that might be a personal bias. They recorded the album after completing their first tour in the states alongside the industrial metal titans Ministry. Within this album, you can kinda feel the influence Ministry must have had on the group, since this album features some of their heaviest and nastiest songs. "Godlike" is one of those tracks. I find it to be the best track off the album, and it never fails to give me chills. This is one of those songs that are all consuming, no matter the version you listen to, but there is little doubt that the Chicago trax version is the best one. "Godlike" has had a ton of versions, some of which were remixed by some mighty bands like the Melvins and Prong. I will say, no matter the version you land on, you are in for a damn good time. The intro to the track is a sample of Slayer's "Angel of Death", which I think is some of the reason I am such a fan of it due to being a massive Slayer fan. Slayer makes everything better! Anyway, KMFDM being in the industrial world has sampled an obscene amount of riffs, clips, and more but when it comes to Naive that bit them in the booty since due to sampling without authorization the album was pulled off of shelves due to copyright infringement. Typically, I would say "boo to you" for ripping someone off, but it is very much in KMFDM. I don't mean that as an insult, it just supports their often anarchistic atmosphere and lyrical themes. Stupidly enough, they got that copyright infringement from a cantata out of 1935. Someone must have been keeping a serious eye out since KMFDM was known but not that well known, certainly not well known enough to fight back. Since the albums were pulled off shelves, it has gone on to be one hell of a collector's item. Luckily for those of us that cannot afford to hold such items, they re-released the album in 1994 under the name Naive/Hell to Go, and that one is still fairly easy to get. KMFDM is a group that is self lubricating. So long as there are people with ears and eyes, they will gain fans. Like I said before, there is something special to the band's style, something that breaks barriers between rock, metal, and EDM. I have met a striking amount of fans of the band, more so than some of my other groups that I dig and strut on my large T-shirt collection. They might just have such big fans that those that see those 5 letters on some dudes T-shirt out in the wild are driven to saying something about it. It is always like meeting an old pal, kindred spirits, and I have always loved bands that can make that kind of fan base. I mean, the band is still putting out good stuff today, so the chances to gather more fans goes up each year. Their 1980s material is artistic and fresh, their 1990s material is ungodly heavy, the 2000s see them perfecting their sound, 2010s solidifies their style in the history books, and the 2020s go full circle bringing a little bit of each decade into their current sound. I hope I get a chance some day to see them live, I think it would be a memorable show to say the least. Now, I am not one for dance music, I have no problem with it in the slightest, but I am a rocker by nature, so it is often hard to get fully into it. Still, KMFDM is one group that no matter what genre they lean into on that track, I am there, and I am enjoying it. Alright, I feel like this has been a boring post, so I am just gonna tie it up in a piss stained bow and hand the song over to you. You know what to do! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1990
Album: Naive (1990)
Genre: Industrial Metal
Mood: Chaotic
​Perfect For: Driving into hell, Marching off to war, Torching a cop car, Drinking cheap beer at 1 PM
Where To Next: "Latex" - Chemlab
Rating: 7 / 10

"Turtle Blues" - Big Brother & the Holding Company

     Welcome, today I give to you something a little more mellow. Something moody, broody, and ever so groovy! Big Brother & the Holding Company are one of the biggest bands that came out of San Francisco in the 1960s. Modernly, many just throw the band in with Janis Joplin, which I don't fully begrudge someone for doing. Their prime years and 2 best albums are when Janis Joplin was on vocals. To further the problem of not separating Janis Joplin's solo work from Big Brother & the Holding Company is since a good majority of the songs off the band's first two albums, their self-titled and Cheap Thrills, can be found on Janis Joplin greatest hits albums. In a way, Janis really is Big Brother & the Holding Company. It isn't fair to say, since the band went on to have 4 other studio albums, two of which came out in the 1990s. Yet, in the end, those first two albums were easily their best. Big Brother & the Holding Company started in 1965, they were quickly locally famous, following in the same sound and scene as bands like The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. They brought in the blues and got it high on psychedelics, then added some heavily distorted guitars to add in the stress, yet some pretty vocals to sooth that stress. Out of many of the names that came out of the San Francisco scene, I would say these guys are one of the most potent. Those first two albums are great! Cheap Thrills is on many lists as one of the best rock albums of all time. It is a historical piece that nobody can afford to look over. At first the band was simply an instrumental rock band that served as the house band at the famous Avalon Ballroom and gained quite a name for themselves, but soon enough they started getting the hankering for something more. That something more came in the form of Janis Joplin, a singer out of Texas. In comparison to the hippies that filled the streets of San Francisco, she looked like a cowgirl and sang as such. It took her some time to get accustomed to the musical style of electric music that was well... electric, and even more it took her some time to get accustomed to this place that was far from home both in miles and in society. It took some time, but soon enough that piece of coal turned into a diamond, a diamond that would thrust the band into immense acclaim before moving along to her very succesful solo career. Big Brother & the Holding Company went from putting out progressive based jams with a little Texan on vocals, to more structured and traditional songwriters within two years and after more than pleasing the crowd at their famous performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, they released their debut album. Their self-titled is a stellar piece of music, in some ways I love it even more than their legendary Cheap Thrills. It lacked the barroom atmosphere of the following album, and also lacked the decade defining hits, but still is a great psychedelic rock album. I mean, I guess it still has a ton of great hits, just none that hit the same acclaim as those off of Cheap Thrills, songs like "Down on Me", "Bye, Bye Baby", and "Call on Me" are prime picks out of the Big Brother & the Holding Company and Janis Joplin discographies. That debut is nothing to scoff at, sure there are the odd tracks, but there are so many good songs that it could keep you satisfied for years of continuous playing. With both their debut and the performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, the world was stunned by the intense singing of Janis Joplin. She sang like the female power vocalists out of the jump blues days, she cried and hollered on stage, she smoked and drank and became one with the people. Raw emotion resides in her vocals, the lyrics of the songs are forced into your ears and straight into your heart. She famously made people tear up with her performances, she was just an immensely powerful vocalist and musician. It was through her that the band blew up, but don't let that make it seem like the rest of Big Brother & the Holding Company were a backing band, because they too are good musicians, but there simply isn't any doubting that they wouldn't have made it nearly as far without Janis.

    Well, they made it, they were a name everyone knew in San Francisco and the rest of the world. The world was waiting on that next album, since the one they just put out could change the night into day. They wanted something just as powerful, and they got that and then some on the band's second studio album, Cheap Thrills, an album that could turn the day into night. I still can recall the first time I gave the album a play. It was one of those moments that I stopped what I was doing to hear the album in complete silence, completely star struck. My jaw was so low for so long that I wouldn't be shocked if a family of flies moved in and resided there for 3 generations. It was a cold as fuck schoolday, one of those that you can hardly drive right, and your fingers get locked on the steering wheel. Roads were icy, breathing was ragged, and your shivers were the only thing keeping you living. I was supposed to be going to school, you see I was starting to have an attendance issue from hell, but this time I fully intended to make it. So I threw on something random I just added onto the iPod I kept in my Jeep so I could make it to school in style, and I am sure you know where I am going with this. "Combination of the Two" kicked on, and it gave me the energy I needed to pop that vehicle in reverse to get out of my parking spot, an intense track that gets the blood pumping, the kind of track you can tell was there to get you fully psyched for this album. By the end of it I was nearing school, by the end of "I Need a Man to Love" I was pulling into the parking spot, and by the start of "Summertime" I was backing out of that spot after checking for the school cop and tore on out of that parking lot. What can some snobbish teacher show me that Janis couldn't? Well, in retrospective it seems there was a lot, but what I needed at the point in my young life was soul candy, something to teach me more about myself and the world, and that was this album. Cheap Thrills has been a long time love of mine, an album that impresses me every single time I listen through its tracks again. Janis is so damn powerful, her vocals on "Piece of My Heart" make you feel like a boy again instead of trying to be a man. Every single song on this album is great! It was a good little bit of time before I realized this wasn't a live album, it is marketed as one and has crowd noises added in to give it the vibe. I honestly felt a little betrayed when I found that out, but I have gone on to appreciate the artistic direction of giving the idea that the band is playing in some rowdy bar. Only one song off the album was recorded live, the explosive "Ball and Chain" which is the final track. Just listen to our song of the day and tell me it doesn't sound just like a live album. Alright, I could talk until my teeth fall out about this album and Janis, so I gotta tune in on a single song. Our song of the day this go around is "Turtle Blues", a unique song off the album that hardly sounds like any of the others. Janis and the band put on an older style on this song, a more jazz or blues style that is strangely reminiscent to Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith. This is the only song on the album that had its lyrics fully written by Janis, and I think that is some of the reason she tells the imagery so damn well. It covers a wicked woman, not the kind you bring home to mama. The kind of gal you find in a barroom and know damn well you are making a bad decision when you approach her. A black cat. Another song that really sells the "live album" feeling that Cheap Thrills utilizes. Complete with crowd bantering during the mellow track, and even some glass shattering from the barkeep throwing away the empty beer bottles. Following the mellow atmosphere, the tension starts building near the end of the song, that part always has me walking away with chills. Not the best track off the album, I will admit, but one that would have the album feeling like it was missing something if it wasn't there. A great track for those that love all things Janis, but one that the rockers might skip from time to time. I love the song, I think it is a perfect song for getting a good buzz on or lighting up a smoke and kicking your feet up. It is smooth and mellow with some sinful lyrics, can't get much better than that. Alright, this post is getting pretty long, so I will start wrapping it up. Cheap Thrills is a legendary album for a reason, it has a great atmosphere, amateur playing that gives a controlled chaotic feeling, bombastic vocals that thrill, a memorable album cover, and plenty of 1960s rock essential songs. "Turtle Blues" plays an important role, it keeps the barroom atmosphere up and serves as a breather track between "Piece of My Heart" and "Oh, Sweet Mary" before "Ball and Chain" comes back and leaves you breathless once again. A great way to start off the second side of the album, and a perfect song to go grab your next beer before the intensities come back. Well, give the song a play and see what it is all about. Sex, dope, and cheap thrills! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1968
Album: Cheap Thrills (1968)
Genre: Blues Rock
Mood: Mischievous
​Perfect For: Getting drunk, Getting a little stoned, Having a smoke, Autumn drives, Breaking hearts
Where To Next: "Ball and Chain" - Big Mama Thornton
Rating: 7 / 10

"Head Over Heels" - Accept

     Is it just me, or has there not been too much metal this month? I guess we have had plenty of the more tame side of metal, the more traditional sound that is still heavily based in hard rock, but not many of the extreme ones. Well, that is alright, to everything there is a season. Accept is another one of those more tame groups, don't get me wrong, they still kick your ass and take you out to dinner after. They were one of the earlier bands that had some success with the heavy metal sound in the start of the 1980s. I have had a deep and long time love for their 4th studio album Restless and Wild, and find it to be one of their best albums and easily one of the most essential from the early days of true heavy metal. "Fast as a Shark" activated something in me when I was 8, something sinister, it was a song that started my lifelong obsession with metal music. It was one of the leading forces in inspiring me to dedicate my life to the study and appreciation of music. That album was a precursor to so many metal genres, the biggest being thrash metal. It was heavier than almost anything at the time, and the playing on that is so intense it makes you sick! Before the band released that goldmine they had 3 other studio albums, Accept (1979), I'm a Rebel (1980), and Breaker (1981). All of those albums are good albums, but they didn't have that "thing" that made them so compelling until Restless and Wild. Actually, I take that back, their third studio album Breaker is another Accept classic from their earlier sound, I just wish the recording was as good as it is on Restless and Wild. In this early stage of the band, we see their most breakneck style, a style that smells of molten steel and leather. Following the modest success of Restless and Wild, the band went on to release their 5th studio album, Balls to the Wall. That album became an essential album out of the 1980s and a landmark of heavy metal succeeding breaking through into the main stream. While this album isn't as heavy as their previous, there are some tracks that completely floor you! We will come back to the album in time, but for now I will share a little more about the band so you can remember the Accept name and their place amongst the legends of the awkward early days of heavy metal. Balls to the Wall gave them a footing in the market, especially in Europe, and so like any band they were put to the test on if they can keep their name on the charts and in the hearts of metal maniacs globe wide. Their follow-up album Metal Heart surely didn't disappoint, it was just as good as their previous release and has gone on to be one of the band's most beloved albums. It is made up well of commercial songs, traditional heavy metal headbangers, and even some more intricate playing in comparison to some of their other releases. Now that they found the sound that sold, and was them, they kept it up for the next couple of albums. Russian Roulette is another that has plenty of notable tracks, and being a big fan of the band, I have found this album to be criminally underrated. Eat the Heat is a plain odd one, it had a different vocalist and also included some of the glam metal sound, which was a dumb move. There are still some redeemable tracks, but this album showed that Accept might be slipping, slipping so much so that they didn't release another album for almost four years. When their next studio album came, they showed the world that Accept refused to lay down. Their 1990s material is some of my favorite, it has this heavy as hell atmosphere that completely eats you. Objection Overruled has a ton of great songs, so much so that I come back to it more often than a lot of their other damn good albums. The follow-up Death Row kept up the energy, and then Predator had the band keeping their core sound yet trying some other goodies to stay in the times. Accept didn't release another studio album until 2010s Blood of the Nations, which is one of my all-time favorite come back albums. That one is intense! I suggest being on a toilet if you play it, since you might just shit yourself. Following that, each album is still good but doesn't switch it up all too much. I will still listen through anything Accept will ever put out, I can hardly ever get enough. They are a "fallback band" for me, no matter what I am in the mood for, I know Accept will always be there, and will always please.

     Man, that was a lot of info dumping, sorry about that. Let's pull this post in and get back to the album we already poked at, the band's most essential album, Balls to the Wall. 1983 was a year of tremendous power! We had this album here, Metallica's Kill Em' All, Holy Diver from Dio, Exciter put out the speed metal defining Heavy Metal Maniac, and so many more great albums. This was the year that showed that heavy metal had a place in the spotlight. That a sound so heavy can bring in legions of fans, and better yet that it can perform well on the radio. It can play nice just as much as it can slit your throat. A lovable rogue. Quiet Riot had heavy metal's first ever chart topping album with Metal Health, Metallica was starting to bring metal to the masses, and we had Accept with their flagship track "Balls to the Wall". I dig the fuck out of that song, but to listen to that one and think you know Accept is like eating instant noodles and thinking you know all about ramen. Still, it served as one of the pillars to getting metal out of leaky roof venues into selling out stadiums, for better or worse. Balls to the Wall hold so many more timeless tracks aside from its title track. The infamous "London Leatherboys" that the US had a conniption fit with due to thinking it was about homosexuals (that unfortunate album cover didn't help), but was actually about a bunch of bikers, it's one of the band's all-time best songs in my opinion. "Head Over Heels" is a damn good one if you want something intoxicatingly catchy. "Turn Me On" and "Love Child" are there if you want something lusty. "Guardian of the Night", "Fight It Back", and "Losers and Winners" are there for the fans of the band's previous albums. "Winter Dreams" is one of the most dreamy tracks metal had in the 1980s. Shit, every song is worth the purchase of this album. Our song of the day will show that to you. "Head Over Heels" is one of the funnest tracks off the album. For many bands in the metal world, it can sometimes be hard to tell what country they come from just by listening. It is one of my favorite music guessing games is if people can tell if they are from the US or not. When it comes to Accept, they don't hide that German accent one bit, and in my opinion that is some of what makes them so damn good. More unique than your copy and paste early 1980s heavy metal band. What also helps separate them from the others during this stage in Accept is them not sticking solely to balls to the wall heavy metal. There are the rockers, the mellow, the ungodly heavy, and the casual tracks that can call to almost any rocker or metalhead out there. "Head Over Heels" starts off with a damn moody intro, something that has you floating before the band brings you back in to dish out a memorable song. The shining star on this track is the drummer Stefan Kaufmann, he keeps this rhythm that fights back against the guitar and leaves a lasting impression on the track. Not the type of drummer to solely support the guitar and vocals, he is a band in himself. "Head Over Heels" has some strange lyrics that I can't even explain. I am not sure what the song is about, but sometimes that is alright with me when the playing is good enough. Lyrics aren't everything. Accept has admittedly never sold me on their lyrics, it is all about the power of the band. "Head Over Heels" doesn't follow the metal sound of the time, it isn't close to their previous style, but stations itself strongly within the 10 tracks that make this album a heavy metal classic. So, do yourself a favor, give the track a listen and maybe try out some other Accept for size. They aren't hurting for fans, but what is stopping you from joining the army? I will be there beside you. Horns in the air! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1983
Album: Balls to the Wall (1983)
Genre: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Mood: Moody
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Night drives, Whiskey on the rocks, Working
Where To Next: "Pain and Pleasure" - Judas Priest
Rating: 8 / 10

"2000 Man" - The Rolling Stones

     Man oh man did October fly by, or what? I know we aren't quite there, nor did we make it to Halloween yet, but it feels like it is over already. The ol' rent looming over you, the extra crunchiness of those leaves, and the day by day temperature drops, ensuring us that winter will be here before we know it seem to be the flavor of Octobers departure. This is easily one of my most favorite times of year. There is something special and enchanting about it, and that enchanted evening feeling makes music sound so much better! Especially the mellow stuff. Now, for today, I think this version of The Rolling Stones is more fitting for winter, but I like the psychedelic stuff when it is cold as sin outside. Something about the uneasy stillness in winter matches the uneasy atmosphere of psychedelia. Anyway, since this is indeed a rock based website, it isn't too shocking we have had The Rolling Stones here a good handful of times. Just last month we talked about "Torn and Frayed" from their experimental Exile on Main Street, and before that we hit the 1980s sound on "Fool to Cry" and the timeless Stones classic, "Jumpin' Jack Flash". Well, for today we take a long drag from the pipe of the most psychedelic album they ever made, Their Satanic Majesties Request. This is an album that divides fans, many dig it and there are plenty that hate it. I am on the "big fan" side, and this album sits pretty high up on the list of my favorite Rolling Stones albums. It is damn unique from their discography, and sure, while not every song of the album is pure gold, I have a special fondness for the atmosphere of the album. In comparison to some of the other psychedelic bands of the time, The Rolling Stones came across with a more joyous and happy psychedelic style unlike some of the more trippy, stressful, or much too artsy fartsy bands doing the same style at the time. The only one on this album that might be a little more stressful and intense is "2000 Light Years from Home", which I think is the best track on the album. The Rolling Stones put this album out following the intense crackdown on narcotics in the rock world in the UK. For a time there, it was an almost safe haven for rock stars to do just about what they pleased, but things changed for better or worse and these seemingly untouchable people were now getting raided left and right. First with Donovan, and then after that they went after the big bad Rolling Stones. Within just 1967 3 out of 5 of The Rolling Stones members were charged with varying forms of possession of narcotics, use of narcotics, and the allowance of narcotics to be used on their property. Most of the charges were dropped, both due to the pushing from their fans and also since the media circus was almost causing more issues than these blokes smoking up ever were. Still, it marked an end of an era for the band, and they realized that they were now targeted by more than pissed off critics and obsessive women. I guess with all that going on, and the band's already known persona as rock n roll bad boys, it is only fitting that the band put out a fully psychedelic album.

     The Rolling Stones has previously messed with psychedelic rock before this, tracks like "Mother's Little Helper", "Paint It, Black", "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?", and plenty of more. They were one of the bands that brought some more middle eastern influences into rock, and instruments like the sitar became a classic addition to anything psychedelic and folk, especially in the 1960s. Still, all of those tracks more so dabbled in the psychedelia while Their Satanic Majesties Request took more tabs than that tongue logo of theirs could even fit on there. It is a sunshine album, it is one for enjoying the beauty of life, yet an album to understand the simple topic of death. The album would have likely come along sooner if they weren't busy going to court, spending a night in the tank, and getting a little too fucked up, but some things are best when waited on, and with all that was going on I think it helped the image of this album. It isn't the type of album that feels like it took all too long to throw together, but The Rolling Stones rarely have that atmosphere, since it is often some straight forward rock. Many damn this album since it seemed to be riding heavily on the coattails of rivals and friends The Beatles, who released their legendary psychedelic leaning 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band just a couple of months prior. Yeah, I will admit that the timing could have been better to save some face, though who really cares? The two albums are much different, and The Beatles didn't create a whole album with a set psychedelic style, more so took it track by track. Plus, that was the now! When it comes to The Beatles, they sort of steered the ship on where rock was going, not because they were just those famous cats, but more because what they brought in was always so damn good it was impossible to not try your hand at it yourself. Plus, I will also admit I am sure that plenty of bands followed the rock trends of The Beatles because they often sold well, and you might get a chance to run kicking your heels in the air to the bank if you released a similar album. Anyway, I am not one to think The Rolling Stones were simply ripping off The Beatles, but I am one to believe they saw the shifting tides and rode the wave. If you want to know who did their psychedelic album out of the two better, then just go listen to both albums, since both are well worth your time. Anyway, The Rolling Stones brought in an impressive array of new instruments into the studio this time around, and it is clear as day as soon as the album kicks off. "Sing This All Together (And See What Happens)" is a prime example of the experimentation that The Rolling Stones put out in this album. It is an album that a good majority of The Rolling Stones members put down, outside the classics that come off of it that is. Why hate the album? It is a unique take on the band, and thus is one of the funnest since The Rolling Stones is a tad bit rinse and repeat one some of their albums within the same decade. I love this album. Why do I have such a love for this album? Well, it is because of songs like our song of the day, "2000 Man".

