It’s just appropriate that we follow up the previous “Song of the Day” that was one of Ozzy Osbourne’s solo tracks with one who replaced him for a brief time as frontman of OZzy’s previous band, Black Sabbath.
Ronnie James Dio will always be one of the metal gods. People may disagree but they will always be wrong. Some would say it’s the height of arrogance to name one’s band after themselves and, for the most part, I would agree with them. Yet, if there as ever a musician who deserved to have their arrogance as part and parcel of their immense talent it would be Ronnie James Dio and the band he would form after his stint with Black Sabbath. A band that he would simply call Dio.
It would be remiss not to include the second track to be released as a single from the group’s debut album, Holy Diver.
I speak of the song “Rainbow in the Dark” which remains one of my favorite Dio songs and, I honestly believe, his best one. I’m not the only one who seem to think so, but even the song’s mass appeal to it’s heavy metal and hard rock following doesn’t dismiss the fact that it’s Ronnie James Dio at his best. Not to mention has one of the best guitar solos ever.
A guitar solo which comes midway during the song and performed by group guitarist Vivian Campbell.
Rainbow in the Dark
When there’s lightning You know, it always brings me down ‘Cause it’s free, and I see that it’s me Who’s lost and never found
I cry out for magic I feel it dancing in the light It was cold, lost my hold To the shadows of the night
No sign of the morning coming You’ve been left on your own Like a rainbow in the dark A rainbow in the dark
Do your demons Do they ever let you go? When you’ve tried, do they hide deep inside? Is it someone that you know?
You’re just a picture You’re an image caught in time We’re a lie, you and I We’re words without a rhyme
There’s no sign of the morning coming You’ve been left on your own Like a rainbow in the dark Just a rainbow in the dark, yeah
(guitar solo)
When I see lightning You know, it always brings me down ‘Cause it’s free, and I see that it’s me Who’s lost and never found
Feel the magic I feel it floating in the air But it’s fear, and you’ll hear It calling you, beware, look out
There’s no sight of the morning coming There’s no sign of the day You’ve been left on your own Like a rainbow
Like a rainbow in the dark, yeah-yay You’re a rainbow in the dark Just a rainbow in the dark No sign of the morning You’re a rainbow in the dark, whoa
Why is it that those with creative talents that border on genius tend to die young and much too soon. This has become almost synonymous with the premature passing of some of the greatest musician of the last 50 years. Most seem to be from the rock and metal corner of the musical landscape. Some has been due to the very lifestyle led by these musicians. A lifestyle of libertine excess that catches up to their talent way too soon.
One such individual who went before his time yet made such an impact on the music scene that he’s considered one of the greatest metal guitarist of all-time (I say one of the best guitarist in or out of metal). His name was Randy Rhoads.
Only 25 when he passed away not due to a life of excess (he was actually quite responsible a rock star in his era where sex, booze and drugs were commonplace) but to a tragic accident that didn’t need to happen.
While some always point to his guitar work on the Ozzy Osbourne song “Crazy Train” from his solo debut album, I always thought one of his best guitar work was on another song from that debut album. The song I speak about is “Mr. Crowley”.
The song itself is one of those songs that drove parents crazy when they first heard their young teenage sons listening to it. I mean it’s a song about self-proclaimed Anti-Christ, libertine and sex magick user Aleister Crowley. Yet, it’s not Ozzy’s vocals that make the song memorable. It’s Rhoad’s lead guitar performance with special focus on the two guitar solos which rise up in the middle of the track and closes it out.
Mr. Crowley
Mister Crowley What went down in your head? Oh, Mister Crowley Did you talk to the dead?
Your lifestyle to me seems so tragic With the thrill of it all You fooled all the faithful with magic Yeah, you waited on Satan’s call
Mister Charming Did you think you were pure? Mister Alarming In nocturnal rapport
Uncovering things that were sacred Manifest on this earth Oh, conceived in the eye of a secret Yeah, they scattered the afterbirth
(guitar solo)
Mister Crowley Won’t you ride my white horse? Mister Crowley It’s symbolic, of course
Approaching a time that is classic I hear that maiden’s call Approaching a time that is drastic Standing with their backs to the wall
Was it polemically sent? I wanna know what you meant I wanna know I wanna know what you meant, yeah!
