The death of Steely Dan’s Walter Becker a few weeks ago got me to thinking…  everyone knows “Reelin’ In The Years” or “Peg” or “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, but what are some of those under the radar numbers that deserve further attention?  As a fan there are quite a few to choose from outside of those radio cuts, but the one that’s popped into my mind since Becker’s death is the jazzy bossa nova smoothies of Countdown To Ecstasy’s “Razor Boy”.  Vibraphone, stand up bass, piano, and…  Hawaiian steel guitar?  Yeah, throw all that into the mix with a cryptic lyric and typically cool Donald Fagen vocal and it’s a major winner.

Countdown has always been my favorite Dan album as my preference for the band has always been their more “rock driven jazz” sounds than their latter period full blown jazzier experimentations, but their entire career consists of excellent material.  That said, “Razor Boy” definitely leans more toward their post Katy Lied period considering the instrumentation but it still has those quirks that were part of the early days:  a more looser, somewhat laconic overall vibe courtesy of that laid back flow and subtle percussion plus Fagen’s strong piano hand topped off by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s bluesy steel guitar solo.  These guys were always off on their own tangent and “Razor Boy” showed off another element of the band-  not only could they rock but they could write a wistful and beautifully poppy tune to catch you off guard, kinda like that knuckleball in a strong arsenal of pitches.  Countdown starts with the fastball rock of “Bodhisattva” and just when you think you know what’s coming next yer whiffin’ on that second pitch of “Razor Boy”.  So just play it…  I know you’ll be humming that catchy chorus shortly thereafter.

Funny tho…  I know this post was somewhat prompted by Walter Becker’s death, but…  oddly enough, Becker didn’t even play on “Razor Boy”!  Bass duties were handled by Ray Brown, a jazz great who played with artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Dizzy Gillespie to Frank Sinatra.  It’s to Becker’s credit that he often stepped aside and relegated bass or lead guitar duties to other musicians depending on the song-  a selfless act in an art form full of often over the top ego.  Becker’s passing leaves a deep void in the music world and he’ll be greatly missed.

Fates Warning has always been one of those bands that I’ve had total respect for-  excellent musicianship, great singing, a fantastic mix of the heavy and dramatic…  but…  a band that really took me a while to grasp due to the frequent displays of mathematical trickery and occasional bouts of darkness when it came to song arrangements.  Riffs and even vocal arrangements were not your standard fare, often displaying slippery time signatures with shifting moods and textures that always sounded good but sometimes left you scratching your head, especially when you expected a riff or vocal melody to shift in one direction and it would head off into another territory.  All that said, those unique tones and textures and the progressive nature of the band really started to grow on me over the years and I’ve become a bit of a fan.

Theories Of Flight is Fates Warning’s twelfth studio album and second featuring drummer Bobby Jarzombek alongside long serving bassist Joey Vera and the core team of Ray Alder on vocals and Fates mainstay (since day one) Jim Matheos on guitar.  Flight continues the upward trend of previous album Darkness In A Different Light and does an even better job mixing the heavier, denser cuts with more lighter, atmospheric, and progressive moments.  Take something like intro cut “From The Rooftops”- a reverbed, simply strummed pattern with percussive backing and some beautifully layered electric passages featuring some sweet lead work from Matheos and gently melodic crooning from Alder before a storming riff kicks in shortly past the two minute mark to shift you in a new direction.  Or how about the spacy progressiveness of “The Light And Shade Of Things” (true to its word as a song) and the old school radio knob twiddling and distorted effects of “The Ghosts Of Home”; two songs featuring moody/lighter buildups before riding the crest of a couple of heavy riffs bobbing and weaving throughout-  the latter akin to a heavy Yes and the former some cosmic Pink Floyd touches.  Excellent stuff that keeps your attention.

For those of you that want your quick hitters and hate the atmospheric segues, you’ve got plenty to choose from.  “Seven Stars” may be one of the most melodic things these guys have done; all soaring riff and galloping bass with an incredibly strong and passionate Ray Alder throughout the verse and chorus.  Alder’s work throughout the disc is fantastic as he fits into a particular mid-range pocket yet throwing in a few higher notes depending on the mood of the song.  And those of you that yearn for the old school heavier days of the band should look no further than “White Flag”, breaking into an Awaken The Guardian/Spectre Within era chug yet with a more aggressive vocal or the leviathan stomp throughout the verses of “Like Stars Our Eyes Have Seen” and noisy soar of the tricky “SOS”.  Still, lots of melodic moments poke through in spots in both songs come chorus time to add extra killer sonic elements to the fray.

