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.