Hey ho let’s go and do another shuffle and give you my thoughts on the first ten songs that pop up in shuffle mode on my iPod

“Trust” Lynyrd Skynrd, Lynyrd Skynyrd Box Set

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEYzb8leQbs

Pulled from the box set comes “Trust” (originally found on Gimme Back My Bullets), a steamy rocker featuring some killer guitar work via riff and tasty leads plus a groovy bassline courtesy of Leon Wilkeson.  Singer Ronnie Van Zant belts out a warning to beware those you can’t trust, whether they be loved ones or friends.  And speaking of Ronnie his vocal hits a few higher sweet spots outside of his regular range, akin to the depth of a “Saturday Night Special”.  A deep, underrated cut.

“Everybody Makes It Through (In The Light)[Early Version/In Transit]” Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti (Deluxe Edition)

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

The Zeppelin remasters that Jimmy Page put out a couple of years ago had a second disc chock full of goodies- while many were fairly close to the originals, there were some like this odd take of “In The Light”, featuring what sounds like a demented harpsichord intro with Robert Plant warbling through some alternate lyrics for this well known classic.  Some ideas made the final cut of this early workthrough, and those that were left on the cutting room floor are certainly worthy of hearing.  Wish more bands would release stuff like this.  Interesting and very cool.

“‘Til The Livin’ End” Zeke, ‘Til The Livin’ End

Like a bastardized version of Motorhead crossed with LA sleaze metal and NYC gutter punk comes Seattle four piece Zeke and title cut to their 2004 release.  Gritty and slammin’ with a nice and dirty riff topped with gutteral vocal courtesy of Blind Marky  Felchtone ripped out in a quick one minute and fifty two seconds.  If Lemmy woulda been born in the mean streets of da Bronx, I guarantee this is what he would have sounded like.

“Wherever I May Roam” Metallica, Live Shit: Binge And Purge

I got burned out of the Black Album hits quickly, but by golly this is a pretty massive live version.  At the time of this album Metallica was riding high and they were definitely a live and dangerous force,  Lars doing a fine push and pull job here with the tempo and the band suitably falling in line.  Jaymz live during this time was a beast, turning in more of a gritty vocalization on the album but seriously owning it and commanding in front of a crowd.  Saw them on this tour and it was awesome.

“Hounds” Savatage, Ghost In The Ruins (A Tribute To Chriss Oliva)

Talk about an underrated band…  Florida’s Savatage released some molten slabs of metal in the 80’s courtesy of the one-two punch of Chriss Oliva’s savage guitar histrionics and the absolutely evil and spell binding vocals from brother John Oliva.  This live  version of “Hounds” is stunning as it moves between the solid rock bits, dramatically charged dark areas, and the headbanging final minute.  Loved Chriss (RIP), but John sends chills up the spine.  A commanding vocal presence.

“Gates Of Babylon” Rainbow, Long Live Rock ‘N Roll

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

One of those castle rock classics that has birthed many a progressive rock/metal band over the years, “Gates Of Babylon” is a gem of a cut from Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow.  Kicking off with keyboard sonics courtesy of David Stone, “Gates” is a cinematic journey as it weaves through a vaguely Middle Eastern sounding riff and a knockout of a vocal from one Ronnie James Dio.  And speaking of Blackmore…  some stunning lead work here full of spirit and sweet, fluid runs.  A feast for the ears and imagination.

“By The Grace Of God” The Hellacopters, By The Grace Of God

Sweden has a helluva lot of great metal and rock bands and The Hellacopters are one example of many killer bands from that country.  Featuring a stinging melodic guitar intro, the song quickly charges headlong into some riffy goodness and a shouty singalong chorus that sticks like an earworm.  If you take equal parts Detroit garage rock and mix it up with a relatively clean yet strong vocal topped with killer melodies then you’ve got your next favorite band.  Seriously…

“Over The Hills And Far Away” Led Zeppelin, How The West Was Won

Hey, a Zep twofer in this shuffle!  Not a damn thing wrong with that, especially when you’ve got a killer version of this well known classic.  Maybe a tad bit speedier here but the force of the playing and mind blowingly ON Robert Plant vocal gives you an idea why these guys are one of my all time favorite bands.  Oh wait a minute…  Page is great too as are Bonham and Jones, especially during the middle breakdown section.  But Plant…  at the top of his game here.

