“Absent Friends” Saxon, Unleash The Beast

Big big Saxon fan here-  I can appreciate the sentiment of this song and the reason why it was written (passing of one of the band roadies) but the hard hearted sourpuss that I am just wants to RAWK when I hear Saxon.  However in listening to the lyrics and thinking about some of my “absent friends” it does bring a tear to this old grouch, especially as I get on in my years.  Overall the song is fairly simple, Biff and the boys penning a nice acoustic cut that’s well sung and well played but not my normal cuppa tea.

“Dogs” Motorhead, Rock N Roll

Well, kinda like I said with the previous song…  when I want to hear Motorhead I want to RAWK.  “Dogs” kinda does but not in my preferred Motorhead style (which is heads down and uptempo) as this kind of plods and lurches along with very little fire other than the awesomely gravel throated vocal from Lemmy.  Very un-Motorhead drums though, especially considering original wildman Philthy Phil Taylor is back on the kit-  no drum rolls or double kicks.  And the production is loud, ugly, and clattery.

“Rosie” The Beat Farmers, The Pursuit Of Happiness

Man, what is it today?  When I want to hear The Beat Farmers I want to…  well…  actually this song is a great cover of the Tom Waits original, beautifully sung by Joey Harris and accompanied by Jerry Raney on backing vocals.  A great example of what these guys had to offer other than the four on the floor bar band rock and hilarious songs (“Happy Boy”, anyone?), as well as being a counter to the one and only Country Dick Montana.  I prefer THAT version, but damn…  this song is poignant and touching.  Kudos fellas!

“The Lengths” Black Keys, Rubber Factory

zzzzzzzzzzzz….  huh?  where am i?????  Oh yeah….  hmmmm….  and once again…  When I want to hear The Black Keys I want to rock…  OK, I’m poking too much fun.  Yeah, I prefer the swamp stomp from Dan and Patrick but damn can that Auerbach boy saaaaang!  Not quite a blues singer per se, but definitely mellow and very heartfelt and “The Lengths” shows off the chill vibe from the band that’s far removed from those other ramble tambles that get the booty shaking.  Very subtle, very cool, and some sweet slide.

“Always” Flotsam and Jetsam, Cold

Amazing to think how since Flots’ formation that they’ve always hung around in one form or another, lifers for the metal cause and not really giving up on those headbanging principles that caught our attention in the mid-80s.  “Always” is a cool branch from the band tree; not overtly thrashy like their earlier material nor groove drenched like something from the 90s, but more straightforward and punchy with subtle shifts of heft and depth.  And as always lead throat Erik AK is just a killer vocalist, this song being no exception-  fire and brimstone roars with various moods thrown into this stew.

“Stallions Of The Highway” Saxon, Live At Donington 1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S70cq-Q6vtE

A double shot of Saxon for your blog pleasure, and a song that’s a complete 180 from “Absent Friends” and yes, it RAWKS in all its raw power and glory as Biff and the boys play what was likely their biggest show at the time in front of an assembled crowd of metalheads at Donington Park in England.  “Stallions” is a heads down romper, a bit loose in execution but you can’t fault the boys as they were likely pumped full of energy for this show.  A bit loose and clattery but all in good rockin’ fun!

“Winds Of Change” Bruce Dickinson, Tattooed Millionaire

Oh boy…  “when I want to hear…”  ENOUGH!  So yeah, my preference for Bruce is the passionate, full throated thespian that fronts Iron Maiden but he’s got a ton of excellent material from his solo years.  “Winds Of Change” is OK; a bit repetitive in the chorus with Bruce maybe a tad overly emotive although it is saved a bit by a decent Janick Gers noodle.  Kind of a poor man’s “Tears Of The Dragon” which has a similar vocal melody but Bruce sounds much more convincing on that one.  Still, I’m a huge fan of the man’s vocal talents.

“Hard Driving Man” Thin Lizzy, 74 Live In Germany

Good luck tracking this one down!  Lizzy covers the J Geils Band on this bootleg during a tour of Germany and features a couple of guitarists who only appeared during this tour (Andy Gee and John Cann, minor minor footnotes in the band history).  Really this cut is just a spot of fun that gets by on the charms of the great Phil Lynott, who does his damndest to fire up the crowd as he leads his band of merry men through a fairly repetitive eight minutes.  REALLY loose yet spirited.

“Leila” ZZ Top, Six Pack

“The iPod Shuffle is like a box of chocolates…  you never know what you’re gonna get”  And boy is that right…  sorry boys, “Leila” does very little for me.  I love the Top but when I want to listen to the Top it’s that rockin’ guitar stuff that the boys do very very well.  Sure, the song is played well and Billy Gibbons guitar work is magnificent as usual but this is one of those “right turn Clydes” that the band was experimenting with before going whole hog with it (and with better ideas) come next album Eliminator.  Very sweet, very nice, but…  not the Top for me.

“So Long” Pat Benatar, All Fired Up: The Very Best Of Pat Benatar

Wow…  it figures.  So my post ends with a Pat Benatar song and album that was a departure from her standard sound, a bit more “torch” singer/R&B in vibe that didn’t really sell but was a decent move to fill those creative juices.  Pat actually sounds great here (as does husband Neil on guitar) but it’s not the Pat I reach for when I want to hear something.  Still, in shuffle mode, these are those cool little finds that take you off the beaten path and make you realize what other talents shine through in yer favorite artists.  But hey man…  gimme “Heartbreaker” any day!

Talk about an odd shuffle post this go round!  “Rosie” wins the day with “Always” coming in #2 followed by “Stallions Of The Highway”