Throwback Thursday: Get Your Wings, by Aerosmith

In 1974 Aerosmith was nowhere near the rock n' roll household name they are today. They only had one record out and had only just started to tread their way down the path. When they put out their second album Get Your Wings however, they definitely got more of a leg up because this is when they really started developing their signature sound and putting out hits that people would remember forever. They still had a long way to go after this, but they definitely got a lot further than they already were even if none of the songs made the pop charts at the time.

Get Your Wings is where Aerosmith started exploring a bit more musically and developing a sound that was uniquely theirs. Where their debut album Aerosmith was basically just blues on steroids, Get Your Wings got a bit heavier and delved into more creative song structure and writing though the blues influence was very much still present in much of the music. It featured memorable songs like Same Old Song and Dance, Pandora's Box, Train Kept A-Rollin', etc.

Pandora's Box has always been one of my favorite songs from this album even if no one else seems to talk about it. It has this bluesy signature riff that is so catchy and gets ingrained in your head. It picks up and grooves pretty well. It's filled with all kinds of innuendos and rock n' roll badassery. It also features some loud and proud horn playing to back it up as well, making it almost feel like it's a Las Vegas show girl song. Incidentally, drummer Joey Kramer wrote the riff to the song when he found a guitar in a dumpster one day and started playing it.

Same Old Song and Dance is probably the best remembered song from this record. I can't say I blame anyone because this has a lot of that flare that only Aerosmith can conjure up. It's got everything a good Aerosmith song needs: a steady groove from Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton, some snarling bluesy guitar licks and riffs from Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, powerful gritty vocals from Steven Tyler, and lyrics that while down and dirty tell a story that you can follow. I find it pretty awesome that despite the lack of a real chorus aside from a short refrain people still find it so memorable.

Get Your Wings while definitely not Aerosmith's best album is a great way to hear for yourself the progression of the band's sound from a ragtag rough n' tumble blues band from Boston to the stadium filling rock n' roll icons that we know them to be today. They definitely sound a lot more like themselves on this record and you can tell that they were hungry and wanting to push for the best record they could make. It's a solid time capsule of a special time in Aerosmith's growth.

Get Your Wings, by Aerosmith receives 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Same Old Song and Dance
2. Lord of the Thighs
3. Spaced
4. Woman of the World
5. S.O.S. (Too Bad)
6. Train Kept A-Rollin'
7. Seasons of Wither
8. Pandora's Box

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Wings-Clean-Aerosmith/dp/B00138CV00/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1510909684&sr=8-1&keywords=Get+Your+Wings+Aerosmith

Aerosmith Guitarist Joe Perry Announces New Solo Album

Photo courtesy of joeperry.com

It's been five years since Aerosmith put out any new music and about eight since lead guitarist Joe Perry did solo for a non-holiday release. Kind of a long time to wait for new music from any of the Bad Boys from Boston. However, that is about to change as Perry is about to put out a brand new solo album according to a report from Ultimate Classic Rock.

The album, titled Sweetzerland Manifesto has no release date yet, but it features a great deal of rock n' roll royalty on it such as David Johansen (singer for the New York Dolls), Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son) on drums, Johnny Depp, Perry's sons Tony and Roman, Robin Zander (singer for Cheap Trick), as well as Terry Reid.

In a recent statement regarding the album, Perry said:

"It's going to be interesting to see what songs people gravitate to because there's such a wide variety of tunes."

I'm intrigued by the fact that there are two instrumental tracks on the album (the full track listing is below). Then again, Perry is a guitar player and as a guitar player myself I know we kind of tend to like to have our moment in the sun that isn't just 16 bars 3/4 of the way through a song. I like a lot of the people he has playing on his record, so I'll definitely be looking forward to the album's release.

Joe Perry, 'Sweetzerland Manifesto' Track Listing:

Rumble in the Jungle (instrumental)
I'll Do Happiness (featuring Terry Reid)
Aye, Aye, Aye (featuring Robin Zander)
I Wanna Roll (featuring David Johansen)
Sick & Tired (featuring Reid)
Haberdasher Blues (featuring Johansen)
Spanish Sushi (instrumental)
Eve of Destruction (featuring Perry)
I'm Going Crazy (featuring Johansen)
Won't Let Me Go (featuring Terry Reid)

ELO Announce US Tour

Photo courtesy of efestivals.

Next year after 37 years since Electric Light Orchestra's last extensive tour across the Atlantic, Jeff Lynne is planning on bringing his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted band to the United States for a 10 date tour.

On the subject of the tour, the band released a statement saying:

“On the heels of a once-in-a-lifetime Wembley Stadium show and a European tour in 2017, Jeff Lynne’s ELO announces its first North American tour in 30 plus years produced by Live Nation.

