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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K626gMvu2ds

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWgR9IXUcNc

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.