What is it with older school bands suddenly releasing some of their best material over the past few years?  Many bands experiment with new sounds or tinker with their formula for success that it’s sometimes hard for the fans to keep up, and sometimes it may be the influence of new members that brings a different element to the table.  Fates is no different as Theories takes the band into newer territories yet still manages to reach into the band’s past to revisit some of their stronger characteristics, making this the best disc they’ve released in a long while.  Throw in a killer production with that excellent mix of heavier progressiveness with those experimental atmospherics and fabulous performances and you’ve got your next favorite album.

Time to ramble on about the first ten songs that pop up in shuffle mode today!

“Martha” Tom Waits, Closing Time

Such a beautiful song by one of the world’s true artists.  Tom Waits can be an acquired taste and I will admit that I only have his Closing Time CD, but “Martha” is a bit like smooth whiskey; easier to swallow than some of his more experimental stuff as he mixes smooth piano lines with orchestral flourishes.  I’ve never been a big lyrics guy but this is a good one as a man calls a long lost love and reminisces about young and innocent days all those years ago.

“Blackpowder Orchard” Baroness, Blue Record

Here’s a short one, really a simple segue between songs on Baroness’ fine Blue Record.  Very reminiscent of the Allman Brothers, maybe not too surprising as both bands are adopted sons of the state of Georgia.  This one starts with a fine acoustic figure followed by a fuzzed out countermelody on electric, all wrapped up in slightly under a minute.  Must be something in that Georgia red dirt for heavy rock as Kylesa, Mastodon, and Baroness all are within a stone’s throw from each other.
“Renegades Of Funk” Rage Against The Machine, Renegades

Talk about taking a cover and making it your own…  Rage covers Afrika Bambaataa and the only similarity is the hip hop spirit as the band rocks this one out with vocalist Zach de la Rocha spitting out a hard vocal take from their (final?) all covers album Renegades.  If you’re gonna mix rap/hip hop with hard rock, there is no better band than Rage-  killer rhythm section, the unique guitar stylings of Tom Morello, and the hotwired and fiery lyrical delivery from de la Rocha.

“Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down” Terry Reid, Superlungs

Imagine if you will…  Jimmy Page approaches Terry Reid for the vocalist position in the New Yardbirds (a precursor to Led Zeppelin) and instead of tuning it down, Reid accepts.  Take a listen to “Bang Bang” and you’ll get an idea-  vocally there are some similarities to Robert Plant (who Reid recommended to Page for the position); a bit of fire in the roar but not quite as bluesy or voluminous.  As for the song, it’s a pretty cool take on the Cher original with a bit more builup and guitar freakout.

“Downstream” Jolly, Forty-Six Minutes Twelve Seconds Of Music

Experimental bands like this are one of the reasons I really love music.  In my younger days I probably wouldn’t have paid too much attention to a band like this but as I’ve grown older and I’m on the constant hunt for new sounds, this fits the bill.  Jolly certainly rings that progressive/alternative/metal/rock bell, with “Downstream” providing plenty of flowing atmospherics mixed with bits of crunchy guitar but really concentrating more on textures and sonics rather than an all out aural assault.

“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”, U2 No Line On The Horizon

Full admission…  I’ve NEVER heard this song before.  I think I bought this for my brother and ripped the songs from Amazon for myself, so this is my first impression.  That said it’s a pretty good little tune, maybe a bit more fun and poppier than my favorite U2 cuts but it has those cool little elements that make me enjoy the band (namely The Edge’s chime-y guitar bits and Bono’s singing).  Song is well constructed with cool little pieces all throughout the verses, chorus, and Beatley bits.  Thumbs up!

“Fly Away” Blackfoot, Highway Song Live

Always loved this little cut, Blackfoot doing a fab job of mixing up a cool vocal melody in both the verse and chorus as Ricky Medlocke does a fine job mixing up the smooth singing with a balls out belt.  This live version is a bit more raw ‘n loose and quite a bit more fun as the band changes up the lyrics some for a non-PC version, but there ain’t nothing wrong with that.  These guys have always been a bit underrated, leaning a bit more Cream/Led Zep in their heavier, bluesier rock than their counterparts.

“Lights Out” UFO, Strangers In The Night

Have mercy!  I’m pretty sure this song was my introduction to UFO and as you can tell a pretty damn good one; a barnburner of a rocker featuring the one and only Mad Axeman himself, Mr. Michael Schenker.  Listen to that tone!  Listen to that playing!  That hard charging rhythm was something to a young kid like me looking for good hard rock/metal records in my younger days.  Phil Mogg does a killer vocal, but…  that guitar!  Listen to it!  Then put it on repeat and listen to it again!