     I find this song to be a hidden gem from their discography, it never made it onto any greatest hits albums and finds its home within singles collections and this studio album right here. I have been a big fan of this song for well over ten years, but strangely enough, it wasn't this version I heard first. It took me a couple of years to discover that my precious KISS song was a cover by none other than one of the biggest bands in rock music. This is in my opinion one of the best Ace Frehley (rest in peace, Spaceman) vocal tracks KISS put out, and with that in mind I have always had a hard time deciding which version I like better. I think the KISS one is a better song overall, but The Rolling Stones version is much more fitting in style. "2000 Man" is a song that is almost more fitting today than it was upon its release in 1967. The lyrics were written by the glimmer twins, the nickname given to the Richards-Jagger lyrical duo, and honestly I am not even 100% sure what the song is about, but overall it has that dystopian feeling that some of the sci-fi novels had at the time. Numbered humans that live in a cramped world, and to escape that they do what we all do now, jump on that mind-numbing phone, tablet, or computer you are reading this on right now. On the other hand, the song could simply be a take on a story about a man from the 2000s that is misunderstood by his wife and kids, and maybe is having an online affair. Overall an odd set of lyrics, but lyrics I still dig, it is kind of funny to listen to it and wonder what they thought the future was to bring, kind of like watching Back to the Future now. I still grieve my hopes for hoverboards. It was probably so strange to dream about the future then, and the advancements we have had since then are sickeningly vast, or so it feels. It seems to be a different world back then, I can hardly even imagine how it was before the 1980s before things seemed to start taking a negative turn worldwide. Personally, I cannot even fully imagine what the future brings. I think many agree that we simply might not make it, this ball of hate is getting hotter and the options seem to be getting fewer. How to dream in a dream killing world? Well, the glimmer twins took a stab on what the future might look like, and they weren't too far off. Granted, I don't know what they mean about the "funny flowers" that we are growing on our window sill. Did they imagine some kind of cybernetic flower? A flower bioengineered to give off luminous light? Some ganja? A purely plain yet perfect flower? I guess that is up to your imagination. A lot of this album is based off of imagination, it is a fun album that makes you think. An album of varying emotions, but a refreshing set of 10 songs overall. Well, if you don't have time for a full album, then at least listen to this song. Be a proper 2000 man and spend your life staring at this screen much like I am right now, at least we are doing it for art though! The internet and all this technology has so many great usages, just be sure to use it right or be consumed and join the idiot parade. I think streaming this album and enjoying its artistic touch is the perfect usage for the internet, so do your thing! Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1967
Album: Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Pop
Mood: Sunny
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Autumn drives, Lazy mornings
Where To Next: "Fixing a Hole" - The Beatles
Rating: 8 / 10

"Lonesome and a Long Way from Home" - Eric Clapton

     Do we really need to talk about who Eric Clapton is? He is the exact image of a guitar god. If there was a "Mount Rockmore" then Clapton would easily have his face on that mountain. Since you are here, I am sure you know who Eric Clapton is, but for those curious a little more about this name that lives in both infamy and immense acclaim, then I shall give you a quick rundown. Clapton has been part of a shitload of essential rock bands, starting out like many of musics brightest stars in The Yardbirds. He played with them from 1963 until 1965 (see "For Your Love"), then joined up with blues rock icons John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers in which he gave some serious oomph to the songs and album he was involved with (see "Ramblin' on My Mind"). He was only with John Mayall for a short stint before he left another hole in a band and finally found his place amongst the legends of rock music. He got the call from one of rock's soon to be most potent drummers, Ginger Baker, to join in with a band he was forming with bandmate Jack Bruce, which was Cream. Well, Clapton signed on up and became a guitar icon almost instantly. Blues rock was having its heyday, and Cream was there at the forefront, each member is immensely talented and every album they put out was stamped with the solid gold stamp of the rock gods. Cream are easily one of the most impressive and important bands to come out of the 1960s rock world. Pure power in the form of a trio, something we hardly ever saw again until Rush hit the scene. Anyway, Clapton became known as one of the best if not the best guitarist in the world, but was soon rivaled by the changing rock scene and guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, who used the guitar as a customizable and brutal tool to let out some crazy sound, while Clapton was still keeping that blues based rock blast that is just as impressive but was still a tad bit more traditional. Well, Cream went on for a good while, but due to classic band infighting and worsening substance abuse, Cream released their final studio album fittingly titled Goodbye in 1969 and that was all she wrote. Clapton would then drift here and there, and being this well known as a guitar god granted him full freedom to do just about what he pleased. He formed his next band, Blind Faith, in 1969 and brought Cream drummer Ginger Baker along. Blind Faith is one of Clapton's most kick ass projects, they brought forth a little more mellow of a sound, but the musicianship is just as potent as anything else Clapton has ever done. The band only had a single album and performed a minor tour which sadly didn't gain too much attention or went poorly when on stage, and once again Clapton moved on. Forever rocking, forever moving, he had the key to the highway. He then would tour with Delaney & Bonnie, a duo that put together crazy shows and albums with a wide array of top talent coming through. He only played along with them for a short while, but still made his mark on their discography with the live album On Tour with Eric Clapton, which was recorded in 1969 but released in 1970. They too made a big impact on his discography, with both giving him the confidence and also the personnel to release his first studio album, the studio album we will be talking of today. Eric Clapton has a long story, a story that still to this day is being written and is on the lips of crowds in hipster coffee lounges, dive bars, and on rock websites across the world. Clapton is god.

     I will stop while I am ahead or this will be a massive post, so how about we talk about that debut studio album that holds our song of the day? Cool? Cool. Alright, Eric Clapton released his debut studio album in 1970. As much as he was one hell of a name, it sort of was a sleeper hit, peaking at 13 in the US and 14 in the UK. Sure, tracks like his cover of "After Midnight", the gem "Let It Rain", fan favorite "Bottle of Red Wine", and the killer "Blues Power" are massively respected Clapton tracks, but this album gets strangely overlooked modernly. I am not even quite sure why, I mean it is a little different from his other studio albums and also the work he did in his plethora of other projects, but it is still a straight-up great album and a good time. He sounds so damn young in this album, he sounds like he doesn't quite know what he is doing there, which might seem like slander, but honestly I find it quite refreshing. I come back to this album often when I am looking for that Clapton fix, and it is because it honestly still feels fresh all these years later. The album is nuzzled in the 1970 rock sound, and there isn't nearly as much of a blues attack that consumed most of his later releases, there is this pop knack there instead being brought forth on a beautiful vessel of smooth guitar work and a rockers youthfulness in those vocals. I can hardly give all the credit solely to Eric Clapton, even if he ran the show, there was a seriously impressive amount of top tier musicians on varying instruments and backing vocals. Musicians like Leon Russel, Stephen Stills, Bobby Whitlock, Rita Coolidge, Jim Gordon (who was a crazy cake, worth the read into), and so many more great names all crammed into a 37-minute running time. Some of my favorite Clapton tracks rest in this album, and one of those is our song of the day "Lonesome and a Long Way from Home". That song is the third track off the album, and in my opinion, is the song that really sets this album off. Don't get me wrong, the first two are still good tracks, but nothing in comparison to the ones that fill the rest of the album. It brings in this fun feeling even though it isn't per se meant to be a joyous song. If you couldn't tell from the song title, it is a ramblers tune but with a more sorrowful backing since our rambler is so damn lonely upon that road. While I dig those lyrics and how well it is performed by both Eric Clapton and also the backing vocalists, those lyrics aren't as deep as some of the ones Clapton has performed or others written by the immensely influential Leon Russel. Mainly just a repeating kind of song, but for a bluesman that is to be expected. It has this great atmosphere that does indeed make you want to hit the road. There is some playful jamming to see the song out, with the vocals coming in and out to remind you what the song is all about. Eric Clapton has gained me as a big fan for a long ass time, and that love only grew stronger as time moved along. While I was driving all around the varying landscapes of my desert home in Utah, there has been a crazy amount of Eric Clapton playing. I wouldn't even be shocked if my lady knows the majority of core Clapton solo work, not to mention his varying projects and Cream by heart at this point. Especially Derek and the Dominos, in which she agreed to allowing Layla being the name of our daughter, if we ever have kids, that is. The power of music! Plus, that is honestly just a pretty name. I wish there was a song called Caleb that was even a crumb as impressive as "Layla" is. Anyway, his self-titled debut is a goodie, not quite underrated but not nearly as popular as some of his other albums like Slowhand and 461 Ocean Blvd. So, check the track out! Take in some early Clapton, his following studio album changes up his sound, so this is the best place to hear it. Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1970
Album: Eric Clapton (1970)
Genre: Rock
Mood: Rambling
​Perfect For: Going for a long drive, Having a beer, Saturday night, Sunday morning, Good times
Where To Next: "Call Me the Breeze" - J.J. Cale
Rating: 8 / 10

"Foul Taste of Freedom" - Pro-Pain

     Sorry to all my daily readers since I didn't post yesterday, it was a busy one full of Halloween festivities. Here we are now though, so let's get into some more music. Today, we are taking a look at Pro-Pain, a band fairly new to me. You know how I was just talking about how no matter what I do, I still miss a band or two or sixty in my studies? Well, Pro-Pane is one of those bands. I just barely popped the cork to celebrate my completion of the 1990s just a couple of weeks ago, but the decade obviously still has some holes, since this good of a group slipped right past my collection. If I recall right, I think I listened through an album or two a couple of theirs years back when just throwing some stuff on while I worked. After I got into Biohazard and Stuck Mojo, I had a serious hankering for some more of the rap metal and nu metal sound and started listening to many different names, one of which I sampled was Pro-Pain. Still, it wasn't an in depth listening, more just some background music while I loaded pallet after pallet of goods into trucks. When I put together the 1990s section of my study, I somehow missed Pro-Pain, which I am honestly ashamed about. The band is pretty underrated, and didn't have the easiest time moving out of their own genre's prime years. For the majority of groups like Pro-Pain, that is to be expected. They show up, fuck shit up, and then move along. Pro-Pain shares similarities with some of the more rap leaning names in the metal world, but they aren't a rap metal group nor really a nu metal group, they just happened to share fan bases and atmosphere. Pro-Pain was put together by previous members of the Crumbsuckers, a crossover trash group that is fucking intense but never gained too much traction. Modernly, the Crumbsuckers are highly respected for being there in the frontline during the prime years of crossover thrash. The two members that formed Pro-Pain following the falling out of Crumbsuckers were bassist Gary Meskil and drummer Dan Richardson, Meskil kept on the bass and also took on the vocals in Pro-Pain. You can heavily feel what they learned in their previous band and brought into Pro-Pain. The band too can almost be put into crossover thrash as well, even if that genre was starting to fall apart hard with many moving to a more modern sound. They are a hard group to classify at the great punk and metal divide, it is honestly a track by track kind of ordeal. For a group that didn't gather all too much attention, they put out a pretty large amount of studio albums, most of which I have to go back and listen through to see how good they are. For the individual songs I took on, I am excited to try out their albums for size. Our song of the day "Foul Taste of Freedom" has been my favorite so far, but I think "Don't Kill Yourself to Live", "Voice of Rebellion", and "Destroy the Enemy" are almost just as good. Alright, with that little taster due to my limited knowledge, let's just get into our song of the day.

     "Foul Taste of Freedom" graced my ears when I was at work doing my Friday musical expansions. I swore I recognized it, and listened to it twice to try figuring out where I knew it from. Finally, it clicked, and I about broke my neck trying to get back to my phone to see if I fucked up and didn't add them into the punk or metal section of my studies, and to my disappointment I dropped the ball. I will be going back through the decades with a fine comb to make sure I got them all once I finish the core studies, so there will be more Pro-Pain for my collection in a couple of years. When I miss a band I really liked, but don't have the time to take fully in right now, I add them into my "missed connections" playlist, a playlist that I try to pick through once a month to fill in the blanks I simply cannot wait for, and Pro-Pain got a proud spot in that playlist. Anyway, I cussed at myself and then unpaused the music to give the song another go, and then added some of their other big ones to the queue in search of the gold tracks I can add to my other tracker playlists. "Foul Taste of Freedom" really gripped me, it is aggressive yet truthful, hurtful yet understanding. The track starts off with a more in your face metal approach, like something you would expect out of Prong. For a second it feels like it is going to be another one of those bands, but once the vocals kick in you get that hardcore punk kick. Lyrically, it is rooted in meaningful pissed off punk lyricism, but with a gripping chorus, you get some of the metal sensibility in there. A song all about and for civil unrest, and while it was written in 1992, the lyrics almost seem more relevant today. What the hell is going on in the world? Still blows my mind I come across these lyrical themes from many years ago, I guess humans simply will not learn. "Democracy leaves a foul taste of freedom in me" is damn fitting right now, but we might as well enjoy this democracy facade while we have it, who knows where this country is heading. We are digging our grave as we speak, just a matter of time until we fall into it. It is those thoughts, the reality of evil people running a country and all their rich backers that inspire bands like Pro-Pain to write gripping tracks like "Foul Taste of Freedom". I love the mixing of so many different hard styles in the song, the vocals are punk, the drumming is groove metal, the dual guitars are alternative metal, and all of that is tied up pretty under an undefinable image. The song comes off their debut album Foul Taste of Freedom, one that didn't gain the attention it deserved, but still serves as a wonderful addition to the already impressive amount of albums with this style in 1992. I am damn excited to listen through the album once I catch up to it, since if any of those tracks are as good as the others I have heard off of it, then I might have an album to abuse and adore for life. Well, give the song a listen, but don't let it get you too pissed. That is the reason for this song, the beauty of the music and emotion, but that anger only is worthwhile if you know where to point it. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1992
Album: Foul Taste of Freedom (1992)
Genre: Groove Metal, Crossover Thrash, Alternative Metal
Mood: Mean
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Working, Working out, Going for a run, Protesting
Where To Next: "Vote With a Bullet" - Corrosion of Conformity
Rating: 8 / 10

"Glad and Sorry" - Golden Smog

     Golden Smog is a forgotten goldmine of quality country rock and alternative country out of the 1990s. They were one of the best bands I discovered while trudging through the 1990s, which is one hell of a statement since I had my first listen of well over 100 bands. Golden Smog is a supergroup that consists of members of The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Wilco, The Replacements, and many more top tier names. The lineup often shifted, and overall it was just a group that jammed and put out 4 studio albums in their time, 2 in the 1990s and 2 in the 2000s. Once I finished their second studio album Weird Tales (1998) I was super bummed I was going to have to wait until I get to 2006 to hear their next one. They left more of an impression on me than I thought they would have. The first time I played through their debut album Down by the Old Mainstream, I was instantly a fan and played it twice in a row. As soon as I looked into the band, it made perfect sense, since the musicians come from other bands that I cherish. I mean, I knew I heavily recognized the vocals from Dave Pirner and the guitar sound coming out of Dan Murphy, since I have been a pretty big fan of Soul Asylum for well over ten years. Golden Smog did a good job separating their sound from the member's previous bands, all aside from maybe Gary Louris from The Jayhawks and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco since both dabbled heavily in country rock and alternative country. I mean, the album itself has plenty of Wilco references, like the title which comes from a set of lyrics off of the Wilco song "Someday Soon", one of many amazing songs off their second studio album Being There (go check it out!). It was damn shocking I had yet to come across the band, both since I had been getting more and more into alternative country at that point and also since it is a group made up of top tier talent. Still, no matter what I do, I still miss a band or a set of songs. It is inevitable and was one of the leading forces in why I started doing this crazy long year by year study, just so nobody can duck my spotlight, but even then I am still missing stuff. Sigh..... I am damn glad I came across Golden Smog. Most of the tracks off those first two studio albums have found a more than happy home in my playlists, especially the band's great "Glad and Sorry" and "Radio King". I am not saying these albums are perfect from start to finish, since some of the tracks are indeed lacking, as much as it pains me to say it. Though, the tracks that are good are really good, and I mean reaaaaally good! I mean, just give "Glad and Sorry" a play and say I am wrong! The alternative country sound that came out of the 1990s is a shitload of fun. It holds an atmosphere that seems to have been made just for me, since in a strange way it is a style that best explains how I often feel. Not sure how to put it into words other than that. Golden Smog isn't quite the perfect alternative country example, but it shares a lot of similarities. I agree when people put them in the country rock genre, not in the same way as The Flying Burrito Brothers per se, but more in a 1990s way of melding an alternative rock sound with folk based country music sound. If you want something a little less cheery (if you can consider this song cheery), then go check out some of the icons from that genre like Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, or the Drive-By Truckers.

     Our song of the day is a prime example of that mixture of alternative rock and country rock, more so than the majority of the band's discography that lets in some jamming here and straight up rockers there. My all-time favorite thing about "Glad and Sorry" is that fucking intro. It has me making those sour puss guitarist faces even though I am not even playing a guitar. Something so simple is also so damn powerful! This track is a cover of a Faces song off their 1973 album Ooh La La, it was written by the founding member of that group Ronnie Lane. Yes, that same Ronnie Lane that was the bassist and one of the main songwriters for the legendary Small Faces in the 1960s. Small Faces are a great band, and one of the most well written groups out of the 1960s in my opinion. Ronnie Lane took that into Faces, and the band released a good pocket of quality albums. Faces is also one of many bands that Rod Stewart sung for before mass solo fame, not only that, the Faces held Ronnie Wood who would go on to fill a void in The Rolling Stones. What am I doing? This isn't a post for them! We will get to the Faces soon, that I promise, but let's get back into our track. "Glad and Sorry" is a genuinely perfect cover of a song that came out well over 20 years prior to the version from Golden Smog. In our version today, you can still tell it is a cover of the original, but the style is a ton different. They made the song their own while still showing love to the original version, a feat a lot of bands seem to not be able to pull off. Either they change it a little too much that it hardly seems like a cover, and then there are the covers which are a direct copy of the other with slight stylistic alterations. Don't get me wrong, both of those can be good in their own right, but if you can show love to the original while equally making it your own, that shows some great musicianship. Metallica did it with "Whiskey in the Jar", and the same is to be said about "Blinded By the Light" from Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Personally, I do think I like the Golden Smog version more, even though I like Faces as a band overall. A lot of that rests in the guitar intro in comparison to the piano lead intro on the original version. Lyrically, the song is fairly short, but the words that are spoken were written damn well from Ronnie Lane. I think that Golden Smog sells the lyrics a little bit better, but it could be since the vocals feel like it is damn hard to get the words out. The vocals feel a little drunk, but in a good way. The cat does indeed have his tongue, but he manages to get the words out with the help of backing vocals. In the end, it isn't the vocals nor is it the lyrics, the smooth drumming or mellow strumming, it is all about that fucking intro! Gives me chills each time! And I look forward to it coming back each time throughout the song. It sounds as good as it feels to crush leaves once autumn kicks into full swing. The lax playing certainly compliments that atmosphere and sets this melancholy atmosphere that has had me religiously coming back to this song. I chose this to be the song of the day while I was listening to music at work. I swear I listened to it at least 5 times in a row, and while I was making my final decision before bed that night, I replayed that intro another 5 times. It just feels good, I can't explain why, but I am in love with that simple guitar line. Hope it can hook you too! I will stop with this bland post and just let the music do that talking. Be sure to listen to the song and see what I mean, though! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1995
Album: Down by the Old Mainstream (1995)
Genre: Country Rock, Alternative Country, Alternative Rock
Mood: Melancholy
​Perfect For: Getting drunk, Mellow drives, Cigarettes and coffee, Autumn drives, Cold mornings
Where To Next: "Blue" - The Jayhawks
Rating: 8 / 10

"Turbo Lover" - Judas Priest

     Are you ready you metal maniacs for some more Judas Priest?! I know I am! Today we will be covering the infamous "Turbo Lover", but first I gotta see what I haven't said up until this point about the metal gods. This is the band's 5th song on the website, a number I am proud of and am also shocked to not see higher. We have talked about modern Judas Priest on "Panic Attack", classic Judas Priest right after they found their foothold in metal on "Better by You, Better Than Me", the 1990s Priest fucking onslaught "Metal Meltdown", a gem from their prime years on "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise", but now we come to an album that holds a spot of infamy with the Judas Priest fan base, Turbo. I have mentioned it many times, and just did again a few days ago on the Tesla post, but there was a war brewing in the 1980s. In metal mythology, it is known as the battle for true metal, a theme that I adore. Heavy metal had its roots in the 1970s, but gained true power and vision within the 1980s. When the decade first kicked off there were plenty of bands, some achieving reasonable success like Motörhead, Judas Priest, etc. but behind the scenes were legions of devil's children banging their heads and pumping their fists to this new and intense genre called heavy metal. The new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) was dishing out classics in the genre, and America answered the call with guitar in hand, starting up a genre we modernly know as speed metal. As you could have guessed from that, it was all about breakneck speed and lyrical imagery to match that aggression. Within a year or two, some other genres started budding, and/or were gathering the attention they so deserved once the genre started gaining traction. Genres like power metal, doom metal, early black metal, and teasers of other genres were popping up in the underground across the whole globe. Though on the other hand, another genre was gaining some traction, namely in the United States. A genre that was heavily influenced by bands like Van Halen and the Scorpions, and also laced their boots the same way that glam rock bands like Slade, Sweet, Gary Glitter, and others did within the 1970s. A genre that would later be known as glam metal, pop metal, and hair metal. The enemy. A genre that was certainly based in hard rock but had a random title thrown on them, the same title that Slayer, Manowar, Iron Maiden, Possessed, and countless other bands had. It was like an invasion of a culture, the theater kid rumbling with the stoners, and it pissed a lot of people off. A rivalry started up, and it lived that way until the 1990s came along and the term "heavy metal" was thrown to the wind, and that got even worse moving in the 2000s, but by that point it seemed most people didn't care and got with the times or locked themselves in a room with their chosen subgenres. Now, I will say, that early pop metal bands were quite similar to traditional heavy metal. Groups like Rail, Dokken, Krokus, and Picture had the style, the fast licks, and overall the same vibe, so I can see how they were included in the fold. It was when things got glammed out to hell things changed, that and once money became the culture more than the music. MTV helped push metal into the light, but also damned it and the term. The war commenced, but the commercial sound always prevails. Thin Lizzy couldn't beat The Carpenters, Blue Cheer couldn't beat the Small Faces, and the beat goes on. Something easy to get behind always sells more, just the simple truth. I am not saying that traditional heavy metal lost, since they didn't, but what I am saying is the term "heavy metal" became a term for anything heavier or anything rebellious teenagers might get behind, even the jocks that put their thumb out when raising those horns. 