“Fortuneteller” Deep Purple, Slaves and Masters

A Richie Blackmore twofer as well with that “other” band he was in, although if you weren’t paying attention you may think it was that “other other” band due to the vocal presence of Joe Lynn Turner.  But wait a minute, that was Dio…  umm…  nevermind.  Seriously, “Fortuneteller” is certainly more latter day Rainbow than Deep Purple, although the Jon Lord keys on this cut are pretty cool.  Turner’s vocal is fairly standard for him, but Blackmore throws out some tasty and stinging lead lines.

“Why You Do This?” Death Angel, Frolic In The Park

Frolic Through The Park will always have a soft spot with me as it was my first Death Angel cassette(!), having first been introduced to the band by the oddly infectious “Bored”.  But hey, I’m reviewing “Why You Do This?” and its mix of punky hardcore thrashiness over five minutes of non-stop crazy riffery that mixed Suicidal Tendencies with, say, Exodus.  Mark Osegueda turns in a typically fine vocal but the drum tornado that is Andy Galeon really steals the show as he slams and pounds the kit with reckless abandon.

Cut of the week goes to “Over The Hills And Far Away” followed closely by “Gates Of Babylon” and “By The Grace Of God” a distant third.

The post grunge years for the music industry was an interesting time in the States- heavy hitters such as Nirvana were gone after Kurt Cobain’s suicide, Alice In Chains went on hiatus as singer Layne Stayley struggled with drug abuse, Soundgarden broke up due to creative differences, and Pearl Jam spent a few years under the radar as they battled Ticketmaster over exorbitant fees.  Where was the young music fan to turn?  Why, bloody Great Britain you bastards!

Kicking off with a symphonic sample from the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra (more on that later), “Bittersweet Symphony” made a grand melodic statement and was a staple on Top 40 radio stations during the summer of 1997.  The Verve had been quite the popular band in their native England, having released a couple of psychedelic flavored discs with tons of guitar sonics courtesy of Nick McCabe and the mesmerizing and lax cool vocals of Richard Ashcroft.  Come the third album McCabe was out but eventually brought back in to help flesh out the songs, which had become a bit more melodic and soul searching lyrically but still retained a fantastic swirl of sound that hearkened back to their earlier material.  The main theme of “Bittersweet Symphony” was built around  a six note sample from “The Last Time” from the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, which itself came from the Rolling Stones song of the same name.  The band and former Stones manager Allen Klein agreed on the sample; however, once the song’s popularity took off Klein reneged on the original agreement and filed suit, claiming that the band used a larger sample.  Klein won, and “Bittersweet Symphony” is now fully credited to Mick Jagger/Keith Richards (as writers of “The Last Time” riff) and Richard Ashcroft (as writer of the lyric).

You can argue both sides here but the bottom line is that The Verve’s creative use of the slightly sped up sample mixed with Ashcroft’s carefree lyric and the swirling guitar pattern from Nick McCabe and Simon Tong produced a classic song that stands on its own.  That four note introductory cello pattern counterbalanced with those oh so magnificent violin strums certainly forms the backbone of the song, but there is enough extra built into the melody and production that pushes this song to another level.  Cool guitar touches pop in and out of the mix and Ashcroft’s vocal melody is brilliant and plays perfectly against the backdrop of the sample and straightforward drum pattern.  But not all symphonic pieces on here are pulled from that original album sample- extra violin washes are added to the mix to beef up the sound and sweeten the melody.  Strip away the sample and the additional sonics from this and you’d still have an excellent song for just vocal and acoustic guitar.  Pure magic on multiple fronts.

I’ve always been a bit iffy on sampling but in this instance it works brilliantly.  Listen to Andrew Oldham Orchestra version and you’ll note that the sample is a part of the song but doesn’t serve as the core melody.  The Verve was able to take that and layer different things on top of it and create a unique statement which they should be credited for, but NOT Jagger/Richards.  Interestingly enough, the distinctive string sample taken from the orchestra version sounds NOTHING like the Stones original-  that comes courtesy of composer David Whitaker, who should have received the credit.  However, being that the orchestral “The Last Time” was in itself a radical reinterpretation of the Stones original, Jagger/Richards get the credit.  Funny how the music business works sometimes…

If there was one band that the guys and gals during my high school years all agreed on, it was Van Halen.  They were THE party band in high school:  we dudes marveled at the pyrotechnic guitar wizardry of Eddie Van Halen, the gals fawned all over David Lee Roth, and we all loved the songs.  Myself, I was nuts for the first five albums… and then…  the clown show took over.

