Somewhere…  a long, long time ago…  creative, artistic, and compelling music was not a dirty notion as far as popular culture was concerned-  talents of all sizes, shapes, and color could easily coexist because playlists were nonexistent, artists could do as they damn well pleased, and a certain bit of uniqueness was OK on the radio or MTV.  Which is a shame because in today’s industry, songs as brilliant and dynamic as Black Dub’s “I Believe In You” do not get the attention and push they deserve.

They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and in the case of Black Dub lead singer Trixie Whitley, this rings very true.  Like her late father Chris, Whitley has an expressive gift-  not only in the haunting and smoky vocalization but also in her fearless interpretation of a lyric.  THIS is an excellent example of a singer perfectly in tune with the multiple shades and hues of a song.  She knows exactly when to push and pull, when to throw light onto the shade, and when to soar to great heights.  There is no overselling here in the vocal; it is pure, unadulterated feel and miles removed from the frequent operatics of many of your American Idol hopefuls.  An absolutely stunning performance.

As for the music…  the accompaniment is fairly subtle, working well as the backdrop to the vocal.  Bassist Daryl Johnson’s reggae influenced line is the first earworm; a slinky, dub-infected groove that bubbles underneath the sparse piano lines of Daniel Lanois.  But the other star of this cut to counter Whitley’s passionate vocal is the impressive drum mastery of Brian Blade- everything from subdued cymbal work to cracking rimshots to powerful tom hits are on display here, adding another spark to an already moving cut.  His jazzy touch is transcendent and quite remarkable, pushing and laying back in the right moments.

I’ve included two different versions here to highlight the slight differences between how well this song works live vs the studio version.  Both are certainly incredible as far as dynamics are concerned, but the extra production touches on the actual Black Dub album make for an aural treat typical of Daniel Lanois’ style.  Most of these touches are deep in the mix and do not distract from the performance- for example, there is an indiscreet, evocative vocal effect that intros the song and weaves in and out periodically as it makes itself known during dynamic changes.  Also, listen for the hints of keyboards and guitars that help build during the verses and the final chorus towards the end of the song.  Those delicate touches along with the passionate yet subtle delivery from all performers makes “I Believe In You” a winner.

“It’s Who You Know”, X Wild Gift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghcBd7Ii66s

With a slam bang wallop Billy Zoom riff, Los Angeles’ X kicks down the door with a fine two minutes of punkabilly greatness that is too short for its own good.  Lead vocals/bassist John Doe is in fine croon ‘n sneer form here countered by fellow vocalist Exene Cervenka’s high wail and DJ Bonebrake’s trap rattling, but it’s really that careening Zoom guitar that provides the real kick in the pants.  More fun than you can shake a stick at.

“Back Seat Confidential”, AC/DC Bonfire: Volts

From the massively awesome Bonfire box comes this early take on “Beating Around The Bush” with entirely different lyrics but mostly the same music, although quite a bit rawer.  Gives you a great idea how Mutt Lange shorn off those rough edges to make ‘DC huge rock titans come Highway To Hell.  What’s interesting here is that this feels like an extension of the relentless boogie of Powerage but turned up a bit more in intensity and…  Fiyah!  (oh, wait… that’s not for a couple more albums).

“Kick Out The Jams”, Rage Against The Machine Renegades

Going for a bit more groove, RATM takes on this MC5 classic and puts their own spin on it-  less frenetic in pace than the original but totally slamming nonetheless.  Frontman Zach de la Rocha plays the vocal relatively straight compared to his ferocious takes on their original material and does an admirable job. The rest of the band?  Rockin’ mighty and rockin’ hard…  Tim C with some growling tone and sweet runs backed by Brad Wilk’s bashing and Tom Morello’s angry crunch.  A tasty cover.