With all the rocking and rolling and metal headbanging the site has been on of late it’s just appropriate that we take a quick intermission with a different sort of rocking and rolling.
The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson will take on the Big One and only one will come out victorious.
San Andreas is set for a May 29, 2015 release date.
As a child of the 1980’s it would be difficult to come up with a greatest guitar solo ever list and not make mention of the work of one Slash. The man with the top hat, who played a mean Gibson Les Paul would become part of what the 80’s called “The Most Dangerous Band” in Guns N’ Roses.
“Sweet Child o’ Mine” would become one of the band’s biggest hits and, ultimately, their most recognizable. This is quite an impressive considering this is the band that came up with quite a bit of classic tunes in the short time they all played together. It’s also the song where Slash truly made his mark by creating not just one of the most recognized opening hard rock riffs, but also one of the best guitar solos.
For a band that was seen and who saw itself as “the most dangerous” they also came up with a power ballad that combined not just genuine emotions, but the hard rock sensibility one expected from a band such as Guns N’ Roses. It’s a power ballad worthy of past great power ballads such as “Stairway to Heaven” and “Free Bird”.
Sweet Child O’ Mine
She’s got a smile that it seems to me Reminds me of childhood memories Where everything Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face She takes me away to that special place And if I stared too long I’d probably break down and cry
Sweet child o’ mine Sweet love of mine
She’s got eyes of the bluest skies As if they thought of rain I’d hate to look into those eyes And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place Where as a child I’d hide And pray for the thunder and the rain To quietly pass me by
[3x] Sweet child o’ mine Sweet love of mine
(guitar solo)
[4x] Where do we go? Where do we go now? Where do we go? Sweet child o’ mine
“We know what we’re doing. It’s why you wanted us here.” — Maggie Greene
[spoilers within]
Tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead was shaping up to be a sort of throwaway one. The series seems to have several of these each year. They’re episode that seem to just rehash past themes and ideas to help table set the season finale. Some of them have been good stand-alone ones while other have been some of the series’ low points. One couldn’t fault the writers to come up with another one. It’s become an almost ritual for the show to have low points in the series before peaking once again for the last two episodes of the season.
“Spend” wasn’t a throwaway episode and definitely not one of this season’s low points.
Let’s just start things by saying that tonight’s episode was directed by Jennifer Lynch (daughter of filmmaker David Lynch) and her fine touch with the darker aspects of show’s genre roots showed. It was definitely one of the darker episodes of the series to date. Right from the cold opening of the episode as we watch Father Gabriel having a moment of crisis as he steps into the chapel once again we get a feeling that this episode will not be happy one for everyone.
We get three particular storylines throughout the episode which at times made for some jarring scene changes. The main one focused on Glenn taking Tara, Eugene, Noah, Aiden and Nicholas on a supply run to help fix the ASZ’s (Alexandria Safe Zone) power grid of solar panels. One could be forgiven for thinking that the episode was going to be a ho-hum one as we get some major time with Eugene who wasn’t very happy being dragged along on this supply run outside of the ASZ’s walls. He admits more than once and of his own free will that he’s a coward through and through. Yet, by episode’s end we Eugene go through a harrowing crucible to find the courage that allowed him to survive this long. His own intellect and logic were major factors in him always picking the right group to stick with for the best chance of survival, but when he needed to finally step up and be more combat-inclined he passed with flying colors.
This was in contrast to what we’re starting to see with the Alexandrians as a whole. While not all cowardly, the people who have been living within the relatively safe confines of the ASZ’s walls have shown that they’re willing to abandon friends to the zombies if it meant saving their own life. We see this happen several times with tonight’s episode and in a couple of them we see the devastating result of the Alexandrians’ modus operandi.