     So, why am I ranting on this once again? And what does that have to do with this album? Well, this album is the only Judas Priest one to take on a glam metal style, the only one where they lost that touch that made them the metal gods in the first place. I personally am not one to spit on Turbo, I think it is still a good album with plenty of great songs, both the more poppy and also the heavy metal sound they helped form. I can see why it rubbed people wrong, especially in 1986 when the battle for true metal was in full swing. And as someone who wasn't there, I can look at it all with retrospective spectacles. Judas Priest put out their intense album Defenders of the Faith just two years prior, which is a heavy and essential album for metal of the 1980s, and then redeemed themselves to their fans following Turbo with the 1987 live album Priest...Live! which has a couple of songs that I find just as good as their studio counterpart. Also, Priest wasn't shy with including some tracks off of Turbo but doing it a little heavier, like our song of the day "Turbo Lover" and the underrated "Parental Guidance". Turbo was the band's 10th studio album, so it was only fair for an attempt to switch that sound up, a bold move for the time, but a move that I can understand. Judas Priest has been bold from the start. They had a very unique and intense sound during their early years, Rob Halford being a gay man in a hateful time was bold, the vocals were bold, the dual guitar slicing was brutal, and the stage attire (which brought spikes, leather, and chrome fully into metal) was a bold one. Judas Priest always played safe, but still kept their boots stomping in the name of progressing their style and the genre that was still not to the level it is modernly. For all those that scoff at this album, I rarely hear them talking down on the leading single and most famous track off the album, "Turbo Lover". This is a classic from Judas Priest, it is perfectly written and executed. It isn't the copy and paste kind of Priest track, it is a beast of its own. It uses the infamous and blasphemous instrument the synthesizer (ew!). A big no no, but they do it so damn well, so those people can lap up their own vomit for all I care. The atmosphere of the track is fucking great. It still keeps the Judas Priest theme of the love of the road, especially motorcycles. Yet, there is this sexual tension in this song that is unlike any other Judas Priest song, even the romantic ballads like "Prisoner of Your Eyes". It feels like making love to an engine, something organic thrusting into something synthetic. The song starts on a mellow note, slowly building more tension up until the chorus comes along and knocks you dead. Each member of the band has a little muffled piece of building that tension, and Rob Halford's vocals gain more and more power. By the time the chorus comes along, you are on the edge of your seat, and bam! The drums send off the chorus in an orgasmic release. Following the first chorus, the energy is now up, the story of the song ramps up as the engine gets thumping. "Love machines in harmony, we hear the engines cry" kicks off the second repeat of the chorus. A fucking phenomenal song that I don't see how anyone could not be into. No matter your opinion on the album, no matter your opinion on heavy metal, no matter your opinion on the price of gas, this song is for you! If you are a fan of Judas Priest and haven't taken the time for the album, I suggest you make that time. Shit, call out from work, those fools will be alright without you and give the album a play. Now, if you aren't a Judas Priest fan, you know where the door is. Just kidding. If you aren't a fan, then maybe don't start with this album, go try out some of their other epic releases and come back later. Still, don't let that stop you from listening to "Turbo Lover" it is a perfect song no matter the mood. It is the kind of track that steals all the attention, no matter what you might be doing. Funeral? "Turbo Lover". Bachelor party? "Turbo Lover". Late night sex on a work night? "Turbo Lover". It is the ultimate answer! If I was a therapist, I would patiently listen to the woes, and then say "well.... have you listened to "Turbo Lover" recently? That might be your issue". Well, here you are, dear reader, there is no excuse this time. No sir. Time for some Judas Priest! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1986
Album: Turbo (1986)
Genre: Heavy Metal, Glam Metal, Hard Rock
Mood: Intense, Lusty
​Perfect For: Riding a motorcycle, Having sex, Getting buzzed, Driving at night
Where To Next: "Turn Me On" - Accept
Rating: 10 / 10

"Nashville Rebel" - Waylon Jennings

     You know, when I first started this section of the website I had a fear it was going to be my top artists on repeat. Strangely enough, a lot of my all-time favorites don't make it on to here often. They still show up, and I have hundreds of bands that I live and breathe, but still, it is shocking to me that some artists rarely show up or haven't even had their debut here yet 532 songs later. Well, let's change that up a little bit, shall we? Let's put a spotlight on one of my all-time favorite artists, Waylon Jennings. While I would consider this his full fledge debut on the website, I still previously did one of his songs alongside his long time friend and collaborator Willie Nelson on their 1982 hit "Just to Satisfy You". The songs that have Willie and Waylon together are a different breed from when those two legends are by themselves. Waylon went on to have one of the most praised discographies in country music. And for those who don't know, the majority of country musicians from the same time period have goliaths of discographies, and Waylon is no different. He put out 44 studio albums in his lifetime, 3 posthumous releases, and 5 live albums. On top of that, he had plenty of collaborative albums, and has shown up on a ton of different musicians songs. His career was long and mighty successful, hardly even falling out when his brand of country music was a thing of the past. Now, what is his brand of country music? Most remember Waylon for being one of the leading forces in the all mighty outlaw country scene, but my heart lies in his earlier material when he was another in the folk country world. Don't get me wrong, I can easily see how his outlaw days were his prime days, but the days when he was a singer of the common people and the Nashville rebel are the well I drink from and come away completely refreshed. Waylon Jennings released his first album in 1964, a hard to find and honestly kind of lackluster album called Waylon at JD's. That debut is nothing to go seek out, I mean it is cool to see the roots of how he started his career in Buddy Holly's band, which was short-lived but influential on him. As I am sure you have already heard, Waylon was supposed to have the seat in the plane that crashed and killed some of rock n roll's brightest such as Buddy Holly, Ritchie Vallens, and The Big Bopper, the day the music died. The Big Bopper was having stomach issues, and Waylon gave up his seat so he wouldn't have to suffer in a long car ride. Waylon refers to it in many different songs, and it is something that he never got over all the way until his death. To lose both your good friend and meal ticket all within one moment must have been something. But those ghost riders in the sky had an eye on Waylon, and must have known that he was to become a legend. Anyway, Waylon went along to form his own group and give it a go, and like I already said, that debut isn't very good, yet it does give you a taste of a younger and lost Waylon. Few consider that album his true debut, a good deal of give it to his second studio album (and major-label debut) simply entitled Folk-Country (1966) an album that I deeply love. In this sound, we see a young vagabond Waylon, the songs written for him and by him were often about him breaking hearts and hitting the road. His persona of this misunderstood traveling man left a serious imprint on me. I think he has a lot to do with why I cannot be content within my own home, why I always dream of what is over the next hill, though there are the songs that Waylon warns that it isn't as good as he makes it out to be. Still, even with the warning, the romance of rambling has never left my mind since.

     His next album fittingly titled Leavin' Town is my soul. It is an album that feels like it was written just for me, and it has gone on to be one of my favorite albums of all times. I adore the album cover, every single song, the lyrics, the guitar tone, the atmosphere, and I could go on about how much I genuinely love this album. I'd marry it if I could. It is one that completely controlled a 3-year portion of my life, I could hardly go a day without listening through some of the songs. I am flabbergasted that it hasn't had a place here, but I am certain we will get there, so prepare yourself for me fangasming all over my keyboard. For now, we look at the album that comes after that one, the album that holds our song of the day. Nashville Rebel is his third studio album and first soundtrack album. He on a whim decided to audition for the movie of the same name, an audition that he said he did awful since he was wacked out on pills, but to his shock he got a call back for the leading role. I have never seen the movie, which bothers me since I have been trying to make time for it for what seems forever, but I have watched a couple of clips and can confidently say that I too am shocked he got that call back. Not much of an actor, but he is one hell of a musician, so I am not in a huge rush to watch the movie, but I have abused the living hell out of this album for the last 5 years. Since this is a soundtrack, there are some songs that are just instrumentals, soundtrack instrumentals so they are a little boring to be listening to without the movie playing. Those, I rarely come back to, but some of the songs on here are some I genuinely adore. He does an interesting cover of The Beatles "Norwegian Wood" which is fun, and then outside that he keeps on some of the lyrical themes he was using in his previous albums. One thing that is extra special about this album is him recording plenty of songs written by one of my favorite lyricists, Harlan Howard. Waylon would go on to record Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan, which, as you guessed it, is another album that I would die in a bar fight defending. Love that album! But we can talk about that later. How about we jump into the title track off Nashville Rebel first? "Nashville Rebel" is a Waylon track that completely floored me! One of his classic song intros of the time moves into his more tempered vocals, depicting the character that is as much him as it is the character in the movie, the Nashville Rebel. A hard ass dude that doesn't have time for no chicks, nor any of your opinions on how he is living his life. A natural-born traveling man that is chained to his guitar, for better or worse. That guitar is the star on this song, even if the vocals are thrilling and easy, but I cannot get over that twang! This was one of the songs written by Harlan Howard, but it was perfectly executed by Waylon Jennings. There are a million ways to depict this character, but without Harlan Howard, I really don't think it would have gone nearly as well. In my opinion, this is the best track off the album, but don't let that have you thinking it is the only goody off of it. I can think of few soundtrack albums out there that have plenty of gripping original country tracks quite like this one. "Nashville Bum" is a decent one to get a feel for the album, and the following track "Green River" shows off that Waylon can do more with his vocals then he lets on. I also always like to pretend that "Green River" is about Green River, UT which is simply not the truth. I mean, maybe, but we have Wyoming to contend with, and also the green river runs from Wyoming to Colorado so it could be many parts that Waylon was singing to it and asking if it has seen his lover. Anyway, I need to stop while I am ahead. Give the song a listen! I know everyone talks about "Good Hearted Woman", "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way", and "Luckenbach, Texas" but take some time to listen to early Waylon, that is where some of his greatest songs live, much like "Nashville Rebel". Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1966
Album: Nashville Rebel (1966)
Genre: Country
Mood: Proud
​Perfect For: Traveling, Going for a drive, Wanting to pick up playing guitar, Going for a walk
Where To Next: "I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am" - Merle Haggard
Rating: 9 / 10

"Games People Play" - Tesla

     Folks, today we look at a band that is as electric as their name implies! Tesla is the perfect bridge for rockers that like the 1970s sound into the 1980s glam style. They are one of my favorite groups out of the 1980s, and no matter how many times I listen through some of their classic albums I simply can never get enough! There were a ton of bands under the glam/pop/hair metal banner throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, and I mean a ton. By the time I took on my 1980s section of the study I already was an avid fan of over 15 different potent groups, I had no idea there were well over 50 that never made it, and even more that never made it to releasing an album. A genre that is capitalism personified, even with all the "rebellious" glam and glitter it spit out. It was the rival to "true metal" back in the day. This subgenre comprised a shitload of bands under the "heavy metal" banner that lacked the roots, and most importantly, lacked the heaviness. Still, there were many groups that came out of the genre that were worth their weight in pure gold! Some even have their place in the heavy metal genre, but there were many that MTV sold under that banner when it was far from the truth. I am looking at you White Lion and Winger. Tesla is a group that doesn't want to be defined under that glam metal banner, and it shows heavily in their material outside some of their hits. Sure, it came from the time, they had the similar sound and stage persona. They weren't nearly as glammed out as some of the other bands, more so were just a hard rock band that enjoyed the style that was going on at the time and wove it into their style. Tesla is much more in the vein of bands out of the 1970s hard rock. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, Van Halen, Peter Frampton, KISS, etc. but once again Tesla came along at the time of hair metal, so naturally they took note and joined the party. Tracks like "Modern Day Cowboy", the ballad "Love Song", "Changes", and "Little Suzi" show off that pop metal backing, but once you get away from those songs you might find them more similar to Van Halen than to Poison. Just a straight forward hard rock band that brought the past into the present, and did it super well. That helped them rise above the legions of other bands giving it a go. Maybe not to the extent of Motley Crue or Def Leppard, but easily better off than bands like Bulletboys, Britny Fox, and Dirty Looks. Alright, enough about that, I hate comparing one band to the other. Tesla came along with their debut album Mechanical Resonance in 1986, an album that serves as the best place to start in the band. It is one of two of their albums released in the 1980s, and also one of two of their most essential albums that helped hard rock stay strong through the turbulent cocaine addled 1980s rock world. When it comes to debut albums, you cannot ask for a better one! It holds many of their most popular songs like "Cumin' Atcha Live", "Little Suzi", "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Gettin' Better". 1986 had a shitload of great albums, but in my opinion there weren't too many to match the majesty that is Mechanical Resonance. Great album. Now that MTV was drinking them up, and the same is to be said about the United States, it was time for them to release the follow-up album. The make it or break it point for a band. 

     Drum roll please..... Tesla didn't just make it, they outdid their previous album. The album sold sensationally well from sea to shining sea, and even did well in some other countries. Not something so easy to do, especially with a sound that was on its way out, and also since it came out over 2 years from their debut. The Great Radio Controversy is an absolute classic, filled to the brim with red-hot rockers that will always set a party off. This album pushed the glam metal sound much more intensely than their previous album, but even then they still manage to keep that old time hard rock sound intact. I personally like their debut a touch more, but there is no doubt that The Great Radio Controversy is their prime album. From start to finish, they sound like a fully in control band that only puts out top tier songs. If you have yet to try the album out for size, you know what to do, set that needle and rock it. That album released in 1989, a year that marked a shifting of styles in the rock music world. Glam metal was on its way out, there were new bands still releasing great albums, but most of the old guard was pulling up the stakes and moving on down the road. Those that didn't get with the unshakable tide of time soon found their albums dropping in sales within the next year or two. Tesla must have sensed that, and since they now had the money and fan base, they could really do what they wanted with the next releases. The following album they put out was their live album Five Man Acoustical Jam, one of the few acoustic rock albums I can think of that did super well. The album charted fairly high in a couple of countries and achieved platinum status in the US. A lot of that comes from their hit cover of the Five Man Electrical Band classic "Signs". I am sometimes hit-and-miss with live acoustic albums, the majority of them show why a band was electric based to start with, but for Tesla I confidently can say that they are just as good here as they are on their previous two releases. The versions of songs like "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)", "Before My Eyes" and "Love Song" are almost as good as the original versions. Plus, the album has a few fun covers of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Beatles. Another classic from the band. After that album, they released their 3rd studio album in 1991, Psychotic Supper. I have loved this album for a long ass time, strangely enough "Call It What You Want" was one of the first Tesla songs I have ever heard, and it was like meeting a long-lost sibling when I heard it. It troubles me to say that while I love this album, it shows the band is starting to slip when it comes to gripping material. Their album sales started slipping after this album, and they were falling victim to the same fate countless other bands of this style were going through. Instead of pushing up daisies, the band decided to switch some stuff up, but were careful to not lose their core fan base. That takes form in the band's 4th studio album, Bust a Nut. Other than a questionable album name, this one in my opinion is just as good as all the others. A modern hidden hard rock gem that sees Tesla bringing in a little more blues rock but electrifying it with their signature style.

     My favorite track off the album is their version of "Games People Play". I have a pretty big selection of favorite versions of this song, but Tesla is one of the best to do it. The strong vocals from Jeff Keith are unrivaled, and while the song is a little more playful in other versions, I do appreciate the serious manner in which Tesla approached it. The song was originally written and released by Joe South, one of the most underrated musicians in the country and folk world. Joe South was the original on a ton of rock, country, and folk classics, but he never could get his own career to kick off. He released "Games People Play" in 1968, and it became a nationwide hit, even gaining him the "song of the year" award from the Grammys in 1970. The song would go on to be covered by a plethora of varying bands. The reggae outfit Inner Circle scored a worldwide hit with it in 1994, and in 1970 King Curtis scored a Grammy with a cover of it. I have a few favorite versions from artists like The Georgia Satellites, Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, and so many more! You could spend a whole day with cover versions of this song. Still, even with so many great versions out there, my heart is tied between the original and this version from Tesla. Joe South was a great lyricist, he explained life cleverly, and Tesla took those words and gave it some serious kick. The chorus on all versions is highly addictive, and I think that is a big reason why the song did so damn well for many different artists. The kind of fun chorus that never goes out of style, and one that any genre can join in on and have a great time. If I ever become a rock god instead of some stinky dude typing this shit out daily, then rest assured that I will also do a cover of "Games People Play". I do love me a powerful protest song, especially when it is written this well! This is a great song for Tesla to choose to end the album on, especially after so many other great songs on the album like "Mama's Fool", "Action Talks", "Need Your Lovin'" and many more. So, if you are the type of Tesla fan that sticks with their 2 prime studio albums, I beg of you to try out some of their other albums. Bust a Nut, Simplicity, Psychotic Supper, and Into the Now are stand up albums. I may have a bias since I genuinely enjoy anything that has the band's name on it, but straight up, they are a simple good time that doesn't pull punches. "Games People Play" shows that those who slept on this album were fools. The kind of album that was made for the fans of the band, even on their way out of the limelight. So, if you have the time, be sure to give the album a listen. If you want an extra goodie, listen to the bonus track off the Japanese release "The Ocean" which is a great Led Zeppelin cover, a band you will likely fail if you ever cover, but Tesla does it well. Anyway, that is enough out of me, I really didn't mean for this to be a long post, but here we are. When it comes to Tesla, I can talk of them all day long and still want to do it some more. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1994
Album: Bust a Nut (1994)
Genre: Hard Rock
Mood: Catchy
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Summer days, Working, Reflecting on life
Where To Next: "Games People Play" - The Georgia Satellites
Rating: 8 / 10

"Last Cup of Sorrow" - Faith No More

     Faith No More is an oddity. They came along with a completely unique sound for its time, a sound that would later be a leading factor in the funk rock that emerged more heavily in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. While the band has only released 7 studio albums, one of which came 18 years after the previous, their impact on music was heavily felt. There are few other bands that have such an odd fan base in the mainstream. You can typically tell someone is going to like Faith No More before you even speak to them. Back when I was fresh out of high school and tried Tinder out for size, if I saw that a chicks bio say "I love Faith No More" I couldn't tell if that was a plus or not. Now, I ain't talking shit that is simply part of the package, a package I have been hooked on since first hearing "Epic" on the Rock Band track listing back in 6th grade. That track woke something up inside of me, it showed there was room for oddness in music, and that oddness is a powerful force. It grips you. Many bands had their whole image revolve around it, some dabbled in it, and some only utilized its power in live shows. For Faith No More, I would say they did all of that and none of that, they odded out the oddness. Their debut album We Care a Lot explains that wonderfully. There was genuinely nothing like it in 1985, and while I wish I could sit here and say my typical "man, you HAVE to listen to this", but I will be the first to admit that it is severely made for an acquired taste. Even being a big Faith No More fan, I only return to maybe 1/3rd of the tracks on the album. That is one of the few albums that I will say I like the rerelease more, but that is a personal preference. If you are someone like me that can't just listen to one album from a band, then I strongly suggest it, but if you are here for another "Epic" or "Midlife Crisis" then I suggest taking a pass on it and instead listen to their second studio album Introduce Yourself, which features a much better version of "We Care a Lot". Where you should start if this is your first time getting into Faith No More is their flagship album, The Real Thing. Now that album is a zinger! One you can listen to for the rest of your life and still find a deep love for it. Another plain odd one, for sure, but there is a more commercial leaning on it that makes it easy to get behind for most rockers. It is their breakthrough album, and one that was on pretty heavy repeat during many parts of my life. Even talking about it makes me want to whip it back out and play it again, maybe I should buy it on vinyl... hmmmmm... Anyway! With that album, the band was now known, and also toured vigorously during that time period, taking their slime to the stage with strange antics and on stage banter that pissed many different bands off. Their stage show was something of legend at the time, much like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and other groups that were funky musically and aesthetically. That album is unhinged, which would make you think their following up was to follow suit, but they had a strange rebirth with their fourth studio album Angel Dust. This album saw guitarist Jim Martin leaving the band after its release, vocalist Mike Patton having a heavier hand in the musical direction, and a much more relaxed style. Even with that more relaxed style, it is most certainly still Faith No More, but with a sound more appropriate in the music world of the time. This is their second most popular album and holds some of their most influential tracks that show how damn impactful Faith No More was. I am shocked we haven't had a track off this album show up here yet, but there is time for that. They kept the style up yet melded in a heavier style for their next album, King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime, another absolute classic and another album I cannot praise enough. Finally, we get to the album that holds our song of the day, 1997's Album of the Year.

