5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #25

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1.  I'm a Man, by The Yardbirds

If you love a good blues romp with some sweet harmonica, you have come to the right place. The mid to late 60's British blues movement provided us with some of the best artists and tunes to ever come out of the genre and would also lay the foundation for hard rock bands to come. The Yardbirds had a number of big name artists go through its ranks like Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Cream's Eric Clapton, solo artist Jeff Beck, etc. That being said, if you're looking for the roots of rock as we know it, have a listen.

2. Satellite, by Glenn Hughes

If you feel like toning things down a few notches for a moment and just relaxing (especially at night) then Glenn Hughes can hook you up with his tune Satellite. It has tranquil elements of soft funk to it. While Hughes is known for being a power house of a vocalist, he really shows with many layers of vocals that he can also be melodic and soothing to the soul. Despite his age he shows no sign of slowing down. The bass solo he lays down in the track is also rather slick and quite fitting in the context of the rest of the song. In a way Satellite kind of makes you feel like you're floating slowly through the sky on a cloud on a warm but not too warm summer night.

3. Perpetual Burn, by Jason Becker

Now if riproaring and shredding is more your cup of tea, then give Jason Becker a try. In the late 80's Becker brought the art of neo-classical shred to a whole other level with the release of his debut solo album Perpetual Burn. The title track shows just how much the electric guitar can do when used to its full potential while still also having some passion and soul behind the notes. His performing career was unfortunately cut short when he was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 20. He still composes music to this day however through the use of special computers that follow his eye movements.

4. Carolina, by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

This song almost feels like Superstition, by Stevie Wonder on steroids. Slash and his solo band absolutely tear this funky jive up. The use of talk box really does make the song. Don't get me wrong, everything else in the song is great, but it's the groove laid down by the talk box that gets me wanting to stand up and actually shake what my momma gave me despite the fact that I'm a white boy and have no sense of rhythm in my feet.

5. Rolling in the Deep, by Adele

I know this isn't usually the kind of music I write about. Normally I hate top 40 stuff as much as the next person with any taste in music, but I feel Adele is one of the rare exceptions of a popular mainstream artist actually possessing some legitimate talent. Rolling in the Deep really does remind me of the kind of Motown and soul music that I used to listen to a lot when I was much younger. Adele has some serious vocal pipes and you can tell she puts heart and meaning into every last word she belts out.

Ozzy Osbourne Donates $10,000 to Young Percussionists Covering Crazy Train

Nearly 3/4 of a million people have watched the Louisville Leopard Percussionists' unique and thrilling reinterpretation of Ozzy Osbourne's classic song Crazy Train. [You can see it for yourself below] In fact, the Prince of Darkness himself loved it so much that he donated $10,000 from his own pocket to the group.

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists are a youth organization that provide musical education to children between the ages of 7-14 for little to no cost. The organization founded by Diane Downs over two decades ago is comprised of children from 50 different schools in the Louisville area.

Downs says in an interview with NPR:

“I want them to feel like rock starsI want them to realize, ‘Oh, this is why we work so hard in rehearsal.’ I tell them that when you’re presenting something to the public, you don’t want it to be okay — you want it to be great. So, hopefully they’re going to carry that over into their lives once they grow up too.”

This isn't the first time the group has received widespread attention. Back in February the Louisville Leopard Percussionists did their own version of Led Zeppelin's song Kashmir that was shared by guitarist Jimmy Page who said the song was "Too good not to share" when he shared it to his 1.6 million followers.

I think it's great that there are people out there who take the time and effort to help kids realize just how great it can be to play a musical instrument. There is a certain feeling of satisfaction and achievement in being able to do something that not everyone else can. This Crazy Train cover seems to prove just how much of a difference you can make in a kid's life if you give them the chance they need. Kudos to Ozzy for helping to fund such a wonderful program.

Throwback Thursday: School's Out, by Alice Cooper

In 1972 the original Alice Cooper band released its fifth studio album: School's Out. The title track School's Out is of course the album's most well known track that is still a staple in Cooper's live sets as well as played on the radio and used as a down with the establishment anthem to this very day. School's Out as a whole is a concept album that centers around the idea of trying to make your way through the struggles of academia and overbearing authority figures while also dealing with the pains of adolescence.

School's Out showcases the original Alice Cooper band at their most experimental. It features a variety of musical genres from hard rock, to jazz, to western, to even Broadway show tunes. Studio musicians such as the band's producer Bob Ezrin, Dick Wagner, and Rockin' Reggie Vincent were also brought in to add extra tonal layers to the music and make the record that much richer of a musical experience. If you're willing to listen to more than just the title track you're in for quite a unique treat.

