https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEKWR7WfsJo

Alright, I know what yer thinkin’…  how “under the radar” can this be?  Doesn’t EVERYONE know “My Sharona”?  Well, maybe not the younger generation (the song DID come out in 1979) although it has appeared in multiple movie soundtracks and has appeared in the Rock Band video game series, but this post isn’t focusing solely on that classic cut from this LP.  Rather, I’m want to talk about the greatness of the ENTIRE ALBUM and how it needs to be in your collection.

Back in 1979, this young lad was knee deep in his love affair with the radio and actively bugging Mom and Dad for the latest records and magazines featuring the hot new tunes of the day.  Disco was pretty much on the way out and rock music was snaking its way onto the airwaves again with some newer faces like The Police, The Pretenders, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joe Jackson, and the skinny tie guys from Los Angeles:  The Knack.  At the time I was mostly listening to the local Top 40 station and as the family was a member of the Columbia House Record Club, my brother and I would occasionally be given an opportunity to “buy” an album or two outside of the Helen Reddy/Kenny Rogers albums our parents would buy.  And due to the omnipresence of “My Sharona” ALL over the radio that summer and us being totally knocked out by the tune, my bro and I quickly snapped up Get The Knack and not only loved having the opportunity to play “the hit” at our leisure but also loved a good chunk of the album as well.  Both of us spent many a night staring at the album cover (those manic grins from lead singer/rhythm guitarist Doug Fieger and drummer Bruce Gary perfectly countered the stoicism from bassist Prescott Niles and lead guitarist Burton Averre were way cool junior!) and reading the lyrics as we rocked out to the band on our little stereo in the basement family room.

For you unbelievers out there saying “so tell me…  what’s so good about it?” I say…  PUT THE DAMN THING ON AND LISTEN TO THE FIRST SONG.  If “Let Me Out” doesn’t grab you by the throat from the get go then you might as well forget it.  For as much as flak as the band caught as Beatles copyists (same label, similarities in album cover and title, dressing alike, etc), “Let Me Out” takes its cues moreso from other British Invasion giants such as The Who, The Yardbirds, and The Kinks as well as hints of manic punk energy courtesy of a nasty, spitting riff, energetic Fieger yelp, and relentless pounding from sticksman Gary.  But hey, if ya don’t like that one and want to give it another chance, stick around for song number two and the effortlessly cool melodic punch of “Your Number Of Your Name”-  sounding like a lost early Who cut written by Lennon and McCartney or maybe an early Tom Petty cover of a Byrds classic, the song is all ultra cool ringing chords, excellent band vocals, and darn near jazzy surf drums of all things.  A killer one-two punch to start an album.

But the cool songs don’t stop there…  cut #3, “Oh Tara” has the same melodic sensibilities of “Your Number Or Your Name” with some absolutely sublime guitar noodling and darn near chickin’ pickin’ in the verses and during Averre’s lead solo spot, punctuated by some groovy McCartneyesque bass from Niles.  And if you want to get a little new wavey per the times take a listen to “Siamese Twins (The Monkey And Me)”, a raver headlined by a wild mix of percussive strut and secret agent guitar work akin to something found on The Police albums of the day; or bounce ahead a couple more tunes for some shimmering sweetener with “That’s What The Little Girls Do”, a long so gloriously sing a long catchy that you’ll be humming it long after you listen to the album.  Top it all off with the Stonesy swagger of “Frustrated” and you’ve got one helluva an album to dig into outside of the big hit.

And speaking of that hit…  if you’ve never heard the long version of “My Sharona” you’re in for a real treat, especially if you are a guitar fan.  Talk about a shocker- the radio at the time cut Burton Averre’s lead to seconds, so if you’ve never heard the non-single version you’ll be blessed with some some tasty, stinging noodling that should rank high among anyone’s favorite lead guitar spots on wax (and I take my guitar playing seriously, it’s THAT good).  Averre’s playing on this whole album shines, he does a fantastic job sprinkling some chunky chords with dexterously picked rhythmic patterns of various tonalities, at one point mixing in a heavy crunch with a bit of “secret agent” angular bits like in the absolutely killer “Good Girls Don’t”, where he counters Fieger’s frenetic strums with some James Bond style runs.  While released as the second single on the album, “Good Girls” stalled at #11 on the Billboard charts and features lyrics that any hot blooded young male could easily relate to and somehow amazingly bypassed the censors back in the day (I’m not sure that kind of “sitting” is what they thought it was).  But once again…  those drums!  Holy cow is Bruce Gary awesome on this disc, channeling his inner Keith Moon at one moment as he pounds the kit and drives the tempo in one cut but then pulls out his inner Ringo Starr and lays back to support the band in the next song (check him and Averre out in the live version of “Sharona” at the top of the post!).

So go out and pick up Get The Knack or do like the kids do these days and download it.  It’s much more than just “My Sharona” and “Good Girls Don’t”; it’s a great album from a long forgotten band.

Today’s sad news regarding the death of Rush drum legend Neil Peart has got me off my butt to fire up the old keyboard and do a quick “Shameless Plug” post on this iconic chestnut from the band’s greatest (IMO) platter Moving Pictures.  I don’t claim to be the biggest Rush fan-  no, I’ll leave that to a number of drummer buddies (and my drummer brother) as well as some college cronies that I borrowed tapes from to explore the band’s canon.  But man, MAJOR respect where it is due…  Rush has written a number of classic tunes but maybe first and foremost, the band ranks very high where musicianship is concerned.  And as far as drummers in the rock world go, you’d be hard pressed to find any better than Neil Peart.

In the Shameless Plug series I try to steer clear of popular tunes unless the song has made a clear mark on my psyche or was a key turning point in my own personal music evolution.  “Tom Sawyer” comes more from the latter, emerging at a time where music was starting to become an even bigger part of my life and that of my brother and our inner circle of friends.  Moving Pictures was pretty much played nonstop on the local AOR station (what you’d now call “Classic Rock”), everything from “Red Barchetta” to “Limelight” to “Tom Sawyer” to maybe “YYZ” and “Vital Signs” if you were lucky, and as continually budding music fans who had just picked up the guitar or drums the album definitely made an indelible mark on our collective conscious.  Rush was kinda like a step up from what we’d been listening to and learning to play in our garage bands in good ol’ Mom and Dad’s basement and “Tom Sawyer” was suddenly THE song that would separate the serious musicians from the weaker ones.  And all the drummers I knew wanted to play that classic drum break (I’m talking about YOU Gary Wright, Woody Wilson, and yes, Steve Remley) while all the non-drummers highly encouraged them to do so…  all we could do was furiously air drum along while standing back in amazement as our friends pounded away relentlessly, trying to catch some of that Peart magic.

Not only was Neil Peart an outstanding drummer but he was also an often thoughtful and exceptional lyricist too.  I’ll be honest though- I’ve never been one that pays too much attention to lyrics; rather, I’m more keen on how the human voice weaves in and out of the music and maybe how a word fits into the structure of the song (like “pompatus of love” from Steve Miller’s “The Joker).  “Tom Sawyer” is no different-  every time I listen to the song I’ll hear the lyric but I won’t pay attention to how it fits within the song nor do I really care what the song is about.  Geddy Lee could be blabbing on about anything and I wouldn’t care as long as the music is cool (although I still don’t quite understand the “catch the spit” line…  huh?).