“I’m The Man”, Cheap Trick Sex, America, Cheap Trick

From the rarely seen animated movie Rock & Rule comes this lost Cheap Trick cut finally released on CD on their great Sex, America, Cheap Trick box set.  You want to hear a primo rock vocalist?  Robin Zander proves why he’s the man of 1000 voices, giving serious throat power to this relatively brief cut that shows a heavier side to Rockford’s finest that runs counter to the power pop of the hits.  Songs like this prove how underrated these guys have always been.

“Reach Out”, Iron Maiden Best Of The B-Sides

Man, hearing this brings back TONS of memories as I literally ran to the record store to pick up the “Wasted Years” single waaaaay back in 1986.  Played the A side to death and was totally gobsmacked (a British term for ya!) by this Adrian Smith penned AND sung cut on the flip.  H’s always awesome tunefulness is one of those strengths of the band that was sorely missed during his absence for most of the 90s and “Reach Out” shows this off in spades, especially during that soaring chorus.

“All Of My Heart”, ABC Absolutely: Best Of ABC

Where would my listening tastes be if I didn’t have MTV in 1983?  ABC was one of those bands that were the total opposite of the Maidens, AC/DCs, KISS, and Cheap Tricks that I normally listened to but there was so much melodic and elegant goodness that I couldn’t ignore it.  “All Of My Heart” is beautifully lush; a musical smorgasbord of strings, keyboards, and excellent musicianship laying the groundwork for the ultra cool and suave Martin Fry’s stellar crooning.  Great production from Trevor Horn.

“No Prayer For The Dying”, Iron Maiden No Prayer For The Dying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvd7706UUns

As much as I hate to say it, 1990’s No Rest For The Wicked was the beginning of an odd period for the band- Adrian Smith gone, Bruce Dickinson gets a bit raspier, and those big and bold knob jobs by Martin Birch are a thing of the past, leaving us with more of a “back to the roots” rawness.  In hindsight, was it really THAT bad?  Naaaaah… the title cut is one of the better tunes, its nursery rhyme melody features some excellent guitar work and Bruce gives us his all.  Nice charge midway through to bring ‘er home.

“Hallowed Be Thy Name”, Iron Maiden The Number Of The Beast Single

OK, so much for shuffling through 20,000+ songs and ending up with three here but too much Maiden is never enough.  If you want one song to show off what Iron Maiden is all about, “Hallowed” is as good a choice as any (especially the live versions)- killer mood setting intro, excellent guitar work, fab melody and incredible dynamics, topped off by an exceptional Bruce Dickinson vocal.  This version (Brixton 2002) gooses the crowd participation a little bit but it’s the energy dammit!  A great example of why I love this band as much as I do.

“Blue Light”, Cathedral The Carnival Bizarre

Did I mention dynamics?  Yeah, I did…  so Cathedral blesses us with a smooth buildup before getting a bit trippy…  hints of haunted keyboards and bongos make their presence known as the band adds a subtle, sci-fi psychedelica to the proceedings.  And singer Lee Dorrian-  not the most precise and “on pitch” vocalist out there but one with a ton of character, especially come the spoken word piece toward the back end of the song.  Not typical of this band’s style but a decent change of pace.

“Crystal Planet”, Joe Satriani Crystal Planet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLJtO_iRbA8

I really don’t listen to a ton of instrumental music but I’ve always dug Joe Satriani’s work.  Kicking off with a vaguely middle eastern motif, the song eventually kicks into heads down rock mode as it leans a little close in spiritual vibe to Surfing With The Alien but with plenty of twists and turns to make this its own unique beast.  As always, Joe is in top form with liquid smooth runs and spacey chops- kinda like an out of control magic carpet ride in outer space.

Song of the week…  no contest…  “Hallowed Be Thy Name” by a WIDE margin because that song IS the essence of Iron Maiden.  I’ll take “Reach Out” and “I’m The Man” for the silver and bronze medal.

