I heard you missed me I’m back! I brought my keyboard! Gimme a blog to write on, man! Hear ye hear ye hear ye… first post with just “THE ROCK” iPod (no metal… well, maybe metal-ish but we’ll see).

“Creatures Of The Night” KISS, Alive III

Yeah baby! Kickin’ off the rawk on this shuffle post with an unheralded classic from the Kisssters, “Creatures Of The Night” has always been a stonkin’ ripper of great proportions with it’s thick, metalish riff (did I say NO METAL on this iPod???), sing a long chorus, and a great vocal from Mr. Paul Stanley. This version is extra good as it comes from their early 90s live rekkid in Alive III– you get yer loud crowd and of course and explosion or two (or three). Bruce Kulick on lead guitar here whips out your typical 80s flash lead, not quite in the Ace league but pretty dang good with the occasional dive bombs and noodly bits. But really it’s Paul’s vocal that steals the show in all his He-Man glory. Great cut!

“Come Rain Or Come Shine” The Union, The Union

So at some point Luke Morley’s main gig in Thunder was put on hiatus and he formed a nice little pairing with Peter Shoulder and put out a couple of releases as The Union, sounding a bit similar to Thunder in spots but with “Come Rain Or Come Shine” leaning more towards a bluesy/country vibe. If you like more singer/songwriter and acoustic vibe with harmonies, this song will fit the bill. Morley and Shoulder sound great together and their acoustic interplay is wonderful and even kicks up a notch with a bit of banjo, sweet harmonica playing, and some nice keyboard touches. Kinda early Eagles with a bit more rootsier bent.

“Hollywood Nights” Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Stranger In Town

If I was told that I had only one Bob Seger song I could listen to for the rest of my life, I may very well choose “Hollywood Nights”. One reason… PROPULSION. This song just moves me like none other from Bob… that intro says it all and comes out swinging for all its worth, building on some kicking drums and driving bass and guitar riff until it climaxes in one helluva singalong chorus until it comes back around again for a couple more verses. As always Bob spins a great visual lyric, one with a sense of risk and adventure with “the midwestern boy on his own” as the tension builds and builds and builds against that wonderful, rhythmic kick from the Silver Bullet band.

“Going To California (Mandolin/Guitar Mix)” Led Zeppelin, IV

Not too long ago Jimmy Page re-re-re-re(?)mastered all of the Led Zeppelin albums but this time with a little twist… a second disc for each album with different mixes on some songs and the occasional unreleased cut. This version of the IV classic is all guitar and mandolin with no vocal, which sounds just as wonderful as you would imagine even without the great Robert Plant on it. That said, Plant’s vocal so intertwined with the melody throughout the song that (dare I say) you don’t quite miss it except in a couple of places where his vocal certainly took point and the instrumentation was slightly stripped back: the “it seems that the wrath of the gods” line along with the “ahh ahhh” at the very end. All in all a nice listen.

“Big City” Luther Allison, Blue Streak

When Luther Allison sang and played guitar, he meant it. Listen to any of his discs in the 70s/80s/90s but especially track down his live releases, where the man put everything on the line and then some as part of his brand of Chicago blues. “Big City” is a smoldering cut, all slinky groove on the backbeat with some great organ work and all the passion you could muster in a gritty lead vocal where Luther sings about hard times and “killin’ in the streets” of the Big City. Some fantastic interplay on guitar between James Solberg and Luther, the former holding down the main rhythm while his boss increases the intensity as he wrangles out one stinging lead after another. Great stuff.

“I Want The Drugs” Supersuckers, Live At The Magic Bag

Blink and it’s gone… Supersuckers have always been one of my favorite unsung bands, one which rocks mighty and hard but oftentimes with a tongue planted firmly in the cheek to go with that foot up your ass. “I Want The Drugs” is just a full on blast of high speed punk that lasts barely over a minute with lead singer Eddie Spaghetti rattling off the lyrics in hyperspeed fashion but not quite matching the supersonic, face melting riffing from Rontrose Heathman and Dan “Thunder” Bolton that makes those Ramones records seem timid in comparison. Be forewarned- probably not suitable for Grandma’s mix tape.

“Same Old Blues” Poppa Chubby, Booty and the Beast

Ok, ok, fully on confession… I’m not really a slow blues kind of guy unless the vocals are soulfully compelling or the guitar work is jaw droppingly incredible, so a song like “Same Old Blues” falls into the just OK category for me. Vocals are good and guitar work is good but other than that it seems more of a song that Poppa can step back a hair from his more uptempo work and take a bit of a break from the intensity of a nightly set. I don’t mean to be hard on the guy because he’s got a good mix of fierce and controlled playing and he’s got some soulful pipes but this is not quite the “go to” tune if I want Poppa Chubby.

“The Millionaire” Reverend Horton Heat, Spend A Night In The Box

The psychobilly stylings of Reverend Horton Heat lean a bit closer to my roots rockin’ listening takes these days when I want to get a modern twist on an older formula (rockabilly). Still, this ain’t TOO old as many bands over the years have put their jump jivin’ spin on rockabilly and surf music and the Rev is as good as any. “The Millionaire” is all uptempo, bright sparkly spank with thunderous drumwork and some downright groovy instrumental guitar work that’ll get yer toes a tappin’. Take a bit of Link Wray, mix it with Duane Eddy and Brian Setzer dashed with a hint of Dick Dale and “The Millionaire” might be what falls outta the blender.

“Theme From Baroque Weirdos” Joe Walsh, Songs For A Dying Planet

Leave it to Joe Walsh, the grand wizard of guitar riffery and fun, to get all sentimental on some of his late 70s/early 80s solo albums and bless us with these “Theme From…” ditties that seem to be on the album only to let us know that ol’ Joe could be a serious musician if he wanted to. The “Baroque Weirdos” version sounds like a bit from one of our favorite Jon Hughes’ movies from the 80s, when the guy finally gets the girl and the sit on the beach contemplating life while they share a milkshake and stare at the sunset as the seagulls fly overhead. Well, maybe not but they are all short little bits from the man that offer a bit of a respite from the crazy world that is Joe Walsh.

“Sweet Southern Sound” Moon Dog Mane, Turn It Up

The 90s were hard on hair bands, especially from around 1993 on. Tesla wasn’t quite as “hairy” as some of the others; matter of fact, their 70s schtick made them stand out from the pack but when the Seattle sound hit the industry dropped them like the others. Guitarist Frank Hannon took advantage of the (temporary) hiatus and founded Moon Dog Mane, which added more of a Skynyrd/Black Crowes vibe to the formula that’s full on display with “Sweet Southern Sound”. Maybe not quite in the same league as those bands but the elements and the heart are there (dig that piano!) and Hannon’s guitar work is mighty fine.

Winner on this post goes to “Hollywood Nights”, hands down. Second place goes to “Creatures Of The Night” and bringing up the rear is the stripped back version of “Going To California”.