     What a bold name for an album, but very much in Faith No More style, that is for sure. This album is a touch more tame than their previous releases, relying less on intensity but doubling down on a moody atmosphere. This was the last album from the band for well over a decade, but that isn't because the album stunk, since it is just as good as their other prime releases. The album was especially popular in Australia and some of Europe, hitting platinum status from our friends down under. There was no saving the band from negative press and dropping sales in their home country, but America sucks music in and spits it out like it's nobodies business. So before you ask, no, the album didn't make "album of the year" even if they named it that. I do wonder if anyone bought the album thinking it did, though. If they did, I am sure they weren't too disappointed, so long as they like this kind of style. In some ways, I dig this album more than some of their others. Since it isn't nearly as intense it can match just about any mood, the oddness is there so I still don't blare it at red lights, but let's be real, this isn't the kind of album to blare in the first place. You would lose some of its intoxicating aroma. That aroma is best smelt on the fan favorites "Ashes to Ashes", "Stripsearch" and "Last Cup of Sorrow", and outside that you still have a damn good time, just maybe not as good of a time as you get on the tracks that define the album. "Last Cup of Sorrow" has been a long time favorite of mine from the band, and with it resting at the 8 spot on Spotify, it is safe to say others agree. One thing I will say from the start is it isn't the best intro track to the band, certainly not the worst, but I would suggest starting somewhere on Angel Dust so you can see a few sides of the band before deciding who they are. Honestly, I never got the idea they knew who they were either, but that is some of the fun! Anyway, "Last Cup of Sorrow" has this great atmosphere, the lyrical content isn't all too impressive, but I don't think they are intending for them to be. But that is another Caleb opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. For me, it is all about the moody parts of the song, and that strangely pretty chorus that fits wonderfully in with the 1990s rock sound. The composition is great, and even with the altering styles, it keeps you content throughout its play time. The vocals from Mike Patton go from impressive to odd, and overall it is one of my favorite Faith No More songs, with him showing off a more normal way of singing. The whole track feels like a dream, a strange kind of dream where it feels so real, but you know you are sleeping in bed and this is only a dream. Those kinds of dreams always put me on edge, once you notice you are in a dream, weird shit starts happening. It's like you attained sacred knowledge and now some force is on to you and wants to snuff the message. Once the song ends, you wake up, and slowly but surely you lose that sacred knowledge. Though, don't you shed any tears dear reader, this is the type of dream you can come back to at will and enjoy it, mystic stress and all. The song is strangely beautiful, sorrowful, fun, and inebriating all at the same time. Easily one of the most impressive songs Faith No More ever put out. Aesthetically pleasing, musically impressive, and overall just a great time. It hits best when you give it the focus it deserves, but still it can play mellowly in the background and have you floating out of your seat. Give the song a listen and tell me you don't agree! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1997
Album: Album of the Year (1997)
Genre: Alternative Rock, Experimental Rock
Mood: Unsettling
​Perfect For: Stoned drives, Gloomy days, Focused listening, Casual listening
Where To Next: "First It Giveth" - Queens of the Stone Age
Rating: 8 / 10

"So Into You" - Atlanta Rhythm Section

     Welcome back, I am glad you chose to spend a little bit of time finding some new tracks to help you take on the week. Today will not disappoint, I can assure you that! Atlanta Rhythm Section is a southern rock band that didn't get stuck in the same Georgia mud as some of the other artists within that genre did. Honestly, the southern rock roots only show away from their bigger hits, and even then, it is a strange mixing of southern rock and soft rock for some of them. For some, that might sound like an odd time, but from my own experience with the band, I can assure you that they are a great time. I first came across the band about 7 years back, it was their biggest hit "So Into You" that got me hooked. I came across the track around the same time that I met my precious girlfriend Alesha, so I can never hear it without thinking of her and that confusing yet thrilling start to our love. There were many nights after we would hang out, driving around until almost the break of dawn, that I would listen to this song on the way home after dropping her off. I can still perfectly picture the drive home as it snowed drearily with no other cars were on the road while "So Into You" played smoothly. After my new-found love for the track, I did what I do with any band I get into, I jump further into the band's work. That month had me listening to plenty of their core albums, and I added albums like Champagne Jam, A Rock and Roll Alternative, Red Tape, Quinella, and most importantly Back Up Against the Wall into my beloved collection of albums I will carry with me until death. Truth be told, I was blown away that it took me that long into my life to come across the band. They have a plethora of great tunes that come together to make great albums. When it was that time in my life to start my projected 10-year project of going through every year collecting thousands of albums and even more songs, I was especially excited to fill in the blanks from the Atlanta Rhythm Section. I am almost all the way caught up now, and while not every album was gold, I still enjoyed the majority of their discography. The only one I am missing is their 2011 come back album With All Due Respect, but I will get there eventually, I typically am not too fond of comeback albums unless you are AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, or bands of that caliber. Don't sleep on this group, I wish I had some of their albums in my life earlier. They aren't the same southern rock as Molly Hatchet, Charlie Daniels Band, or Lynyrd Skynyrd, they are more in the same vain as Poco and Firefall. Though, if you are a fan of any of the bands just mentioned, or classic rock in general, then you will find a fast love for the group. 

     "So Into You" comes off the band's sixth studio album, A Rock and Roll Alternative. That album's name really explains what you are about to hear, sure it is still the rock n roll we know and love, but there is certainly some experimentation on this puppy. They put out an album that is a good bit different from their previous album Red Tape, which is a lot more of a hard southern rock album that doesn't pull too many punches, except some more folky ones. A Rock and Roll Alternative steps out of line bringing in some material you would expect to hear from Chicago, Average White Band, and Seals and Crofts, a little bit of jazz here and some groovy barroom playing that has you smelling cheap cigarette smoke and expensive cologne. I chose the track while giving the album another go once again, this time on vinyl! I was stoked to find this album at some obscure record sale out of some dude's yard, I haven't seen it at another shop yet, so I am damn glad I picked it up. Now I just got to find the others, good luck to me. Anyway, I waited to have it play while my lady and I were lazing around, since this is an album that reminds me heavily of our starting year. I am not sure if she took note or not, but when you are dating someone like me, there is no way you can keep all those bands I play tracked. Still, I pointed out that this song means a lot to our relationship, and I think she recognized it. That, and it shows up on practically every playlist I have ever made for her. Both because it is a fucking classic, and also since it is a song that makes me think of my little lady. Anyway, I think this song will confuse the majority of people that are going to try out some of their other material. This being the biggest charting hit, and still modernly their most streamed, had the band changing their sound a little bit to match its mold for later releases though their first couple of albums are pretty far from this sound, but still have the teasers they are going to change it up here soon. It is easy to see why this track is their most popular, it has that making love and city lights groovy atmosphere that always sells. I love me a song that makes driving at night a blast, even if there is nothing around. I wonder if there is a word for that feeling you get while driving and the music is up fairly high, that cool night air is splashing your face, and the mood is just right. How would I even google that? Do they still make words that aren't slang? Does slang become words in the future? I wonder what words I use are going to disappear in time? I already talk like a dork, and I am sure I am digging up some words that some might not get, but overall I talk like I am from my own time period, not this time period though, I finally understand how it feels to shake my fist at some whippersnappers saying those silly words. Oops! Getting off-topic. Where was I? Oh, yeah! Atlanta Rhythm Section put out an instant classic with this track, they went from playing second at shows or selling out small venues to being a pretty big deal. This album only charted at 11 and their follow-up album Champagne Jam peaked at 7, but still they got their name out there after putting out a ton of under the radar rockers. Modernly the band is more known for their soft rock laced tracks like this one here, "Imaginary Lover" and "Spooky" but don't let that make you think these guys can't lay down some red-hot tracks, just check out "Homesick" to see what I mean or better yet "Wrong" to see those southern rock roots. A ton of hidden gems rest within this group, check them out! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1976
Album: A Rock and Roll Alternative (1976)
Genre: Soft Rock, Southern Rock, Rock
Mood: Smooth
​Perfect For: Late night cigarette drives, Casual listening, Lazing around the house, Date night, Making sweet sweet love
Where To Next: "Gotta Have More Love" - Climax Blues Band
Rating: 9 / 10

"A Warrior's Call" - Volbeat

     We just barely got done talking about two bands that are prime examples of rock groups that play a thin line between rock and heavy metal for the 1970s. Deep Purple is a band that is hard rock, but influenced heavy metal well before the genre was even there. Aerosmith showed off the selling power of some heavier licks and pounding drum sticks. Now, we talk of a band that played that same thin line in a different century. A band that took notes from the legends of heavy metal, but toned it down to serve as a launching point for those that aren't quite ready to get dragged through the dirt, but still like that heavier sound that gets your nipples hard. That band is Volbeat. You know, it is crazy how Volbeat faded the way they did, I know I know, there is always going to be a new kid in town. Bands rarely make it out of their own decade, and while Volbeat still releases pretty good stuff, it is within their prime material that they shine brightest. Just because the spotlight falls upon the heads of the new guns, it doesn't mean they have fallen out of everyone's hearts and headphones. They are still a group many love, and I am one of them. Volbeat came along with their debut album in 2005, a grand nugget that gives you a full taste of the band in their early stage. Some tracks are rockabilly, some heavy metal, some bombastic groove metal, and plenty of hard rock gems. I came along late for Volbeat, the first album I took in from them was their third studio album Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood. I was originally sucked in by the band's album art, and the old gangster theme, which is one of my favorite themes in media. Pretty quick, you can tell the band was heavily influenced by two of my other favorite bands, Metallica and Social Distortion. Like anyone in 2008, I heard plenty of Volbeat on the radio. You couldn't make it a day without "Still Counting" coming over the radio. That track's abuse only got stronger when the band would release their following studio album with a larger fan base Beyond Hell/Above Heaven in 2010. That album held some massively successful songs for them, our song of the day "A Warrior's Call", "Heaven nor Hell" and "Fallen". Both metalheads and rockers just found a band that is as fresh as daisies. My personal favorite is the one that got me into the band, Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood, an album I grow fonder of the older I get. I adore the covers of the country tracks like Hank Williams "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (one of my favorite tracks to hear covered) and their great version of "Making Believe", the best modern version of the song. Plenty of original material that I will love until I die, a statement I think a ton of people can easily get behind. The band didn't get stuck within the years of those albums, they had plenty more years in the limelight, and like I mentioned before, are still releasing great tracks like "By a Monster's Hand" off their newest album that came out in June, God of Angels Trust. If you are someone who mainly sticks to older music or if you are someone who mainly sticks with anything 2010 and on, I think you will find plenty of tracks to cherish from Volbeat since they spit on decade definitions.

     The band has an impressive catalogue, but few hit the same spot as "A Warrior's Call" does. This is one of the band's most famous releases and is a song for the hard rock history books. I chose the track while attending the not very PC but immensely fun sport of midget wrestling. Attending one of those shows has been on my bucket list for a long ass time, and thanks to my buddy inviting me, the dream came true. By the time we got to the show, I had a hell of a buzz on, a necessary step to lose the insensitive nature of cheering on people of short stature to hurt eachother. There are few moments where you will feel more American, I will tell you what, for better or worse. I had a good time though, and it is an experience I think most people should experience at least once. It is all jokes, much more of a performance and comedy show than a wrestling event, but I was about it. Now, for anyone who has watched untraditional wrestling, it is all theatrics. One of the most important aspects of getting you hyped is the music choice, both for our contenders walking into the ring and before the show even kicks off. The person who was over the music could not keep their attention on one song. I swear it was only 15 second intros to songs before he jumped to the next. It would be Lil John one second, and then KISS the next. Still, all good amping songs and all were crowd pleasers. Something for everyone, and there were many for me, but the one that grabbed me was "A Warrior's Call" from Volbeat. A classic for getting ready to rumble. A classic to get ready to watch "Mini Marley" take his reefer stained hands to the ring vs. "25 Cent". Yes, insensitive, but they made good money and had a good time hitting each other with various novelty weapons while the cheer called for blood and a shocking amount of "dick twists", which actually did happen, must be a secret wrestling move. Humor may be lost on me half the time, but for that moment that humor was there. Alright, back to the music! "A Warrior's Call" is a tried classic for most sporting events. Who needs a dude on stage asking if you are ready to rumble when vocalist Michael Poulsen can do it for you? A battle heavy song that threw the heavy hitters to see the album peak fairly high across the globe. For me, it is a song that will always remind me of the great hard rock that came out of 2010. While their previous album held some great songs that got them on the radar, it was Beyond Hell/Above Heaven that got the band headlining shows. In some ways, it was their breakthrough album, and it was their first to hit the billboard 200 charts. "A Warrior's Call" is a bona fide fighting track, so much so that it features ex-boxer Mikkel Kessler guest on vocals, and is the track is dedicated to him. Gonna be a weird one to type about well into the future for anyone who does the same thing that I do down the line. Having a song immortalize you more than your career already did is the ultimate win in life. Especially when the song was a massive hit, and also is performed so incredibly well by a potent band. I can think of maybe one other song that directly sites some boxers outside the sport's absolute legends, the only other one I can think of is Bob Dylan's "Hurricane", but that track is more politically activated than being written for the love of watching dudes kick each other's ass in the ring. Also, "A Warrior's Call" is so pleasantly written that I would be using it as my Tinder bio if I was Michael Poulsen, not that his type needs the old grimy Tinder, nor do I since I already have the love of my life. Well, I guess that will be enough for me ranting about this track. You know what to do! Are you ready to rumble?! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 2010
Album: Beyond Hell/Above Heaven (2010)
Genre: Hard Rock
Mood: Competitive
​Perfect For: Walking into the ring, Watching sports, Casual listening, Fighting
Where To Next: "1000hp" - Godsmack
Rating: 8 / 10

"Hard Lovin' Man" - Deep Purple

     Man, we are going for two in a row for hard rock heaven. First, we had Aerosmith, a band that defined the mid to later half of the 1970s, and now we have Deep Purple, the perfect band to explain the rock sound of the early 1970s. Deep Purple, as you guessed it, is another band that means the world to me. They are a band that truly helped me form as a person, and were one of the groups that had me fall deeply in love with heavy metal. Anyone who really knows me knows that I adore Deep Purple, one of my spirit bands. Now that I said it, is Deep Purple heavy metal? Nope. But for their time they were harder than almost any other band out there, maybe only losing to Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep. In my opinion, when it comes to Deep Purple's impact on heavy metal music, second to Black Sabbath, there isn't any other group that left such an imprint on heavier music. We will get to that in due time though so you can take in a little bit of heavy metal history. A band this impactful on both me as a listener, and also rock and heavy metal music, but this is only the band's second song on this website, which is a trip. The other was off their legendary 1972 live album Made in Japan, and man, let me tell you how good that album is! One of the best live rock albums to ever be! It is one I will never deny a listen, even with it's over an hour playtime. It is an album that shows how fucking good each member of the band is, members that sold albums like hot cakes and all would go on to do their own thing in varying bands and projects, practically all of which are gold in their own right. Though, for today, we picked a track off their hard rock landmark Deep Purple in Rock. That is their fourth studio album, but the first Deep Purple studio album under their mark 2 line up, the one they are most famous for. Some casual rockers might not know that Deep Purple was around well before 1970. Their debut album, Shades of Deep Purple, came out in 1968. An album that gets forgotten mostly in the modern day, but one that any Deep Purple fan will tell you is fucking great. This is a rawer and more amateur sounding band, and in comparison, to the band that would later release "Smoke on the Water", they are hardly the same group. The album hardly sold well upon their own English shores, but the US dug the album, especially the band's classic cover of Billy Joe Royal's "Hush". That is one of those songs almost anyone knows, but probably didn't put two and two together that it is that Deep Purple. I adore the earlier sound, there is something raw and groovy about it, perfect proto metal albums out of the late 1960s. I have a special fondness for their second release, The Book of Taliesyn, an album that came out only 3 months after their debut. This one is a lot more psychedelic and "hippieish" since the US was the ones eating them up. The album didn't sell too hot, and thus became a hidden gem. Then came 1969's Deep Purple, arguably the weakest out of the three but there are still some classics on there like "Chasing Shadows" and a favorite of mine "Lalena" which is a cover of a Donovan track. Those three albums make it easy to see how they were going to move mountains in their later releases, and how they were influencing the heavy metal genre before even Black Sabbath and Budgie came along. Anyway, everything changed once they got Ian Gillan on vocals and Roger Glover on bass, both of which are phenomenal musicians.

