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Song of the Day 09/30/2026

"The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" - Traffic

     Ahhhh.... The sacred final post of the month! Today we have Traffic, a band that surely knows how to serve as the encore. This is their first time on AintNoisePollution, so let's give them a big round of applause! These boys are the type of rockers that see how far they can push past their boundaries into other genres all while still being a household name for the rockers of the 1960s and the 1970s. Not only that, each member of the band is a beast at what they do. Most of which either came from a notable band or went on to be part of another, or they had some solo material that rivals even what Traffic put out in their strong 10-year run of prime material. Before we get further into Traffic, let's review our month! This has been another strong one. Naturally I am going to say that since I pour my heart and time into it, making sure each month is full of quality tracks and posts. Still, it was another solid sender. The month started off with a little variation in genres, but in the end we ended up with a rock-heavy month, something that makes my rock n roll soul smile. Even within the rock choices, we had many different walks. We had the heavy, the soft, the moody, and the plain strange. All of which helped September be a month to remember! We had 16 rock tracks, 7 country songs, 4 for the glory of heavy metal, 1 punk, 1 pop song, and one with that R&B slap from Parliament. There was only one 10 / 10 perfect track picked this go-around from Steely Dan. If you remember that post, I hardly need to praise them more, and "Reelin' In the Years" is indeed a perfect song.

     September for me was a pretty crap month. I loved all the moments of freedom and all the fun weekends I had alongside my precious girlfriend. Plenty of good adventures and also finding two long-sought-after records at a good price. Work is the beast I am talking about. Man, it is getting harder to stomach, but you didn't come here to hear me vent. You came here for your daily dose of rock n roll! So, might as well give the people what they came here for. I just wanted to thank you for sticking around for another month of AintNoisePollution, and I hope you choose to stick around for the next month of quality songs. Alright, time for some Traffic. Don't start panicking; I am not talking about the kind of traffic that makes you want to drive into the oncoming lanes. I am talking about the Traffic that makes even traffic a good time.

     Traffic is the kind of group where each new album you listen to from them is something unique, something new. You will see them dishing out some quite poppy stuff on one and then come back to a psychedelic rock fuckfest of many instruments you didn't even know could be used in rock music, and how about some jazz to mix it up? Yeah, they got it all, and they do them all so fucking well. As the rock world changed, they kept with it but were forever bound to never hit the top spot on the charts. Funnily enough, when they were popular in the UK, they didn't get too many sales in the US, and then when they rocked the charts in the US, the UK didn't seem to care all that much. Through their ever-evolving sound, they got influences from many different places. The ones that charted high in the US like Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory seemed to not gain too much love in their home country of England. These blokes came out of Birmingham, England. They are one of the many powerhouses that came out of that city, the second biggest city in the United Kingdom. The band was put together by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason, but there were many different members that came through.

     Steve Winwood had previously been part of The Spencer Davis Group, a British beat group that had its fair share of decade-defining hits. Winwood would also go on to have a place in Blind Faith, a collective of some of the most talented musicians in rock music in 1969. If that wasn't enough for you, he also had one hell of a solo career in the 1980s. Do you know that awesome synth-pop power ballad "Valerie"? That is the same dude we hear here in Traffic today. To add some cream to the Winwood cake, he also played alongside Blind Faith member and guitar legend Eric Clapton, who released one live album together in 2009 called Clapton/Winwood. He had a place in Ginger Baker of Cream fame's band Ginger Baker's Air Force, which invited many top-tier artists into its fold to lay down some bombastic songs. Winwood was part of Go, a forgotten gem of innovative musicians across the globe coming together to try their hand at jazz fusion. To sum it up, Winwood is a legend in the rock world. He has shown up on a ton of great albums, songs, and collaborative efforts. He is a living legend in the rock and blue-eyed soul world. Traffic isn't just a Winwood band; you would be a fool to think such a thing. We have Chris Wood, a multi-instrumental titan who gives Traffic most of their brass and wind instruments. Jim Capaldi, the band's percussionist and part-time singer. His biggest claim to fame is with Traffic, but he is a session artist who showed up on some seriously potent tracks. He is another member of Traffic that had a strong solo career, even if he never hit the same charting spot as Winwood. Last but not least, we have my favorite member of Traffic, Dave Mason. Now, Mason isn't on the album we will be talking about today, but he has still played a pivotal role in Traffic in 1967 & 1968, even singing vocals on some of the band's earliest hits, most notably "Feelin' Alright" which is one of Traffic's all-time greatest hits. He has a fuckin' great solo career. I stop by there almost more often than Traffic. Not only that, he played alongside some of the biggest names in rock music, like The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Leon Russell, and so many other great names. Traffic is full of great musicians, hence why they have their name in the rock and roll history books. Shit, they have a whole set of chapters dedicated to them. 

     Traffic plays a strange role in the test of time. They have countless hits that are rock essentials. Their names are well known in the rock world, especially for those that like classic rock. Through their evolving sound, they stayed relevant for a long time. Yet, I swear they hardly get taken seriously in the modern rock fanbase. If you have made it this far into the website and don't know who Traffic is, then you have some serious homework. Don't worry, this isn't the shitty kind of homework; this is the kind of stuff that you will enjoy all the way through, even if it keeps you up well past your bedtime. I have spent countless hours alongside Traffic, and I intend to do that for the rest of my life. Many of their albums never grow stale. From 1967 to 1974 there really isn't a bad album in their release history, even the live ones. The band released one more in 1994 called Far from Home. It was received fairly well by fans and critics, but it failed to spark any real attention. I hate to admit it, but I was disappointed when I listened to it. I know it is hard for bands to get going again, and Traffic shows that within Far from Home. It is still a worthwhile stop-off for fans, but nothing I would ever suggest to a new fan. I honestly don't even know where I would point a new fan. My personal taste brings me to their second studio album, Traffic, which was released in 1968, but once again, you can jump into just about any. Don't go expecting that album to be the same as what we are listening to today; The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys is a completely different beast, even if it is equally as good as their early sound. This is where Traffic truly shows they aren't a one-trick pony. They whip out some wild shit on The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. This is our focused album for today, and the title track that serves as our song of the day is the album's crown jewel. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys was released in 1971. It is the band's only platinum-selling album in the United States. It charted strongly on the Billboard charts at number 7. Strangely, it failed to chart in the UK all together, even though their previous album, John Barleycorn Must Die, charted at number 11 on the UK charts a year back. Well, the Brits missed out, I can tell you that much. This album knows when to be funky and when to be psychedelic. A full-fleshed-out ride that is well worth its playing time. You won't regret picking this one up.

     The title track, "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys", is where all the money lies. There are plenty of good tracks on the album, in that there is no doubt, but "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" is the kind of track to have you coming back for more and often. It is a long sucker! It comes in at near 11 and a half minutes. Each second of the song is full of something special. A long intro that slowly rises to power gets you on the edge of your seat. It is jazzy, moody, psychedelic, and jam forward. Now, this song was big news in the United States. It never got released as a single with that running time, but it became an AOR radio staple. I can see why. This song is powerful. Each next minute brings something new to enjoy. What I adore most about "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" is how it is a showcase for each member of the band. There are moments that let each one show what they got. Be it a piano solo, a rhythm section that has you fading into the aether, or some rockin' vocals that root you right back to earth. Lyrically, the song was written for the flashy rebels of the world. There is undoubtedly a city slicker feeling here. Something that makes you want to snap your fingers along to it as you slowly shuffle your feet downtown. The song never wants you to move all too fast; it wants you to take it easy, man. Just breathe and listen.

     The second half of the song is pretty well completely controlled by an instrumental break, and it is here that I honestly get more entranced than when vocalist Steve Winwood tales his tale. A fun thing to note about this song is the lacking of a guitar. That part you hear that mocks a guitar is actually an organ fed through a fuzzbox. This strain of Traffic is more known for how well they do without having a guitar-forward rock sound. It does feel a lot more mature. You can see how both musical snobs and casual rockers can both get behind the style Traffic was laying down at the time. A smooth track, not all too sporadic, but just jumpin' enough to leave one hell of an impression on you. The last thing I want to share is how this song feels like it comes in, steals the moment, and then fades away. The way that the song intro slowly comes in and then slowly fades out at the end makes it feel like a passing wind of sweet scent. There is a ton to love from "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" and the album it comes off of with the same name. Shit, you really simply cannot go wrong with Traffic. I really need to get more of their tracks on the website! For now, just enjoy this easy, low riding track. It is meant for the city. Well, I gotta get to bed! Hope to see you here next time. Thanks for reading! See you next time. Enjoy!

Year Released: 1971

Album: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971)

Genre: Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion

Mood: Jammy

​Perfect For: Casual listneing, Focused listening, Driving downtown, Summer days, Winter nights

Where to Next: "Go Back Home" - Stephen Stills

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/29/2026

"The World at Large" - Modest Mouse

     Ready for some feels? When it comes to Modest Mouse, that is their specialty. To make you feel. Typically, you walk away feeling a little sodden. A little lost. Just all around worn out. Though, that is the beauty of the band. If music doesn't make you feel, you are listening to the wrong music. Modest Mouse hardly needs an introduction here. They are one of the highest-respected bands out of indie rock, and they also have shown up on the website a couple of times before. I already dug Modest Mouse before starting my studies into them, but the further I expand into them, the more I find pocketfuls of some seriously good stuff. I am no stranger to "The World at Large". The song is the first one off of Modest Mouse's arguably most essential release, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which was released and shook up the music world in 2004. So, with that in mind, there was simply no way I wasn't familiar with this one. The way it moves into "Float On" also is... divine! Chefs kiss. That album as a whole is quite the ride. Half of it is plain silly, and the other half is so full of melancholy that you can't help but wanna cry after listening to those songs. This is the band's fifth time on AintNoisePollution, and it is their second pick off of Good News for People Who Love Bad News. I chose the track while taking my first step into the 2004 section of my studies! I swear the 2003 segment took forever! I enjoyed it mostly all the way through, only hitting a bump here and a sharp curve there.

     When I first jump into the next year I listen through four albums that defined that year in rock, metal, or punk. My largest section by far is the rock studies, but duh, so I started there. I first listened to The Killers phenomenal Hot Fuss. You know that one; it is the kind of album that is practically impossible to avoid. I hardly need to listen to that sucker again, but I did it gladly! Such a goodie! Next was Arcade Fire with Funeral, an album I had dabbled in but mostly went there for "Wake Up". It was good, a little more out there than I honestly expected, but still a pleasant ride. Third up was Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut, a comfort album of mine. Most of the songs sound about the same, but all are great. No doubt about it. So, it was another happy stop-off to an album I hadn't taken in from start to finish in a while. Then came the fourth one, a well-known album that has been there for the turbulent years of my life, Modest Mouse and their fourth studio album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News. Now, I knew as soon as I heard the horn intro to the album that I was about to be in for it. After the album came to a close, it was time to stare at a wall and just... think. Honestly, it isn't the kind of stuff you think of many positive things after. In the end, Modest Mouse isn't trying to be overly sad. They are just trying to be genuine. I appreciate that about them. Still, I gotta be ready for some of their songs. "Ocean Breathes Salty" is exactly that song that I gotta be careful with, but there are many others that also serve as a dark port upon fair-winded seas. Why stop off? Well, sometimes you gotta face the darkness.

     "The World at Large" is a strangely comforting track. The kind of song that stabs you in between the ribs and then sings you a loving lullabye as you fade away. They do that with a style that took notes from many places and then brought it all back to some indie, creating something completely unreal, something that had rarely touched the limelight before Modest Mouse did it. This is Modest Mouse breaking out of their original mold. The album is a lot more grown-up, less angry angst, but more the emotion you get after using up all that anger. Sort of hollow and alone. Understanding. The lyrical content was mostly handled by all the members of the album's lineup. Speaking of that lineup, this is the only other Modest Mouse album to not have Jeremiah Green on drums up until the most recent, An Eraser and a Maze in June this year, due to his passing in 2022. He was out of the recording of Good News for People Who Love Bad News due to dealing with some manic episodes. Good News for People Who Love Bad News released in April of 2004, and Green rejoined the band in May. His drumming is sneakily intricate. He sort of seems to be doing his own thing half the time all while keeping the rhythm of Modest Mouse moving along well. Don't get me wrong, the drummer for our spotlighted album, Benjamin Weikel, still does a great job. Weikel is part of the indie rock duo, The Helio Sequence, and was only with Modest Mouse for the recording of the album. If you dig what you hear from Modest Mouse, I suggest stopping off for The Helio Sequence, especially Com Plex out of 2000. That album caught me off guard. Lots of chaos, but the beautiful kind of chaos. Anyway, Good News for People Who Love Bad News became one of 2004's most essential releases mostly due to the deeply impactful singles that came off the album. The leading single, "Float On", is one of the greatest songs released out of the 2000s. I stand by that statement with my feet being cemented to the hill. A perfect song if there ever was one. "Float On" is the band's most famous song by a long shot. It is one that encompasses the bands' sound wonderfully, especially for the ones that want to get some radio play. The second single, "Ocean Breathes Salty", is where my heart really, truly lies. I fuckin'.... love... that song! It is too good. Sure, we are here to talk about "The World At Large" today, but I am going to play "Ocean Breathes Salty" first. Please hold. Alright, I am back. Always so good. Still, even with that song being one of the greatest things that ever happened to humanity, it has less streams than the song we are covering today, the third single off the album, "The World at Large".

     "The World at Large" is an honestly haunting track. The majority of Good News for People Who Love Bad News have this strange feeling to them. Something that makes you feel a little queezy. It feels like Hollywood insanity. "The World at Large" is a wanderlust track, but one of understanding more than daydreaming. The whole repetitious feeling of the track has you falling deeeep into its folds. Sometimes too deep. It features the kind of lyrics that are meant to dissect. There is no true answer to half the words. It is up to you to decide how to take it all. The overall story covers a person who is constantly on the move, chasing the great nothing. Now, if it hasn't been made clear with my other posts, I am someone who is tormented by escapeism. The ramblers call. All I wanna do is run away and start over, but that is only half of who I am. The other half is a responsible person who wants to be there for those I love. That other half always wins. I love my girlfriend, my Jeep, my mom, my dog, and I do love Utah. Still, the days keep shooting by. What I dreamed was once gold, but now that gold is sharpened to poke and stab me wherever it can. It almost feels like I am living in a shadow of myself, yet I never casted a shadow in the first place. Being lost is a piece of what being human is about. Trying to find meaning in something that is meaningless. Spending your time in search of nothing and then feeling bad about it. So, yeah, I do dream about running away. Jumping on a train and never looking back. Those thoughts get shot down pretty quickly, but it is still a daily struggle. Every morning I wake up and take off for work, and it takes all my person to not go past my exit and strike out for California. Yet I pull into work and shove the thoughts behind my mental veil. These are all mighty selfish thoughts. All those around me that care deserve more than I could ever give them. It isn't anything personal, not in the slightest. I would never abandon those in my life. Still, this internal battle gets old. It creates a whole new, almost split personality that I have to strangle every couple of days. The same question is always asked: what takes more courage? The staying or the running away? My answer today won't match what I answer tomorrow. You know, I am not alone with this struggle. We all have this thought deep down. How could we not? The same job every day? Chasing lost time over the weekend? Forcing all you can into the small time you are allowed before you have to go back to work, keeping your head down in hopes of finding more time. Money can go to hell. Damn my health. I long for a story that is worth talking about. The person I am now is the same as my neighbor and my neighbor's dad. I am just living. Not thriving. Not doing much other than sitting here ranting to people I will never see here on the internet and waiting around to die. There is a beauty in it, and life is more of this than what you might read or see in movies. You cannot run. The system was made to keep you where you are at. Alright, enough about all of that. See what Modest Mouse can do? This song's popularity is a testament to how I am not alone in these thoughts. It is the dreamers' disease.

     "The World at Large" was released as a single promo a year after this album even came out. Its appeal hasn't waned at all as time has moved forward. The timeless message of escapism, nomadic daydreaming, and being lost is as real today as it was in 2004. We cannot attribute the song's appeal solely to the lyrical content. The intro is psychedelic and dreamy as fuck. The vocals are simplistic and honest but entrancing. It feels like you understand this vagrant who chases another rising sun. The vocal tracking in the background is catchy and worms its way into your ears, getting stuck in your head for hours. You know those kinds of songs that feel like they are damn long even if they are fairly short? This is one of those ones. It feels like you live a whole lifetime in the shoes of another within 4:32 running time. It is peaceful as fuck but still... strange. Much like we talked about in our previous post, this one also feels like you are inside someone's head. Like you are reading a journal you found somewhere, and each next word stabs your heart with words that you yourself could have written. The world is small. It is crazy how we are all feeling this sadness. All feeling something we can never talk to each other about. What is with that? Was it someone's plan to dam the river of emotion? Is it so we are docile? Or maybe life is just too much to bear for many, so we lie to ourselves just so we can make it through another day and teach our kids to do the same. A necessary evil for the sake of survival. Once again, we are all searching for something, and the majority of us don't seem to know what we are searching for in the first place. Yet... We don't talk about it. We are too scared to break down that dam that we were taught to keep up and keep strong. That is where music comes into the picture. Even if people don't listen to the words of songs all too much, you cannot turn off the emotion that is behind a song. People are into it. Those people feel just about the same as the girl in the bookshop listening to the song or the dude that just got off work and is listening to it after a long day. We are all the same for just a second. Feeding off the raw emotion within music. We may pass each other on the street, often not even being part of each other's existence for more than a meeting of eyes, yet we are the same. We all could help each other escape. Wishful thinking, I know. How can one drowning man help another to the shore? Damn... Getting carried away again. Seriously, I blame Modest Mouse, they have that kind of power. It is why I tend to whip them out at opportune moments lest I will have a dark cloud looming all day. I mentioned before that "The World at Large" moves seamlessly into "Float On". That transition blows my mind! A song so damn personal... So chilling then transforms into an uplifting track to remind you that it is all alright. We all float on. You gotta check it out for yourself. The 2000s dropped the ball hard on having a compelling album that all fits together, but Modest Mouse doesn't fit into that category. Once again, not every song on the album is revolutionary, but there is enough there to really send you down the river with a smile on your face. Stay strong out there, people. Remember, you aren't alone; people just don't know how to open themselves up anymore. We are all broken people trying to just live our lives on a broken planet. Music will have your back. Sooooo stop in tomorrow for some more? Think of it as a daily dosage of sunshine. Enjoy!

Year Released: 2004

Album: Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004)

Genre: Indie Rock

Mood: Melancholic

​Perfect For: Daydreaming, Casual listening, Silent drives at night, Getting ready in the morning, Taking a chance

Where to Next: "Sugar for the Pill" - Slowdive

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/28/2026

"Gasoline" - No-Cash

     Alright, how about we keep mixing it up, ey? How about going from 1930s country music to.... say.... Honestly, I don't really know how to classify No-Cash. I would say these boys end up in the punk movement, but where? I am not sure. They are often affiliated with the "crack rocksteady" scene that took place in the New York punk world. They are one of those underground titans that still has fans today even if they only have one true album, Run Your Pockets, which was released in 2003. The band broke up in 2004 after being active for five years. Now, if you already played the song, you might be thinking, "Yeah, I see why they didn't break out into the mainstream". For sure, this band is not meant for the common populace. I was honestly pretty put off by the band when I first came across them through "Gasoline". Though... I couldn't help myself but to come back to the song time and time again. It is one of those dumpster fires that I really cannot help but come super often to smell the smoke. I rarely can only listen to it once as well, often giving it three goes in a row to scratch that itch. How to explain "Gasoline".... Well, have you ever wanted to hear how Popeye would sing if he were in a hardcore punk band that rapped about social issues? There you have it! That is what gets me about No-Cash, their vocalist. Not that he is bad, and honestly, through him is where their signature sound comes along strong. The first few lines of "Gasoline" are some of those pissed-off "hard-ass" lyrics, something I tend to avoid, but after you make it past the first few lines, you sort of get sucked into the emotion, the words, and into what I adore the most, the fuckin' guitar! That is what first sold me on "Gasoline", and while the lyrics are strangely uplifting for some seriously pissed-off themes, it is that guitar intro and its returning through the whole song that really gets those goosebumps poppin'. The guitar work is strangely... skate punkish? The kind of stuff you would expect out of early blink-182. Now, this is backed by not having a big fancy studio, so there is a grimeyness and a realness that comes along with it to really show these dudes are genuine. I am honestly shocked how much I dug the album that "Gasoline" comes off of, Run Your Pockets. I honestly thought it was going to be more songs like "Gasoline", which is great, but I didn't really want a full album of it. I was pleasantly shocked to find the album was a mixing of multiple styles. The majority of which were ska-based. There were the rap ones, the punk ones, and the reggae ones, but all came together to create a compelling and hard-driving album.

     As one would expect out of the dingy album art, there are a ton of political themes here. Punk rock and politics go hand in hand, so nothing too shocking there. No-Cash is a voice for the voiceless. They sing of racism, anti-authority, and social issues. Some strong words full of angst, but go figure, all the members were either in high school or barely out. So that anger comes from youthful vigor, the best kind of unproductive anger out there. "Gasoline" might be their most definitive and popular song, but it shouldn't be served as the one that explains the band's style. Lyrical theme, sure, but not the style overall. "Gasoline" was one of the only songs that Spotify has exposed me to through my Discover Weekly playlist. Truth be told, that one usually misses the nail. I am one hard person for it to navigate, so I don't blame it. Since I have made hundreds of playlists, most of which encompass the whole of rock history up until 2006 so far, it sort of tries too hard to push certain other genres on me. Oh! And it loves filling it solely with covers. Once again, it is fair, but there are times that it has done its job wonderfully at showing me something I would have otherwise likely missed. If I recall right, it was about a year ago when I first listened to No-Cash. I was on the way to Home Depot to pick up some stuff for my job, and it had been raining all day long. I love the rain and the gloom. It always helps depressive music express itself. It makes sense why grunge and a lot of the best indie rock came out of Seattle, where it often rains. I was just pulling into the parking lot when "Gasoline" came on. I saw the album art and bands name and thought I was in for a cheap hardcore  band, which I wasn't all the way off the mark, but then came the vocals. I sort of chuckled but found myself sitting in the work truck for another listen or two before heading in. The rest of the day I kept having the song playing in my head. When I got off work, I got to looking into the band and start tasting the other tracks that they had to offer. None hit the same spot as "Gasoline", but the track "The Lucky Few" got close. I only got a couple of songs into the album before I had to start on the website and switched back to my normal year-by-year studies. Before I did that, I was sure to bookmark the album so when my 2003 studies came around, it was one of the albums to be dissected. I think I gave Run Your Pockets its first official play a couple of weeks back, and it was everything I hoped for, but not what I expected at all. Glad I came across it. Your turn! "Gasoline" is an oddity from my music collection, but who doesn't want a song to shake some stuff up? They rubbed me wrong and then rubbed me right like the others in the "crack rock" world, the best example being Leftover Crack.

     Still, with a guitar into like that and the energy to boot for the whole fuckin' song, how could you not love it? This is the kind of stuff you don't blare from the speaker at work, but it is the stuff you blare after work if your boss is a dick. Theraputic in its own right. "Gasoline" is both uplifting and highly depressing. What is the symbolism of a body soaked in gasoline? Is it disappearing completely? To cleanse? Or maybe it is the ultimate example of vulnerability? That any second they could blow the hell up. Truth be told, all of those are sort of expressed within this song. The ones that aren't called out in lyrics are expressed in the explosive nature of the song. I can see how this song became an underground classic. It is as addictive as they come. For your first listen you might not be in love, but you might be shocked to find your fingers looking it up again tomorrow. Like anything out there, it is all to taste. Ain't your thing? Cool, but you ain't gotta put it down. Someone digs it. Sure, it took me a second to find my footing in it, but now that I am here, I wanna jam this song almost daily. Shit just feels good. Sort of like hearing someone else say some of what the devil on the shoulder whispers into your ears out loud. The strange relief you feel if someone reads your personal journal and says "same". I wouldn't say that No-Cash explains what is within my soul, but it does have this perversion to it that makes you wanna look away but still take many brave peaks. Something that is within us all. It feels desperate and angry. An expression of the hopeless. "Fuck it" incarnate. What happens when you back a cougar into a corner. I wonder what happened to No-Cash? It seems they broke up in 2004 without much explanation and then disappeared off the face of the planet. Their vocalist, Big C, went on to start up a project called Mad Conductor, which is a reggae rap project. I listened to a couple of songs last night. Not bad. Strange, but not bad. Still no No-Cash, but glad to see he still makes music. For the others, I am not sure; I cannot track anything down. I am just glad they put out Run Your Pockets before disappearing forever. Do yourself a favor and give the song a spin! Shit is intense! Enjoy!

Year Released: 2003

Album: Run Your Pockets (2003)

Genre: Rap Rock, Hardcore Punk, Skate Punk, Crack Rock Steady

Mood: Pissed

​Perfect For: Playing loud, Getting drunk, Finding some much-needed energy, Hating work

Where to Next: "Athiest Anthem" - Leftover Crack

Rating: 7 / 10

Song of the Day 09/27/2026

"Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)" - Jimmie Rodgers

     Let's mix it up a little bit, shall we? Bring in a little bit of that early country sound. Now, I ain't talkin' 50 years ago; I am talkin' that country style of almost 100 years ago. There is no better country artist of the 1920s and 1930s than the Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers. I don't think we have talked about Jimmie Rodgers quite yet, which is pretty odd. He is an artist that gets plenty of love from me. Before we get into it, I want to make one thing clear. Jimmie Rodgers is the father of country music. Confusingly, from the 1950s into the 1960s, there was another Jimmie Rodgers who was more of a pop/rock singer. Not the same dude. I am sure you would have figured that out pretty quickly. To make matters worse, both of the artists' presence upkeep is poor. So there are times that the pop singer Jimmie Rodgers for some reason shows up on the country yodeler Jimmie Rodgers Spotify page and the other way around. Not the same person. Not the same style. Both are honestly great, but don't be shocked if, when trying out some more Jimmie Rodgers, you find some songs not matching in the slightest. Once again, you would have figured it out pretty quick, especially when one is often trying to be a pretty boy. Alright, back into it. Jimmie Rodgers might as well have been the man that created the sound and imagery of country music. His impact influenced a wide amount of musicians, be it in folk, country, swing, or rock music. Both Bob Dylan and George Harrison (The Beatles) have directly said that Jimmie Rodgers was an influence. Those two are some of the biggest names in their respective genres, and then naturally there is a massive amount of country artists that lived and breathed Jimmie Rodgers, many of whom released their fair share of covers or tribute albums. I have rarely heard a Jimmie Rodgers cover that doesn't do it justice. Rodgers also led an interesting life.

     He was born in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1897. While that was his start, he didn't spend too much time there since his father was a railroad man and they went wherever the money popped up. That, and Jimmie Rodgers had a long history of poor health that had his family moving around. Rambling was in his blood. By the age of 13 he had won a singing contest and joined up with a medicine show that toured around the southern states. His dad came and got him and brought him home, but Rodgers already decided that school wasn't for him and promptly dropped out to join up with the railroad, working alongside his father as a waterboy. He started helping out with more duties and eventually ended up being a brakeman. Did you know there was a time that each wagon needed to have the brakes put on? It wasn't too long until they figured out how to get all of them to go from the driver seat, which makes a ton more sense. Anyway, Jimmie Rodgers kept moving down the line, seeing the sights that the country had to offer while he sharpened his music skills. The railroad taught him his signature style. A little mix of mountain music and a little mix of blues, both of which he was exposed to often, namely by gandy dancers who would sing blues songs while tending to the rails. In 1924 Rodgers was diagnosed with tuberculosis, the white death, and he was only able to keep working on the rails for a couple more years before his health got too bad. Losing what he had done most of his life up until that point, he decided to dedicate the rest of his time to music, his other passion.

     Rodgers still brought the life of the railroad man into his songs. You can hardly get through 3 Jimmie Rodgers songs without a ton of railroad terms and themes getting thrown at you. I am all about it. I love the ramblers' call that is trains. 

Before he had his solo success, he was with the Tenneva Ramblers, a string band that started getting some radio coverage while Jimmie Rodgers was part of them. After an argument over the band's name since Jimmie Rodgers insisted for them to be called the "Jimmie Rodgers Entertainers", which frankly is a bad name, especially in comparison to the Tenneva Rambelrs, they left him behind and went on their merry way. Rodgers caught wind that the Victor Talking Machine Company, the same one later to be turned into RCA Victor when they merged with the Radio Corporation of America, but that is a whole rabbit hole of its own that would consume the post. You know the famous label that has the cute dog looking into the horn of a gramophone? The same one you see on records and electronics? Yeah, that is RCA, but did you know how fuckin' old they were? Honestly, the study of how music started getting recorded is a trip. Once again, I will leave that alone. So, yeah, Jimmie Rodgers heard that Ralph Peer of the Victor Talking Machine Company was heading to Bristol, Tennessee, as part of his talent scouting and field recordings expansion. This was his chance, his moment, so he ran off just as the Tenneva Ramblers also ran their own direction and recorded a few songs for that talkin' box. That first session got his name in the ears of Ralph Peer, but it wasn't until the second session later down the road in New Jersey that Rodgers put out the one that set him on the radar of everyone with the first of his blue yodels, "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)". Now, that is one legendary song. Some even say that is the first country song ever released, something I cannot really fight back on. The song is amazing, and the performance is gripping. He was signed right away and went on to record 120 songs for the RCA Victor label, most of which sold immensely well. At one point Jimmie Rodgers was taking in 75,000 dollars yearly, the equivalent of over 1,400,000 dollars modernly, in royalties from his songs. I didn't add an extra set of zeroes; this dude was making CASH at one point. I couldn't even imagine what you would buy with that much money! Back then especially.

