William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: Close Company ; Year: 1984; Genre: Soul/Funk Had a bunch of Lou Rawls' songs on my mind today; this is one I truthfully thought I had already picked, but it is understandable with how much I play this song in particular. I have said it before, but for me, no matter the track, Lou Rawls' voice is one of the most comforting. It's just a bonus that this one has that funky bumping rhythm that makes you want to get up and face the world.    Hear Ready Or Not? on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: The Wootens - Your Style     My song pick 2 years ago today: Rare Earth - Big John Is My Name   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Moody Blues - In My World   My song pick 4 years ago today: Oomph! - Kennst Du Mich?   My song pick 5 years ago today: Rare Earth - 6-3-4-5   My song pick 6 years ago today: Commodores - Nightshift   My song pick 7 years ago today: Pallas - Throwing Stones at the Wind My song pick 8 ...

From: Ponderous ; Year: 1991; Genre: Jazz Fusion/Funk Trying to think of a different song to pick today, but this one that I have not heard in ages just keeps playing in my brain, so, what the heck? Right? I remember hearing this one a lot back then on the radio; I really think it is the overall weirdness and genre defying sound that really made this one, and others from the group, as popular as it was. Well, that and the hilarity of the narrator's inner monologue.   Hear Spaz Attack on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: The Winery Dogs - Gaslight     My song pick 2 years ago today: Herbie Hancock - Palm Grease   My song pick 3 years ago today: Wayne Shorter - Blues a la Carte   My song pick 4 years ago today: Sam & Dave - Soul Man   My song pick 5 years ago today: Hawkwind - The Phenomenon of Luminosity   My song pick 6 years ago today: The Cure - A Forest   My song pick 7 years ago today: The Temptations - ...

From: Voodoo Lounge ; Year: 1994; Genre: Blues Rock Started playing in my mind for wotever reason and decided that I would go ahead and choose it today. While definitely not the best material from the band, they really leaned heavy into wot they've always been best with: bluesy structure and unique guitar riffing from both Richards and Wood, which did, in fact make this such a good song from that time; heard it a lot on the radio and elsewhere.   Hear Love is Strong on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Jethro Tull - March, the Mad Scientist     My song pick 2 years ago today: Gilbert and Sullivan - When I Was a Lad   My song pick 3 years ago today: Honey Cone - Want Ads   My song pick 4 years ago today: Max Roach - Little Folks   My song pick 5 years ago today: War - Groovin'   My song pick 6 years ago today: Cab Calloway - The Ghost of Smokey Joe   My song pick 7 years ago today: Spiral Starecase - More Today T...

From: Return to the Kingdom of Fife ; Year: 2023; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal I just cannot help but to love this band and their epic theatrics and larger-than-life cacophony that would be at home in any opera. Yeah, it might be camp and pretentious, but their delivery and singalong choruses really brings the listener/audience into the heroic tale.     Hear Holy Flaming Hammer Of Unholy Cosmic Frost on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Mr. Mister - Kyrie     My song pick 2 years ago today: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Jerry Springer   My song pick 3 years ago today: Helloween - From Out of Nowhere   My song pick 4 years ago today: Black Sabbath - Lord of This World   My song pick 5 years ago today: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cowgirl in the Sand   My song pick 6 years ago today: Band of Horses - Infinite Arms   My song pick 7 years ago today: Paris - Heart of Stone My song pick 8 years ago today:...

From: A Momentary Lapse of Reason ; Year: 1985; Genre: Progressive Rock I always have an most likely always will have a special place for this record; it is one of my top, I'd say three, of their studio releases. This track in particular really leans into the sound and arranging that made much of their best material. That 12/8 loping time signature throughout the majority of the song really lends itself to the feeling of a march toward insanity. Being punctuated by, wot sounds like cellos and bass strings, or at least a facsimile thereof, enhances that feeling so the keys, guitars and vocals can hang over the top to make for an interesting dynamic. The mid section where the full band kicks in and becomes louder musically actually gives a temporary reprieve from the insane loping march of madness towards oblivion, which funnels into a saxophone solo in the standard 4/4 time, but inevitably the insane march returns.       Hear The Dogs of War on YouTube.    ...

From: The Hungry Years ; Year: 1975; Genre: Rock  Found out that Neil Sedaka passed away yesterday. I was surprised to see that he was 86 years old; thought he was younger. I've never really been a huge fan of his more noted hits from the late 1950s through the 1960s, which consisted of sugary teenage love songs mostly. He was also a prolific songwriter, penning quite a few hits for other artists over the years as well. However, wot I remember most was his resurgence in popularity during the middle into late 1970s, which is when I was quite young and my Mom and Dad always seemed to have the radio on; his music of that time period got a lot of airplay. Anyway, I thought it would be a great idea to choose another one of his hits from that time that I remember so well. He certainly could write a killer hook, and he did a great job surrounding himself with some amazing talent in the form of Elton John's backing vocals, Steve Cropper on guitar, and Leland Sklar on bass amongst many ...