5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #184

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. Evil, by The Black Keys

I came across this track earlier today and loved the crap out of it. I feel like a bad Black Keys fan for not knowing about it sooner. It was a bonus track on the Japanese version of their 2003 sophomore album Thickfreakness. It definitely has a real John Lee Hooker vibe to it, but with the dirty, lo-fi, rock n' roll feel of the Black Keys. This definitely should be put on ALL future releases of the album, in my opinion.

2. Born Again (unmixed), by Black Sabbath

If you didn't catch my Throwback Thursday blog last week, I discovered the unmixed versions of the tracks from Black Sabbath's infamous 1983 album Born Again. This was the one album where Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan fronted the band. It is such a unique album, for sure. The final release had muddy, muffled production quality, which horrified the band. While it still has its charms, finding the unmixed versions of the tracks is a whole different experience.

3. One Last Soul, by Black Country Communion

I didn't really care all that much for this song the first several times I heard it, but over time it has somehow grown on me. The peculiar vocal harmonies and the grooving riffs definitely do it for me. I'm glad that Black Country Communion is back up and running again. When they broke up in 2013, I was completely bummed. They got back together not too long ago and put out a pretty good album, so hopefully I get to see them live.

4. Soulcreek, by Black Stone Cherry

This was a song a former band mate wanted us to cover way back in the day, but we never got around to it. Kind of a shame though, because this song definitely has some soul and power to it. It rocks, grooves, and has an overall atmosphere of down by the river, no frills, down to Earth fun to it. At the same time though, it doesn't sound like every over-produced "country" song you hear on the radio these days. We definitely need more stuff like this.

5. Remedy, by The Black Crowes

This song is an absolute classic. If you haven't heard it at least once by now, you have been living under a rock - or at least have no access to terrestrial radio. It has everything: rocking guitars, a beat you can move to, soulful harmonies, powerful lead vocals, and swagger. Not swag, swagger. The Black Crowes really knew how to kick a groove with some real musical layering back in the day. Shame they broke up.

Throwback Thursday: Born Again Unmixed Demos, by Black Sabbath

We're doing something a little different today on Throwback Thursday, again (as I've reviewed hundreds of albums at this point and quite frankly I'm bored of the way I've been doing things). Today we are revisiting an old favorite of mine, sort of. During my normal internet browsing, I came across something interesting: an unmixed version of Black Sabbath's infamous 1983 record Born Again. I'll get to why that got my attention in a moment.

When Black Sabbath was recording this album, the band was already in pretty rough shape. They had just lost their second singer within only a few years, as Ronnie James Dio (as well as drummer Vinnie Appice) had both left the band due to tensions going on. Losing Ozzy Osbourne had been a huge blow before. Getting Dio had managed to bring them back some, but losing him just left them wondering what they were going to do.

This is when guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler met with former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan to talk about starting a new band. Instead, they billed it as a Black Sabbath album due to pressures from management. The album also saw the return of the newly sober and original drummer Bill Ward (at least for recording the album) to round things out.

So what had happened was the band was all done recording the album and feeling pretty good about what they had done. They were digging how everything sounded even though it had not been mixed or mastered yet. They sent it off to the mixing and mastering people and that was that. Or so they thought. When they heard the finished product, to them it sounded like absolute rubbish and nothing like what they had been hearing on the monitors in the studio.

The production quality was murky and muddy beyond all belief. It sounded like some no name band's demo tape, though if they knew at least a little bit about production. This is what you hear on the version of the album that is still distributed to this day. That said, though I rag on it the production has definitely grown on me. I find that it adds this spooky, haunting, and eerie charm to it. It makes the experience that much darker and fun.

So what did the original music sound like before the post-production mucked everything up? Well now we can find out. In 2004, these unmixed tracks surfaced to the public, as one of Ward's ex-girlfriends sold the tape that he had gifted her of these tracks during the recording process to someone who put it out as Born Again Unmixed Demos on a Japanese bootleg label. It is now available either to buy from them or if you know where to find it for free. Plus, it's also on YouTube.

Now that we have gotten the context of the album out of the way, let's talk about the tape itself.

Let's start with some of the main differences:

1. IT'S NOT MUDDY AT ALL. Everything is pretty clear. In fact, it sounds pretty close to being a finished album as it is. You hear so many more little details in the way that they played things that got lost in the final mix and master of the record. A good example of this is hearing Ward's drum pattern at the beginning of "Zero the Hero". You can hear just how much more there was to it and it's cool as hell. It's a lot less bass heavy as well.

