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

801 ( Rammstein - Mein Teil ) I was in need of a Halloweenish song for my pick today and I wanted to pick something a little more off the wall as well. I decided I could not go wrong with what is thought to be one of Rammstein's most disturbing tracks; it is sometimes just referred to as "The Cannibal Song." As with a lot of their material, this song is intentionally written with extreme subject matter as to elicit: shock, horror, revulsion, etc... response from the listener, which always seems to work in their favor. From what I understand it was inspired by an actual event in which one man ate another with his consent. One of the band members had brought in a newspaper with an article about it and Till Lindemann jumped on the opportunity to create another song with extreme subject matter. Anyway, Have a safe and fun Halloween! Here is the music video on YouTube. (NSFW) Here is the Völkerball live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #429 Rush - Witc...

800 ( Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money ) I was planning to pick a more appropriate song for my "odometer rollover pick," but instead, for some reason, I just felt like choosing this one today. I have always been a big fan of Warren Zevon's work and especially the Excitable Boy album. This one is about a man who dates a waitress who ends up being a Russian agent and gets caught up in the middle of the ensuing situation. He begs his father to send Lawyers, Guns and Money to get him out. This song has been covered many times; some are pretty good, but in my opinion Warren Zevon's original version is the best by far. Here is a live performance on YouTube. Here is an acoustic performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #428 Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes My song pick two years ago today: #60 Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 565 - Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor +

799 ( Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky ) I have always liked this song quite a bit and it just seemed like a nice day to add it to my list; it fits my mood quite well. Other than the amazing uplifting nature of this track, probably the straight-forward and simple construction of this song is one of its best attributes. Here is a music video with the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #427 Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Here is the News My song pick two years ago today: #59 Faith No More - From Out of Nowhere +

798 ( Ray Charles - I Can't Stop Loving You ) I woke this morning with this rather nice song running through my mind, since I neglected to add a Ray Charles song yet and I like this song a lot I am picking it. This Don Gibson composition, which can be heard here on YouTube, has been covered countless times, but really whenever I think of this song it is always the Ray Charles version that comes to mind; he all but made it his own in my opinion. I love it when artists make songs that mix different and sometimes contrasting musical styles and schools of thought; you usually end up with something completely brand new and beautiful. In this one Ray Charles incorporated Country and Western into his own style to make this legendary song. Hear I Can't Stop Loving You on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #426 J.S. Bach - BWV 659 - Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland My song pick two years ago today: #58 Billy Thorpe - Children of the Sun +

797 ( Finntroll - Skogens Hämnd ) Time for some more Finntroll! This song has become one of my favored from the band, mostly due to the way that the song was arranged musically. I love how they go from the more melodic Hummpa influenced Metal to the very heavy thrashing sound and mix them excellently. Just by the name of song, Skogens Hämnd : "Revenge of the Forest" you can easily get an idea what the song is about without having to speak/understand Old Swedish. Here is a recording of the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #425 Bon Jovi - These Days My song pick two years ago today: #57 Yes - Roundabout +

796 ( Steely Dan - Charlie Freak ) Steely Dan and their Rock/Light Jazz sound seems like a perfect fit for my mood today, so I picking one of their songs. This song is actually quite depressing subject matter wise, but is played and sung with the upbeat feel that only comes from Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. I love how the bass is employed in this song, the line follows the melody along with the vocals and the piano; a very nice touch. Here is a fan video with the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #424 Van Halen - Summer Nights My song pick two years ago today: #56 Apocalyptica (featuring Nina Hagen) - Seemann +

795 ( Marcus Miller - Frankenstein ) I am still in a mood for something funky and with it getting close to Halloween, I am choosing the Marcus Miller's cover of the legendary Edgar Winter hit Frankenstein , which I have already picked on for Song 249 . Marcus Miller actually kept the original spirit of the song intact quite well in this cover; he and his band just "Funkalated" it to places it had never been before. You can easily imagine Frankenstein's Monster all decked out gettin' down with the grooves when this track is playing. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #423 Jackyl - The Lumberjack My song pick two years ago today: #55 Blackmore's Night - Rainbow Blues +

794 ( Graham Central Station - Earthquake ) I am choosing something a bit funky for this busy Saturday; can't go wrong with picking a Graham Central Station tune. The way that Larry Graham plays the bass in this one and the sound that he makes is off the wall to say the least. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is Larry Graham in a performance of the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #422 John Denver - Season Suite - Fall My song pick two years ago today: #54 Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite Aruko) +