This doesn’t sit well with Glenn who has grown from being the quiet, scout we met in the first season to a leader who still exhibits a sense of compassion in addition to the brutal, cold logic needed to survive in this zombie apocalypse. He sees the weak core underneath the smiling and civilized facade of the Alexandrians, but he also understand that in order for him, Maggie and the rest of his group to have a life beyond just mere day-to-day survival he needed to make sure that the ASZ and it’s people learned how to do things the right way.
Despite the violent altercation that he and Aiden (Deanna’s son) had just a couple episodes back, the two seem to be working towards a compromise in how things were to be done. But this being The Walking Dead, the prospect of Aiden learning from Glenn or any of the newcomers to the ASZ was cut short as his inexperience with the world outside of the ASZ’s walls led to his gruesome death (a situation brought on by Aiden’s own stupidity as he accidentally shot a grenade). A death that Glenn and Noah tried to prevent but just ran out of time.
The same thing happens just minutes later as we see Glenn, Noah and Nicholas (who left Aiden to die and as he admitted did to others as well in the past) finding themselves trapped in separate sections of a revolving door with zombies in the other side waiting for the inevitable. I’m one could see where this was heading with Nicholas abandoning the Glenn and Noah to save his own skin…again. Noah would end up drawing the short straw in tonight’s episode. A straw that saw him die even more horribly than Aiden and with Glenn just a few feet away witnessing the whole gory tableau.
We see, in a smaller scale, the same situation happen with Abraham as he joins the construction crew tasked with gathering the supplies to help strengthen and expand the walls of the ASZ. Once again it’s due to the inattention of the groups leader, Tobin, that the Alexandrian’s allow a sizable group of zombies to get close to them. It doesn’t help that Tobin himself ends up shooting the hydraulics on the lifter end of a bulldozer that dumps one of his own people in the middle of an encroaching group of zombies. He and the rest of the Alexandrians decide to haul ass and leave their friend behind, but not Abraham who rushes into the fire, so to speak, to try and make sure they don’t leave one behind.
Unlike Nicholas’ brand of cowardice, Tobin and the rest of the Alexandrians see Abraham’s courage and end up following suit. Tobin himself admits to Deanna and Reg Monroe that if it wasn’t for Abraham not doing things the Alexandrian Way (meaning run and hide when things get tough) then Francine (the one who fell off the dozer lifter) would have surely died. Abraham was the right person and leader to run the construction team and Tobin was man enough to admit to it.
It’s a situation that both Deanna and Reg don’t seem to like hearing. Rick and his people have just recently arrived and already seem to be putting themselves in leadership roles. Rick was one Deanna understood with his law enforcement background, but the fact that both Abraham and Glenn seem to exhibit similar leadership qualities that her own people seem to lack could be the sign that the ASZ might just get a change in how things are run and who runs them.
The third storyline continues the adventures of Rick and Carol as they try to navigate, in their own fashion, this fake Eden they’ve found themselves in. Carol finds herself being followed by Jessie’s youngest son Sam. It didn’t matter that Carol herself threatened Sam with kidnapping and death by zombies, he still kept her secret and only tagging along to have more of the cookies Carol made for him. We find, and Carol, find out in no uncertain way from Sam that his dad might very well be an abusive husband and father. This doesn’t sit well with Carol who has some first-hand experience with a family abuser. It doesn’t take much for her to figure this out. Carol doesn’t hesitate in making sure Rick finds out and her recommendation to Rick on how to deal with Pete shouldn’t surprise people who’ve seen Carol’s growth from battered housewife to all-around badass.
The whole Alexandria Safe Zone arc has been met with some trepidation by fans and critics. It’s another static location like Hershel’s farm and the Prison that led to some very wheel-spinning storytelling. It’s a reaction that’s understandable. Having a regular setting and not keeping the group on the move sometimes led to plotlines that stagnated. When on the move the stories being told in the show seem to have a sense of forward momentum. Even some of the weaker on-the-road stories felt like it had a quicker pace to them. This doesn’t seem to be the case with Alexandria.