Listening to this song again for this post just brings back so many memories of those high school garage band days-  I’ve heard this song so many times over the years that I’ve still got those air drum fills down pat and can even nail some of Geddy’s parts as well…  air bass mind you 🙂  Oh, to take a time machine back to those humid summer nights in Gary or Woody’s basement and listening in awe to “Tom Sawyer” and wondering if we could ever pull it off.  Some of us almost got there, some of us gave up…  but for a good few years there we didn’t care and just enjoyed playing, content with getting somewhere even if that was only in our own minds.  Thank you Neil Peart for playing a big part in the soundtrack of my life-  may you rest in peace!

“Floating Down”, Cheap Trick We’re All Alright!

As an unabashed Cheap Trick fan, I’m still totally digging on what these guys are up to 40+ years down the road.  “Floating Down” is another prime power pop blast, quite a bit Beatle-y and Badfinger-y with a touch of ELO glossed with some killer vocals from the man Robin Zander and some nice slashy chords from Rick Nielsen.  Once again the boys turn a “trick” and come up with the goods- toss in some strings, jangly guitars, and those wonderfully hooky Zanderisms and you got a nice little ditty to take your cares away.

“As Long As I Have You”, Elvis Presley  The King Of Rock and Roll

Two minutes of fine Elvis from his movie  King Creole, this is an underrated tune from the man’s canon with a splendid, understated vocal from the King and typically outstanding background vocals from The Jordainairres.  1950s Elvis is pretty much the bread and butter and he did very little wrong (if anything), especially when you listen to those non-hits that came out during the period (non-hits for Elvis?  You don’t say!).  A fine love song that took a back seat to the rock n roll hits in the movie.

“Lack Of Comprehension”, Death Human

Ha ha, yeah…  still coming to terms with these cookie monster vocalists even after all of thes years but LISTEN TO THE MUSIC!  All can be forgiven though, Chuck Schuldiner’s vocals may be an acquired taste and are actually pretty decent here but the calling card is the massive amount of technical heaviosity; a semi-spacey and proggy intro (check out the smooth bass stylings from Steve DiGiorgio) is quickly followed by a massive, spinning riff before dropping the hammer with more solid riffery.  Some excellent metal for those of you more adventurous ones out there.

“Wiz Kid”, Fu Manchu California Crossing

I remember picking up California Crossing one night at WalMart of all places, probably shortly after the disc was released, and instantly falling in love.  Totally sick of the radio at the time (nu metal…  baaaah), I needed SOMETHING different and started latching onto what was deemed as stoner rock and these guys were high on people’s lists and it did not disappoint.  Fat guitars, fat riffs, slamming drums, and sounding like a bit like your lost KISS tune sung by Ace Frehley, you may love this as much as I do.

“Smoke On The Water” Deep Purple, Machine Head 25th Anniversary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwEIt9ez7M

Who DOESN’T love this song?  OK, so maybe you don’t love the song but that riff is one most everyone knows (those growing up in the 70s/80s specifically) and may be the first riff you ever air guitared to or learned to play on the guitar.  My preferred version is the live one but the studio one is quite the classic, written as the band was holed up in the Montreaux, Switzerland writing the new album with lyrics based on a true story (Google it!).  A classic if there every was one; not only are all parties on point here but that tasty drum groove from Ian Paice is to die for.

“Choke”, Alice In Chains The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

I, like many of you, miss Layne Staley.  Dirt is my favorite disc from the 90s and AIC ranks high on my favorite “grunge” bands from that era.  But with Layne gone I have to give it up to Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, and Mike Inez for picking up and continuing on with the name and adding vocalist William DuVall, who, while not a Layne clone, fits in very well vocally with Cantrell.  Alice In Chains do melancholy well and “Choke” fits the bill with a loose, easy campfire strum as DuVall/Cantrell blend together during the song’s understated yet hooky chorus.

“Hearing Voices”, Suicidal Tendencies How Will I Laugh Tomorrow…

I didn’t quite cop on to Suicidal until they moved from their punkier roots and grafted on some high grade thrash metal and walked that hardcore line between the two genres.  I was in college when I first heard “Institutionalized” and it was a big “HUH?” moment but all in good fun with the dorm buddies.  But man, once the crossover hit I was on board with the ripping guitars as I was hooked by thrash when this album came out.  “Hearing Voices” is powered by a primo thrash riff and Mike Muir’s unique singing/rapping/talking vocal style.  Bang your head!

“The Evil That Men Do”, Iron Maiden A Real Live One

Full on confession…  at one time, THIS was my favorite Iron Maiden cut.  Not this live version mind you; no, the one on the fantastic Seventh Son Of A Son album.  Over time though this has slipped a little lower into the Top Five and this version, while actually pretty decent, is a tad bit speedy and a tad bit sloppy if I do say so myself (missing the Adrian Smith factor certainly).  All that said, it DOES have its charms as the mighty Maiden gallop is strong and Bruce is giving it his all through some bootleg quality (Nicko is a pillow slapper on this one, unfortunately).

“Go”, S.O.D. Speak English Or Die

Ooh, in these PC times I’m not quite so sure this would be released.  Hard to say, but the whole Stormtroopers Of Death concept was pretty much shock value at the time-  take Scott Ian and Charlie Benante from Anthrax, former ‘thrax bassist Danny Lilker, and manic hardcore shouter Billy Milano and mix it up with punk/thrash songs ranging anywhere from seconds to generally no more than two minutes with lyrics not for the faint of heart.  “Go” is a one minute blast of anger and ferocity telling us ALL OFF.

“One More For The Rodeo”, UFO Obsession

One word…  well one NAME…  SCHENKER!  For those blog readers in the know I am a big Michael Schenker fan, ranking high amongst my favorite lead guitarists with songs like “One More For the Rodeo” being a major reason for the love.  Such tasty tones to dip into from one of the band’s more underrated cuts written by bassist Pete Way and vocalist Phil Mogg, although their performances take a back seat to the master guitar class on feature.  Listen and enjoy.

Top spot goes this week to the immortal “Smoke On The Water” followed by “The Evil That Men Do” and “One More For The Rodeo”.

It’s hard to write objectively about Iron Maiden, having seen them multiple times since “leaving a fan for life” after catching them with Quiet Riot (who I actually went to see) waaaaaaaaaay back in 1983, so don’t expect a lengthy critique over the setlist, Bruce Dickinson’s fashion choices, Janick Gers’ electric dance moves, or Dave Murray playing a Les Paul (whaaaaaaat????).  No, the fact of the matter is, Iron Maiden is still doing it and doing it mighty impressively I might add.  No need to quibble about minor details (okaaaaay, maybe a couple of minor dings but very minor) when these guys are still going strong dang near 40 years down the road and by the look of the crowd size and the line at the merch booth, I think quite a few folks would agree with me.

Flash back to late 2018:  imagine my surprise in seeing that Iron Maiden, my all time favorite band bar none, was making a return to the Cincinnati, Ohio, area after being away for what seems like an eternity (from here to?).  After what seemed like too many years of travelling up and down I-71 or I-75 to catch them since their 1999 reunion with singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith, the band was FINALLY coming somewhere within a 30 minute drive from my home!  A shout out to my son and a quick phone call to my brother were next up as we quickly vouched to block off the mid-August evening for the show, and when they day tickets went on sale I tried valiantly to get something close to the stage but I struck out.  Oh well, I though…  I’ll hold off…  no lawn seats for us, we HAVE TO GET CLOSE.

