5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #148

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. Sailing, by Guns N' Roses

Before I had heard this, had you told me that GN'R once did a cover of a Rod Stewart song I'd have laughed in your face and told you you were crazy. However, back in 2006 Axl Rose and his solo band that they were calling Guns N' Roses at the time decided to do it just for fun. Somehow though it turned into this grand, epic musical moment. They took a wimpy soft ballad and made it something so much bigger and better.

2. Gone Shootin', by AC/DC

This is one under appreciated AC/DC tune. It has this nice steady groove from the bass with this sexy blues lick played on the guitar throughout the verses. This is another example of where you hear the Young brothers' early blues influence shining through all the loud hard rocking. Bon Scott of course brings it all together with his dirty, sleazy, charismatic singing. This song deserves to be played and talked about just as much as any of the other big AC/DC hits for sure.

3. Love in Vain, by Eric Clapton

In my opinion, watching Eric Clapton play Robert Johnson songs is the next best thing to seeing the man himself playing them these days. Clapton has the guitar technique down pat and his voice has plenty of soul to back it up. You can tell that he absolutely loves what he is doing whenever he is playing one of those songs. This tune in particular is my absolute favorite Robert Johnson cover that he ever did. It has charm up the wazoo.

4. Turn to Stone, by Electric Light Orchestra

ELO has more hits and other great songs than you could ever count. This song is among them, and for great reason. It brings together the best of 70's dance music as well as classical into something unique and original for the time. Many people have tried to emulate, but never managed to duplicate the kind of magic this tune brings to your speakers. There is after all only one Jeff Lynne and Richard Tandy.

5. Sidewinder, by Avenged Sevenfold

This in my opinion is one of A7X's coolest songs. It's loud, rocking, metal, and evil sounding, but that is by no means the highlight of the song. Honestly, the best part is the last couple minutes where lead guitarist Synyster Gates and his father Brian Haner who guest starred on the album take each other on in an acoustic flamenco duel that flows from one part to the next incredibly smoothly while showing off the same kind of smoking chops you know them to have on electric.