The group hasn’t been wasting their time to spend wallowing in the existential problems brought about by the zombie apocalypse. They’ve actually done in their own individual way something to find out more about the ASZ and those who run and been kept safe behind it’s walls. Tonight we find out more of what makes the Alexandrians tick and it’s not a pretty sight. Gabriel might be trying to poison Deanna’s mind when it comes to Rick and the others. He wasn’t wrong when he said that Rick and his people were not good people. They have done some unspeakable things to survive. Yet, Maggie also understands some of Deanna’s own agenda for allowing Rick and his people to join the Alexandrians.
Rick, Glenn, Carol, Abraham, Daryl and others know what they’re doing. They’ve survived out in the wild for almost two years now and even after some devastating losses they still manage to persevere. Sure the group seem to be suffering through a collective form of PTSD, but they still know what it takes to survive and they seem able to do so without having to always fall back on their basest nature to do it.
Will this mean that Rick still doesn’t seem to covet his neighbor’s wife (Rick definitely channeling his inner Shane in the Alexandria story-arc)? Will Sasha ever leave her lookout tower ever and not go on a killing spree? Will Carol hold back from doing what’s necessary when it comes to the Alexandrians (meaning will she kill them all to save the others)?
These were questions that weren’t answered in tonight’s episode, but at least we’ve now been given some reasons why it wouldn’t be so bad if Rick and his people just took over the ASZ and ran things their way. There would certainly be less people dying for stupid reasons and everyone wouldn’t have just predetermined jobs the way Deanna likes things done, but all chipping in to protect with everything they’ve got including their own lives.
There’s a war brewing in the future and whether it’s between the Alexandrians and Rick’s people still needs to be determined. The Wolves are still out there and Noah knew it and wanted to make sure the walls never falls the way his own community walls fell while he was away. It’s a shame and a currency spent that he would never get to see his promise come true.
Notes
Tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead, “Spend”, was directed by Jennifer Lynch and written by series veteran Matthew Negrete.
Jennifer Lynch’s work as director with tonight’s episode was excellent and here’s to hoping she returns for future episodes for seasons to come.
Even in the zombie apocalypse there is still dubstep.
Carol seems to have gained herself a lost puppy in Jessie’s youngest son Sam.
When did Abraham suddenly become the catchphrase guy. He already gave birth to the catchphrases “dolphin smooth” and “Who’s DEANNA?!”. Tonight we get the best yet when he finds himself surrounded by zombies and all he can do is smile and utter “mother dick”.
The death scenes for both Aiden Monroe and Noah were reminiscent of a couple deaths in the end of Day of the Dead: Capt. Rhodes and Pvt. Torrez.
Some great work by Greg Nicotero (whose bday was tonight) and his KNB EFX make-up crew with the deaths of Aiden and Noah.
Talking Dead guests tonight are Josh McDermitt, Tyler James Williams and Steven Yeun (Eugene, Noah and Glenn of The Walking Dead)
Who hasn’t heard and sung with Queen’s most iconic song ever. I know I can’t think of anyone that I know of.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” has become a staple of many best ever rock lists. It’s a song that’s been paid homage, imitated, parodied and copied by so many artists both music, tv, film and video games. This song has become synonymous with that most epic of all rock shows: arena rock. It’s an amalgamation of rock power ballad that bridges over to rock opera then into straight hard rock before circling back to a gradual softening of a coda.
One would think that all that wouldn’t mesh very well together, but with Freddie Mercury (arguably one of the greatest rock frontman) on vocals (who also wrote the lyrics), Brian May on lead guitar, John Deacon on bass and Roger Taylor on drums the song ends up not just great, but a gamechanger in how hard rock and heavy metal would be seen since it’s release.