Flash forward to the day of show and….  still no tickets.  Frankly the few days before the show had me pricing costly ducats on StubHub and other ticket stealers brokers but I was stubborn and held out, hoping that something at a decent price would pop up in time for the show.  About early afternoon I started seeing a few with decent prices; however, I was striking out.  Nothing with three seats together, so my brother gave the OK to buy two and he’d sit anywhere within the pavilion.  And shortly thereafter….  success!  Got two, and got them at good prices!  And not long after that I got one for my brother at a great price as well!  BADABING!

With tix in hand we made our way to the show, found us a spot to park, and headed into Riverbend Music Center.  Unfortunately, I did not get to watch openers The Raven Age (Steve Harris’ son George’s band) because we were getting refreshments and because I was TOTALLY ASTOUNDED by the sheer size of the crowd as I was making my way to find our seats and find the restroom, beer booth, and merch booth (all in that order).  Ye gods….  where have all of these headbangers been since grunge hit and since Dickinson left the band waaaay back in 1993 or so?  WHERE WERE YOU when Maiden played with Blaze Bayley at the local headbanger bar to a crowd of maybe 800 during  The X Factor tour?  Hmmmm?  HMMMMMMMM??????  Good to see you guys jumping back on the metal ship!

Not long after returning to our seats and chilling after a cocktail or two the lights were cut and we were treated to some killer visuals for the “Legacy of the Beast” video game backed by the band instrumental “Transylvania” from the debut album.  Kind of cool to see even if video games have certainly passed me by, although the concept is pretty neat and it’s definitely a good hook to draw in the younger crowd.  Shortly thereafter we heard the introductory strains of UFO’s “Doctor Doctor”, which any Maiden fan knows is essentially the intro tape to the band’s live show and has been since the early days.  As the crowd roared its approval, savoring the mighty bounce of that old chestnut, the lights were cut entirely after the last chord rang out and soon the sputtering of airplane engines unleashed an even mightier roar because we all knew it was THAT TIME!  Time for “Churchill’s Speech” and time for the best effing band in the world:  Iron Maiden.

And mighty they were…  from classic intro cut “Aces High” to the thrilling finale of “Run To The Hills”, the band were dead on brilliant, all six members on point through each song whether bashing through decades old classics or more recent fare from the past twenty years or so (my how time flies).  At this point in my life, after seeing the band multiple times either in person or catching them live via their many live albums and shows on YouTube, I still get a thrill to see these guys give it their all for darn near two hours and kind of stand back like a proud pap, just basking in the glow of their performance.  But man, there are STILL moments that give me a charge-  Bruce Dickinson is kind of a role model in where I want to be down the road; not just with that steely tongue bravado, running all over the stage, firing up the crowd (“scream for me Cincinnati!”), and being the master thespian as he changes costumes for each song, but man….  that VOICE!  He’s STILL got it!  Maybe not the high end screams of the early days but the power, majesty, and forcefulness are still there in spades.  As soon as he opened his mouth for the first line of “Aces High” (“There goes the siren that warns of the air raid”) and THEN nailed the higher octave lines shortly thereafter, I knew we were in for a great night.

But what about everyone else?  Solid as usual.  Funny tho, I thought drummer Nicko McBrain may be in hiding all night behind some sort of commando netting as though he was a stage prop; however, three songs in and it was removed to reveal the man himself behind one awesome looking kit.  Always one of my favorite drummers, ol’ Nick does a fantastic job laying down a swinging backbeat and on occasion gooses the tempo a hair to increase the excitement levels.  As for the Three Amigos on guitar, my fave has always been Dave Murray and he did not disappoint; all fiery legato lead runs that stayed mostly to the originals but with even more spirit and flair.  And Adrian Smith?  Solid as ever and the perfect counter; mostly content to provide more melodic playing with deeper tones and colorful washes who offers up a wee bit more experimentation with his sound from the early days.  And last but not least Janick Gers, the fancy dancing showman himself content to let out his inner Richie Blackmore and just winging it even BEYOND the fiery Murray.  All three are fun to watch and are extremely important cogs in the Maiden machinery.

Last but not least, the man himself…  Mr. Steve Harris, bassist esquire.  Those of us longstanding fans now that “Harry” started the band waaaaay back in 1976(!) and was an early force, penning many of the band’s anthems and leading the charge on the live front as he sings along (sans mic) and “machine guns” us with a wide variety of Fender Precision basses.  Tonight General Harris is his usual rock steady self, acting as a man half his age running around the stage and firing up the crowd.  Alongside Dickinson, the man is an ageless wonder and between the two it continues to be great fun watching these older stalwarts giving the younger generation a run for their money.

As we headed back to our car with Monty Python classic “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” providing accompaniment, we compared notes on how the show went and the three of us agreed that once again Maiden had left us well spent.  Excellent musicianship, absolutely BEAUTIFUL stage setup, a nice return of “Flight Of Icarus” (with flamethrowers!), and Dickinson nailing everything in sight we agreed on; the only slight ding was the setlist-  my son was craving “Moonchild” and “Powerslave”, but with SO many classics over the years it’s hard to hear everything you want.  I kinda missed “Wrathchild” too, but maybe next time.  At any rate, a big thumbs up to the band and we will see you down the road!

“Love Reign O’er Me” The Who, Las Vegas Encore Series

One of my all time favorite Who songs, this version is especially poignant as it was performed a mere two months after bassist John Entwistle’s passing (in the same dang town too).  Nonetheless the band soldiered on with the tour and selected Pino Palladino to cover The Ox’ bass parts, which he does capably but…  it’s not quite the same.  That said this tune has always been more of a Roger Daltrey showcase; in this version, the man doesn’t quite hit the power and majesty of the original but the spirit is still there as is the coolly slashing rhythm style of one Pete Townshend (video is the original tune in all its glory).

“Claws In So Deep” Death Angel, Relentless Retribution

Man, has the Bay Are birthed a ton of great thrash metal.  Death Angel were pretty much the babies on the scene, formed out of a group of Filipino cousins with the youngest being only 15(!) years of age when their debut was released.  Had a good run in the late 80s, disappeared for awhile (that’s a story in itself), then came back strong in the 2000s with an excellent run of solid thrash albums.  “Claws In So Deep” is a banger, five full on thrash minutes before pulling a reverse “Battery” and ending the song with some mighty impressive acoustic playing.  Highly recommended band, very good tune.

“Truck Stop Special” Anti-Mortem, New Southern

Strap on your boots, grab your cowboy hat, and enjoy a blast of “cowboy metal” from Anti-Mortem.  Sounding a bastard mix of Black Stone Cherry crossed with Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, “Truck Stop Special” crawls out of the swamp with a throaty growl and phased guitar intro (maybe just a hint of talk box guitar?) before breaking out the chunky slamming riff that would fit well on rock radio today.  Not quite my thing but these are young dudes that have picked up some heavy influences along the way (Pantera and COC, obviously…  check those tees!) and still have time to grow.

