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

I was listening to this song yesterday, I checked and I could not believe that I had not chosen it yet. It is one of my favorite songs from The Guess Who; the places that this song goes are amazing. There's just too much I like about this track, one of the best of Randy Bachman's compositions. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance from last year on YouTube. +

I was listening to a lot of Pink Floyd yesterday and this one kept coming up and stuck in my mind, so I am adding it. This opus was written as a tribute to former bandmate Syd Barrett. It is divided into nine individual pieces, but most probably will recognize part 4 and 5. Hear the full song with all 9 of its parts on YouTube. There are a lot of live performances available as well on YouTube. +

For the last couple of days I have been deluged by the sensational news coverage of the so-called "gloom and doom" that is to come: The Swine Flu. Ever since yesterday this Pink Floyd track has been running through my mind; so as macabre as it is I am adding this one to my list. By looking at the comments on the YouTube videos I am not the only one connecting the news with this song. Here is the complete studio version of the song(s) on YouTube. +

The other day, Tuuur chose this song , and I really liked it so I am adding to my list as well. Here is a live performance of the song on YouTube. +

This song has besieged me for the last two weeks or so in almost every form of media and today is as good of day as any to choose it. It has always been been one of my favourite Fleetwood Mac songs and in my opinion contains one of John McVie's greatest bass lines; not too flashy, but perfect for the song. I love how they buildup and kick-in in to the chorus in this one, and of course the chorus is excellent as well. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance circa '77 on YouTube. +

I had to pick the companion piece to yesterday's pick today; it seemed like an excellent choice for today. This one is usually played after BWV Anh. 114 and has a distinctively sadder sound to it, mostly because it is in a minor key. Here is an excellent live performance on YouTube. Here is a performance played on a Harpsichord on YouTube. +

This is another one of those pieces of classical music where you get the "I know that tune" feeling; another name by which I have seen this song referred to is " The Lover's Concerto ." It is a simple little waltz piece that is usually played on a keyboard instrument. Apparently in the past this song has been incorrectly attributed to J. S. Bach and/or his wife Anna Magdalena Bach, however it was actually written by another Baroque composer: Christian Pezold. It was made famous by the Bachs in the " Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach no. 2 " in 1725, which included music written by J.S. Bach and other composers as well, among them was music from C.P.E. Bach (J. S. Bach's son), and Christian Pezold among others. Here is an orchestral performance on YouTube. Here is a performance played on a harpsichord on YouTube, +

This song has been running through my mind off and on the last couple of days; and I absolutely love this song. This rendition of Amazing Grace is set to the tune of " House of the Rising Sun ," however with the power that these gentlemen inject into the song, they make it their own. Their vocals are so powerful and mindblowing, just so much soul here. One of the aspects that really made this song so appealing to the ear is their use of symmetry in the song to effortlessly build it up and bring it back down. Here is a fan video with the studio version on YouTube. Here is a rather nice live performance on YouTube. +

I realized that today was Earth Day and I needed a fitting song; this one fits quite well. It is from the venerable Rock band originally from East-Germany: Puhdys. The song was released in the mid '80s, so it has more of a synth sound to it and of course the lyrics are in German. Warning, some Science Fiction content ahead! The song is about a history book in a great library on an alien world chronicling the Earth and its demise due man destroying it and himself in a great war and how the planet is essentially a grave floating in space: a burnt back stone void of life. However, in the end the song beckons man to come together to see to it that the book never comes into existence. Here is a fan video with the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance of the song circa '07 on YouTube. +

When waking up this morning this song was running through my mind. As always I usually choose songs in this manner, today is no different. This song was originally written by Hoyt Axton, but made famous to the mainstream by Three Dog Night among others that have covered it. What I always liked about Three Dog Night is how well they balance the song out, especially the guitar solos; they are not too flashy, but also not too minimalistic. One personal pet peeve that I have concerning music is when an artist or producer overuses minimalism to the determent of the song. The opposite is definitely true as well and noticed more, mostly because overly flashy music is in your face and overly minimalistic music is not. Anyway, a nice song with different lyrics for a busy Tuesday! Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a more recent live performance on YouTube. +

Ever since my wife and I watched an animé with this song in it, it has has been running through my mind ever since, so I am deciding to pick it today. I believe that most anyone alive today that has a television or a radio has heard this song at least once. Even with the the sheer amount of overexposure to this song growing up I still like it a lot. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is an excellent live performance on YouTube. +

Today I was out doing yard work, mostly picking up cigarette butts that inconsiderate people have thrown in the yard burning little holes in the freshly growing grass. You think that they would know what an ash tray was for; probably they are just too lazy to take care of their habit. Anyway, while doing the a fore-mentioned yard work this song was running through my mind. It is quite nice every now and then to leave the all of the electronic devices behind and just let your mind go where it wants to go. This is a great song that I have always loved and perfect song for today. Here is the studio version in a fan video on YouTube. Here is a live performance of the song on YouTube. Here is the S&M performance on YouTube. +

Aaahhhh, my first pick on my new blog site... I was thinking about this song while out and about today, plus Emerson, Lake & Palmer is always good to kick something off, i.e. my first blog on my new site. Here is the entire Karn Evil 9 on YouTube. Here is the most popular section: 1st Impression, Part 2 on YouTube. +

