Happy New Year!

“Winona”, Matthew Sweet Girlfriend

The year that this album came out I had the ultimate job for an early twenty-something year old:  record store employee!  Listening to Girlfriend now brings back a lot of memories of this time period-  my musical tastes were ever expanding and this CD was frequently in the disc changer when I was behind the counter.  While the album is a great mix of power pop and rock, cuts like “Winona” expand on the formula, mixing beautiful pedal steel guitar work and acoustic guitar with flashes of electric and Sweet’s plaintive vocal.

“Inside/Outside”, Rhino Bucket Rhino Bucket

One of the many 80’s bands drinking from the AC\DC fountain-  grab a singer that’s a bit Bon Scott-esque with a dash of Brian Johnson o’er top Angus\Malcolm chords and simple structures and you’ve got a decent formula for success.  Sure, there is some similarity here but Rhino Bucket adds a little more vocal melody, especially on this track.  Not to mention the lyrical content, which is much more serious on this cut compared to the more tongue in cheek mania put forth by AC\DC.  Strong meat and potatoes, no frills, rock and roll.

“When The People Find Out”, Steve Earle Ain’t Ever Satisfied: The Essential Steve Earle

Ahhh, Steve Earle…  too country for rock, and too rock for country.  “When The People Find Out” takes a bit of Mellencamp and kicks it up a notch with a rockin’ rhythm topped with “gang” vocals (or is that a church chorus?).  Take a bit of old school rock and roll guitar, throw in mandolin, Jerry Lee Lewis piano, a bit of organ, and fairly simple vocal and continue to build on that for four minutes and you’ve got a simple but effective fun sing along tune.  “Where you gonna run to?  Where you gonna hide?”

“Eyes Of The South”, Down Nola

Wow, right when this kicked in I was thinking it was “Rock Me” from Great White until some cool bluesy guitar kicks into THE HEAVY.  And once that does kick in, boy…  a massive, thick, and weighty riff topped off by a typically awesome performance by one Philip Anselmo.  Like his post Cowboys material with Pantera, Anselmo steers clear of the Halfordesque shriek and sticks more to that midrange bellow with the occasional menacing vocal growl come chorus time.  Throw in a cool mellow curveball halfway through before swinging the chain back to sludgy Iommiesque land to close things out.

“Summertime Rolls”, Jane’s Addiction Nothing’s Shocking

I’ve always thought bands like Jane’s Addiction had as much to do with killing hair metal as did grunge (although the industry had the biggest hand in it, but that’s a story for another day).  Take a simple but effective bass line, washes of multitracked electric guitar (with bits of sitar) thrown in, and a typically offbeat Perry Farrell vocal and lyric and you are MILES away from your Poisons and your Warrants.  Build it up and you’ve got one odd but totally cool sonic cocktail.  This isn’t a song; more of a abstract visual journey into the nether regions of your psyche.

“Pure And Easy”, The Who Odds & Sods

The Who have always been one of my favorite bands ever since I was a wee lad.  That said I was more attracted to the out and out rock stuff than songs like “Pure And Easy”, which was just a little too “ehhhhhh” in my youth- “what’s this?  Singing?  From Daltrey???”.  However as I’ve grown older I’ve come to appreciate it quite a bit, especially listening to the vocal and understanding how the song was supposed to fit into the “Lifehouse” concept that Pete Townshend had originally envisioned (Google it), which was soon scrapped in favor of the album that became Who’s Next.  In all actuality, this song has some great rocking moments in it towards the end, bringing to mind the best of Tommy.

“Eriel”, Dio Magica

Kicking off with a keyboard line straight outta Rainbow’s Rising, Ronnie James Dio gets the chance to go all symphonic metal on us before Craig Goldy reigns things in with a chunky riff about one minute in.  Magica was Dio’s concept album before he rejoined Iommi\Butler\Appice to create Heaven and Hell (aka “Black Sabbath”… yeah, I said it).  “Eriel” is a really cool builder of a song with some excellent fretwork from Goldy throughout and dramatic keys from the generally underutilized Scott Warren.  Unfortunately, Dio died before he could revisit the project as the plan was to work on parts II and III after his Heaven and Hell tour commitments were over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_DI8pGWD5Q

“Struttin’ My Stuff”, Elvin Bishop Sure Feels Good: The Best Of Elvin Bishop

A bit of good time music, plain and simple.  I LOVE Elvin Bishop in all incarnations, whether it be with Paul Butterfield in the late 60s, with his Pigboy Crabshaw country hick persona in the 70s, or his return to his blues roots in the 80s up to today.  This cut comes from the mid-70s when Elvin mixed his bluesy rock with a good bit of funkiness (check out the Fender Rhodes’ lick!) and ever smooth Mickey Thomas on background vocal.  Elvin on main vocal here, with hilarious lyrics and a ton of humor.  There ain’t no ham like Birmingham, y’all!

“The Psalm Of Lydia”, Nevermore This Godless Endeavor

Nevermore came into my life in the mid to late 90s as I was on the hunt for the latest heavy sounds as I was getting sick and tired of the watered down grunge that the major labels started to pick up on.  This Godless Endeavor is actually from mid 2000 and “Lydia” is an absolute scorcher of a track, solid of riff from Jeff Loomis and outstanding twin leadwork alongside Steve Smyth.  However the cherry on top is vocalist Warrel Dane, who “sings” like no other, dramatic of enunciation as he belts out his typical ambiguous but picturesque lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddK7KqO9om8

“Fresh”, Kool & The Gang Emergency

Songs like “Fresh” are a guilty pleasure of mine:  funky bassline, cool groove, and smooth vocal.  The JT years of the band in the 80s were definitely the most successful and I certainly could get behind something like this instead of their “of the period” love songs like “Joanna” and “Cherish”.  Not too far removed from the downright nasty funkiness of “Jungle Boogie” but more focused on song and hook.  Listening to this now I wonder if they picked us some cues from Michael Jackson’s Thriller (especially in the keyboards), which had only come out one year prior.

Gotta go with the guilty pleasure for fave of the week as it’s a hook that sticks in the head-  “Fresh” is the winner in this round, followed by “The Psalm Of Lydia” and “Eyes Of The South”.