School's Out is one of the most iconic songs in rock n' roll. It says everything that the genre was ever about. Who as a kid didn't cherish the idea of on the last day of school just absolutely trashing the place, defying all of the teachers and principals, and then never returning ever again? Musically the song is pretty simplistic but in this particular case it doesn't need to be anything more than what it already is. If anything, its simple yet impacting punch makes the point of the lyrics come across that much clearer and stronger to the intended audience.

Blue Turk is one of the most under rated songs in the Alice Cooper catalog. It is a rather jazzy/swingy mid-tempo kind of tune with a delectable bass line. One of the crown jewels of the song however is the trumpet solo. It is mildly mournful but at the same time it has a smooth sweetness to it that envelopes you in this cool relaxed lounge state of mind. It's the kind of song I would expect to hear if I were going to an old school New Orleans jazz club late at night. Blue Turk isn't exactly the kind of song you would expect to hear on a rock n' roll record, but it is a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

I actually would not consider School's Out to be a rock n' roll album. Instead, I consider it to be 40 minutes of musical exploration and diversity that has all songs built around the same concept and working to further it in a variety of ways. Odds are not every track will necessarily be to your liking, but if you give it a fair shot you will probably end up finding a handful of unexpected gems nonetheless. This really is Alice Cooper and his original band at their most inspired and through the hard work they put in it really shows.

School's Out, by Alice Cooper receives 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. School's Out
2. Luney Tune
3. Guttercat vs the Jets
4. Street Fight
5. Blue Turk
6. My Stars
7. Public Animal #9
8. Alma Mater
9. Grand Finale

Buy the album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Schools-Out-Alice-Cooper/dp/B001HADE0U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431059576&sr=8-2&keywords=School%27s+Out

Duff McKagan Streams New Song with Former GN'R Band Mate Izzy Stradlin

 
Recently it was announced that former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan would be working with his former band mate guitarist Izzy Stradlin. The two will be putting out a 3 song EP called How to Be a Man on the 12 of this month. To tide us over however, McKagan has put up one of the tracks titled How to Be a Man on his SoundCloud page.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, McKagan was asked what it was like to be playing with Stradlin once again. McKagan says:

"His guitar playing is so fucking good. Not that it surprises me, but it's like, 'Oh dude, you've been playing a lot of fucking guitar. What are you doing out there?' He's got a little creative zone out where he lives, and I think he probably sinks himself into that. I write books, I write columns, I'm pretty public, and, of course you can write and still remain private, but he is really just off the grid. His comfort zone is off the grid. He doesn't do any press, he doesn't have a publicist, and he just puts out a record every couple of years on iTunes. He's pretty pure."

The track How to Be a Man is linked at the bottom of the page. It's pretty good. I wouldn't say it was outstanding, but it was of the high caliber you would expect of these two musicians. It had a bit of a Use Your Illusion era of Guns N' Roses undertone to it. Stradlin does some fantastic acoustic guitar work and McKagan's vocals are as pure punk rock as they ever were. It's worth having a listen to if you have a few minutes to spare.

How to Be a Man stream link:

http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2015-05-06/duff-mckagan-streams-izzy-collaboration

AC/DC's Phil Rudd: "I've Seen the Error of My Ways"

 

Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has opened up to the press with his first interview since he plead guilty to the death threat and drug charges he was arrested for last November.

The interview was done on the Australian program A Current Affair. [The video of it can be watched below.] According to Rudd, the cause of all of the problems going on for him recently was a big "meltdown" caused by the major disappointment with how poorly his 2014 solo album Head Job did.

Rudd says:

“I was pretty stressed at the time. I got back here and the people who I had working for me for this launch — it was a total f—ing disaster. So I was really p—ed off.”

None of the members of AC/DC have been in contact with Rudd since the arrest. Rudd has written to them, but has received nothing but silence in return. The band has been on tour since the release of their most recent album Rock Or Bust and have replaced Rudd with former AC/DC sticksman Chris Slade who played for the band through the late 80's and early 90's.

Rudd says:

“I wrote them a letter, I tried to get in contact with [Angus Young]. I’ve had no contact with anybody. … I’m sure they’re having a great old time. I’m sure they’re really enjoying playing. I’m sure it really sounds great.”

Rudd seems to have had a change in attitude since his first post-arrest interview where he said “I’m going back to work with AC/DC, I don’t care who likes it or who doesn’t. Everyone listens to the wrong people, they should listen to me.” Rudd is doing his best to get out of doing any time in jail, but at the moment he seems to be getting serious about turning his life around for the better. In the clip he says “I’ve seen the errors of my ways. It’s onward and upward from here.”

