5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #37

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. Your Time is Gonna Come, by Led Zeppelin

This delightful track from Led Zeppelin's first album is eargasmic tapestry of electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and organ blending together. The keys really do make it feel like a churchy religious experience. Then again, any time one listens to Led Zeppelin it is the equivalent of a religious experience. The lyrics are pretty relateable. Everyone at some point has dealt with someone who is less than faithful to them.

 2. Alexis, by The James Gang

After Joe Walsh left The James Gang in the early 70's the band actually continued on by hiring a new singer and guitar player to replace him. The guitarist was none other than young jazz fusion master Tommy Bolin. In 1973 the band put out an album called Bang and it featured a track that Bolin also took vocals on titled Alexis. It is a pretty relaxed tune with some serious jazz vibe to it, yet it still feels like it belongs on a rock album. It definitely doesn't suit the picture people get when they think of The James Gang, but they might like it nonetheless.

 3. While My Guitar Gentley Weeps, by The Beatles

This is probably the most iconic George Harrison song from his entire career both with the Beatles and as a solo artist. It's a sad song, but it is all kinds of epic. Fun fact: Eric Clapton played the lead guitar parts on this song but was uncredited. When he came into the studio they made his amp settings sound as close to the Beatles as possible so that it would blend in with the rest of the song and fool people into thinking it was someone in the band playing.

 4. New Orleans, by Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures was a Hollywood based band from the early 2000's that included Sixx AM and former Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba before he really hit it big. This song has a serious GN'R vibe to it. You can really tell that that was the sound they were going for. The melodies are so catchy and memorable (especially the ones from the lead guitar) that you can easily forgive this and get caught up in the moment of enjoying this song for what it is: a rocking good time.

5. The Way, by California Breed

Though California Breed only lasted for one album and tour, they did some fantastic heavy funk rock during their tenure. The true attitude, power, and soul of the band can be summed up in the opening track titled The Way from their album. It has punch and balls yet at the same time there is melody and soul. It is something you can rock out to but also get immersed in at the same time. It is a unique experience to say the least.