Jeff Lynne’s last extensive US tour with ELO was in 1981. Known as one of the most iconic forces in music history, Jeff Lynne’s ELO has spent the last two years with a critically acclaimed and chart-topping album, a sold out run of UK and European shows, as well as an induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.”

The tickets will go on sale at 10 AM local time on November 17th at Ticketmaster. Needless to say, I know I'm pretty stoked and am going to be trying to get hold of a ticket to what will probably be my one and only chance to see such an iconic and extraordinary band. It's not every day that ELO is right in your backyard performing (metaphorically speaking).

Jeff Lynne’s ELO 2018 North American Tour Dates:

Aug 02: Oakland Oracle Arena, CA
Aug 04: Los Angeles The Forum, CA
Aug 08: Denver Pepsi Center, CO
Aug 10: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Aug 13: Dallas American Airlines Center, TX
Aug 15: Rosemont Allstate Arena, IL
Aug 16: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Aug18: Toronto Air Canada Centre, ON
Aug 21: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Aug 24: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #142

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. Long Wavy Black Hair, by Led Zeppelin

In 1969 Led Zeppelin went on the radio to do a performance session at the BBC. Included in the set were a number of their own songs as well as renditions of classic blues tunes. This is one of the blues songs that is actually a blend primarily of a Sleepy John Estes tune by the name of The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curley Hair and a number of other blues songs. I'm not sure what you would call this, but it's still some fine, raw, rocking music from one of the best bands to ever exist early in their career.

2. Save Me, by Rival Sons

I've seen Rival Sons live four times and they have never once played this tune, which is sad because it is really driving and uptempo. It would REALLY get the crowd going. I'm surprised that it wasn't made a single from the album. It definitely has all of the elements a good rock single needs: crunchy guitars, a fast rhythm, a charismatic vocal melody, and memorable lyrics. Maybe it will be one of those songs that they retroactively promote at their shows some day?

3. Straight for the Heart, by Whitesnake

This is another one of those songs where I wonder why it has never gotten more attention. It has never been played live by the band, though singer and band leader David Coverdale regrets that. It's another driving and uptempo song in a fairly similar vein to a previous release of theirs, Guilty of Love. This song however has crunchier riffs and more flamboyant melodies. This could have easily been a high selling single in the charts back in 1987.

4. Blue Blood Blues, by The Dead Weather

This was the song that got me hooked on The Dead Weather right from the get-go. The way that opening riff just pounds through your speakers just shakes you in a way that not many songs can. It's powerful. It's deep. Then there is the dual vocals between Allison Mosshart and Jack White, which when harmonized sound like something out of the netherworld. It's dark. It's scary. It's oh so intriguing and tempting you to dive down the rabbit hole that is The Dead Weather.

5. Gold on the Ceiling, by The Black Keys

This is one of the first songs I ever remember hearing by The Black Keys a few years back. This is when the band had REALLY hit the big time with their 2012 release El Camino. The way it blends modern electric keyboard with soulful hard hitting 70's blues rock is impeccable. It's definitely a catchy song and rightfully earned its place among the top ranking songs in the rock and mainstream charts at the time.

Alice Cooper Gives Tribute to Former Drummer Whitey Glan

Photo Courtesy of Alice Cooper

Many artists who have reached the stratosphere in terms of career would never have been able to do so without the right help, especially in music. Alice Cooper is certainly no exception to this, but he acknowledged it recently when making a statement paying tribute to his former drummer Whitey Glan who just passed away.

Glan was Cooper's drummer for Welcome to My Nightmare back in 1975 and would stay in his live band throughout the rest of the 70's. He recently passed away of lung cancer. Cooper made a statement on his Facebook page paying tribute to his fallen comrade, saying:

"Rest in Peace, Whitey! I picked Whitey Glan as the drummer for my Welcome to My Nightmare Tour because he was simply the best drummer around, not knowing he could drink me under a table. He was just a great guy, everybody who’s worked with him considered him one of their best friends. He was one of rock's premier drummers, but in my opinion he was very under rated and under publicized -- he was certainly a drummer's drummer! Canada is less one world class musician."

Sadly I myself was unaware of Glan, but from what I've heard of his work with Alice Cooper he was nothing to scoff at. It's a shame when such talented musicians go unknown and under appreciated. Often times they are more talented than the people they are supporting. Hopefully people in light of this will look back through Glan's catalog and learn to recognize and appreciate him more.

Throwback Thursday: "Lightning to the Nations", by Diamond Head

In 1980 there was a huge renaissance happening in the world of heavy metal. With the rising of the punk movement in the mid-late 70's metal had taken a massive downturn. However, it wasn't long before heavy metal struck back in an energetic, dark, and powerful way in the form of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM for short). Many great new bands came out of this movement, including one that has heavily influenced a great many famous bands by the name of Diamond Head. In 1980 they independently recorded and released their debut album Lightning to the Nations in order to keep up with other bands from the movement that were already making it big. The album blasted them into the stratosphere.

