The very first concert I saw was… er, a very long time ago! Teenybop pop rockers Herman’s Hermits headlined the show, and the opening act was The Blues Magoos, performing their #5 Billboard hit, “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet”:
The Blues Magoos, from The Bronx, were early practitioners of psychedelic rock’n’roll, going so far as to name their debut album “Psychedelic Lollipop”. They were loud, heavy, and wore these electric suits that blinked on and off during their rendition of the classic “Tobacco Road”:
Even without the suits, they were pretty far out, man! The lineup consisted of Emil “Peppy Castro” Theilheim (vocals, rhythm guitar), Mike Esposito (lead guitar), Ralph Scala (organ), Ron Gilbert (bass), and Geoff Daking (drums). They made the rounds of all the TV shows, like AMERICAN BANDSTAND, THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR , and the above clip from a Jack Benny-hosted episode of THE KRAFT MUSIC…
I missed a couple of nights with a post leading up to Valentine’s Day. So, I shall make it up with a quickie, but definitely a classic choice for latest “Song of the Day”.
In what has to be one of the sexiest and raunchiest songs to explode from that little supergroup called Led Zeppelin in late 1969. Everything about this song oozes sex from Robert Plant’s performance to the silky riffs by Jimmy Page right up to the rhythmic pounding by Bonham on drums.
The song I speak of “Whole Lotta Love” and considered a favorite amongst fans of the group. Enough talk and just listen. I’m pretty sure there’s a sizable number of people who visit this site and go on the many social media outlets that owe their existence to their parents having this song on.
Whole Lotta Love
You need coolin’, baby, I’m not foolin’ I’m gonna send ya back to schoolin’ Way down inside, a-honey, you need it I’m gonna give you my love I’m gonna give you my love, oh
Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love
You’ve been learnin’ And baby, I been learnin’ All them good times Baby, baby, I’ve been a-yearnin’, ah A-way, way down inside A-honey, you need-a I’m gonna give you my love, ah I’m gonna give you my love, ah
Oh, whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love I don’t want more
Ooh, just a little bit Ah, ah, ah, ah Ah, hah, hah Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah No, no, no, no, ah Love, low-ow-ow-ow-ove Oh, my, my, my
You’ve been coolin’ And baby, I’ve been droolin’ All the good times, baby, I’ve been misusin’ A-way, way down inside I’m gonna give ya my love I’m gonna give ya every inch of my love (Ah) I’m gonna give you my love Yeah, alright, let’s go
Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love Wanna whole lotta love
(Way down inside) Way down inside (Way down inside, woman, you) Woman (Woman, you) You need it (Need) Love
My, my, my, my My, my, my, my, oh Shake for me, girl I wanna be your backdoor man Hey, oh, hey, oh Hey, oh, ooh Oh, oh, oh, oh Hoo-ma, ma, hey Keep a-coolin’, baby A-keep a-coolin’, baby A-keep a-coolin’, baby Ah, keep a-coolin’, baby, ah, ah-hah, oh-oh
TSL writer necromoonyeti randomly recommended “Naki Kyoku” by Boris to me out of the blue one day and just said, “you’re gonna love this.” No buildup, no explanation—just that confidence. And honestly, it didn’t take long to see why. The track doesn’t hit you all at once; it kind of eases in, like it knows it’s going to win you over eventually.
What really hooked me is how the song balances this heavy, almost suffocating atmosphere with something strangely delicate underneath. The guitars feel thick and immersive, but they’re not trying to overwhelm you—they just kind of surround you. There’s this hazy, dreamlike quality to it, like you’re drifting through something emotional you can’t quite put into words, but you definitely feel it.
If you’re expecting Boris to go full-on loud or abrasive, this track flips that expectation. It’s way more restrained, but somehow just as intense. Instead of chaos, it leans into mood and slow-building weight. It feels introspective, almost like the song is asking you to sit with it rather than react to it, and that makes it stick in a different way than their heavier stuff.
Honestly, it’s one of those songs you don’t fully get on a casual listen—you kind of have to give it space. Throw it on late at night with headphones and just let it play out. It’s subtle, but once it clicks, it really lingers. That recommendation ended up being dead-on.
It’s a Friday night, long day at work and now home to relax, unwind and just plain decompress. What better way to do this than to have a glass of 16-year old Lagavulin single-malt scotch whisky (three fingers worth poured), a pint of Guinness, a nice novel and, finally, light up a nice cigar. But to truly round things out listening to The Black Keys’ Attack & Release album just tops it all.
One particular track in their 2008 Delta-blues and Zeppelin psychedelic rock fusion album which really gets my head nodding to the beat and my foot tapping is the second track listed. I speak of “I Got Mine” and does this song ever blow my mind like 10k call-girl with skills. This song right from it’s first heavy chord right down to the last brings to mind some down and dirty southern, Mississippi Delta-blues and classic Hendrix psychedelic rock. While this song like the rest of the album has a more polished sound than the typical lo-fi and “garage band” music The Black Keys have been known for it still retains an in-the-moment and live vibe to the track.
The first 30 or so seconds of the beginning is an aural assault from Dan Auerbach almost channeling Hendrix and Duane Allman. Accompanying Auerbach on the drums is the heavy sticks of Patrick Carney who seem to be attempting to pound every drum beat right straight through onto the floor. Delta-blues segues into a psychedelic late-middle section before the two fuse into one unique sound to finish off the song.
When it comes to two-man rock bands many seem to be fans of The White Stripes with a growing legion of music lovers prefering Flight of the Conchords. They’re both very good groups, but I’ll choose The Black Keys w/ Auerbach and Carney over the two any day of the week plus Sundays twice over. The Black Keys really keep classic southern blues rock alive and well.
Through the Shattered Lens 