5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #20

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. House of the Rising Son, by Frijid Pink

In case you missed this past Thursday's post, Frijid Pink were a late 60's/early 70's Detroit based band that specialized in blending psychedelic/acid rock with blues and hard rock. On their debut album Frijid Pink they released a cover of the beloved classic House of the Rising Sun. This version packs much more of a hard rock punch than the version made famous by The Animals. It's the only version as far as I'm concerned that even comes close to rivaling it. With the howling vocals and powerful guitars it's difficult to not be blown away by this passionate cover.

 
2. Sweet Home Chicago, by Robert Johnson

Want to go waaaaay back to the beginnings of what would become rock n' roll? Having supposedly sold his soul to the devil for talent to play the guitar, Robert Johnson is pretty much who many people consider to be the father of the blues as we know it today. During his short life Johnson in the 30's would record on cheap equipment many songs that would become blues standards, including Sweet Home Chicago, Crossroads, Hellhound on My Trail, etc. This original version of Sweet Home Chicago is about as old school delta blues as you can get. With nothing but a guitar, his voice, and the sweet warm crackle of old school vinyl Johnson left a HUGE legacy behind.

3. Frankenstein, by Edgar Winter Group

If you don't know this funky 70's instrumental, then you've been living under a rock. Frankenstein has everything: big guitar riffs, slick synthesizer, sexy saxophone solos, iconic drum solos, and so much more. It's a fantastic song to put on at a party; especially if you have some strobe lights going on in the room. Frankenstein also a great tune to listen to with headphones. So many things bounce around and build up in ways that raise the hairs on your arms and neck. If somehow you have gone your whole life without listening to it, I'm prescribing this to you. Fill it now.

4. Lay It On the Line, by Triumph

If you've listened to a decent amount of classic rock radio you have probably heard this Triumph classic at some point or another. Released in 1979 on their Just a Game album Lay It On the Line helped give birth to the 80's arena rock genre. It features some juicy dual guitar harmonies, punchy riffs, powerful rhythms, melodic guitar solos, and vocals that go up to the rafters. It will get your fist pumping and have you singing along to the chorus in no time. It just goes to show you that Rush aren't the only Canadians who know how to rock.

5. Soul Love, by David Bowie

During David Bowie's early 70's glam rock phase he put out what is considered by many to be his most iconic album: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. It featured so many great songs; even if not all of them were big hits on the radio. The track from this album Soul Love is really laid back and mostly acoustic. It has almost a Latin type rhythm to it. However, the crown jewel of the song is Bowie's saxophone solo. It is so passionate, melodic, and warm. It feels like you're being enveloped by a warm blanket of music when listening to it. I find myself swaying side to side to it quite often.