I know, I know, I’m in the minority but I was totally cool when the band and Roth went splitsville and the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar came on board.  Sure, Roth was a great frontman for the band and brought tons and fun and swagger but at some point the focus was more on him (blame MTV and the media) and less on the rest of the band, which was the draw for me.  Plus, something about the 1984 album started moving the band in a slightly more commercial direction and away from the all out guitar centered assault from past albums.  While those rockers were still there, the prominence of keyboards was adding a different shade to the VH palette as Edward was branching out into newer territory.  It felt as if he needed a new creative foil to bounce ideas off of and Sammy Hagar was that man.  As for Roth, he was now in total control and free to pull together a hot shot band of hired guns to do his bidding.

Enough of the history lesson…  what about the resulting albums from VH with Hagar and Roth as solo artist?  March 1986 was when 5150 was dropped on the public, headed up by debut single “Why Can’t This Be Love” which was about as far removed from anything previously released by Van Halen or Sammy himself.  While I admit it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, the song was catchy and certainly “feel good” and was a decent teaser for the album.  But when the album dropped I was jazzed…  finally new Van Halen!  But…  a different beast altogether and one that was a bit shocking but still totally cool.  Opener “Good Enough” was a great blend of styles and an excellent showcase for what the new band could do-  Sammy in full throated roar and the band rocking hard; “Dreams” a dead on classic with a positive lyric and fab chorus; “Best Of Both Worlds” and the title cut examples of great EVH riffs with an early days swagger; and “Love Walks In” a vocal showcase for Hagar and part of that new creative direction the band was heading in.  Toss in the humorous “Inside” to show off the new band of brothers vibe on top of a handful of other cool ditties and the new VH (or “Van Hagar”, as some called them) was ready to take on the world.  I caught the band on tour at this time and it was a fantastic show-  these guys were having a blast on stage and their chemistry and on stage banter was infectious.  To this day, one of my all time favorite concert experiences.

So… how did Roth answer?  With a damn good album himself.  Always the showboat, the Diamond One pulled out all the stops with debut single “Yankee Rose” and its hilarious video (something that VH shied away from for 5150) featuring Roth as voodoo shaman needing “a bottle of anything and a glazed donut…  TO GOOO!”  Interestingly enough, I didn’t quite mind the Roth antics as a solo artist-  he DID make some entertaining videos and it certainly was all about him but hey, this time it was HIS band.  And what a band!  Steve Vai on guitar and Billy Sheehan on bass were a pyrotechnic tag team, featuring lots of flash and incendiary playing on songs like “Shy Boy” and its buzzsaw unison lines; “Bump & Grind”‘s sexy swagger; “Tobacco Road”‘s raunch ‘n roll; and the “talking guitar” featured on “Yankee Rose”.  Still, Roth was able to express his creativity with this band as well-  everything from Sinatra cool on “That’s Life” to the swinging “Ladies Night In Buffalo” to the sun ‘n fun of “Goin’ Crazy”.  Eat ‘Em And Smile took the party blueprint from Roth’s former band, cranked it to eleven, and still took it a notch higher courtesy of dual flamethrowers in Vai and Sheehan.  A fun, fun album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUpWLQ9UEYk

So who is the winner?  Whew…  tough call.  There is something about 5150 that is unique and is a great example of how two separate artists can play to their strengths and create a piece of work that can stand on its own.  One drawback for this album is that it sounds a little dated due to the Simmons electronic drums that Alex Van Halen included in his kit, but it’s not a huge knock.  Still, a lot of great, well crafted rock music with classic Hagar melodies that still sounds great today.  As for Eat ‘Em And Smile, the songs and performances are strong and play well to the strengths of each musician on the disc.  However, it seems that Roth’s main goal here was to keep the party hearty element alive and not stretch the boundaries too far (that would come with next album Skyscraper) from what made him famous in the first place.  The songs (originals and covers) fit his voice to a tee and he let the band do their thing to excellent results.

