“Here Today”, Paul McCartney Tug Of War

A real heart tugger here, Macca pens a tribute to Brother John and it’s a beaut with its fab melody, plaintive acoustic, and wonderful string accompaniment that hearkens back to the Lennon/McCartney glory days.  Released only two short years after Lennon’s tragic death, you can sense the sorrow in McCartney’s vocal as he reminisces on those special moments between the two musical icons that we fans will always link as one entity.  Production courtesy of the late Sir George Martin.

“No Lies”, Bruce Dickinson Tattooed Millionaire

Bruce takes a brief vacation from his day job with Iron Maiden to indulge in his AC/DC-esque fantasies as he pens more basic songs with the help of friend (and soon to be Maiden member) Janick Gers.  “No Lies” is a no nonsense rocker with a throbbing bass beat, good chorus, and whammy bar ending.  Think of this as the sister song to “Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter” that Maiden would eventually take to #1 the following year.  Bruce gives up the “air raid” siren for a more guttural vocal.

“Kick Down”, Bad Company Rough Diamonds

Man, this Paul Rodgers cat can croon like no other.  A bit of an underrated cut from their last album before a long breakup/hiatus, “Kick Down” also features some great, great guitar work from Mick Ralphs and some cool piano and keyboard noodling from Rodgers.  Solid backbeat from drummer Simon Kirke as well, but man… that vocal and just listen to that watery guitar tone, Ralphs saying so much with so few notes.

“Voices Of Babylon”, The Outfield Big Innings: The Best Of The Outfield

The mid to late 80s really offered up some strong, pop laden bands that did a great job of mixing the rock formula with new wave tones.  “Voices Of Babylon” expanded a bit on The Outfield’s hit formula as it added a few more production touches to their usual strong pop sheen.  Sure, everyone remembers the band’s bigger hits but this is a strong one even though texturally it’s a product of its time (nothing wrong with that!).

“Running Back”, Brian Robertson Diamonds And Dirt

A really cool take on the underrated Thin Lizzy cut courtesy of that band’s Brian Robertson, who ranks high among my list of favorite guitarists (check out those posts!).  Robertson finally puts out something to his name after years of guest work on other artists CDs, and his version of this song is a bit more of a Seger-esque R&B soulful groove in comparison to the shuffle in the original.  Smooth guitar work and nice, understated vocal.

“Doctor Doctor”, Iron Maiden Best Of The B-Sides

I’ve always loved Maiden’s covers and this is a great one, featuring the unfairly maligned Blaze Bayley who really shines in this version as it’s right in his wheelhouse.  They don’t stray one whit from the UFO original and is pretty much dead on perfect short of some guitar fills.  And the always smooth Dave Murray does an excellent job in the Schenker role.  Trivia note:  Maiden ALWAYS has the original playing at every gig just before they hit the stage!

“Captain Nemo”, Michael Schenker Built To Destroy

Speaking of Michael Schenker, here’s an instrumental from the Mad Axeman on his third solo album.  “Nemo” features everything you love about the guy’s playing:  melody, note choice, tone to die for…  you name it, it’s a good one if you like this kind of stuff.  While we had Van Halen as the guitar hero in the States at this time, the Europeans were already knocked for a loop via Schenker’s playing since his days with UFO and brief tenure in The Scorpions.

“In The Naked Eye”, Greg Kihn KihnSolidation

The late 70s/early 80s were an interesting time in music as disco and punk were both on the way out and skinny ties and new wave were on the way in.  But there were some artists that fit in a bit differently and hearkened back to a 60s sensibility, like Greg Kihn.  Kihn wrote some great rock cuts, “In The Naked Eye” starting off with almost a reggae vibe before settling into a groovy backbeat.  A bit of an unheralded cut from the man’s early days before he hit the big time with “Jeopardy”.

“Game Face”, Gov’t Mule Dose

Man, the original Mule were something special before Alan Woody’s untimely death after album #3.  “Game Face” is a great example of their early rock prowess, drummer Matt Abts anchors the bottom end with Woody’s bass which allows the always excellent Warren Haynes to not only lay down some awesome guitar chunkery but he’s an underrated singer as well.  Dig the musical breakdown midway through the cut-  these boys played off each other so well as they take it to another groovy and slammin’ level.

“Blow Up The Outside World”, Soundgarden Down On The Upside

Soundgarden gets a little psychedelic and a bit Beatley here and there (and there ain’t nothing wrong with that).  I’ve always considered these guys in the top tier of grunge, far above Pearl Jam and Nirvana due to the solid musicianship and strong pipes of Chris Cornell.  “Blow Up” is a testament to their creativity as they blend their usual dark unsettling tones with a bit of quirky melody.  Glad these guys are finally back together and putting out music again!

Tough, tough choice for song of the week as all of these are strong in their own right, but I gotta go with the beautiful “Here Today” as the top cut from this post with “Game Face” and “In The Naked Eye” filling out the top three.