Those of us that grew up with the good ol’ days of radio and are aware of the current (and fairly limited, in my opinion) classic rock station playlists can probably rattle off a number of artists that are/were in constant rotation on the dial.  There would always be a good dose of Stones, Beatles, Hendrix, AC/DC, Eagles, maybe a bit of Van Halen, etc, that you’d come to expect at any time during the day (sometimes multiple times during the same hour) due to the popularity of said artists.  But out of all artists and songs that continue to play on rock radio, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” still ranks high on the list as one of THE most played songs ever.  But is that a good thing?

We all have bands, songs, or artists out there that we are tired of hearing due to incessant use in movie soundtracks and commercials.  At one time you may have had a favorite song that when it came on the radio you’d crank the volume just to bop your head and sing along but now you just skip over it as you scan through the dial to find something fresh or new.  Maybe what was the coolest thing ever at one time is now deemed “old hat” or a guilty pleasure and you’ve moved on to other types of music.  No problem with that, but there has to be songs out there that still get a reaction…  right?  RIGHT?

So let me get to the point.  I was reading a music board online where somebody made a comment about how sick and tired they were of hearing “Stairway To Heaven” and it made me think-  ok, I get it…  the song has been a rock radio staple since its inception and is likely playing on multiple stations right now, but there is NO WAY that I could be sick of “Stairway”.  The song has always held some sort of mystical hold over me unlike your typical verse/chorus/verse hits of the day, where the hook stays in your brain like an earworm and won’t let go.  But are those typical hooks in “Stairway”?  I don’t think so.  Granted, I may skip over it depending on the mood but there’s always that hesitant pause whether it pops up on the iPod or if I catch part of it on the radio.  It still retains that “wow factor”.

What is it that makes “Stairway To Heaven” so transcendent and truly mesmerizing?  Let’s break it down:

Intro (00:00-00:52)

Stairway’s spellbinding intro is truly a thing of beauty-  Jimmy Page’s fingerpicked pattern weaves magic immediately, not only via those classic notes but also from the feel and slight echo of an open room that allows for a deeper and more resonant tone from the acoustic guitar.  At the thirteen second mark comes the magical Mellotron from John Paul Jones, sounding as a mix of multiple flutes and angelic voices caressing and countering the guitar melody to capture the listener’s senses.

Vocal (00:53-2:13)

At the 53 second mark, the melody repeats itself as Robert Plant sings the first few lines of verse for the next minute and a half.  The lyric is mystical, not quite direct and to the point but more opaque yet picturesque and one in which Plant ably handles with a subtle and understated touch here. The vocal melody slightly counters the other two; leaning more closely to that of the guitar but balanced well against Jones’ descending notes on the Mellotron.  Not much change here musically other than a brighter flair from Page’s guitar at the tail end of this section, broadening the palette as he doubles up on the notes from the original introductory pattern (one of those “aural treats” that pop up from time to time throughout the song).

That Strum and Build (2:14-4:17)

At the 2:14 mark comes another change, more of a strummed pattern against the introductory melody as Plant sings the “ooh it makes me wonder” line twice but now you will notice more layers and different instrumentation as the song starts to build.  Additional guitar and organ tracks are layered into the mix, thickening the sound and heightening the tension of the song as the tempo starts to increase ever so slightly (listen to the outstanding keyboard work from Jones here) while Plant continues to weave understated vocal magic.  This entire two minute section is a textbook example of how you can double track and add additional instrumentation to create depth and richness to build a song.

Bonham! (4:18-5:32)

A little over four minutes into the song comes John Henry Bonham, often viewed as the “engine room” of Zep but here relegated to more of a backing player adding occasional dabs of color to this section.  This section is very similar to the previous two minutes but with the addition of drumwork, which as always with Bonham is solid but here is much more understated and fitting the groove of the song.  Snare work has some tasty fills and his footwork is on point but the depth is just how hard he hits-  some of this may be due to the mix but could very well be due to the big man knowing exactly when to push and pull back on his playing.  One of my favorite parts of this song (really!) is how the groove changes ever so slightly in his playing as he switches from the hi hat to the cymbal around the 3:14 mark.  Another aural treat…

Guitar solo (5:32-6:44)

Like a clarion call comes three electric strums from Page echoed by Bonham’s tribal pounding, giving us all notice that a major change is in the works.  And what a glorious change it is-  layers of guitars, bass, and pounding drums give way to one of the most well known of all recorded guitar solos, one which continues to receive high marks in “greatest guitar solos of all time” polls, and one with a well defined intro, middle, and outro section.  And pay attention to what’s behind that solo as there is a slinky grooviness in Jones’ bass playing and Bonham’s thunderous triplets.

The End (6:45-8:03)

Let’s not forget Robert Plant’s magical moments here-  after Page’s solo Plant returns and ups the ante vocally as he belts out a verse in his upper register, a forceful presence marking that “our shadows taller than our souls” and “when all are one and one is all”.  The band continues to ride out the hard groove found in the previous guitar solo section, coming to a halt as Plant ends the song with the classic “and she’s buying a stairway… to heaven”, ending the song on a quieter note similar to the calmness and serenity found during the intro.

In conclusion, each time I hear “Stairway To Heaven” I’ll still catch different things or focus on different areas that I’ve never really noticed before.  Maybe I was concentrating more on the guitar and vocal melody on one listen but the second time around I’ll notice more subtleties in the drum work or keyboards.  And on the headphones?  Good God…  even MORE to enjoy.  So if you ever feel that you are sick of “Stairway”, just take the time to listen…  relax and let it soak in…  you may just catch something that you’d never noticed before.