“Medicine Train” The Cult, Sonic Temple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCcNo9pjIDA

Dare I say it, but…  methinks that the rise of Guns ‘n Roses had quite the influence on the hard rock scene in the late 80s- bands dropped the makeup and big hair in favor of less pomp and flash and more of a stripped down look.  On “Medicine Man” The Cult borrows a bit from that Guns template, maybe less street lethal and punky and more in line with Led Zeppelin and other blues rock\metal behemoths (I hear harmonica on here!).  Plus, Bob Rock is on hand to add more stomp and bottom end and suddenly guitarist Billy Duffy has become Jimmy Page Jr (vocalist Ian Astbury has always been awesome regardless of style or album).

“The Greeting Song” Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaYJxSN6U0

Now THIS is my favorite era from the Chili Peppers…  listen to that John Frusciante riff; all dry in tone yet fast and totally ripping, funkier than a pair of unwashed socks shoved in corner of your gym locker.  And Flea?  Good grief that guy is a madman.  His herculean bass playing and killer tone is front and center, riding shotgun along with Frusciante and equally tight with drummer Chad Smith.  As for Anthony Kiedis…  well…  I’m a bit harder on him especially in the modern day RHCP but he’s really in his wheelhouse here, full on master of the funky ceremony with the occasional croon thrown in for good measure.

“Goin’ Down South” R.L. Burnside, Not The Same Old Blues Crap, Vol. 3

Man, I’m somewhat iffy on this version.  “Goin’ Down South” in its hypnotic original acoustic format is mindblowing and the second version from the early 90s is downright dirty and raunchy electric blues, but this rethink changes up the groove once again and leans a bit more funky and slightly hip hoppy.  Just an entirely different vibe altogether, certainly more modern but I’ll be damned if R.L. doesn’t pull off the sleepy cool vocal here.  A bit removed from the original Hill Country blues mojo, sounding like some sort of 4 AM slinky groove long after the party is over.

“I’ll Keep On Trying” Roomful Of Blues, That’s Right!

Now here’s a song that gets a formula right…  take one part R&B, mix that with two parts of the blues, toss in a heaping dash of soul, and you’ve got a fine, fine tune.  It’s kind of like taking The Coasters or one of those 50’s doo wop bands, sticking them in a time machine to the late 70s to sit in with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and…  oh yeah, bringing along Boots Randolph and Johnnie Johnson for some sax and badass piano to cut them all loose, hit the record button, and see what comes out.  Sakes alive, this is some fabulous work here from everyone in the band.  Strong playing all around.

“Queen Of Hearts” Whitesnake, Snakebite

David Coverdale has always had the soul of a bluesman.  Throw away the big hairiness of the 80s post Slide It In and you’re left with a fine catalogue of tunes that certainly had their heavier moments but steered clear of some of the over the top morass that ruined some (I said SOME) of the tunes from Whitesnake’s late 80s/early 90s period.  “Queen Of Hearts” is a good example of that band’s meaty take on the blues, sounding dern near Bad Company in spots but a bit punchier in the riff department and maybe a bit slinkier in tone.  Features one Micky Moody on guitar who helped helm the band with the Cov during the early ‘Snake daze.

“Holy Water” Southpaw, Southpaw

Here’s a fab little tune from a one album wonder…  well, wonder may be too strong a word but Southpaw’s one and only album is a grade A dose of bluesy metal; maybe a hint of the more adventurous side of Badlands crossed with a dirtier Soundgarden or Alice In Chains.  Lead singer here is Mats Leven, a Swedish belter who has sung with everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen and Candlemass who does a bang up job on this cut showing off plenty of range- lower range croons, plenty of melody in the chorus, and nailing the high wails near the fadeout.  A surprise, but good luck tracking this CD down!

“Too Much Blood” Gaslight Anthem, Handwritten

Like all good Jersey songwriters, Brian Fallon paints quite the visual lyric like fellow compadre Bruce Springsteen.  However, “Too Much Blood” doesn’t drink too much from the Bruce fountain as some of the other Gaslight Anthem tunes often do yet this also steers clear from their uptempo rave ups too.  No, “Blood” is its own sound- a bit lurching in groove but offset wonderfully by a near melancholy chorus, Fallon belting strong and soulfully as the band rock and rollercoasters through the dark and light moods.  Not quite representative of some of the other band material but a decent side trip for the more adventurous.

Best song of the shuffle award goes to “Love Reign O’er Me” followed by a three way tie of RHCP, Death Angel, and The Cult!

“Ooh…  you’re not going THERE are you?”

“Why yes…  yes I am….

(imaginary conversation in my head when thinking of my next blog topic)

Weeeeeeeellllll…  kinda sorta…  actually I thought about facing off between Rumours and the self titled Fleetwood Mac album (first two Buckingham/Nicks platters) but after having watched “History Of The Eagles”, I thought to myself…  hold on there!  How about a Showdown between two of da biggest bands of all times!  Not only dat, but two of the top selling artists and albums of all times!  Yeeeahhh boyyyeeee!  Both albums released within weeks of each other; Hotel California at the tail end of 1976 and Rumours in February 1977 with both albums featuring songs that were played incessantly during my formative years as a budding music junkie and are still extremely popular to this day.  Sounds like a topic!

(imaginary conversation continues…)

“C’mon maaaaaan…  The Eagles???  Fleetwood Mac???  yer kidding me, right?  How about a showdown between Back In Black and Dark Side Of The Moon if you want best selling albums of all time?  Stick with the rock, maaaaaan” (bangs head and flashes devil horns)

“Ahhh, no dude…  think about it…  you love THOSE bands yet you have a healthy respect for the Mac and The Eagles and actually have a bit of love for them as well.  Besides, this article will get more hits than one about those other two” (eyes dart nervously, secretly hopes he is correct)

OK enough already!  Showdown is on!  Let’s break it down…

Fleetwood Mac “Rumours”

What can I say about Rumours?  Everyone knows the story…  guitarist/songwriter/singer Lindsey Buckingham and singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks join the band in 1975, success follows, and as writing commences for their next album in 1976 band relationships are splintering: Couple Buckingham/Nicks were on the serious outs during recording sessions and bassist John McVie and his wife, keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Christine McVie were going through a rough patch of their own and heading to divorceville.  Amazingly, band drama and tension creates an odd combination of friction and magic that plays out in the lyrics of many songs featured on the album, which quickly goes multiplatinum and over the years has come to be lauded as one of THE best albums of all time and is STILL played on classic rock radio to this day.