793 ( Crosby, Stills & Nash - Just a Song Before I Go ) I have been meaning to choose this song for some time now; I am finally thinking about it at the time I am posting. This is one of my favored CS&N songs, which is a Graham Nash composition. I have always loved the lyrics of this track; what is interesting is that he wrote it in 15 minutes on the road to the airport. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #421 Robert Mitchum - Ballad of Thunder Road My song pick two years ago today: #53 Blue Öyster Cult - Harvest Moon +

792 ( Rammstein - Frühling in Paris ) New Rammstein! This is one of the new tracks from their album Liebe Ist Für Alle Da , which has just been released; yet another album on my list to buy. I think that I might import it from Germany since the censors here in the U.S. can make songs not worth listening anymore, especially foreign artists' music. I love the melodic sound of this song, almost classical at times; Till's voice is simply amazing! Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #420 Jethro Tull - A Small Cigar My song pick two years ago today: #52 Ian Anderson - Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song) +

791 ( Iron Maiden - Sun and Steel ) I felt like listening to some Iron Maiden today and I decided to add one of their songs to my list as well. I looked no further than their song about the legendary Samurai and swordsman Miyamoto Musashi : Sun and Steel. Heavy Metal and Samurai, oh yeah! Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #419 Deep Purple - Knocking At Your Back Door My song pick two years ago today: #51 Slade - Cum On Feel The Noize +

790 ( Return to Forever - Vulcan Worlds ) Time for some Fusion Jazz. I decided that I needed to add something from the band: Return to Forever; this is one of Stanley Clarke's compositions for the band. For those who are not familiar with Return to Forever, they were/are a Jazz fusion group featuring Chick Corea (Keyboards, plus other instruments), and Stanley Clarke (Bass, plus other instruments) throughout their history. This incarnation on this album Lenny White played drums and percussion and Al Di Meola played guitar. This is another nice piece of Jazz that is very listenable to the average listener, but is more than musical enough for a connoisseur of music as well. I love how all of the musicians play off of each other and solo, but yet are so tight and compliment each other to make one great sound. Here is a live performance from '74 on YouTube. Here is a live performance from last year on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #418 Victor Wooten - Me and...

789 ( Donald MacLeod - Field of Gold ) Sometimes I like to listen to bagpipe music off and on and I figured I should add one of my favorite bagpipe pieces to my list. This piece of music is a Piobaireachd , composed by the master piper Donald MacLeod. It is difficult to describe this music other than it is the slower, more mournful sounding music that is often heard on the bagpipes; it is beautiful to listen to with all of the different tones overlapping each other. Here is a performance of the piece by the Simon Frazier University Pipe band on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #417 John Lennon (The Plastic Ono Band) - Hold On My song pick two years ago today: #49 John Denver - Looking for Space +

788 ( Rush - Show Don't Tell ) This is a song that played yesterday on the iPod whilst I was on the road. I noticed that I had not chosen a song off of Presto as of yet as well, which is one of the albums that in my opinion marked the sunset of the '80s Rush sound. This song is a masterpiece in its construction, while it sounds straight-forward, it is actually quite a complex song. The odd syncopation of the notes with the drums are just a work of art. Geddy Lee's bass solo is nice addition as well; I love the sound of his Wal bass and his use of popping notes. A very nice song for this lazy Sunday. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance of the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #416 The Four Tops - Bernadette My song pick two years ago today: #48 Devo - Some Things Never Change +

787 ( Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Turn To Stone ) While on the road today this excellent song came on the iPod and it just seemed like an ELO day today anyway, so I am going to add it. Electric Light Orchestra is one of those bands that I grew up listening to and have always loved. They are probably one of the main reasons that I like "big" sounding music and progressive rock. Here is the music video on YouTube. Here is a performance of the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #415 Sniff'n the Tears - Driver's Seat My song pick two years ago today: #47 Styx - Lady +