My how time changes one’s perception of things…  both of these albums came out at an important time of my life.  I had just hit my teen years and was starting to listen to more heavier music, moving away from more melodic and song oriented material featured on the local Top 40 station to something a bit more rebellious in spirit down the dial on the rock channel.  Also during this time I was ravenously absorbing anything and everything in the local music mags like Hit Parader and Circus as I had to know all things about my music heroes.  And one of the biggest stories in those rags at the time revolved around Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career vs Black Sabbath’s new life with singer Ronnie James Dio.

Many of you know the story…  Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of one of the forefathers of heavy metal in Black Sabbath, is sacked by said band in favor of former Rainbow belter Ronnie James Dio.  After (future wife) Sharon Arden shakes Osbourne out of a drunken stupor, he proceeds to put together a new band consisting of rock vets Bob Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums along with a young hotshot guitarist in Randy Rhodes and releases an earth shattering debut album chock full of monstrous metallic riffery mixed with keen melodic moments.  The Ozzman plays up his “madman” character to the hilt and Rhodes becomes the next guitar star on the block due to less blues based structures and more unique lead scales, which helped turn the album into a massive hit.

Likely less well known (at least in the US) is how the Sabs tabbed Dio.  After firing Ozzy for not being up to the task, the rest of the band gave some thought to where to go next-  grab a new singer altogether and come up with a new band name, or stay with the tried and true Sabbath moniker?  Cooler heads prevailed (or maybe it was Sab manager Don Arden- yes, Sharon’s father!) and the band stuck with the well known name after picking up Ronnie James Dio, who brought in an entirely different attitude, musical approach, and vocal style compared to his predecessor.  That, plus the ability to spin a lyric (previously handled by bassist Geezer Butler), refined the band’s sound on new album Heaven and Hell and kept the Sabbath name at the forefront of metal at the turn of the decade.

So which album is better?  I’ll admit, back in my youthful days I was a big Ozzy fan and I believe (although I’m not entirely sure) that it was the first album I ever bought with my own money.  Songs like “I Don’t Know”, “Crazy Train”, “Mr. Crowley”, “Suicide Solution” et al were filled with some of the heaviest riffs imaginable-  I’d never heard anything like it.  One of my best friends was a budding guitarist and took to the album, quickly learning to play the brief instrumental “Dee” and wowing us in the process.  This was entirely different from KISS and AC/DC and Van Halen; this was hot, new, and fresh.  We were hooked and I played the album nonstop.

All that said…  the title cut from the Sabbath album made a major impact as well.  Whereas the local rock station was all over the Ozzy album, only “Heaven and Hell” received significant airplay with maybe a handful of plays of “Lady Evil”.  As for the rest of the album…  not a thing.  However, the song “Heaven and Hell” was monolithic; a seven minute slab of dynamics, structure, and tempo that weaved its magic on my feeble mind and a lyric that was totally unlike the party hearty/boy meets girl stuff of some of my other favorite bands.  This was deep, somewhat evil in tone, and a bit dark.  I loved it, but due to lack of radio play and fellow interest from friends I shied away from picking up the platter.

After years of Ozzy fandom and love for Blizzard of Ozz, it was soon eclipsed after I finally picked up Heaven And Hell.  For me, there is more depth and enjoyable moments in all eight songs and it is one of those rare albums that I will let run all the way through without skipping a cut (well, occasionally “Walk Away” will get bumped).  And I hate to say it, but I’ve not played Blizzard in its entirety since those teen years.  I don’t know why-  is it due to overplay?  No – as a whole, the songs just don’t quite stack up against the H&H album.  The Ozzy album was certainly the fun album that I understood as a kid, but as I grew older and matured I could fully appreciate the complexity and weight of the Sabbath album.  It’s just a different feel between the two entirely.

And what an album Heaven and Hell is!  Kicking off with a face melter in “Neon Knights”, Sabbath’s confidence is riding high as they feed off the energy of new singer Ronnie James Dio.  We get our first taste of “look out!” from Dio in next track “Children of the Sea”, a dark rumbling tale that was the first track written for the album, and some solid rock with some great Tony Iommi guitar work in the underrated “Lady Evil”.  Outside of my love for the title cut I also give high marks to “Die Young” and “Wishing Well”, both molten slabs of metal with solid and intricate playing with killer production.  And last but not least, the potent yet beautiful tapestries of “Lonely Is The Word”, mixing a menacing riff with some melodic guitar touches and a great Dio vocal.  All in all, an excellent album that ranks high on my list of all time metal favorites.

Ok, ok, ok…  how about we compare Heaven and Hell with Paranoid?  That, my friends, is a post for another day 🙂

Shuffalin shuffalin through the first ten songs on the iPod and throwing out my two cents on each.  Happy reading!

“Don’t Look Down” Point Blank, On A Roll

From the band that bought you the classic early ’80s AOR staple “Nicole” comes another fine little tune, kicking off with some dramatic piano and keyboard textures before drifting into some simple riffing and melodic verse/chorus sections.  Definitely a sound of the times, a bit southern rock in style mixed with a touch of reggae bop(?) and a tasty chicken pickin’ guitar solo with singer Bubba Keith’s radio friendly voice leading the way.