With a heady mix of Sabbatherian swingin’ doom, Opeth gloom, and Pink Floyd spaciness Norway’s SAHG have created a fine frothy brew of heavy rock that doesn’t necessarily break new ground but takes the best of those fine bands and creates a sonic swirl worthy of your attention.  The band was formed in 2004 and has since released five solid metal albums with lead singer/guitarist Olav Iversen the only member throughout their history.  Although numerous lineup changes have occurred the overall impact to the band’s sound has not been greatly affected- in all actuality, their sound has moved even further away from the aforementioned influences into something a bit more spacey and proggy.  However, those doom and stoner roots remain to create an excellent blend of music.

SAHG I and SAHG II drink heavily from the Sabbatherian well- lots of mountainous slabs of riffery and Iversen’s effective Ozzy wail with the occasional space trip via effects laden vocals.  Not everything is all doom and gloom here as the band often kicks up the speed on songs like “Pyromancer” from II, a blistering rocker with a powerful riff and the hefty swing of “Soul Exile” or groovy “Boundless Demise” from I.  But man, those atmospheric cuts are classic stuff…  just take a listen to “Repent” off the first album which takes you on a sonic soundscape of murkiness, trippy vocal, and sludgy riff.  Or check out II’s “Monomania” and its ten minutes of stoner gloom ‘n haze, sounding like a thousand setting suns in the farmost reaches of the universe (trust me, I’ve been there).

SAHG III offers up a slight change to the formula but not by too much-  by this time the band has replaced a couple of members but does not quite deviate too much from the formula.  Songs are a bit more leaner and meaner; a tad more “heroic” in vibe, less space-y, and maybe a touch more Dio era Sabbath than the Ozzy years.  Cuts like “Shadow Monument” are a bit more layered and melodic and less fuzzy guitar tone wise, which allows the song to breath a bit more.  On the other side, “Spiritual Void” hearkens back a bit to the first two albums but still retains its own charm as it offers up a bit of Seattle grunge in vibe; and “Mortify” pulls out all the stop with its snaky dual guitar intro before kicking into a mighty headbanging riff that would make Dio proud.

Delusions of Grandeur and Memento Mori, SAHG’s most recent two releases, have shifted the band focus even more- both discs dive deeper into Pink Floyd/Opeth/Mastodon territory-  vast soundscapes, dynamic atmospherics, and various hues and shades musically and vocally.  Delusions is a bit more psychedelic in approach as cuts like “Blizzardborne” and “Walls of Delusion” evoke darker areas of brainspace; however, cuts like the riffy “Firechild” and swinging “Ether” still tip the scale towards the rockier side.  Roll both of those styles together and you come up with a masterwerk like “Slip Off the Edge Of The Universe” or the proggy “Sleeper’s Gate To The Galaxy”.  And Memento is a monolith; more ethereal and spookier overall via cuts like the the massive “Black Unicorn”, morose yet beautiful “Take It To The Grave”, and the outstanding acoustic vibes of “(Praise The) Electric Sun” that sounds straight out of a lost 70s prog rock album.  Yet you still get the nod to past masterpieces on cuts like “Blood Of Oceans” and “Sanctimony”, both featuring plenty of those sludgy riffs and solid doomy atmosphere featured on the first few albums.

If you have a like for those aforementioned bands and the dynamics of each yet still want a fresh makeover, check out SAHG.  Solid musicianship, great songs, and plenty of twists and turns on each album to keep your attention.

Kids these days and their music…  I tell ya, there is A LOT of good stuff out there for old guys like me.  My son turned me on to Protest The Hero a couple of years ago and I’ve become quite the fan, plugging them in a Spotlight post last year (check that out HERE) and recently purchasing their latest EP Pacific Myth.   In keeping with the blog’s spirit of turning others on to new music, I wanted to highlight one of their latest tracks in the fantastic “Harbinger”- if you really dig melodic guitar oriented music but get turned off by some of the more aggressive vocals, this may be right up your alley.

