77 AC/DC Songs Played in 5 Minutes at Electrical Substation

With all of the insanity and sad stuff going on in the world right now, I think it's high time we took a little break from it for a few minutes and look at something fun. Seems the healthy thing to do, right? I have just the thing for that: a video of two guys playing 77 AC/DC songs in only five minutes on drums and guitar (which can be watched above).

The video is done by Aussies Lindsay McDougall, guitarist for Frenzal Rhomb and Kye Smith, who is drummer for Local Resident Failure and has started to make a name for himself on YouTube with drum videos. It was shot at the Newcastle Substation in New South Wales.

These guys definitely know how to make some high voltage rock n' roll. It's always cool to see musicians paying tribute to their heroes in such cool and unique ways. Maybe they should find Brian Johnson and start a band together? Would probably be as close to AC/DC as you're going to manage to get these days.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #137

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. Energy, by Joe Satriani

Satch definitely has an exciting record coming up on January 12th titled What Comes Next. He has Glenn Hughes on bass and Chad Smith on drums. The chemistry and energy exuded by their combined strength is definitely a force to be reckoned with and it shows through the debut single of the album. It's definitely something worth getting stoked for if you're a fan of both Satch and blood pumping, grooving rock n' roll.

2. Bad Boys, by Whitesnake

This to me is arguably the one of if not THE best songs to come out of the hair metal era of Whitesnake. It's fun, it's exciting, and makes you want to put the pedal to the metal on a warm summer night with your windows down. While hair metal as a whole is usually laughable, I always respected Whitesnake during this time because they actually knew how to play. There was some actual talent going on from people who were in it for more than just the girls, drugs, and money.

3. Stand By My Girl, by Dan Auerbach

The more I listen to this song and pay attention to the lyrics, the more I can relate to it. I've been through some rough stuff with a psychotic abusive partner myself, so I can understand where Auerbach is coming from in this one. Aside from the lyrics though, it's a surprisingly fun and upbeat song that you can dance to. Sounds like something that would have come out of the 60's and been a Top 40 hit, possibly even with the lyrics as they are.

4. Last Damn Night, by Elle King

This is definitely one of King's most heavy, stomping, rocking tunes. She just hits you with a wall of sound with not just her band, but with her immensely powerful soulful voice as well. She has some real grit and bite to it when she wants to. I just wish that this song and album as a whole wouldn't have been so overproduced. If they would have just scaled it back some it would have been a whole different beast in a good way. Listen for yourself and you'll hear what I mean.

5. I Won't Back Down, by Tom Petty

Of course I can't let this week go by without making a nod to our most recently gone too soon musical genius. This was always my favorite song of his. Gave me the courage and the strength to carry on even when I felt I couldn't. What makes this song even cooler is that in this song Petty has half the Beatles and Jeff Lynne as part of his backing band. I didn't know that until recently and I find that to be extraordinary.

Judas Priest Singer Rob Halford Feels Band Deserves RRHOF Induction

Photo courtesy of Billboard

This year the leather clad British heavy metal icons Judas Priest has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Due to all of the difficulties the band has faced over the past few decades in the music industry and what they have managed to accomplish despite them, singer Rob Halford feels the they deserve induction.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Halford discusses his feelings on Judas Priest deserving to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, saying:

“This is our Oscars. You often wonder what it would feel like if you were able to be onstage, making an acceptance speech, and having the pleasure to be in the company of all the other musicians and industry people. So if we do get in, it will be an absolute dream-come-true moment. Fingers crossed.

I’ve often talked about metal being the underdog in rock ’n’ roll music. We remember the times through the punk and New Wave moments, when it was proclaimed that heavy metal was dead, it didn’t stand a chance of surviving, it was Neanderthal music, wasn’t very intelligent and all those bad things. I still don’t understand the kind of push-back that we still have to bump up against now and again. Recognition by the Hall of Fame helps to slowly chip away at that kind of stereotype. The metal dog is wagging its metal tail. We do deserve this.”

I'll agree with Halford in that heavy metal often has and still does get the short end of the stick in the music industry. Just because it isn't polished and isn't a soft friendly sound it often gets shoved to the side. It's looked down upon in disgust when in all honesty it's one of the most musically complex genres there is. It requires real skill in terms of playing prowess as well as compositional ability. That said, Judas Priest definitely deserves in to the Hall of Fame because they are one of the pioneering and most influential bands of the genre. They deserve due recognition.