“By The Way” Big Wreck, In Loving Memory Of

Sounding like a cross between Led Zeppelin, Jeff Buckley, and Chris Cornell’s mellower pieces from Soundgarden, Big Wreck nails it here with heavily layered guitars to back Ian Thornley’s impassioned vocal.  And speaking of that vocal, Thornley hits some sweet, sweet falsetto highs to envelop you in that warm embrace of song.  Some light hints of percussion and understated drums, but who wants to cover up such a beautiful vocal?

“It Baffles The Mind” Priestess, Prior To The Fire

Loved that first Priestess album but I’ll admit it took me awhile to get into #2’s more progressiveisms, especially something like this with the odd push/pull of the drums against the main riff.  Thought I had two different songs playing at the same time.  Come chorus time things even out a liiiiiittle bit, but I dunno…  I think that riff needs to be more in the forefront of the mix and that snare dropped down four or five notches.  It’s definitely a cool little pattern but it’s fighting for space.  Sorry guys, have to be honest 😦

“From Here To Eternity” Iron Maiden, A Real Live One

I love Maiden but there are times they frustrate the hell out of me.  I was working at the record store when this came out and I was totally, totally bummed at the bootleg quality of this disc and somewhat lackluster performances from the band.  “From Here To Eternity” is a decent little romp, Bruce a bit too fast at the beginning and a bit wobbly in the vocal but all in good sloppy fun.  Great lead from Davey, Steve a little clanky in the bass, and Nicko’s drums?  Like slapping pillows… yeesh…

“Toast Of The Town” Motley Crue, Red White & Crue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3YMNZPDIzY

From the Crue’s first single comes B side “Toast Of The Town”, which I’ve got on their Red, White, & Crue compilation.  Not a bad little cut and certainly fits along with their glammier songs that were big on their first album, although I’ve been more into their chunkier riffsters.  An interesting listen as the elements of the band are certainly on display with Vince offering up his typical vocal and Tommy’s strong drum part, although Mick Mars almost overplays considering his work on the hits.

“Only My Soul” Whitesnake, Snakebite

I miss early Whitesnake…  technically part of his second solo album before he fully donned the ‘Snake moniker, “Only My Soul” fits David Coverdale’s bluesy range to a tee as it steers far far away from the latter day screech.  Stretches the boundaries of the bluesy groove with some spacy keyboards to the end, but that just adds to the coolness of the song.  No oversinging here but he does ramp it up in spots to add some sweet dynamics along with future Snake man Micky Moody’s riffing.

“Too Daze Gone” Billy Squier, Don’t Say No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNufqe0PRKE

Man, talk about a staple of my early high school “daze”…  Billy Squier was ALL OVER THE RADIO and “Too Daze Gone” was many of the great cuts from his fine Don’t Say No album-  a great riff, fun singalong chorus, and killer Billy vocal.  Oh man, and that lazy groove on here is fab too-  kind of a Zep/Stones mix that just slithers along and slowly ropes you in with its hookiness.  Quick, someone get this to one of the female country singers…  I smell a hit!

“Angels High” Backdraft, Here To Save You All

Oh those crazy crazy Swedes…  “Angels High” and Backdraft cop the southern holler, swagger, ‘n groove of a band like Blackfoot or ZZ Top crossed with Skynyrd.  Maybe a little more metallic in approach but that feel is certainly there and most welcome and almost fresh sounding considering this came out in the early 00s in that post grunge/nu metal cesspool.  Crosses into that stoner rock vibe that newer cats like Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster and Alabama Thunderpussy are mining.  Good stuff.

“Little Town Square” Junior Brown, Mixed Bag

Like the title of this album, Junior Brown’s songs are totally a mixed bag and “Little Town Square” falls on one end of the man’s vast talent spectrum.  If you like old school country, rich and resonant vocals, and lyrics that tell a story you’ll love the double meaning behind the tale of the town and one of its (soon to be) heroic citizens.  One of the reasons I’m a Junior fan is not only his stellar guitar work and rippin’ good uptempo tunes but also how he can write a weeper like this one.

“Big Big Man” The Beat Farmers, The Pursuit Of Happiness

“Big Big Man” is just a great little rock tune, a decent little chugglin’ and lopin’ riff with some killer guitar tradeoffs between main vocalists Joey Harris and Jerry Rainey towards the tail end.  I always liked the way the Harris/Rainey harmonies and vocal line worked too, one keeping a relatively lower range while the other throwing in some higher stretches.  Would have loved to have seen these guys back in the day (RIP Country Dick Montana!).

Wow, hard choice for song of the week but I gotta go with “Too Daze Gone” the clear winner!

“Dude!  It’s Biff!”

It’s not everyday that you meet a bonafide rock star, but Thursday night was our lucky night.  My brother got tickets for us to see UFO and Saxon at Bogarts and I was quite jazzed to go, being a long time Saxon fan since waaaaaay back in the early 80s and never having seen fellow Brit metal stalwarts UFO.  So as the evening came and we headed to the gig, we grabbed a convenient parking spot a few blocks from the venue and made our way down to the show.  We were still a few blocks away when I took notice of a new restaurant on the first floor of the complex we had parked behind.  As I was admiring the airy, open window format I saw two leather jacketed long hairs seated at a table wrapping up their dinner.  Thinking it was some fellow metal fans coming to the show, it wasn’t until I looked again that I realized it was none other than Saxon frontman Biff Byford and guitarist Doug Scarratt.