Protest the Hero has exhibited a bit of growth on this song compared to their other material in a few different ways.  First an intro piano sets the tone and makes the occasional reappearance throughout, adding a different harmonic ingredient to the band’s sonics that helps offset those crunchier, in your face moments in other places.  Second, the incredible Rody Walker continues to grow as a vocalist as he does an excellent job here switching between beautiful, melodic vocal lines and the stronger, dynamic belts through the verses.  This dude can SING.  And third, a little less musical chaos on this one that allows the song to breathe a little more.  But fear not…  there is still quite a bit of energetic, tricky guitar passages to melt your face; however, that is countered with more of a straight ahead approach through the chorus and at the tail end of the song.  For me, those switches between the lighter elements and the heavier swings are what makes “Harbinger” one of this band’s more passionate and fiery cuts.

Did I say anything about the guitar work here?  Hoo boy…  as always with this band, the guitar work is all sorts of noodly goodness with plenty of twists and turns that don’t lose your attention.  While there are all sorts of heavy riffs and intricate patterns between the bass and the two guitarists that take you on an incredible journey, it’s the song’s incredibly tasty solo section that is a real grabber.  These guys (Luke Hoskin, Tim Millar) are some serious players but this is the first time I’ve really appreciated one of their solos-  just a really sweet piece with lots of stinging runs and excellent tone.  Fantastic!

So go out and download “Harbinger” and if you like, the rest of the EP is very good too.  Step out of your comfort zone and take a chance- it may take a few listens but it’s well worth it!

Haven’t picked up as much this quarter as I did the beginning of the year but it’s still a decent chunk.  As before, all legally purchased or downloaded!

• Maceo Parker – Life On Planet Groove
• Cheap Trick – We’re All Alright
• Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
• Men At Work – Contraband:  The Best Of Men At Work
• Tower Of Power – Back To Oakland
• Dick Dale – The Best Of Dick Dale and his Del-Tones
• Soen – Tellurian
• Soen – Cognitive
• Baroness – Blue Record
• UFOMammut – Ecate
• Vektor – Outer Isolation
• Protest The Hero – Pacific Myth
• Brant Bjork – Gods & Goddesses
• Witchery – Dead, Hot and Ready
• Havok – Burn
• Power Trip – Nightmare Logic
• Daniel Lanois – For The Beauty Of Wynona
• ZZ Top – XXX
• ZZ Top – Eliminator
• Joe Walsh – Barnstorm
• Joe Walsh – But Seriously, Folks
• Big Chief – Platinum Jive
• Leprous – Coal 
• Leprous – The Congregation
• Prong – Ruining Lives

Been a few months for a regular shuffle post.  Time to ponder about the first ten songs that pop up in shuffle mode on the iPod!

“Sheep” Pink Floyd, Animals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-oJt_5JvV4

Kind of a forgotten album in the Pink Floyd canon; that is, unless you are a big fan of the band.  I didn’t get into the magnificence of this one until just recently, with “Sheep” being one of the best of the lot.  If you prefer more of a jammy Pink Floyd this will do the trick-  plenty of mood setting Rick Wright keyboards, an insistent Roger Waters bassline, and that killer Dave Gilmour guitar.  A bit of a hidden gem of an album although not one for someone looking for Floyd hits.

“Scarabus”, Ian Gillan Deep Purple Friends and Relatives

Album three of the jazzier rocking Ian Gillan Band features this cut, which, interestingly enough, will be a repeated vocal melody for “Disturbing The Priest” just a few years later on Gillan’s lone Sabbath album.  But back to “Scarabus” the song…  pretty cool lyric, a little sorcery going on here-  fairly light musically but some cool stick work from drummer Mark Nauseef.  An interesting period for the man before jumping back into rockier pastures with the Gillan band a few short years later.

“Hello There” Cheap Trick, Samurai Rock Band

Always loved how this kicked off their great Live At Budokan album although this time we’ve got a version from the killer boot Samurai Rock Band.  Pretty much a carbon copy version of the officially released Budokan version; Rick Nielsen a bit hotter early in the mix until they tone him down a hair and Robin Zander strong throughout (that’s some pipes!).  Oh yeah, Bun and Tom are killing it too.  Now that’s rock and roll baby!  Grab you by the throat and slams it out within two minutes.