Hopefully Rudd is true to his word. If he can avoid the jail time (which he probably can because he is a rockstar with tons of money) Rudd can once and for all clean up his act and live out his remaining years with some dignity and respectable behavior. Time will only tell, though.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #24

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1.  Maybellene, by Chuck Berry

Ahhh.... 1950's rock n' roll at its finest. Nothing gets more classic than an upbeat electric guitar boogie about drag racing cars down a country road. Plus, there is a pretty ear pleasing guitar solo for an era where the concept of guitar as a solo instrument was not particularly widespread yet. In my opinion Chuck Berry always was the true King of Rock n' Roll instead of Elvis Presley. Elvis might have done a lot of things first, but that doesn't mean he did them best. All that being said, Maybellene is a blast from the past and is a fun way to augment your sunny afternoons driving with the top down.

2. Binge and Grab, by Buckethead

If the electric guitar is something that truly appeals to you, I could not any more highly recommend the works of Buckethead. He may seem strange because he always wears a mask and bucket on his head, but his guitar chops will quickly win you over. Binge and Grab features him at his most shredding AND melodic. Despite the lack of vocals it is still a very followable song. The melodies, riffs, and guitars solos really do make up for there not being a singer; as is the case for most of Buckethead's works. This is a great driving at sunset kind of tune.

3. Seesaw, by Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart

For their 2011 collaborative album Seesaw modern blues guitar extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa and powerhouse blues vocalist Beth Hart covered the Aretha Franklin classic Seesaw. Hart does a fantastic job of keeping the soul and passion of the original alive in this cover. You can tell she is giving it everything she's got. Bonamassa while not in the forefront of the song comes busting in with a smooth bluesy guitar solo that absolutely tears things up in the sexiest way possible. It compliments the mood and feel of the tune perfectly.

4. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?, by Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa was always known for being one of the most out there and eccentric musicians to ever live. He had a lot of musical aptitude and creativity to back all of that up. One of the prime examples of this is his tune Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?. The song is about exactly what you think it's about. It's pretty funny. However, there is some legitimate musical composition behind it that makes it more than just something a pothead would sing at a party. Side note: Zappa was absolutely against drugs and alcohol, so they were never a factor in his song writing. All of those crazy lyrics were just him being him.

5. Love is All, by Roger Glover/Ronnie James Dio

Many of you know the fabled Ronnie James Dio for being the single greatest metal vocalist to ever live. However, he didn't always do such heavy dark music. In fact, there is one song he sang in his early career that is one of the single warmest and happiest songs I have ever heard. In 1974 Dio contributed vocals to a project former Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover concocted that featured dozens of talented musicians called The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. It was a concept album based on a children's book of the same name. Dio sang 3 songs on it; one being Love is All. It is a parade-esque hippie song of pure love, joy, and celebration. You wouldn't think Dio would sing of such things, but he did. Have a listen for yourself.

Sex Pistols Singer Johnny Rotten: "I Knew Sid Vicious Had No Aptitude For Music"

Sid Vicious is legend in punk rock for being one of the most notorious bassists in the genre while also having no musical talent whatsoever. Even Sex Pistols vocalist Johnny Rotten was aware of the lack of musical talent when he invited Vicious to join the band back in 1977, as he recently has admitted in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

Rotten says:

"Sid was very, very lazy. He had no work ethic – he never learned anything, and by all accounts he had no aptitude for music at all. It’s curious why I brought him in. It must have been some kind of self-destructive element. But I never had any aptitude until I started. I thought, ‘That’s how it will work. You’ll find your way.’ He got all the postures dead right – he could stare into a mirror for ever."

Rotten elaborated more on what kind of person Vicious was and how fond of him he was by saying:

"He was very hilarious, sarcastic. He loved to imitate people and he could really put them down on it because he was very good at it. But all that went sour when the drugs came in. The personality changed and shifted into a selfish drug-hunting fucker."

Vicious ended up dying in 1979 after a heroin overdose. He had been very depressed; especially since he was the prime suspect for his girlfriend Nancy Sprungen's murder. Despite the tragedy, Rotten says he would not have changed anything about the situation; saying he found it "thrilling".

I guess since punk rock has never been about having an abundance of musical aptitude the choice to induct Vicious into the ranks of the Sex Pistols makes a bit of sense to me. He had the image and attitude down pat. Too bad he couldn't pick up on bass just enough to play through songs properly, though. Either way, Vicious's story is an intriguing one and will be told for years to come.