“Rock star” isn’t quite fitting for Biff Byford considering Saxon’s more cult level status here in the States, but being that the band is in that upper echelon of my all time favorites his impact on my music fandom is quite high.  Once I made the recognition my brother agreed that we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet the man, so we made our way into the restaurant and to their table.  I don’t remember the first words out of my mouth (I think I apologized for disrupting their dinner, although he had just received the check), but I mentioned that we were big fans and thanked them for their music.  As I shook Biff’s and Doug’s hands, I made some goofy comment about the restaurant being fairly new and it being ironic that they were in an English style pub.  Biff replied that the fish and chips were really good!  We didn’t stay too long, but made some small talk that I’d last seen them at the venue back in 1988 and we talked about who was in the band at that time (pre-Doug Scarratt).  I didn’t ask for an autograph or a picture but just wanted to say hello and thank them for their work.  Both guys couldn’t have been nicer and as we made our way out, Biff said “we go on around 8:20”.

Wow!  How cool was that!  Steve and I couldn’t believe our luck and we talked about it the next few blocks down to the show.  We were a little bummed that they’d be on so early as we hoped that they would close the show, but UFO’s popularity in the States was a bit more than their fellow countrymen.  Still, we knew that we’d be seeing a great show and we were extra excited as we got to meet the one and only Biff Byford and Doug Scarratt too!  Fortunately the line to get in wasn’t too long, so we grabbed a couple of drinks and as we were making our way down to the floor the first act of the evening was starting to come on.

Oddly enough, I had become familiar with the name Jared James Nichols only a few days before courtesy of a recent Classic Rock magazine CD sampler.  The song on the sampler, “Last Chance”, was a pretty good blues rock tune so I had a good idea what to expect and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.  Looking like a cross between Zakk Wylde and Ted Nugent, Nichols and his trio trotted out a handful of originals to those fans that had already gathered up front.  Nichols’ fingerpicked style is pretty cool to witness, getting a bit of a fatter tone in the process during his tasty blues licks.  His short but sweet set was a mix of simmering yet weighty blues and some uptempo cuts akin to Humble Pie and other similar rock artists of the 70s, and his vocal style was quite strong and soulful.  He quickly had the crowd in the palm of his hand and when he kicked in with a cover of the aforementioned Nugent’s “Stranglehold”, the excitement was upped another notch.  After one final original, Nichols and band were done for the evening (kicking myself for not buying their CD!).

After a brief changeover, the house lights dimmed and the band we really came to see charged out of the gates with the title cut from their most recent CD Battering Ram and did not let up.  Next up we had oldie “This Town Rocks”, the first in a blinding array of classics that had Steve and I roaring our approval as we sang along and banged our heads in the process.  The band tossed in a couple more newer numbers from the past few years (which were fantastic), but the setlist was mostly made up of dead on classics from the early 80s.  Personal favorite “Power And The Glory” was rolled out early, as were killer renditions of “Strong Arm Of The Law” and “Heavy Metal Thunder”, Biff in excellent singing voice and the Paul Quinn/Doug Scarratt guitar tag team in fine form.  As a frontman, Biff does a top notch job interacting with the crowd and even made the comment “I heard that that last time I was here was 1988” much to the delight of me and my brother!

Can’t remember the last time I saw a metal show WITHOUT a mosh pit, which certainly was a welcome sight and made the evening much more enjoyable as I didn’t have to worry about getting a boot to the head or shot to the knee.  Hell, I didn’t even mention top ten fave drummer Nigel Glockler’s rock solid performance or Nibbs Carter holding down the bottom end!  As final cut “Wheels Of Steel” faded out after a good hour and a half or so, the band said their goodbyes to an absolutely raucous crowd that realized they certainly would be a hard act to follow.  The setlist had been fantastic and we got to hear a good chunk of our favorite songs, plus the band performance and energy were off the charts.  A damn good showing from these veterans of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM, for you newbies!)

After a bathroom break and beer run, we settled in for the next act.  I’m a fairweather UFO fan and I will fully admit paying most attention to the Michael Schenker years, but having an opportunity to catch Phil Mogg, Andy Parker, and Paul Raymond from the glory days was going to be good to see.  Kicking off with an oldie in “We Belong To The Night”, the band did a fine job keeping the crowd’s attention and spirit alive in mixing some of their newer material with those Strangers In The Night-era chestnuts that I was most interested in hearing.  “Lights Out” and “Only You Can Rock Me” were up early and the band were tight, Mogg in fine voice all night and the rest of band holding their own.  I will admit the newer stuff is pretty good but I’m not quite as familiar with it compared to the classics, but the overall show was good.  Not near as good as Saxon, but getting a chance to see these legends in action was certainly well worth the money.

Oh yeah…  saving the “other” two guys for a separate paragraph.  Rob DeLuca filled in admirably for Pete Way, who has been out of the band for the past couple of years after health issues have sidelined him.  Thought it was interesting that he was playing a Thunderbird bass, which may have been in honor of the man he was replacing.  And finally, the OTHER “other” guy…  Vinnie Moore has some of the biggest shoes to fill in the hard rock world as the replacement for the aforementioned Michael Schenker, but I must admit I thought he did a really good job performing the old school classics. Moore has always been a huge musical talent in his own right and is arguably better than his predecessors in the band post-Schenker.  He has the right melodic touch on those familiar Schenker melodies but adds enough of his own twist to not sound like a dead on copycat.  Hearing him handle the Schenker staples like “Rock Bottom” and “Doctor Doctor” was a treat; however, I must admit that I would have preferred to see the Mad Axeman up there with the boys.  Still, kudos to Vinnie and his excellent performance, one which has encouraged me to dig into more of the recent UFO material that he has co-written.