    Sadly, while his career was booming and he was becoming a sensation from coast to coast, even having his own silent film, his health was quickly declining. He was damn driven to put out his song and to sing. Often while on tour he would collapse and not be able to perform. His tuberculosis was getting worse and fast, something he even reflects on with the haunting "T.B. Blues" in 1931, two years before he succumbed to the illness. He also did a song called "Whippin' That Ol' T.B.", which was released in 1933, the same year he died. So, no, he did not whip that ol' T.B. but he lived it up until the end. During the final days of his life, he was still recording songs. His final song was recorded and cut two days before he died, "Years Ago". It is said that he had to be held up and helped with his final ones, but I gotta give it to the guy for living one hell of a life, even with a constant committee of vultures just waiting on every tree branch. It is said that you can split the many Jimmie Rodgers into four categories. The first being nineteenth-century songs, the second being ones that Rodgers learned or was inspired by from his time watching minstrel shows and vaudeville, the third category is traditional songs and ballads, and the final (and my personal favorite) is his thirteen-piece blue yodel series. Each of the blue yodels is practically identical; the only thing that separates them is the lyrical content, but even that is often around the same thing. That is fine with me; it is here that Jimmie Rodgers shows how damn talented he is in the way of words, yodeling, and guitar work. There weren't many playing guitar like Jimmie Rodgers this early in commercial music history. He isn't Django Reinhardt by any means but should still be respected as an early guitar pickin' influence on the many generations to come. Jimmie Rodgers's blue yodels often feature some of his wildest lyrics, something that helped separate him from many who were doing the same thing at the time. His counterpart, the Carter Family, loved their spirituals and traditionals, but Rodgers liked talking about the wild life that he has led and all that he saw around him. There are five defining things about Jimmie Rodgers: guns, money, booze, trains, and rambling. He brings all those themes into the light in his yodeling blues series.

    Today we are talking about the eighth one, "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)", which Rodgers recorded in 1930 but had cut in 1931 with RCA Victor. This song has been covered and expanded a ton of times since its first time being released, many of whom that covered it simply called it "Mule Skinner Blues", which became its de facto name from then on. Still, those that love Jimmie Rodgers still refer to it by its legit name, "Blue Yodel No. 8".  I have listened through all the blue yodels more times than I even dare counting. I think my fingers would need fingers for the fingers on its fingers of the fingers on my fingers. They all start about the same, so it is sort of entrancing to listen to them all in order. Hope you like yodeling. Anyway, once again, "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)" is without a doubt one of the greatest of the 13 yodels. The song kicks off with the same rhythm as all others. Lyrically the song covers a traveling worker who specializes in being a muleteer, a person who travels along with pack animals, namely mules. Lyrically, the song is sort of silly and of its time, but that is the beauty. What really shines is the guitar work in this one. Sure, we aren't listening to Eddie Van Halen, but between the yodeling, we have this constant bluesy backing that is damn enjoyable to listen to, especially while he yodels along at the same time. Man, we need to bring yodeling back! I love hearing it. Still, I will be the first to admit that it is quite antiquated, maybe for a reason.

     Some of the lyrics from the blue yodel series are borrowed from other artists. Now, this is nothing to turn your back on Rodgers for; it was a pretty common practice of the time. For "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)", Rodgers borrowed the opening lines to this song from the opening lines to the blues standard, "Labor Blues". If you don't know some outdated terminology, then feel free not to look too far into that track. Might kind of make "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)" rub you a little wrong. Well, anyway, the song had a bunch of money falling into the pocket of Jimmie Rodgers, a man known to love to spend his money, something he even expresses within the track with the line of sending his chick out to go buy him some liquor and a brand new stetson hat. Those two items will pop up often in Jimmie Rodgers songs, especially that liquor. From the accounts of his two wives, he was one hell of a drinker. Many speculate that Rodgers started drinking heavily to deal with the pain of turbuculosis. He was a heavy drinker until his death. Rodgers had a strong career, one that is massively celebrated and gained him the title of "the Father of Country Music". Near the end of his life his record sales started waning, but it was just the start of the Great Depression days, so who knows if Rodgers would have survived the economic upside-down cake that was about to be served to the citizens of the United States, especially those that liked the kind of music Rodgers put out, then called "hillbilly". Upon the passing of Rodgers, he was loaded onto a train in a grey and pearl casket. The baggage cart was filled with lilies, and it was his former workers on the railroad that brought him back home. He was practically born on the rails and fittlingly brought back home one last time on the rails. I only scratched at the tales and wonderful songs of Rodgers. This post has become simply massive, so I will stop here. Didn't mean for it to turn into a big one. We hardly even had time to talk about what "Mule Skinner Blues" turned into as the years moved along. For now, just listen to the track. You want some more? Well, time for some research for the eyes and bliss for the ears. This style is immensely outdated, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying it modernly as people did many years ago. A window into the past. Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1931

Chosen Compilation: RCA Country Legends: Jimmie Rodgers (2002) 

Genre: Country, Hillbilly, Country Blues

Mood: Antique

​Perfect For: The enjoyment of yodeling, Casual listening, Working, Off-roading, Camping

Where to Next: "Ragged but Right" - Riley Puckett

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/26/2026

"Reelin' In the Years" - Steely Dan

     Few song intros out there get me so psyched as "Reelin' In the Years" does. I fuckin' love the guitar tone, the chirping nature of it, and the overall feeling of the whole of the track. Such a great song, one for the rock history books, which was easily written all over each page. Unlike some of the other picks this month, Steely Dan is certainly not a hidden gem. When it comes to a more mature feeling of rock music, look no further than Steely Dan. Man, I don't even know how to express how much I love the band, especially for their sensational debut, Can't Buy a Thrill. I have been searching for an original copy of it on vinyl for the last year and finally got my hands on it from a shop over in Lehi. Yeah, I know I could have just bought one online from eBay or Discogs, but where is the fun in that? I knew the album was one of those rock classics, so how hard would it be to find? I mean, I already had come across Aja and Pretzel Logic, both of which were damn near impossible to spare my wallet on, but I knew I had to keep a fresh 20 in my pocket in case I came across Can't Buy a Thrill, one I thought was going to be an expensive one since I had yet to come across it. Well, came across it I did. I have evolved as a buyer. There was a time that I would have rather bought 6 vinyls of "lesser albums" instead of trying to buy those ones they put on display, but the times have changed. Once your collection starts getting to the multi-hundred mark, it is time to get those ones that make you drool when you see them. Well, within reason, that is. Anyway, I am so damn glad to have my hands on the album! Can't Buy a Thrill is just too good of an album. Not a single bad second during its 41-minute running time. I could talk about this album for hours. As you could guess, I chose their legendary "Reelin' In the Years" during playing it on vinyl for the first time while my lady and I chatted and drank some awful tequila liqueur. Before we get back to talking about the song and that amazing album it comes off of, let's talk about the band. Now, Steely Dan is the kind of group you can just tell is a step above practically every other rock band out of the 1970s. Their sound is jazzy, educated, rocking, and well put together. Each note seems to have been written down before they even played it. I love me some raunchy rock and roll; more often than not I prefer it, but Steely Dan is something else and reminds me that those collage cats can play just as hard as the street rats that picked up a guitar. Can't Buy a Thrill is the most rockin' album they ever put out, but even with some of the rough-around-the-edges pieces, you can still tell it is  refined rock music in all the right ways. They really walked to the beat of their own drum, and through that became legends.

     Steely Dan is the baby of two musical visionaries, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. The two met while attending the fittingly named Bard College in Annadale-in-Hudson, New York. Yes, that is the name of that little town, or I guess you might call it a hamlet. Anyway, they even talk about Annadale-in-Hudson in the song "My Old School", which is a good track for anyone who wants a sample of their next album, Countdown to Ecstasy. I stand strong in saying it is the best song off that one. Well, after trying their hand in a couple of bands, the two decided to strike out on their own and traveled across the whole country to find themselves in the place where the magic happens, Los Angeles. As a duo, they thought that people couldn't handle their brand of music, something a little out there, so they figured the best thing to do was get a full band so they would be taken more seriously. Once there they got to getting a band together to release their first album, Can't Buy a Thrill, which released in 1972 and instantly got that name circulating around about this great unknown that casually showed up with a unique sound that blended jazz fusion, rock, pop, R&B, blues, and practically everything else out there, all while keeping themselves hearty within the rock scene of the time. That is the quick summary of how they got into the music world, but there is a lot unsaid. If you are anything like I was when I first got into Steely Dan many years ago, you might be wondering why the hell the band has such a strange band name. What is Steely Dan? Who is Dan, and why is he Steely? Sounds like an instrumental album of kick-ass steel guitar work. Well, both Fagen and Becker were into the Beat writers of the time, namely William S. Burroughs. There is one book that will forever be his flagship, and that is Naked Lunch, a collection of vignettes revolving around drug usage. Drug usage, the punishment due, and dildos. Yeah, you heard me right, and do you wanna know what one of those dildos is named? Wanna take a guess? Steely Dan. Yessir, this well-composed and learned band is named after a dildo in a very obscure book. Not just a normal dildo, it is a steampowered strap-on dildo that is used by one of the characters. That is just their humor, something you get a taste of in many of their songs. Wonder if they ever regretted it. Kind of like when you couldn't switch your gamertag online and jokingly named yourself "BigxBallsxMama69", not thinking it would be your account for the following years. Mine was taking over my sister's account, who called herself "psychofangal", which I had affiliated with me for years since I didn't wanna lose progress on stuff. Thankfully most people thought it was "psycho fayn-gal" instead of "psycho fan gal". Why? Honestly, I don't even know; it makes no sense, but I was glad they didn't think I was a fanatical fan girl. Also, PlayStation eventually let me switch it, thankfully. Anyway, there is some rock history for you. We can continue into the band's history at another time. For now, how about we get into that debut, yeah?

     Can't Buy a Thrill released in November of 1972. Out of the majority of Steely Dan's material, this one is the most random when it comes down to the styles brought forth. It jumps left and right with varying styles. Our song of the day, "Reelin' In the Years", is one of the most rockin' songs on the whole album, if not the band's whole career. It kicks off the second side of the album, but before you flip it, you have "Only a Fool Would Say That", a soulful soft rock blissful whopper that also served as the b-side to the single for "Reelin In the Years". Following the guitar forward smack-down of "Reelin' In the Years" we have "Fire in the Hole" which trades the guitar forward for the piano forward. True to its name, "Fire in the Hole" has the best drop in the whole album. Those two back-to-back are worth the whole fuckin' album, but luckily this whole album is phenomenal. Still, gotta give some extra love for those two. The album was received damn well by anyone who picked up a copy. With the support of the singles "Do It Again" and "Reelin' In the Years", it was a given that the album was gonna hit the platinum status. Both "Do It Again" and "Reelin' In the Years" are two of Steely Dan's most loved songs, two that will never get shaken from rock history no matter how much time passes. They are also two vastly different tracks but manage to be complimentary of each other. I can hardly ever hear one without daydreaming about the other and loading it up on my phone. Both also start off their respective sides of the record. Always something to look forward to. Steely Dan entered the studio already with half of the songs being ones they worked on before even heading to California. Now they just had to finish the rest of them, something they handled with stride. While Fagen and Becker wrote everything on the album, they were always receptive to their other bandmates' ideas, even allowing their drummer, Jim Hodder, to sing "Midnite Cruiser", another solid gold song off the album. All was going damn well until they were told that their label, ABC Records, was already planning their big tour to support their debut, which had both Donald Fagen and Walter Becker going pale since they were under the idea that Steely Dan was going to be a studio band, one that doesn't tour. This had them enlisting some help so they didn't have to sing in front of a massive crowd. By 1974 Steely Dan was finally a studio-only band, but that changed in the 1990s when they reunited and hit the road. Anyway, for 1972 they recruited vocalist Daivd Palmer for the job, who performed some of the vocals in the studio as well for the songs "Dirty Work", "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" and shared vocal duties on "Change of the Guard" and "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again". He is a strong singer but was only a temporary vocalist for the band's debut and tour. To track the timeline of Steely Dan is like trying to find the pisser in a dark hotel room. They became a duo that had mostly guest artists and session musicians come through their doors following 1974. So, this debut is an oddity from their collection of iconic albums, and in my opinion, it is their best, even if I love their others as well. 

     This post is getting huge, so let's just move into "Reelin' In the Years". If there is one song that you absolutely need to know from Steely Dan, this is it. They have a whole logistics chain of phenomenal songs, truly, but there is pure magic in "Reelin' In the Years". This was the first song I ever heard from the band, and I don't know if my life has ever been the same again. Many of their albums became definitive music of my life. I strangely first heard it on the soundtrack to the massively undercelebrated video game Sleeping Dogs. "Reelin' In the Years" was a song you could have the character... Kinda awfully sing in a karaoke minigame. Still, after hearing it for the first time, I practically instantly went and looked them up to listen to more. To hear a more regular version of the song. Man, was I not even slightly disappointed. The love only grew for "Reelin' In the Years" and the rest of the Steely Dan catalogue as I got older. "Reelin' In the Years" is their most famous song by a long shot. It seems just about everyone knows it, and if not this one, there is no avoiding the psychedelic-laced "Do It Again". "Reelin' In the Years" hit the 11th spot on the US singles charts, becoming one of the most popular songs out of 1972, a time when the competition was out for blood. Many great names putting out some seriously impactful rock tracks. Donald Fagen handles the vocal duties on the track, but most people are more in love with that damn guitar work of session musician Elliott Randall. It was meant to be the album's main guitarist, Jeff Baxter, but after giving the guitar solo many goes, Fagen and Walter Becker weren't satisfied, and they enlisted Randall to give it a shot. Elliott Randall did it all in one take, not even taking time to sneeze. That guitar solo and intro are often considered one of the greatest to come out of rock music; even the legendary Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin has said that it is his favorite solo of all time. That is the kind of praise that will make you smile for the rest of your life. All of that comes from a session musician. Don't think that really happened again in rock history. Session musicians are often just as powerful, if not more, as the overly famous guitarists. Still, to have a session artist be part of one of the greatest solos is unique. Anyway, the vocals are still damn thrilling, especially in the chorus when the harmonies force goosebumps up and down your body each time it returns. The lyrical content is slightly veiled but covers the ups and downs of life. While the world adores the song, the duo of Fagen and Becker don't like the song, treating it as a necessary evil. Simplistic and a waste of their vision. Kind of stupid to say, I won't lie. The song is fuckin' great, and once again, they never had another guitar solo like this one, not even close. It is a classic example of their sound, but a little more dumbed down into something commercial. Nothing wrong with that. Now, it would be rough to have this one being your biggest success if you aren't about it, but if the fans dig it, then what is wrong with that? The song is perfect, through and through. They put out one of the greatest songs of the 1970s, and most of the other tracks on the album deserve the same acclaim. A great album, a great song, and one that demands you hit the road and run away from the ever-ticking movement of time. Well, I will leave you with the song. Guess we had a big post today. When a song is this perfect, this legendary, it is to be expected. Hope you dig it! I know you already know the track, but just play it again. Why not? One of the greatest uses of 4 and a half minutes out there. Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1972

Album: Can't Buy a Thrill (1972)

Genre: Rock, Jazz Rock

Mood: Fun

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Focused listening, Driving, Reminiscing on the past, Playing loud

Where to Next: "25 or 6 to 4" - Chicago 

Rating: 10 / 10

Song of the Day 09/25/2026

"The Ballad of Paladin" - Johnny Western

     This month has had us showcasing the legends just as much as the many hidden gems that music has to offer. Johnny Western is one of those hidden gems. If you cannot guess from his stage name, Johnny Western was obsessed with all things westerns and cowboys. So, naturally he put out cowboy songs. We have talked about the cowboy song world many times here on the website. I have a serious soft spot for them since I have been a longtime fan of all things western, especially the spaghetti western variation. A fearless man who rides upon his horse, drifting from town to town, getting involved in both the good and the bad, making the ladies swoon when he pulls in and leaves them crying when he pulls away on his trusty horse into the sunset to follow his aimless dreams. So cool! When it comes to the cowboy song singers, they tend to be top-shelf storytellers. I sometimes ask people what it is they focus in on when listening to music. Naturally we hear it all, but each person seems to have a set thing they put a little more focus on. For me, it is the singer and the lyrics. The song can be fuckin' awful, but if it has a single stellar lyric line, then I become a fan.

     Do you know there are people out there that don't listen to the words of songs?! Isn't that so damn strange? I get that some artists and vocalists are difficult to understand, and some spew out the words mighty quick, but still, it seems strange to not actually hear any of the words. Like looking at a painting but not seeing the colors. That is something that many casual music listeners seem to do since some songs have some raunchy lyrics and are mega-famous songs. Politicians don't hear the words since they often use unpatriotic songs at their rallies. Tracks like "Semi Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind would hardly get radio play if people actually heard the words to the song. It is just strange to me. Even weirder that some people don't listen to music at all! I have met some who drive to work listening to talk radio and then don't even think about playing music throughout their day. Some people even drive in silence. I will never get that. Also, it is an instant showing that this person and I will likely never get close. Just two completely different people. I guess if your family isn't into music at all, then you might not ever get into it. Shit, you don't even have to be a massive music fan to listen to some stuff. Blows my mind that some go through life never really getting into a band. Well, Johnny Western is a man who is easy to understand, as he tells you tales of the Wild West and all the mythos that goes along with it.

     Johnny Western never really got his career going. He has had his hand in music, movies, and radio. His biggest claim to fame is "The Ballad of Paladin" and many other songs he performed for the TV show, Have Gun - Will Travel. "The Ballad of Paladin" was the show's theme from season two all the way until the show came to a close. I don't think I have watched much of Have Gun - Will Travel, but the theme seems pretty cool. I mean, the strange knight aspect is a little odd, but you have to separate yourself out from every other western show of the time. Nothing beats Gunsmoke, and I will die on this hill! Anyway, "The Ballad of Paladin" became his big thing, but even with that he still never truly broke out. From 1958 to 1963, he released a couple of singles and one album before getting dropped from the Columbia label. Following that he cut one more single with Phillips, but it didn't gain him much fame. For years he recorded songs with all sorts of labels, but none lifted him off the ground. Still, he was a well-respected cowboy singer, especially with him putting out songs well after the genre had its heyday. In 1962 he released his first studio album, Have Gun-Will Travel, a solid set of songs, all of which tell tales of heartbreaking cowboys and the woes of being the fastest gun around. It took him all the way into 1981 to release his next album, Johnny Western, which was a home for all those loose singles that were floating around that he cut. He got the chance to record that next album after becoming friends with Johnny Cash, whom he had known for some time since he was part of the Johnny Cash road show from 1958 all the way to 1997. Johnny Western recorded that second album of his at the House of Cash, Johnny Cash's recording studio, after getting hte invite. You just know that Johnny Cash was into what Johnny Western was putting down. Johnny see, Johnny do. Well, that second album still failed to gather much attention, but his style was never meant to have record stores getting their doors knocked down with feverish fans. It was there to be a fun little project. He released three mainline studio albums in his time, but they are hard to find. Try YouTube if you want the full ride, or just jump on Spotify to listen through a compilation or two. They are such fun albums, especially if you are a fan of westerns.

     Let's bring it back to "The Ballad of Paladin", our song of the day. "The Ballad of Paladin" is about the premise of the show it was written for, Have Gun-Will Travel. It tells the tale of Paladin, a gun for hire that gets hired to investigate and solve all sorts of problems across the Wild West. A man who always moves along, but those that need a job done will contact the man who always sees it through. "The Ballad of Paladin" was Johnny's only big hit. It hit the 10th spot on the UK charts, which isn't always too common since the UK tends to never have country songs hit the charts. I mean, this track is more than just country music. It has that cowboy thing, so how could you not like it? Marty Robbins was naturally a massive influence on Western, they sang the same songs and also wrote the same kind of lyrics. The song kicks off with the bugle and spurs jingling. The deep and clear vocals of Johnny Western get cradled by the backing vocals and a warlike locomotive drum line. Johnny Western even showed up in Have Gun-Will Travel, but that is how it tended to go for those cowboy recording artists. I cannot tell you how many awesome performances take place in those shows. The original singing cowboy, Gene Autry, has a ton of great ones! You can look them up on YouTube if you wanna check them out. There are plenty of cowboy singers who got most of their fame from the shows. There are also the stars that went the opposite way. Lorne Greene is one of the first to come to mind. He played the wise, strong, and honorable Ben Cartwright in Bonanza, and that deep, strong voice of his also made its way into a singing career. He is actually the reason I first discovered Johnny Western, and while that was a good while back, I had a hankering for some western tales and pulled him up just yesterday to relisten to his 1964 hidden gem, Welcome to Ponderosa, which then had me dedicating the workday to cowboy singers. Love that album, especially his most popular song, "Ringo". If you don't know that track, you should go give it a spin. Top-tier storytelling! Or another one that you cannot miss is "The Devil's Grin". Great stuff, man. Well, so long as you like this kind of music. Well, Johnny Western never hit the big time, but that doesn't matter. During his time he put out some seriously great songs that deserve more plays and noteriety. So, for today I give this song to you! I guess we will see if it bites you. For those that like western shows, you probably already know it, but now it is time to deepen your listening to some of the great cowboy singers that didn't survive the test of time. Enjoy!

Year Released: 1958

Chosen Compilation: The Very Best of Johnny Western (2013) 

Genre: Country

Mood: Howdy

​Perfect For: Riding a horse, Travelin', Casual listening, Working, Driving, Riding a motorcycle, Drinkin' that rotgut

Where to Next: "The Devil's Grin" - Lorne Greene 

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/24/2026

"One Against the Other" - Head East

     Another day, another song. I am glad you chose to stop in to this little rockin' corner of the world wide web. For today we got a nice hidden gem from the rock world, Head East. It is damn near impossible to stop into each and every band out of the 1970s rock world, so some of you might have missed the Head East exit and kept chooglin' on down the road. Well, if that is the case, then this is your chance to make up for missed miles around the deep curves and rockin' mountains. Head East is a band that I first came across years back due to their ever-popular hit song, "Never Been Any Reason" which only grew more popular as the band moved along their career. "Never Been Any Reason" is such a damn good song! Well, I came across that one after watching the cult classic Dazed and Confused and sort of dropped the ball with going further into the band when I was younger. Still, the song made its way onto the majority of rock playlists I was crafting since it always scratched the deepest of rock itches. Typically I go mad into a band once I first get bit, but I don't know why I let Head East rest on the shelf while I went to all the bands around them. Well, the time came for me to do my 1970s portion of the studies, and I knew it was time to get further into the band. So far I have only made it to their 8th studio album, Choice of Weapons, which was released at the end of the 1980s. While their albums did grow a little stale as time moved along, there is always a handful of songs that I walk away with to adore. I will get back to picking apart the bands' discography once the 2010s portion of my studies commences in a while. Head East has some true hidden gems; their albums from the 1970s are all great! Their biggest claim to fame is their debut, Flat as a Pancake, in 1975, and then two other studio albums, A Different Kind of Crazy, which was released in 1979, and then their highest charting album, Head East, in 1978, which held their highest-charting single, "Since You Been Gone". A true rock classic out of 1978. They never made it too high on the charts in their time, and in the modern day the band seems to be mostly known for "Never Been Any Reason", "If You Knew Me Better", and "Since You Been Gone". Those three are great songs, ones that I strongly suggest any new fans listen to first before moving into our song of the day. The stream counts quickly drop from that point on, which is completely unfair. Shit, our song of the day is only the band's 10th most popular song on Spotify with only 422,671 streams, which is insane! The song is just as good as any other track out of 1975! Well, some bands just get left in the dust, and Head East is no different. I am just glad that we are here talking about them here today since they are the kind of group that any fan of classic rock will fall in love with.

     I chose the song while taking a long delivery an hour out and an hour back for my job, which isn't common. Now, work has been fucked recently. I am so busy that I come home feeling like shit and probably smelling just about the same. So, the prospect of running away into the nature to deliver some custom lighting to a fancy-ass house seemed like heaven. When you take that kind of drive, it is essential that you decide what to listen to so you can fully enjoy your travels. At first I was thinking of listening to something new to me, maybe a Michael Jackson album I haven't listened to yet or perhaps giving a 1990s Johnny Cash album another run. One thought passed by my mind, and it was all over. I thought to myself, "Well, I am heading east..." then it clicked. I haven't given Head East and their damn good debut, Flat as a Pancake, a spin for a hot while. I about broke my thumbs pulling it up on Spotify. The thrill of knowing that "Never Been Any Reason" being the companion as I jump on the road, and if I did my math right, "Fly By Night Lady" would start playing once I got into the mountains, something that did indeed happen, was so thrilling. I would finish the album before I got there, but with the first three tracks off the album being some of the best off it, I would gladly let them spin again. So, I loaded it up and got ready to enjoy the freedom of the road. There is no place that I feel more free than roaring down the highway. "One Against the Other" first played while I was dealing with the hectic nature of I-15, so my thoughts were on not dying more than that of the song, but like I just mentioned, there was still a chance for the song to play again on the repeat. This time it played at the perfect point as I came over a hill, taking in all the beauty of Jordanelle Reservoir, even if the water level was stressfully low. Talk about peace. And stress.

     If you haven't played the song yet, then what are you waiting for? Head East isn't the kind of band that tends to talk about social issues, making "One Against the Other" sort of a one-off. The other thing that made this a unique one is it being the only song written by Head East vocalist, John Schlitt, on the album. Do you think that guy had a hard time with a last name like that? I mean, he could always say "I am the Schlitt!" when he does something kick-ass, so that is kind of cool. My last name isn't anything all too cool, well, unless I wanted to start a plumbing company. Thanks, Dad, sheesh. Anyway, the song is all about love and unity with your fellow man, a message we can all get behind. I won't lie, I hate people, and being around them all the time makes me want to jump into a lake of boiling soup, but I still have hopes somewhere within me that we can all figure this shit out. I would gladly be the first to reach out if someone wouldn't bite the damn hand. There are so many steps to that... So many. Remember that this song was released in 1975, over 50 fuckin' years ago, so I don't think we will figure it out any time soon. Have you gone outside? Hate is king. Maybe it is because people aren't listening to Head East. Anyway, "One Against the Other" is the second song off the band's debut album, Flat as a Pancake. This is a classic from the band and is certainly the best place to start within their discography if you feel like giving it a go. They have a few great albums, but nothing hits the spot like Flat as a Pancake. I ain't alone on that since it is also the band's only RIAA-certified album, even if I feel like some of their other albums should have also hit the grade since they are some gooood stuff. Still, if you got an album that has a song like "Never Been Any Reason" on it, you know that puppy just has to sell well. In my opinion there is only one poor song on the album, and that is the final song, "Brother Jacob". I just ain't a fan of that one, but I am sure someone out there is. I come here for "Never Been Any Reason", "One Against the Other", "Fly By Night Lady", "City of Gold", and "Love Me Tonight". Yes, in that order. I strongly suggest this album for anyone who digs 1970s rock. Truth be told, I suggest each album of theirs that came out of the 1970s. This is the first time Head East has shown up on the website, but I hope to see more of them here soon. I hardly even gave you a little history of the band and the MASSIVE list of members that have come and gone. Maybe next time. For now, I will just let you get to listening to this uplifting and rockin' track, man. I know, ain't I a gentleman?! I try telling my girlfriend all the time. She just gets caught up on "Then why did you honk your horn when I went in front of the vehicle?" or "Then stop rolling forward when I am trying to get into the vehicle". That is just what gentlemen do, duh. Right? Right? Well, enjoy the track. Hope to see you here again soon! Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1975

Album: Flat as a Pancake (1975)

Genre: Rock

Mood: Uplifting

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Nature drives, Hiking, Pushing love instead of hate, Relaxing at home

Where to Next: "Share the Land" - The Guess Who 

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/23/2026

"Strange Highways" - Dio

     Welcome back! Time for some Dio! One of the mightiest of metal gods! We lost Ronnie James Dio all the way back in 2010, and the metal world has never been the same. His death marked the end of an era for heavy metal. Ronnie James Dio was one of those artists that serves as the backbone to the heavy metal and hard rock genre. He did more for metal than almost anyone else. He helped form some of the lyricism and dressing style and was there for when heavy metal broke into the mainstream, something he also helped bring forth after over a decade of fronting bands with heavier styles. One of the most important things Ronnie James Dio did was bring in the metal horns that became a staple in any metalhead's arsenal. The list could go on. Now, I won't sit here and tell you that every single Dio album is something truly amazing. Like any band, there are the ups and downs, and his solo work, Dio, is no different. Still, even with a stinker song here or there, it doesn't really matter since the grand majority is bone-rattlingly powerful. His vocals are fuckin' intense! The kind of stuff that you feel in your gut before you fall on your butt. I am all about his spectacular 1980s albums, but the ones out of the 1990s don't get the love they deserve. Now, being a massive fan, it is only fitting that I would say that I think each Dio album is well worth your time. Ones like Dream Evil and Holy Diver naturally have a higher praise for them, but then there are the completely underrated gems like the album that holds today's song, Strange Highways. This album is a shocker. You see, if you were a new fan, there wouldn't be all too high of a chance that you would choose this one over the others for your first listen, probably not even your second. You rarely hear the same praise for it. Though, you would be shocked at how fuckin' good this album is! I might even be so bold as to say that it is even heavier than the previous albums that came before it that seemed more than happy in hard rock that has that heavy metal sheen. Strange Highways is right for the throat. Strangely enough, this was the first album of Dio's solo career that showed a serious downward slope in his record sales. It is a familiar tale you will hear all over this website. The music world moves on. The metal world was changing quickly. Things that were the thing the month before were now traded for a different sound. The glam and glitz of the 1980s was smacked down by grunge in the 1990s in rock. Traditional heavy metal in which Dio thrived was now taking the backseat for the massive expansion that was going underway when Strange Highways released in 1993. You can't always keep up with the young blood, and Ronnie James Dio had already been in the game for 2 decades. Those that slept on the album missed a key album in the man's discography, if you ask me. 