2. A lot less reverb on some of the tracks - particularly in the vocals and drums. Honestly, this is something that I miss from the final album. I feel it made the songs have a larger and grander presence, especially in the title track. I felt it allowed the music to breathe a little more and be more foreboding in places. However, this is something I can still live with given the fact that everything else sounds crystal clear and powerful.

3. There is a nearly five minute long version of the dark, ambient instrumental track "Stonehenge". This is not necessarily something I feel was a crime to have cut short from the final record, but it is definitely cool to hear this tune in a longer, more fleshed out way.

4. There is a track on here that didn't appear on the original version of the finished album, "The Fallen".

5. The track "The Dark" is missing. That is kind of a bummer because it builds up the tension and dark atmosphere for "Zero the Hero".

6. The vocals are just a little too high in the mix in one or two tracks, but not to the point where it is unlistenable or unenjoyable.

7. You can hear the tape hiss a bit louder at the beginning of some of the tracks. Plus, you can hear a bum note or two before some tracks kick in.

8. Different track order, but that isn't that big of a surprise.

This is the closest we are ever going to get to hearing Born Again the way the band wanted it to be heard. The original track tapes have since either gone missing or been destroyed. Either way, there will never be a remix. In 2011 the band remastered and re-released the album with the missing track "The Fallen" as well as some live tracks from that era.

That said, this is definitely worth your time if you are as much of a Black Sabbath enthusiast as I am, but don't pass up the official final version of the record either. Like I said, even though the production was shoddy, it still comes together to make an album that I feel is very well written and performed. It will grow on you over time, especially since there is absolutely nothing else out there that sounds anything like it.

Born Again Unmixed Demos, by Black Sabbath receives 3.5/5 stars.

Track List:

1. Hot Line
2. Keep It Warm
3. The Fallen
4. Digital Bitch
5. Stonehenge
6. Trashed
7. Zero the Hero
8. Born Again
9. Disturbing the Priest

Listen to the full album here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoG8p0uwMS0&list=PLYcMy-nHE0MeEIled0odZznhKVAXgo7m2

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #183

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. New York City Cops, by The Strokes

I know I'm a bit late to the party on this one (as per usual), but I've been checking out The Strokes a bit more recently and have been digging what I have been hearing. This tune in particular is pretty cool because it has that punkish garage rock vibe of the early 2000's in a nutshell. At the same time though, it still kind of reminds me of a bit of early 80's New Wave in certain areas. Regardless, I'm intrigued.

2. Purple Haze, by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

I was listening to this song at work the other day through some head phones and it was actually quite a different experience. Not only was I able to hear subtle details that I hadn't picked up on before, but the way that it was mixed and panned seemed interesting to me. The vocals being panned mostly on one side and the guitars mostly on the other seems strange to me. I'm used to most of that being pretty centered. Regardless, it made for a cool listening experience.

3. Ash Tray Heart, by The White Stripes

This is actually a cover of a Captain Beefheart song, though such a thing was not uncommon to hear from The White Stripes in their early days. They actually did a handful of them, especially live. That said, I like this version better because I love the deep, lo-fi fuzz on the guitar and the driving nature of the song overall. Plus, Jack White's voice is a bit easier on the ears for me personally. That said, both are excellent in their own right.

4. Behind the Wall of Sleep, by Black Sabbath

Over the years this song has grown on me. It's from the band's first album. It showcases a lot of their blues and jazz roots while still giving it that bombastic, gritty, dark heavy metal experience that they were known for. Interestingly enough, I never knew that the one lyric that gets repeated was "Turns your body to a corpse" instead of "Take your body to the cops". I guess even back then Ozzy Osbourne could still be a bit difficult to understand from time to time.

5. Have Love, Will Travel, by The Black Keys

This version is slower and less wild than the one done by The Sonics, but I think overall I like this one better. It has this deep, full sound to it and it has this groove to it that the other one lacks. It has swagger, style, and makes me feel like I'm dancing on a cruise ship or something. Plus, it also has a bit of a Cream vibe to it. Needless to say, it is one of my favorite songs from my absolute favorite Black Keys record.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #182

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. Miracle Man, by Ozzy Osbourne

Since I went to go see Ozzy in concert last Friday for the first (and possibly only) time, I decided that this week was going to be Ozzy Week. I can trace a lot of the stuff I have listened to over the past decade back to him, so I feel he deserves it. That said, I feel this tune in particular is an overlooked and under rated gem. It's about a televangelist from the late 80's who got caught with his pants down. The riffs are killer, the soloing fast and melodic, etc. One of Zakk Wylde's best songs from his early career (as this was his first album with Ozzy).