Throwback Thursday: "The Magician's Birthday", by Uriah Heep

In 1972 Uriah Heep had just made a huge impact in the world of hard rock and metal with their classic iconic album Demons & Wizards. To date it is considered one of if not the band's best album, so they needed to make a strong follow-up. The release of The Magician's Birthday proved to be just that and showed that the previous success that they had was not just a quick fluke. This album too became part of the set of albums from Uriah Heep that would be considered their best.

The Magician's Birthday continues the organ driven heavy hitting aural aesthetic from the previous album, but of course goes in a different direction with it instead of trying to catch the same bolt of lightning in a bottle twice. This album seems to go in a bit more of a prog rock direction (as was a very common thing for bands of that era to do) while still having some tunes that are accessible to the average listener. It's since become a noticeable milestone of the genre.

Sunrise starts off incredibly strong with some high ranged choral sounds, but quickly goes into something more soft and laid back. It definitely shifts in dynamics a lot, which makes it that much more enjoyable. You're never quite sure where it will go next. It might be a soft lyrical moment, or it might be a great wall of sound from the band. Singer David Byron really put his all into his performance and it definitely shows.

The Magician's Birthday is one of the band's longest pieces, running at nearly 10 and a half minutes. What a 10 and a half minutes it is, though. From that tasty opening guitar lick it hooks you right in. Once the vocals kick in, they transform into such an enchanting melody that you can't bring yourself to leave. The song goes from happy to emotionally heavy and back again on a whim, but it flows so seamlessly. If you have the ability and patience to sit through a song that is more than three to four moments long that goes through so many changes, then you're in for a treat with this one.

The Magician's Birthday as a whole might not be for everyone, but if ever you are feeling musically adventurous then this album should satiate your hunger. It's definitely considered one of Uriah Heep's best albums for a reason. It's a must have for any fan of the band or anyone who is just a fan of 70's hard or prog rock in general. You definitely won't hear any of it on the radio ever, but that just means it's actually good.

The Magician's Birthday, by Uriah Heep receives 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Sunrise
2. Spider Woman
3. Blind Eye
4. Echoes in the Dark
5. Rain
6. Sweet Lorraine
7. Tales
8. The Magician's Birthday

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Magicians-Birthday-Uriah-Heep/dp/B01KBDIG2Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1507265453&sr=8-3&keywords=The+Magician%27s+Birthday

Deep Purple Premiere Music Video for "The Surprising"

Deep Purple put out their 20th studio album inFinite back in April and are now on the road promoting the ever living crap out of it with a tour titled The Long Goodbye (which many interpret as being their final/farewell tour). In the mean time though, in order to further promote the album the band recently released a new music video for the song The Surprising (which can be watched above).

The video is an animated narrative of the band sailing through frosty, difficult northern waters. The video nods to all parts of the band's past (even the ones without Ian Gillan and Roger Glover) as they make their way through powerful storms until they finally come out the other end to a calm, peaceful sunset where the band can finally rest and metaphorically call it a day.

I definitely like the animation style, although some parts were just a tad bit stiff for my preference. That said, I love that the band was willing to celebrate all parts of their past regardless of what line-up played on each album represented. It matched the song perfectly and everything that happened in the video seemed to flow with the music perfectly. I'm not often a fan of music videos that the band/artist doesn't actually physically appear in, but this video is for sure an exception.

Thoughts on Tom Petty

Photo courtesy of Tom Petty's Twitter account

As I am sure many of you are aware by now, Tom Petty though not dead is on life support and has ceased to have any brain activity due to a heart attack he had today (10/2). Seeing as he has a DNR order, he will be passing very soon. That said, it is indeed a sad day for the world of rock n' roll and music as a whole.

Rather than give you details on the incident that you all more than likely already know, I'm going to offer some of my personal thoughts on the man. I'll try not to ramble on too long, but I definitely have a few words to say given that he played an integral part in my upbringing as a musician and music lover in general.

Tom Petty was among the first artists I ever remember hearing as a kid that wasn't soft, poppy oldies. He wasn't Motown. He wasn't Elvis. He wasn't soul. He wasn't any of the countless number of doo-wop groups from the 50's I had jammed down my throat from the radio all the time. This guy was rock n' roll at his core and it emanated throughout everything he did as a musician and person.