786 ( Three Dog Night - Shambala ) Last night I finally finished the video game Uncharted 2 , which was about the search for Shambhala, aka Shangri-La. Whilst playing this game, this song kept running through my mind and I figured I needed to add it. This Daniel Moore composition was one of Three Dog Night's best later hits in my opinion. It features Cory Wells on lead vocals, which helps to give the song a very soulful feeling. Of course, as with any Three Dog Night song, the harmonies are top-notch. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance from '75 on YouTube. Here is a more recent live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #414 Diesel - Sausalito Summernight My song pick two years ago today: #46 Eric Clapton - Layla +

785 ( Cream - Strange Brew ) A little over a year ago I had a Clapton week of picks, which included some of his work with Cream. I thought for sure that I had chosen this song then, but as it turns out I did not. What really can be said about it? Just an amazing song from one of the most amazing bands of all time. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a mimed television performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #413 A-ha - The Living Daylights My Song pick two years ago today: #45 Procol Harum - Conquistador +

784 ( Louis Armstrong - Red Sails In The Sunset ) Yesterday I was getting a very old music box working that has been idle, sitting on the shelf for a while; the tune that it plays is, of course, Red Sails In The Sunset . Ever since I first heard the music box I have been wondering the facts about that song. So after I got it in working condition again I got a wild hare and decided to do some research. The music to the song was written by Wilhelm Grosz under the pseudonym of Hugh Williams, and the lyrics were written by Jimmy Kennedy. It was published in 1935; it has been recorded countless times by a myriad of artists ever since. When I found that "Pops" did a version, the song was an instant pick for me; just beautiful! Many different recordings of this song from a lot of other artists can be found on YouTube. Here is a recording of the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #412 Jim Croce - Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy) My song pick two years a...

783 ( Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys - Wayfaring Stranger ) I have not added any of Bill Monroe as of yet to my list and have been meaning to for quite some time; this bluesy and soulful Bluegrass tune just seemed perfect for today. Bluegrass was one of the many musical styles that I was surrounded by growing up, mostly due to having a Grandfather from Kentucky who was a master of all stringed instruments. I can still remember him playing a lot of Bluegrass music, especially that of Bill Monroe. Here is a recording on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #411 Billy Squier - In The Dark My song pick two years ago today: #43 Jethro Tull - Steel Monkey +

782 ( David Bowie - Suffragette City ) Woke this morning with David Bowie playing through my mind, this song in particular was one that stayed there the most. This is one of my favorite "Glam" songs from David Bowie and is a very infectious track; there are so many excellent hooks in this one. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is an extended version/re-mix of the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #410 Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now My song pick two years ago today: #42 Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Prologue - Twilight +

781 ( Jethro Tull - Left Right ) I have started listening to this compilation album again the last week and have decided to choose this track off the My Round: Chateau d'Isaster Tapes CD. The music on this disc was originally recorded in 1972 at the famed Chateau d'Hérouville Studios, which is where some other albums of renown have been recorded. After the ill-fated sessions were abandoned and scrapped, they made the hit concept album: A Passion Play in the 17 days left before their U.S. tour was scheduled to start. Some of the music and lyrics from the songs would find its way to the A Passion Play album, and a couple songs would end up on the Warchild album as well. After some fans found out about the existence of these tracks, many asked and begged Ian to release them. Ian finally did some work on these raw recordings, re-mastering them and added some instrumentation, mostly flute, to help polish the tracks; it was released in 1993 on the Nightcap album along wi...

780 ( Alexi Murdoch - Breathe ) I was watching the new Stargate series: Stargate Universe this evening and this song was featured at the end of tonight's episode; it was quite nice to have some different music this evening. Alexi Murdoch is a "sing-writer" from The U.K.; most of his music features vocals and guitar with modest accompaniment, however his sound is still quite full. Apparently quite a bit of his music has been used for movies' soundtracks such as: Ladder 49 and Garden State and in television shows including: Grey's Anatomy , House , and Ugly Betty among others. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #408 Bad Company - Shooting Star My song pick two years ago today: #40 Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Skies +

779 ( U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) ) I have been listening to a bit of U2 recently and figured that it was time to add another one of their songs to my list. One thing that I have always loved about U2 is the intensity at which they perform their music; this song exemplifies that intensity. This is one of my favorite of U2's songs, I especially like Bono's vocals on this track. Watch the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance from '84 on YouTube. There are quite a few more live performances available to view as well My song pick a year ago today: #407 The Charlie Daniels Band - Uneasy Rider My song pick two years ago today: #39 Megadeth - Psychotron +

778 ( Styx - