We’ve finally reached the finish line. It’s now Halloween. Enjoy the sun while it out and about because when it goes down and the sky darken and turns to black, the ghouls and monsters come out to play.
Those inclined towards enjoying the darker aspects of life will dance and play throughout the night as they continue their way down the highway to hell.
“Highway to Hell”
Living easy, livin’ free Season ticket, on a one – way ride Asking nothing, leave me be Taking everything in my stride Don’t need reason, don’t need rhyme Ain’t nothing I would rather do Going down, party time My friends are gonna be there too
I’m on the highway to hell On the Highway to hell Highway to hell I’m on the highway to hell
No stop signs, speedin’ limit Nobody’s gonna slow me down Like a wheel, gonna spin it Nobody’s gonna mess me ’round Hey Satan! Paid my dues Playin’ in a rockin’ band Hey Mama! Look at me I’m on my way to the promise land
I’m on the highway to hell Highway to hell I’m on the highway to hell Highway to hell
Dont stop me!
I’m on the highway to hell! I’m on the highway to hell! I’m on the highway to hell! I’m on the highway to hell!
And I’m goin down..all the way! I’m on the highway to hell..
This past week saw another great musician pass away.
Ed King was an integral part of the three-guitar sound that made the Lynyrd Skynyrd sound so unique among the other blues-inspired American rock bands of the 70’s. Some have called Ed King the backbone of the band.
He was great either on bass guitar or as the third guitarist. The latter becoming the signature sound of the band’s most popular song and one of their most requested: “Free Bird.”
While it’d be simple enough to commemorate Ed King’s passing with another listen to that hit song, it’s on another much simpler song of the band’s that best typifies the member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. He who helped give them their signature sound and whose laid-back attitude finally convinced him that it was time to leave the band when the atmosphere around it began to turn mean and violent.
Some fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd don’t have good things to say about Ed King. They think he bailed on the group just when they were reaching the pinnacle of their success and popularity. But as the song “Simple Man” says, “Oh, take your time, don’t live too fast.”
That was Ed King. It’s time you joined the rest of your band mates waiting for you up above.
Simple Man
Mama told me when I was young “Come sit beside me, my only son And listen closely to what I say And if you do this it’ll help you some sunny day”
“Oh, take your time, don’t live too fast Troubles will come and they will pass You’ll find a woman and you’ll find love And don’t forget, son, there is someone up above”
“And be a simple kind of man Oh, be something you love and understand Baby be a simple kind of man Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can”
“Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold All that you need is in your soul And you can do this, oh baby, if you try All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied”
“And be a simple kind of man Oh, be something you love and understand Baby be a simple kind of man Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can”
Oh yes, I will
“Boy, don’t you worry, you’ll find yourself Follow your heart and nothing else And you can do this, oh baby, if you try All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied”
“And be a simple kind of man Oh, be something you love and understand Baby be a simple kind of man Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can”
Baby, be a simple, be a simple man Oh, be something you love and understand Baby, be a simple kind of man
Chris Cornell passed away on May 17, 2017 and the world is that much more empty with his passing.
He was 52 and joins the others Gods of Rock in the afterlife.
R.I.P. Chris Cornell.
I Am the Highway
Pearls and swine bereft of me Long and weary my road has been I was lost in the cities Alone in the hills No sorrow or pity for leaving I feel
I am not your rolling wheels I am the highway I am not your carpet ride I am the sky
Friends and liars don’t wait for me ‘Cause I’ll get on all by myself I put millions of miles Under my heels And still too close to you I feel
I am not your rolling wheels I am the highway I am not your carpet ride I am the sky I am not your blowing wind I am the lightning I am not your autumn moon I am the night, night
I am not your rolling wheels I am the highway I am not your carpet ride I am the sky I am not your blowing wind I am the lightning I am not your autumn moon I am the night, night Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
About three weeks ago, I attended the Vanilla Fudge 50th Anniversary show at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, MA. It’s a great venue to see a concert, with an intimate 280 seat capacity. Three of the four original members performed (bassist Tim Bogert is retired from active touring), and their psychedelic, proto-metal stylings had the joint rocking hard. Keyboard wizard Mark Stein, guitarist Vinnie Martell, new bass player Pete Bremy, and legendary drummer Carmine Appice tore the house down with their renditions of hits like “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”, “Take Me for a Little While”, and “People Get Ready”.