After final UFO song “Shoot Shoot” ended we made our way to the exit, chatting animatedly about the entire night:  meeting Biff and Doug, the explosive performance of Saxon, and our thoughts on UFO and Jared James Nichols.  Ever since that night (which was only five days ago), I’ve dug into my old Saxon CDs and DVDs in an attempt to loosely relive the experience from the evening.  I told you it was that good of a show!  Looking forward to their new Thunderbolt CD coming in January and hope to catch them again in the near future.

Picked up a lot of “da blooze” this month, along with lots of other goodies…

Roomful Of Blues – That’s Right!

Roomful Of Blues – The First Album

Charlie Musselwhite – Stand Back!  Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s South Side Band

Sugar Ray and The Bluetones- Featuring Monster Mike Welch

Mike Morgan and The Crawl- Ain’t Worried No More

Kid Ramos – Greasy Stuff

The Essential Flatt & Scuggs – ‘Tis Sweet To Be Remembered

Riotgod – Riotgod

Deep Purple – Infinite

Thunder – Rip It Up

Gov’t Mule – Revolution Come…  Revolution Go

John Hiatt – The Open Road

Richard Thompson – Amnesia

Richard Thompson – Mirror Blue

Scott Kempner – Tenement Angels

Freak Kitchen – Move

Bonepony – Stomp Revival

J Geils Band – Monkey Island

Supafuzz – Pretty Blank Page

Tool – Opiate

Roine Stolt – Wall Street Voodoo

Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush – Live

Mors Principium Est – …and Death said live

Massive Attack – Blue Lines

The Glasspack – Dirty Women

Farmikos – Farmikos

Abdullah – Abdullah

Primal Fear – Rulebreaker

Acid King – Down With The Crown

Big Hat – Big Hat EP

Racer X – Getting Heavier

Extol – The Blueprint Diaries

D.A.D. – Draws A Circle

Trixie Whitley – Sway: Outtakes & Live Tracks

Kamchatka – The Search Goes On

Kamchatka – Long Road Made Of Gold

Goblin Rebirth – Goblin Rebirth

Tristania – Ashes

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – Broken Lines

Peter Gabriel – Live Blood

Victor – Victor

Black Dub – Black Dub

The Bakerton Group – El Rojo

Valkyrie – Shadows

I Mother Earth – Blossom (single)

Hey ho let’s go!  Time to pontificate once again on the first ten songs that pop up on shuffle mode on the ol’ iPod…

“A Pleasant Shade of Gray VIII” Fates Warning, Still Life

From live album Still Life comes part eight of their dark progressive album A Pleasant Shade Of Gray, an excellent stab at a moody concept album.  VIII offers up a new flavor of Fates, featuring Kevin Moore’s (ex-Dream Theater) tasty piano lines alongside some fab acoustic work from Jim Matheos.  This cut features no vocals and works decently outside of the album as a whole but is better listening within the full context of its magnificent scope.  Still, some solid playing from the band here.

“Under The Skin” Lindsey Buckingham, Under The Skin

From the mastermind of mid-period Fleetwood Mac (yes, there was a Mac BEFORE Nicks/Buckingham) comes a sweet little acoustic piece from the great Lindsey Buckingham.  Featuring layered guitar work with light percussive touches and soft vocal effects, Buckingham give us an easy listening piece that flows nicely and shows a different side to his work with the Mac.  Definitely more of a floating, airy tune that has a bit of dreamy quality to it.

“Jump” Loverboy, Classics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBGIgx7fHCw

Yeah, when I hear “Jump” I’m certainly NOT thinking of Loverboy but….  ah well.  At any rate, this “Jump” is a fun little ditty, certainly not a big dog from the catalog but a decent rocker featuring some funky keyboard touches and some decent guitar runs from Paul Dean.  Lead throat Mike Reno does a good job selling the song as he gives it a bit of vocal punch during the verses and chorus.  Certainly not one of my fave Loverboy cuts but it’s always cool to hear those non hits from the band’s catalog.

“Searching For A Reason” Michael Schenker Group, Assault Attack

Man, gimme the Mad Axeman on guitar any day and I’ll have a smile on my face for awhile.  “Searching For A Reason” isn’t one of his standout cuts but it bounces along at a fairly steady pace with some sweet, sweet melody lines thrown in for good measure.  Graham Bonnet’s bellow (is there another way to put it?) is relatively in check here; his forceful holler swings somewhat mightily alongside Schenker’s riff, taking a quick detour through a multi-layered solo and slight twist before the melodic intro returns.

“Out Of Cash” Vandenberg, The Definitive

Ah man your loss here as there is no YouTube link to this song, which is actually a demo that can be found on their Definitive collection.  A decent little headbanger that cops the riff from Michael Schenker’s “Armed And Ready” during the intro, even keeping the same tempo.  Guitar work is nice and riffy, Jos Zoomer’s vocal is suitably rockin’, the lyrics a little oddball (NEEEEEED…. CAAAAASH!  uhhh… don’t we all?).  As a demo it does the job, would have been interesting to hear the finished product.

“Bullet To The Brain” Megadeth, Dystopia

From the latest ‘Deth opus comes the cool riffster in “Bullet To The Brain”, which mixes mid-period chug with some decent twists and turns in tempo.  Not really any thrash in sight here but some killer guitar work from Dave Mustaine and new boy Kiko Louriero, a bit European in the noodliness of it all but that’s a good thing.  Nice mix of acoustic and militaristic snare work during the intro before the CHONK comes in (is it just me that thinks Mustaine’s fatter riffs sound like that?).