“Funky Broadway” Wilson Pickett The Very Best Of Wilson Pickett

Man, what a song…  the Wicked Pickett brings it on this souled up classic, certainly funky in all spots and lays more on the backbeat than fellow funk n soul peer James Brown’s “on the one”.  You got people that like to dance?  Drop this on the turntable and watch the rumps start a shakin’ to that thumpin’ bass groove and that four on the floor groove.  Pickett is in fine vocal form, a bit of grit mixed in with some honey smooth soul weaving in and around the beats.

“Shadows That Move” Mastodon Call Of The Mastodon

First ever Mastodon cut officially released (originally on an EP but I have it on Call Of The Mastodon), “Shadows That Move” showcases quite a few of the elements that continue through the band’s material today, especially those killer Hinds/Kelliher riffs and the incredible drum virtuosity of Brann Dailor.  Interesting here though is the early vocal approach; a little bit more grunt n growl that was the early staple of the band until more recent albums.  Cool song musically…  vocally… they’ll get there.

“Naturally” Fast Eddie Clarke, It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

A little more Fastway here instead of Clarke’s original gig as guitarist with Motorhead, “Naturally” shows off a bit more blues rock approach with some hot guitar work and a gritty vocal (oddly enough sounding a bit like a gruffer Ace Frehley from Kiss!).  If you liked those aforementioned bands as well as the dirtier hair bands like LA Guns or Faster Pussycat, this cut would be right up your alley.  Oh yeah, and his solo album as a whole is pretty decent too!

“Ain’t No Fun (Waitin’ Round To Be A Millionaire)” AC/DC, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EfJt8IDKBA

Truer words were never spoken-  “Millionaire” is another fab Bon Scott tale, likely a tad bit of truth in the tale and a bit of a sad one considering the millions that the band would accumulate in the years after his death.  At any rate, this is prime early days ‘DC-  that familiar boogie riffing, punchy background vocals, and a shift into a speedier gear midway through that allows them to yell out the chorus up through the very end.  Sure, it’s not one of their more well known songs but hey…  it’s AC/DC!

“Christmas Song (Live From Zurich)” Jethro Tull, Rock Island

YouTube link is not the version I’m reviewing, which is from the remastered Rock Island LP but there are similarities.  The Tull gets jiggy with it on this fine version, lots of excellent acoustic and mandolin playing with Ian Anderson in fine voice and a tad bit of early flute.  Picture a cold winter night around the campfire as you sit there sipping on some eggnog with a few elves dancing around the fire and you get the picture.  Not your typical Christmas song but Tull was never your typical band.

“Lowdown In The Street” ZZ Top, Deguello

I love early ZZ Top.  Everything up through Deguello is my favorite period of the band, much much moreso than the Eliminator era and everything since (lots of goodies but does not compete with the early days).  “Lowdown” is a brooding funkster featuring some smooth Frank Beard drumwork and a great Billy Gibbons vocal.  But if you are like me you want to hear that Gibbons guitar-  here it’s little more subtle featuring a slinky riff and incredibly tasty guitar solo.  Oh yeah, dig those Dusty Hill backing vocals!

“The Train” King’s X, Ear Candy

A great cut from an incredibly underrated band, “The Train” mixes a nice chunky riff with some jangly bits and tosses in some Beatle-esque harmonies in this fine concoction.  This middle period was incredibly fruitful from the band as it toughened up the guitar and bass tones in the studio as they added a few more sonic layers to their template.  Definitely one of my more favorite King’s X cuts and a great sampler that shows off pretty much all sides of the band.

Wow, some great cuts for the song of the week.  Gotta go with a four way with ZZ Top leading the pack followed by King’s X and Wilson Pickett rounded out by Cheap Trick.