Enough with the backstory, what about those songs?  In one word…  incredible.  I’ve probably heard each song on the radio over these past 40+ years multiple times (“Oh Daddy” being the rarest, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it)-  how often can you say that?  Many of these songs are classics; maybe not every single one toots your horn but there is not any I generally skip on those rare occasions I listen to it.  To hit some highlights, Lindsey Buckingham was en fuego on this disc:  his fiery playing and venomous delivery of “Go Your Own Way” is monstrous, his vocal starting off a bit distant cool yet increases in intensity throughout the verse and into that glorious chorus while tossing in some stinging guitar work during the fadeout of the song.  Throw in the bouncy “Second Hand News” and “Never Going Back Again” and you’ve got a near joyous and fun Lindsey, all heartfelt vocal and fingerpicked brilliance.  But then opposite that you’ve got “Dreams”, arguably my favorite Mac composition and definitive fave from Stevie Nicks, a song brilliantly subtle and moving courtesy of her gentle singing voice, memorable chorus, and estimable groove from John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (listen to that bass!).  And did I say “bouncy”?  Don’t forgot Mrs. McVie’s tunes; “Don’t Stop” being a bout of ooey-gooey positivity featuring a great singalong chorus quickly chased by the equally Smoove “You Make Loving Fun”- how in the hell can a band seemingly on a personal downward trend toss out brilliantly effervescent tunes like these?  And maybe the biggest band statement of all is the core of the album-  as a whole, “The Chain” may be THE Mac song that represents the heart and soul of this unit.  Take one part strident rocker, another part impassioned vocals from Buckingham/Nicks/McVie, and third part near autobiographical lyric and you’ve got one fantabulous tune from a group who, even though all are going through their own individual bouts of pain, suffering, and heartache, likely realize a certain musical bond (“The Chain”) is what will keep them together.  It is the only song on the album credited to all five as a whole.

The Eagles “Hotel California”

Like Rumours, Hotel California has its own story…  but what is fact and what is fiction?  Depends on who you believe, so let me set the record straight…  no, Bernie Leadon was not fired from the band for stealing Glenn Frey’s groupies.

What?  That’s not right?  Huh….

Sorry, fake news alert…  let’s take you to the REAL story.  Supposedly, Hotel California was about…  oh, I don’t know…  could it be…  SAAAATAAAAAN?  Yes boys and girls, rumours (ha ha, I see what you did there!) had it that The Eagles were Satanists and the song “Hotel California” was a hotel where real devil worshipping occurred and lots of drug filled orgies happened.  You don’t believe me?  Why, take a look at the back of the album, waaaay at the top in the middle window…  who do you think that is?  That’s Anton LaVey!  You don’t know who Anton LaVey is?  He’s the leader of the Church of Satan silly!  Why would he be on this cover if this wasn’t “HIS” church?  Listen to those lyrics about “stabbing it with their steely knives but the just can’t kill the beast”!  Hmmmm?  HMMMMMMMMMM???????

Stop it.  No, that’s NOT Anton LaVey, that’s just some dude named Elvis who works at a Burger King in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Who cares!  At any rate, Hotel California is an outstanding album featuring many classics that (like Rumours) were all over the radio in the late 70s, the 80s, the 90s…  well, you get the drift- classic rock radio features plenty of songs from this album and who could blame them?  The title cut is absolute brilliance, far and away my favorite Eagles cut of all time based on the guitar work from Messrs. Don Felder and the esteemed “new boy in the band” Joe Walsh- that beautiful ringing melody and that lead guitar trade off at the tail end of the song is sheer ear candy.  And those lyrics!  Wonderfully cryptic and obtuse, Don Henley penning a tune based on a Frey idea of a man stumbling into an out of the way hotel featuring an odd cast of characters and a scene where he’s informed that he “could check out anytime you like, but you can never leave”.    Such vivid imagery and subtly creepy content amazingly countered by hypnotic guitar wizardry makes for one excellent tune.

But what about the rest of the tunes?  “New Kid In Town” is a brilliant Frey cut, his smooth vocal with countryesque musical leanings is utterly sublime; “Life In The Fast Lane” is pure Joe Walsh, all killer riff and stellar guitar work coolly crooned by Henley; and you want more of that Walsh\Felder combo?  How about “Victim Of Love”?  A bit of semi-chicken pickin’ on the intro riff and some punchy chords, this may be the band’s most underrated rocker.  But man, don’t stop there- toss in the wistful near ballad “Wasted Time” featuring another excellent vocal from Henley backed by some fine string arrangements from Jim Ed Norman (a vibe well represented in future Henley solo cuts); and what may be the most unsung tune of them all on the album in Walsh’s “Pretty Maids All In A Row”, a song so nakedly beautiful courtesy of Joe’s plaintive vocal, the waltzlike time in which it’s played, and the gorgeous backing vocals of his bandmates.  Throw in a thoughtful and almost “longing for the past” lyric that’s executed so brilliantly and you’ve got the hidden gem on one very fine album.

The Winner?  

Rumours

Before I get into the why, I’ll fully admit that my favorite song from either record is “Hotel California”.  The haunting melody, fabulous guitar work, and captivating lyric is a deadly triple combination (is that a thing?) that is just stunning in its execution.  Also full on admission is that my favorite musician BY FAR between the two bands is the utterly incomparable Joe Walsh.  The man has written sooo many classics and produced so many great riffs that he stands above some very fine musicians here.

But yeah…  Rumours…  it all comes down to this- well, two things in particular- the melodies and the songs.  Throw in compositional variety as a third and this album is hard to top.  You’ve got some really good to excellent songs on Hotel California but it’s of a different vibe altogether, maybe a bit darker and more cynical that’s great in its own way but Rumours has a better mixture of light, shade, and rhythm (chalk that up to bassist McVie and drummer Fleetwood).  You got joy, you got anger, you got confusion, you got beauty, you got pain, you got hate, you got love, and you got damn near every other emotion buried deep within each song and soul of each musician featured on this Mac album.  If I were going to be stuck on a desert island and I had my choice of these two discs to take with me, it would be Rumours…  no questions asked.

“The show must go on!”

Likely NOT the exact words that popped into Erik “AK” Knutson’s mind when he woke up with…  ahem… a FROG in his throat, but I’ll be damned if that “frog” didn’t negatively impact him too much at the Flots gig in Covington, Kentucky a few weeks ago.  Whether it be allergies, carnal pleasures, a hangover, or something else, Knutson certainly held his own throughout the night, maybe losing a touch off the high end but still retaining that midrange belt that, after a good 30+ years or so of singing, has aged more into hardened, well aged whiskey than a finely crafted wine.  AK’s performance, along with that of his fellow bandmates, was spot on and earned quite a bit of hootin’ and hollerin’ from the crowd of about 100 or so in this small downtown bar.

I’d known about the Flotsam and Jetsam show for months and based on the strengths of their last couple of records (plus the return of founding guitarist Michael Gilbert) I quickly marked this on the calendar as a must see.  Unfortunately, my brother and I missed the Overkill show just a week or so earlier but made the vow that we would not miss this one.   As a long time fan of these guys back to their first album Doomsday For The Deceiver I was itching to catch the band, never having seen them live “back in the day”.  I’ll admit that I was a little bummed that my son did not go with us as he is also a fan and had the cool idea to bring a sign requesting to play bass on the crushing “Hammerhead” from that very first album.  Thought it was a fantastic idea because…  trust me…  he CAN play it!

On to showtime…  opening band Dead By Wednesday was good with their brand of meaty metal, even tossing in a heavy cover of the Van Halen classic “Unchained” amidst a handful of band originals.  As opening bands go they did a fine job, keeping the audience entertained and even impressing my brother enough to drop $25 on their three CDs at their merch booth (haven’t listed to them yet but I’m looking forward to it).  Singer Rob Roy’s throaty growl was decent enough but I thought guitarist Dave Sharpe and drummer Opus (how about that name?) were the highlights, the former throwing out some fiery solos and the latter truly crushing it on the skins during their roughly half hour set.