“John L. Sullivan (Demo)” Blue Oyster Cult, Rarities

What a weird little tune from the B.O.C. box set’s Rarities disc-  kind of a mix of Grateful Dead/Allman Brothers/Kinks on speed and far removed from the vampire rock of the band’s glory days.  Eric Bloom’s vocal sounds akin to Ray Davies’ 60s hits from The Kinks, maybe a bit nasally in tone and somewhat odd but listen to that Buck Dharma guitar!  So many jazzy runs in one and a half minutes.  Gives you some elements for where they were heading, but not quite there as of yet.

“Map Of The Problematique” Muse, Black Holes and Revelations

I really dig the sonic sweep of this one; Muse keeping an almost techno/trance/dance beat with a stately guitar drive, tribal drums, and graces of echoed piano.  There’s not so much of a riff here but a statement of regal noise, a pulsating rhythm that doesn’t stop, and a soaring Matt Bellamy vocal that glides along with the tempo.  One of those more underrated cuts from the band that likely works well in a live environment, featuring a crowd hopping along with the grooviness of it all.

“Death Is This Communion” High On Fire, Death Is This Communion

Talk about gigantic and monstrous…  High On Fire ride a mountain moving riff that contrasts ugliness and beauty in all its twisted glory.  Matt Pike and gang hit us up for eight plus minutes of weighty guitar, tribal drums, and guttural vocals that, taken together as a whole, contain such a spellbinding effect that you are caught up in one endless swirl of heaviness.  Detuned and extremely bottom heavy-  crank it up and feel the rattle deep in your bones.

“Smash Alley” Faster Pussycat, Faster Pussycat

This may sound funny to some, but Faster Pussycat’s brand of drunken sleaze rock was a breath of fresh air in the latter days of the hair metal craze.  “Smash Alley” sounds like it was recorded after a long, tiring day (or night?), or possibly after a three day bender; maybe they just woke up outta bed and laid down some sloppy guitar work and said “fugeddaboudit”.  Taime Downe’s cat scratch fever vocals were totally unique and an acquired taste but his spirited delivery here is the highlight of the song.

Tough to pick the winner of the week here but I gotta go with Muse followed by High On Fire and Megadeth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9g-Z5nFg5Y

The death of Steely Dan’s Walter Becker a few weeks ago got me to thinking…  everyone knows “Reelin’ In The Years” or “Peg” or “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, but what are some of those under the radar numbers that deserve further attention?  As a fan there are quite a few to choose from outside of those radio cuts, but the one that’s popped into my mind since Becker’s death is the jazzy bossa nova smoothies of Countdown To Ecstasy’s “Razor Boy”.  Vibraphone, stand up bass, piano, and…  Hawaiian steel guitar?  Yeah, throw all that into the mix with a cryptic lyric and typically cool Donald Fagen vocal and it’s a major winner.

Countdown has always been my favorite Dan album as my preference for the band has always been their more “rock driven jazz” sounds than their latter period full blown jazzier experimentations, but their entire career consists of excellent material.  That said, “Razor Boy” definitely leans more toward their post Katy Lied period considering the instrumentation but it still has those quirks that were part of the early days:  a more looser, somewhat laconic overall vibe courtesy of that laid back flow and subtle percussion plus Fagen’s strong piano hand topped off by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s bluesy steel guitar solo.  These guys were always off on their own tangent and “Razor Boy” showed off another element of the band-  not only could they rock but they could write a wistful and beautifully poppy tune to catch you off guard, kinda like that knuckleball in a strong arsenal of pitches.  Countdown starts with the fastball rock of “Bodhisattva” and just when you think you know what’s coming next yer whiffin’ on that second pitch of “Razor Boy”.  So just play it…  I know you’ll be humming that catchy chorus shortly thereafter.

Funny tho…  I know this post was somewhat prompted by Walter Becker’s death, but…  oddly enough, Becker didn’t even play on “Razor Boy”!  Bass duties were handled by Ray Brown, a jazz great who played with artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Dizzy Gillespie to Frank Sinatra.  It’s to Becker’s credit that he often stepped aside and relegated bass or lead guitar duties to other musicians depending on the song-  a selfless act in an art form full of often over the top ego.  Becker’s passing leaves a deep void in the music world and he’ll be greatly missed.

Fates Warning has always been one of those bands that I’ve had total respect for-  excellent musicianship, great singing, a fantastic mix of the heavy and dramatic…  but…  a band that really took me a while to grasp due to the frequent displays of mathematical trickery and occasional bouts of darkness when it came to song arrangements.  Riffs and even vocal arrangements were not your standard fare, often displaying slippery time signatures with shifting moods and textures that always sounded good but sometimes left you scratching your head, especially when you expected a riff or vocal melody to shift in one direction and it would head off into another territory.  All that said, those unique tones and textures and the progressive nature of the band really started to grow on me over the years and I’ve become a bit of a fan.