     Strange Highways came along during a transitionary point in Dio's career. In 1990 Dio released his previous album, Lock Up the Wolves, which is a classic from his discography. Though... I would be lying if I were to say it was all new and fresh material. Dio seemed to get himself locked within his own signature sound. It is damn good and one of those classic cases of "if it ain't broke", but it still lacked the same punch as the previous albums. In 1992 Dio joined up with Black Sabbath once again to put out their most essential 1990s album, Dehumanizer. Now, much like Strange Highways, Dehumanizer is a criminally underrated album. I fuckin' love that one! Pretty rare for a band to come back with such a strong right hook years after their career tanked. Anyway, so Black Sabbath and Ronnie James Dio both were met with some strong interest again with Dehumanizer being a success. This got Black Sabbath back on the road, where Dio gladly played beside them up until he left the band once again after Ozzy Osbourne offered Black Sabbath a spot on his first No More Tours tour. He wasn't the only one to have his come back with Black Sabbath after all those years. Drummer Vinny Appice also appears on Dehumanizer. It was both Dio's and Appice's first time with Sabbath since 1981's Mob Rules. Well, when Dio left, so did Vinny Appice, who came back into the Dio fold. Those two went and found themselves a guitarist and bassist and got to recording a new album, one called Strange Highways. This rekindled fire is expressed well within the album's 11 songs. There isn't that mundane feeling that stabbed Lock Up the Wolves. It was still a Dio album without a doubt, but there was something more sinister there. Something a little sick of getting punched and not punching back. The kind of stuff that gave you chills like Dio's first couple of solo albums. Even with that, time moved along, and the album sold fairly poorly. It was still the highest-selling Dio album in the 1990s, and it gained more popularity once people fell in love with Magica in 2000 and went back to gather up those sleeper classics of the 1990s heavy metal world.

     I could have chosen almost any track off the album and had you rocking. Though, for today, we have the mighty title track. "Strange Highways" is the third track off the album. It comes along when you are more than ready for more Dio. The first two tracks are powerful suckers, but even they live in the shadow of the title track. It is the longest song on the album, coming in just shy of 7 minutes. "Strange Highways" starts off with a strange space-like feeling. Something that doesn't fully leave the song. At the start you might be thinking this is going to be another slower Dio track, but the 0:57 mark shows that is far from the truth. The ominous guitar work of Tracy G, the band guitarist through the 1990s, plays with some Tony Iommi-esque bombasticity. Creating both the epic and depraved. This was Tracy G's first album in Dio. While Ronnie James Dio still belts with the best of them and the drumming of Appice is quite enjoyable, I gotta give the spotlight to the new guns in Dio. Tracy G played in a variety of bands before landing in Dio, but none before or after Dio hit the same acclaim as his work with the metal god. I have only sampled some of his material but have spent some time in his solo work. Good stuff. He is a steady and mean guitar player, perfect for Dio. Peep that guitar solo on "Strange Highways" at the 4:09 mark. Shit hits hard. Steady and not too insane. Just potent playing that matches the mood. The other member of the band that had their debut with Strange Highways is bassist Jeff Pilson. Pilson was previously part of Dokken for some of their greatest albums. A strong bassist that certainly carves his name into any album he touches. He is currently the bass player for Foreginer. Another steady and strong musician. Not one to steal the show from Ronnie James Dio, but one that easily compliments his sound.

     In many of the tracks on Strange Highways you cannot get over the fact that it sounds strikingly like later Black Sabbath. I guess they found their inspiration there. Strange Highways feels strangely like a spiritual successor to Black Sabbath's Dehumanizer that Dio and Appice helped put together a year before. Can't blame them. One of the meanest and best tracks off Strange Highways is "Hollywood Black". Man, that song is damn good. I suggest you play it after you listen to today's song. Anyway, I guess that track was demoed originally by Black Sabbath before Dio ran off and recorded it for himself. I mean, if you listened to the track before looking at who put it out, you might think it was a Black Sabbath track. Has the exact same vibe as Dehumanizer. So, that might be a negative, but hear me out. If Dio had never put it out, then we would never have been able to listen to it! Plus, Strange Highways would have never been the same without it. It is the song that follows "Strange Highways" and kicks the album fully into gear. "Strange Highways" is slow and deep, but "Hollywood Black" is a fast-paced, hell-raising kind of track. The faster and more intense ones are where I find Dio to always shine. That one also has some showcasing moments for guitarist Tracy G. Completely full of tight playing. Once again, I cannot believe that many sleep on this damn album! One of Dio's greatest, so far as I am concerned. You know... I think this is the first Dio track to show up here on AintNoisePollution! What the hell is that about?! Well, I am glad to share a deeper cut for his debut here, but I am ashamed that I haven't included more! That Dio style is half of what this website is all about! Well, I will try including more Dio in my playlists so we have a higher chance to hear more of his iconic dominating vocals. Just the other day I watched a couple of Dio music videos. Many are remastered in HD now! They aren't nearly as fuzzy as they used to be. Truth be told, it made the already criminally of its time music video to "Rainbow in the Dark" sillier than it already was, but that is honestly some of the appeal of Dio. He seemed to go out there and fuckin' kill it and didn't care what anyone thought about it. Even if he always had questionable footwear choices. Certainly an icon. There are so many wholesome stories about Ronnie James Dio. Metal really never got its shit together following his passing. You simply cannot replace such an embodiment of the heavy metal heart. Strange the turn the metal community took years back. Like everything else out there, it seemed to get half of the great things about it taken away and replaced with hate. Still, that doesn't mean we cannot go back and appreciate what was and hope for merrier metal days. Dio is a band and artist you cannot afford to overlook. If you call yourself a metalhead and haven't taken in some of his albums, I don't really know what to say. We all walk our own musical path, but all those paths should lead to Dio. Ya dig? Well, I guess we will end the post with that. Thanks for reading along! Hope you got bitten by that Dio bug and spend the day with those horns in the air playing his many iconic songs loud and proud. Until next time. Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1993

Album: Strange Highways (1993)

Genre: Heavy Metal

Mood: Epic

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Summer days, Playing loud, Driving at night

Where to Next: "Bible Black" - Heaven & Hell

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/22/2026

"The Crystal Ship" - The Doors

     Man, is it just me, or has September been shooting by? Those transitionary months are always a shock to the system. Everyone around you getting sick, the confusing mornings, not knowing when to bring out or put away the jackets. It is only fair that it turns into a big blur. Well, even with it being a strange month so far, we have been getting plenty of great songs coming through the website! At first it was a little bit of everything, but this last little bit has had us returning to the wonders of rock and roll. For today, we have one of the most wonderful bands to ever hit the rock world, The Doors. We all know 'em, we all love 'em. These dudes have an iconic sound and a career filled to the brim with outstanding albums and infamous tales of drunken debauchery. Jim Morrison was a visionary. A crazy cat that ushered in a whole new outlook to the summer of love. Yet... There is always a dark side to the parties and counterculture. Jim Morrison is a prime example of just that. He showed all the goods and bads of drug usage, mental exploration, and having more than a few drinks. At one moment everyone will tell you that he is a peach, and the next they will tell tales of a drunken mess who lobbed glass into fans' faces. I personally adore looking into Jim Morrison. He is like a traveling circus, but he is the only attraction. Speaking of attraction, we humans sure love to idolize those that are not, say, good people. The same is to be said about Jim Morrison. I mean, everyone has something they can offer to the world. Even some of the worst people still have a caring mother or good friend, but still, Jim Morrison isn't quite the man you should look up to. Appreciate? Surely. Study? Fuck yeah. Idolize? Nope. Dip your toes in any book regarding The Doors or Jim Morrison, and the ugly truth shows itself almost instantly, especially as the fame grew. He is a wise man. His lyricism and singing are rivaled by few out of the 1960s into the 1970s. As an artist, he is a god, but as a man, he is more of a devil. There is an appeal there. The dumpster fire. The poetic madman. And that madman helped create some of the most essential and influential music to come out of the turbulant 1960s. It is strange to think that I am now older than him due to his passing when he was just 27. You look at the photos and hear his voice, and it is hard to even think of him as a confused and troubled young adult. He feels so damn otherworldly. Though, I guess he really was. The Doors and those that were famous around them really lived a life we couldn't ever understand. I can't tell if I am envious or glad to never have had to take on that kind of life. I would love for the website to blow up... but would I really? Would I start thinking of myself as the "Lizard King" who can do anything?

     Well, I doubt you came here to hear about me. Especially when you see it is such a legendary band up at the top of the post. So, let's get into it, shall we? The Doors is an essential name in rock music. For many, they were the first to get them into classic rock. You would have to live under a rock to not have heard "Break On Through (To the Other Side)", "Riders of the Storm", "Light My Fire", "People Are Strange", and so many other timeless tracks. They are legends of rock. A transdimensional band of sound that helped define me as a human being. I cannot count the years I have sunk into the band. The many trips alongside them. The ups and downs of life with The Doors playing in the background. They are certainly a pivotal band in my growing and learning in life. The poetry and lyrics of Jim Morrison defined my teenage years. Man... Even thinking about all the memories I have had surrounding their songs gives me chills. I genuinely love this damn band. I am sure you are thinking the same thing right now. While the band only released their core prime material from 1967 to 1971, only four years, the impact they made on rock music really isn't matched by many. If you are someone who hasn't taken the time for one of their many great albums, then shame on you. No, really. What are you even doing, man? This is souuuul candy. Music for thought. Music for transcending. Music for the masses, for those that can handle its often unsettling style, that is. We talked about Jim Morrison at the start of the post. As you already likely know, he is the band's frontman and vocalist. From 1965 to 1971, Mr. Mojo Rising altered the status quo for vocalists. He channeled a sick part of society and left it all over the stage for everyone to see. A lot of the laws regarding what you can and can't do in front of a crowd were set by The Doors. I could tell you plenty of strange stories from the road, but we will save that for another time. I honestly want to skip some of the nitty-gritty band history, which there is a lot of, and just get into our song of the day and the album it comes off of.

      There were so many iconic debut albums to come out of the 1960s. Some of the most highly respected debut albums came out during the decade. Debuts can often be stinkers, kind of confused messes of people finding their niche, but there are always those ones that just got it right the first time and blew the band into serious stardom. A status that we couldn't even start to imagine. The Doors' self-titled debut is just that. Now, 1967 was ONE HELL of a year for rock music. I would say it is one of the greatest years for releases in all of music history, if not the greatest. Now, that might be a personal opinion, but The Doors self-titled and their second album, Strange Days. Jimi Hendrix with Are You Experienced, The Beatles' Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow, The Velvet Underground and their debut, and so... many... others. Man, what a year, what a year. Still, even with so many fuckin' great albums, there is one that has always hit a special spot, and that is The Doors' debut. Now, as you could expect after such a buildup, this is a genuinely perfect album. Not a single thing missing. Great lyricism, great flow, spectral atmosphere, many different moods, commercial tracks, bold tracks, long ones, short ones, love ones, Oedipal ones, and pretty well everything in between. Do you know that cliché "you are stuck on an island, blah, blah, blah" question in regard to which album you would bring when stranded? Well, I think this one might take the cake. A perfectly crafted album that has proved itself countless times over to each new generation that joins us on this ball of hate we call home. That is something that will never change. It was the band's highest-selling album, and it holds a solid chunk of their most loved songs. They perfected most of their material while playing at some of the most respected clubs on the Sunset Strip, namely the famous Whiskey a Go Go and the London Fog. It was from a show at the Whiskey that the band got signed by Elektra Records and got to work bringing all they learned on the stage into the studio to create a masterpiece that defined a whole decade. Upon its release it was met with mostly positive acclaim, with many praising the album as "the next big thing". There were naturally the critics who hated it, but the test of time has shown those critics can kick rocks. In retrospective eyes it is often regarded as one of the all-time greatest albums in rock music history. Something I wholeheartedly agree with. I hardly need to tell you this; I mean, you already probably know most of this album just by being alive. If you don't, then you know what you are listening to at work tomorrow. Just be wary of "The End" if you are playing over a speaker, even if that is one of the band's greatest songs. I could praise this album all day and tell you all about it, but I want to save that for another time. Once again, I gotta keep notes on what I have said previously so I don't just spend every post talking about how great an album is over and over again.

     For today, we will be talking about "The Crystal Ship", the third track on the album. It comes right after a personal favorite, "Soul Kitchen". I have always found those two tracks to be complementary of each other. To understand one, you need the other, even if they hardly have the same atmosphere or lyrical content. "The Crystal Ship" has been a long-time "drug song" for many casual listeners. I can see how it would seem that way with the atmosphere, lyrical content, and a name like "The Crystal Ship", but it is more of a breakup song penned by Jim Morrison after the conclusion to his first serious relationship with his then girlfriend, Mary Werbelow. Like most things from The Doors, the lyrics are up for your brain to make its own meaning. In the end, it was Jim Morrison's way of saying a final goodbye to the lady he was leaving behind. Still, for my kid to teenager years, I thought it might be a drug song. An easy answer, but I had yet to fully understand the personal, philosophical nature of Jim Morrison's lyricism. The song moves right into the vocals right from the start. Instantly you are entranced by the iconic vocal work of Jim Morrison. Man, the way he sings in this song always makes me feel like butter. No, I ain't crushing; I just mean he sings so. damn. pretty! Wanna feel it? Well, play the song pretty loud and focus on each word being said. That or charge up those headphones and just close your eyes and play that shit. You will feel it more than hear it. Such a trippy feeling. I wonder if this is what cult members would feel when hearing their leader talk. If so... I can finally get how someone could fall into one of those groups. There are so many damn good lines in this song. Truly moving stuff for how Morrison is feeling in the confusion of the breaking off of a relationship, especially a first one. It is a sweet farewell. No anger, no sorrow, but more of a bittersweet goodbye. Moving as all hell. Great mental imagery and honesty. "The Crystal Ship" was recorded on the same day as the damn fun "Back Door Man", which sort of matches the ending to today's song. Another great song I cannot wait to talk about in time. So, is this song a drug one? Nope. Though, like I already mentioned, it is up to you to decide how to take it. All I know is this is another classic song from The Doors. It is haunting in all the right ways and beautiful in all the other ways. It feels like dying in peace. Slowly fading away until there is nothing. Remember how I mentioned this album having a perfect flow? Well, after "The Crystal Ship" has you fading into the ocean of emotion, we move into "Twentieth Century Fox", a solid rocker that reminds you that Jim Morrison can bite just as well as he barks. These posts simply aren't long enough for me to talk about this album or any single song for that matter. It makes sense why people write a whole book on just one album of this caliber. You honestly need that. I wish I could do that for you here now, but then I would have to get a distribution deal and actually be worth a damn. Some day. For now, we just come here to find some new or already loved tunes and appreciate all things music. Fan to fan. So, since you made it to the end of the post, it would be sort of weird to not play the song, right? Well, I will let you get into it. I already have listened to it 4 times in a row while typing all this out. Bet there will be a few more while I proofread (there was). Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1967

Album: The Doors (1967)

Genre: Psychedelic Rock

Mood: Blissful

​Perfect For: Focused listening, Getting stoned, Psychedelics, Night drives, Art, Breakups, Just being

Where to Next: "Castles Made of Sand" - Jimi Hendrix

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/21/2026

"David" - Sunlight

     Ready for another deep cut? Today we have a vinyl collector's wet dream, Creation of Sunlight. I can see why this one is so sought after. It was released without any acclaim or radio play and with a very limited run of only 500 albums pressed. Even today Sunlight stands as a hidden gem from the massive psychedelic world of the late 1960s into the early 1970s. There are a ton of bands that never made the cut, and Sunlight is amongst the best of them. What gets me about this album is its quality. Now, I am someone who has spent well over a decade within the psychedelic rock world of that time. It is one of my core styles that I dig into more often than not. So, it is easy to say that I have listened to my fair share of obscure releases from the time that sound like hot garbage. Like it was recorded in some random basement, which many probably were. That is especially true for albums that have a crazy low amount of albums pressed. For Creation of Sunlight, that is not the case. It is clear, clean, and highly professional. I am honestly shocked they never got picked up, but to every 1 band that breaks out, there are 10 that are just as great that never got the chance. Sunlight is a band with relatively little information. Though with its status as a hidden gem in the obsessive psychedelic rock world, there have been many music historians like myself that dedicated their time to gathering up any information they could about the band, its members, songs, and other endevors affiliated with the illusive Sunlight. The biggest treasure trove of info on the band is from a fellow website that I check into often if I want to get info on the oddest of psychedelic rock albums: www.psychedelicbabymag.com. There they have an interview with the band's bassist, Steve Montague, which fills in some of the missing information. He clears up the bands beginning and also when they actually started up amongst many other pieces of misinformation. Sunlight is often misidentified as being named "Creation of Sunlight", which I will admit is a much cooler name. People got that idea from their only album's name. They first called themselves the "Sunlight Seven", which isn't as cool of a band name. Still cool, very of its time, but not as cool as "Creation of Sunlight". They should have just run with it. Anywho, the band came along with the sound that was bursting out of California in the late 1960s. Their style is a strange melding of garage rock, bubblegum pop, and psychedelic rock. There is an experimental edge there, but nothing all too intense to shake their peaceful feeling. Their sole album is the kind of album that you just wanna lounge around and listen to. Nothing to get the blood pumpin' or the pills poppin'. Just a mellow one that melds wonderfully with what was going down at the time. Before they found their own footing Sunlight (then Sunlight Seven) did what the majority of bands were doing out there, being a cover band. They played music people wanted to hear, be it at high school dances or weddings. Soon enough they started throwing out some of their own original material to see if people bit, but not many bit. Not due to quality, but mostly since people didn't hire a band for original material unless they had quite the reputation. After a little bit of time in that circuit, they got the chance to start cutting some singles, none of which hit the charts. Since the recording of the album and singles went nowhere, they just went back to being a cover band before fading apart. Still, they came in and played some blissful music. I don't think they expected it to resurface years later in the inner circle of the psychedelic rock world.

     I want to zone in on our song of the day, "David". While their stream count is quite low, "David" seems to be the favorite one with the most streams. I dig the whole album; there really isn't a single bad song on it, but I would be lying if I said that "David" wasn't one of the best tracks on it. Even the producers of the band's music agreed since "David" was one of the groups few singles. Unlike some of the others, it seems this is the one that they got together to put out something commercial. "David" was the band's second single and was released while all hands were on deck trying to get the band's name out there. For those that want a good "getting stoned" song, you can't go wrong with "David". Lyrically it is one of those classic 1960s songs that have an innocent message, but you can see how people could get the wrong idea about the words. The song is about a kid who is seeing a fantasy world that adults cannot. A peaceful and easygoing track with a damn good intro. "David" is the song that kicks off Creation of Sunlight, and it instantly lets you know what to expect out of the rest of the album. While the band still has some different styles mixed in, it is the ones similar to "David" that take the cake. I don't know exactly how to express what their style is like. Think.... Iron Butterfly meets Chicago meets The Association meets Strawberry Alarm Clock meets The Moody Blues. It has this slightly jazzy feeling that gives way to a strong power pop chorus all while being veiled in that damp psychedelic feeling that sort of stresses you out. The track goes down smooth. Nothing really more to say. A peaceful ride that makes you want to lay down in a field of flowers and fall asleep. So, if you came to the website looking for a damn good hidden gem, then you came on the right day! "David" is so damn blissful. Even listening to it again right now gives me chills! It is a shame that nothing ever came of the band. I think they had a great unique sound for their time while still being close enough to their contemporaries to meld into the sound of the time. Would they have grown past the big names? Maybe. There is no way of knowing. Once again, psychedelic rock, garage rock, and bubblegum pop have a massive amount of bands that came along and released a couple of singles before fading away. I would have loved the chance to see where they went since the one album that came out of the band is damn good. Well, I guess I will just let you do your thing and play the song. Gonna be a shorter post. I came along and shared the good word about the band, so be sure to play the track and tell a friend. It breaks my heart when this great of a group doesn't get the attention they deserve. Tune in and tune out. Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1968

Album: Creation of Sunlight (1968)

Genre: Psychedelic Pop

Mood: Peaceful

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Getting stoned, Being in nature, Sipping coffee

Where to Next: "A Child's Smile" - Clear Light

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/20/2026

"Cyngus X-1 Book I: The Voyage: Prologue / The Story So Far / Drum Solo" (Live) - Rush

     Got you a deep cut from one of rock's all-time greatest progressive rock bands, Rush. You know Rush. How could you not? Even if you have come into the website late, there is still a solid chance that we have covered them since your time here. I guess that ain't all the way true since they have only appeared here now seven times, but that is still higher than the grand majority of bands. Anyway, Rush is intense. A fuckin' divine ride of intricate playing melded with a mainstream appeal that has just about anyone finding an album to enjoy from their wide collection of quality albums. Progressive rock can be... Snobbish at times. Might sound rude, but like calls to like. Some progressive rock can be for the only those that strive for perfection in their rock palate. No room for raunchy tactics or simplistic hooks. They crave that deep, well-structured song composition that can completely blow you away. If you have time, that is. It isn't unreal for a progressive rock band to have all the songs on their album dancing around 10 minutes each. That is one of my favorite things about the genre since I am big into long songs. It feels like living a lifetime within one song. Though, with all of that said, Rush isn't quite the best example of that. Sure, they have plenty of long songs, and their setup is much more advanced than your traditional rock band, but there is still something there for just about everybody. For those that don't know Rush much but do know "Tom Sawyer", you might think I am talking out of my ass since that has gotta be the spitting image of an entry-level progressive rock song. Though, behind the many titan-sized hits that Rush has to offer, there are plenty of tracks that equal it in power and appeal, but they are much more intense. As we have talked about previously, I am a fool for early Rush. Now, I love all they did during the 1980s, but it is the 1970s that I almost always come to. That stuff has fire! Some of their most impressive feats were during the 1980s, but the 1970s is when they were progressive rock perfection. Anyway, truth be told I don't quite remember what I have said in the past. We talked about their start one time, and there was a ton of talk about the legendary drummer of Rush, Neil Peart, almost every time. Don't expect something different today. This song is one of many Rush live tracks that showcase his skill, but before we get into talking about Neil Peart, let's talk about the drummer who is currently with Rush on tour right now.

     Many know that Neil Peart passed away in 2020  from brain cancer. Since then there has been a massive void in the rock world. Peart is often regarded as the greatest drummer of all-time in rock music, a status I wholeheartedly agree with. He is legendary. I mean legendary. Have you heard any Rush tracks? All of that electricity. All of what makes Rush so compelling came from Peart. He was the dominant lyricist, something that I always come back to Rush for and have always found them underrated for. Fantastic lyrics, man. Well, with all of that said, could we really find someone to fill those shoes? Those are shoes the size of Texas. While they didn't fill them all the way since that is pretty well impossible, Rush was approached with a proposition for Anika Nilles to take part in their current tour. This is no easy choice. Naturally the band wants to get out there, but they lost their brother, their musical soul companion, so even the idea of replacing him is near impossible. Rush is known for one demanding show. Often playing for hours nonstop to a very passionate fanbase in some of the biggest arenas in the world. Not something that just anyone can jump into. Well, they took on Anika Nilles, a drummer made famous by YouTube that has been active since 2013. She also has had a couple of studio albums released. Overall, a pretty unknown person to join into Rush. I mean, she was quite famous on YouTube, but not everyone, myself included, is scouring the web for drummers there. From YouTube to Rush is the making of a great documentary. Anyway, the chance was well founded. She has done spectacular. Nobody is Neil Peart, but man is she impressive! I was urged to watch some of the performances on YouTube by a coworker, and I cannot help but watch them again when I find the time! She can pull off some of his signature rolls and runs like it is nothing. Never missing a smack. Why do I feel like we have talked about this already? I need to start keeping notes on the topics we had already covered. Anyway, Rush as a whole is one of the most respected bands in rock history. For only a three-piece, they have the sound of a whole ensemble. Nilles is a welcome addition to the sound. I think it might be through her that Rush still sounds so good on stage. Geddy has aged, and his voice along with it, but none of that matters since the intensity of Nilles covers the gaps. The bass work from Geddy is still top-notch, and the same is to be said about the intense guitar playing of Alex Lifeson. It is good to see that Rush can still play to sold-out venues this far into their career, especially with one of the leading forces of the band no longer being there.

     Wanna know what I mean about the intensity of the band's live presence? Well, I got a nice juicy one for you today. What is that? You are craving a drum solo? Well, shit, why didn't you say so earlier?! We got one for you here today! While the song isn't solely focusing on the drum solo, this is Rush, man. So, yeah, we really are. Rush is currently on the "Fifty Something" tour in celebration of their fifty-something anniversary. The tour we took our song of the day from is their R40 tour, one that was in celebration of their 40th anniversary since Neil Peart joined the band. The R40 tour was the last one with Neil Peart. They performed 35 shows from 05/8/2015 to 08/01/2015. A pretty short tour overall, but they still netted some serious dough from it. The reception was great, and the ticket sales reflected their early days. It gave Rush another boost in popularity. For years I have watched performances from that tour off and on, though it occurred to me I have yet to sit down and listen to the live album that came out of it, R40 Live, which was released near the end of 2015 in November. For the bands I adore, I try listening to literally everything they have ever put out, but there are times I am simply not in the mood for a live album, especially when that live album is over three hours long! It reminds me of the first time I went through literally everything Bruce Springsteed had done. Long-ass live albums included. Well, since my girlfriend was still there sleeping, I woke up on Sunday with a randomly strong urge to listen to one of the only missing Rush albums in my mental collection, so I gave it a go. 

     The grand majority of the album is highly enjoyable, but you gotta have stamina to see the whole thing through. It is a great one to let run in the background, but I would only suggest it to the deepest of fans to take the time to listen through the whole thing. The album was recorded at the June 17th and 19th shows from the tour in their native Toronto, Canada. I would always daydream about becoming a big, famous rock star and coming back to my hometown to play when I was a kid. I bet it feels so damn good. Anyway, R40 Live holds a wide array of Rush material ranging from many different stages of the band's career. It has the only recorded live version of "Losing It", which comes off the band's 1982 album Signals. Now, that is one thing to note for those big Rush fans out there. There are plenty of highlighted moments on the album, but I found myself completely pleased with track 18, the live version of the fuckin' EPIC "Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage". The track is more of a medley, so you don't get the full thing here. Now, I would adore talking about the song here today. Though... I am already on course for making this a long one, and frankly, I would like to save that sucker. It will indeed show up here, and I would like the studio version to get the special treatment. The studio version of the song is over 10 minutes long, but the live version we have with us today comes in at a whopping 9 minutes. Hope you brought some popcorn. Just be sure not to choke on it when the drum solo comes along. Or do. You know, there are few better ways to go than "death by Rush". Our version today contains the first part of the song with some playful crowd tension building before the band moves into the drum solo and then exits with part III of the song. It takes all the way until the 3:10 mark for the drum solo to kick off. Neil Peart completely annihilates you for a solid 5 minutes before the rest of the song continues on. That whole drum solo is fuckin' intense and comes with parts of its own. Now, for those that haven't heard the studio version, I implore you to do so. The live one is great, but mainly due to that drum solo. To have the story, vocals, and guitar also joining in on the studio version is where it is at. Still, for those Rush fans such as myself that come to get that dosage of intense drumming, then maybe the live version will be for you. Both are great, just in different ways. Anyway, to listen to Neil Peart is like hearing the birth of a planet. His drumming is second to none, something nobody doubted, yet he still proved it once again 40 years later with this song. Could you imagine dishing this kind of energy out when you are in your 50s? Well, not all of us are Neil Peart. Something he gladly reminds us as he slams away at those drums. I am a sucker for drum solos, and this is one of the best I have come across in a long time! Glad to share it here with you. Now, I know not everyone has the time for a long drum solo, and some don't like live or long songs, so I get it if you skip it. For those that take it on, I applaud you. It is an epic ride. One to show off why Rush is one of the best in the game. Something I firmly believe will never be challenged or trumped. Great band. Great drummer. Great song. Enjoy!

Year Released: 2015

Album: R40 Live (2015)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Mood: Awe-inspiring

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Focused listening, Sitting in a parking lot, Annoying your girlfriend

Where to Next: "Indiscipline - Live in Frejus" - King Crimson

Rating: 7 / 10

Song of the Day 09/19/2026

"Cracked Actor" - David Bowie

     Ready for some Bowie? We haven't talked about him for a hot while, so I suppose now is the right time. The last time Bowie came across our little corner of the internet was with "Starman", which came out during his Ziggy Stardust days. The same is to be said about our song of the day today, "Cracked Actor". I have listened to so much Bowie it would make your head spin, but time after time I end up mostly in the Ziggy Stardust material. I love the one-off during his "Halloween Jack" stage with the underrated 1974 album Diamond Dogs. I won't lie, I am fairly hit and miss during this "Thin White Duke" stage. Dig the expression, the artistry, but I cannot find myself ever really landing within that stage. Not my thing, though I do appreciate all that Bowie did, even the completely obscure. David Bowie is the kind of artist you need to stand by. You can either buy yourself a Greatest Hits album and call it good, or you have to dedicate to his discography. You jump in the wrong one; you are going to be like, "Where the hell is "Rebel, Rebel", this sounds nothing like it!" since each album really is a thing of its own. If you take the time to sit down and listen to two albums back-to-back from Bowie's massive discography, you will find few things similar between the two. Well, I guess that is made more clear if you don't listen to the Ziggy Stardust stuff back-to-back. That little section does have some experimentation, but not nearly as much as say 2003's Reality or 1987's Never Let Me Down. Bowie is an icon. An enigma. A man who carved his own path and found that there were legions ready to follow him no matter where he went. Out of all the rock musicians I studied when I was quite younger, Bowie was the first to give me a run for my money. He had to grow on me aside from the hits like "Let's Dance", "Rebel, Rebel", "China Girl", "Heroes", "Space Oddity" and all the others. Once I found my love, it hit like a truck, leaving his license plate number forever embedded in my ass. David Bowie just feels like a mystery. A compelling figure more so than a man. His humanity started showing through more as his career moved on. During the Ziggy Stardust stage, he somehow completely convinces you he is from a different planet since his music and style were so out there for their time. He stands as living proof that you can make it in life so long as you dedicate and follow your heart. Critics be damned. Trends can go to hell. Do what you love and there will always be someone there to listen. We can all use that reminder. For someone who slaves over this keyboard hoping the right person will come across the website, I certainly need that reminder sometimes.

     Truth be told, I don't think you would even be on this website if you didn't know who David Bowie is. One of those icons that even people who don't listen to his music know who he is. It could be from his impact on music, the legions of indie chicks who dig his music, or even his iconic infamous bulge from his starring role in the Labyrinth. The dude is a beacon in the dark for music fans. He calls to the freaks. To those left behind by society. Even for those that don't know where they stand in life and who they really are. It took Bowie a long while to find himself, something that is shown in his music. For today we take a deeper look into his iconic 1973 album, Aladdin Sane. This is one legendary album from his 26-studio album run. It was one of those "make it or break it" albums since his previous album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, broke him into stardom in 1972. That one was his 5th studio album and came along five years into his recording career. Luckily Bowie already knew his way around the studio by this point, so the transition wasn't insane, but the pressure must have weighed heavy. One day you are a common Joe with decent success on the UK charts, and then the next you are an icon across the globe. Now you know everyone is watching, and with the higher sales you know there are a lot of greedy folks hiding in the shadows seeing if you will fall. Well, while Aladdin Sane didn't chart as high in some countries, it showed that Bowie wasn't a one-trick pony. All he learned in the previous album was polished and solidified in Aladdin Sane. His lyrical prowess grew stronger, and even the recording quality was more crisp and ready to serve as a home for the masses just as much as the strong fan base he already had. A perfect follow-up to such a legendary album, not a feat that many pull off. Trust me, I have listened through hundreds of bands' discographies, and there are too many that drop the ball when massive fame hits them. I might slip up myself if I were in their shoes. 

     Aladdin Sane was heavily dipped in the stress and insanity of becoming a star. Bowie wanted to play to his fans, to be that shining icon on stage giving people meaning in their lives, but at the same time he didn't want to have to deal with all that came with that. Rough touring schedules, expectations, money, and the overall wear and tear that it takes on a human to be famous. These themes are reflected in the album. That tour naturally took him to the United States, a place that he found influence for most of the songs; the best example of that is the rocker "The Jean Genie" which was the leading single and also the most dipped in American rock and roll song on the whole album. A part of me wishes we were talking about that track today since I adore that one. Talk about a good time! Though, the one we have with us today is just as good. Our song of the day this go-around is "Cracked Actor", the fifth track off of Aladdin Sane. This track was written by Bowie during the American leg of his tour. If you couldn't have guessed from the album title or the raunchy lyrical themes, it was written while in Los Angeles. Like a lot of the tracks off of Aladdin Sane, this is another one of the songs that are written about how Bowie perceived America. As an American, I always wonder what our cliche stereotypes are. Probably arogant and violent, both of which are fairly true. For a bright and flourished wallflower such as Bowie, it must have been a trip flying across the sea to play music in front of the Americans. Many British stars of the time that came over here either loved all the energy or hated it. Bowie rolled with the punches and took those punches and punched them down on paper and then into song. He wrote "Cracked Actor" during his stay at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel, yes, the one that is on the cover of The Eagles' Hotel California. "Cracked Actor" was inspired by the amount of drugs and underage prostitutes he saw on Sunset Boulevard. Once again, it must have been a trip. Now there is plenty of debauchery on Aladdin Sane. Plenty. But I have always found "Cracked Actor" to be easily one of the sleaziest songs off the whole album. Sex. Sex. Sex. Oh! and drugs—can't forget the drugs. Not only that, I think this is one of the heaviest songs out of Bowie's earlier career. Think of it as a hybrid between The Rolling Stones and The Stooges. With the heavy backing, he sells the story of this down-and-out actor who takes part in the drugs and prostitution that the City of Angels has to offer to those that can afford it.

      "Cracked Actor" is the kind of song that is intense enough that the 3-minute running time shoots by you. A good time feeling that has a lacing of sin. Dirty but real. "Cracked Actor" was the chosen song for when David Bowie would make out with a skull on stage, something that stuck around into the following tour. Bowie showed that he had an intense air around him when he would perform; none shows that better than his famous performance in 1972 of "Starman" on Top of the Pops. That was the other half of what made Bowie famous. An artistic wildman. Half musician, half performer. So, for this tour it was a wild ride, something we are lucky enough to access in plenty of recordings and documentaries. "Cracked Actor" was always a highlighted portion of the show due to him donning sunglasses and whipping out the skull as a counterculture Hamlet. "Cracked Actor" is a classic from his early discography, and it is one that shows the negatives that come alongside the wild side of life that many of us drive by on the daily but never take part in. One of those Hollywood songs that almost serves as a cautionary tale more than anything, even if it then becomes more of a favorite for playing in bars and getting stoned at home. Funny how that works. I cannot count the times I drank to songs that warn against drinking. There is a special appeal there. Drinking to drinking songs is also enjoyable, but they don't have that same hopeless zap. I swear all brains crave destruction of self. Well, for "Cracked Actor", there is a ton to love. The hard-driving nature, the raunchy lyrics, and this overall swagger that helped David Bowie move into becoming one of the biggest icons in rock history. Give the song a go; I think you will really dig it. If not, you know there will be more hot picks here on AintNoisePollution tomorrow! Come back often and see if there is anything else that strikes your fancy. As you know, feel free to shoot me a message if you want that personal touch; you can find that email on the contact page on the homescreen. I am always happy to share what I have found through my years of deep study and daily picking apart of albums. That, or take a look at my Spotify. It has a ton of playlists just waiting for your listening pleasure. There are even more private playlists I would gladly share. Thanks for reading. See you down the line. Enjoy!

Year Released: 1973

Album: Aladdin Sane (1973)

Genre: Glam Rock, Hard Rock

Mood: Sinful

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Hangin' around downtown, Getting a beer

Where to Next: "Star Star" - The Rolling Stones

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/18/2026

"Superunknown" - Soundgarden

     I cannot believe that this only makes the second post about Soundgarden here on the website. This band is one of the most intense and innovative groups that came out of the grunge world in the 1990s. Shit, Chris Cornell is pretty well the patron saint of the whole scene. He was there for the start and also the end. He had his little fingers in so many grunge pies that it is safe to assume that he was the leading mastermind behind the genre's success. A strong vocalist, lyricist, and musician that always pushed any band he was in to the next level. There have been few deaths that hit the rock scene so hard, especially since he was only 52 when he passed back in 2017. We lost too many trailblazing musicians that year. You know, it is strange being someone who listens to mostly older music. Year by year they all start dropping, and half of my discography is listening to a dead person. Though, with something so old and with something so distant, it hardly feels like that. They become something... else. Not sure how to put it into words. It is said that your art will live on much longer than you and thus become who you actually are. As I listen through discographies from artists that long ago left their mortal vessel, I can see what they mean. More human than human. Soundgarden and Chris Cornell feel a little bit different. Their sound is a little more modern and aged wonderfully. It makes it cut deeper with this in mind. It reminds you of the human behind the music.

     Soundgarden is still doing their thing today and are even talking about releasing one more final album. More so just finishing up the final album they were going to release with Chris Cornell before his passing, something I do look forward to. There have been a few times in rock history that a leading musician dies and the remaining band tries dishing out one more album of unfinished material spruced up to be something of value. Yet, there is always this strangeness to it. Like finishing a job undone. I have no doubts that Soundgarden could put out something great, but I do wonder how it will sound if it ever actually comes out. The first time they talked about it was back in 2019, and that was before a massive legal battle that took years took place. This all came about due to 7 unreleased Chris Cornell vocal tracks, which many people were fighting over. More like the money surrounding it. That whole legal bullshit could take the whole post. I get people get used to certain lives and that money taints the soul, but fuck, that shit should stay out of music, especially when there were so many massive fans completely destroyed by the passing of one of their icons. Musicians, especially ones like Chris Cornell, literally save lives with their words and music. Currently Nile Rodgers (of Chic fame) owns 100% of Soundgarden's catalogue. Unreleased material, and released material alike. Strange, right? Well, he is friends with Vicky Cornell, Chris's widow, and so it seems the ball landed in her court. That wasn't the end of it; she sued many times more for more payola. I get it, I do, but it still leaves one hell of a bad taste in my mouth. What do I know, though? I am just some broke bastard that couldn't even fathom how much money she gets in royalties. In 2023 the surviving members of Soundgarden have said they are almost done with what will be the next album, and they estimate it will be coming out in 2027. Guess we are still waiting. So long as all the legal battles cease, we will seee something fresh. After all the drama, I hope it is worth it.

     Anyway, didn't mean to go off on a tangent. I had been looking into the suing since all of it started many years back, especially if I want to get annoyed. Let's leave that on the backburner for now. How about we jump into our song of the day and the album it comes off of, yeah? "Superunknown" is the title track from the band's landmark album, Superunknown, which was released in 1994. This album is.... intense. I mean, the kind of album that you really could never tire of. Unlike the bands' previous albums, this one has a wide array of sounds all dipped heavily in that Soundgarden signature sound they perfected with each new release up until that point. Superunknown holds a solid chunk of the band's most beloved songs, ones that are radio and rock staples. "Black Hole Sun", "Spoonman", "Fell On Black Days", "The Day I Tried to Live", and honestly, the rest of the songs off this sucker are classics. A completely perfect and blissful album that completely defined the rock sound of the time. One of those albums everyone should listen to at least once in their life. There are enough honest and moving lyrics to fill a whole book. Solid hooks that keep you more than satisfied. Ups and downs on the album that touch on the blues, psychedelic rock, doom metal, traditional hard rock, and plenty of other styles, all of which are still heavily in the grunge style that was slowly but surely starting to die out following 1994. Soundgarden is not the kind of band to go down with a burning ship. Right when they smell the smoke, they start building a stronger ship, one put together with all kinds of musical woods that saw them sailing through the whole of the 1990s with nothing but top-tier material. Soundgarden had two albums out of the 1980s, both of which are artsy fartsy but so damn pleasant. Not many stop off for their debut, Ultramega OK, which was released in 1988, but those that don't stop off are missing a key piece in understanding Soundgarden. If you aren't an album kind of person, that is alright; I beg you to at least stop in for "Flower". That song is killer! Anyway, back to Superunknown. This is the album that has me standing by Soundgarden being the most innovative and strong out of the grunge world. Don't go grabbing your pitchforks; I know that the genre as a whole was great at what they did. Alice in Chains is my favorite out of the big ones, but Soundgarden certainly has something special to them. Special enough to have a relatively short discography that trumps most of the others when it comes to leaving one serious impact on the next generation of rockers who pulled directly from the grand set of albums that Soundgarden released, even their much later one, King Animal, which was released in 2012. I still remember when that sucker dropped. You could hardly go a day without hearing "By Crooked Steps" playing on the radio. Great track. Damn, I cannot keep on track. Let's try this again.

     "Superunknown" is one of the best tracks off the album. I have said time and time again that the title track is one hell of a statement. It is the one that serves as the sails to the album, and once again, I stand correct with this album. "Superunknown" is the fifth track on the album and keeps the same dark beauty that fill this album. A ton of Soundgarden material is pretty depressing; that is some of the glory of it, and "Superunkown" follows suit. Lyrically, the song covers the topic of life. Well, the confusion of it all. The lyrics were written by Chris Cornell and Kim Thayil. Chris Cornell said in an interview regarding the lyrics that ""Superunknown" relates to birth in a way... Being born or even dying, getting flushed into something that you know nothing about". Hence the song name. Life really is the super unknown, and we chase figments our whole life trying to figure out why we are here. We are all alive in the super unknown. First it steals your mind and then it steals your soul. I have been talking a lot recently about the balance of time and money, of jobs and careers, and if it is ever worth it to spend your life chasing the almighty dollar. I would say, no, no it is not, but at the same time money plays a crucial role in keeping life moving. We are practically living in a subscription plan, the same as we do with Netflix or your favorite magazine, if they even send magazines anymore. We work to get money, money that then goes all to bills and rent to keep us moving for another day, another week, another month. That might not be the same for some, but for me, it certainly feels that way.

     So, I am alive in the super unknown, but my known is that of finding yourself in the clutter of the unknown. To understand where to stand. Have I made much progress? No. Not really. Still, I try. So, while I might lose my mind to it, the soul is still kicking. For the casual listener, the lyrics might seem fairly simple, but for those that take the time to feel the words, you will find it is pretty deep. The song seems to revolve around perception, one of my favorite conversation pieces. So, why find meaning, or why strive for understanding when there is no true answer? If what you hear, taste, see, and smell are to your own perception, then what really is truth? Are we seeing colors the same way? Are we even hearing this kick-ass song the same way? Can we really know what others are experiencing? What they may be feeling? I am sure we fear the same, maybe even love the same, but I cannot be too sure. We all share this same planet and drive upon the same roads, but all of that is in the void of the super unknown. Shit, this song might not even be that deep, but in my shoes it seems to be pretty intense. Through the super unknown we strive and suffer for meaning in a meaningless world. Don't read that with a frown; read it with understanding. So long as you find some control, something to steer your ship, then you find your meaning in the meaningless, or maybe how to cope with the unknown. Be it love, family, money, kindness, pets, music, or nature. Those that wander through life without even a thought about the bigger picture live a life of peace. Though that makes you wonder if there was ever even a mind or soul to steal from those people. Anyway, aside from the great lyrics that are both plain and profound, we have tight playing. Like the majority of the album, I gotta give a special shoutout to guitarist Kim Thayil. That dude is the driving force of Soundgarden. He can chug like a train engine one second and then turn around and play with such finesse you might think he is an elven prince. "Superunknown" is one of the golden senders off Superunknown that will always have me coming back for more. I am sure you can agree. Don't know the song? Shame on you. Well, time to fix that. Load it up already! Enjoy!

Year Released: 1994

Album: Superunknown (1994)

Genre: Grunge, Rock

Mood: Hard Driving

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Getting ready in the morning, Working, Chores, Driving with the windows down

Where to Next: "Show Me How to Live" - Audioslave

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/17/2026

"Loneliness" - Grand Funk Railroad

     Loneliness is a real thing, something that many deal with, and it isn't a great thing. Though... that doesn't mean that songs revolving around the topic can't be great! "Loneliness" by Grand Funk Railroad is one of the spotlighted tracks off the band's fifth studio album, E Pluribus Funk. There are plenty of great Grand Funk tracks off that album, be it the heavy-hitting, jam-friendly "People, Let's Stop the War", the sensationally catchy "Foot Stompin' Music", or the ending piece on the album that has you floating away one second and then coming back from intense vocal work the next, "Loneliness". Shit, by now you know that Grand Funk Railroad is the backbone of rock and hard rock music. They hardly hit the same acclaim as some of the legendary 1970s rock bands, but they equal them in quality tracks. I have looked into few bands that have such a passionate fanbase. Grand Funk Railroad proves that record sales and where you land on the charts mean nothing. A good chunk of their albums landed over the top ten spot on the US charts but still weren't able to hit certain record sales that the legends of the rock world achieved. The band's highest-selling album is 1970's Closer to Home, which went on to hit the 2x platinum status, though it wasn't even their highest charter. Their highest-charting album is 1973's We're an American Band, the same album that holds their second most famous song of the same name, "We're an American Band". What is their most popular song in modern standards? One that I think doesn't reflect the band's sound nearly as well as their other hits, "Some Kind of Wonderful". Don't get me wrong, the track is fuckin' great! One of those songs that it seems all of us here at one point or another had an obsession with, but the Grand Funk I know isn't built around love songs. So, their most popular song, "Some Kind of Wonderful", came off their ninth studio album, All the Girls in the World Beware!!!, but that album charted weaker than their previous releases and only hit the silver status of sales. 

     So, why am I taking all this time talking about those albums and songs? Well, that is what I do here on the website. Aside from that, it is to show that Grand Funk Railroad stands against the record sales norm. They will have a hit single but a weaker-selling album, and on the other side of the coin, they will have one of the hottest-selling albums of the year but not have much success in the way of singles. An oddity band. Sales don't mean shit. Grand Funk Railroad is the blood and soul of rock music in the 1970s. Their hard rock style is damn pleasant, and they never try too hard to hide their rough edges. They moved along with certain trends without a hitch and stayed relevant from 1969 to 1976, even if their sales don't reflect it. The band released two albums in the 1980s, both of which are decent for true fans but are not places that the casual Grand Funk listener should stop off. I ain't talkin' shit, there is good stuff there, but they hardly can keep up with the band's great collection of albums out of the 1970s and 1969. It is hard for me not to fan girl over the band; they are one of my longest loves in rock music, and I have never once grown tired of any of their songs. They are the kind of group I think the gold rests away from their hits. "Some Kind of Wonderful", "We're an American Band", "The Loco-Motion", and "Closer to Home (I'm Your Captain)" are all spectacular songs, especially the last one of the list, but you find even more to love, more to truly enjoy, in the soul of the bands' albums. Maybe that is a me thing, but hey, this is my website. This is also coming from someone who has breathed Grand Funk Railroad for well over a decade. I can never get enough. So, the hits are great, but those that never made it onto a single sometimes hit even harder.

     This is only the third time that Grand Funk has shown up on AintNoisePollution. We first talked about the band last year in November with "In Need" off their second studio album, Grand Funk (the Red Album), which was released in 1969 four months after their debut, my favorite album from the band, On Time. "In Need" is a great jamming song. Straight boogie rock that has you wanting to take your pants off and get down! Both in the sack and also to just dance in the middle of a busy street. Their second choice on the website is their essential song, "People, Let's Stop the War", which comes off the same album as today's song of the day. The wonderful album that holds the two is E Pluribus Funk. The album released in 1971, and up to that point it was the band's highest-charting album, coming in at the 5th spot on the US charts and the 3rd on the Canadian charts. It performed pretty well elsewhere, but North America was the band's home. I mean, shit, they have a whole song about being an American band, so what do you expect? They are definitive of the US rock sound during the early 1970s. The Brits brought early heavy metal, but we kept our roots intact and kept things good timin' for a good while. Once those two sounds came together, it was rock heaven, but even by themselves they kick some serious ass. Getting off topic. E Pluribus Funk was the band's second and final album out of 1971. It came six months after the band's fourth studio album, Survival, which was released in April to mass praise from fans. Another classic from the band. They followed it up with something even better with E Pluribus Funk. It held all that made Survival such a fun album, but this time they mixed in something more true, something more blissful. Now, even on this album, Grand Funk still kept their signature sound. That signature sound is.... A little chaotic and easygoing. Almost like the band doesn't ever really try to completely floor you with a song. They play, you listen, they smile, you smile. We all win. This isn't a Jimmy Page showcasing of guitar work on Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV, or the soaring vocals of Ian Gillan from Deep Purple and their 1971 studio album Fireball. This is simply a good fuckin' album that doesn't pull punches but really isn't there to innovate or impress. That might sound like a jab, but if anything it is quite the opposite. This is like really wanting McDonald's instead of heading to some local burger point with unique flavors. You get yourself a bag of cheap burgers and then sit down and gorge. No intense bursts of flavor. No need. You are there to eat, enjoy, and then poop it out later. That is the same with Grand Funk Railroad. You just come to enjoy it, man. To forget about life for a second and enjoy their simple flavor that always has you wanting more in later that day. There are indeed still moments on their albums that have you being like, "Damn, that felt good", but it is always met with a fuzzy wall of sound that is simply pleasant to any rocker's ears for the next song.

     E Pluribus Funk is an album I highly suggest from their discography. Each track lays down some serious smack all the way until the final track off the album, "Loneliness", which calms your soul after such a smack around. Man... That intro! I fucking love that intro. You ever have one of those moments where you can turn off all the sound around you? Pure focus? It feels like a snowy night where there is some muffled sound around, but mostly all you can hear is your heartbeat. That is the intro to "Loneliness". I was having a pretty shit day at work. Overworked. Undernourished. Embarrassed. Just kind of in a bad mood, ya know? Well, while I was rushing to finish some paperwork so I could get back on my feet and keep pushin', this song kicked on. At my job I rarely put on both headphones, but for "Loneliness" I just needed my own little moment where the outside world meant nothing. Where I was just some floating soul sitting in a loud and stinky warehouse. So, I put both of those headphones in and just shut my eyes for a little bit. It was like taking an MP potion in a video game. I felt my energy returning, and even if someone grabbed me and started shaking me, I would have flopped around like a plushy, still unfeeling and unseeing of this world around me. "Loneliness" doesn't even have some profound nature, but there is something soothing in its breath-stealing intro that can set your soul at ease. These kinds of intros are what I come to Grand Funk Railroad for. Like what you hear? Check out one of my favorite songs of theirs, "Heartbreaker". "Loneliness" has an even further drawn-out guitar intro. What might sound like some progressive rock beginning quickly moves into a cold, silent room with a simple guitar playing. That feeling holds on until the minute mark. Leading up until the vocals of Mark Farner join, the band brings in more mellow instrumentation, but it takes all the way until the 2-minute mark when the band moves into a more explosive and loud sound. Lyrically, the song revolves around not abusing mother nature and finding yourself in the storm of humanity, and through finding your own voice, you need to then learn how to help others along. E Pluribus Funk features some of the band's greatest lyrical themes, most of which beg for peace with a desperate hand extended to join the movement. By the middle of the song it moves into the second part where the band goes... Randomly progressive rock? Things get intense around this part. Galloping drums that sound wonderful coming from a competent sound system, stronger vocal work that pierces your soul, and eerie, repetitious guitar playing that takes the back step for the drums, vocals, and bass guitar to do their thing. Grand Funk Railroad has always wowed me with how much sound they put out for only three musicians. "Loneliness" is a track that doesn't get the love it deserves. It is intense! One of the most well put together Grand Funk Railroad songs out there. They always seem to end their albums with the most cohesive track that was recorded during the session, and "Loneliness" is just that. The outro is their stake in being more than meets the eye. The reminder that they like their easygoing sound but aren't scared to step out of their comfort zone to put together a completely riveting song for those that sat through the whole album. It is the ice cream that follows a tasty meal. "Loneliness" is immensely underrated, and I am so happy to have the song here on the website to share with you! Thanks for reading. Hope you dig the track. Enjoy!

Year Released: 1971

Album: E Pluribus Funk (1971)

Genre: Rock

Mood: Hollow

​Perfect For: Focused listening, Finding peace, Relaxing, Internal struggles, Casual listening

Where to Next: "Let Me Try" - MC5

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/16/2026

"Don't Let Me Down Again" - Buckingham Nicks

     I was wondering how long it would take for a song off this album to show up on the website. Well, the wait is over; today we get to talk about "Don't Let Me Down Again", off the only album by the duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks ever put out. This is like... Proto-Fleetwood Mac. I guess Fleetwood Mac had already been putting out a ton of great albums and songs before 1973, but you know what I mean. I wonder how it feels to have been dishing out so much great material that not many people were buying for 7 years and, through losing what the band stood for, struck out to massive fame years into their career. There are few classic rock bands that survived the test of time nearly as well as Fleetwood Mac. The band is as famous as famous could be, but before they hit that fame, Fleetwood Mac was without Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, the two that completely shook up the band and in some ways completely stole it. We all know about rock music's favorite soap opera, and a good chunk of that came from Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who were together before even joining up in Fleetwood Mac. They had that classic young kid taking on the world kind of relationship. Lots of ups and downs and all the things surrounding learning about life while being in a committed relationship. Things are naturally a lot harder when one of those in the relationship is Lindsey Buckingham. That dude really knows how to play and put together a song, almost better than the majority in the history books of rock music, but much like anyone who is damn good at what they do, they think everyone else should obey. So, being in a relationship probably followed suit. Still, good times and bad times, that tends to encompass most people's early relationships. Learning, lusting, loving, and leaving. Anyway, Stevie Nicks met Lindsey Buckingham while attending high school. They first met while she was a senior and he was a junior while at an afterschool function. Nothing really came from that, and there was little to no communication between the two until two years later when Buckingham called her up to ask if she would be interested in singing in a band he was playing bass in called Fritz.

     Now, Stevie Nicks played music, but most of it was rooted in folk, and out of nowhere she was thrust into singing like a rock n roller. Fritz never really found much footing, but it was the first step for the duo to find their place in the music world and know what they wanted to do next. Fritz opened for some seriously big names out of the 1960s, like Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane. This got the eyes of Keith Olsen, a well-respected producer and sound engineer who had been working with many legends and would go on to be in the phonebooks of most anyone who was worth a damn in the following years. Anyway, at this time Olsen was working as a producer for a label he helped create called Anthem Records. After seeing a show of theirs, he urged Buckingham and Nicks to strike out on their own, away from the rest of Fritz, and record a demo album. After it was done, it was time to send that sucker out. Luckily Keith Olsen, alongside his producer friends, had some connections and got their name in the door of Polydor Records, who agreed to distribute the album far and wide. The duo got together and started writing songs; most of them were amateur in comparison to their later work with Fleetwood Mac, but they have soul. They now needed to get a record deal since they already had the distribution figured out, so like any star-eyed child might do, they ran off to Los Angeles to see it through.

     Stevie Nicks did most of the working while Buckingham focused on perfecting his guitar work. Both wrote the songs, some based on personal experiences and others for the sake of writing some songs. The album features two instrumentals that show off the early sound from Lindsey Buckingham. By September in 1973, they had themselves their first album. Polydor Records kind of dropped the ball when it came to promotion, which saw the album selling terribly. There was only a small fanbase that spawned in Alabama due to the disc jockies taking an interest in it. There is a lot to dig about this hidden gem of Fleetwood Mac history. Half of what gathered the attention was that unfortunate album cover, something that Stevie Nicks completely hated. What she thought was to be a simple photoshoot turned creepy quickly, and she was convinced to appear on the album cover without a top alongside Buckingham. Gotta love that Los Angeles touch. So, in a way I bet it hurt to see their pretty good set of songs not show up all over the United States, but at the same time it was probably a relief to not have that album cover plastered on record shop windows. Even though the album failed, it was their first true taste of success, something to keep them pushing on since they knew they were onto something. It was a piece of fate that Mick Fleetwood happened to stop by Sound City, the studio where they recorded Buckingham Nicks, while he was checking out some studios for Fleetwood Mac's next album. To show off some sound, they had "Frozen Love" from the album play, which caught Fleetwood's attention. Communication started, and he ultimately offered them a spot with Fleetwood Mac on New Year's Eve in 1974, where Buckingham and Nicks met the rest of the band. The rest is history.