     The mark 2 line-up is the most well-known and beloved line up for Deep Purple, and Deep Purple had a ton of varying line-ups through their long career. The first album to be released with both a new fire and new members was the band's damn impressive Deep Purple in Rock. An album that was so fresh and heavy that it helped spur in a new age of hard rock. Like I have mentioned many times in this post, the band is one of the big three that helped start heavy metal. What makes them one of the (un)holy ones, you might be asking? How about some insane vocals from Ian Gillan, one of the first to ever use the "battle cry" which became a heavy metal staple, especially in the 1980s. The best example of that is on "Highway Star" off the band's classic album Machine Head, but there are still a couple prime examples on this album, like "Child in Time" and "Speed King". If that doesn't convince you, then how about the guitar god Ritchie Blackmore? The same Ritchie Blackmore that inspired legions of metal guitarists, both in Deep Purple and also Rainbow. He did a lot of neoclassical metal music before that was even a thing, an early fret burner that would go on to be a heavy influence on some top guns like Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, and so many more. The perfect example for his place in heavy metal is on the final track off the album, "Hard Lovin' Man". Now that we have said the song name, let's take some time for our song of the day, since in a lot of ways it is the best one to express the band's heavy metal influence. How about that intro? What at first sounds like your run-of-the-mill hard rock sound quickly takes on something completely, heavier than most things out there at the time. That galloping sound was used everywhere in the late 1970s and early 1980s metal. This track is a direct ancestor to the speed metal and new wave of British heavy metal genre. Judas Priest has a ton of songs that start the same way, and Iron Maiden has an almost identical guitar style at multiple points on their first two albums, 10 years after Deep Purple did it first. Many claim this is one of the earliest examples of a heavy metal song, especially for thrash metal, and that is something I agree with fully. A heavy song, a guitar attack that keeps this addictive rhythm up, and each member of the band keeps up that atmosphere while sweat poured onto their instrument. The bass cradles the guitar flawlessly, the drumming makes you feel like you are riding on a horse, the organ is intoxicatingly chaotic and even gets its own solo, and last but not lease Ian Gillan shows off those crazy intense pipes. More than half of this song jumps between solos, so each person in the band gets a chance to knock you dead, my favorite being the guitar, bass, and drum instrumental break at 3:31 that is introduced by a gong and holds your attention and admiration all the way until the vocals cut back in at the 4:58 mark. The whole song easily leaves you breathless, shit, the whole album will have your face melting off. It starts off intense with "Speed King", a song that forewarns you that you are about to get messed up and have your chick stolen, and then track after track it is varying forms of intensity. The choice to end the album with "Hard Lovin' Man" is a good one, easily the heaviest track off the album. For a song that leaves you gasping for air by the end of it, it also is a song that leaves you wanting more and starting the album over again. A genuinely perfect album without a single weak track, the same is to be said for most of the band's prime albums. Well, it seems you have a ton of homework to do, wait, Deep Purple could never be homework. So, I guess think of it as a project, a project that will completely change your life and the way you take in music. For now, try this song out, and you will easily see what I mean. Fucking great! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1970
Album: Deep Purple in Rock (1970)
Genre: Hard Rock, Proto-Metal, Heavy Metal, Early Metal
Mood: Hard driving
​Perfect For: Driving fast, Having your 3rd beer of the night, Being impressed, Riding motorcycles
Where To Next: "Communication Breakdown" - Led Zeppelin
Rating: 8 / 10

"Full Circle" - Aerosmith

     I can hardly go a month without praising the almighty Aerosmith. A band that means the world to me, to rock music, and probably to you too. They are the ultimate American rock band, with glitter and spit. I am not sure what I said on the previous posts, and frankly I am too lazy to go check, so if I repeat myself I apologize and don't blame you for skipping ahead. Besides, who cares what I say, it is all about what Aerosmith has to say in the medium of hard rock heaven. Well, let's get into it! Aerosmith are one of the highest selling bands of all time, they are also the one band that best defines the 1970s rock world. What is it about them that defines the decade? How about their impressive collection of hit songs, or maybe it could be there even more impressive collection of hit records? Songs like "Dream On", "Sweet Emotion", "Walk This Way", and "Train Kept Rolling" sum up the glory that is the 1970s Aerosmith. They are the type of group you can pick up any of their 1970s albums and walk away with a wicked smile. They didn't stop there, the releases out of the 1980s are just as good, even with them being a tad bit different. Nearing the end of the 1970s, with Night in the Ruts (1979) and their first two albums out of the 1980s (Rock in a Hard Place and Done with Mirrors) might have been a little lacking in comparison to their previous albums. Something that pains to me to say since I still adore those albums. Though, don't be counting the band out there, they came back in 1987 with Permeant Vacation, a perfect album and one of their most well known. That one album could have set them up for life, if their previous releases didn't already, but they would go on to release 2 more outstanding albums. Like any band, they have their bumpy albums in each decade, but without fail they always come back swinging with another hit album. For the album we are focusing on today, and our song of the day off of it, you will see what I mean about the bumpy albums. I will admit proudly that I have big ol' leopard print blinders on when it comes to Aerosmith, I love everything they ever put out and pride myself as a big fan. They are the first band I really looked into back when I was 8 or so, they were the one to show me the glory of hard rock, they were the band that showed me the importance of genres and the altering sounds in rock musics long legacy. That love and inspiration followed me throughout life, shit, you are here reading it all these years later. They also were the first band that I learned to draw their logo, and as any young rocker must do, would doodle all over any piece of school work I was handed. Speaking of their logo, don't they have one of the greatest?! I have a sweet spot for their original logo, the one we see on my favorite album of theirs Get Your Wings. I know it isn't nearly as impactful as their smokey logo that stuck following Toys in the Attic, or the winged variation on Permanent Vacation. Man, I love me a good logo, it is one of my biggest grabbers, especially for metal and rock bands. Anyway, we will just get into our song of the day, unless you would rather read along to me explaining all I love about each hair on Joe Perry. 

     We will shift the praise to their underrated 1997 release Nine Lives. Can an Aerosmith really be underrated? Especially an album that went platinum? I would say... yeah, for sure. Bands like Aerosmith could sell a plunger with their logo on it, and fools like me would throw money at their faces. So, it isn't shocking Nine Lives sold well, especially after their last three were great albums and the chart topping hit "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". The album also had some pretty good singles off of it, like "Pink" and "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)". Now we get to why it is underrated. There is not much for legacy for this album, the band and the fans both agreed to give it a solid play and then have it thrown in the back of their record cabinet. I will admit that even I don't come back to the album all too often, aside from the tracks I adore. Still, it is a good one, it shows Aerosmith still had a knack for writing great material even all these years later in their career. We have the bold tracks like "Taste of India", the classic ballads like "Hole in My Soul", Aerosmith trying their hand at sounding like something out of 1997 on "Pink", and the tracks that are comfortably in their own style such as "Ain't That a Bitch" and "Nine Lives". Overall, it is an older band trying to keep up with the new blood, but that doesn't mean it isn't that good ol' Aerosmith style I live and breathe. I first heard a song off this album while perusing YouTube as a kid, it was the music video for "Pink". Funnily enough, it is one of the first times I saw a boob. It blew my little kid mind, what is the gold I just found?! I don't know if you can even find the original video now on YouTube, but "Pink" and that one Eminem music video had its fair share of knowing when to pause the music video. Ahhhh simpler times. So, it is easy to say I got familiar with "Pink" well before I even sat down to take the album in years later. When I did, I was a little torn, but overall enjoyed the album then as much as I do now. One of the best tracks off the album is "Full Circle", an inspirational little song that always seems to steal the moment. A slowed down track, not quite a ballad, and also not quite the drunken anthem I think they were going for. Still, it is a good one to have a beer to, I know from personal experience. If it wasn't a work night, I would be cracking one open for these boys, but I am boring now and don't want a tummy ache tomorrow. Man, I never stared at a sentence of my own making for so long before. Aging is something, ain't it? I only wish I could age as well as Aerosmith's timeless tracks. This song was chosen when I was doing some deliveries for my job, and after some moody stormy clouds I turned the corner to a bright and burning sun when the chorus kicked on. For a moment there, everything was truly alright, and then half a minute later some car cut me off so they could save a few seconds on their drive. After a futile chuckle, I turned the song up a little louder and got back to just enjoying the moment. Aerosmith always has this special way of leveling me out. The track doesn't have the best lyrics, they are kind of odd, but I appreciate the chorus that has you raising your beers and lighters to the sky. To give the power to meet another day. Reflection is the theme of Nine Lives, a constant circle that is reflected in this song and the album's art direction with its presentation. A good Aerosmith album, not one of their best, but for anyone who digs Aerosmith, it isn't one to miss out on. A simple good time with a heavy leaning on the power ballads, but that is alright, they made their stance clear when their hit song "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" hit the top of the charts. So, give the song a listen and have a beer for me. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1997
Album: Nine Lives (1997)
Genre: Rock  
Mood: Inspiring
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Driving, Having a beer, Appreciating the moment
Where To Next: "Into the Void" - KISS
Rating: 7 / 10

"Tulsa Turnaround" - Kenny Rogers

     We ready for some Kenny Rogers?! I bet you are. How could you not be? One thing I love most about Kenny Rogers is that he has a country sound that doesn't get stuck anywhere within fan bases or musical genres. He had a crazy long and successful career, having hit songs all the way into the late 1990s and even had a resurgence in 2005 with his hit "I Can't Unlove You". There is a ton of varying styles that came out of this man. He cut his first single in 1958 called "That Crazy Feeling", a song that shows off his more soulful roots from his time with the local doo-wop outfit The Scholars. That song had decent success locally but couldn't break through when there were so many great groups across the nation pushing out singles and albums. His solo career took all the way until the 1970s to finally find some ground, for the next couple of years he was busy with multiple projects and being part of other peoples groups. He did some jazz alongside Bobby Doyle, joined a couple of folk groups, most notably The New Christy Minstrels, in which he found some success. Once that fizzled out, him and a few others decided to start up their own folk/rock group, The New Edition. The New Edition were praised in the backline, never gaining too much fame but still releasing plenty of good albums. Their status changed once their name changed as well to Kenny Rogers and the New Edition. This form of the band is the prime time period, and it is the time they released their most famous song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", a classic through and through. Kenny Rogers would go on to re-release the song as a solo artist, and in my opinion that version is by far better. Something about Kenny Rogers and the New Edition just seems clustered and muddled, unlike Kenny Roger's solo work, which features song after song that is crystal clear and crisp. For those that want all things music history, or for those that like country rock, be sure to check out some of The New Edition, since they are truly worth your time. Once the band broke up, Kenny Rogers went on to his solo work, the place where he became a fast star and one of the highest praised names in country music. The 1970s saw Kenny Rogers bringing in all sorts of genres into country music, and doing it a little bit too well. He could do just about any style, and it would sound great and sell great. Some people just have it down, and due to his relentless work in honing his sound and love for music, he was pretty wise by the time his debut studio album came along in 1976. Love Lifted Me isn't a classic album, nor is it one to write home about, but it does show off that Kenny Rogers knew what he was doing, both in the music and business side of the industry. He didn't slow down due to sales, if anything it made him even more driven. All that work paid off for his second studio album, a self-titled release that holds one of his most essential songs, "Lucille". The album did fairly well and sat at the #5 spot on the charts, and unlike most country musicians, it also gained him some love across the ocean. That was just the start, Kenny Rogers would release some of the most impressive country albums of the 1970s with his landmark The Gambler, the pop heavy Daytime Friends, and a personal favorite of mine Kenny. That energy and high sells kept on into the 1980s, and with a crossover country sound and a plethora of duets, he kept his name high up in the charts throughout the decade. I am picky of 1980s and 1990s Kenny Rogers, I like his more rock or harsher country songs, but I still respect his vocals and compositions. A truly great musician, but who cares what I think? Let's let the music do the talking, and I will show you what I mean in his kick ass song "Tulsa Turnaround".

     This version of "Tulsa Turnaround" is the best in my opinion. The original version he did with The First Edition is a fun rocker, but it didn't have the same quality or swagger that the solo version has. For many that don't know too much of Kenny Rogers outside "The Gambler" might be confused by this song. This track shows off exactly what I mean about Kenny Rogers bringing in a ton of styles into country music. Can you really even call this song a country track? More country rock, southern rock, boogie rock, or something else. But what good does genre obsessing do for anyone? The song is from the genre "great", and that is all that matters. Kenny Rogers plays the role of a dude that loves his women, and the woman he chose this go around was the mayor's daughter, which ruffled the feathers of the law who were trying to track his skinny Romeo ass down. I wish there was a little more lyrics to this track, it mainly repeats the chorus, but that chorus is a ton of fun. Packed with sexual innuendos and dancing. Songs that repeat choruses are a dime a dozen, some bands put out albums chock-full of them, and they can often grow a bit bland. That is not the case with "Tulsa Turnaround", no sir, this song makes you crave that chorus and forces a smile. Shit, this one song would make this album well worth the purchase at full price. Luckily for us, there are many more great songs off this album. Kenny was the first one to chart on both the country and pop charts, setting Kenny Rogers up to meld the two and weaponize it for decades. He is one of the leading forces in the changing country sound, something I begrudge him for, but I cannot blame him. He helped country be welcomed in the cool kid party. Outside "Tulsa Turnaround", he has some of his other big hits on the album, especially when talking about his ever famous "Coward of the County", a perfect country song. He also saw plenty of positive sales on his lead single "You Decorated My Life", a classic, but one I find lacking in comparison to the boogie we are talking about today. I am a rocker, though, so it is expected I like me a good boogie based track. Shit was in my blood since I was born. Kenny is the ultimate place to hear the varying styles of Kenny Rogers, be it his time with his previous bands or the path he was about to pave in country music stardom. Some songs aren't the best, but the ones that are great make up for it tenfold. An album I think any country fan can get behind, and an album I think you too would like. You don't gotta call out of work for it, but maybe play it casually as you cook your dinner tonight. Not much to lose, but plenty to gain! Alright, we are at the end of the post, you know what to do now, load up the song and kick your feet up. I don't think your feet will stay put too long though, since this is a floor stomping good time of a song. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1979
Album: Kenny (1979)
Genre: Southern Rock, Country Rock, Country, Boogie Rock  
Mood: Cocky
​Perfect For: Lazy afternoons, Getting drunk, Messing around with the mayor's daughter
Where To Next: "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" - Elvis Presley
Rating: 8 / 10

"Gypsy" - Fleetwood Mac

     We have had a couple off the beaten path of rock music, but let's return to a song right off the mainline. I hardly need to introduce Fleetwood Mac to you. They are one of the world's greatest music groups, their legacy hasn't slowed down any into the modern day as well. They are a group that you can rest easy knowing they will forever be one of the most recognized names in rock music. Many know Fleetwood Mac for their immensely high selling releases like Rumours, Fleetwood Mac (White Album), Tusk, Tango in the Night, and Mirage. All sensational releases, but many forget about the early Fleetwood Mac sound. A blues rock onslaught that experimented in plenty of styles. They aren't even close to the same band, and while I praise Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and Christine McVie for giving in and having Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham join the ranks, I do mourn the loss of one of the most potent hard driving boogie woogie blues bands that the 1960s and 1970s ever saw. But there is no doubting they would have never even got close to the same stardom and champagne they saw with Nicks and Buckingham on board. The band evolved into something that artists even now try replicating. But for those that like all shades of rock music, I strongly suggest going back and taking some of the early sound in. It is fun to see the progression, and makes the move into 1975's self-titled seem unreal. We will talk about that another time, and I think we have poked at the topic on the only other Fleetwood Mac choice thus far in March with "Don't Stop". Once again, I don't think I need to explain Fleetwood Mac too heavily. They are a band of legend, a band with such a large grasp you would have had to be born deaf not to hear their massive collection of chart toppers. Even if you cannot hear, you would have seen the band's clever lyrics, the infamous Fleetwood Mac soap opera theater, and so many more things. You cannot stick your nose in the rock pie without smelling Fleetwood Mac. They have been with me a long ass time, but I found an even deeper love many years back when I took in their full discography within a month. Live albums and all. A great month of musical expansion, a great month in my musical catalogue. I was like everyone else, I knew most of their hit songs like the back of my hand. But my thoughts of them potentially being one of those "hits not albums" bands disappeared almost instantly. My first full listen through of their 1975 self-titled album is a moment I will never forget.

     It was a snowy as hell day, one of the ones you shouldn't be driving in, no matter how fun it might be. I was waiting for a friend to finish up cleaning so we could go out, so to kill time I decided to go find a chill spot to kill an hour and get stoned. Now, being the wise 16-year-old I was, I thought an overlook I had to off-road a little bit to get to was the prime choice. It was not the prime choice. I loaded up my bowl and was cycling through the new albums I was trying to make time for on my iPod, and decided Fleetwood Mac was the one. By the time 30 minutes passed, my windshield wipers no longer could handle the weight of the snow, and I figured it was a good time as any to make it back down the trail. While "World Turning" played loudly from my Jeep, I was out there half-baked trying to shovel my shit out of the snow. By the time "I'm So Afraid" kicked into play, I realized I was stuck as hell. So, being the wise 16-year-old I was, I figured my best bet was to start the album over again, finish getting stoned while freezing my fingers off, and kick on my engine to hopefully melt some of the snow. Luckily for me, it melted enough for me to make a headway on getting out of there, foot by foot I slid down that muddy incline and would randomly get stuck where I would start the process over again and jump out to use this little military shovel I carried around with me to dig myself out. I must have listened to the album 2 1/2 times just to get back to the street. Even with all the stress, and freezing my butt off, I made a core memory with this album and still cannot listen to "Blue Letter" without remembering how fast some snow storms can hit and that stressful feeling of being stuck being kind of peaceful while the album played. I picked up my friend after all that, and went and enjoyed a night of driving through a snow storm. I tried having him listen to some of the album, but he wasn't all too impressed with it. Who the hell did that guy think he was?! Not shocking he became a selfish bastard later in life. Anyway, sorry for the tangent, but when it comes to albums that helped form young Caleb, I feel no remorse telling some stories. A great album, an essential album in all of rock music, hit after hit of meaningful songs. We aren't here to talk of that album today, no, we are here to talk about their heavily pop based album Mirage. 

     I would be lying if I said Mirage gets a lot of play from me, because it honestly doesn't. I don't have any hate for the album, but I honestly forget to give it a play when the band has so many better ones. By this point, Fleetwood Mac was on the musical experimentation route. Their previous album, Tusk, was a plain odd one that completely split their fan base. Some viewed it as an artistic masterpiece; some viewed it as slop with a Fleetwood Mac flag in it. I honestly really like Tusk, still not as much as their blues work or the two that came before, but I respect it. That album shows off each member of Fleetwood Mac in the rawest and most talented positions, especially Lindsey Buckingham. While that album might have served as a showcase for Buckingham and even saw Peter Green coming back for a song, it is within Mirage that Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie had their chance to shine brighter than the rest. Like I mentioned before, this is arguably the most pop Fleetwood Mac album out there. There are more ballads than rockers, more filler than killer. Still, it is an essential album out of their catalogue and explains the 1980s Fleetwood Mac better than any other release, even the great Tango in the Night. The two massively successful songs that came off of Mirage are "Hold Me" and "Gypsy" both of which show up on almost all Fleetwood Mac greatest hits albums for a reason. "Hold Me" hit the 4th spot on the charts and stayed up there for almost 2 months. It is one of the songs that define 1982, and in some ways, defines the selling impact of those pretty pipes from Christine McVie. A mystical song, which is expected out of Fleetwood Mac, and easily the most important track off the album. Though, me being me, I am obsessed with most anything Stevie Nicks in Fleetwood Mac. I love her vocals, her persona, her imagery, style, and much more. Easily one of my favorite female singers. A lot of that rests in the way she sings, it is very countrified, and she doesn't try hiding it too much. So, in the end, I prefer "Gypsy", and put it up there with the best of the best of Fleetwood Mac tracks. "Gypsy" is one of many of the Stevie Nicks tracks where she reflects on her life. This track has a heavy place within her time before becoming a star, and more importantly reflects on a time when Stevie Nicks lived romantically with Lindsey Buckingham being broke and in love with each other and music. Some lines directly reference things from their budding love, and like most things Fleetwood Mac and their soap opera, there is no pulling punches. The pain of memories must have been heavy for the both of them. Also, much in Fleetwood Mac style, this song is heavily layered with so much going on to keep the atmosphere up. If you take the time to listen to it a couple of times in a row, you will still find something new. One of the things I love most about prime Fleetwood Mac, you will find something new no matter how many times you have abused the track. Stevie Nicks is still easily the star of the track, even with everyone giving it a solid go. Her vocals are so smooth and lacey it is hard not to fall in love. Something you will have to hear for yourself, even though I am sure you already know the song. Fun fact, this song also had the most expensive music video of its time. Another very Fleetwood Mac thing. They hardly did anything that wasn't criminally expensive. Well, give the song a spin, it is a beautiful song. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1982
Album: Mirage (1982)
Genre: Pop Rock, Soft Rock 
Mood: Dreamy
​Perfect For: Reminiscing, Snowy days, Rainy days, Morning drives, Wine at home
Where To Next: "Never" - Heart
Rating: 9 / 10

"Marry Me" - No Doubt

     No Doubt is a group that seems to rub people way too right or way too wrong. For a band that helped ska finding footing in the late 1990s in popular music, they often just get pushed into pop and people move on. No Doubt is a band of many faces, and a power force in the more mainstream rock world of the 1990s and the 2000s. For a group that sold out shows like it was nothing following their breakthrough (and essential) album Tragic Kingdom (1995), they sort of had a rough beginning. Their debut album shows the band's roots in ska music, a much more reggaeton approach with a little bit of a punk rock bite. With that in mind, you can see why it didn't sell too well. Reggae based music sells great in hit form in the US, not in album form, unless you are some of the big names like Bob Marley. Outside of Bob Marley, a few others have found success in the US, like Stick Figure and Sublime, but even those big names don't even come close to the legacy of Bob Marley. Anyway, we can talk on that more at another time. No Doubt released that debut album in 1992, it gathered them a strong fan base and most of their shows were full up in little corner venues. Still, they only sold close to 30,000 albums with that one. It served as a foot in the door, and also gave the country a taste of Gwen Stefani, one of the most recognizable female vocalists of all time. For their following release, the band relied on a more punk rock sound on their second studio album, The Beacon Street Collection. This time around they sold a little bit better, but still nothing to see their names in lights. Due to the humble success of that album, their label agreed to fund their third studio album, a decision I bet they were damn glad they did since that was the album that put No Doubt on the map and eventually sold to the diamond status. Tragic Kingdom is an essential album, an essential album for many different types of music fans. Each song is a little different from the last without losing the original vision. It doesn't come off as chaotic, but more feels like a taster album where you can see what you do and don't like about the band. Though for most of us, there isn't really a track to hate on that one. They have a little something for the punk fans that discovered the band early on, pop songs to make the radio channels happy, alternative rock albums to match a day after drinking, and high energy ska music to match the night of drinking before it. As a retrospective reviewer and listener of the band, I really dig how it lets you see the band at their prime and has you decide where you want to go next in the band's discography. Will it be the more poppy sound that became the leading force in their awesome 5th album Rock Steady (2001) which might even lure you into Gwen Stefani's very successful solo work? Or do you want to go back and check out their punk roots like I did after first listening through the album. The choice is yours. One thing is easily said, no matter which way you go, you will easily be able to find many more tracks to adore. Though, for most listeners, they will probably go to the band's next album Return of Saturn. 