“Clifton Grange Hotel” Thin Lizzy, Thin Lizzy

The Eric Bell/Thin Lizzy years were certainly quite a bit different from the classic Gorham/Robertson/Moore guitar heyday but do not let that stop you.  In many ways the band was a different beast, a bit more Hendrixy and in some spots a bit folk/rock but all in all a great band.  “Clifton Range Hotel” shows off some hot playing from Eric Bell on the band’s debut and features a typically quaint Phil Lynott vocal backed by the ever reliable Brian Downey on drums.  This ain’t “Jailbreak” but very good in its own right.

“Feel Like Making Love” Bad Company, In Concert: Merchants Of Cool

A bit of an interesting take here solely due to the replacement Bad Co players on this version; Jaz Mochrie’s bass a bit more poppier/jazzier and Dave “Bucket” Colwell’s guitar tone has less punch and is waaaay too low in the mix on those classic slashing power chords.  But Paul Rodgers?  Ace as always-  he plays around a bit with the melody but the punch is there and he makes it count come chorus time.  Docked a point as Bucket really needs a Les Paul for this one!

Top song in this post is clearly “Lights Out” by a country mile, with “Renegades Of Funk” taking second place.

Time for a new blog feature, where I face off two albums against each other and choose my favorite.  Albums may be from the same band, between a former artist of one band vs his/her previous band, or two popular albums from separate artists.  For this blog we’re covering two AC/DC classics; one album the final bow from original singer Bon Scott, and the second the phoenix-like rebirth with new boy Brian Johnson.

When I think of all time favorite bands, AC/DC is certainly high on the list; certainly in that all time Top Ten (I only went Top Five in a post in this blog a few years ago).  My earliest exposure to the band was most definitely Back In Black due to the classic single “You Shook Me All Night Long” (which was all over the radio in 1980) as well as the constant play the cassette (and 8-Track!) got on the school bus to basketball or baseball games that same year.  Also around that same time I was starting to turn from the local Top 40 station to more album oriented rock, which quickly schooled me on the band’s earlier material, plus I also got a pretty good “AC/DC education” from my cousin David.  I loved the raw rock sound and instantly became a fan, calling the radio stations incessantly asking them to play “Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock And Roll)” or “Live Wire” or “Dirty Deeds” before we bought the records ourselves.  But let’s cut to the chase…

Highway To Hell vs. Back In Black is certainly a tough call and to be honest, my opinion on both albums has changed over the years.  One album I played incessantly in my early fandom of the band and certainly was my favorite, but nowadays I favor the other album based on certain factors.  On the other album, I severely underrated some of the cuts on it and didn’t realize how good it was until years down the road.  So if you want my opinion, my choice of favorite would be…

Yeah, Highway To Hell was my favorite AC/DC album in my younger days but over the years it was surpassed by Back In Black due to a couple of factors:  1) Back In Black is an incredible tour de force in overall performance and will never be surpassed by the band (nothing even comes close), and 2) I prefer the looser, rawer feel of earlier Bon Scott albums over Highway To Hell.  But really, we are comparing apples to oranges here with the only similarity between the two releases being the production of one Mutt Lange.  While the producer honed the rough edges of the band into a leaner radio friendly product on Highway To Hell, he fine tuned the sonics for a more volcanic and metallic crunch on Back In Black.  The latter album’s full on conviction, take no prisoners performance, and incredible vocals from Brian Johnson is why I return to it more than the former.  While I like the swingin’ and freewheelin’ side of the band, this album really showcased that “Thunder from Down Under” from top to bottom.

So besides sound and performance, how do the songs stack up?  On HtH, there is one bonafide radio hit in the title cut followed by a number of outstanding cuts and only two weaker ones in the batch in “Love Hungry Man” and “Get It Hot”.  Granted, the latter two are pretty good but up against “Touch Too Much” or “Beating Around The Bush”?  Not even close.  As for BiB, you have two radio hits in the title cut and “You Shook Me” but an even wider variance in the remaining eight, with “Hells Bells”, “Shoot To Thrill” and “Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” (my least favorite) getting a fair share of radio play.  The five remaining are the rascally underdogs, with the relentless pace of “Shake A Leg” and the confident swagger of “Have A Drink On Me” (one of THE underrated AC/DC songs) helping to push Brian Johnson’s debut ahead of Bon Scott’s final release.

Interestingly enough, I find neither album to be fully representative of the band’s sound during their 40+ years of existence.  Are these albums more attributed to the direction of Mutt Lange as producer?  Or maybe due to the band reestablishing their foothold and unsure of their direction as they grieve for their former bandmate that has passed on?  Hard to say.  The band has certainly released rawer, looser albums during their career more typical of the band’s sense of humor and rough hewn charm, but these two albums remain the biggest selling of the band’s career.  Not that that makes any difference. AC/DC has released a ton of excellent albums over the years; however, Back In Black remains the pinnacle of the band’s recorded output- their brightest and most shining star in an already well lit evening sky.