     Our song of the day is the 6th song off the album, "Don't Let Me Down". This is my favorite song off the album, and it is strikingly similar to Fleetwood Mac. I mean, it ain't shocking since it has that skillful swipe of paint that Lindsey Buckingham brings into the studio. I am talking about heavily layered guitar work that doesn't allow any silence to squeeze through. All air is taken. "Don't Let Me Down" was written by Lindsey Buckingham, and the full vision was seen through with Stevie Nicks backing up the vocals of Buckingham. Behind the guitar, which leads the whole song forward with a rock n roll ease, there is Ron Tutt on drums and Jerry Scheff on bass guitar. The two were part of Elvis's band, the TCB Band, from 1969 until the day the king left the building in 1977. Two really strong musicians that know how to cradle a song. "Don't Let Me Down" is so heavily washed in the rock sound of the time that it makes it a perfect companion to any 1970s playlist. The guitar work is hard-driving but grooving. The vocals are proud. Overall the whole song has this worn-down feeling to it. Something Hollywood you can talk on the road with you, if you get what I am trying to say. Stevie Nicks said it was "southern rockabilly with a Celtic twist", something I can see what she means. The song is smooth and easy. Not top shelf whiskey, but still something you can sip at and enjoy. Well, I wish I could get further into the song, but I won't lie, I cannot get the mojo working for this post! I hate when this happens. Some days just go that way. I spend more time staring at the keyboard than actually typing anything out. More deleting lines than anything. I am especially frustrated since I had been waiting for this album to find its way onto the website. It is what it is. One last little piece of info. Buckingham Nicks was media locked for 52 years! I could only listen to it on YouTube on one of those videos where a dude is recording the album spinning. Not great quality either. I was so damn glad when I saw this one get remastered and released at the end of last year. It was ported onto streaming services, CD, and got another vinyl release, some on some mighty pretty colors. I would get it if it was an early release from some less popular artist, but this is two of the most successful and recognizable rock artists out of the 1970s! Crazy that it took this long to get a rerelease. Still, we are here now, and if you didn't know this album existed, don't feel bad. It was kind of hidden for a while, but we have it now! So, for your potential first taste, I give to you the divine "Don't Let Me Down". I am going to bed. Enjoy!

Year Released: 1973

Album: Buckingham Nicks (1973)

Genre: Rock

Mood: Smooth

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Errands, Driving through the city, Relaxing

Where to Next: "Guitar Man" - Bread 

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/15/2026

"Come In Out of the Rain" - Parliament

     Hope you came to the website today for a truly revolutionary band. One of those ones that force you to think and leave one hell of an imprint on you, even if it is just from the funky funk these boys lay down. I am sure you already know the group. Take one second within the funk genre and Parliament is bound to show up. Take a second within the artistic, somewhat psychedelic side of R&B or rock, and you will likely hear their sister group, Funkadelic. Now, I am a massive Funkadelic fan; that is where I really go out of George Clinton's P-Funk collective, but I will never deny a chance to stop off and listen to Parliament whenever I get the chance. Before we get further into the vision and artistry of George Clinton and his rotating bands of top talent, let's talk a little bit about why Parliament is here with us today. A solid couple of posts ago I mentioned that my studies were undergoing a massive expansion. For the last 8 or so years now (yeesh) I have been undertaking a conquest of listening to pretty well any rock, punk, and metal albums I could find starting in 1920. Country music had its place from 1920 to 1979, but I stopped that one to usher in full focus on the now-running punk and heavy metal world. Through the time I have listened to thousands of albums and a crazy amount of songs. When I wasn't listening, I sat there studying the artists as I went. I had already been deeply into studying heavy metal years before this and naturally rock music, which was well before I even knew what I wanted to do with all the studies. AintNoisePollution was born from that groundwork. Though the main study was into rock as a whole. Funkadelic was selected as part of the study, but I left Parliament out due to their status in funk and R&B as a whole. So I don't take a massive chunk of this post explaining what I am doing; we will just make it quick. You see, while I was focusing on those three main genres and country at the start, I was still sampling other genres as I went, especially since I am not a one-genre kind of man and can't help but want to listen to Al Green here and Duran Duran there. I have been an avid listener of music as soon as I got my gross, cheese-greased child fingers on stuff to play it, so most of these other genres have already been a part of my collection for years. Just not my field of study. For years I tried avoiding the studies into other genres aside from the tasters here and there, mainly since it was already taking me a tremendously long time going through all these albums and artists. Something I am still working on right now, currently being in 2003, which has taken me an unreal amount of time. 

     After years of doing this, I will admit that I got a little burned out; I needed something to mix it up, both for the honesty of my studies and also for personal enjoyment. I don't want to make a business out of this, you see? I already get burned out from my current job. So, I expanded the studies last month, mainly focusing in on reggae, 1980s to modern-day country, and folk music (mostly folk revival). Though, even that wasn't enough. I couldn't help but expand it further, the most massive being the counterpart to rock music, R&B. Rock before rock. Still, I am serving it as a tasting. Not a deep study. Simply put: if I want to listen to an album, I just listen to it. No worries of "Oh, I should be listening to the next Sevendust album". So, the new age is upon us, and through my expansion into R&B and all its subcategories, bluegrass, shoegaze, and 1980s pop, there is a higher chance to see it here on the website, something that worries me since this is a website meant for rock. I will never appologize for having more than one pony I ride upon, but I do worry about the vision of the website overall. This is my place to talk music, sure, but it is also your place to listen to music that is to your taste while hoping to urge you into other places to broaden your music palate. It is hard for me to see past my own music collection, and I always figure people would like to hear Hank Williams one day, Cream the next, and then finish it off with some Stevie Wonder, but that is often not the case. So, you might see some more genres popping up here as time moves along. Rock will be the website's home; there is just no changing that, but we might as well add some more layers and texture to the massive amount of music that fills our planet. It is often the best way to understand issues you don't deal with yourself and to also get a taste of cultures that you will likely never have a chance to get integrated with. Didn't mean to take up the whole post and will try to keep the next portion short. Emphasis on try. Thanks for reading! Let's get to talkin' about that funky mothership that blew the mind of a whole generation.

     Parliament is one of the bands from the wonderful and often wonky brain of George Clinton. Now, this dude is a visionary. He was the bridging gap between rockers and funk fans. The material that came out of Parliament and Funkadelic is certainly out there, but in all the right ways. They know how to balance their albums so there is something commercial, something artsy, and something plain strange to make sure you won't forget the ride you went on. The P-Funk collective is a revolving door of talent, with George Clinton serving as the grounding piece. There is a wide array of vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bassists, keyboardists, organists, pianists, and really any type of musician you could imagine on their albums. That is some of what makes their albums such a wild ride, man. Each song is something new. For me, all I knew from Parliament's debut was the kick-ass tongue-in-cheek song, "I Call My Baby Pussycat". I had already listened to a couple of Parliament's more notable albums throughout my life but had yet to listen to much of their debut aside from that one song. So, even knowing the band, I still expected there to be more of those kinds of songs. Some straight R&B that has you boogie down, but nope, each song was something unique. We had randomly country-esque songs that at first just seem like a joke, but before you know it, they dish out a great one, steel guitar and all. We had the blues tracks, the rockers, the psychedelic pop ones, soul, and whatever other style that had already hit the music world in America by the time of its release in 1970. Much like the tunes out of Funkadelic, there is always this strange psychedelic touch to it. Also, much like Funkadelic, the band goes into jam sessions without warning. Some songs are half made up of instrumental bits to dance to. Honestly, I don't know how I felt about the debut. It seemed more like a way for George Clinton and others to just have a good time. There were the moments that had me lost in thought, and other moments I was lost in the funk sauce, but there were also moments that made me wonder what the hell was even going on. I guess that is the appeal. Their debut didn't spawn too much coverage then much like it doesn't spawn too many listeners now in comparison to their other albums. Still a necessary listen for anyone trying to understand the wild mind of George Clinton and to see what the band was about, but still not one I suggest starting into the band with. That title rests with their legendary 1975 album, Mothership Connection, which is all killer, no filler. But for today, we look at the song "Come In Out of the Rain", which comes off a later release of their debut album.

     "Come In Out of the Rain" never made the cut for the original release of the band's debut, Osmium, which was released in 1970. Truth be told, trying to get info and track the release history of this album was one of the first hurdles I had when looking into the band. "Come In Out of the Rain" seemed to have its first album release when Osmium was released again in 1991 under the name First Thangs. Though, it was also included on the CD release of Osmium in the 2009 UK reissue through Edsel Records called Osmium... Plus. For an official answer of when this song was originally released, it was in 1972 as a single with "Little Ole Country Boy" on the backside. From 1970 to 1974 Parliament couldn't use their own band name due to a contractual dispute with their label, Revilot Records, so most of the band and George Clinton started making music under the Funkadelic name, but that is a lesson for another time. Still, they released singles during this period under the Parliament name; practically all were previously recorded songs from this album's recording sessions. From what I have listened to in my life and also what I just got done hearing from the rereleased version of Osmium, it seems that "Come In Out of the Rain" is the one that gathered my affection the most. It is one of those songs heavily dipped in peace and love. Now, Parliament and Funkadelic have never been the type of group to hold back from saying what they want, so it isn't a big shocker that they have these kinds of tracks, but man did they do it so fuckin' well! The most popular single from this "down and out" period for the band is likely "Breakdown", and for all the right reasons, that is one funky fucker. For "Breakdown" and "Come In Out of the Rain", the vocals are taken on by a short-lived member of the P-Funk collective, Clyde Darnell Wilson. This is a one-stop for his part in Parliament since he was never to be heard again with them. Not sure why. He does a stellar job, maybe even better than a solid chunk of the vocalists within their ranks. Sure, a little more by the book, the same book that George Clinton quickly threw out the window, but there is nothing wrong with something smooth and enjoyable. I am honestly shocked the song didn't make the cut for the album and eventually got its release 2 years later. It fits the feeling of the album wonderfully. A strong worded message of peace. More blaming the individual instead of the system. Falling through the cracks and spending more time making the cracks larger than fixing them. For being foolish enough to stand out in the rain of hate instead of just heading inside and creating room for others to join. All of this backed up by the smooooth guitar work of Eddie Hazel. If you don't know that name but love guitar, then what are you doing? Straight up. This dude has a signature sound I cannot get enough of. A solid solo album called Game, Dames, and Guitar Thangs that is well worth the listen. Some of his solos for Funkadelic are their most notable. He is a powerhouse, and his solo in the stomach of "Come In Out of the Rain" is one of the highlights of the song. Great lyrics, powerful vocals, and Eddie Hazel on guitar—that is the making of a damn good Parliament or Funkadelic song. Tried, tested, and true! Alright, I will just let you get to jammin' the track already. Sorry for another long post! Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1972

Chosen Album: Osmium... Plus (2009)

Genre: R&B

Mood: Invigorating

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Worrying about the future, Commuting, Taking a walk

Where to Next: "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" - The Temptations

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/14/2026

"Guitar Man" - Jerry Reed

     Son. Today we have some Jerry Reed on the website! I know, I know, but you need to contain your excitement. We have a whole post in front of us! Jerry Reed is one of the best guitar players in country history. This dude plays so damn fast with just his fingers, and that sound setup his signature sound. What is that Jerry Reed signature sound? It comes down to a country bumpkin backing, something fun and funky but still very much situated in country music. It took a while for Jerry Reed to find that swampy sound, but once it took off, Reed became an icon in the country world. For classic country, I would say that Jerry Reed is one of the most entry-level artists. He is the type of dude that even those that don't like country music can get into. Some of that is in his guitar work and love for all forms of music, something he has never shied away from expressing. Honestly, Jerry Reed doesn't get the credit he is due. Every album I have heard of his has plenty of great songs. His guitar playing is only rivaled by maybe Chet Atkins and the bluegrass pickers when it comes to classic country. Our song of the day expresses it but not as well as some of his later material. Jerry Reed isn't only known for his music; he is also known for his place in many of the definitive movies of its decade, the most successful and iconic being his role as the Snow Man in Smokey and the Bandit. Did you know he was originally supposed to be the leading star? The vision was some B-film that wasn't all too serious, but luckily the movie found its footing and became one of the most iconic car movies in cinema history. If you haven't seen the movie, I strongly suggest it, even just to see Jerry Reed being the silly bastard that he is. Reed has shown up in other movies too. Though his place in that movie and the song he wrote and performed for its soundtrack, "East Bound and Down", is one of his biggest achievements, and it is one of those songs that everyone knows but not everyone knows who performed it. Soundtrack songs are sometimes peculiar to just listen to, but "East Bound and Down" is a damn good one, no matter the time, place, or mood. Jerry Reed compliments any event. Drinkin' with buddies, working, going on an adventure, chilling at home, and pretty much anything else you can think of—Jerry Reed is a damn fine choice. Even funerals. You can't trump quality, and all that Jerry Reed does is quality. Sure, he has his stinker songs, but I would still rather listen to them than some other group's greatest hits. 

     All this praise for a dude I haven't even fully introduced. Jerry Reed is a highly successful country star. Not only has he had a vastly successful recording career, something I feel doesn't get the right amount of love modernly, but he also did a lot in the background of the country world. He has released 35 studio albums, four of which made it into the top 10 on the country charts. Reed isn't the kind of artist that thrives on the charts, so don't go thinking it reflects his quality. Like we just got done talking about with Clutch, the charts don't mean jack in the long run. Aside from his large quantity of studio albums (relatively small in the classic country world), he also has two live albums and a handful of collaboration albums, the most notable being the guitar pickin' fire on the ones he did alongside Chet Atkins. I am obsessed with Reed's material from his debut in 1967 all the way to his 1986 album, Lookin' at You. I have listened through pretty well all of his studio albums. His later ones are still worth the stop-off, but they are more a home for true fans than just casual listeners. The power is in his 1970s career, man, there isn't even a single bad album out of the 19 albums that came out during that time. Jerry Reed released hot singles like it was just another day at the office. He had only three hit the top of the US country charts, but there was a fuckin' ton that danced up and down the chart for months on end. I guess even then Jerry Reed was a little underrated. He walked his own path. One of the only country stars of the time you will see rockin' different kinds of hats instead of your traditional cowboy hats. Now, that might not seem like much, but it expresses a ton about you. You all know that the cowboy hat is a sacred thing. Most people take it damn seriously, and if you were a recording star, many had a signature hat. Some chose not to wear a hat, especially if they wanted to come across kindly. Jerry Reed would wear all sorts of hats, even wearing a bucket hat on the cover of his second studio album, Nashville Underground. Eventually he got his signature hat, first showing up in 1976 on the cover of Both Barrels, but before that it was whatever he wanted to wear. Much like his hat choices, his music followed suit. I always got the idea that Jerry Reed loved country music the most but honestly just wanted to play his guitar and tell people a story, no matter what genre he fell into. He always stands out from the country crowd.

    Jerry Reed didn't have the easiest start in his career, much like he didn't have the easiest start to life. Soon after he was born, his parents split up, which saw him and his sister in and out of foster care and orphanages for seven years. Eventually his mom got her head on straight. By the time the fool left school, he was hell-bent on being a star. By 18 he had already cut his first single, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise". It failed to chart but eventually had its time being a popular song when Johnny Cash covered it with a childish demeanor in 1958. He started writing songs for Capitol Records during the rockabilly craze and recording his own rockabilly songs on the side. Some of rockabilly's biggest stars of the time recorded some of the songs he penned, "Crazy Legs" from Gene Vincent being the most notable. Following a moderately unsuccessful start in his music career, he joined up with the army, getting out and moving to Nashville in 1961. It was his time to try striking out again, and this time he had an easier start since teen star Brenda Lee just had big-time success with his song "That's All You Got to Do" the year prior, one of my favorite songs from Brenda Lee. This got his name moving, and soon enough he was on the backing band to some big stars, becoming a go-to name if someone wanted his country pickin'. In 1962 he released two more singles, "Hully Gully Guitar" and his version of the iconic "Goodnight Irene", both of which charted over the top 100 mark. Things were growing steam, especially since those two tracks gathered the attention of RCA Records and the country legend and big time producer, Chet Atkins. This gave him the ground to release his first truly strong hit, "Guitar Man", which even became his nickname for a good while. "Guitar Man" is one damn fun, and I mean a damn fun, song. Not the best one to show off that Jerry Reed style, but it still has this little teasing factor that lets you get a taste of what he will do later and certainly what he can do. Elvis covered the track soon after its release, which only gained him more attention. I have never been able to decide which version I like more. The Jerry Reed one almost feels like a true story, while the Elvis one goes down smooth and creates a healthy mental image of a boogie-woogie guitar player moving his way into stardom by fronting a five-piece band. That is all you get of the Jerry Reed story, but keep an eye on the website since he is bound to show up again, especially with autumn right around the corner. Jerry Reed and autumn go hand in hand for me.

     "Guitar Man" is the second song off of Jerry Reed's debut album, The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed, which was released in 1967. The album failed to chart, but the single to "Guitar Man" hit the 53rd spot. Fairly low for such an iconic song, but it was more successful in the way of getting his name around than anything else. Within the same year he released "Tupelo Mississippi Flash", which hit the 17th spot on both the US country charts and the 14th spot on the Canadian country charts, which serves as proof of "Guitar Man" getting that name out there. "Guitar Man" is the song that shot him into everyone knowing his name, and the most important person to know that name was Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. Jerry Reed has said how it all went down with Elvis getting a late-career hit off of "Guitar Man". Reed was fishing when he got the call from the producer over Elvis at the time saying that he was getting frustrated since they had been trying to record a version of "Guitar Man" all day long but couldn't get the same sound down that appears on Reed's version. Now, Jerry Reed being Jerry Reed, didn't just say, "Well, good luck". Instead, he said that the only way to get that sound down was to have Reed come into the studio to cut the song since the guitar players were doing it all wrong. Reed plays with his fingers and also has his string tuned all over the place. So, Felton Jarvis, producer for RCA Records who was in contract with Elvis at the time, hired Reed to come in and lay down some tracks. He headed into the studio and met with Elvis, and as soon as Jerry Reed kicked into the iconic rambunctious intro to "Guitar Man", Elvis lit right up and jumped into the song with the same energy. Don't know if you read much into Elvis, but people have said he loses all his senses when the music kicks in; he truly feels it, even if it makes him shake all silly and make random noises. That is some of what makes me adore Elvis and all of his music; he truly loves what he is doing there. Anyway, Elvis had such a blast they also cut a cover of "U.S. Male", which also comes off Jerry Reed's debut. Since Reed was there, he had him play the guitar for "Big Boss Man", which came out on the same soundtrack for Clambake that Elvis put out in 1967, with "Guitar Man" being the star track. Have you heard "Guitar Man" from Jerry Reed yet? You can easily see how Elvis fell in love with it, obsessing on it so much he had the man who wrote it come into the studio so he could see how it was all done. For those that know both versions of the song but didn't know Reed was the one doing the guitar, you can see how the two are almost identical. Still, I won't tell you which version I like more since I honestly don't even know. Always hard to beat an original, but Elvis has proved time and time again he tends to be the one to break that standing. "Guitar Man" is certainly the best song on his debut; it has so much energy it wears you out before you get into the other ones. His debut is... strange. There is a wide array of styles from Jerry Reed, so much so that it challenges if it is even a country album in the first place. "Guitar Man" is still rooted in that rockabilly sound he had in the earliest days of his career. The send-off at 1:20 is damn good, and I love when the bass comes in to send the song off into a solid boogie, and it is there that I think the Elvis version does it better. The clean, higher-budget recording that Elvis could afford does wonders for the song. The cheap and quick feeling of the original is hard to beat; it gives the song a little bit of this honesty of an artist that is trying his hardest to break into the charts. Funnily enough, it was a song about trying to do just that, which got Jerry Reed's career growing insanely fast. I cannot overstate how much more credit Jerry Reed deserves. He ain't the type of artist that you stop into those greatest hit albums; you would be doing it wrong. You gotta pick up a full album. The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed might not be the best place to start into Jerry Reed, but "Guitar Man" certainly is. If you are interested in where to start since country albums can often be hard to find the perfect ones due to the mass quantity of releases, then just shoot me an email via my contact page. I would love to spread the word of Jerry Reed and naturally to hear from you. Enjoy! 

Year Released: 1967

Album: The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed (1967)

Genre: Country

Mood: Fun

​Perfect For: Getting entranced by the windshield wipers, Traveling, Drinking at home, Good times

Where to Next: "Big Boss Man" - Elvis Presley

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/13/2026

"The Elephant Riders" - Clutch

     Clutch is the type of group that can make something so odd sound so damn compelling. They have songs about being a crazed "I have seen them" alien fanatic, driving around the solar system in a muscle car, being a samurai named Marcus, and more often than not they have the same approach as early Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rob Zombie, where the lyrics don't often make sense together, but each line is something cool. Robot chickens, robot lords of Tokyo, and plenty of other random lines that just jive. What Clutch excels best at is melding funky lyrics with strong hooks that have you overlooking the oddness of the lyrics. Truth be told, I dig the fuck out of Clutch's lyrics, even if they are a tad bit random. Great for mental imagery. These dudes are truly unique while still keeping close to plenty of bands, making them easily meld into playlists and CD collections. Dig Primus? Well, you will likely like Clutch. How about Corrosion of Conformity? We got a winner. Some more straightforward hard rock like AC/DC? Well, Clutch can rock alongside them, especially their later material. Still, even with all the similarities, they have a presence of their own, and some tracks show that off wonderfully, like "10001110101", "Big News I", "Big News II", "Spacegrass", "The Mob Goes Wild", and so many others. For today, we will be talking about "The Elephant Riders" and the album of the same name, which it comes off of. First, let's talk about your new favorite band. Clutch has shown up on AintNoisePollution once before, but that was way back in September last year, so maybe a little update is in order. Clutch comes out of Germantown, Maryland. Now, Maryland isn't known for a ton of bands to have come out of it. It might sound silly, but Clutch was the first band I looked into that didn't come from a big cultural hub. It was like some strange lightbulb went off in my child mind that you can make it just about anywhere if you do it right. Clutch had a relatively slow start, and even when they picked up, they still rarely made it all too high on the mainstream charts. Always a champion of the US Heatseekers chart, but never the top of the Billboard 200 list. That is just how Clutch rolls. In the modern tongue, those charts hardly mean a thing, and Clutch has one strong following in the streaming age. Their music aged like fine wine, and they still manage to put out good material even today. 2022's Sunrise on Slaughter Beach was too damn good! I don't think I have come across a single bad Clutch song. I mean, they rarely switch it up, but who needs to when their brand of hard rock is what people come to them for? I would honestly be sort of disappointed if they came back with something off their beaten path. Their expression, experimentation, and artistic nature are the perfect way of doing it. Keep it to your core sound but maybe have some heavier songs and then the strange, almost psychedelic ones to balance out the musical palate before moving into the blues.

     Anyway, these Maryland boys come in strong with each release. They started up in 1991 but didn't put out their first album until 1993. During their rising, they solidified their lineup and figured out their band's name. They originally went by Moral Minority and Glut Trip but luckily settled on Clutch due to theband'ss interest in cars, something that is often shown in imagery and lyricism. Moral Minority isn't the worst name, but it is a little too punk rock. Glut Trip could also be too punk, but I think it also expresses some of the band's sound, better than Moral Minority at least. Clutch started playing shows and gathering a strong following. They had their first single released by Earache Records, which then had some bigger fish in the record industry ocean taking notice of them. East West Records was the one that snagged them, and it was through them that Clutch released their first two albums. Their debut *cracks fingers*, Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, and Undeniable Truths, dropped in 1993 and went unnoticed, though it has become a fan favorite album since. Their second studio album, Clutch, fared much better, hitting the top of the US Heatseekers charts. A lot of that was due to Clutch finding their signature sound and putting out a mature and strong album that hit home with many people. Many songs off that album are respected as some of Clutch's greatest songs, like "Spacegrass" and "Big News I". It is my favorite album from the band by far, but it was also the first one to grab me when I was quite young. Those two albums gained them a status as one of the pioneers of stoner rock, something that gained more traction as their career moved on and broke new ground. Anyway, now that their name was getting around, it was time for Columbia Records (owned by big, bad Sony) to make an offer for one of the hottest up-and-coming bands in the United States, and they accepted. This birthed the only album they ever released for the label, The Elephant Riders.

     As I have stated before, the title track to an album is something to take seriously. It is there that the band often thinks they have a solid sender, and for The Elephant Riders, it still is truth. Now, this album is great and is full of mostly fantastic tracks, but "The Elephant Riders" is certainly the crown jewel of the album. Boldly, they threw it on as the intro track to the album. Now, if you want an example of a completely out there Clutch track, then this might be the one. The song is based around an alternate reality where the Civil War was fought on elephant back instead of horseback. Yeah, sort of weird, but once again, Clutch knows how to craft the silly and then smack you around with it. Solid groove, man, solid groove. The track is low down and mellow. The kind of stuff made for a lowrider instead of a sports car, you feel me? It is crunchy and sunbaked yet energetic enough to still have you pushing that lowriding beauty to a little too fast for comfort. All of that while they talk about elephant riders to the North. Coming back to those lyrics, the song has an overall meaning, but the chosen words are left and right. The chorus is the home and sets the themes, not the exact words. The song is highly enjoyable and shows off the band's signature sound. You gotta love those strong yet silly vocal skills of Neil Fallon. Have you ever heard a band and feel like the whole group is having a damn good time while recording the album? That is how I feel about Clutch, Neil Fallon in particular. He is a truly entertaining vocalist that shows off a lot of different ranges. That dude also shows up on a ton of different albums and is regarded as one of the icons of stoner rock. He has appeared on albums by Mastodon, Volbeat, Soulfly, and a ton of different albums and projects. Outside of Clutch, he is part of The Bakerton Group, which is a Clutch knockoff where they jam away with a blues style, and also he is part of the heavy metal-laced group, The Company Band, who only have one album out of 2009, but man, is it a good one. Once I ran all the way through Clutch's discography a few times, I wanted more and found little nuggets of it in his other projects. Anyway, "The Elephant Riders" is the kind of song that gets stuck in your head for a little too long. I cannot count the times I have had "giddy up pony, giddy up pony, ride on, ride on" get stuck in my head for hours. Clutch is just the kind of group that puts out some seriously catchy stuff. Stuff I swear is specifically meant to get stuck in your head for days. Well, if you know the band, then give one of their early goodies another play, would ya? If you are new to the group, I am damn excited for you. There really isn't a bad place to start within their studio discography, so might as well start with The Elephant Riders. Can't hurt! Enjoy!

Year Released: 1998

Album: The Elephant Riders (1998)

Genre: Stoner Rock, Hard Rock

Mood: Energetic

​Perfect For: Going for a drive, Casual listening, Playing video games, Riding elephants... I guess

Where to Next: "Tribe" - Gruntruck

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/12/2026

"Destiny's Child" - Waylon Jennings

     Alright, we have had some intense songs this week. So how about we end it off with something mellow? For today we have one of my all-time favorite artists and one who explains a piece of who I am, Waylon Jennings. Man, oh, man, do I adore Waylon Jennings' music, especially his less celebrated early stage full of wanderlust, heartbreak, and a cold dose of the human existence. I have traveled countless miles alongside Waylon Jennings and made so many memories surrounding his music. I know I say "I love this band with all my heart" and "I would sell my firstborn for this album", but pretty well all those artists that I say that about, even if I mean it, don't match the same love I have for the majority of Waylon Jennings material. I hate saying that his music is a piece of my personality, but it is the truth. I learned some of my life path from Waylon, and when there were the hollow moments of life, he was there. When I was in new love, there was Waylon. If I broke a heart and my last goodbye was the taillights fading down the road, it was Waylon playing. In a way, he was almost a friend, though I never met the man. Isn't it strange how some artists can be that way? We buy their albums and merch, see them live, and talk about them, yet we don't know these people even though it certainly feels like we do. Well, enough about all of that. I am sure I did this same exact talk when we previously talked about Waylon the last two times he showed up on the website. Crazy to think that he has only popped up on AintNoisePollution three times now, but it seems my most favorite artists always tend to go that way. Well, wait no longer! Today we are talking about one of his most blissful travelin' songs, "Destiny's Child". Waylon has a massive catalogue of traveling songs; his early stage was pretty well crafted around the imagery of a wandering young man that broke hearts and played his guitar to the commonfolk of the nation, so it is to be expected. Those themes still made it into his outlaw country stage and forward, but they don't have the same feeling as what was getting dished out in the 1960s into the 1970s.

     "Destiny's Child" comes off Ol' Waylon's sixth studio album, Love of the Common People, which was his second studio album in 1967. Waylon released three great albums all within the same year of 1967. First we had his blissful album, Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan, in March, which is an album fully made up of songs penned by the songwriter legend, Harlan Howard, a man who helped Waylon find his voice and perfect his songwriting. It is said that Waylon recorded 70 songs for the album, and alongside producer Chet Atkins, he willed it down to 12 powerhouse tracks, my favorite being Jennings' version of "Sunset and Vine". So many great tunes on that sucker. Second out of 1967 is our spotlighted album, Love of the Common People, which was released in August. We will come back to that one here in a second. Then the final Waylon album to come out of 1967 was The One and Only. It was released in November and features one of his greatest album covers, in my opinion. What is more country than travelin' on by a train while holding your guitar? The album has plenty of great tracks, like the strange cover of "It's All Over Now" and Roy Orbison's "Dream Baby" that work strikingly well with Waylon, and then there are the Waylon originals that have me coming back, like "Down Came the World" and the commical as hell answer track "John's Back in Town", which is a jab at his good pal Johnny Cash, who he was renting an apartment with at the time. Johnny Cash released a track just the last year called "The Singing Star's Queen", which talked about Cash spendin' all of this country stars' money and running around with his woman while he is away on tour, a man named Waylon. So Waylon shot back with the same story, with the country star now being named John, and I never have been able to tell who did it better. It is a draw. Country music has had plenty of answer tracks in its day, but it is rare that it is so childish, in all the right ways granted. I would be the type to write that kind of a song just to poke fun at a buddy. Highly recommend checking the songs out. So, it's easy to say that 1967 was a big year for Waylon, but in the country world it wasn't all that rare for an artist to dish out multiple albums within the same year while also releasing standalone singles, especially since country of this time was well known to share songs, some of which would get covered by 10 different artists within the same year. 1966, 1967, and 1968 all saw Waylon releasing three albums within the same year. Throughout the 1970s he released two albums for most years. That is just country, especially when you are a high-selling artist like Waylon was. Here we are in the modern world, where a rock band takes 3 years to dish out another album. Everything is too perfect, too clean modernly. Sometimes all you gotta do is pick up a guitar and cover a couple of songs with your own brand of personality to them.

     For our spotlighted album, Love of the Common People, covers were the name of the game. The majority of each song on it is a cover or one that was given to Waylon to record. The only song being written by Waylon is the second track, "Young Widow Brown". The boldest cover on the album is Waylon's cover of The Beatles "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", which he did decently. It ain't the Beatles version, that is for sure, but still a worthwhile stop-off. Waylon covered quite a few Beatles tracks in his time, but it was the 1960s. Who wasn't covering the Beatles? The one I want to talk about in particular is the cover of "Destiny's Child", the greatest song on the album! Originally the song was put out by Sonny Curtis, a man who couldn't really get his solo career off its feet but still was there for some massive moments in music history. Like what? Well, he was one of the Crickets with Buddy Holly, and he was the one who continued the Cricket name after the death of his dear friend. Waylon also has a similar connection to Holly, so it isn't all too unreal he covered one of Sonny Curtis's songs. While the Crickets failed to continue on all too long and his solo career never jumped too high on the charts, he still had pretty big success in compositions and songwriting. The songs he wrote or had a hand in with Buddy Holly and the Crickets went on to be covered a ton, some even being cornerstone tracks to the foundation of rock music. He wrote some of the Everly Brothers' biggest hits. His name stuck around well into the 1980s when he helped Keith Whitley hit the top of the country charts in 1989 with "I'm No Strange to the Rain". That is just a small list of his achievements since his name shows up in a ton of places. In 1968 Sonny Curtis put out his second studio album, but overall his first mainline solo album, The 1st of Sonny Curtis. I only listened through the album one time, but it is a decent one. Half wanderlust, half re-recordings, but all good. "Destiny's Child" is one of the star tracks on the album. Before it found its spot on the album, it was released as a single in 1966, likely where Waylon came across it. It has some smooth guitar work, but without the deeper vocals of Waylon, it doesn't have the same seriousness to it. Still, the song needed its words and rock n roll feeling, something Waylon kept intact in his version, which completely seals the deal.

     With that rock n roll thing in mind, I have always found "Destiny's Child" to be one of the stand-apart tracks from Waylon's 1960s material. It is a lot faster and.... Happy? Waylon isn't known for happy tracks, shit, country from this time is rarely happy, but "Destiny's Child" has a chipper factor to it. Love of the Common People has plenty of oddity moments. It feels like Waylon was experimenting with this one, but all of that made for a highly enjoyable album that doesn't grow stale through its fairly short running time. "Destiny's Child" is a more joyous track of being a restless soul. It is a statement track that makes it clear that Waylon isn't one to get tied down by any person, place, or thing, but not out of hatred or laziness; it is just his fate to move down the road. What I love most about this track is how Waylon, or the character, knows that what he is doing might hurt those around him, something he appologizes for but still follows his heart. While this song is a cover, it holds that Waylon image of the time wonderfully. I could suggest 25 other Waylon tracks with this kind of lyricism. It is one of my favorite lyrical themes. I could listen to this song 1000 times in a row and still have a blast! A strongly layered song that is as catchy as it is inspiring. I chose the track while offroading and enjoying the wonderful nature of Heber Mountain. Before my lady and I knew it, we were on the top of the damn thing! Views so far your eyes couldn't even keep up with the vast distance of wilderness from the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. After a couple more miles of peace, we turned the corner to see the overlook for Strawberry Reservoir, and it was around this time that "Destiny's Child" started playing. I was having a blast, but my lady was a little more focused on the death drop right outside her window. Well, I am here typing this out so we survived. Sure, I might have scratched the fuck out of one side of my Jeep, but what is a Jeep without some mountain pinstriping? A ton of great tunes that day, but there is no beating Waylon Jennings when you are out exploring the beautiful nature that Utah has to offer. So, what are you doing right now? Can't you feel the call of the wild? A deep desire to go see those mountains you see on the daily but never went and explored? Well, this is your sign, your urging, to go do that. If you say, "You are right, time to get my shoes on", then I cannot suggest enough to load up some 1960s Waylon  and hit the road, Jack. I hope it is a good time! If you don't have the time or energy, fine, but you should still play some Waylon. Enjoy!

Year Released: 1967

Album: Love of the Common People (1967)

Genre: Country

Mood: Restless

​Perfect For: Rambling, Wandering, Traveling, Casual listening, Off-roading, Roadside diners

Where to Next: "Gentle On My Mind" - Glen Campbell

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/11/2026

"Saved by a Miracle" - Vinnie Moore

     I just know you were wanting to get shredded to a bloody mess, so I brought in some Vinnie Moore to do just that. There are many icons in the guitar world from the little corner of rock and metal where shredding is the name of the game, and if there is one name you want to know from that world, it is Vinnie Moore. Sure, he doesn't get the same attention as the big names such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, or Steve Vai, but he is one you should still always keep a couple of his albums and songs around when you need that fix. I got into Vinnie Moore a little later than the others mentioned above, but even before my deep love of Malmsteen and other neo-classical metal shredders, I was deeply entranced by the power of one of hard rock's most underrated bands, UFO. Now, UFO was a long-running band; they have 22 studio albums and a solid couple of live albums. They have been active since 1968 and released steadily since their debut in 1970. I have moved through their discography a multitude of times throughout my life, and some of their albums are core albums in my musical canon. A zone that I was really shocked by was their later material. Now, I am someone who takes on bands' discographies, and that often means spending half of my time listening through albums that simply aren't all that great, often from artists that had their prime years well over 20 years ago but insist on putting out subpar material. So, when I was first taking the deep plunge into everything UFO when I was 14 or so, I was almost certain it was going to be another case of just that. It isn't anything against the band. How could you expect to have survived many decades and have put out some mighty albums and somehow keep that up forever? People age. The music world changes. Honestly, the well runs dry for pretty much each band out there, even the mastery of UFO. Well, I was shocked to find that the band had great material even all the way into the 2000s, but there was something different about it, something that hardly resembled the UFO that released some of the most intense hard rock albums in the 1970s. Once again, bands change, and what had UFO in the 2000s sounding so different was the massive lineup changes that happened. A name I had yet to hear of at that time showed up in the personnel section, Vinnie Moore.

     Note that I was a massive fan of both the Schenker brothers, namely Michael Schenker, who serves as one of my all-time favorite guitarists, and it was through his guitar work on the bands' prime 1970s releases that I became a massive UFO fan. He was with the group off and on through their long career, but the ones with him always had this meeeean guitar work that sounded great no matter the decade. I was troubled to see this new name there since that often meant I wasn't gonna be super into the album, but I ate my words as soon as I got halfway through Vinnie Moore's first album with UFO, You Are Here, which dropped in 2004. Now, I won't go telling you that the album is iconic or epic, since it isn't. There are hit-and-miss tracks, as you'd expect out of a band's seventeenth album. Though there is one thing that makes this album and the ones that follow still ones I love to come back to, and that is based in the guitar work of Vinnie Moore. Man... It was like hearing your DoorDash roll up when you are starving or hearing the door unlock at a public restroom when you are sure you are about to piss your pants. It felt like release, like salvation. So, as any fan of great guitar work might do, I instantly looked into the man to find that he had plenty of solo albums out of the 1980s just waiting there for me to digest. So while I was first taking in UFO's complete discography (up to 2012's Seven Deadly at the time), I was also listening through all things Vinnie Moore on the side to fully understand and appreciate what he had done with helping UFO find some minor footing once again. He is a chill-inducing guitar player. If you are reading this after listening to his track, I am honestly shocked to see you are still able to read and your face isn't dripping onto your phone or computer.

     With all of that said, how about we get to talking about our song of the day and the album it came off of? Vinnie Moore released his debut album in 1986 and called it Mind's Eye. The first taste you get of the album is that album cover. A pretty epic one, I would say. It is from its time, but that is part of the appeal. Over a cityscape there is this guitar portal (?) with a powerful being peeking into our simple lives. The man is Vinnie Moore, a god from the realm of shred, where they communicate not with words, but with hot licks and silver strings. If you were to discover a civilization that had yet to move into the next level of living, of being, and you know how to help them achieve it, wouldn't you help too? So, he played, and the people listened. It wasn't a large group that listened, but those that did walked away enlightened by the sound he brought forth. Vinnie Moore wasn't the first to shred to the masses, oh no, but he came along when the genre was starting to peak and find its footing. The shred guitar style never really hit the limelight but is more reserved for those that can truly enjoy it. It is praised in guitar magazines and has inspired thousands to pick up the guitar to see how fast they can play. Now, anyone can play fast, just check out punk rock, but it takes a true savant to play fast and excruciatingly well. Vinnie Moore is just that. For his debut it is a solid 43 minutes on the dot of perfect guitar work that has you wanting to learn to play just like that. Much like men seem to wear colognes to impress other men and women do their makeup to impress other women, shredders seem to shred for the sole purpose of impressing other shredders. Well, I ain't a shredder, but I am still daaaaamn impressed with Vinnie Moore's debut. I don't even know what he is doing, but he knows how to wield that guitar like a sorcerer of old, bewitching you with its aggressive yet comforting sound.

     Our song of the day, "Saved By a Miracle", is divine. It starts off with a tavern feeling; you can almost envision Moore coming out in some silly doublet and hosing prancing around while he plays like a man possessed by a demon. Or maybe... Trying to conjure one, and at the 52-second mark it seems to have worked since things get intense around this part! The drums come along to cradle the onslaught that Moore puts down. More structured than some of the shredders out there. Layers of drums, guitar, bass guitar, and keyboard fill each corner of your ear, soul, and mind. All you can do is sit back and take it in, let the power consume you. I can't sit here and only praise Vinnie Moore since the whole band goes off! Shit, within "Saved By a Miracle" it is the drumming of Tommy Aldridge that steals the whole show! When the 3:02 mark hits, it is all about Tommy Aldridge; this is now his song and his domain. All the way until the 4:20 mark, Aldridge beats the fuck out of those drums! Like.... How can you go that fast and still sound that fuckin' good?! Talk about stamina. I would be sweating and puking if I put out that much energy. Even hearing it exhausts me enough to want to take a nap, and I hate naps! I love the guitar work, love it, but I don't come to "Saved by a Miracle" for Vinnie Moore, no, I come here for the drum work of Tommy Aldridge. It comes out of the blue too, and you just sit there like, "Alright, we get it, you are good!" and then the whole band comes together to see the rest of the song out in style. Man, such a wickedly powerful track! Not even a single dull moment. Pure talent. Pure raw power the whole way through! I don't even know if I should share this track with you since not everyone can handle what they are about to hear. It feels like some ancient knowledge that will forever change the world of those who can handle the sound and eviscerate those who cannot. Well, I guess you made it this far into the website, so I bet you can handle what is about to take fold on your senses. I hope. Guess we will see. Load the song up and see what you think. If you start feeling lightheadedness, dry mouth, urges of suicide, increased anxiety, shortness of breath, start having night terrors, start smelling eggs, or begin phasing through astral planes, then please stop the song and return to something mellow and easy. Might I suggest The Carpenters? Alright, I will let you get to it. Enjoy!

Year Released: 1986

Album: Mind's Eye (1986)

Genre: Instrumental Rock

Mood: Intense

​Perfect For: Focused listening, Racing on a neon raceway, Laying waste to heretics, Just taking it all in, ya know?

Where to Next: "Terminal Velocity" - John Petrucci

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/10/2026

"Out of the Body" - Pestilence

     A day or two ago we talked about Slayer, a band we all know as a perfect mixing of extreme metal and mainstream heavy metal. Today we talk of Pestilence, one that honestly should get the same acclaim as Slayer, but their style is a little more aggressive, intense, and extreme to ever be able to hit the mainstream. Pestilence hails from Enschede, Netherlands, and has gone on to be known as one of the "big four of technical death metal". They hold that title alongside some of the other early technical death metal icons: Athiest, Cynic, and Death. Pestilence is intense, to say the least, but it took them a second or two to fully find their spot in the metal world. Their 1988 debut album, Malleus Maleficarum, is a ton of fun, but it is hardly anything like what they did in their second one, our spotlighted album, Consuming Impulse, out of 1989. Malleus Maleficarum is thrash metal that gets damn close to death metal, but on their second album is when they fully moved into the death metal side and started dishing out some classic early death metal albums. Before we get further into our spotlight album, let's talk a little bit about who the band is. The bands' earlier albums are gritty as all get out, and it is a little more intense than what we typically have on AintNoisePollution, but that is the beauty of the website. If it ain't for you, then it ain't for you, but I still ask that you take it on with an open mind and open ears since if you allow the steel-tipped sound of Pestilence to bite down, you might just walk away understanding the appeal of a criminally misunderstood genre of music. Anyway, Pestilence started up in 1986 originally as a three-piece. Patrick Mameli took on the vocal and guitar duties at the start, which was fairly short-lived before Martin van Drunen joined up and took on vocal duties for the band's first two albums. Ultimately the vocal duties returned to Patrick Mameli, who is also the longest member to be in the Pestilence ranks since they have gone through a massive number of members in their time.

     Anyway, while still a three-piece, the band released a small handful of demo tapes, which eventually led to Roadrunner Records knocking on their door. If there is one thing to take away from this website, something I have said time and time again, Roadrunner Records is one of those labels you want to knock on your door in the heavy metal world. They have a wide grasp, and while they weren't nearly as wealthy as some of the massive labels, they had all the right connections to see you making your way to heavy metal godlihood. Roadrunner Records was the bands label through their prime material before the band broke up in 1994 due to musical differences. Through Roadrunner Records, the band released their debut album, Malleus Maleficarum, which is a wicked ride but not the best place to start into the band since, like I mentioned earlier, it is a different style from the group. An almost hardcore punk-based thrash metal album that hits hard and hits fast. I dig the album and tend to stop into it more than some of their albums, but overall, it isn't anything in comparison to their later work. Still, a start is a start, and it got the mojo working for the band, a place to find their synergy and compare notes to come back even stronger for their next album. That next album of theirs is arguably their most essential album. Consuming Impulse released in 1989 and is everything you could ever desire out of early death metal. It is fast as all hell. In comparison to the band's last album, this is a whole new playing field, scoring system, and sport all together. Vocalist Martin van Drunen dropped the more clean and understandable vocals for the gravely growling that the death metal is infamously known for. The playing was even faster than their previous, but what I really dig about Consuming Impulse is how it jumps between the ear-bleeding quick death metal tracks and the slowed-down gloomy heavy hitters that make this album never really grow all too stale.

     You know, I love death metal. Sure, it took me a little longer to get into than most of the heavy metal subgenres, but it has quickly become a deep love of mine. So I say with love when I say that a good chunk of the death metal albums are exciting at the start, but halfway through you get kind of bored. Maybe "burned out" is the better way of explaining it. You find there aren't all too many things changing, but I stand strong in the opinion that that isn't the case for Pestilence, especially for their second and third studio albums. Consuming Impulse keeps giving you goosebumps all the way through with the pleasant selection of death metal sounds and songs. This is some of the reason that the album has become a death metal cult classic. It has all the makings to be just that. A death metal style that is certainly of its time and honestly is a little more relaxed than some of what the genre started dishing out after its release. The band pulled influences from both the legends of the metal world and also the underground champions, which gave heavy metal that special soul that the masses could never take away. Consuming Impulse is in-fucking-tense, but it isn't so crazy that it lacks a beauty to it. Like many cult classics in the metal world, the album cover matches. I have never been able to tell if the album cover is kick-ass or sort of cheesy. There are two things that I think keep this album art from going into the cheesy album cover side. First is the band's logo; that logo is great! It explains exactly what you are going to have blasting into your ears. The mellow yellow they chose screams disease, and the sharp yet decaying lettering solidifies the idea that the band is going to be fast and loose. The second thing about the album art to keep it still pretty cool is something pretty damn minor, and that is in the hair. If it wasn't for the hair coming down in front of the poor person getting eaten by all the ants, it would be ugly. Just a strange screaming face, but that hair adds a horror aspect to it. Something human and desperate. Not sure how to explain it right. So, with those in mind, I think this album isn't all that cheesy. Dated? Certainly. Though, it has its own appeal. Plus, how many albums do you know with some dude getting eaten alive from ants both inside and outside? Talk about a way to go. Anyway, the album holds a good chunk of their most beloved songs. None is more loved from the fanbase than "Out of the Body", which has been a longtime fan favorite and currently stands well above all the bands' other tracks in stream counts.

     This was actually the first song I ever heard from the band and thus is one of the first death metal songs that fully gripped me when I was still a kid. The thing about "Out of the Body" and some of the other tracks on Consuming Impulse is their obvious heavy influence of Slayer. We just talked about the band, so you might hear what I am trying to show you. For "Out of the Body" you can hear that in the random guitar solo send-offs that are so damn fast and screechy you might think it was Kerry King playing guitar on the album. Drummer Marco Foddis obviously took big notes from Dave Lombardo, but that is just one of those heavy metal things you should expect. Lombardo is a fuckin' drummin' legend. Marco Foddis also is an influence on the death metal genre with the constant kicking drum and amping-up drum work that is still sort of laced in the hardcore punk style the band started out with. Consuming Impulse as a whole was a massive influence on the then still-perfecting its sound death metal genre. It showed what the genre could do and where you can expand off of it. "Out of the Body" is a prime example of that. The song is intense as all fuck but still pretty thrashy. It feels a lot of like what Sepultura was doing around this time, the marriage of thrash and death metal. Yet, there is a little black metal lacing that makes it feel tainted. They lifted the bar for all extreme bands that were soon to come after them. The instrumental bits of the album, and the instrumental "Proliferous Souls", give a taster of what the band was going to do in their following album, Testimony of the Ancients, which showed the world the glory of technical death metal, a piece of the genre that will never fade away. It is one thing to be flat-out aggressive, but it is a whole other thing to know how to ramp that aggression up and when to tone it down to feel like the calm before the storm. The band's second studio album and their third is a constant toss-up of mine, which is a better album? Both are phenomenal in their own ways, and I don't think there is a for sure winner. The band dished out two solid classics for the genre, and though they have released plenty of other albums since, there is just no beating those two. Pestilence is one of the best to get your feet wet in the death metal well of souls; that is double true if you prefer the old metal sound instead of the modern. Well, no matter your opinion on extreme metal, give the song a shot. You might be surprised by what is there. Enjoy!

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Year Released: 1989/1990

Album: Consuming Impulse (1989)

Genre: Death Metal

Mood: Wicked

​Perfect For: Speeding, Playing louder than you probably should, Banging your head

Where to Next: "Primitive Future" - Sepultura

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/09/2026

"Woman" - Free

     Welcome back to the website! We got something hot and rockin' for you today. We all know the classic rock mainstay, "All Right Now". If you ever turned on a radio from 1970 onward, then you have likely heard the track. It is a rock essential. Though, I swear the rest of the bands' material gets underappreciated here in the United States outside of "All Right Now", "Fire and Water", and "Wishing Well". There is a ton of great, and I mean great, material out there from the band. Have you ever listened to "Fire and Water" and swear the group sounds like another one? It is a pretty common situation, and that is due to the band's vocalist, Paul Rodgers. This man was part of some of rock's biggest names spanning multiple decades! One of those icons that are the heart and soul of the rock genre. Paul Rodgers started out his career in Free, the band we will be talking about today, but those vocals also saw Bad Company shooting up the charts with a fever in the 1970s. Those two alone are something you want on your rock n roll resume, but he took it even further with his place in The Firm, a hard rock group that had moderate success in the 1980s and I view to be highly underappreciated. Rodgers was also a piece of The Law, which was a band put together by Rodgers and past Faces drummer, Kenney Jones. Minor success this time, but it was the last piece to having Paul Rodgers get a high-charting single and album in 3 different decades, and the time he was active was much more than that. Charting doesn't mean shit sometimes. He also had a fairly strong solo career, a place I stop off if I want that personal touch from Paul Rodgers or something more bluesy like you can hear on his most popular solo album, Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters. That album is a guest star paradise! Go check it out if you want some blues in your life, but the good kind of blues, not the blues we get every time we hear the morning alarm start squaking. His last thing to note is his famous resurgence in the light with touring around with Queen before they got Adam Lambert on vocals. Paul Rodgers alongside Queen only released one studio album in 2008 titled The Cosmos Rocks. Being a massive fan of both Paul Rodgers and Queen, I can confidently say that album is... Alright. Not bad. It lacked soul, but it was fun to hear the two vastly different styles that Rodgers and Queen bring to the table. Though, I will admit it isn't an album you need to listen to right here, right now.

     Free isn't just Paul Rodgers; we got another Paul named Paul Kossoff who knows how to play those six strings! His blues-laced hard rock style is what helped thrust Free into the charts when a different form of hard rock had a chokehold on the charts. An underrated guitarist, to say the least. On bass guitar we have Andy Fraser, a solid bassist that adds the back wall to that Free sound and helped write the majority of the Free songs. He was only 15 when he first helped start Free. He was still practically a kid when the band broke into the mainstream with their third album, Fire and Water, in 1970. He was playing with John Mayall on bass guitar when he was just 15. Man, I was still chasing girls and finding some money for getting stoned at that age. Moved away from petty theft to more steady and respectable ways of getting money. Here this dude was making some scratch off playing bass guitar for a blue rock icon. Pfft. The last key member we have is Simon Kirke, the man behind the drums! You know that little buzz you get from Free? Not the floating, feeling-good kind of buzz, but more of an energy boost? That is from Simon Kirke. The same is to be said when he moved into Bad Company, whom he is the longest-running member of. In Bad Company he gets even stronger behind that set. Those four got together and released some of rocks best albums in the early 1970s and some of the best hidden gems from the late 1960s. Free only released 6 studio albums and 1 mainline live album, but within each of those is something fully moving. They are the kind of albums you let run in the background, but every other track has you transfixed into the bband'ssound. I love albums that can both be in the forefront and the background, and that is the beauty of Free. When the band gets all together, they can smack you around and then borrow some money, but there are moments they let you listen for free, slow and easy. Our song of the day, "Woman", comes off the band's second studio album, Free, which was released in 1969. This album is a prime example of what I just said.

     Kind of strange to have your self-titled be your second album, right? I mean, most artists tend to have their debut be it or have it randomly appear in the gut of their discography, but Free chose it for their second. 1969 was a busy year for the band. They had to learn this whole professional band thing pretty quick. Free released two studio albums within the same year, both of which are top-tier blues rock with a harder edge than most of the ones out there. Their debut, Tons of Sobs, released in March of 1969, and that one is the exact image of a hidden gem. If you know Free for their hits, I beg of thee to go back and check out their debut. So many good tracks on that sucker! Strongly recommend "The Hunter", "I'm a Mover", "Goin' Down Slow", and "Wild Indian Woman". Man, even thinking about "I'm a Mover" makes me want to dedicate the whole night just listening to the album a couple of times. The same energy is brought over into their second album, Free, which was released in October of 1969. The key tracks on this one are "I'll Be Creepin'", "Woman", and "Trouble On Double Time". The last one is highly Bad Company, sort of a taster for what half the band was going to be doing in the next phase of their career. We want to zone in on "Woman" for the day. You know, I actually heard and loved the cover of "Woman" before I even heard the original. Three Dog Night covered that song on their third studio album, It Ain't Easy, which released less than a year after Free featured it on their self-titled album. Who does it better? I mean, that is up for you to decide. For me, I gotta go with Free even though the Three Dog Night version was the first to bite me. I love both. Three Dog Night later also recorded "I'll Be Creepin'" which also comes off of Free's self-titled album. Guess they liked the band, but I do too, so I cannot blame them. I am shocked we haven't talked about Three Dog Night here yet! We will get there; this is Free's debut as well after all. More to look forward to! "Woman" is a smooth and easy rider kind of track. You can almost see the smoke-filled room where they recorded the song. "Woman" is the opening track on the band's second side of the record. Serving as the 6th track for CD and digital listeners. After all the smooth movements they made on the previous track, "Mouthful of Glass", "Woman" comes in as a breather. The track was written by Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser. Those two wrote a good chunk of Free tracks, and while they aren't the deepest sets of lyrics, they are easy to get behind and understand. For "Woman" the character is willing to give everything for his sweet gal, everything but his guitar and his car. They make it very clear that the car is off-limits. Priorities.

     Bassist Andy Frasser was only 16 when he was writing these tracks alongside Paul Rodgers, talk about a different youth. In the end, those two's relationship was the foundation of Free, but it was also its downfall since the band broke up due to differences in direction and members of the band fighting drug addiction. That is a classic rock n roll tale if I ever heard one. Not downplaying the seriousness of it, but some things were just written in the rock n roll bible, with "Drugs and When to Quit 'Em" being chapter 3. Anyway, Free's second studio album was mostly a bust. Still a massive step up in sales in comparison to their debut earlier that year, but still an overall commercial failure. What it did do was spread the band's name far and wide for both the rockers and blues fans, two sides of the same coin during this time in rock history. Australia was the band's biggest backer at the start, and that stayed true throughout most of the band's career. The United States always dug these boys, but aside from Fire and Water, they never made it all too big here. Man, I would have loved to see the band live in their prime. Each member is a flaming joy to listen to, and I bet that transferred over well into their live performance. You can also tell that to be true if you listen to their main live album, Free Live!, a fuckin' great live album with boatloads of energy and drive. I really need that one on vinyl.... I am slowly gathering up everything Paul Rodgers but I have a long way to go down that road. So, even with Free charting low, it was an album that signified they were on to something. People raved about their sound, but they simply weren't made for the masses, a common issue with top-tier groups from the early 1970s and late 1960s since the decade swaps are always a confusing time throughout music history. I highly recommend this album! Sure, I like their first and third ones more, but you will never have to twist my arm to play this album. Always a good time. One of the only albums I listened to in completion while on a motorcycle ride. Typically I like a shuffled playlist for that to keep different moods peaking. Anyway, enough talking about me. It is that golden hour when you are called upon by the gods of rock to listen to a killer track. If you plan to listen to it while driving, then be sure to roll those windows down halfway, find a mellow long stretch of road, kick back, turn that volume knob up, and press the play button. You won't regret it! Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1969

Album: Free (1969)

Genre: Blues Rock

Mood: Smooth

​Perfect For: Driving slow and steady, Lonesome highways, Reading, Working, Car work

Where to Next: "Politician" - Cream

Rating: 7 / 10

Song of the Day 09/08/2026

"Live Undead" - Slayer

     Ready to shake it up?! How about some SLAYEEEERRR?! Yeah, I thought you would be down. The band is sensational! Even after many years and countless hours of listening to this band, they still give me chills. Now, Slayer isn't the most extreme band out there in the wide and diabolical heavy metal genre, but what they excel most at is melding the extreme with the commercial. I don't think any other band has done that nearly as well as Slayer. They are easily the most entry-level extreme metal band. Like many in the thrash metal world, they moved with the times, which gave us many different sounds to their set style. They started out as a raunchy and raw thrash metal group that served as an early influence and example of what was to be death metal and even black metal. Once Metallica, alongside many others, made heavy metal more mainstream, Slayer moved into their prime material, dishing out many of thrash metals most essential albums out of the 1980s and the 1990s. Shit, I would be so bold to say some of the most essential heavy metal albums of all time. Slayer has this magic to them, and I can promise you it is the kind of magic following the left-hand path. Slayer can be a little bit overkill with their satanic lyrics and imagery, but that shit sells! Once again, for a mainstream band to be putting that kind of stuff was unheard of at the time. Metallica might have been the thrash kings, but Slayer almost did just as much for heavy metal as a whole, especially for the genres and styles that are a little less polished than what Metallica moved into. They are simply powerhouses, ones that I am sure you already know all about. We all know at least one Slayer fan, and you can usually smell them before they even tell you all about the band. They bred one of the most intense fanbases in heavy metal history, a little section of the heavy metal army called the Slayer Nation. There are fans worldwide that view these dudes as gods, and I count myself amongst them. A definitive band of my existence and one that will certainly stay with me until death. Alright, enough fan-girling for a second. Well, maybe.

     So, we have talked about Slayer here 7 times so far, which puts them up there with some of my most selected artists to be showcased. With that in mind, I honestly cannot remember what I have already shared with you. I am sure the majority of the posts were me praising them, but each must have had something of value. So, where shall we go today in the tale of Slayer? Let us start with our song of the day, "Live Undead". When I was first getting heavily into Slayer, I always found it odd and a little confusing that they released this song almost 4 years after their phenomenal live album Live Undead released. I guess they liked the two words quite a bit. Now, if you want a live album that expresses the heart and soul of the metal community in the 1980s, then I highly suggest Live Undead; it is so damn energetic that you need a day to rest after jamming through it. The album will wear you right out. Personally, I think that is one of their greatest albums, and I find myself gravitating to it more often than their studio work, which I cannot really say about most bands. Most do not share the same love for it, and the same is to be said about their early sound, but I cannot help myself. I adore their early material even though I know that it isn't better. It all comes down to taste. I like to view each stage of Slayer as its own beast since in the end I would never be able to choose just one sound. So, check out that album, especially if you have only been listening through some of the bands' prime studio albums from 1986 to 1990.