He was the kind of guy who would just pick up an electric guitar, plug it in, and crank it to 11 while singing passionate soulful songs that told the story of the reality that was his life. It was raw, earthy, organic, and real. At the same time he somehow managed to meld such music with a style that was radio friendly enough to get him cemented as a staple in the world of classic rock.

I remember him being one of the first artists I ever truly related to. I remember being a 10 year old kid who was bullied, picked on, and tortured all the time by countless people in every area of my life, but songs like I Won't Back Down helped me find the strength and the courage to carry on and realize that I was in fact strong and no one could knock me down if I just stood my ground and didn't budge even a single inch.

Even when I wasn't looking for a song to connect and hold onto in a hard part of my life, I still always had a good time rocking out to other songs of his as well. Runnin' Down a Dream was one of the first songs to ever excite me and make me want to put the pedal to the metal, despite the fact that I was nowhere near being able to drive yet. For some reason though, it always gave me a Scooby Doo vibe as well. Not sure what that was about.

Free Fallin' was one of the first songs I ever learned to play on the guitar once I finally picked up the instrument as a teen. Even though it was a different way than the song was originally written and played, I was still thrilled by the fact that I was able to in some way or another play such an iconic song that I had known and loved for a long time even by that point in my life. In fact, the band I'm in today still plays the song.

I will definitely regret the fact that I never got to see Tom live. From the videos I have seen it looks like he always put on one hell of a good show and seemed like he was always having fun and happy to be there. That's not something you see all that often with many bands and artists. He was definitely a rare breed to say the least.

In closing, this is indeed a sad day for fans of Tom Petty and rock n' roll in general. It pains me that in the past couple of years we have lost so much iconic talent. I am quite concerned with what will happen to music due to the fact that so many of the good artists are dying off in massive quantities. I don't want to live in a world where the only big shows are done by talentless hacks in the pop, rap, and country industries. People need talented folks like Tom Petty who make real, honest music straight from the soul. Stuff that doesn't need a ton of producers and computers in order for it to sound good. That said, I hope that Tom is able to rest in peace and that his family and friends are able to find the peace and comfort they need.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #136

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. Tightrope, by Vandenberg's Moonkings

You might be familiar with guitarist Adrian Vandenberg from his time in Whitesnake from the late 80's-early 90's or from his solo career prior to that. Now though he is back with his newest band Moonkings and they have just put out a single from their upcoming sophomore album. It's not metal, but definitely a solid Hendrix-like track with some serious balls to it. You can tell they have become more of a solid cohesive unit.

2. Too Many Humans, by Buckethead

Buckethead is nothing if not versatile when it comes to playing the six string or any of the other two dozen instruments he can play proficiently. This is a pretty chill, laid back tune where he works with a keyboardist to create that same vibe that many instrumental jazz fusion records from the 60's and 70's had. It definitely recreates that feeling that many people get when there are just too many people around and it just gets to you.

3. Heroes, by David Bowie

This is by far one of Bowie's best songs. I don't think anyone will disagree there. It's filled with intense emotion, political conflict, and is cleverly put together. I actually didn't find out until recently that the instrument making the melody was a distorted violin. I thought that that was the coolest thing ever. Even back in the late 70's Bowie was way ahead of his time in so many ways. I've never heard anything like it before or since.

4. All Along the Watchtower, by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

It's really not that difficult or uncommon for someone to do a cover of a Bob Dylan song that far outshines the original. Jimi Hendrix did it best with his epic rendition of All Along the Watchtower. This version is still chocked full of emotion but at the same time throws in a bunch of dazzling guitar work that helps to further emphasize and drive home said emotion. Anyone looking to see how a cover should be done should look to this as an example.

5. I'm Just Having Such a Hard Time Loving You Right Now, by Nyte Lyfe Soul Cleansers

This is an up and coming band from the Chicagoland area that is definitely worth your time and attention. They love mixing it up by blending rock, blues, jazz, and any other genre they feel like to make some music with real charm and groove. This tune in particular has a real jazzy swagger to it and is definitely relatable to those of us who have ever been in a relationship where the magic is just completely gone and all you do is argue and fight. Definitely give these guys a listen.