Theories Of Flight is Fates Warning’s twelfth studio album and second featuring drummer Bobby Jarzombek alongside long serving bassist Joey Vera and the core team of Ray Alder on vocals and Fates mainstay (since day one) Jim Matheos on guitar.  Flight continues the upward trend of previous album Darkness In A Different Light and does an even better job mixing the heavier, denser cuts with more lighter, atmospheric, and progressive moments.  Take something like intro cut “From The Rooftops”- a reverbed, simply strummed pattern with percussive backing and some beautifully layered electric passages featuring some sweet lead work from Matheos and gently melodic crooning from Alder before a storming riff kicks in shortly past the two minute mark to shift you in a new direction.  Or how about the spacy progressiveness of “The Light And Shade Of Things” (true to its word as a song) and the old school radio knob twiddling and distorted effects of “The Ghosts Of Home”; two songs featuring moody/lighter buildups before riding the crest of a couple of heavy riffs bobbing and weaving throughout-  the latter akin to a heavy Yes and the former some cosmic Pink Floyd touches.  Excellent stuff that keeps your attention.

For those of you that want your quick hitters and hate the atmospheric segues, you’ve got plenty to choose from.  “Seven Stars” may be one of the most melodic things these guys have done; all soaring riff and galloping bass with an incredibly strong and passionate Ray Alder throughout the verse and chorus.  Alder’s work throughout the disc is fantastic as he fits into a particular mid-range pocket yet throwing in a few higher notes depending on the mood of the song.  And those of you that yearn for the old school heavier days of the band should look no further than “White Flag”, breaking into an Awaken The Guardian/Spectre Within era chug yet with a more aggressive vocal or the leviathan stomp throughout the verses of “Like Stars Our Eyes Have Seen” and noisy soar of the tricky “SOS”.  Still, lots of melodic moments poke through in spots in both songs come chorus time to add extra killer sonic elements to the fray.

What is it with older school bands suddenly releasing some of their best material over the past few years?  Many bands experiment with new sounds or tinker with their formula for success that it’s sometimes hard for the fans to keep up, and sometimes it may be the influence of new members that brings a different element to the table.  Fates is no different as Theories takes the band into newer territories yet still manages to reach into the band’s past to revisit some of their stronger characteristics, making this the best disc they’ve released in a long while.  Throw in a killer production with that excellent mix of heavier progressiveness with those experimental atmospherics and fabulous performances and you’ve got your next favorite album.

Time to ramble on about the first ten songs that pop up in shuffle mode today!

“Martha” Tom Waits, Closing Time

Such a beautiful song by one of the world’s true artists.  Tom Waits can be an acquired taste and I will admit that I only have his Closing Time CD, but “Martha” is a bit like smooth whiskey; easier to swallow than some of his more experimental stuff as he mixes smooth piano lines with orchestral flourishes.  I’ve never been a big lyrics guy but this is a good one as a man calls a long lost love and reminisces about young and innocent days all those years ago.

“Blackpowder Orchard” Baroness, Blue Record

Here’s a short one, really a simple segue between songs on Baroness’ fine Blue Record.  Very reminiscent of the Allman Brothers, maybe not too surprising as both bands are adopted sons of the state of Georgia.  This one starts with a fine acoustic figure followed by a fuzzed out countermelody on electric, all wrapped up in slightly under a minute.  Must be something in that Georgia red dirt for heavy rock as Kylesa, Mastodon, and Baroness all are within a stone’s throw from each other.
“Renegades Of Funk” Rage Against The Machine, Renegades

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

Talk about taking a cover and making it your own…  Rage covers Afrika Bambaataa and the only similarity is the hip hop spirit as the band rocks this one out with vocalist Zach de la Rocha spitting out a hard vocal take from their (final?) all covers album Renegades.  If you’re gonna mix rap/hip hop with hard rock, there is no better band than Rage-  killer rhythm section, the unique guitar stylings of Tom Morello, and the hotwired and fiery lyrical delivery from de la Rocha.

“Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down” Terry Reid, Superlungs

Imagine if you will…  Jimmy Page approaches Terry Reid for the vocalist position in the New Yardbirds (a precursor to Led Zeppelin) and instead of tuning it down, Reid accepts.  Take a listen to “Bang Bang” and you’ll get an idea-  vocally there are some similarities to Robert Plant (who Reid recommended to Page for the position); a bit of fire in the roar but not quite as bluesy or voluminous.  As for the song, it’s a pretty cool take on the Cher original with a bit more builup and guitar freakout.

“Downstream” Jolly, Forty-Six Minutes Twelve Seconds Of Music

Experimental bands like this are one of the reasons I really love music.  In my younger days I probably wouldn’t have paid too much attention to a band like this but as I’ve grown older and I’m on the constant hunt for new sounds, this fits the bill.  Jolly certainly rings that progressive/alternative/metal/rock bell, with “Downstream” providing plenty of flowing atmospherics mixed with bits of crunchy guitar but really concentrating more on textures and sonics rather than an all out aural assault.

“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”, U2 No Line On The Horizon

Full admission…  I’ve NEVER heard this song before.  I think I bought this for my brother and ripped the songs from Amazon for myself, so this is my first impression.  That said it’s a pretty good little tune, maybe a bit more fun and poppier than my favorite U2 cuts but it has those cool little elements that make me enjoy the band (namely The Edge’s chime-y guitar bits and Bono’s singing).  Song is well constructed with cool little pieces all throughout the verses, chorus, and Beatley bits.  Thumbs up!

“Fly Away” Blackfoot, Highway Song Live

Always loved this little cut, Blackfoot doing a fab job of mixing up a cool vocal melody in both the verse and chorus as Ricky Medlocke does a fine job mixing up the smooth singing with a balls out belt.  This live version is a bit more raw ‘n loose and quite a bit more fun as the band changes up the lyrics some for a non-PC version, but there ain’t nothing wrong with that.  These guys have always been a bit underrated, leaning a bit more Cream/Led Zep in their heavier, bluesier rock than their counterparts.