     "Live Undead" is the third track off the band's cornerstone thrash metal album, South of Heaven. It holds everything that makes that album so damn powerful! The track starts off with something menacing, and before you know it, you are getting hit left, right, and center with noise. The beauty of Slayer is how it feels like it is coming from all around you. Even your body doesn't understand what is going on, and you can feel that in your shoulders. Some anxiety to help you swallow the Slayer pill. The song is tense, but it knows how to let you work it all out of your system. The last time Slayer stopped by our little corner of the internet, we talked about "Spill the Blood", which is off the same album as the final song on its 10-song track listing. So, we might be touching on the same topic. "Live Undead" is one of the best tracks to show off how South of Heaven was the band's first album stepping away from their previous straight aggression sound. You see, up until this album Slayer was well known to be a full frontal attack with no punches being pulled. There was still some strange beauty to it, but overall it was more straightforward fast-as-fuck thrash metal that bordered the same style that early death metal icons like Possessed were doing at the time. Their album before South of Heaven, Reign in Blood, sort of signaled the change was coming, but it was still heavily dipped into the extreme. There were the tracks that were a little more thought out and a little more structured, but those other songs are still heavily in that early Slayer sound but with better recording. Reign in Blood broke them out into the mainstream, especially with "Raining Blood" being one of the bands' most iconic tracks, but it was South of Heaven and the style that came with it that saw Slayer staying around to become icons in the heavy metal world in two different decades and beyond. They showed it wasn't all youthful vigor with a heavy dose of satanic static; they could melt your fuckin' face in many different ways. They slowed it on down for South of Heaven. They kept a lot of what the band was known for: eerie intros, diabolical lyricism, and a dual guitar attack that has you coughing up blood by the end of a song. So, this was still very much Slayer, and it hardly alienated any fans. With them slowing it down to something more mature and heavy, it sort of compliments their previous album as much as Hell Awaits smoothly moves into Reign in Blood. It is a graceful movement between the sounds, something most bands struggle with.

     Like I mentioned before with Slayer loving their eerie feelings, South of Heaven takes that further by the band not using hardly any distortion effects on the guitars. It is clear. It feels like purgatory or Helheim more than that of fire and brimstone, death and destruction. There is an unsettling stillness in the air before the full band comes in with a wall of sound meant to bludgeon. This album feels like in classic horror and slasher flicks when the poor victims catch a sight of the killer or monster before it vanishes. As the viewer, you know that someone is about to get a machete through their stomach, but the characters feel that chilling stillness. "Live Undead" drops some of the eerie intro for something that builds the tension. Two guitars slowly become more powerful with each passing second. The talented drumming of Dave Lombardo is the thing that sets the stage. Back to the guitars. More tension. Then a minor release as the full band comes along, but the bass still is hiding behind the sound. At the first taste of hellfire at the minute mark, you know you are in the right place. Or in the wrong place depending on your take on Slayer. Before you know it, you are sucked into the sound. "Live Undead" gets stronger and louder as the song moves along. Believe it or not, this song is fairly tame in comparison to some of the other songs on South of Heaven, even with the 2:40 mark, which sees the band going fully into form. I love that part! Always gives me chills. "Live Undead" is a stop-off for those obsessed with random guitar solos from Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. They take turns playing fast and mean, seemingly combating each other, six strings held high and sharp as hell. It is honestly what has me coming back to the track time and time again. Lyrically the song seems to be about dying and then coming back as a zombie. Cliche, but shit, I came from a time period where zombie stuff sold like hot cakes! From back then to now, some things just don't go out of style. Some bands might have put out a simple zombie track dipped in reused ideas and lyrics, booooring, but Slayer, on the other hand, has some compelling lyrics! Even knowing most Slayer lyrics like the back of my hand, they still shock me on how well written they are, no matter the topic they take on, even zombies. Kick ass. Time for you to jam the song! Turn this sucker up loud! Damn the neighbors. Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1988

Album: South of Heaven (1988)

Genre: Thrash Metal

Mood: Menacing

​Perfect For: Warfare, Halloween, Windy nights, Playing loud, Night drives, Driving fast, Casual listening

Where to Next: "Zombie Attack" - Tankard

Rating: 7 / 10

Song of the Day 09/07/2026

"My Wife Thinks You're Dead" - Junior Brown

     We sure have been having a little bit more country and country-affiliated choices this last little while. Hope that is alright. I have mentioned before that sometimes I get worried that I should be doing just rock music, but in the end, this is indeed my website, and secondly, those that come here wanting more of the same came to the wrong joint. AintNoisePollution is all about spreading the good word of many genres. Those that hate country I feel haven't found the right country style. Those that hate metal also follow the same suit. For heavy metal, I have plenty of examples of times I got people to dig certain styles. Music is to taste, but who wants to eat hamburgers every day? Some days you want sushi, and then the next you want pasta. Your musical diet should follow the same trend. So, for today, we got some Southern-cooked country music from Junior Brown. Brown is an oddity, and while his style seems to be based in the old stuff, he actually came out later than many expect. What makes his sound so unique is the instrument you see all over his merch and album covers: his famous "guit-steel" which is an electric guitar and lap steel guitar put together on the same body. It is a damn cool sound that I have been obsessed with since first hearing Junior Brown many years back. I am a sucker for steel guitar, and it is one of the leading reasons that I adore old country music. If there is a fiddle and steel guitar, I am there. Junior Brown uses that guit-steel of his like a goddamn weapon! It can give you chills one second and set your soul at ease in the next. It just so happens his signature style also features some of his known humor. "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" is one of those humorous tracks. This is like country music's alter ego when it comes to the cliche cheatin' songs that have almost always filled the genre. You might see that title and think it is to be one of them. But nope. This one is quite the opposite. I mean, the song's humor comes from the fact that he doesn't want his wife to find out his crazy ex is still alive since that is what he told her. As he explains, he was fully under the idea that she was, but if she pops up now, there is sure going to be trouble with her thinking him a liar. We will come back to the song here in one second. Junior Brown was a relatively late bloomer in his music career. The first album he was part of came out in 1974 with his band, The Last Mile Ramblers. It failed to even chart and faded away into obscurity. Following that, he played guitar and steel guitar for groups like Asleep at the Wheel, Billy Spears, and the unknown group of his to me, Dusty Drapes and the Dusters. His debut solo album came along in 1990 and then was rereleased in 1993, and again, it didn't do all too much on the charts. He is not the type of artist to hit the top of the charts but is more so the type of artist that gathers a core fanbase and is happy with that. His solo debut, 12 Shades of Brown, is the ultimate place to start into Junior Brown, and once people caught wind of his iconic sound, they came back, and it wasn't long before this was one of his most famous albums. Especially in the modern tongue, with tracks like "Broke Down South of Dallas" and "Too Many Nights in a Roadhouse" being some of his most respected and enjoyable tracks. His second solo album was even more of a hidden gem of the time. Guit With It released in 1993 and is such a fuckin' gem! It is the most heavily abused album of his from me, and it holds his two most streamed tracks on Spotify, one of which is our song of the day. It took people a long time to take notice of this raw talent, with his first charting studio album being Semi Crazy, which hit the 32nd spot on the US Country charts and the 19th in the US Heatseekers charts in 1996. Another gem of his! That one also lets a little bit of the rock sound he teases out to play, especially in terms of surf rock. He was 44 when that album hit those charts. Talk about your life changing, but you can just tell that Junior Brown was meant for stardom, even if he came along with a sound massively outdated. Crazy that he somehow managed to meld it in with such grace.

     Alright, let's take a step back and get into talking about his second album, Guit With It. This fun and mellow ride was released in 1993. Junior Brown might be heavily rooted in country music, but that doesn't mean a lot of rockers can't get behind his style. It is antiquated by the terms of 1993, but if he came along during the rockabilly and rock n roll days, he would have been a star! He plays similar to Duane Eddy with his guitar case full of twang. There is a smooth style here that goes down like a big pill with an even bigger glass of water. The kind of pill you take a little too many of to get feeling mighty fine. He is like an amber river of whiskey flowing through a cartoon town. Like the old man who gives you solid life advice while you pet his crusty, stinky dog. All of these might sound strange, but then I take it you haven't listened to the song yet. Who knows? Maybe you already know our song of the day and understand all this jive I am talking about. "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" is one of the most likely tracks from Brown that might come across your radar. It has a wide reach. You like rockabilly? Might have ended up here before. The same is to be said about 1950s rock n roll, vintage country styles, country rock, or anything that uses that blissful steel guitar. "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" is a solid joy, both in humor and atmosphere. Yesterday, when the song was picked, my girlfriend and I were doing a little adventure. We went across the Wyoming border to run with those wild horses and find a forgotten little town called Piedmont a couple of miles dirt off I-80. We have chased down some real illusive ghost towns in our day, but each one we have tried in Wyoming is always so well maintained. Those guys know how to respect history. In Utah it is pretty damn common for everything to be covered in poorly done spray-painted penises and all sorts of broken bottles from varying decades. Anyway, after we had fun with that adventure with the mellow singing of Merle Haggard playing across the speakers, we headed back into Evanston to grab some sweet nicotine. We sure chose a day to go since the Evanston rodeo just got out, so we got caught in a fog of lifted trucks and beaters. While playing in traffic, Junior Brown had his turn on the ol' radio and in that moment I understood that there is no better artist to explain the feeling of Evanston, Wyoming, than that of Jimmy Brown. Something old-fashioned but with a modern sheen to it. A reminder of yesterday but a reminder that it is all in the rearview mirror. "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" showcases Brown's honky-tonk sound but still allows room with the kind of guitar pickin' that would have Jerry Reed blushing. You feel the desert plains feeling right from the get-go. The up-and-down hustle that comes from Brown's vocal work sucks you into the story of coming across an ex and not the good kind of meeting you see in Hallmark movies. No, he wishes she would keep blowing down the road to bother a different feller since the cops are after her and his wife might be around the corner listening with a rolling pin in hand. The song is the fifth one on Guit With It, and it is one of Brown's most timeless tracks. The album is full up of great storytelling, but none scratch the same itch as the strangely sinful story of "My Wife Thinks You're Dead". Funnily enough, it's his wife that plays rhythm guitar in his band. You can see her in the music video to "My Wife Thinks You're Dead", which is one great music video. Brown kept the silly feeling of the song in the video as well, treating it like a slapstick comedy silent film. Highly recommended if you want something goofy in your life. Anyway, I guess I will just let you jam the song. It is a solid sender! One that gets stuck in my head for hours after. Hope it can do the same to you! Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1993

Album: Guit with It (1993)

Genre: Country

Mood: Playful

​Perfect For: Cruising, Casual listening, Drinking, Hanging around the house, Crazy exes

Where to Next: "Mad" - Dave Dudley

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/06/2026

"The Cure" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

     Welcome! Today we have some prime country rock for you fine folks across the globe—well, more those that live around Salt Lake metro since I haven't really advertised elsewhere. Oh! And my mom. Hi mom! Anyway, welcome back! For today we will be talking about Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, a group that has been nothing but a joy to burn through their discography for my studies. They are one of the only country rock groups, if not the only one, that has been in each decade of my studies since the 1960s. For many of the bands that stick around, I tend to cherry-pick some tracks unless the band means a lot to me, then they get the full discography treatment. I really dig the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but their inclusion of having every album of theirs show up comes down to them being a solid joy to listen to, no matter which album you jump into. Some of their albums are based solely in country, then there are the ones close to bluegrass, but I find their best sound to be when they reach into country rock, much like we will be hearing today with "The Cure". The band has had 25 studio albums so far, and each one I have sunk my teeth into has been a joy. When their first live album came along in the 1969 portion of my studies, I had confidence that it would be highly enjoyable and I wasn't wrong. Though all their releases fall short in comparison to the collaborative album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which was released in 1972. That one is the band's 7th studio album, but it just isn't them on that album. They brought in so many of the early country, bluegrass, and western top stars. I adore that album; it is a solid joy! To hear legends like Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle, Earl and Randy Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, and so many more top-tier artists coming together with the power of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band behind them is a treat. It was damn bold for the band to release the album, especially during the peak of their fame. Nobody had done that before, and the band practically bridged the gap between what was in the western world and what is currently in. Many of those artists were exposed to a whole new generation, many of which really liked what htey heard. It is one of those albums that you will remember what you were doing at that moment when you first listen to it. I had already moved through my 1920s-1960s section of my studies into music at that point, so I was already well familiar and a fan of each artist that walked into that album, but to have them brought into the light once more was truly moving. I strongly suggest the album if you are someone who likes very early country music, bluegrass, or hearing the changing of the tides in music. I sort of wish we were talking about that album today since it would be a grand excuse to listen through the album again even though I am enjoying the Superjoint album I am listening to right now. I am typically pretty hit and miss with Superjoint (Ritual), but their second studio album, A Lethal Dose of American Hatred, has always been an enjoyable stop-off. Getting off topic. Yes, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released some of the most iconic albums in country rock history, and while we don't get to talk about the outstanding Will the Circle Be Unbroken, we still get to talk about one of their other powerhouse albums, Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy.

     This was the band's breakout album, and it holds their most famous song from their 1970s discography, "Mr. Bojangles". "Mr. Bojangles" is a song most of us in the room... Cyber room?.... Whatever. Most of the people here will recognize. If you recall, just last month we actually talked a bit about the track when we covered the artist that wrote and originally released it in 1968, Jerry Jeff Walker. The song was sort of a hidden gem in the folk world when it released, but the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's version was anything but a hidden gem. The single for "Mr. Bojangles" hit the 9th spot on the US charts in 1970 and was a leading force in what made Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy hit the 66th spot on the mainstream charts. That might seem fairly low, but not many country-based artists made it that far into the mainstream charts, especially with a style that was still stuck in something from yesteryear. Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and so many other hard rockers were shaking the charts to their foundations, yet here was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band releasing a hit single of a folk song. I do like that version from Jerry Jeff Walker; it has that peaceful, rootsy feeling to it, but it simply cannot hold up to the version put out by today's band. 1970 was one stellar year for all walks of music, and they just so happened to release a solid sender that went on to be one of their greatest albums. What makes this one stand strong against so many of their other powerhouses is how well it brought rock into the fold of other varying styles, including bluegrass, country, western, and folk. Many come to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for their more country material, a time where they left some of the rock n roll behind, but I tend to come crawling to their rockin' stuff. Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy has something for most rock and country fans out there, especially if you are someone who got bitten by that ramblin' bug since the album is certainly great for going for a long drive. There are plenty of songs on the album; it comes in at 45 minutes and comprises 21 tracks. This is the kind of album that isn't meant to be cherry-picked. To fully appreciate it, you gotta cozy up next to it and take it all in. Sure, you can stop in and grab some solid tracks, but you still won't fully get the picture of the track unless you listen to the ones that surround it. "Mr. Bojangles" is a perfect example of that since it follows the song "Jesse James" and a small interview with the man who sang it, Uncle Charlie, called "Uncle Charlie Interview" before "Mr. Bojangles" comes in. It adds a certain personal feeling to the song. For our song of the day, "The Cure", you get "Prodigal's Return" to kick the song off. "Prodigal's Return" is a funky, almost psychedelic little ditty and sets the stage wonderfully for the highly energetic "The Cure" to come in next. Following "The Cure" you get moved into "Travelin' Mood", a mellow one that I adore driving to, especially if there is some dusty dirt road to toot down at a mellow pace. Still... Even with those great songs surrounding it, I don't know if there is a song on this album that beats "The Cure", even the legendary "Mr. Bojangles". Yeah, this is just in my opinion, naturally, but I stand by it, "The Cure" is fuckin' great. This was the song that fully had me saying, "Yep, this band is for me", and becoming a lifetime fan. Even with all the highly enjoyable tracks on Will the Circle Be Unbroken and on many of the bands' other albums, "The Cure" holds the status as my favorite song from the group. 

     "The Cure" is the third track on the album. It is one of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band songs that mixes bluegrass with country rock, creating a full ride from the Appalachian mountains to the sunny shores of California. The track is just over 2 minutes, but each second of its playing time is full of great pickin' and some vocal harmonies that get your ears experiencing a piece of hillbilly heaven. Strangely enough, the band formed in Long Island, California, something that shocks me each time for some reason. Their early sound makes sense. The group has had a wide plethora of musicians in their ranks, all of whom come from many different ports and bring in their own regional touch to the thrilling sound of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Why they chose "House at Pooh Corner" as a single and not "The Cure" has always confused me. Nothing wrong with "House at Pooh Corner", but having a song based around Winnie the Pooh is sure a choice, especially when a song like "The Cure" is just waiting to blow people's minds. I do dig that track too, but I just gotta hope my lady doesn't hear the lyrical content and wonder if I am jamming to some Winne the Pooh soundtrack material when I am playing it around her. She still hasn't caught on. "The Cure" is one of the fast-paced moments on the album. The group whipped out some banjos and got to laying down a moving track, both in emotion and locomotion. The intro sets the pace, but when the chorus hits, it is practically a completely different song. The Eagles did the same thing often during their country rock days, but unlike the Eagles, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band didn't make their song a couple minutes longer. I really wish they did since I gotta replay this one three times in a row to scratch that itch when I am dying for this song. Truth be told, it is the kind of song I would have done that with anyway no matter the playing time. Since they had so many tracks to fit into one album, I will forgive them for making it short and sweet. The band is still based in country and bluegrass, both of which have quick as hell songs. "The Cure" is the only song on the album penned by Jeff Hanna, the band's main singer, and honestly, the backbone to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He has been the longest-running member and also has had his hands all over everything Nitty Gritty. I am talking drums when they need it, guitars here, organ there, lyrics when it is needed, and a ton of song compositions. He is a beast when it comes down to the country world, and I am glad the band's debut here on AintNoisePollution is one that he wrote and sang on. Alright, that is enough out of me. Try the song out for size and see what you think. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1970

Album: Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy (1970)

Genre: Country Rock, Bluegrass

Mood: Lighthearted

​Perfect For: Rambling, Having 2... Wait... 4 beers, Off-roading, Casual listening

Where to Next: "Midnight Flyer" - Eagles

Rating: 9 / 10

Song of the Day 09/05/2026

"Thunderbird" - ZZ Top

     Well, I hear it's fine if you've got the time. But I think you always got some time for ZZ Top. You ended up here on the website, so there is a solid chance you and I are alike in that way. I always got time for ZZ Top; they are the kind of group that can rest in any playlist or rock my record player whenever they see fit. An early love. For many, ZZ Top served as their first taste of classic rock, and they were one of mine. They have a reach that has them showing up in most essential rock songs of the 1970s and 1980s lists, playlists, and compilations. Something southern for the southern boys, something Californified for the westerners, some slow stuff for our friends up north, and something boogie-based for those in the east. They are a one-stop shop for most rock n roll sounds. For today, we talk about one of their boogie-based songs from the half-live, half-studio album, Fandango!, which I have viewed as one of their finest albums for a long time. For some odd reason, I rarely see much praise for this one aside from it being home to the marvelous "Tush". I mean, that is one song that is certainly the kind of song that gets your whole album sold, but the rest of the album for the most part is highly enjoyable. The first half of the album is a collection of live recordings that the band recorded in 1975, and for me, that is where the magic is at. In the second half we have the studio work like the boogie-based "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings", which is a great song name; the silly "Blue Jean Blues", the southern rockin' "Balinese", "Mexican Blackbird" which is one of those comical ZZ Top songs that still are damn good, "Heard It On the X" which is one of my favorite ZZ Top tracks, and then the final song, the crown jewel, and one of their greatest songs of all time, "Tush". "Tush" is as definitive of a rock song as any other legendary 1970s rock track. Once again, that one song could have sold this whole album, and for many, it did. We will be zoning in on the first side of the album and its first song, "Thunderbird", here in just a second. Before we get into that, how about we take a second to pay respects to Frank Beard, who passed away just a little less than a month ago?

     Frank Beard was the band's longtime drummer, technically being their second drummer, but the first drummer was severely short-lived, and there is no doubting that Beard was the band's prime drummer. It will be hard to fill his boots. He was the point of the ZZ Top triangle, even if he hardly got the same coverage and notoriety as guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons and bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill. Frank Beard is an underrated drummer in the rock world. Through those whiskey-dipped sticks, he helped ZZ Top perfect melding boogie rock, blues rock, and traditional rock music. Even when the band moved into the synthesizer-backed rock stage in the 1980s, he was there to keep things smacking along. ZZ Top is known for their stage show and stage attire. Cheesy pimp outfits, hats that came right out of a western pup comic, fuzzy instruments, and most importantly, big ol' wonderful beards. Though, the only person in the band to not have a big ol' beard was strangely Frank Beard. I guess the name was enough for the pass. Well, it was a massive shame to hear of his passing last month. That means we only have Billy Gibbons left to represent ZZ Top, even if the band still continues to tour. Frank Beard was born in Frankston, Texas, in 1949 but did most of his growin' up in Irving, Texas. He met future ZZ Top bassist, Dusty Hill, when he was just a teenager when Hill tried getting him to join in the band he was rockin' in called the Warlocks. Frank Beard played in many small time bands before having his shot in ZZ Top; half of the groups were alongside his good ol' pal Dusty Hill. ZZ Top lost their first drummer, which left a slot open for Beard to join on in, and as any friend might do, he introduced ZZ Top founding member Billy Gibbons to Dusty Hill. The three got to work perfecting their signature sound, something they called "Texas boogie-blues-rock", which led to them putting out their first studio album. You know.... The first album is one you have to take seriously, and one of the biggest choices is what to call that first album. ZZ Top wanted something truly unique, so they went with the bold title of ZZ Top's First Album. Pretty inventive. All jokes. Honestly, that isn't a bad name. It is one of those that practically shouts, "This is just the beginning". While that album failed to make many waves on the charts—well, more like not making any waves at all since it didn't even chart—it still serves as the band's beginning. It is also their most bluesy album they ever put out. I have a special place for that album, and songs like "(Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree" and "Backdoor Love Affair" are worth listening to this album a couple of times over for just those two songs. It is a rough album, but not in a bad way; it just seems to have come from some local band showing what they could do if they got a proper backing. This was just the start for Frank Beard and ZZ Top.

     If you are someone who loves rock music, you likely already know where the band went after that. Frank Beard gave some serious energy to ZZ Top's signature sound. His drumming is fairly laxed, but man, it is in your face! I attribute his drumming to what made ZZ Top always borderlining with hard rock, especially in their earlier sound. Like many in the rock world, Beard struggled with substance abuse, which was an on-and-off problem throughout all of ZZ Top's career, but he kicked it for good by 2020. By the time they hit the major leagues with their 1983 legendary release, Eliminator, his using turned into such an issue that he was often dismissed from the recording room. Luckily for him, his buddies stood by him, and also the band was taking a poke at the more pop-laced sound of mainstream rock at the time, which meant drum machines. Don't go thinking that Beard wasn't there for those albums; he certainly was both in the studio and on tour, but it fell on engineer Terry Manning to get some of the programming done to fill the gaps while Beard filled his veins. I am glad he kicked it. That is one hard battle, but he got it done. At the start of August of this year they had to start canceling shows due to Frank Beard having health issues, and by the middle of the month Beard passed away at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. One of his last wishes was that Billy Gibbons continue on in the band, but there will certainly be a ghost on stage. His seat was filled by Michael Monahan for the remainder of the tour. Young blood. Though, if there is a place to start your career on stage, being part of ZZ Top is one of those you want on your resume. Rest in peace, Frank Beard. Your drumming really gave ZZ Top a kick in the ass and helped create a whole new take on rock and blues music. Alright, let's take a look at one that showcases some of his drummer's prowess with the band's fourth album, Fandango!. This album excels at showing off the band's well-respected live energy but also balances it out with a varying set of sounds out of their studio work. I adore this album. I can still remember the first time I listened to it in full. Many, many years back I started into the discographies of some of the most notable names in hard rock that left an imprint on heavy metal in one way or another. My studies started in heavy metal and expanded into rock as a whole when I got a little older. ZZ Top isn't heavy metal by any means, but their hard rock edge had many in the early metal community considering themselves a fan, so I naturally had to listen through all I could. I already knew the group mighty well, but I had yet to go back and listen to their less celebrated albums in full. Fandango! was the album that set me up for being a ZZ Top fan for life! I loved each part of it, even if the medley "Backdoor Medley" is admittedly a little silly. ZZ Top solidified their spot as one of the fastest rising bands in rock music with their third album, Tres Hombres, which featured their breakout song, "La Grange". The world was naturally wanting more, and Fandango! gave it to them. It still wasn't a crazy high seller but still hit high up on the charts in the United States and Canada (hitting the top spot on the Canadian charts), and it faired well in a couple of countries across the ocean. One of my favorite songs on the album is the intro track, "Thunderbird". This is part of the live section of the album and is, in my opinion, the best song on the first side of the album. 

     "Thunderbird" has a strange history, one that sort of paints ZZ Top in bad lighting. The song was written and performed originally by the Dallas-based band The Nightcaps. ZZ Top had already been playing it live for a solid chunk of time before they put it on the album. On the album's notes, the song is credited to ZZ Top, even though it was already being performed by another band that had a single for it that was released in 1960. You see, The Nightcaps didn't copywrite their song, and ZZ Top came along and sort of stole it. The Nightcaps tried suing ZZ Top, but unlike the Nightcaps, ZZ Top had already copyrighted it. The songs are identical, and if you want to hear the original, you are gonna have to find it somewhere on the internet. Sort of skeevy, I won't lie, but as someone who has listened to both, I gotta give it to ZZ Top! Naturally, I would say that since I am a big fan, but still. I won't lie, it kind of hurts the song's image, but that is business. The song starts off with the crowd getting amped as ZZ Top enters the stage after a send-off asking if the crowd "is ready for ZZ Top?!", in which they reply with cheering, and that is all the band needs as they enter with "Thunderbird". This is the kind of track that gets you amped up. On the version we are hearing here, there is a heavy focus on the gritty dance between the bass and guitar. The drums sort of take a back step. I always heard that the original recording of this album was much better. When they ported it over to CD, they kind of messed up with some of the digital remixing, something that the fans were pissed about. They never went back and fixed it. Being someone who came much too late for vinyl records, this is the version that I know and love, but I got my hands on an original version of the album on vinyl and finally got to hear it in its original form when I chose this as my song of the day. I can see why the fans were pissed since the vinyl version does honestly sound a lot better. More energy and more space for Frank Beard to stand out instead of being drowned out by the bass guitar. "Thunderbird" sets the stage for the full album. It is the kind of intro track that gets the blood pumping and gets you excited for this new and exciting album from the most essential rock band that came out of Texas. It is hardly anything more than a hype track, and even though the song comes in at just over 4 minutes, it feels much shorter since it is so damn thrilling. One hell of a way to kick the album off, and I only wish I had the chance to see ZZ Top live back in the 1970s. Now, I love the 1980s ZZ Top sound. That shit is iconic as hell, but I would be lying if I said I liked it more than their 1970s material. I would say they are tied. Do I want some boogie rock that makes me wanna party? Well, time to head to their 1970s material. How about if I want something smooth and easy to get into? Time to move into their 1980s material that pleased a whole generation with their take on the 1980s rock sound. There is a ton to love from ZZ Top, even their less critically praised later material like the 1996 album Rhythmeen and their stellar comeback album in 2012, La Futura. I have listened through their discography a ton of times, and they are the kind of band that will forever be one of my favorites. I am happy to have shared them here once again on AintNoisePollution; this is their second time here. There will be plenty more songs of theirs as the website trudges along. For now, enjoy this nice deeper cut into their discography. Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1975

Album: Fandango! (1975)

Genre: Boogie Rock, Blues Rock

Mood: Energizing

​Perfect For: Getting ready in the morning, Heading to the bar, Chores, Working, Getting drunk

Where to Next: "Night Time" (Live/1986) - George Thorogood

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/04/2026

"Hempispheres" - Sleep

     Even before I started covering songs daily here on the website, the fourth spot on the monthly playlists was always a holy one. It is the last piece of the playlist's cover art (if you can call it that). I was stoked when Spotify introduced the feature to create your own, but they sort of dropped the ball if you ask me. Now, if you are doing some "feel good summer vibes" playlists, then you are in luck, but if you have an edgy playlist name backed by songs that don't reflect the images they offer, then you are out of luck. For those that check and/or save my monthly playlist of Spotify, you might notice that I add a picture at the end of the month to remind me what was going on during that time in my life. I have used these Song of the Day playlists as a memory well, a calendar, for years now. I think I started my first one in February of 2018, and I have kept on top of it daily ever since. It is crazy it took me this long to realize that I could start a blog surrounding them. Well, here we are. Ever since the start of those playlists and before, the first four songs you add to the playlist have their album art displayed for all to see. So, for this month before I add a picture, it will be a strangely colorful one that has all four choices not really being all too similar to each other. Sleep is the fourth choice this month. Oh yes, those boys with the long-ass songs and a hypnotic stoner metal atmosphere. They are the most entry-level stoner metal band out there and, depending on who you ask, the ultimate name in the genre. I have met few who haven't dug what they bring to the table, and trust me, I share this band with just about anyone who draws breath. Shit, sometimes I go to cemeteries just to talk to the dead people about the band too since they probably would like it as well. It might scare the fuck out of those that died over a hundred years ago, but fans are born every second for all sorts of bands; why should some dead dude not be graced by Sleep? Anyway, Sleep is fuckin' iconic, and for a genre like stoner metal, they manage to still have their own set style that evolves with each new album they put out, "Hempispheres" being from their most recent studio album of the same name. Yeah, that is the album title. No, I didn't spell hemispheres wrong. My autocorrect is having a meltdown right now. Sleep is the type of band to have an album named after ganja, songs on it about ganja, and an album cover that matches the overall smoker-friendly theme about space... stoners? Hashtronauts. Come on! That is a good one. I mean, the genre is called stoner metal, so I don't know what you expected. Not a girl scout in sight, except for girl scout cookies. Man! That strain pretty well defined my teenage years. Loved that stuff. Wonder if you can still get it somewhere. Annnyway! Sleep had yet to show up here on AintNoisePollution, but we are happy to have them here! We have had no shortage of bands similar to Sleep, but you simply cannot beat this band when it comes to the stoner side of doom metal and hard rock music. They were one of the groups I said that I simply HAD to go to one of their shows if they came to my neck of the woods. Well... Good news! They finally are coming to Utah! But.... Bad news! They chose one of the years that I am completely broke! Isn't fate a bitch? Sleep and bands like them typically don't do shows outside of legal states, which is fair, so I sort of always assumed I wouldn't have a chance to see them live, especially with them not releasing something new for so long. I just hope they come again since this has been a goal of mine for a minute, even thought about taking a vacation back in the day to travel a couple of states over just to see them. It is what it is. It would have been more hurtful to my soul if they didn't just release a new studio album just this week. I have been keeping my eye on them since they released a new single in June, the first new thing they have put out in digital form since 2021's remixed version of "The Clarity". After they put out the single for "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" with a new polished-up sound, I figured they were ramping up to release an album. Then the tour announcement came, followed by another single, "The Morrisist", and I knew it was about to be a good-ass time here soon. So, I waited, and then finally their newest album, Hempispheres, arrived and I listened to it the next day for my new music Fridays.

