Time for another shuffle blog, where I pontificate on the finer things of the first ten songs that pop up on the iPod…

“I Want The Drugs”, Supersuckers Live At The Magic Bag

One minute and sixteen seconds of searing punkabilly from (in their minds) The Greatest Rock and Roll Band In The World.  I wouldn’t go quite THAT far but these guys are very good and if you like high octane rock mixed with punk, country, and classic rock you need to buy some Supersuckers albums.  Lead man Eddie Spaghetti certainly tells you what he wants in this song, as if you couldn’t figure that out yourself 😉

“Wash Me Down”, Talk Show Talk Show

If this song sounds a bit like Stone Temple Pilots, well…  you’re not that far off base.  Dave Coutts jumped on board with the rest of the STP guys while Scott Weiland was off in recovery/recording a solo album (take yer pick) to record a fairly strong late ’90s rock album that’s fairly similar in style and tone to mid-period STP.  “Wash Me Down” is one of those cool and chill vibe songs that STP tosses out every once and awhile.

“Rich Woman”, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand

So the Led Zep man teamed with the bluegrass/country chanteuse to record a fab album of swampy/bluesy yet eclectic tunes that both sound wonderful on.  “Rich Woman” hits all those voodoo swamp basics with its reverby guitar and the funky downlow, but the killer deal here is how awesome ol’ Robert and Alison sound together.  Plant keeps it in a fairly steady range throughout, allowing Krauss to weave her charms in and out.  Spellbinding.

“Alive (Demo)”, Oasis Definitely Maybe (Deluxe Edition)

Oasis’ chief songwriter Noel Gallagher had a truckload of songs ready to go for the band’s debut that they relegated many to B-sides (this one the flip to their “Shakermaker” single), with many as good or even better than the regular album cuts.  “Alive” is best left on the flip but as this is a demo they don’t really cut loose, especially as brother Liam’s vocal is a bit more sing songy than the sneering, cocksure attitude on the LP.  Still, a fairly charming cut.

“Roll Right”, Rage Against The Machine Evil Empire

A bit of a strange one here with the odd and slippery noodle riff but things settle into a dirty groove during the verses.  Vocalist Zach De la Rocha is suitably on fire as is his norm but guitarist Tom Morello gets a little more spacier, less slamming chords and instead bits of distortion and feedback to make things a bit unsettling.  Rhythm section as always with this band is totally aces, Timmy C with some fuzzy bass and Brad Wilk solid on the kit.

“Beneath The Tides”, Down Down III: Over The Under

Whether you like him or not, Phil Anselmo can certainly sell a song.  “Beneath The Tides” is no different, but what really makes this one is the rest of the band’s southern/sludgy/psychedelic take on the Black Sabbath sound.  I think these dudes recorded this late, late at night under a full moon, deep in the bayous of Louisiana; dredging up one smoky groove for Anselmo to bellow along with the other creatures in the night.  Brilliant.

“Realm Of The Wasted”, Soilwork The Living Infinite

It took me a while to get into the screaming/shouting singing style mixed with melodic vocals, but damn…  when you got some pretty killer riffing going on it helps you get used to it.  “Realm Of The Wasted” immediately breaks into an awesomely aggressive riff that immediately has you headbanging before throwing in a couple of twists and turns before the melodic bits come in during the chorus.  A good tune to ease yourself into this style.

“London Song”, Ray Davies The Storyteller

Yeah I’m a huge Kinks fan, not only the rock n ravers but those cuts where lead Kink Ray Davies reminisces about the characters around the village greens, pubs, and sunsets in old London town.  “London Song” isn’t a classic but as always Ray paints awesomely vivid pics of the scenes and locales unlike many other lyricists, also doing a bit of namechecking of classic Londoners.  Video version is the full band but I’m reviewing the solo performance.

“Unleash The Beast”, Saxon The Eagle Has Landed III

After geez…  how many albums?  Ah, I don’t remember…  Saxon still bring it and I prefer their heavier stuff, “Unleash The Beast” being one of their better latter day cuts and the debut of (at the time) new guitarist Doug Scarratt who certainly upped the ante in the riff and lead department.  This version is a scorching live one, performances strong across the board especially from lead throat Biff Byford on awesomely scratchy/hoarse vocal (that’s a good thing!)

“I Never Loved Her Anyway”, John Corabi Unplugged

While I love the original road racin’ speedster from The Scream, this version from that band’s John Corabi is raw and unplugged and is a damn good one in all its acoustic shuffling glory.  Crab is totally on (as always) with that scratchy, raspy vocal of his plus he’s a pretty good guitar play here too.  Not sure who the other players and backup vocalists are but they do a damn fine job taking an all out metal ripper and converting it into a catchy campfire stomper.  Woo!

Man, tough choice for cut of the week but I’ll have to go with “Beneath The Tides” followed by “Rich Woman” and “I Never Loved Her Anyway”!