2. Flying High Again, by Ozzy Osbourne

Over the years I have grown to appreciate the Diary of a Madman album a lot more. The Blizzard of Ozz will always be my number one Ozzy album, but this album has some AMAZING material. A lot of it is pretty musically complex upon closer listening. Lots of odd time signatures, classical chord progressions, brilliant melodies, and more. Ozzy might be a party animal clown, but his band (especially when Randy Rhoads was alive) really knew how to write some great stuff. This song in particular was one of Randy's crowning achievements, as he spent two days in the studio with no sleep, food, or water working tirelessly until he could come up with the perfect solo. The final product speaks for itself.

3. No More Tears, by Ozzy Osbourne

For a brief moment at the concert, I honestly thought Ozzy wasn't going to do this song. I was disappointed. However, he came back on for a few encores, with this being one of them. If you haven't heard it by now, you clearly have had your head in the dirt for the past three decades. It's a classic and some of the best song writing Zakk Wylde and the band Ozzy had at the time had ever done. Like I said, Ozzy may be a clown but his band has always had his back with great music.

4. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll, by Ozzy Osbourne

I absolutely LOVE this song. I didn't always care for it, but as I've gotten older I notice more of the complexities of it and can adore the way everything gets put together. The layered vocals that Ozzy does in this are tasty as fuck. The acoustic arpeggios played throughout the verses are a treat to the ear, and the choruses are larger than life. This is a song I always crank whenever I drive past a billboard for the Christian radio station that bought out the local classic rock station.

5. Electric Funeral, by Black Sabbath

And to end this list, a Black Sabbath tune. This has always been one of my favorite Black Sabbath tunes. I don't understand why it doesn't get any radio airplay, as the riff is just as catchy as any of the other songs on Paranoid. It's so evil, monstrous, and foreboding. However, it picks up at certain moments and then seamlessly transitions back into the lumbering, wah-wah evil riff. Definitely a hidden gem for sure.

Throwback Thursday: St. Anger, by Metallica

Today on Throwback Thursday, we're doing things a little bit differently. Normally when I do these I talk about some album I'm either fond of or at least feel has some level of importance and some admirable qualities. Well that's not what we're doing here today. Today we're briefly ripping an album a new asshole. What album could have possibly spurned such ire from me, might you ask? One of the most infamous albums in all of heavy metal:

Metallica's St. Anger.

To give a bit of background on the album, it was recorded in 2003 during a rather turbulent time in the band's career. Their long time bassist Jason Newsted had left the band because among other reasons, singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield was telling him he wasn't allowed to do any side projects. They ended up hiring on current bassist Rob Trujillo, who has also played with the likes of Suicidal Tendencies, Black Label Society, and Ozzy Osbourne.

On top of that, Hetfield was also hitting the wall with his alcoholism and went to treatment to get himself clean. They then were filming a documentary of the whole process while also having a group counselor help them solve their band related issues. Needless to say, it was not a happy time in the band's history.

With that out of the way, this is a Metallica album that I actually not just not care for, but actively dislike (like many Metallica fans). Not only is the production bad, but the song writing in general is far less than stellar. The mix sounds incredibly muddy (ESPECIALLY the guitars due to being tuned so low), there are no guitar solos, and then of course there is the much ridiculed tin bucket snare sound. Honestly, I'm really not sure what they were thinking.

Now I could potentially put some of this stuff aside, but the music itself is just droning and boring. I REALLY tried to give this album a fair chance, but I couldn't even get through to the end of the first song before I had to tap out.

I get that Metallica was trying to do something different. I applaud them for always trying to do something new and boundary pushing. They wouldn't be Metallica if they didn't. That said, I think this is one instance where it severely backfired on them. Needless to say, they got a LOT of fan and critical backlash for the album and they soon tried to bury the album as far in the past as they possibly could.

That said, I am NOT going to give you a track listing or link to the album because you're better off not listening to it unless you really hate yourself.

St. Anger, by Metallica receives 1.5/5 stars.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #181

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. Watching Over, by Greta Van Fleet

This is the new single that came out last week from the upcoming debut album of Greta Van Fleet. It's a little more interesting than some of the other stuff I have heard them do, but at the end of the day they still sound and look as though they are just trying to be Led Zeppelin. Personally I find the vocals on this to be a bit screechy for my taste, but I'll let you be the judge. That said, you had best believe that when that album does drop next month I will be doing a serious in depth review on it.