Much as I enjoyed all their musicianship, the main reason I went was to catch Carmine Appice, one of rock’s all-time greatest drummers. The band did a meet-and-greet after the show, and I snatched by a copy of Appice’s recent book, STICK IT! MY LIFE OF SEX…
So, the latest “Song of the Day” comes courtesy of Led Zeppelin and also in no small part from the release of the first trailer for the third Thor in the MCU (that’s Marvel Cinematic Universe for those who have been living in a cave the last 10 years).
“Immigrant Song” has been used in past trailers though not as often as people think. Led Zeppelin has been very selective of who uses (and pays) for the license to use their songs.
Whether the song makes it into Thor: Ragnarok still to be determined, but it definitely fits the trailer as it sings of Vikings and their call to ship off to find new lands, adventure and battle.
So, yes, Lisa Marie, that song in the Thor: Ragnarok teaser trailer was definitely Led Zeppelin.
Immigrant Song
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow
Hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde and sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming
On we sweep with the threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow
How soft your fields so green can whisper tales of gore
Of how we calmed the tides of war
We are your overlords
On we sweep with the threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore
So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing
One cannot reminisce about the 80’s music scene without including the biggest (and most dangerous) band of that decade. Well, the band and it’s handlers sure thought of them that way. The band I speak of is Guns N’ Roses. this was the band that dared to put the word hard back into hard rock after the glam metal scene began to turn it into a joke.
Nothing against glam metal. Mötley Crüe was and is a favorite rock band of the 80’s for me. Yet, even they succumbed to the hairspray overload that glam metal would turn into. These bands became more about their look (especially in their music videos) than actually playing good music.
Guns N’ Roses still had the teased hair, but their music when they released their Appetite for Destruction album was a breath of fresh air in the hard rock scene and would grab glam metal fans from the vapors of hairnet spray into the dark, dingy bluesy lounges and then the overwhelming open air arenas.
I’ve already featured two of the bands most famous tracks from their first album, “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, so it’s time to give their third biggest hit from this album time to shine.
“Paradise City” is a place we all should aspire to visit.
Paradise City
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home (Oh, won’t you please take me home?)
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home (Oh, won’t you please take me home?)
Just an urchin livin’ under the street I’m a hard case that’s tough to beat I’m your charity case so buy me somethin’ to eat I’ll pay you at another time Take it to the end of the line
Rags to riches or so they say You gotta keep pushin’ for the fortune and fame You know it’s, it’s all a gamble when it’s just a game You treat it like a capital crime Everybody’s doin’ their time
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home, yeah, yeah?
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home
Strapped in the chair of the city’s gas chamber Why I’m here, I can’t quite remember The surgeon general says it’s hazardous to breathe I’d have another cigarette but I can’t see Tell me who ya gonna believe
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah, yeah Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home, yeah?
So far away So far away So far away So far away
Captain America’s been torn apart Now he’s a court jester with a broken heart He said “Turn me around and take me back to the start” I must be losin’ my mind, are you blind? I’ve seen it all a million times
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah, yeah
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home?
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah, yeah
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home, home
Oh, I want to go, I want to know Oh, won’t you please take me home? I want to see how good it can be Oh, won’t you please take me home?
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home?
Take me down, take me down Oh, won’t you please take me home? I want to see how good it can be Oh, won’t you please take me home?
I want to see how good it can be Oh, oh take me home
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home?
I want to know, I want to know Oh, won’t you please take me home? Yeah, baby
To say that the Wilson Sisters (Nancy and Ann) who fronted the band Heart will forever be crushes would be an understatement. These ladies, for a growing teenager whose hormones were on overdrive, were a surprising find during the early years of MTV when they actually showed music videos. The sisters and their band had already made their bones during the 70’s but for most boys and girls of my era it would be the “Big Hair” Era of hard rock during the 1980’s that would introduce Nancy and Ann Wilson to a new generation of fans.