     This is the album that holds our song of the day, "Marry Me". I chose the song while going to get some birthday supplies for Mocha, a dog that stole my cookie and stole my heart. The morning vibe in SLC is much different than my home city of Orem, especially on a Sunday. Back in Orem, you would get stuck behind 13 people going well under the speed limit as they make their way to the church on every corner of that place, and then for the next three hours it is a ghost town. Though in SLC, it seems everyone is out in force just enjoying the morning, that or going to a coffee shop and creating a massive fucking line. For me, I was tiredly driving to go get a cake for dogs and listening to No Doubt's famous Return of Saturn, a perfect album for a lazy hazy Sunday drive. Going through the 2000s so far has been an interesting one, I am returning to albums I haven't listened to for a while much like this one here. Originally I had my studies playlist for the rock of 2000 titled with a reference to Linkin Park (fittingly enough) but I quickly changed it to "dreamy distortion" once I got further into the year. A ton of pissed off music, but there is an equal, if not more, amount of atmospherically sad and hollow music that came out of the indie rock world. Each album brings something truly unique from the last album I picked through. So we have the sorrow, we have the anger, but what about the energetic and happy? Well, let me give you this album here. Return of Saturn released in April 2000, 4 years after their breakthrough album hit the scene. The band was busy touring for over 2 years in support of their new fame, but while touring they were conjuring something up to serve as a stellar follow-up album. I have said many times that when a band releases a wildly successful album, many falters and fail, but No Doubt pulled through, I guess the band name was destined. In this album, they still held true to their core style, but replaced some of the more energetic ska based tracks with mellow ballads. Something that I am not too fond of, but still find plenty of merit in. The album, much like the album cover, can still get pretty chaotic and quirky, so don't expect solely pretty songs about break-ups with a reggae beat. This album holds a couple of the band's big hits, like the top sellers "Ex-Girlfriend" and "Bathwater". This is the kind of album you can sort of tell does put heavy emphasis on those hits, but you wouldn't be able to understand the band if you just stopped there. For No Doubt, their most innovative and impressive songs rest within the gut and butt of the album. "Marry Me" is a testament to just that. One of the most reggae washed No Doubt tracks to date, and one with lyricism that is very much in Gwen Stefani style. A cute and innocent girl that smiles while you choke. The conflicting view of marriage, we all want it and don't want it at the same time. There is something creepily powerful in that golden band. Love isn't defined by paperwork, so why do we want it so? Control? Proof of commitment? Entrapment? Happily ever after? Well, these are the topics broached on this grooving "Marry Me". I stand firm that this is one of the best tracks out of the 14 songs on Return of Saturn. That is probably just a bias since I do have a sweet spot for the buried between hits No Doubt tracks. See how it sits with you, maybe you will even agree, and if not then that is alright too. So long as you play it, then my job is done. Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 2000
Album: Return of Saturn (2000)
Genre: Reggae, Ska, Alternative Rock
Mood: Sunny
​Perfect For: Grooving along, Sunday drives, Casual listening
Where To Next: "When It's Over" - Sugar Ray
Rating: 7 / 10

"Anonymouses" - Reverend Morley

     After some technical difficulties, we are back! I got a good one for you folks, so I hope you had your dinner and are ready for some fresh music for your cute little ears. Today we are taking a look at a local group, a group new to me but are exciting as they come. There are moments when you are proud of your home state, proud of the city that feeds and kills you, and this is one of those moments. I was contacted by the man behind the wham, Reverend Morley, to see if I would be interested in listening to his new project. Interested I was, but I would be lying if I wasn't a little bit worried. Sometimes being a critic can be mean business, and for critics like me, it is almost impossible to be mean. So, what if I had to? Sure, I have a screen between us, so the dude can't throttle me if I tell him his music reminds me of Kidz Bop, but it doesn't change the fact that I am a kind critic, to a fault. Something I have been working on, and I was prepping myself to say "look here mister", but to my joy there was no need to even start mentally drafting a professional yet stern email. No need to play the part of the critic, all I had to do was enjoy, since the music was great. An explosive album that can't seem to sit in one place. If one track isn't to your liking, then there would be another one coming next that would easily make up for it. I appreciate mostly all styles of rock, punk, metal and so on and for Reverend Morley's upcoming album entitled Circle of Willis I really enjoyed the chaotic artistry that went into the album. He pointed out the star-studded tracks on the album, and just for a little taster, I threw them on real quick before I called it a night. Though that is not what happened, I gave each of the three tracks he pointed out a few listens and was compelled to listen through the rest of the songs within the album right then and there. Sinful serenades found a home within an album of Pavement-esque kicks in the bum with a punk rock backing. There were the tracks that set my soul at ease, and some that stressed me the fuck out, but in a good way, ya know? That album is projected for December, so be sure to check it out when it shows up, and also to maybe seek out a SLUG magazine to see if the dude is gonna have a show at your local watering hole any time soon. This might sound like I am being paid to say these things *hides the piles of cash*, but no, I took this upon myself since I did enjoy that album, and it controlled the night while rain was seeping through my flooring (is that normal?). So with any good group, I don't stop there, I go and check out what else is out there. I can't miss a thing lest I want to lash myself. I started with the most popular release on Spotify, 2023's Folk Songs for a New Revolution, that album had me hooked with the writing. Words that helped me see into the soul of the Reverend, and words that helped me see within my own. It is a stand-up album, not for a second does it feel like it has an amateur approach. It feels like Tom Waits met up with early Genesis and Greg Hetson from Circle Jerks/Bad Religion and had one too many beers and cut a record. I can see why that one holds most of the top streams, but I found myself with a higher fondness for the most recent release, The Kirby Project.

     That album felt a lot rawer, something that would stab you and kiss the wound after. Great guitar work meets an artistic set of vocals. Much like their upcoming release, it is another that cannot sit still to save its life. It starts off with "Fear", a great way to set up an album, one of those tracks that queue the countdown to get to your seat before the show starts. The song is a creepy one, it gets those goosebumps rising up and then "Hate Has a Place" kicks off with a very punk intro and vocals that are reminiscent to folk punk sound like we hear with the Dropkick Murphys or maybe their more calm buddies Flogging Molly. That track sets up the tone of the album, with lyricism somewhere between hope and hate. The tracks following that one jump around, we have "You Have Been on My Mind Lately" for a mellow one, a palate cleanser if you will. Once you had your gulp of water, we get into "What If?", a track that kicks it off with a red hot rodding rockabilly intro. Thumping drums keep the rhythm up, and it was hard not to choose that track for my song of the day, since I listened to it a good handful of times. Great composition that doesn't get stuck in the murky country fried guitar licks, but one thing I learned pretty quick about Reverend Morley is always expect the unexpected. Each song brings something new, and even within a single song, you will feel like you listened to three different songs. The song fades out and "Come Down from There" kicks off, and if you need an example of why I say that every track brings something new, then this is it. It went from Reverend Horton Heat to Nine Inch Nails, but luckily for us listeners it feels natural. I love me an album that feels like someone's wicked thoughts, and that is certainly what The Kirby Project felt like to me. It felt like reading a random diary you found at Savers, and that diary says some heavy stuff, but heavy stuff you feel as well, the human condition. Anyway, after those tracks we lead into our song of the day, and in my opinion, the best track off the album, "Anonymouses". My autocorrect is having a conniption on that one, but when it comes to punk, I don't think you did it right if the autocorrect doesn't hate it. This track is a great one, it feels almost like a modern take on Gang of Four, especially their ever famous "Damaged Goods" but has these tension builders that keep you happily situated. I hate comparing groups to one another, but this track is like if Phish did the hard drugs more than the psychedelics, if Gang of Four was put together by theater kids, that album when a progressive rock band tries reaching into a selling sound, if Fugazi were a little more bombastic in their 1990s material. I love the guitar work, and how hard those drums hit! The kind of tune you wanna play loud, and will easily play a couple of times in a row. It was this song that got me hooked. Sometimes you start up a song and a little flame lights up in your head and under your ass, that is how you know you found a goodie. I am forever on the search for those that light a fire under my ass. Little did I know, that fire was to be lit by someone that is driving the same roads as me and appreciating those same beautiful Utah mountains. Even now, as I am listening to some of that album again, I am just as impressed as I was last night at midnight when first taking it in. I am proud to have this track here today, and feel honored that Reverend Horton reached out, he must have known I was gonna dig it! So open your ears and let the Reverend set your soul free, you hopeless sinners! Repent, rock out, and be reborn. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 2023
Album: The Kirby Project (2023)
Genre: Art Punk, Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
Mood: Energetic
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Late night cigarettes, Taking in some city lights, Rainy drives
Where To Next: "Damaged Goods" - Gang of Four
Rating: 8 / 10

"All Blue" - Luke Bell

    Luke Bell is a diamond amongst the modern world of country music. He came along with a sound that was pulled straight out of country from 50 years ago. I love me a country musician that still represents the original vision of country music, music when it made sense to call it country in comparison to what they have going on now. One is meant for urban cowboys, and the other is meant for dusty cowpokes, I tend to like the ones that is music that is as earthy as it is meaningful. Guitar players with serious skill, and singers that don't rely on that southern drawl to paint a picture of Tennessee. A time when southern pride, in a way, seemed like something to be prideful of. The love for the land, not the love for the ideology like it is with some groups modernly. I hate to talk trash on music, I hate to do it with genres I don't listen to, and I especially hate to do it to different decades of genres I love. Though it is a simple truth, they are day and night. Johnny Cash couldn't have made it in today's world, though knowing the man, I am sure he is still proud of what country has accomplished in the United States. One thing I do want to point out is how much an impact the recording musician's home has on the music. Rock has that too, but it is more in the country they come out of, or maybe the section of their country they hail from. For country music, those that came out of California have a completely different style and outlook in comparison to country music's home in Tennessee. Waylon and Willie out of Texas are something completely different from Jerry Reed out of Alabama. It honestly makes sense, but when I first look into a country musician, I tend to look where they come out of. Anything that comes out of Wyoming seems to have this... thing to it. I cannot quite put it into words. It feels like the lonesome land that consumes Wyoming. I have driven those highways and varying streets many times in my life, and the music like Luke Bell just smells like Wyoming. It feels like the big empty that it is. Though, let's be real, it is still Wyoming, so if you want to have your name show up on a record you more than likely have to leave those tumbleweeds behind and move to a place to make those dreams could happen. I don't think Luke Bell quite made it in the grand scheme, but that isn't what matters. What does matter is he moved over to Texas to cut an album to his liking and moved along down the road to do it a couple more times. Music that helped him along throughout these years, in a style that very much needed a resurgence. I bet he would be proud to see it now in the modern day, since there are so many damn good artists pushing out that vintage style. Artists like Charley Crockett, Sierra Ferrell, Billy Strings, Orville Peck, Turnpike Troubadours, and so many more. He came before a lot of them, and played a hand with inspiring some of the new blood to play the songs of the rambling man and low down freedom.

     Luke Bell released his second self-titled album under the city lights of Nashville, Tennessee in 2016. It wasn't too much of a commercial success, but when you release more vintage based things, it is rare to top the charts. What he did make was a classic country gem, even though it is hard to be considered classic country since it is still somewhat modern. I guess I should say he made a honky-tonk gem. The album holds most of his most well respected songs, and is still the only album of his I have listened through many times over. Granted, I haven't known his music all too long, and also he doesn't have too many albums since he died fairly young at 32 due to fentanyl. I remember growing up it was always that meth was the big bad wolf, but in comparison to this new shit it seems to be the lesser evil. With a little addiction and worsening mental issues like his struggle with bipolar disorder, we saw a country star worth his weight in hits slowly fade away. Well, it makes his music that much more sorrowful. Speaking of, let's talk a little about our song of the day, "All Blue". This is one of the songs that helped make his third album such a sensation. It is hard to tell exactly what decade it is out of, but for the learned ear it is easy to tell it is a modern recording of an old style. For a musician it isn't the worst play, it would probably be cheaper to record it that way, and it is a little easier to pull off due to it being more earthy than crystal clear. This album also holds some of his other big hits, like his sensational "Where Ya Been?" and "The Bullfighter", two tracks that will help Luke Bell stay a more known name in the vintage country world of the 2010s and 2020s. For this album, it is an obvious passion project, much like the three albums he released in his lifetime. This would be his last studio album, but it seems there is some new stuff being released posthumously now, but I still got to catch up on the other albums before taking them on. "All Blue" is a sorrowful track, it is a song built for the highway and keeps to that vintage style with lyricism that seems to have been written by the same ink as Hank Snow or Merle Haggard. A style we would likely hear on a Lefty Frizzell single on a lonesome drive home, cutting between states under nameless stars back in the day. He brings in the ghost of country's past and does their legacy honor, much like the modern vintage artists do for him today. He sings the words of someone so damn blue they don't know what to do aside from hit the highway and try outrunning it. Something that speaks to me with the caps lock on. It is something that he seems to know all too well, it is the leading cause in his untimely demise. I wonder what he would have pulled off. While he never topped the charts, his albums were heavily enjoyed across the country. He never had a chance to see the impact his voice had on country music, and that is the biggest shame you will hear all week. A great musician, a musician I am excited to get more into and hopefully share more of with you. So, do yourself a favor and give the song a play and take in some music written by and for dreamers upon the highway. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 2016
Album: Luke Bell (2016)
Genre: Country, Honky Tonk
Mood: Sorrowful
​Perfect For: Going for a long quiet drive, Rainy days, Rainy nights, Casual listening, Having a beer
Where To Next: "Man of the Road" - Wayne Hancock
Rating: 8 / 10​

"Black Hole Sun" - Soundgarden

     Well, looks like we are busting out a legend of a song today! No hidden gems, or those tracks you find off the beaten track, we are looking at one of the greatest songs that came out of the 1990s. Soundgarden has led an incredibly successful career, not quite outshining grunge titans like Nirvana or Pearl Jam, but riding right alongside them as one of the most well-respected names in rock history. Vocalist Chris Cornell practically is grunge music, his footprint over the starting days of the genre is unrivaled. He put a spotlight on a ton of budding bands, and helped form many more. Soundgarden came along before most of the others, too, when grunge was a subgenre of punk rock more so than a force of its own. The band released their first EP in 1987, earlier than you thought, huh? Screaming Life is rawer, and in comparison to the Soundgarden we know and love modernly, it is day and night. Very rough and raw artsy music that goes for the throat, much like a lot of the early grunge releases of the 1980s. The EP didn't gather all too much attention, but the impact it made on early Seattle grunge is strong. The band released their following EP, Fopp, the following year in 1988. Their first EP is well worth the music historian's listen, but as for Fopp I think you can easily miss it and jump into the band's first studio album. Those first two releases were under the Sub Pop records banner, and much like Sun Records and Motown, Sub Pop typically serves as a launch point for the most promising rock rockets. Their debut album, Ultramega OK, which released in 1988 on the label SST Records, which was ran by punk legend Greg Ginn (Black Flag). This debut still follows the early Soundgarden sound, a chaotic cluster of emotion and frustration in the form of music. I honestly really dig this album, especially for its leading single "Flower" which is one of my favorite Soundgarden tracks. In 1988 grunge was starting to get some traction, even if it was still underground, and Ultramega OK is easily one of the best albums from those underground years. It is one that is often overlooked by Soundgarden fans, but in many ways it is just as good as their prime releases. Check it out! The band got their shit together for the second release, Louder Than Love, the first where the band teased the sound that would make them superstars. Another album that is well worth the listen and doesn't put all their grapes in the singles. A perfect album to explain the transition of Soundgarden sounds. With those two albums out there, and with a ton of work both in and out of studio, we finally come to their breakout album Badmotorfinger, the best album I think they ever did. A 1990s classic and a grunge landmark. The album is heavier than a lot of the big time grunge albums, and the writing is top tier. At some points it is moody and psychedelic, and then at other points it dabbles in the heavy metal sound you can tell the band was heavily influenced by. I am certain we will have a chance to talk more about that album and the numerous tracks that fill it. But time is short, and I don't want to bore you, so let's get into "Black Hole Sun" ey?

     "Black Hole Sun" is one of many incredible tracks off the band's essential fourth studio album Superunknown. The album was an international success when it released in 1994. The album is one forever tied to the best of the best to come out of the 1990s, and songs like "Black Hole Sun", "Fell on Black Days", "Spoonman", "The Day I Tried to Live", and "My Wave" are songs that define what grunge and rock music was in the 1990s. They are tracks that future generations will use as stepping stones when studying music. This whole album is a testament to human creativity, drive, culture, and existence. Bold words, I know, but there aren't many albums and songs as powerful as what we are tapping into today. "Black Hole Sun" in itself could sell the whole album for over 100 years to music appreciators of all walks. Our song of the day is one of the tracks that have seemed to follow me my whole existence. When I first heard it I must have still been in the womb since it feels like I was born understanding the words to the track. By the time I was in 3rd grade or so, I have a ton of memories traveling here and there in Texas playing wingman for my father. Random drives at 2 AM while being hours away from home since he drove across the state to meet some chick that turned out to be crazy cakes. Hot muggy Texas days upon the highway with no AC when the intro would start over again. It played as we drove back to Utah to set up camp. It played while on the way to go camping numerous times. It was one of the first song I pirated to my MP3 player once I got that sucker. It played as I experimented with mind goodies. It played as I drove along Utah, much like it did while my father drove us around Texas. It played while going through breakups, and it played when the excitement of new love was plentiful. That chorus defined a summer night, a winter's morning, the crunching of leaves in autumn, and the morning dew of spring. In some ways, the song seemed to have been written just for it to support me through the years. A parent figure that lasts 5 minutes. This song has too many memories tied to it, both good and bad, that it is sometimes hard to hear since it feels like a floodgate was opened on memories I hardly even remembered. To me, this song expresses the importance of music to the human existence. It is an audible diary of the ever-changing tides of my life. A lot of that is thanks to how popular this song was on the radio, I swear you could hardly go a day without hearing this song or one of the other classics off of Superunknown. "Black Hole Sun" is the band's signature song, and has a whopping 904 million streams on Spotify alone. It is the definition of a sensational song. But what makes it that way? Could it be there are hardly any songs like it out there? Maybe the psychedelic meets grunge style that started becoming more of a thing following its release in 1994? The infamous music video? Or is it because the song talks to the darkest parts of our souls? Not dark in the way of murder or our humanly terrible thoughts, no, dark in the way of simple sorrow. 

