Hello!  Just another demented, rambling post regarding the first ten songs on this here iPod.

“So It Goes”, The Verve Northern Soul

I got into these guys fairly late in the game courtesy of the great “Bittersweet Symphony”, but better late than never.  The early stuff is a little more atmospheric courtesy of the beautiful textures from guitarist Nick McCabe, who colors “So It Goes” in many hues as lead singer Richard Ashcroft does a fine, fine job on vocals.  Not really a song in a verse/chorus/verse way but one that follows a simple melodic statement with various musical shades.

“Born A Woman”, Nick Lowe Jesus Of Cool

Well, you learn something new every day-  this song is actually a cover with a bit of a twist:  the original was sung by a woman but Lowe seems to be singing more about a woman’s plight whose “bound to be hurt”, backed with a strong power pop performance like an outtake from a 60s Merseybeat band.  That said, it fits in very well with his typical material from his late 70s period.  Jangly guitars and pounding drums make for a good tune.

“Father Son”, Peter Gabriel OVO

LOVE this song and the sentimentality behind it, even moreso after the birth of my son.  As always with Peter Gabriel and his mellower songs, his vocal style is absolutely stunning-  just so simple yet incredibly emotional.  The lyric is beautiful as is the simple piano pattern, but I think it’s the horns that really get to me.  One of those tracks that will make you want to hug your Dad or your son.  Still brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it.

“Wooden Heart”, Elvis Presley 30 #1 Hits

Man, Elvis could sing a number of things and pull all sorts of styles out of the ether.  “Wooden Heart” comes from the Elvis movie G.I. Blues and is based on an old German folk song, and even the King gets to sing a few lines in that language.  This is an example of tender crooning Elvis, where he does a great job of utilizing vocal vibrato throughout this whole song.  A bit removed from his other styles but definitely shows how well he could cover different ranges.

“Super Trouper” Deep Purple Who Do We Think We Are?

Deep Purple non-hits from the early days should never be overlooked, this one coming from the last Mk II album before Ian Gillan and Roger Glover up and left the band.  “Super Trouper” has a dreamy, trippy Gillan vocal, feeling a bit like the 60s “Hush” era of the band but with a little more oomph musically.  Jon Lord’s organ work here is typically groovy but the best part here is Ian Paice’s snappy drumwork.    And that Blackmore cat’s good too.

“Liner”, The Fixx Reach The Beach

One of the more underrated 80s bands was The Fixx (“One Thing Leads To Another”), who had some great cuts featuring the underrated and totally cool vocals from Cy Curnin and the even cooler, trebly guitar work from Jamie West-Oram.  “Liner” rides a thumping and bass popping groove punctuated by some keyboard blasts and that awesomely chiming guitar.  Really good production here as each instrument stands out loud and clear.

“Beat To Death Like A Dog”, Rhino Bucket Get Used To It

AC/DC…  AC/DC…  AC/DC…  what else is there to say?  No bones about it, Rhino Bucket did a great Bon Scott era  impression even going out and recruiting that band’s Simon Wright on the drum kit for an album and few tours.  That said, the only real difference here is that it’s not quite as tight as AC/DC (those drums aren’t spot on but very close) and there is no stinging, Angus like solo.  But still, you like the Bon years?  You’ll like this.

“Basket Of Eggs” (Jr Version), Clutch Jam Room

It actually took me until Blast Tyrant before I really saw the greatness of Clutch.  I think most of that is due to the changeup in vocal from Neil Fallon, who moved from more of an often monotone hardcore bark to his current commanding and somewhat more tuneful vocalese.  This early version of “Basket Of Eggs” is electric and moves along at a slow lurch in its heavy stoneresque vibe, including fuzzy backwards guitar solo.

“Long Stick Goes Boom”, Krokus One Vice At A Time

AC/DC…  AC/DC…  AC/DC…  wait, haven’t we been here before?  Actually, early Krokus was even more of a clone of that band with “Long Stick” taking the best of “Sin City” and “For Those About To Rock” and coming up with a solid and menacing pounder.  Vocalist Marc Storace could easily cover Bon Scott AND Brian Johnson eras with ease and really delivers the goods here with a fiery grit.  Loved this when I first heard it back in 1982 and still love it today.

“Steppin’ Out”, Joe Jackson Night And Day

The great part about MTV in the early days was not only the variety but actually the opportunity to hear different things that your local radio stations likely wouldn’t play.  Joe Jackson was always a chameleon, changing styles from one album after another and coming up with a bit of a jazzy new wave hit with plenty of hooks to spare.  Really a simple song but the melodies and the drive lifts it above a lot of other material at the time.

Torn on the song of the week this time around as both fave cuts are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  So it’s a tie!  “Father Son” for the sentimentality and “Long Stick Goes Boom” for the raw bawdiness and best AC/DC song AC/DC never wrote.  Third place goes to “Steppin’ Out”.