“Lights Out” UFO, Strangers In The Night

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

Have mercy!  I’m pretty sure this song was my introduction to UFO and as you can tell a pretty damn good one; a barnburner of a rocker featuring the one and only Mad Axeman himself, Mr. Michael Schenker.  Listen to that tone!  Listen to that playing!  That hard charging rhythm was something to a young kid like me looking for good hard rock/metal records in my younger days.  Phil Mogg does a killer vocal, but…  that guitar!  Listen to it!  Then put it on repeat and listen to it again!

“Clifton Grange Hotel” Thin Lizzy, Thin Lizzy

The Eric Bell/Thin Lizzy years were certainly quite a bit different from the classic Gorham/Robertson/Moore guitar heyday but do not let that stop you.  In many ways the band was a different beast, a bit more Hendrixy and in some spots a bit folk/rock but all in all a great band.  “Clifton Range Hotel” shows off some hot playing from Eric Bell on the band’s debut and features a typically quaint Phil Lynott vocal backed by the ever reliable Brian Downey on drums.  This ain’t “Jailbreak” but very good in its own right.

“Feel Like Making Love” Bad Company, In Concert: Merchants Of Cool

A bit of an interesting take here solely due to the replacement Bad Co players on this version; Jaz Mochrie’s bass a bit more poppier/jazzier and Dave “Bucket” Colwell’s guitar tone has less punch and is waaaay too low in the mix on those classic slashing power chords.  But Paul Rodgers?  Ace as always-  he plays around a bit with the melody but the punch is there and he makes it count come chorus time.  Docked a point as Bucket really needs a Les Paul for this one!

Top song in this post is clearly “Lights Out” by a country mile, with “Renegades Of Funk” taking second place.

Time for a new blog feature, where I face off two albums against each other and choose my favorite.  Albums may be from the same band, between a former artist of one band vs his/her previous band, or two popular albums from separate artists.  For this blog we’re covering two AC/DC classics; one album the final bow from original singer Bon Scott, and the second the phoenix-like rebirth with new boy Brian Johnson.

When I think of all time favorite bands, AC/DC is certainly high on the list; certainly in that all time Top Ten (I only went Top Five in a post in this blog a few years ago).  My earliest exposure to the band was most definitely Back In Black due to the classic single “You Shook Me All Night Long” (which was all over the radio in 1980) as well as the constant play the cassette (and 8-Track!) got on the school bus to basketball or baseball games that same year.  Also around that same time I was starting to turn from the local Top 40 station to more album oriented rock, which quickly schooled me on the band’s earlier material, plus I also got a pretty good “AC/DC education” from my cousin David.  I loved the raw rock sound and instantly became a fan, calling the radio stations incessantly asking them to play “Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock And Roll)” or “Live Wire” or “Dirty Deeds” before we bought the records ourselves.  But let’s cut to the chase…

Highway To Hell vs. Back In Black is certainly a tough call and to be honest, my opinion on both albums has changed over the years.  One album I played incessantly in my early fandom of the band and certainly was my favorite, but nowadays I favor the other album based on certain factors.  On the other album, I severely underrated some of the cuts on it and didn’t realize how good it was until years down the road.  So if you want my opinion, my choice of favorite would be…

Yeah, Highway To Hell was my favorite AC/DC album in my younger days but over the years it was surpassed by Back In Black due to a couple of factors:  1) Back In Black is an incredible tour de force in overall performance and will never be surpassed by the band (nothing even comes close), and 2) I prefer the looser, rawer feel of earlier Bon Scott albums over Highway To Hell.  But really, we are comparing apples to oranges here with the only similarity between the two releases being the production of one Mutt Lange.  While the producer honed the rough edges of the band into a leaner radio friendly product on Highway To Hell, he fine tuned the sonics for a more volcanic and metallic crunch on Back In Black.  The latter album’s full on conviction, take no prisoners performance, and incredible vocals from Brian Johnson is why I return to it more than the former.  While I like the swingin’ and freewheelin’ side of the band, this album really showcased that “Thunder from Down Under” from top to bottom.

So besides sound and performance, how do the songs stack up?  On HtH, there is one bonafide radio hit in the title cut followed by a number of outstanding cuts and only two weaker ones in the batch in “Love Hungry Man” and “Get It Hot”.  Granted, the latter two are pretty good but up against “Touch Too Much” or “Beating Around The Bush”?  Not even close.  As for BiB, you have two radio hits in the title cut and “You Shook Me” but an even wider variance in the remaining eight, with “Hells Bells”, “Shoot To Thrill” and “Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” (my least favorite) getting a fair share of radio play.  The five remaining are the rascally underdogs, with the relentless pace of “Shake A Leg” and the confident swagger of “Have A Drink On Me” (one of THE underrated AC/DC songs) helping to push Brian Johnson’s debut ahead of Bon Scott’s final release.

Interestingly enough, I find neither album to be fully representative of the band’s sound during their 40+ years of existence.  Are these albums more attributed to the direction of Mutt Lange as producer?  Or maybe due to the band reestablishing their foothold and unsure of their direction as they grieve for their former bandmate that has passed on?  Hard to say.  The band has certainly released rawer, looser albums during their career more typical of the band’s sense of humor and rough hewn charm, but these two albums remain the biggest selling of the band’s career.  Not that that makes any difference. AC/DC has released a ton of excellent albums over the years; however, Back In Black remains the pinnacle of the band’s recorded output- their brightest and most shining star in an already well lit evening sky.