After Dead By Wednesday’s tear down and a brief break, it was time for the Phoenix, Arizona thrashers.  Starting off with lead track “Prisoner Of Time” from their recent disc The End Of Chaos, Flotsam absolutely nailed it and brought a good dose of fun throughout the night as well.  Short of AK wisecracking about his vocal issues there was even a bit of good natured banter between the singer and his longtime guitarist Gilbert, the latter seeming to enjoy Knutson’s predicament but gently goading in bringing out the best in his fellow bandmate.  This really came to fruition in final song of the night “No Place For Disgrace”, intro’d by AK as an open option in the setlist for the guitarist to make any selection.  However, when the guitarist kicked off the intro chords to this fan favorite you could see AK shake his head, smirk, and mouth “fuck you”, which brought a big smile to the former’s face.  Other moments included a solo tradeoff between Gilbert and guitarist Steve Conley during “Smoked Out”, both guitarists doing a bit of showing off and Gilbert “blindly” playing a solo with a fan’s hand covering his eyes.  During Conley’s solo Gilbert played a bit of titty twister with his fellow guitar slinger, something which did not seem to perturb the other half of the dynamic guitar tag team as he flashed some sweep picking and nimble, fleet fingered runs to counter Gilbert’s solid old school licks.

As for the songs, it was a veritable feast of mostly old school thrash from the bands’ first few discs but man, if these last two releases don’t rank near the top of Flots’ extensive catalog for most fans then I don’t know what to tell you.  For every song played from the 80s and early 90s it was ably countered with a modern day classic- after the aforementioned intro cut the band ripped through a white hot version of “Desecrator”, followed by 2016’s killer “Seventh Seal”, then back to the debut with a truly hammering “Hammerhead” (fill in bassist Bill Bates was fantastic on this one), and then back to the new album once again with a monstrously melodic “Demolition Man”.  There was not one weak moment in the setlist all night and I could not argue with any of the song selection other than missing “N.E. Terror” but considering that the band has put out well over 10+ CDs and their recent material is some of the best stuff they’ve ever done (check out the mighty “Life Is A Mess” from their self titled from 2016) that’s a very, very minor quibble.

As with any great show that my brother and I have seen, I’m always dragging out the back catalog from any band that makes a big impression and the Flotsam and Jetsam show did just that.  My brother and I left mighty impressed with slightly sore necks intact and the urge to throw a Flots’ CD into the deck.  On the ride home it was The End Of Chaos but for the rest of the week it was a serious run through of second disc No Place For Disgrace with maybe a few run throughs of the stronger cuts on that 2016 self titled.  Major thumbs up to the band and a tip o’ the cap to AK for giving it his all without feeling quite 100%-  it was one absolutely killer show!

(Oh yeah, one other thing…  got to give it up to drummer Ken Mary, a really great player that has been around the block and then some.  I was a little worried about how he’d fit in after Jason Bittner moved on from the last album considering how much of a kick in the pants Bittner gave the band on that 2016 self titled but he really nailed it at the show and had a bit of that good natured, stick twirling/tossing flair thrown in to boot.  Solid, solid choice!)

“ALLLLLLLLRIIIGHT LOOAHVILLLE…. YOOOO WANTED THE BEST, YOU GOT THE BEST…  THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WOOOORLD….  KIIIIIIIIIIISSSS!”

And with that, we’re off!  KISS baby!  The End Of The Road tour!  Lights, explosions, pyro(TONS of pryo), blood, and lookit Gene wagging his tongue!  Check out that dancin’ and singin’ Paul!  Peter sounds great on the drums, doesn’t he?  Whaaaaat?  That’s NOT Peter?  But but but but…  it’s the Catman costume? OK but Ace sure sounds…  huh?  Not Ace either?  Just what in the world am I watching?  That IS Gene and Paul though….  right?

OK OK OK, I get it…  I’m being a big meanie and not showing any respect for “the hottest band in the world”-  I mean, it IS “supposed” to be the last tour and they are giving it their all as the clock winds down on one long and winding career full of ups (mostly ups) and some occasional missteps (The Elder, anyone?) but am I supposed to play nice here?  Haven’t we been here before with a farewell tour from the band maybe twenty years ago, with the original foursome?  Is it really KISS when you have two guys dressed up in the makeup and outfits made famous by their predecessors?  Dammit, it’s my blog and I’ll piss and moan all I want (old man shakes fist)…

ALRIGHT ALREADY!  This is a concert review, not a diatribe on what some may view as “serious no nos” from the band.  To be honest (and we’ll get this out of the way early)…  I really don’t care that the band has a couple of dudes mimicking Peter Criss’ drum attack or Ace Frehley’s tone and guitar stylings.  I mean, I kinda care because I’m a big Ace Frehley fan (his solo album IS the best of the four) and dig his guitar tone plus I also dig Peter Criss as well, but I understand and respect why Gene and Paul went that route.  Still a little iffy on the idea of KISS carrying on without Gene and Paul, but bottom line it’s pretty much the brand and the show nowadays.  And what a show they put on March 14th in Louisville, Kentucky.

As usual, my brother is one of my main concert partners (other than my son) and this evening’s tickets were a Christmas gift to me and him from my awesomely cool nephew.  The date was also a few days after my brother’s birthday, giving the night an extra special touch.  On the day of the show I headed out of work early and picked him up at his apartment, plopped a few CDs in the disc player (new Flotsam and Jetsam!), and made the two hour drive to the ‘ville.  On the drive we did the regular chit chat about our families but we also did a little bit of talk around KISS in general-  what will they open with?  How will they sound?  Those YouTube clips from the Kimmel show sounded great and Paul sounded really good!  I hope they play _______ (and so on and so forth).

So let’s cut to the chase and hop right into the show review…  how was it?  Overall, it was VERY good.  I’d seen the band a few years earlier when they toured with Def Leppard and I have to say I was disappointed.  Maybe it was the venue, maybe it was where I was seated (out in the lawn), or maybe it was the setlist?  I don’t know, but this show was MUCH MUCH better and I came away quite impressed-  the setlist was excellent, the stage show was very over the top but in a good way, the performances were very good, and each player did an outstanding job on their instrument and in the vocal department (more on that later).  As expected what appeared to be a sold out crowd was very much into it throughout the night as they roared in approval for the various stunts (Gene’s blood spitting and firebreathing and Paul’s midair ride to the back of the auditorium were big hits) and sung their hearts out with many of the classics.  And many in that crowd were indeed dressed up as their favorite Kisster, including many little Genes and little Pauls toddling along after their parents and probably wondering just what in the world they’d gotten themselves into.

Outside of the spectacle, I was pleasantly surprised by a few things…  For one, Tommy Thayer did one helluva job filling Ace’s space boots.  I’d always been a fan of his from his Black ‘n Blue days and knew he was a decent guitarist but was pretty knocked out by his performance as he more than ably covered the classic Frehley parts in songs like “Cold Gin”, “Calling Dr. Love”, and “Deuce”.  Some of the solos in those songs are pretty iconic and Thayer nailed them and had the guitar tone to boot.  Secondly, I could find little to be dissatisfied with regarding the setlist.  “Detroit Rock City” has always been my fave KISS tune so seeing that as the opener was a huge plus, but also getting “I Stole Your Love”, “Love Gun”, and “100,000 Years” was mighty fine to see as well.  And how about that other replacement player?  Yeah, Eric Singer is technically a better drummer than Peter Criss and I’ve been a fan of his since his Badlands days so I’m a bit biased and I can’t knock anything from his performance other than maybe (just maybe) his vocal not having quite the heartfelt tug as the original Catman, but that’s a very small knock.