     From start to finish, "Black Hole Sun" is genuinely perfect. That intro is one of my all-time favorites, Chris Cornell writes words that are written in my soul, his vocals hold that powerful range and belting, the guitar work from Kim Thayil is haunting as hell, the chorus is addictive and forces you to mellowly sing along, the drumming is steady, the underrated bassist Ben Shepherd cradles the band, and overall the whole song is hypnotic as a motherfucker. It is one of those songs you can just feel was crafted. This wasn't a song that they just happened to bust out and made a hit, each note and part of the song is put together with a brush from a master painter. The whole song feels like some sort of dream, it is surreal. It is a warm song while equally being freezing cold. It is easily a song you must listen to before you die, but since you are here reading a blog thingy about rock music, I am sure this track has gotten plenty of love by you. There is no way you made it through life without having a memory with this song playing. It is the kind of track that steals the moment. It makes the most mundane thing feel profound. Man, I have really been praising this track as if I made it myself. But how could I not? I have dedicated my life to rock music, and this track is one of many essentials that show just how powerful rock music used to be. The band was conflicted when recording it, some felt it was too tame and relied too heavily on atmosphere (which it does) but the masses loved it. It doesn't stick to solely one mood, either. A good portion of the song is melancholy, some of it is trippy, some is intense and bombastic. I think that is also what helps keep it so high up in notoriety, it is the kind of song you cannot get bored with while listening to it. I guess I will stop gushing about this track and just let you get to listening to it. Yes, I know, you already know the song. But why not play it again? And again? The rock gods command it! Take in some music history, and listen to the signature song from one of the greatest bands to come out of the United States. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1994
Album: Superunknown (1994)
Genre: Grunge, Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Rock
Mood: Surreal
​Perfect For: Going for a drive, Going for a walk, Getting stoned, Staring off at nothing, Watching that very 90s music video
Where To Next: "Creep" - Stone Temple Pilots
Rating: 10 / 10​

"The Trip" - Donovan

     Guess it turned out we aren't going for three instrumentals in a row this time around. Instead, we will talk about the folk music legend Donovan. Donovan isn't your typical folk artist, he is more on the folk rock side but returns to his folk roots within each album. I have had a long time fondness for his music, he released some of the best folk/folk rock in the 1960s. Bob Dylan was often pretty serious, shadowed, and mysterious. Simon & Garfunkel were one with the people, they had a knack of telling stories that fit the troubled. Many more names were out in force due to the folk focus that came along following Bob Dylan. And while there were many beautiful singers, innovative guitar pickers, wise lyricist, and more than made folk of the 1960s one of the genre's prime years, none were more in tune with the universe than Donovan. He first came along with his straight forward folk album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid in 1965 which many considered the British answer to Bob Dylan. Within that album and his following release Fairytale (1965) that is an accurate comparison. Still, Donovan wasn't one of folks many Bob Dylan copy cats, and he made that damn clear while trying to break that image upon his third studio album Sunshine Superman (1966). This is the album that will lure in the fans, it is prime Donovan and arguably his most essential album. He went from a dusty faced folk icon into something much bigger, much more mature and artistic. That album holds some of the 1960s most timeless songs, like "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch". It is also the album that holds our song of the day, but we will get to that here soon. Sunshine Superman shot Donovan into a psychedelic master as much as a folk hero, with his new-found status that rivaled some of the biggest names of the time, the stage was set and many were wondering would this 20-year-old nature boy rise higher or fall from his pedestal made of ivy. He kept the energy up I am proud to say, and while his 4th studio album Mellow Yellow (1967) didn't hold nearly as many classics as the previous, it is a great set of 10 songs. The album is mostly known for the title track "Mellow Yellow" but you would be a fool to stop there if you like that Donovan style. That album started pushing in a little more of a pop backing, a style that would consume a good portion of the following album A Gift from a Flower to a Garden (1967). Donovan was dishing out albums like it was nobodies business, it sure kept the spotlight on him, but like all things that are pushed out in copious amounts, it seemed that the well was running a little dry following A Gift from a Flower to a Garden. His following album, The Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968) was one of his last true greats. I am not saying all of his later releases sucked, because believe you me, they do not. What I am saying, is he already did all that there was to "bin did" and "bin hid", and that is alright. The releases he had helped define folk and psychedelic rock, and showed there was a market to bring those together, much like The Byrds showed off as well. Donovan is a great musician, and there is a sense of innocence in each of his beautiful releases during his prime years.

     "The Trip" comes off of his landmark 1966 release Sunshine Superman. This album is an essential listen from start to finish. The singing is youthful and fun, the mental imagery smells of waterfalls, the album cover is a good one, and each song has a little something special to separate it from the previous. This was one of the first albums I listened to from start to finish while stoned, doing nothing than simply listening. I was supposed to be in class, but who needs that when Donovan was teaching me so much more? I loaded up that hollowed out green apple, sparked the bowl, and pressed play on my iPod to hear the familiar intro of "Sunshine Superman" kick off, and laid down in that random plush green field. Some memories will stick with me throughout life, and this was one of them. Staring up at the swirling clouds as they lazily drifted along. Feeling more than hearing the words from Donovan while he tells stories from long ago, stories of love and wonder. I have been an avid fan of this album ever since that day, and if I die while trying to push this album onto someone, then I shall die happy. "The Trip" is the 7th track on the album, it comes right after his biggest hit song "Season of the Witch". For some songs, it is a death sentence to come after the biggest one, and while "The Trip" certainly isn't "Season of the Witch", it compliments the fun atmosphere set up by it. The track features the fun playing of words that Donovan is famously known for. Random pronunciation of words add new meanings to the bland words we hear every day. The chorus of this track gets stuck in my head for hours after I hear it, hence why it was chosen here today. "The Trip" as you guessed it, was about the inevitable while being a big star in California during this stage of the 1960s, psychedelics. Donovan was one of the musicians that were targeted by the law, even having his place raided to try finding those goodies that helped him create such good music. That raid saw him and his girlfriend butt naked as the police tore up his place, when he tried fighting back after his buddy was getting manhandled he promptly got choked and dropped by the UK's finest. According to Donovan, after getting choked he tried getting himself to the kitchen to drink some milk to soothe the soreness the cops stopped him and bum rushed the milk after a cop said "the LSD is in the milk!". They sure hire the smart ones, don't they? The more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, they didn't get Donovan on much other than claiming they found some hash, though that was dropped. He was offered a comfy couch by the beatle George Harrison, and was properly shunned by many different big names of the time. His autobiography tells it best, nothing like that British lingo. It faded over time, but with all of that drama and the release of this album, Donovan was comfortably situated as a psychedelia classic. "The Trip" is a damn well put together song, with lyrics that are very much in Donovan style. He talks of fair ladies and knights, he brings in some modern icons in the music world, but all is veiled in mysticism, which is a common theme on Sunshine Superman. Like most folk, the focus is on those lyrics and how those lyrics are spoken, musically there is a mellow laid back groove that lets you settle your mind as you take the words in. A great track, and an underrated one from Donovan that I think both folk fans, rock fans, and psychedelic fans can get behind. See if it works for you, but since you are here and read through this post, I think you will dig it! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1966
Album: Sunshine Superman (1966)
Genre: Psychedelic Folk, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Mood: Mellow
​Perfect For: Getting stoned, Lounging around the house, Going for a walk, Chill drives
Where To Next: "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" - The Byrds
Rating: 8 / 10

"Gridlock" - The Pogues

     Man, it seems like I have been in an instrumental mood recently. Today, we have another instrumental track, this time coming from the band once labeled "the greatest disaster to ever hit Irish music". Now, in most genres that would be taken as a big ass insult, but in the punk world that is strangely a compliment. The Pogues are one of the best punk groups to come out of the Celtic punk scene. Their album Rum Sodomy & the Lash is one of the best albums out of 1985, and many of the band's other releases are potent ass kickers. The Pogues had a lot of support in their early years, originally being named "Pogue Mahone" the band found little fame. Once they switched their name to The Pogues they tagged along as the opener for The Clash, the exact band you would want to open up for to get your name out there. Slowly but surely this stagnant Celtic punk genre started gathering more traction, a lot of that is thanks to The Pogues. Their debut album Red Roses for Me (1984) failed to chart too high and also didn't seem to put too much bread in their pocket, but the impact it had on punk and the fans was impressive. It's melding of a snotty punk sound with traditional Irish ballads is what makes that album shine brighter than the others. There have been a couple of bands that have done it previously, but from my studies, none did it better than The Pogues. Their debut showed off that the band had the style, the talent, and the knack for a solid hook, all of which was essential in the punk world at that time. All they needed now was a little guidance, and a producer that knows his way around the mixing board as much as they knew their way around music that sells but keeps your identity intact. For this, we have Elvis Costello coming into the picture and producing the band's second studio album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash. That album is one that most of my readers can enjoy, it isn't too far into the punk world to dissuade the lame (you heard me), and isn't so far into the new wave sound to dissuade the punkers. A great album from start to finish, and I am not alone in that thought, since it is the band's most endearing album to date. After that album the band was put into the limelight, still not the same acclaim as other punk legends, but more an underground hero. The album sold well enough, peaking at #13 and got good critical acclaim at the time, and from the seat of retrospective reviewers that acclaim still stands strong. That fame grew stronger after the album. They released a single alongside The Dubliners which hit the top spot on the Irish charts, and then funnily enough the band found their "bread and butter song" within a Christmas track. You heard right, these pit fighters in the punk world found their biggest hit within a Christmas song. Granted, this isn't your "All I Want for Christmas Is You" from Mariah Carey. The track is intoxicatingly Irish, it makes you want to eat a fistful of cabbage, but the lyricism is great! It hardly feels like a Christmas song, and if you don't pay attention to the lyrics then you could easily miss the Christmas theme, but you would also miss some pretty harsh words. Anyway, we aren't here to talk about that track. Let's get into the band's fourth studio album, the one that holds our song of the day.

     1989 is a strange year in music. All across the globe the shifting tides were being felt, ideas were being shared in smokey rooms and were brought to the recording studio. Plenty of the bands that were selling out shows were now filling the value bins at the supermarket. Luckily for The Pogues, they were still selling steady and selling well, but that was in part to them changing up their sound a little bit. Peace and Love saw the band dropping some of their more spitty and punky ways for a straight forward artistic approach to their music. Don't worry, this album is still very much Celtic, as it should be, but there is no doubting some of the varying styles within its 45-minute running time showed the band was moving away from it. This album dips its picks in many different genres, none more off the beaten path for The Pogues than our song of the day "Gridlock". For those that come here to find new bands, you are going to be confused as hell after checking out more of the band following this song. This track is heavy with jazz, so get your fingers ready to snap at the end of it. A fun as hell song, just not very Pogues-like. The song starts off with some drumming to get you amped up. Second by second, the tension builds up before that sweet release at the 1:33 mark when the band practically forces you to jump out of your chair and get down! The track is a fast one once it gets there. An outstanding song to kick the album off with. I am sure the fans of the band had to check the case twice to make sure they bought the right album. There isn't much doubt when the following song "White City" kicks off, but for a second there it makes you wonder who you are listening to. I am damn glad this track is here though! This is what I imagine plays in the background if you are gambling your soul away to the devil while holding a decent hand in poker. The rest of Peace and Love goes down smoothly, nothing to top their previous releases but still a welcome addition to their discography. My favorite song from it is between "The Limerick Rake" and this track here today, but since "Gridlock" is unlike any other The Pogues track, I gotta give it to "The Limerick Rake". I apologize for choosing two instrumentals back to back for those that read along daily, but at least the two are day and night. Truth be told, I have 2 instrumental tracks in the running for tomorrow's post too, soooo you might get another. I guess I must be in a mood or something! One thing will forever stay the same though, I choose only the best songs to share with you! So be it an instrumental or be it a traditional pop ballad, they are only the best cuts! So enjoy some swinging jazz music today from a band that is known for Celtic punk, and tomorrow you might get a crazy djent instrumental from a country trio. Who knows? Keep checking back and fill your brain with top tier tracks! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1989
Album: Peace and Love (1989)
Genre: Jazz, Celtic Rock 
Mood: Energetic
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Gambling, Drinking, Dancing, Smoking, Having a good ol' time
Where To Next: "The Cat" - Jimmy Smith
Rating: 7 / 10

"For the Love of God - Live" - Steve Vai

     Have we talked Steve Vai? Looking at my tracker, I would say that we haven't. Well, no time like the present. Steve Vai is one of the shining guitar gods in the shredding world. This cat can play, there is no doubting that, and even with him being in many varying bands and songs it is easy to tell it is within his solo work where he shines best. With guitar players this good, they never miss a beat, and Steve Vai even until this day is still putting out great work. Need proof? Then take the time and watch him play "Teeth of the Hydra" on YouTube, that shit is insane! He collaborated with Ibanez in creating a goliath of a guitar called "the Hydra", that triple-neck guitar is over the top for no reason! It is as ugly as it is beautiful. Anyway, Steve Vai has played with a ton of bands and musicians, from legends like Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, to the lesser known names where he guest stars. He appears on the most odd albums, I can be just doing my thing listening though a Motörhead album, and bam, there is Steve Vai. My favorite time period of Vai is when he jumped between the great solo album Flex-Able and 1980s classics like David Lee Roth's Eat 'Em and Smile or maybe the underrated Alcatrazz album Disturbing the Peace. Even when he is simply a band member, he steals the show, but with playing this damn talented and intense, it comes with the territory. As for his solo work, Steve Vai released a ton of shredding classics, his debut Flex-Able isn't quite the right example of that since it is a lot more progressive and laid back, but it is one you cannot miss out on and shows off how talented this man is behind a ton of different instruments. Once 1990 hit, and he released his second studio album Passion and Warfare, it was clear that all those years being accredited on albums and songs were over, and he was to take to the stage to show future generations the way of the guitar. That album is the ultimate place to start in his discography, and holds plenty of my favorite Vai tracks. "For the Love of God" comes off the album, that is his most famous song, and I am honestly very surprised it hasn't been included here yet until today, even if I chose a live version. I would argue it is one of the best guitar instrumentals of all time, easily in the top 3 from the 1990s. The song is smooth as a motherfucker. We will return to this topic here soon. As for the rest of the album, there are many inspirational songs and even more impressive ones. Vai would go on to release a ton of top tier albums, and even if they are mostly made up of instrumentals, they are albums well worth the playing time.

     The version I chose of "For the Love of God" comes off of 1997's G3: Live in Concert. G3 is a series of tours led by Joe Satriani, another god of the stings, and is a yearly shindig where he tours with the best of the best from the instrumental guitar world, especially from the shredding category. So, it isn't all too shocking that Steve Vai has come along for many, and is included on each live album release from the project. Steve Vai himself is a student of Joe Satriani, and in some ways even outshines his master, but in the end Joe Satriani isn't one you can simply outshine, more so compliment. The project's debut live album is a goodie, it features guitar work from Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. Each guitarist is given the spotlight for three tracks each, and for the final three it is all three playing together. "For the Love of God" is the second choice from Steve Vai and track #8 on the album. By the time you get to that track, you have almost had all you can handle of quick as sin guitar work, but "For the Love of God" is like a breath of fresh air. The comfort of home, the first cigarette after a great meal, seeing your loved one in a crowd, arriving to your destination after a hard drive, or taking a piss when you really need to go. It just feels right, inner peace achieved for 7 minutes and 47 seconds. I chose this version since I adore how the second half goes, it goes a little free form where fast playing makes your head spin. "For the Love of God" both in studio and live has this special way of sucking you in with a hypnotic intro, you sort of fade away as the guitar work grows more and more intense until you zoom back into your body and remind yourself that one man is making all that noise. Steve Vai is a trippy dude, he believes in some wild shit and seems to be more alien than man, and his guitar work helps emphasis that point. No way that is mortal fingers on those strings. "For the Love of God" was put together while Steve Vai was on day 4 of a 10 day long fast. He says that it helped expand his mind and push out a completely fresh and new idea for his guitar work, hence the song we have here. There really isn't too many songs like it. For the studio version, he played a 7 string Ibanez, and on this live version we are hearing here today he lays down those crazy lines on his signature Ibanez. For those that spit on Ibanez, shove it up your butt, we are listening to pure art brought to you by the same guitar. A shredders wet dream. The kind of song that makes you never want to pick up the guitar, since it is futile to hope to achieve the same wizardry. Steve Vai is one hell of an influential guitar player, especially to those in the shredding world. A name that is well known in rock music, a name that will certainly forever be known. I am sure we will be seeing the studio version in time, but I am more than happy to give you this mesmerizing live version here today. So, do yourself a favor, set up some time to really take this song in. It will move you. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1997
Album: G3: Live in Concert (1997)
Genre: Instrumental Rock, Rock 
Mood: Mesmerizing
​Perfect For: In depth listening, Relaxing, Having a beer, Having tea, Appreciating art
Where To Next: "Camel's Night Out" - Eric Johnson
Rating: 9 / 10

"In My Sword I Trust" - Ensiferum

​     It is safe to assume that Ensiferum loves sword and sorcery. Not only is their most popular song called "In My Sword I Trust", the band's name is literally "sword bearing" in Latin. With all of that in mind, I hope you look forward to some intense power metal, even though the band prefers to be called "melodic folk metal" which in all honesty I can get behind that. Ensiferum is one of the most popular names in the epic metal world right now, and what I love most about the band is they kept their roots. A lot of the modern epic metal walks in the same shoes as Blind Guardian but tend to tighten those laces so tight they never can come off. You can tell right off the bat that Ensiferum has a closet full of varying sizes and styles of heavy metal leaden shoes. On Tuesday they might wear a fresh pair of thrash metal shoes with some grooving laces, and by Friday we have some power metal boots studded in shining atmospheric black metal leather. They still keep their sound at core, but each song does have a little lick of something different than the last. I have been immensely impressed by the band since the first time I came across them a year or two back, starting with this song much like many more will likely do, including you if this is your first time hearing of the band. These titans hail from Finland, and honed their metal sound starting with the underrated self-titled release in 2001. They kept a steady pace, releasing stand up albums with 2 to 3 years in between them. I haven't made it through all their material yet, but I try setting aside some time monthly to further my expansion into post 1990s power metals of all walks. I have found it is best not to do too much of the epic metals back to back since you lose a little bit of that bite. As for the albums I picked through thus far, I can safely say that most anything they put out has been a good one, they don't alter their sound too rapidly between releases but as the band moved on you can tell they perfected their sound. They will be coming to town alongside Blind Guardian in the next little while, and I cannot decide if I wanna gather the money to go see the show. If the show is in support of their most recent album, Winter Storm, I am not sure that I can afford to miss the show since that album I think is one of the best I have listened to for the last little while. It is one intense 43 minutes, and once again, they mix in some metals that I am happy to see there while still staying safe within their folk metal home. The good thing about power type metals is you can keep a comfy fan base all the way until the end, the genre is self lubricating and while they will never achieve immense fame they will keep on pushing out that leather studded heavy metal that simply doesn't go out of style. I am excited to see how long the band will keep the energy up, but until then I got some catching up to do since I have only made it through half of their studio material.

     "In My Sword I Trust" is off the band's 5th studio album Unsung Heroes, an album that I think is a great place for any budding fans to get a full taste of the band. It isn't an album that relies on its hits, since each song could have easily been a hit. Still, I will not deny that "In My Sword I Trust" is the shining track off the album. I would say that it is simply a bias since that is where I started into the band, but it seems other listeners agree since it has an almost 5 millions streams difference from their next most popular track "One Man Army". The early 2010s is a treasure trove of this brand of epic metal and also for melodic death metal, and Ensiferum moved along the crowd with ease. They have a style that is reminiscent of past metal, which keeps the old metal heads punch drunk, but also serves as an easy home amongst modern metal heads that like this brand of heavy. Much in folk metal style, there is a ton of different instruments playing their part in making the sound all consuming. This is the kind of track that gets you ready for battle! Only steel can set us free! The jumping between harsh to clean vocals, the constant attack of drums and thumping bass strings, tight dual guitars, crisp guitar solos, and angelic backing vocals really leave you impressed. To make the song all the better, at the halfway mark it cuts into battle drumming, letting you lick your wounds before even more intense vocals come to smash in your skull followed by haunting organs. The first half of the song is proudly in the epic metal genre, and the second half reminds you we still have some melodic death metal, not the kind of death metal to scare away casual listeners, but an intense vocal instrument to let you know you shall kneel to the band's metal. Ensiferum also has some kick ass writing, the type of writing the metal gods themselves stamped their approval upon. Your cliché battle heavy songs and tavern tales, but that is more than fine with me. I also appreciate the band's album covers that feature their mascot in varying themes, adventures, and battles on most. I think Unsung Heroes has one of the coolest, you know exactly what you are in store for before you even press the play button. Well, I think that is all you get from me today, time for you to give the song a spin! I hope you enjoy it! Praise the power of heavy metal! Enjoy!

