Time once again for another witty and unrestrained blog posting on the first ten songs on shuffle mode on this fine March evening…

Municipal Waste “Chemically Altered” The Art Of Partying

With a fine hardy har har, Municipal Waste is a throwback of sorts to the good old days of crossover thrash from the mid to late 80s-  think heavy doses of DRI, Nuclear Assault, and SOD with hints of Anthrax.  Maybe a bit more metallic and finer tuned than their punk brethren but essentially it’s the same mosh pit friendliness of those aforementioned bands, especially Tony Foresta’s hardcore bark.  All in good fun!

Psychodots “Playing Dead”, Ripley’s Live

Cincinnati’s Psychodots were a local institution over the years, highlighted by Rob Fetter’s rubbery and angular guitar stylings and a batch of humorous songs.  “Playing Dead” is a funny bit of self-deprecation as it rocks along finely, maybe a semi bit of new-wavey Cheap Trick to its snappiness and punch.  Really good little band that still plays out on occasion although most of the members are well into their own projects these days.

The Who “Pinball Wizard”, Live In Columbus, Ohio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFrDpx7zLtA

I saw The Who on tour in 2002 at the Indianapolis stop and a friend caught the Columbus show and grabbed the soundboard copy of the show via the band’s website.  Bassist John Entwistle had passed away shortly before the start of the tour; however, the band soldiered on and put on some very good shows.  “Pinball Wizard” is still pretty hefty minus the Moon/Entwistle duo, mostly due to the powerful rhythmic punch courtesy of Pete Townshend’s right hand and the mighty bellow of Roger Daltrey.

Corrosion Of Conformity “Psychic Vampire”, Corrosion Of Conformity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB4FIsvv6-E

While Pepper Keenan is away at play with Down, COC trios out here with bassist Mike Dean handling lead vocal duties in semi-creepy howl fashion.  Song starts with a southerny Sabbath grind for a few minutes before throwing us a brief curveball of punk blast that pops up a couple of other times through this cool sludgefest.  Ticks all of the boxes for punk, doom, metal, rock, and hardcore in four and a half minutes of cheery goodness.

The Black Crowes “Predictable”, The Lost Crowes

The Black Crowes have always been a prolific band.  The Lost Crowes is a good batch of material culled from the period around their Amorica and Three Snakes releases, with “Predictable” missing the final cut for those two but finally seeing the light of day on this compilation.  The song is damn good with typically groovy playing from the boys and singer Chris Robinson taking a more low key vocal, rarely stretching out too far until the close of this fine rocker.

Overkill “I’m Against It”, Coverkill

Thrash vets Overkill released a decent covers compilation in 1999 featuring a good dose of classic rock, metal, and punk covers, here taking a mighty swing at the Ramones’ “I’m Against It”.  Certainly not a Ramones classic and if you didn’t know any better you’d figure this to be an Overkill original considering their occasional punky roots.  Hang on for a brief yet fun dash through The Champs’ “Tequila” at the tail end.

Fish “A Gentlemen’s Excuse Me”, Vigil In A Wilderness of Mirrors

I don’t typically listen to too many slow and mellow songs, but “A Gentlemen’s Excuse Me” is a pretty decent love song from the former Marillion singer on his debut album after leaving that band.  Always a colorful lyricist, the big man gently croons a tale as he’s backed by an orchestra and piano accompaniment, sounding a bit like a movie theme from the late 50s or 60s.

The Knack “Pop Is Dead”, Zoom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP6iGP2INZ4

Unfairly tagged as a “one hit wonder band” by those not in the know, The Knack came out swinging with the monstrous “My Sharona” and slowly fizzled from the public consciousness.  Too bad, especially as they occasionally resurfaced and released strong material like “Pop Is Dead” which is simply a top speed jangly ripper, sounding a good dose of The Beatles mixed with early Who (check out those drums!).  RIP Doug Fieger!

Robert Plant “Silver Rider”, Band Of Joy

Robert Plant has always been a bit of a chameleon courtesy of his solo works.  Ever the experimenter, he is not afraid to step outside of the mighty Zep’s shadow not just in heavy tunage but in vocal styling as well.  “Silver Rider” is effectively haunting courtesy of swampy, gothic guitar tones but also due to Plant’s quiet and unassuming vocal, backed beautifully by Patty Griffin.  A really nice cut.

James Gang “There I Go Again”, Rides Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt30eBN2Q2M

From humble beginnings came Joe Walsh-  first as part of the James Gang before hitting the big time via his solo career and ongoing stint with some band called The Eagles.  “There I Go Again” certainly leans closer to the country rock stylings of his future band, featuring mostly acoustic guitars with basic band accompaniment but also some very fine pedal steel work from Poco’s Rusty Young.  Joe in fine voice here.

A really interesting week here in the ol’ shuffle.  Gotta go with “Pinball Wizard” as the cut of the post, with “Pop Is Dead” at number two and a whole bunch of others tied at #3.