Like many NWOBHM albums of the time period, Lightning to the Nations is balls to the wall heavy metal. It has everything you want: crunchy riffs, lightning quick guitar solos, wailing vocals, and a rhythm section that will blow the siding off your house. Metal heads will more than likely recognize tunes like Am I Evil?, It's Electric, The Prince, and more due to them having been covered by Metallica at different points in time. Without Diamond Head, bands like Metallica and Megadeth wouldn't exist.

It's Electric is one of the most fun tracks on the record. It's got an uptempo feel and gives you that pedal to the metal feeling. It is definitely a great track to represent what Diamond Head is about, although admittedly it does have the most generic lyrics of all the songs on the album even for the time. It doesn't really matter though considering Brian Tatler's guitar work, the sound of Sean Harris's singing, and the pounding rhythms are more than enough to distract you. It's not meant to be taken too seriously and if you keep that in mind, you'll enjoy it.

Am I Evil? in my opinion is the crown jewel of Lightning to the Nations. It features so many change-ups in rhythm, tempo, melody, etc. It also has the absolute best guitar work on the album. That solo at the beginning will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you'll shiver in pure delight. The bulk of the song is pretty balls to the wall. The riffs feel like they will demolish your house and the lyrics are just splendidly dark. They too sound a bit generic, but considering the time at which this was written and the legacy they left behind I excuse it.

I don't know if I would consider Lightning  to the Nations an album that would appeal to the mainstream, but if one is looking to delve deeper into the world of heavy metal after having only heard a few of the iconic bands on the radio then this isn't too bad of a place to start. It takes what rock and metal did in the early 70's and speeds it up, makes it darker, and gives it a fresh coat of paint. Listen to Kill 'em All, by Metallica after listening to this. You'll see exactly where their early influence came from.

Lightning to the Nations, by Diamond Head receives 3.2 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Lightning to the Nations
2. The Prince
3. Sucking My Love
4. Am I Evil?
5. Sweet and Innocent
6. It's Electric
7. Helpless

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Nations-White-DIAMOND-HEAD/dp/B01LZKMT7C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510301183&sr=8-1&keywords=lightning+to+the+nations

Op-Ed Piece: Phones at Concerts

I saw an article today while perusing social media about how A Perfect Circle had ejected 60 people from a concert because they got caught using their phones after a "no phones allowed" rule had already been widely and publicly announced at the venue. Apparently this sent many people online into a rage. Personally, I think the band was right to do what they did.

Aside from the fact that there needing to be consequences when you break the rules, I agree with the rule to begin with. Phones have been ruining concert going experiences for a long time now for a multitude of reasons.

Reason 1:

How completely stupid and lame is it to just stand there the entire time just watching the show through a phone/camera screen? I mean, you paid a lot of money for your ticket to see a band live in person with your own eyes and ears. If you want to watch a video of the band performing, just look it up on YouTube or get the tour DVD. You're literally depriving yourself of what you shelled out an obscene amount of money to go see.

Reason 2:

Your pictures and videos are going to be absolute crap. I understand you want to remember that night for years to come, but maybe there are better ways to do that than just standing there with your phone the whole time? If you really want to watch the show again on your own time why not just wait for the tour DVD to come out? It will look and sound a LOT better than anything you will record.

Reason 3:

Performers feed off of audience energy. There is a special connection that forms between musicians and audience. The excitement of the crowd gets the band going, which in turn gives the audience an even better experience, which then further feeds the band. The cycle keeps going on and on and upping the intensity until the concert finale. When the audience is just standing there dead to the world just pointing a phone camera at the performers and not showing any excitement at all it absolutely kills things for the band. When the band gets no energy from the crowd, they can't give much if anything back. They can put on the best show they can anyway, but it won't be anywhere near as good as it could have been had you put your phone away and just enjoyed the show.

Reason 4:

By having your phone out and up in the air you are ruining the experience for other concert goers who are actually trying to enjoy themselves and get what they paid for. They will have a hard time seeing over or around you. You just standing there like a statue makes it even more difficult because then they can't get around you and the other zombie idiots doing the same thing.

I've heard of other performers banning phones at concerts too. Jack White has been doing this at his shows for some time now. Over time though I hope it becomes more and more of a common thing at concerts because we need to be less glued to our technology and more present in the moment. Not everything needs to be on the internet or on our phones. We need to enjoy life and the good things it has to offer, like concerts. Concerts should become the spiritual experiences containing energy with unstoppable momentum. The more performers keep putting into place rules like this, the more there is a fighting chance of this happening.