​​​​​​​Year Released: 2012
Album: Unsung Heroes (2012)
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, Folk Metal, Epic Metal 
Mood: Barbaric
​Perfect For: Heading off to battle, Rowing a skeid, Playing loud
Where To Next: "Haunted by Guilt" - Kalmah
Rating: 8 / 10

"Try, Try, Try" - The Smashing Pumpkins

     The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the leading forces in the 1990s rock world. Their name, image, songs, albums, and artistry are known and well-respected worldwide. Even today, they are releasing some potent material that never seems to stop expanding. They have released a couple of singles the last little while that get me excited for when they drop the re-release of reworked material from the album we will talk about today, Machina/The Machines of God and its follow up Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. A good thing they are too, since those two albums seem to get often overlooked when talking about The Smashing Pumpkins. I, too, have that issue of rarely returning to them since I am in infinite love with their 1990s material and a peppering of their more modern albums like 2012's Oceania which is a dreamy masterpiece. Most anything that The Smashing Pumpkins has put out has been gold, they are all addictive, and even those that aren't too fond of their brand of alternative rock find themselves dying to come back. The Smashing Pumpkins always made sure they didn't get stuck in one place or one sound. They started out running with the pack with a more grunge forward sound, but still made a name for themselves away from the grunge definition due to their alternative, psychedelic, and a little poppy style that we can hear on their debut Gish (1991) and the essential Siamese Dream (1993). They started putting their foot down elsewhere in their musical direction when they released their third and arguably most impressive album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, in 1995. That album has every single side of The Smashing Pumpkins, the new-found chill alternative sound, the previous grunge attack, some shoegaze, some indie rock, and even a track or two that some consider to almost be heavy metal (I personally do not). Both that album and the previous ​Siamese Dream set the band up to be one of the most successful out of the 1990s. The band would continue to have a perfect run, always making the charts in one way or another, and finding positive critical acclaim coming for even some of their weaker albums. I have heard often that frontman Billy Corgan is a difficult person to work with, he is immensely meticulous and often rude, but there is no doubting his prowess with writing material that sit well with listeners. It is a common tale in the music world, the brightest often burn those around them. Still no excuse to be rude to your band, but some people are just asses.

     Throughout my long time love for The Smashing Pumpkins, I have found one thing to be absolute truth. There is no better band to compliment a dreamy, gloomy, and dreary day better than The Smashing Pumpkins. It spoke true once again when I chose this song. I was driving to meet my mom at an antique shop in hopes they had vinyl records (they did) and just to hang out with my mom, who I adore. Well, while on the way the rain was coming down something fierce, which kicks in some stress since my truck is not to be trusted on anything that isn't completely flat and completely dry land, and even then you cannot fully trust it. To ramp up the atmosphere, it was pretty cold, and I am weird and don't like to turn on the heater until the bitter end. Once I smell that heater, that means that autumn is finally here, so I don't wanna trick my brain. Well, I did kick that heater on, and with that rain coming down and smelling so sweet mingling with the cigarette smoke in the air, I found myself at peace with the world. I just got done listening through an unfortunate Bloodhound Gang album when "The Everlasting Gaze" kicked on from The Smashing Pumpkins, and I knew instantly it was time to take in Machina/The Machines of God once more. It was fated that the album came along when it did, I couldn't have asked for a better band to kick on at that moment. Track by track I rolled along that rainy road just taking it all in. I started nearing my destination when "Try, Try, Try" kicked off, a long time favorite of mine off this album. While my wheels were upon the road, and my foot upon that pedal, my head was drifting away. I felt like a teenager once more, carefree and clouded, while still feeling the weird ache in my knee that won't go away reminding me of aging. I felt all and nothing at the same time. Mostly, I felt the raw power of calming music. Machina/The Machines of God has its hit-and-miss tracks, and each time I come back to it, I get all excited when "The Sacred and Profane" starts playing since I know "Try, Try, Try" will be coming next. Concept albums are often a hard thing to pull off, and I would say that Billy Corgan put together a pretty good one. Stylistically it is very much rooted in the sound they found on their fourth studio album Adore (1998) but it feels a touch more confused than that gem. It is far from the grunge and alternative rock sound they had before, which caused some issues with the fan base, but once again Billy Corgan seems not to care so long as he has a medium to let his art flourish. His art flourished well on this album, but I would be lying if I said every track was gold. Once again, concept albums tend to be that way, it is rare for one of them to have only 10/10 material and also a great story. The story of Machina/The Machines of God covers the tale of a musician named Zero who would later go by Glass who heard the voice of God and formed a band named The Machines of God. Not a bad tale, but one that is a little hard to follow without reading along. It is going to be fun to listen to this album again back to back with part 2 when that compilation/box set gets released and hopefully put onto streaming services. I cannot afford a vinyl box set, as much as I would like to, especially for The Smashing Pumpkins. Well, for now, we get to appreciate this beautiful track, you know what to do! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​Year Released: 2000
Album: Machina/The Machines of God (2000)
Genre: Alternative Rock, Shoegaze, Dream Pop
Mood: Dreamy
​Perfect For: Driving in the rain, Lazy day at home, Coffee and cigarettes, Gloomy days
Where To Next: "From Black to Blue" - Yo La Tengo
Rating: 7 / 10

"Walk Out Backwards" - Bill Anderson

     I find Bill Anderson to be criminally underrated! Luckily, he has had a small handful of hits that survived into the modern day. Even with those, people are missing out on so many damn good tracks! Granted, I am not furthering that cause very well, since I too chose one of the hits for his debut on the website. Still, if this song grabs you enough, and you like his vocals, then I strongly suggest you check out some of his other material. It is country, so you get the idea within a couple of songs. I am glad to say that I don't have to bitch about how country music musicians are getting lost to the test of time more than any other genre due to the lack of bringing their albums to modern streaming services. When I was first getting into Bill Anderson, Spotify only had a couple of compilations and some of his most recent albums on there. I have abused those compilations for the last 5 years, but within this last year they went back and added the majority of his great albums. I haven't made it back through some of them, but the material that came out of the 1960s has been a joy to listen through. So, there is no excuse for you not taking the dive into some of his material if you dig the song! Bill Anderson started out, like many in the classic country world, as a simple songwriter. He started pushing out some of his lyrics while still in high school, and started cutting his own songs once he got out. He put out the country classic "City Lights" in 1958, and due to not being known and also since he was on a small-time label it didn't get much attention. Just a month or so later, Ray Price covered the song, and it was a massive country hit! Following that, Bill Anderson had his shot to record with a big label and put that talented pen to use writing songs for himself. "City Lights" is one of my favorite country tracks to come out of the late 1950s, it is everything I love about that early country, Ray Price arguably has the best version but be sure to check out the original from Bill Anderson, and other great versions of the track from musicians like Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Connie Smith, and so many other big names. Anyway, following the success of "City Lights" Bill Anderson went on to release a steady flow of minor and major hits, most of those hits were included on the compilation we are talking about today, Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs, that sort of served as his debut album even though it was more a collection of previous singles. He went from being a small fish to becoming a big fish by the time 1963 rolled around and he released his first studio album Still (1963), the title track from that album is his most famous song and I can say with confidence is certainly one of the best to come out of 1963. "Still" shows off why they call Bill Anderson "Whispering Bill" due to his unique almost whispering country vocals. Now, I dig that song, but my heart always goes out to the whiskey bent and hell bound type of country tracks, the quick ditties that get you stomping! "Still" is not that song, but it is certainly a pretty one, but don't think Bill Anderson is another one of those soft singing country boys, he has the quick ones too. For the next following years after his debut, he released steadily great album after great album. They did sort of revolve around the hit singles, but still had enough quality to make those albums worth every cent spent on them and then some. If you want more, you will just have to look into the man yourself or wait for his next post.

     "Walk Out Backwards" was my first taste of Bill Anderson, it started a love for his music and I come back to it often. After hearing that song, I had a shitload of his songs on repeat, half of which my girlfriend probably knew by heart since I would play them practically any time we hit the road. The song was originally released as a single in 1960 with "The Best of Strangers" on the B-side. It was his second bigger hit, coming just a little bit after "The Tip of My Fingers" which is another classic from him. "Walk Out Backwards" peaked at #9 on the country charts, it stayed on those charts for a hearty 14 weeks, and even with it being one of his earliest hits and one of his best, the song was never included on a future studio album. It still was indeed one of the biggest selling points on his debut compilation we mentioned earlier. That compilation is the ultimate place to start with Bill Anderson, it showcases his best early tracks, and none helped the release along better than "Walk Out Backwards". The song is a country classic, with the style and the lyrics being happily situated in the early 1960s country sound. A prime example of the "Nashville sound" for country music. The Nashville sound is the thing that stomped out honky-tonk. Instead of the more bopping tracks that were meant for the beer joints and pool halls, the Nashville sound used a more pop backing. Smooth singing, strings, potent backing vocalists, crooning, and a much more mature note that allowed country music to break out of the shadow of popular music and join that party. That sound would later be taken over, and the band played on, but Ray Price, Bill Anderson, Jim Reeves, and so many other big names had a strong couple of years with this style. If you are about to listen to this song, or already have, you will notice that it is smooth country music, almost pop. What I adore most about the Nashville sound is those dreamy intros, and "Walk Out Backwards" has just that. An intro I could repeat for hours and still get chills. There are a lot of layers to this track, you would have to listen to it a handful of times to notice all the varying sounds. Lyrically, the song is another simple "you broke my heart" country track, something that always was and always will be. Lyrics are often pretty simple in the traditional country world; it all comes down to how well our singer can portray the emotions. Bill Anderson is oozing with sorrow in his vocals on this track, and he sells the image so well it is hard to separate a character from the singer. Our character cannot stand that his lady is leaving him, he would rather stick his head in the sand and pretend she is still in love with him. He pleads to his love to walk out backwards and give him one last hello so he can pretend she never said goodbye. Kind of a pitiful song, but that is the power. It is a shame that country music lost that note of men being fragile too, songs where there is pure raw emotion, songs of men crying or having their heart broken so badly that they cannot go on. I know there are still those types of songs, but they don't feel nearly as relatable to listeners like me, and they rarely ever make the charts. I want a male character to act like a regular insecure and broken human being. Anyway, while the song is a tad bit cliché in the breakup music world, you cannot deny that Anderson wrote it damn well. It isn't a "copy and paste" kind of track, the theme is the same, but the words are cleverly written. Too many of the tracks off this compilation will break your heart, Bill Anderson was truly one of the best country performers out of the 1960s. Modernly, he is known for some of his hits namely "Still", "Walk Out Backwards", "Bright Lights and Country Music", and "Sometimes" but outside that other tracks don't get the same love even though they are in some ways better. So do some digging today and don't let Bill Anderson become another country music name that fades with time. Perfect for the rainy day we are having. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1960
Chosen Compilation: Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs (1962)
Genre: Country
Mood: Pitiful
​Perfect For: Rainy days, Break-ups, Cigarettes in the middle of the night, Casual listening
Where To Next: "Hello Walls" - Faron Young
Rating: 8 / 10

"House of Jazz" - AC/DC

     I have been dying to have an AC/DC track here since starting this section of the website. I mean, come on, it is AC/DC! One of the best and longest lasting bands in rock history! They are a band that means a shitload to me, an early champion that will forever have a place in my top ten. Shit, I named my website after their song "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution". Now, what is shocking to me is the first song that was selected for the song of the day. "House of Jazz" is one of the finest tracks to come off their 14th studio album, Stiff Upper Lip, an album that is an awesome addition to their discography. During 2000 we had a ton of new blood that was quickly ushering in a new sound, a sound that had hardly any roots in the original rock giants, but AC/DC still stood strong and showed rock n roll would never be snuffed out. I can think of few bands that came out of the 1970s and were still going this strong in 2000, releasing albums that hold some tracks that are just as good as their prime years. So good for AC/DC, and they didn't just do it with Stiff Upper Lip, they did it multiple times like in 2008 when they released Black Ice which has been a long time favorite of mine from them. 2014 saw them releasing Rock or Bust, which charted at #1 across most of the globe! Do I need to remind you that the album came out 41 years after they started up? Legen-fuckin-dary! Then came 2020s Power Up, which charted at #1 globally once again, and was an album that defined that spooky ass covid times for me. When I first heard it I thought "well, if I croak, at least I still got one more great AC/DC album". Anyway, it is easily said that AC/DC has one hell of a career and discography. They released only 2 studio albums I would consider lacking, but being a massive fan, I still enjoy those albums. I ain't gonna tell you which ones those are, but if you too are a big fan, you already know which ones I am talking about. Through their crazy long career they influenced a plethora of groups, being a big influence on heavy metal and hard rock mostly, but you will feel a little AC/DC in some genres you would never have expected it. I am curious if we will get another album out of them, since they are still touring even all these years later. I don't even want to know how much those tickets go for. I think it is safe to say that most rockers have an AC/DC album that forever changed them. For me, it is their masterpiece Highway to Hell (1979), but all of their albums held a special place in my heart through many different chapters of my existence. Such a great band, and yes they didn't change their sound all too much after 1979, but why change what works? The people love that AC/DC style, so give the people what they love! Some sounds are genuinely timeless, and I think that is what has kept AC/DC as such a well known name for so long. I have a deep love for the Bon Scott era, that is what pops into my head when I think of the band. That doesn't mean I don't adore the Brian Johnson era though, I mean look who ended up as the first song of the day choice.

     Like I already mentioned, "House of Jazz" comes off the band's 2000 release Stiff Upper Lip. The album is mainly known for the hits "Stiff Upper Lip" and "Safe in New York City", but if you just stopped there, you would be missing some AC/DC gems you simply cannot afford to overlook. AC/DC got targeted by the foolish Clean Channel memorandum due to "Safe in New York City" which features lyrics that deemed the song unfit to play following 9/11. A couple of other AC/DC tracks also were included, mainly ones with fire and explosive themes. While I get it, a terrible day in our history, there is no need to ban everything vaguely related to the attack. I think AC/DC had the highest number of songs banned, but Metallica and The Beatles were right behind. Yes, The Beatles, and the songs they reviewed and deemed bad were tracks like "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da". I guess it wasn't really a "banning" but more a "you might not wanna play that right now". But The Beatles? Random. I am getting off track. Stiff Upper Lip has a ton of great tracks, the amount of great tracks you would never expect out of a band that had just released their 14th studio album. I remember back in the day when I took the task on to listen through the band's collection, I was immensely impressed with this album. "House of Jazz" is one of the overlooked tracks from the album, which is odd since it seems more well put together than almost any other track on the album. Most of the songs on the album start out vaguely the same, and they go down smoothly the same. "House of Jazz" has a much more "chugging along" kind of feeling to it. Quick licks from Angus Young is the best thing from the album. He has always been one of my favorite guitarists, especially in the earlier work. This album follows the same note as many of the Brian Johnson AC/DC tracks, it seems the band is there to support the vocals in comparison to the Bon Scott era where the band all played together and there were showpieces for each member to do their thing track by track. There is no doubting that guitarist Angus Young is the face of AC/DC, he shows up on practically all album covers, and even on this one he is a bronze statue. The idea for the album name came to him when he was thinking about how lips were a powerful image in the rock world, something he too had a hand in with his famous facial expressions and sneers, so he conjured up Stiff Upper Lip. Like a lot of AC/DC there has gotta be some sexual alluding, and this album has a shitload. In the track "Meltdown" they don't even try hiding what that song is about. In some ways, this album is a little sleazier than a lot of their other albums, something that is bold to say since AC/DC was the most successful band with a notorious brand of raunchy rock n roll. "House of Jazz" was written by brother duo Angus and Malcolm Young, and honestly I have no idea what the song is about. No need to worry about that though, just a straight forward song that is great to play in the background of your favorite sinful activity, something you can always safely assume about AC/DC tracks. They aren't called "anti christ devil children" for anything! Just teasing, but I will admit that those parents groups really made the band sound fucking cool! Or KISS with "knights in Satan's service". Kick ass. Anyway, I will let you listen to the song now! So do it do it do it! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​Year Released: 2000
Album: Stiff Upper Lip (2000)
Genre: Hard Rock
Mood: Slow n Steady 
​Perfect For: Casual listening, Driving, Hanging out at home, Heading to the pub
Where To Next: "Just Push Play" - Aerosmith
Rating: 7 / 10

"Go to Hell" - Alice Cooper

     Ahhhh Alice Cooper, the original rock showman. I know others came before with a wild stage show, but Alice Cooper really knows how to command that stage. His concerts are more than a rock show, they are a horror show performed by one of rock's most respected musicians. Alice Cooper always walked to the beat of his own drum, he took a stab at most any popular rock style of its time and made it his own. One person I would choose in the theoretical "if you could have dinner with one musician" question. How could it not be Alice Cooper? He had a crazy long career with many decade defining albums, a stage show rivaled by few, he seemed to be everywhere with other musicians and on movies, and overall he just seems like a cool cat. Alice Cooper started his conquest of the rock world in 1964, it was a humble beginning, he first cut his teeth with his high school band The Earwigs who did covers of The Beatles while dressing up as them. A very 1964 thing to do, but while that was all fun and games the band decided they might be onto something good, so they changed their name to The Spiders, picked up some real instruments from the pawn shop and starting jamming out. The graduated from high school, shifted up some line-ups, and got serious with releasing a small series of songs. They changed their band name to Nazz, which caused issues since Todd Rundgren already had a band under that name, and he is one dude you don't wanna poke, so after some think tanks they came up with Alice Cooper, a name that would later go down in the history books. Not only that, they realized they needed a stage show to separate them from everyone else. With Alice Coopers love for movies, the look came naturally, but in the band's early albums you can feel the growing pains. Cooper still hadn't taken on his iconic eye make up and stage get up. The early look was heavily washed in starlets of obscure 1960s movies, heavily caked on make up that would make anyone look twice, and of the times clothing to seal the deal. The band took a little bit to figure out their niche, be it in their musical style, the look, and the infamous stage antics. Try listening to the band's debut and second studio album, and it is hard to tell that is the Alice Cooper that would later have songs about necrophilia and dead babies. Those first two albums aren't the best, but it was still a stepping stone and gathered them enough attention for their third album, Love It to Death (1971) to be released by a big time label. That album is damn good, and following it, Alice Cooper went on to release solely killer (no pun intended) albums up until 1977. So many great tunes are in those albums, so many! Though, we will get to that, and when it comes to legendary groups it is hard for me to make the post short, so how about we just get into our song of the day and the album that holds it? Get ready to go to hell.

     This track is sort of a silly one, but even with that, it is one of my favorites from the band. "Go to Hell" comes off the band's 9th studio album overall, and the second studio album with Alice Cooper as a solo artist, the fittingly titled Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. The album came out in 1976, and while this is fairly far into his career, it still has the same top tier material expected from a band's second studio album. I love the vibe of this album, it is a little sillier, I consider this one to be more of a slasher film in comparison to some of the more psychological thriller or classic horror feelings of his other albums. Out of the core Alice Cooper discography, it is one of the weaker charters and marked a period where Alice Cooper was going through some transitionary pain, a thing he would easily stomp down by the time the mid 1980s hit. "Go to Hell" is sort of the title track from the album, and is also the one to kick the album off. I would wager it is the third most popular song off the album. You cannot beat "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "I Never Cry", but those are a bit more tame in comparison to "Go to Hell". You might think from the title that Alice Cooper is telling you to go to hell, and in a way I guess he is, but the song more revolves around Alice Cooper being scummy enough that society agrees that he should go to hell. This was the Alice Cooper track that convinced young Caleb to take on his discography. I had been a long time fan of his greatest hits album, I even made it a thing that I would listen to "School's Out" on the last day of school since 3rd grade, as you should. I have a core memory of pressing play on my MP3 player right when my 9th school year was over and walking through the chaos of it all. It was like one of those high schooler films out of the late 1970s, paper was gushing down from the upper floors, there were people rushing everywhere and losing their minds. It was meant to be, and is still unrivaled as the best "fuck school" song ever released. I guess we aren't here to talk about "Schools Out", let's get back to it. "Go to Hell" is a damn powerful intro track to an album, it gives you a 57-second intro to get yourself situated to take in the album. A grooving and fun little intro, an intro that is there to grip you and not let you go until the album is over, and it works. Then here we go, a listing of all the things that are worthy to send Alice Cooper to hell. "You're something that never should have happened, you even make your grandma sick" is core Alice Cooper type of lyricism. Fuck, even Santa Claus comes along to tell Alice Cooper he is on the naughty list for being the type of dude to force feed a diabetic a candy cane. Now, I don't know if that is supposed to be Santa Claus, but it is a mental imagery I refuse to break. My favorite part of the whole track is in the intro and then the instrumental break, and even while the song is a little silly it is powerful and fun, an Alice Cooper expectation that I come back for often. The whole album is cheesy, but it is the kind of cheesy that is just meant to be a good time. Nothing to serious. So have yourself a good time and listen to this track. There is no better musician to start off October with than Alice Cooper, so do your thing and rock it. Enjoy! 

​​​​​Year Released: 1976
Album: Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976)
Genre: Hard Rock, Shock Rock, Rock
Mood: Cheesy
​Perfect For: Having a good ol' time, Going to hell, Casual listening, Playing loud
Where To Next: "Gonna Raise Hell" - Cheap Trick
Rating: 8 / 10