For creativity and memorable songs…  the winner is 5150.  For serious ass kicking and overall vibe…  the winner is ‘Eat Em And Smile.  And the one that I play most today and is the winner of this showdown (by a nose, I must add) is Eat ‘Em And Smile.

Happy New Year!  Let’s kick it off with another rousing rendition of shuffling through the first ten songs on the iPod and giving you my two cents…

“Mobius Slip”, Sound Of Contact Dimensionaut

For you progheads out there comes this nearly twenty minute behemoth of a cut featuring Simon Collins (Phil’s son) that mixes a great deal of spacey Floydisms and the grandeur of Genesis or Hogarth era Marillion.  Plenty of buildup here too, with lighter touches from guitar and keyboards layering into heavier phases that weave various magics throughout the song.  If you’re up for slipping away into a cool musical journey awash in various vibes and textures you’re in for a treat.

“Sweet Blue Midnight”, Georgia Satellites In The Land Of Salvation And Sin

Far removed from “Keep Your Hands To Yourself” but still in the Stonesy range that these boys do quite well, “Sweet Blue Midnight” is a fine slow burner in the country rock vein with a good dollop of bluesiness thrown in.  Kind of an electrified “Wild Horses” for the newer generation with some sweet slide guitar playing from Dan Baird (or is that Rick Richards?).  A good ol’ slow dancing tune for you  and your sweetie.

“Grow Or Pay”, D.A.D. Riskin’ It All

These tuneful Danes were one of those bands that would occasionally pop up on Headbanger’s Ball back in the late 80s and I must admit that I dug ’em.  Musically, these guys could rock but also write a decent ditty like “Grow Or Pay” which features a melodic chorus and some awesomely cool reverb-laden guitar in an AC/DC punkabilly vibe.  Singer Jesper Binzer’s vocals are nice and gritty and brother Jacob’s guitar work is simple yet quite effective.

“Stealing From A Thief”, Anthrax Volume 8: The Threat Is Real

From the John Bush era of the band comes this Pantera-esque groover with a thick and chunky bottom end and the occasional odd detour during the verses.  Midway through the song kicks into double time and rocks out the rest of the way as Bush does his typical stellar vocal job with a nice singalong chorus.  This era of the band was definitely more groove oriented instead of their thrash heyday and there’s nothing wrong with that-  just be prepared for a different taste 🙂

“Doomed”, Galactic Ruckus

Come the Ruckus album, Galactic starts moving away from straight ahead New Orleans funk and throws in different elements into their worldvision stew.  “Doomed” certainly leans more trip hop with effects laden and echoey drums and various keyboard sound textures but lays down the heavy hammer with a fat guitar riff and horn pattern.  Certainly a departure from their original sound but a nice change of pace.  And yes, Stanton Moore laying down a killer groove on the drums.

“Oh Lonely Grave”, Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster III

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzZ04tilE4U

Like a bastard son of Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Maiden, and Pantera comes “Oh Lonely Grave”, featuring an incredible mix of bluegrass, southern rock, and four on the floor heavy metal.  What’s amazing is how all elements are effectively layered in together; not featuring too much of one style over another although the heavier spots might be a shock, especially Dallas Taylor’s full throated roars.  An all out assault on the senses.

“Bark At The Moon”, Ozzy Osbourne Bark At The Moon

Randy Rhoads was gone (perished in a tragic plane crash) and the Ozzman plucks young Jake E. Lee for the role as his guitar player and our first exposure is this dead on classic with its memorable riff and equally memorably video.  Jake acquits himself well in filling Rhoads’ large shoes, sounding quite a bit different from his predecessor as he ably tosses out fast, bluesy runs and killer rhythmic patterns.  Ozzy does a good job vocally but he takes a backseat on this cut.

“Soul Serenity”, Vintage Trouble 1 Hopeful Rd

Full admission here…  my preference for these guys is their balls to the wall soulful rock but something like “Soul Serenity” and its cool acoustic shuffle and smooth vocal arrangement is pretty fab too.  Lead vocalist Ty Taylor is a gem here (as he is on almost everything), full of smooth soul but also tossing in a few gritty bits and falsetto touches for some tasty flavor.  Like I say, a bit more of a campfire tune that what I normally like from these guys but good for those chillin’ times.