Every hard rock and metal band worth their name would attempt to have their very own “Bohemian Rhapsody” to different degrees of success (I’ve always thought that the power metal bands like Blind Guardian have become successors in this endeavor). The song has become so ingrained in the general public’s pop DNA that just hearing a snippet of the song sans lyrics and people probably would know what song it was they just overheard.
Oh, it also has a killer guitar solo by Brian May which occurs after the ballad section and acts as a bridge into the operatic section of the track.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide No escape from reality Open your eyes Look up to the skies and see I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy Because I’m easy come, easy go A little high, little low Anyway the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me, to me
Mama, just killed a man Put a gun against his head Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead Mama, life had just begun But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away Mama, ooo Didn’t mean to make you cry If I’m not back again this time tomorrow Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come Sends shivers down my spine Body’s aching all the time Goodbye everybody – I’ve got to go Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth Mama, ooo – (anyway the wind blows) I don’t want to die I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all
(guitar solo)
I see a little silhouetto of a man Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango Thunderbolt and lightning – very very frightening me Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo Figaro – magnifico
But I’m just a poor boy and nobody loves me He’s just a poor boy from a poor family Spare him his life from this monstrosity Easy come easy go – will you let me go Bismillah! No – we will not let you go – let him go Bismillah! We will not let you go – let him go Bismillah! We will not let you go – let me go Will not let you go – let me go (never) Never let you go – let me go Never let me go – ooo No, no, no, no, no, no, no – Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me for me for me
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye So you think you can love me and leave me to die Oh baby – can’t do this to me baby Just gotta get out – just gotta get right outta here
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah Nothing really matters Anyone can see Nothing really matters – nothing really matters to me
Love them or hate them there’s really no middle-ground when it comes to one of the Big Four of thrash metal. You either love the band even through their dabbling into hard rock and the Bob Rock-era or you hate them for the perceived selling out and the Bob Rock-era. You ask any Metallica fan and they would pretty much agree that their third album, Master of Puppets, was the band at it’s peak. There would be some debate on whether the Black Album was where the band began to alienate some of it’s earliest fans, but that’s not what we’re here for.
We are here for the latest “Song of the Day” and it’s from their second full-length album, Ride the Lightning. The song is the band’s very first power ballad and follows the album’s theme and exploration of death. Where the album’s title took on the concept of death by electric chair the song chosen this time around is about the band’s exploration of the concept of suicide.
Yes, this was the song that the band had gotten into hot water for it’s suicidal lyrics which purportedly led to teens offing themselves after listening to it constantly. What critics of the song failed to realize was just how much teens at the time the song came out saw the song as therapeutic. They related to the song and used it as an outlet for their own alienation and depression.
Just like it’s subject matter it begins with a melancholy melody that gives a glimpse into the singer’s mindset. It’s not the typical fast playing many have associated with thrash, but that arrives soon enough as the song finishes off it’s vocals with a fade out that leads into Kirk Hammett’s 2-minute guitar solo that ultimately fades out as well…
The song that critics of metal gets wrong then and continues to even now is the classic “Fade to Black”.
Fade to Black
Life it seems, will fade away Drifting further every day Getting lost within myself Nothing matters no one else I have lost the will to live Simply nothing more to give There is nothing more for me Need the end to set me free
Things not what they used to be Missing one inside of me Deathly lost, this Can’t be real Cannot stand this hell I feel Emptiness is filling me To the point of agony Growing darkness taking dawn I was me, but now he’s gone
No one but me can save myself, but it’s too late Now, I can’t think, think why I should even try Yesterday seems as though it never existed Death Greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye
It took me awhile to get into Iron Maiden. I listened to them somewhat during the 80’s but it wasn’t until later in life that I truly appreciated the band for what they were and that was one of the great metal bands of all-time. “Powerslave” continues the mini-series in the “Song of the Day” series as another song with a great guitar solo section.
It’s a song steeped in Ancient Egypt imagery and mysticism and one written by band front man Bruce Dickinson. From the fifth and album of the same name, “Powerslave” is over 7 minutes of classic Iron Maiden that spoke not just to its headbanging followers, but to another group that was pushed even farther into the fringes of society when the album first came out: nerds.