Made it to 600! I figured I should choose a song with a suiting title. However, I have been in need of choosing a Dream Theater song for a while anyway; they have been woefully neglected in my list. This band of incredible musicians to me has seemed like a well-oiled machine; they are very tight. As an avid fan of Progressive Rock/Metal Dream Theater is a band that naturally fits my tastes almost perfectly. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is an excellent live performance of the song on YouTube. +

I have been hearing this song a lot lately in various medium, plus I like it so I will add it today to my list. Such a great rhythm driven song, the smokey, bluesy groove that the bass lays down is excellent. Watch the music video on YouTube. +

For some reason this song has been running through my mind the last few days. This is the title track off of their '89 release, but not as popular as other tracks on the album. It's another one of those songs with much of its beauty hidden just below the surface mostly due to the many layers of sound. I love how it swells and retreats from hard to soft sound. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

I heard this band playing this morning on the radio and it just seemed perfect to choose one of their songs. This is one of my favorites that they recorded, I have always loved the bass and keyboards in this song. Here the studio version on YouTube. +

I have been meaning to choose this one for well over a month now, but another song always seemed to get in the way when I went to choose it. There is so much that I like about this one; truly an amazing piece of music in so many ways. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a late '80s live performance on YouTube. Here is a more recent live performance on YouTube. +

This song came on the radio the other day and I knew it was a matter of time before I would pick it. This is easily one of my favorite Rolling Stones' songs. The spacey Sci-Fi feel and the synthetic violins are what sells this song for me the most. Here is a 45 rpm vinyl recording of the song on YouTube. Here is a fan video with the studio version on YouTube. +

It is quite exhilarating driving over the mountain pass while this song was blaring on the radio the other day. From what I understand this song was inspired by a couple of things: 1. The Columbine High School Massacre, and 2. It's a reference to wars fought in the Dragonlance fantasy book series. Here is the studio version of the song on YouTube. Here is a live performance of the song on YouTube. +

I heard this song the other day and I've actually had it in mind many months ago to add to my song a day blog. The incredible vocal work in this song has always been a major draw to me. Here is a television performance on YouTube. +

Today while on the road I saw another driver in an SUV that was driving a bit recklessly. He flew around me, but he kept getting stuck behind red lights and slow trucks so I ended up being behind him constantly. Finally we were where the highway widens to four lanes and the speed limit increases to 65. He was doing 45, so I pulled out and passed him and pulled back in the right lane; as soon as I merged back in he came flying around me doing about 75-80. About a few miles ahead I saw a police cruiser with his lights on with Mr. Speedie pulled over, I grinned as I went by with this song running through my mind. I knew I had to choose this song for today after that. Here is a recording of the song with cool car pics on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

The last couple of days have been incredibly nice; Spring seems like it is finally here after a long and record-breaking Winter. I decided that I would choose the Spring section from John Denver's Season Suite for the occasion. As expected, the song and its lyrics are very uplifting to fit the mood of Spring. To me, I hear a more than a little of his Beatles influence in this song's musical arrangement. Here is most of the Suite on YouTube; the Spring section begins at about the 6:05 mark. +

Larry Graham's ostinato thump bass line in this song is one that a many of major bassist cite as one of the most influential; just a nice steady groove. Of course the message of togetherness, ("different strokes for different folks"), in the song is its most powerful aspect. It's sad that the song has been used in recent years to sell cars in commercials, and thus the message has sadly lost a lot of its power in the mainstream. Anyway, it is a nice song for this sunny day. Here is a recording of the song on YouTube. +

This song has been running through my mind a lot this morning. The song's title is reference to the late 60's film Barbarella ; Dr. Durand Durand was a character in that movie from which the band took their name. Here is a recording of the song on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

This is probably Jaco's best known bass solo. It is quite bombastic and flashy, as to be expected with a solo on any instrument. While not really listenable to the ears of the average listener, to a connoisseur of music, (especially a bassist), it is quite nice to listen to. To create this live masterpiece he used loops and effects on his bass along with his incredible talent and showmanship. Here is the recording from 8:30 on YouTube. Here is a live performance of the song circa '79 on YouTube. Here is another extended live version on YouTube. +

I heard this song today and noticed that I had not chosen it as of yet; it is one of my favourite Pink Floyd songs as well. The aspect that drew me to like this song the most is the huge, sinister sounding keyboards. I love how they contrasted it with the light vocals and acoustic guitar. Here is the music video from The Wall on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

This one has been stuck in my mind the last couple of days and, as usual, I took it as a sign that it was time to add it to the list. This is another one of those songs that excels in almost every aspect; the whole band did an excellent job on this one. Here is a recording of the song on YouTube. Here is the censored version of the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

I woke up this morning to another three inches of snow everywhere; I am wondering when and if this crap will ever end? Anyway, this song really fit this situation more that perfectly, so I had to choose it. For me both of the popular versions of the song from Simon & Garfunkel and the Bangles are excellent; they are both good in different aspects. I decided on the S & G version because the feel seemed to fit my mood just a little better today. Here is a recording of the song on YouTube. +

Happy April Fools' Day! I figured I should choose a song with an appropriate title. This is one of my top ten favorite songs from the band Styx and was in need of being added anyway. For me this song is awesome in so many aspects, too many to list; just an awesome song. Here is a recording of the song on YouTube. +