“Nowhere Road”, Steve Earle Guitar Town

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nni2VZP966Y

I don’t have much country on the iPod but what I do have certainly leans more old fashioned or outlaw in vibe.  Steve Earle came out as a fresh voice and mixed in some rockier elements, with “Nowhere Road” giving the listener a good taste of country swing with fiddle and steel guitar but a more rocked up production.  Really good tuneful stuff that walked that fine line between country and rock when the genre needed a good kick in the pants.

“Laughing On Judgment Day”, Thunder Laughing On Judgment Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU3buhICM9c

‘Tis a shame…  these guys should be bigger than they are.  “Laughing On Judgment Day” gives you a good taste of what these guys are all about-  a big riff straight out of the Zep/Free/Whitesnake playbook, some killer vocal chops, huge layers of production, and a sing along chorus.  If you like bluesy rock as the aforementioned bands that leans more on the commercial side, Thunder will do ya good.  A fun band that doesn’t take itself too seriously but has plenty of chops for you to sit up and take notice.

Lots of variety this week!  Fave song goes to “Bark At The Moon” by a wide margin followed by a tie between “Grow Or Pay”, “Laughing On Judgment Day”, and “Doomed”.

Loaded up once again at the tail end of the year.  It’s a disease, I’m tellin’ ya…

Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions

Magpie Salute – Magpie Salute

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Who Built The Moon?

Sasquatch – Maneuvers

Lynch Mob – The Brotherhood

Mastodon – Cold Dark Place

Witchery – I Am Legion

Witchery – In His Infernal Majesty’s Service

The Verve – Urban Hymns (Deluxe Box Set)

Angel City – Face To Face

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Live At Montreux 1982 & 1985

John Hiatt – Two Bit Monsters

Iron Maiden – Book Of Souls: Live Chapter

The Quill – Full Circle

Thunder – Wonder Days

Sweet & Lynch – Unified

Soilwork – Sworn To A Great Divide

Soilwork – The Panic Broadcast

The Quill – Tiger Blood

Simon Collins – U Catastrophe

Psycroptic – The Inherited Repression

Tristania – World Of Glass

Satyricon – Rebel Extravaganza

Tyr – Valkyrja

Tiamat – Judas Christ

Borknagar – Empiricism

Allegaeon – Formshifter

Richard Thompson – You? Me? Us?

John Zorn – Naked City

Electric Light Orchestra – All Over The World: The Very Best Of

Soilwork – Natural Born Chaos

James Cotton, Junior Wells, Carey Bell, Billy Branch – Harp Attack!

The Darkness – Pinewood Smile

Robert Plant – Carry Fire

Thunder – Rip It Up

Govt Mule – Revolution Come… Revolution Go

Legendary Shack Shakers – After You’ve Gone

Black Country Communion – BCCIV

The Black Keys – The Moan

I normally steer clear of year end “best ofs” for the blog but this year will be an exception.  While I often buy quite a bit of music it is rare for me to put one particular release in constant rotation, come back to it months down the road, and STILL get jazzed on based on the songs, excitement, and energy level based on the material within.  That, my friends, is the mark of a great album and a big reason why Power Trip’s “Nightmare Logic” is my favorite release of 2017.

I wrote about this album back in June (check that out HERE) and everything still applies, even moreso.  And it’s not just me…  check out metal music sites and you’ll find scores of bloggers/writers/etc praising the album, many including it in their own personal top ten or even at the top spot.  As many note, this band has crossover appeal for thrash fans, death metal fans, speed metal fans, punk fans, hardcore fans, and is winning over people en masse based on the blending of those styles into a concise eight song, thirty minute album of relentless energy, conviction, and intensity.

A big reason why I enjoy this album is because it reminds me of 1986/1987 and the burgeoning thrash metal movement headed up by Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth.  I’m feeling the same exact vibe listening to this as when thrash finally “clicked” with me and became a full on love affair, but Power Trip is not a full on throwback band.  They don’t sound like one band in particular but are a perfect mix of multiple artists plus just enough of their own tenacity and spirit to make you take notice.  Such relentlessness and a “take no prisoners” performance from beginning to end deserves much critical praise.  Play this one straight through- it’s a Goliath of an album.