Iron Maiden’s songs have always been more about lore, mysticism, history and classic literature than it was about sex and drugs the way 80’s metal (hair and glam metal movement) in the U.S. focused on. These things spoke to the geeks and nerds who spent time on AD&D and reading ancient and military history instead of parties, sports and the high school social scene.
The has two competing guitar solos that come midpoint in the song’s playing time with both Adrian Smith and Dave Murray getting a chance to shine and show-off their guitar skills. And yeah, Bruce Dickinson’s vocals were pretty amazing, as well…
Powerslave
Into the Abyss I’ll fall – the eye of Horus Into the eyes of the night – watching me go Green is the cat’s eye that glows – in this Temple Enter the risen Osiris – risen again
Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave I don’t wanna die, I’m a God, why can’t I live on? When the Life Giver dies, all around is laid waste And in my last hour, I’m a slave to the Power of Death
When I was living this lie – Fear was my game People would worship and fall – drop to their knees So bring me the blood and red wine for the one to succeed me, for he is a man and a God – and He will die too
Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave I don’t wanna die, I’m a God, why can’t I live on? When the Life Giver dies, all around is laid waste And in my last hour, I’m a slave to the Power of Death
(guitar solos)
Now I am cold but a ghost lives in my veins Silent the terror that reigned – marbled in stone A shell of a man God preserved – for a thousand ages But open the gates of my Hell – I will strike from the grave
Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave I don’t wanna die, I’m a God, why can’t I live on? When the Life Giver dies, all around is laid waste And in my last hour, I’m a slave to the Power of Death Slave to the Power of Death… Slave to the Power of Death…
That name seems to come up quite often when the subject of best guitar solos come up. His guitar work on Pink Floyd’s single “Comfortably Numb” might not be the technical wonder of a John Petrucci guitar solo or the blues throwback to the blues greats like Duane Allman, but his two guitar solos in this song has been hailed by many as the greatest guitar solos.
Such a thing has always been subjective. What one might call the best ever might be seen as just good, but not great. The same cannot be said about Gilmour’s guitar solos (the midpoint and the outro solos in the song) on “Comfortably Numb”. There’s soul in this man’s playing. I say playing since shredding would seem such an uncouth term to describe his two solos.
Pink Floyd rightfully earns their place amongst the elite of the elite on the rock gods pantheon, but I wouldn’t be out of line by saying that David Gilmour had such a huge hand in making sure they got and stayed there.
Comfortably Numb
Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home? Come on, Come on, Come on, now, I hear you’re feeling down. Well, I can ease your pain Get you on your feet again. Relax. I’ll need some information first. Just the basic facts. Can you show me where it hurts?
There is no pain you are receding A distant ship’s smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves. Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying. When I was a child I had a FEVER My hands felt just like two balloons. Now I’ve got that feeling once again I can’t explain, you would not understand This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb. (guitar solo) I have become comfortably numb.
O.K. Just a little pin prick. There’ll be no more aaaaaaaaah! But you may feel a little sick. Can you stand up? I do believe it’s working, good. That’ll keep you going through the show Come on it’s time to go.
There is no pain you are receding A distant ship’s smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves. Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying. When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse Out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone I cannot put my finger on it now The child is grown, The dream is gone. but I have become comfortably numb.
“I accept your conviction. The lone man who thinks he can make a difference.” — Wilson Fisk
Today we saw the release of the official trailer for Netflix and Marvel Television’s first of five series based on characters from the Marvel Universe. Daredevil will be the first out of the gate and it looks to darken things a bit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by bringing to the small screen one of it’s street-level heroes.
Daredevil (aka Matt Murdock) will soon be joined by Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist in their own web series on Netflix before teaming up for the Defenders series.
Under the guiding hands of showrunner (and Whedon alum) Stephen S. DeKnight, Daredevil will soon be available for bingewatchers everywhere on April 10, 2015.
Through the Shattered Lens