2. Good Thing Gone, by Elle King

Pop/soul/rock/country/whatever she wants I guess sensation Elle King also has a new album coming out in the not too distant future. This is another single from it, and honestly I like it better than all of the other songs I have heard her put out lately. It's a laid back, softer blues guitar driven ballad. It's like a 60's pop ballad, but with a bit more soul in the vocals and instrumental flavor. I like that there is still someone like Elle King around there who brings this kind of old school soul, passion, and authenticity to her music.

3. South of Heaven, by Slayer

And now for something completely different. A little bit of thrash metal is always good to get your blood pumping and your head banging. This song is one of their hallmarked classics, and for good reason. It is chocked full of dark, foreboding atmosphere all throughout and you feel like if you look over your shoulder you will see fire and brimstone. I put it on whenever I want to feel spooked or need to get myself pumped up. Also, if you are one of those older folks who get scared of Satan, Slayer is NOT a Satanic band and they do not condone worshiping him. The bassist and singer Tom Araya is actually a devout Catholic.

4. The Ghoul, by Pentagram

If you want a dark heavy metal song with atmosphere though, this is one of the best ones you could possibly go with. No, it's not about Satan worship. None of Pentagram's songs are. With that out of the way, this song is brimming with spooky atmosphere. It is big, heavy, dark doom metal, but played in a way that I have never quite heard before. The riffs are so tasty and intriguing. They are so grinding and crusty that it makes me shiver in delight.

5. Gotten, by Slash feat. Adam Levine

This is a rather chilled out modern Beatles-esque ballad of sorts. Adam's voice is smooth, colorful, yet passionate nonetheless and Slash plays some of the best clean guitar I've ever heard him play. I have a very specific memory attached to this song, though. It was maybe 2 or 3 in the morning and I had just gotten out from a really bad date with a girl I'd had a crush on for a year and a half. I put this song on in my car and somehow everything just clicked. It was one of those perfect moments, even though it was a sad one.

Throwback Thursday: Eat 'em and Smile, by David Lee Roth

The split of singer David Lee Roth from iconic worldwide rock n' roll sensation Van Halen is still one of the most talked about break-ups in all of rock even 30+ years later. When Roth left the band and they subsequently came out with their 1985 smash hit 5150, he knew he had to come up with a response - and quickly. This resulted in his 1986 solo debut Eat 'em and Smile, which even though it did not make as big of an impact as Van Halen, it is still favored by fans even now.

Eat 'em and Smile maintains a lot of that fun, easygoing, party time atmosphere that a lot of Van Halen's David Lee Roth era stuff had, but not in a way where it sounded exactly like Van Halen with a different set of players. Actually, Roth put together one hell of a band. He got Greg Bissonette on the drums, Billy Sheehan on bass, and the legendary virtuoso Steve Vai on guitar. You can hear the band's energy pulsing through every track. Though each musician aside from Roth was technically proficient as a musician, they used that proficiency in a way that made it one hell of a fun record.

Whenever people talk about Eat 'em and Smile, the first song that usually comes into the conversation is the album's main single "Yankee Rose". It is definitely an arena rocker for sure. Vai does some of his famous "guitar talk" throughout the intro and other parts of the song and overall it is a pulsing, pounding good time. It definitely sounds commercial, but you can still hear the chops in it. Definitely a feat that not many hair bands had back in the day.

The record also includes a cover of the classic "Tobacco Road". It definitely sounds 80's rock radio-ed up, but you can still tell they were having a lot of fun with it and putting some real care and soul into it as well. I would expect nothing less from such a group of passionate musicians, after all. Vai definitely knows how to blend blues with technical proficiency while Sheehan can flex his bass muscles and Bissonette his steady hand on the drums.

Eat 'em and Smile definitely deserves to be given another look by the general public, in my opinion. While it definitely is not as groundbreaking as anything Van Halen did, if you give it a listen while leaving context on the shelf you might be pleasantly surprised. There are some upbeat, fun, and catchy songs on it played by some of the best musicians to ever walk this planet. Like I said, Roth lucked out considering he isn't that great of a singer. Still, it is worth checking out at least once.

Eat 'em and Smile, by David Lee Roth receives 3.25/5 stars.

Track List:

1. Yankee Rose
2. Shyboy
3. I'm Easy
4. Ladies Night in Buffalo?
5. Goin' Crazy!
6. Tobacco Road
7. Elephant Gun
8. Big Trouble
9. Bump and Grind
10. That's Life

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Smile-David-Lee-Roth/dp/B004X0XXFC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536295011&sr=8-1&keywords=david+lee+roth+eat+em+and+smile+cd