I was already on board the Wilson train (Nancy being my favorite) with their two power ballads from their 1985 self-titled album, “Alone” and “These Dreams”, but these ladies were not just about power ballads. They could rock out with the best of their male counterparts. The fact that both Ann and Nancy were accomplished singers in their own right put them heads and shoulders above most of the hard rock frontmen. Ann Wilson could belt out a tune, hold a note for ages and not lose any power behind those vocals. Nancy would do back-up duties, but no less impressive as a soprano, but it would be her work as lead guitarist that would mesmerize a certain young teenager.
It would be in the track “Never” that the band busts out their hard rock chops. They sure don’t make bands like these anymore. These ladies rocked then and they rock now. Rock on, ladies!
Never
Hey baby I’m talking to you Stop yourself and listen Some things you can never never choose Even if you try, yeah You’re bangin’ your head again ‘Cause somebody won’t let you in One chance . . . one love Your chance to let me know
We can’t go on Just running away If we stay any longer We will surely never get away Anything you want—we can make it happen Stand up and turn around Never let them shoot us down Never—Never Never—Never run away
Hey baby you know it’s true Why you bother lying when you know That you want it too Don’t you dare deny me Walk those legs right over here Give me what I’m dying for One chance . . . one love Hold me down never let me go
We can’t go on Just running away If we wait any longer We will surely never get away Anything you want—we can make it happen Stand up and turn around Never let them shoot us down Never—Never Never—Never run away Never—Never Never—Never run away
Hey baby I’m talking to you Stop yourself and listen Some things you can never choose Even if you try, yeah You’re bangin’ your head again ‘Cause somebody won’t let you in One chance . . . one love Your chance to let me know
We can’t go on Just running away If we stay any longer We will surely never get away
Last year, I did a mini-series of “Song of the Day” that featured some of my favorite rock and metal guitar solos. This time around I plan to showcase some of my favorite guitar riffs from the world of rock and metal. I’ll be limiting my choice on the metal side to the basic metal. I’m not as well-versed on the more unique and esoteric offshoots of metal. For that one must go to our resident metal intellectual necromoonyeti.
To start things off is a classic hard rock tune the began the post-Bon Scott Era (the band’s previous frontman who had tragically passed away before recording this follow-up album). The band would tap ex-Geordie frontman Brian Johnson to front the band. The rest as they say is rock history.
The Back In Black album would become one of the biggest-selling rock albums in history and it’s title track would become just one of many platinum-certified hits from that album. The song would become not just one of rock’s greatest songs, but become a pop icon as films, tv shows and event sporting events would use it’s iconic opening riff and follow-up melody to celebrate one’s rebellious nature.
Back In Black
Back in black I hit the sack It’s been too long I’m glad to be back Yes, I’m let loose From the noose That’s kept me hanging around I’ve been looking at the sky and it’s gettin’ me high Forget the hearse ’cause I never die I got nine lives Cats eyes Cruisin’ every woman, never wonderin’ why
CHORUS: ‘Cause I’m back Yes, I’m back Well, I’m back Yes, I’m back Well, I’m back, back Well I’m back in black Yes, I’m back in black
Back in the back Of a Cadillac Number one with a bullet, I’m a power pack Yes, I’m in a bang With a gang They’ve got to catch me if they want me to hang Cause I’m back on the track And I’m beatin’ the flack Nobody’s gonna get me on another rap So look at me now I’m just makin’ my play Don’t try to push your luck, just get out of my way
CHORUS
Well, I’m back, Yes I’m back Well, I’m back, Yes I’m back Well, I’m back, back Well I’m back in black Yes I’m back in black
hooo yeah Ohh yeah Yes I am Oooh yeah, yeah Oh yeah Back in now Well I’m back, I’m back Back, I’m back Back, I’m back Back, I’m back Back, I’m back Back Back in black Yes I’m back in black
Late today the heavy metal and hard rock world were hit with some sad news. Lemmy Kilmister (born Ian Fraser Kilmister) died at the age of 70 from cancer.
Lemmy was the frontman and the face of the band Motörhead and one the great bassist of hard rock and heavy metal. His band would help influence the rise of both speed metal and thrash metal. The band would combine the speed of punk with the heavy sound of metal. While he would never acknowledge his contribution to both speed and thrash, Lemmy and his band’s influence would be felt early on. Metallica even covered one of the band’s classic songs, “Overkill”, as a birthday gift to Lemmy.