So the last of the “pleasantly surprised” falls to Gene but mostly Paul, and Paul’s is a bit arguable.  Gene is Gene; I knew what to expect from his Demon act yet still had a lot of fun with it, especially as I watched him lunge around in his heavy costume and thigh high boots as he attempted to kick some large KISS beach balls into the crowd.  Gene has always been a fun showman and he did not disappoint.  As for Paul… yes, Paul puts on a very energetic, ass shakin’ performance as well but what really knocked me out was his…  ahem…  singing.  Paul sounded MUCH MUCH MUCH better than I’ve heard from him in YEARS- much more powerful, much stronger, and much more in control…  the only problem was that it sounded TOO good.  I think (yet can’t confirm although I’ve watched plenty of naysayers on YouTube) that he had some vocal help on some songs and may have been (egads) lip synching but I don’t think it was on everything.  I do think he started out the night totally live because you could hear some cracks and wavering in the vocal but there were definitely tunes that sounded TOO good (“Love Gun” being a prime example).  All that said, I can’t really knock the guy for it especially based on some of the vocal weakness over the years.  It is what it is.

At any rate, I give the show two enthusiastic thumbs up and my brother wholeheartedly agreed, happy that we got to see our childhood musical heroes at least one final time.  As we trickled out of the Yum Center into the cool evening air we spent a fair amount of time reminiscing about the show and talked about how KISS impacted our lives when we were wee lads.  Over the years we’d moved on to other bands and heavier music, but due to the emotional pull of the “End Of The Road” tour we had to come one final time to pay respects to one of the bands that helped kick off our love of music.  To Gene, Paul, Tommy, and Eric…  a big THANK YOU from a couple of old fans!

(all photos courtesy Scott Utterback – Louisville Courier Journal)

Been a while since I’ve posted; things are pretty busy around the old household.  Tonight’s post is full of sickness, lack of sleep, cough medicine and yadda yadda yadda so this one could be interesting.  Hold on to your butts…

“Just Like A Bird Without A Feather” R.L. Burnside, Not The Same Old Blues

This is it folks…  naked blues; one man, one vocal, one guitar, and one percussive stomp.  The real thing from deep in the rural Mississippi Delta, not far removed from Lightnin’ Hopkins or the non-electrified old school Muddy Waters, comes a woeful tale of love but in the end a relationship gone wrong where the cheating one meets an untimely death.  R.L. Burnside was one of those artists that received little attention until being “discovered” in the early 90s, recording on Fat Possum Records with similar blues artists and receiving some just dues before his death in 2005.

“Little Brown Bird” Elvin Bishop, Live! Raisin’ Hell

In the ’70s Elvin Bishop may have been a bit more of a rabble rousin’, hell raisin’, good time artist known mostly for the most excellent “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” but you need to look at the man’s entire career before you think about thumbing your nose at those works (not me, no!).  Elvin has ALWAYS been a helluva showman and a great artist; a bit rock, a bit of soul, and a whole lot of blues.  Dig into Bishop’s awesomely cool take on the Muddy Waters cut “Little Brown Bird”, which features some stellar horn work from the band and some stinging guitar from Elvin himself.

“It’s Different For Girls” Joe Jackson, I’m The Man

If I’m held to an era of Joe Jackson to listen to it would definitely be the pre-83 years, where Joe was categorized at the time as a bit of a rock/new wave artist before stretching out into various territories with subsequent albums.  “It’s Different For Girls” offers up a wistful splice of pop which he would take full advantage of on 1982’s Night And Day, “Girls” serves up a gem and features a pretty melody with some sweet backing vocals and heartfelt singing from Jackson.  Also features some great, semi-chimey guitar work and the subtle punch on bass from the great Graham Maby.

“Epipelagic” The Ocean, Pelagial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As8CbyJRPmU

A bit of Floydian dreamscape here, just a minute plus of this intro tune that sets the tone for this German progressive metal band’s epic concept album about the various depths of ocean levels.  While that sounds like one might task to take on and “Epipelagic” sounds mesmerizingly beautiful, the rest that lies beneath the surface of the album may not be for everyone with no interest in the occasional aggressive tones found on the other cuts.  But for a brief sweet soundscape featuring various piano, strings, and keyboard textures this song might serve as a sweet tonic for some.

“Lisa, Listen To Me” Blood Sweat & Tears, Greatest Hits

What a voice!  David Clayton-Thomas’ burly baritone was one of the calling cards to the success of Blood Sweat & Tears’ success with “Lisa, Listen To Me” being a minor hit on the band’s fourth album.  Of course with BST you’re going to get a good dollop of excellent horn work which really builds with some timely blasts during the chorus and also features a groovy sax solo before the final verse.  Toss in some subtle drum work from Bobby Columby and solid guitar work from Steve Katz and you’ve got one fine littley ditty from this long serving band.

“Living In The Song” Blackberry Smoke, Wood, Wire, and Roses

From their album Holding All The Roses comes an unplugged version of “Living In The Song” and in the hands of one Blackberry Smoke, a version that’s dern near as good as the original.  Singer/songwriter/guitarist Charlie Starr is on point as usual and is a worthy successor to the southern rock heritage that came before him (although that’s not all this band is about, trust me).  Peel back the rock from the original arrangement and you’re left with one fantastic campfire singalong; Charlie all heartfelt during the verses and giving it all during the chorus.  Just a fun, fun tune.

“Private Life” Oingo Boingo, Boingo Alive

From the warped and wonderfully demented mind of the great Danny Elfman (yeah, that movie theme song dude!) comes a rerecorded version of early hit “Private Life”, still as energetic as the original found on 1982’s Nothing To Fear.  Featuring a kinetic, somewhat paranoid vocal from Elfman, the song is a fun blast with plenty of twists and turns to keep your attention.  Guitarist Steve Bartek is a solid riffster, adding perfect accompaniment to the manic intensity and capably backed up by some tasty horn blasts o’er top one helluva infectious ska beat.

“Mama Mama Talk To Your Daughter” Magic Sam, West Side Soul

From the Chicago blues great Magic Sam comes a rippin’ good take on the oft covered “Talk To Your Daughter”, one that leans a bit more rock and roll instead of the Magic one’s classic blues stylings and maybe, just maybe a bit on par with the rock energy of one Little Richard but with maybe a bit more boogie in the pants and less hysteria in the vocal.  Really a swingingly fine version that was probably a hit in the juke joints when Sam stopped by back in the day.  The man had a great blues shout and some sweet guitar playing and left us too early, dying of a heart attack at the young ago of 32.

“Black Water” Thunder, Wonder Days

I’ve said this many times about other bands on this blog (and one of the reasons why I actually write), but it’s a shame that this band doesn’t have near as much notoriety as it should have other than in their United Kingdom.  Singer Danny Bowles has a whisky smooth voice, a bit of a tamer Paul Rodgers/David Coverdale if you had to throw out comparisons but sounding enough like his own man to impress.  With guitarist Luke Morley the band has released plenty of solid rock material over the past 25+ years and “Black Water” is a good start for you to dive into this band.  Download today!