     You might be wondering how I don't know when things are coming out. Honestly, it is because I don't have the time to look into each and every band that I actively listen to since that number is well into 500 groups, half of them being true loves. You see, I don't have social media, which would be the easiest way to keep all of this tracked. I could just start one up to make it easier on myself, buuuut meh. Also, I honestly kind of like the surprise of things showing up. Working sucks, ya know, but when I get in the car and a notification pulls up that Saxon just released a new single, it kind of gives a kick in the butt that is much needed to avoid the thoughts of corporate enslavement. It mainly comes down to not having the time to look into each band, especially since that list just keeps growing as I further my studies. Alright! Back into it. Sleep has a pretty small discography. This newest album of theirs serves as their fifth studio album, and it came 8 years after their previous heavy hitter, The Sciences, which released in April of 2018. Talk about a waiting time! That one also came out of nowhere. I remember I was just at home playing on Spotify when I happened to notice there was a mysterious new Sleep album on Spotify. It was quite random; at least Hempispheres gave a little bit of a warning. But, once again, I like those little surprises. Sleep has two of the most legendary stoner metal albums out there, with their second studio album, Sleep's Holy Mountain, being a true treat to listen to, and then their third studio album, Dopesmoker (also known as Jerusalem), being a fucking goliath! I mean that word literally. The Jerusalem version of the album is only one song of the same name, and then the more well-known version of the album under the name Dopesmoker is made up of only two songs, "Dopesmoker" which is 63 minutes long, and "Sonic Titan", which comes in at almost ten minutes long. That third album is a feat, but it is one you certainly have to be in a special mood to sit through. I will admit that I have only done it maybe 10 times throughout my life, mostly since people always say, "Alright, we get it, can we change the song now?" halfway through. What a beast. I typically listen to it for a solid 25 minutes before I skip it so I can actually listen to something else that day. I hope I can share it here some time, but I am certain we will, especially when I actually open my special edition that I got on vinyl. Can't wait. Dopesmoker practically did the band in and is the leading reason that they broke up. Their label at the time, London Records, went after the band for thinking the album would be hardly marketable, which they aren't wrong about; not only is it very drug-laced, duh, it also is pretty well only one song gargantuan from a band that sold good but still low in the mainstream for their breakout album, Sleep's Holy Mountain. I will say that those bastards had no vision! They were more concerned with filling their pockets than filling their ears with earth vibrating, heavily distorted, and iconic heavy fuckin' metal. The bastards. The band still got the album out, but it wasn't until 2003. The breakup was bad news, but there is a silver lining to it all. Through the breakup the members went off and started up some bands, two of which are iconic as sin. We have High on Fire, which was formed by Sleep guitarist Matt Pike. High on Fire is damn good. The heavy-hitting drummer of Sleep, Chris Hakius, went on to form Om, a drone metal group that is well worth your time if that is the style of doom you desire. Anyway, Sleep eventually came back for their next album, The Sciences, which came out of the blue but blew people's little eggshell minds! A heavy album, but this time, it wasn't all about the fuzz that had you feeling so small, it was in a more confident song structure that still held their original vision intact but expanded into a more entry-level hard rock sound. It isn't where I suggest a new fan go start into the band, but it is certainly still worth your time. More of a hard rock album that gets droned out than a droned out metal group who touches into hard rock. That theme stayed true 8 years later when Sleep put out Hempisphere just Thursday of this week. This is our first taste of this version of the band.

     Vocalist and bass guitarist Al Cisneros has been the only full-time member of Sleep since they started up in 1990 and thus he is the only original member in the Hempispheres lineup. We have Dale Crover on drums, a man known for his work with the Melvins and many other groups, but his main fame is from the Melvins. You know the dudes, the backbone of the underground rock music world through the 1980s and 1990s. A welcome addition that adds one hell of a punch to that Sleep style. On guitar we have Bubba Dupree, a relatively unknown name in their ranks. He has been alongside Brant Bjork in his desert rock boogie band, The Low Desert Punk Band, so it only fits that he joined in with Sleep. Got some heavy hitters on this album, but my favorite song from my first listen was the title track, "Hempispheres". It isn't just because it has a clever name; this song shows how well Sleep is doing with keeping their core sound intact while getting closer and closer to a cleaned-up early metal sound. The band has never been shy about sharing some of their love for Black Sabbath, but this one might be the closest they got to the godfathers of heavy metal. The song has a decent playing time, not as long as some of their others, but comfy in their style at just shy of 8 minutes. The intro gets you sat and happy, and by the time you get your popcorn, it is time for the band to fully wow you. Sleep has always excelled at the instrumental bits of their songs, and "Hempisheres" is no different. The party really kicks off at the 2:40 mark when the band slows it down and it gets better as the song goes along. Like most of Sleep's material, this song and album follow a loose story. For my first listen, I wasn't able to follow along super well due to being at work, but when I give it another listen down the line, I will be sure to be fully tuned in. With Sleep not being mega famous, and with the album only barely dropping solely in digital form, there isn't anywhere to find the damn lyrics to this song! It is likely the same as their previous album with silly references and outerspace stoner imagery, such as riding a smoke cloud through a cluster of hashteroids. Silly, but so damn cool. The band has my vote for being kickass. Well, the song might feel long when you first start it, but with it being Sleep, they just need to get that hypnotic pocket watch swinging, and then your whole attention will be transfixed into their wall of sound before it puts you back where you were without a scratch, but maybe with a headache. It is worth it, in that I promise. So why don't you try it out? Give the song a play already! Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 2026

Album: Hempispheres (2026)

Genre: Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Space Rock

Mood: Fuzzy

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Working, Getting stone, Space cruising, Stargazing, Playing loud

Where to Next: "420 Horsemen" - Belzebong (Man, this genre has so many comically great names)

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/03/2026

"Pass It Around" - Smokie

     Before you go sayin' that I spelled the band's name wrong, just know their debut was released under the name "Smokey", something that stuck around for their following studio album, but they switched to their proper spelling of "Smokie" for later pressings of that second album and for their third, Midnight Cafe, the album most of us that know Smokie are familiar with here in the United States. Why do I say that? Well, I honestly thought Smokie was a one-hit wonder until I looked further into them. They are a United States one-hit wonder, but they did pretty well in Europe and Oceania in the 1970s onward. For the United States, we caught wind of their biggest hit, "Living Next Door to Alice", but they never had much fame here aside from that. Do you know that song? No? Well, go check that sucker out before starting here! That song is so damn good. When I first hear it come along on a playlist, I just know I am gonna spin it a couple of times in a row since that chorus is so damn addictive. That one also has a great live rendition called "Alice! (Who the Fuck Is Alice...?)" that I also adore. Not as much as their studio version, but the strange humor that fills the crowd for the live one is entertaining, and I love the changing of words. Anyway, I am now going to listen to "Living Next Door to Alice" since even talking about it has me dying to hear it. My Morning Jacket will have to wait a second. Oh! I am finally getting to My Morning Jacket's It Still Moves, one of the albums I most looked forward to when starting into my 2003 section. So far it is great! Maybe we will even talk about it tomorrow. Anyway, while I let "Living Next Door to Alice" play, let's get back into talking about the band. Smokie started out in the glam rock craze that hit the UK like a truck in the 1970s. It is there that we will hear "Pass It Around", but the band had more fame in the soft rock sound that was starting to become more of a regular thing in the mid-to-late 1970s worldwide. Hard rock was still fighting back, but with metal gaining power and punk rock taking the energy even higher, there was a massive market for the mellow side of rock. Smokie dropped their glam rock sound after their debut, which made it a hidden gem from their discography, much like Queen and their original sound before moving into something commercial. Truth be told, I am damn glad that Smokie moved out of the glam rock world. It came and went pretty damn fast, and those that didn't jump ship rode that ship into the ground. The soft rock sound of Smokie is where their bread and butter is. The vocals from Chirs Norman are immensely enjoyable. He has one of those voices that make him sound older than he is. When Smokie broke out into the mainstream with their third studio album, Midnight Cafe, he was only 26, but he sang with a mature knack that could satisfy the older generation, but still this schoolboy sneer which had many teenagers digging their sound. The band's charting history is strange. Their debut album, Pass It Around, released in 1975 and only charted weakly in Australia, peaking at the #94 spot. Though that album does hold one of their best early songs, the title track, "Pass It Around". That one song could sell this whole album, and honestly, it is the best song on its 13-song track listing even though there are some other great songs. "Pass It Around" was the first single from the band, but it was a big commercial failure, mostly since people didn't even have a chance to hear it on the radio! Stations avoided playing it due to thinking it had some secret marijuana message, which is admittedly fair, but you can still play that shit. People have always been prudes, ey? Well, I feel bad for everyone who didn't have a chance to hear the song since it is a ton of fun. "Pass It Around" is also our song of the day! So, maybe we will just jump into that early and get it out of the way.

     I have always thought title tracks are the most important piece on an album. It is the bold one. Obviously good enough to name the whole album around it. That stands true with our song of the day today. "Pass It Around" is the first song off the band's debut album of the same name, which was released in 1975. "Pass It Around" also serves as the band's debut single, but like I already mentioned, it was a commercial failure. The band tried pretty damn hard to get their name around during this stage, even going on a big tour with Pilot, but even with all that work put in, they hardly gained any attention. That is alright. I will admit, the album itself isn't anything all too crazy. I adore "Pass It Around", "Shy Guy", and "Daydreamin', but aside from those tracks, there aren't all too many grand moments. Still enjoyable as all get out, and those three songs sail the whole thing for me, but still nothing that was going to chart all too high. The grand majority of glam rock bands out of the UK hardly charted. The genre was meant for style and community more than it was meant for music. Only a few walked away legends; the rest had a few charting hits and albums and then got back to life. So, for Smokie at this stage, it was just the wrong style to be whipping out, especially when others had already been doing it and were doing it a little bit better. For those that like to do full discography runs, you cannot even think about skipping the album. Any true Smokie fans won't put it down either, and while I have listened through most of the band's material, especially from the 1970s and the 1980s, I still stand by that it is a fairly weak album. If you are just gonna do a skimming of the album, then be sure to take in the title track in full since it is the shining gem. "Pass It Around" comes in hot with a glam rock sound. Theatrical as all hell. The style is right in stride with what Sweet was doing at the time. Lyrically the song is pretty positive, something we all need to hear. It doesn't matter what others are thinkin' about you. Just remember the greatest thing about yourself is free will. You can do whatever you wanna do. If you wanna sing out, sing out. That vision is meant to be passed around. You are meant to express yourself, the inner you, since that is all you really are. Not the flashy car or fine clothing, not the woman you got on your arm or the gems you got on your rings. The true you. You gotta pass it around. So, yeah, you can hear in the lyrics how people might have thought it was a pot song, especially with their band name and the album art. Still, the song is a powerful one that comes and goes fairly fast. The album slowly loses steam but gets little bumps as it goes. "Pass It Around" is a hidden gem from 1975 that I think you could fully dig! The band found a little better success with their following studio album, Changing All the Time. It was a transitionary album, one that dropped the glam rock sound for something more soft rock with a strange country feeling to it. This is where they started finding their signature sound, and it is also where they switched their band name to "Smokie" to avoid being confused with Smokey Robinson. The early pressings of that album still hold the early spelling of the band's name, and I wonder if that makes them more rare for the record collectors such as myself. I will look into that. The album was much stronger, and you can tell the band knew what they wanted now. It featured two singles, "If You Think You Know How to Love Me" and "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me", both of which hit damn high on the UK charts and high elsewhere. I am talking top ten in the UK, so Smokie finally got that name circulating. They followed that up with their third album, Midnight Cafe, which did mighty well. After its release is when "Living Next Door to Alice" hit the scene as a non-album single. "Living Next Door to Alice" was their biggest hit worldwide and solidified their spot in the temporary spotlight of rock music. It was later included on the 2007 remastered version of Midnight Cafe, and I can hardly fathom the album without it since that is the first album I ever listened to from the band with the expanded tracklisting. The band charted strong in different countries from 1975 to 1981, and then one more smack of that Smokie in 1987 & 1988 for their 10th studio album, All Fired Up. Since then, the band has released albums steadily, most of which chart high in one place or another, but the 1970s were certainly their prime years. I am still working through their discography in leisure. For today, you get a taste of early Smokie. Their signature sound is still there for sure, but I won't lie that that sound of theirs only gets better as it goes. Still, glad to share a hidden gem. Hope we get to talk more about the band at a later point. Enjoy! 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1975

Album: Pass It Around (1975)

Genre: Glam Rock

Mood: Positive

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Getting stoned, Letting the stresses go

Where to Next: "The Night Chicago Died" - Paper Lace

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/02/2026

"A Little Respect" - Wheatus

     Now, for many of us out there, we will see the Wheatus name and sort of not take them seriously. Some out there might know Wheatus as a one-hit wonder, and while that might be true on the charts, it is hardly the truth in the modern way we take in music. Wheatus would have been considered more of a two-hit wonder back then since their cover of Erasure's marvelous "A Little Respect" also charted pretty damn high. The main hit that Wheatus is known for is the iconic "Teenage Dirtbag", a song that truly has no right being as good as it is. Man, is that song good. That is the kind of track that you listen to for the first time and say, "What even is this?" but before you know it you are pulling the song up again within the next hour to give it another taste. Both come off the band's debut self-titled album, easily the best place to start within Wheatus. That is coming from someone who indeed did start there. I was like you; I mainly knew "Teenage Dirtbag" and heard "A Little Respect" a time or two. It was just recently that I got further into the band with my studies. Shit, I just barely finished up their second studio album, Hand Over Your Loved Ones, just a couple of days ago. While it is unfair to lob Wheatus in with being a one-hit wonder, especially since there is plenty of love for the band's other songs, I am not fully sold on the group yet. That debut of theirs, that is one album that fully deserves a chef's kiss, but their second one didn't blow me away. It was good and I fully enjoyed it, but it wasn't the kind of album that had me instantly falling in love with it. Albums like Hand Over Your Loved Ones tend to need a couple of plays from me before I want to add them to my collection of loved albums. It was close, but there was something missing that their debut had. I am sure getting heavily tied into an admittedly silly song kind of hinders your career. Sure, it got your name out there, and everyone knows that one song, but if you want to step away from that theme, you have a seriously long road to travel. It is sort of like the poor actors that get hooked up into fame from a Marvel movie. Yeah, you are the big star, and everyone knows your face, but now everyone is going to say, "Isn't that the Spider-Man dude?" for the rest of your career. Still, I don't think Whatus would have made it as far as they have without "Teenage Dirtbag", which is one of the most intoxicatingly catchy pop rock songs out of the 2000s. The song can hang out with the 1990s burnouts just as well as it can meld with the sound going on in the awkward early 2000s. It just works, and that song will forever be a piece of rock history. Everyone seems to know that track. Though, that little feeling that comes along with "Teenage Dirtbag", "A Little Respect", and the other little goodies that fill their debut didn't move into their second album as easily. Still them, there is no doubting that, but something was missing. Once I get into the 2005 portion of my studies in three months or so, then I get to try out their third album, Too Soon Monsoon, which I hope impresses me more. I was so damn excited to get into the second album, so maybe I am still a little butthurt that I was disappointed by it and it was actually a better album than I realized. I have always stood by the idea that you need to listen to an album three times to fully get the idea. The first is confusing and fun. The second is a little more serious, where you feel more than hear. Then that third one is where you find an understanding of the vision if it has one. There are times that on that third listen you think, "Yeah, I wasn't missing much", but I don't think that is going to be the case with Hand Over Your Loved Ones once I get around to giving it another spin, something I intend to do within the next month since I still did enjoy it. We didn't come here to talk about that second album; we are here for that debut of theirs and the cover of "A Little Respect".

     Each and every time I have listened to their cover of "A Little Respect", I always jump over and listen to the divine original from 1980s synth-pop legends, Erasure. That song is so damn good! The cover is a strange one. It feels like a local band doing a strange cover, but one that keeps to the original pretty damn well even if it is far from the synth-pop genre. I would say that the Wheatus one is almost better put together to grab you. Erasure has a version that is a peaceful and moving track; that is where the emotion is, but the one from Wheatus is just... Fun! That is what Wheatus is known for after all. There is a music video that goes along with Wheatus's that follows the fun style. It pretty well covers a dude that has unfortunate things happen on repeat while he is trying to get back with his girlfriend, painting him as a pervert and overall as a rude bastard. I just watched it for the first time before I went to bed last night. Campy, but fun. Criminally of its time. Though, what do you expect? Much like the music video for "Teenage Dirtbag", it features actors acting out the song. Man, that girl in the "Teenage Dirtbag" music video was a childhood crush of mine. But.... I mean, a chick with Iron Maiden tickets could be a crush of mine anyday. Anyway, the music video to "A Little Respect" is a nice, easygoing time, but I would say the song without the music video is even better. It is the kind of song you can play casually anywhere you go. Like a lot of the songs off of their self-titled debut, it has a lot of different influences in there. The album jumps left and right but keeps that pop rock feeling there the whole way through. What better compliment to a pop-based album than having Erasure's most timeless track? It is kind of odd how well they pulled off the track. I have no doubt that Wheatus know what they are doing with their instruments and structuring of their songs, but not many groups can cover synth-pop and walk away doing it so damn well. That genre stands by itself, and I can only think of like 15 bands that pulled off an 1980s pop cover with a different style and did it nearly as well as Wheatus did it with "A Little Respect". It was one of the powerhouse tracks off the album, which was released in 2000, but the single to "A Little Respect" came out a year later, where it stood in third place on the UK charts, which is higher than the original made it years back. It did pretty well elsewhere, but it was the UK that loved it the most. Anyway, the song starts off with some mellow strumming before vocalist Brendan Brown joins in with his high vocals. Much like a solid chunk of Wheatus tracks, his vocals are damn enjoyable to listen to. Homey and innocent with a little edge of seriousness. The track keeps this mellow feeling all the way until the 0:41 mark, where the whole band joins in with enough power to give you chills. Where there are usually synthesizers, the band has the guitars filling the void, creating the same feeling. Not a full second of silence through the whole song. They do the song some serious justice. Sony poked and prodded Wheatus since they were signed by their subsidiary label, Columbia Records. This led to Wheatus even rereleasing their second studio album two years after its release, this time on their own label with a new title, Suck Fony, in Sony's own font. Well, for "A Little Respect", they put on the pressure for Brendan Brown to sing more like Scott Stapp of Creed and the others from the post-grunge world instead of their normal vocal style, which the band obviously wasn't about. I can't even imagine what that would sound like. If Creed or Staind did it... I mean, I can see it sounding pretty good, but this is Wheatus! What the hell were they thinking? If they did it, there is a 79 percent chance that "A Little Respect" would have never become the band's second big-time hit. They would have certainly faded away. So, what lesson did we learn? Big labels that try too hard to command an artist tend to not know shit. Music is from the soul, and that is something you cannot fully alter. Point it in the right direction, sure, but not force it. I am glad they stuck to their core sound since it spawned one of their greatest songs by a long shot. Once again, that is coming from someone who has only made it through 2 of their 5 studio albums. Still, I cannot help but feeling like "A Little Respect" will stand as one of their greatest tracks, no matter how many times I listen to their other material. It just has that thing! Alright, I guess I will just let you hear it for yourself. You know what to do! Load that song up already. Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 2000

Album: Wheatus (2000)

Genre: Pop Rock

Mood: Calming

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Hanging out on lunch break, Being cursed in love, Drinking wine

Where to Next: "Stacy's Mom" - Fountains of Wayne

Rating: 8 / 10

Song of the Day 09/01/2026

"Low Down Freedom" - Billy Joe Shaver

     Welcome to another start of the month here on our little corner of the internet. You chose one of the best places to start out September. We will be sure to keep things rockin' here, so check back often. Billy Joe Shaver might not be all too rockin' but he sure is a compelling country artist. He is one of the oddities that fell through the cracks until he was in the right place at the right time. What is that right time? Well,  when the outlaw country scene started to really grow hair on its chest instead of being a more rough form of traditional country music. That didn't happen until the late 1970s into the 1980s, even if that outlaw sound was around before then. Billy Joe Shaver became an icon in that world, and a lot of that came from his talent with a pen. I would consider Billy Joe Shaver to be one of the most talented songwriters in country music history, and that is really saying something since there were some phenomenal lyricists in the genre. Shaver was a wild man. He looks like the kind of guy who lived out his songs. In a way he kind of did. He grew up poor as dirt and hit the fields trying to make ends meet for his family by the age of 13 and dropped out of school. His dad was never around, and for the first portion of his life it was just his grandmother and mom who were around. When his grandmother passed, he moved in with his mom and stepfather, but money is always tight, and he got to working. Cotton fields at 13, the navy at 17, rodeo clown at 21, and then losing some of his fingers in a sawmill accident a few years down the line. He was just a common joe for the most part at this point, but there was a fire within the man that saw him taking his skills at guitar (even with the missing fingers) alongside his talent with the pen and planned to hitchhike his way to the city of angels, Los Angeles. Now, a lot of the country boys don't tend to head that way right off the bat, and the same happened to Shaver by fate. He couldn't get anyone to pick him up to go west, but one truck driver stopped off to get the wild child east; the first stop on his path to glory was in Memphis, Tennessee. The first taste. Then the next was Nashville. Bright lights and country music. Now, that is where a lot of the country stars got their start. Music City Row had people up and down the street, half of them were drunks, and the other half were country pickers. One in the same, really, and Billy Joe Shaver was amongst the ranks. He got to working pretty quickly, landing himself a spot as a songwriter, even if the pay wasn't all too great, it was the right step to becoming a country star. Soon enough Waylon Jennings took notice of Shaver. The grand majority of Waylon Jennings essential 19th studio album, Honky Tonk Heroes, was written by Shaver. 9 out of 10 tracks on that album were written by Shaver, two of which had a little bit of help. The only song on Honky Tonk Heroes that didn't have the wiser words of Shaver on it was "We Had It All". This was the turning point for our dear spotlighted artist. He first got the attention of Jennings while at one of Willie Nelson's famous 4th of July gatherings. Shaver performed his song "Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me", which is also featured on today's album and on Honky Tonk Heroes. Waylon heard it and asked if he had any others and wanted to record a whole album of them. Shaver naturally was ready for the challenge, and when the time came to meet up with Waylon in Nashville, he couldn't be found anywhere. Waylon avoided poor ol' Billy Joe Shaver for six whole months! Through pulling a few favors, Shaver finally zoned in on where Waylon was. By this time Waylon wasn't interested anymore but offered Shaver a hundred bucks for his time. Now, I mentioned that Shaver is a wild man, so he flat out refused the money and threatened Waylon that he was willing to throw down right here, right now if Waylon wouldn't hear his songs. Have you seen Billy Joe Shaver? The man has a wild eye, so Waylon cooled him down and said he would record "Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me", and for every song he sang next if he liked it, he would record it for his next album, but as soon as he sang one he didn't like, then that was the end of that, and he would have to hit the road. Now, Shaver knew his stuff was good, and Waylon saw it too. I mean, the number of songs on the album shows that. He caught Waylon while in a recording session with Chet Atkins at RCA. If you know Chet Atkins, you know he is a perfectionist, and Atkins wasn't fond of the idea of having the songs written by some stranger who smells like he just blew into town, but Waylon wasn't the type of artist to stand down from what he wanted to record, so he had no choice but to follow through. Lo and behold, Honky Tonk Heroes was a country hit album and one of Waylon's most impressive. It was a cornerstone album to building the outlaw country genre, and some of that came from what Shaver brought into it. That is where his career fully began.

     So, why go off on a tangent about a completely different album? Well, since I love Waylon Jennings. Also, since the album that holds our song of the day, "Low Down Freedom", is mostly made up of songs that came out of Waylon's Honky Tonk Heroes. It was a wise play to record the same songs you wrote and had big acclaim for from another artist. That is as country as country goes during this time. I mean, Shaver practically made that album for Waylon, so it was his turn to shine a little bit. That shining didn't shine all too bright, sadly. Billy Joe Shaver isn't the type of artist to hit the top of the charts. He is the kind of icon that works best in the shadows. His debut album hardly shook any leaves off the country tree, but it is still a pretty good album. One of those barebone debuts that came along in country music. It feels like a basement recording session, but that is some of the crude click that comes along with Billy Joe Shaver's early work. His debut, Old Five and Dimers Like Me, released in 1973, the same year that Waylon released an album with his material. Shaver getting a record deal was bound to happen. More artists were starting to do their versions of Billy Joe Shaver songs, even the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley. Another person who covered a Shaver track was Kris Kristofferson, who is the producer of Shaver's debut. You can feel that little piece of Kristofferson in there; he always leaves his mark on anything he touches. Our song of the day is one of the best tracks that Waylon did in the 1970s, "Low Down Freedom". That might just be an opinion of mine since I am obsessed with the lyrical content. Shaver knows how to put together a fun yet moving track, that is where he excels. Now, I do think that Waylon does a better version, but the passion from the Billy Joe Shaver version is easily felt. "Low Down Freedom" is one of many songs that show up on the fittingly titled Old Five and Dimers Like Me that was previously put on Waylon's album. For Shaver, "Low Down Freedom" is the 8th track on his debut. A smooth track that zones in on the words of Shaver. There is a full band bumping along, but you mainly focus on the singing. With this being his first album, it is a little more amateur. That is the fun, but in comparison to some of his later albums like the 1981-1993 core albums, it comes off a little more stale. It doesn't have that recklessness to it. But that is some of the reason I cannot help but come back to his debut when I want something more earthy, something a little more mellow but still has a rebel streak to it. This is the kind of stuff that is perfect for going on an adventure through the Utah deserts into Colorado's mountains. Shaver has a lot stronger vocal work on the album, and since there is a ten-year gap between this one and his later, more famous albums, there is naturally gonna be a little aging in the voice. One gives the atmosphere of a youthful rambler, and the other is a hell-raising country boy. Both are great, it just depends on what you are in the mood for. This album is sort of a forgotten gem from outlaw country music. It has many people's hands in making sure people understood how talented Shaver was. Tom T. Hall, another highly respected song writer, wrote the liner notes to the album. Kris Kristofferson, arguably one of the most respected lyricists in the 1970s, produced it. Before and after this album was released, people were raving about Shaver in the inner country circles; this was just his striking out at the rest of the nation knowing his name. The album was met with weak sales and quickly became another country album out of 1973 that came and went. Over 50 years later and 6 years after Shaver's death, people are finally coming back to it. Shaver didn't put out songs that were polished or planned; he put out stuff that came from the soul, from the heart of someone who lived the life. You can feel the authenticity in his debut and through the rest of his albums that followed it. Shaver is an icon of the outlaw country world, and what he lacked in sales is made up for tenfold with the impact he made on the genre. Do yourself a favor and spin the song, you won't be disappointed. If you like it, then go check out his material and the stuff that he wrote and others recorded. It is a lot of homework, but it is highly worthwhile. Enjoy!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Year Released: 1973

Album: Parallel Minds (1973)

Genre: Country, Outlaw Country

Mood: Mellow

​Perfect For: Casual listening, Daydreaming, Going for a long drive, Studying maps

Where to Next: "Ain't No God in Mexico - Live 1974" - Waylon Jennings

Rating: 8 / 10