Lemmy lived his life as he saw fit. He drank, did the drugs, had the sex and continued to do so despite what the world at large thought of such behavior. He was one of the true gods of rock and his presence will be sorely missed. Yet, despite his passing he would be the first to tell everyone to get off their asses and celebrate his life and not mourn his death.
I plan to do just that and drink a couple fingers of bourbon in his honor.
Rest in peace Lemmy.
Killed by Death
If you squeeze my lizard I´ll put my snake on you I´m a romantic adventure And I´m a reptile too
CHORUS: But it don´t make no difference ´cos I ain´t gonna be, easy, easy the only time I´m gonna be easy´s when I´m Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
I´m a lone wolf ligger But I ain´t no pretty boy I´m a backbone shiver and I´m a bundle of joy
CHORUS
But it don´t make no difference ´cos I ain´t gonna be, easy, easy the only time I´m easy´s when I´m Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
Through good times and bad I have always been a huge fan and follower of Metallica. Even as they foolishly went off track following the path Bob Rock set for them throughout most of the 1990’s through the disastrous St. Anger debacle as they tried to return to their earlier sound, I have always followed this band which made up the original Big 4 of thrash metal (Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth).
It was on their 1998 cover album, Garage Inc., that the band released one of their most popular songs. It wasn’t an original, but a cover of the classic Bob Seger hard rock song about the hard road and life of a musician. Seger’s “Turn the Page” is just one of those hard rock tunes that latches onto the listener and forces them to listen and understand. Most such songs tend to be quite pretentious with nothing much to say once the listener really pays attention. The same cannot be said about Seger’s song.
Metallica decided to cover this song for their Garage Inc. album which was all about them covering their own favorite hard rock and metal songs of the past. While Metallica kept the original’s tempo, they added their own heavier and harder edge to song that straddles the line between hard rock and heavy metal. Even James Hetfield’s alcohol and cigarette ravaged vocals lent a sense of the hard road and life the track sings about.
The biggest change from the Seger song to Metallica’s cover has to be the accompanying music video which still remains one of the most controversial in MTV’s music video history (well, when they still played music videos). Seger’s song was released in 1973 when the concept of music video was nonexistent. With Metallica’s cover it was almost a guarantee that it would get a music video and what a video it was and still is.
The video was directed by Jonas Akerlund who had made a name for himself directing some of the most creative and innovative music videos of the day. His take on the song switches from a musician’s hard road and life on the road to that of a single mother trying to make ends meet as an erotic dancer by day and a prostitute by night to provide for her young daughter. The video was banned from receiving any sort of airplay on MTV as it dealt and showed the disturbing side of such a life. The fact that the tamer version of the video (below) still couldn’t make it on the airwaves just showed how much more haunting and controversial the uncensored version turned out to be.
Turn the Page
On a long and lonesome highway, East of Omaha You can listen to the engines Moanin’ out it’s one note song You can think about the woman, Or the girl you knew the night before But your thoughts will soon be wanderin’, The way they always do When you’re ridin’ 16 hours, And there’s nothin’ much to do And you don’t feel much like ridin’, You just wish the trip was through
(Chorus)
Here I am, on the road again, There I am, up on the stage There I go, playin’ star again, There I go, turn the page
So you walk into this restaurant, All strung out from the road And you feel the eyes upon you, As you’re shakin’ off the cold You pretend it doesn’t bother you, But you just want to explode Yeah, most times you can’t hear ’em talk, Other times you can
All the same old cliches, Is it woman, is it man And you always seem outnumbered, You don’t dare make a stand Make your stand
(Chorus) Ah But here I am, on the road again, There I am, up on the stage Here I go, ah playin’ star again, There I go, turn the page Woah
Out there in the spotlight, You’re a million miles away Every ounce of energy, You try and give away As the sweat pours out your body, Like the music that you play
Later in the evenin’, As you lie awake in bed With the echoes of the amplifiers, Ringin’ in your head You smoke the day’s last cigarette, Rememberin’ what she said
What she said
Yeah, and here I am, On the road again, There I am, up on that stage Here I go, playin’ star again, There I go, turn the page And there I go, turn that page
There I go, yeah, Here I go, yeah, yeah There I go, yeah, Here I go, yeah Here I go, There I go And I’m gone