“One More Time” The Winery Dogs, The Winery Dogs

Take three stellar players, mix together, turn up the volume, write some heavy riffin’ material, and out come The Winery Dogs.  “One More Time” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on 80s radio, maybe a bit more riff heavy than some of those programmers would like but there is plenty of sunny hookiness for all to love.  Singer guitarist Richie Kotzen is the real star here, not only for some nasty guitar playing (his fingerpicked, slippery style is all his own) but man, WHAT a voice!  The boy makes it sound effortless, all sorts of drippy R&B and soul topped with plenty of bluesy rock.  Oh, Portnoy and Sheehan?  Thumbs up too.

Wow, hard choice this week for favorite songs.  I’d have to throw “Private Life” to the top followed by “One More Time” and “Talk To Your Daughter”.

I’ll fess up from the start-  I am a huge fan of Jake E Lee and quite the happy camper since his return from a twenty odd year self imposed exile short of the occasional surprise appearance (a solo disc, his Retraced covers album, and guest spots on various records).  All that said, I’ll admit that nothing from this hiatus fully grabbed me like his two Ozzy discs (Bark At The Moon and The Ultimate Sin) or his most excellent Badlands releases.  Granted, what I did hear was essentially very good but I felt there was more in his bag of tricks like those on display during his ’80s/early ’90s heyday.  Even the first Red Dragon Cartel disc (first post hiatus platter) had its moments, but…  there was still something missing and I got a little worried.  Had one of my favorite guitarists lost his mojo?

Fear not… the release in late 2018 of Patina has eased my mind and is easily Jake’s best work since the posthumous release of Dusk, Badlands’ last disc featuring the late, great Ray Gillen on vocals.  There is a certain fire and spirit on Patina that shines much brighter than anything released since that early 90s period-  not that any of the playing was necessarily bad but it felt more like a man just having fun noodling around and searching for a new direction by doing a little bit of tinkering with his existing formula. But something about this latest disc has struck gold; an excellent patch of songs that offer hints at his glory days yet sounding much more vibrant and colorful overall, possibly due to how well his ideas mesh with a core group of like minded individuals rather than the mishmash of  players from the first RDC record.   While that 2015 record had its moments and featured some good to great tunes and cool performances, its range of guest singers made the disc feel more like a solo effort than anything else.  However, this record is definitely RDC Mk II and features the same core unit of bassist Anthony Esposito, drummer Phil Varone, and returning singer Darren James Smith across all ten tracks, making the entire record feel like a unified front and full on band effort than the debut.  Also, bringing along veteran Max Norman to mix and engineer Patina was a stroke of genius-  Norman’s clear and wide open old school mix highlights various tones and textures via Jake’s playing but also avoids the muddy bottom end that allows for a clear distinction between bass, drums, and guitar, offering up a great sounding record as well.

So let’s dive into the tunes-  lead cut “Speedbag” is an early grabber; Jake starting off the song with a chunky, singularly repetitive riff that alternates between solid crunch and sweet rhythmic lines during the verse and washes of phased strums during the slightly psychedelic tinged chorus.  Come lead time he builds up a little tension with some sliding rhythms and some well placed notes; nothing too over the top but fitting well within the constructs of the song.  Esposito and Varone are solid; nothing flashy other than Esposito thickening up the rhythm as he often duplicates the guitar riff.  Vocalist Smith also  is in good form as he stays strong and steady during the verses and adopts a mellower tone during the chorus, showing off smoother vocal chops than what was highlighted on his handful of cuts on the first RDC disc.

But enough about cut #1, what about the rest of the disc?  Next up is lead single “Havana”, sporting a wobbler of a Black Sabbath tinged riff akin to “Hole In The Sky” but much, much bluesier and open as it comes out with a bang and oscillates between massive swing and nasty aural punch and is likely the heaviest riff on a disc of great ones.  Jake’s got two leads on this one, first is nice and dirty in tone and a bit more aggressive; the second one even more tenacious with some spirited bite and snarl as he tosses out some slippery runs and distorted vibrato.  The rest of the band is in fine fettle but this tune is clearly one for the guitarists out there and was wisely selected as the intro cut to this disc as it highlight’s Jake’s chops to great effect.

The next handful of cuts on the disc hearken a bit back to the guitarist’s Badlands days-  certainly not dead ringers from the catalog but matching some of that band’s rhythmic complexity (the slightly off kilter riff to “Crooked Man”, bluesy slide work in “The Luxury Of Breathing”, the funky groove of “Bitter”, reverbed hex from “A Painted Heart”) but adding a heap of Hendrixy cool with hints of Sabbath doom and maybe a touch of Varone’s former band Saigon Kick’s alternametal chops.  “Luxury” is a really cool tune that features a dirty, slurry riff that hangs deep in the pocket and features some dreamy vocals from Smith, sounding a bit like an outtake from the first Badlands disc akin to the hazy “Seasons” crossed with the understated menace of “Streets Cry Freedom”.  And “Bitter” could fit on that band’s second disc, featuring a groovalicious riff and subtly cool vocal from Darren Smith topped off with one nasty, effects laden solo that sounds a bit Troweresque in tone but features plenty of slippery licks from the Jake E. Lee color palette.

As for other cuts some of the tones may be a bit darker and more experimental for Jake fans; take something like the grungy intro to “Punchclown” that leans a bit towards Alice In Chains before settling into a steady downtuned riff or even the dirtier, slightly Middle Eastern vibes with the occasional jazzy motif of “My Beautiful Mess”, where both songs are aural treats but vibe wise are a bit removed from the man’s vast catalog.  Or how about the twisting rhythms found on “Chasing Ghosts”?  At one point a semi-throbbing militaristic romp segues into a psychedelic chorus that eventually turns into an odd, almost atonal melange of skronk with a slight u-turn to mid 60s Who before turning back to that dreamy haze to wrap up the song.   And finally, toss in the almost Doors cum Santana meets new wave surf rock romp through “Ink And Water” and you’ve got a plethora of soundscapes for the more adventurous aural connoisseurs out there.

Be forewarned, this is nowhere near his Ozzy work or even close to Badlands 2.0 but that is EXACTLY why this disc is so good…  there is a far-ranging variety of fresh sounds on display but nothing too far “out there” to turn anyone away; matter of fact, you’ll likely be spending time trying to pick out Jake’s influences or hearing bits and pieces that sound like something you’ve heard before yet just when you think you’ve got it, the tune swings wildly in other directions and you lose that train of thought.  There is SO MUCH killer guitar work on this disc to make the gearheads happy- so many great tones, so many cool tricks, so many great riffs, and so much going on that you often don’t catch on the first or even second listen.  You’ve got your radio ready rock tunes here (“Havana” and “Bitter” are my two favorites with “Ink And Water” another fave) but enough ear candy experimentation elsewhere that you don’t dare skip a track without fear of missing out.  Kudos to Red Dragon Cartel Mk II for dropping a disc that after just one listen you’ll find yourself hitting the repeat button again and again and finding something a bit different that you hadn’t quite heard the first time.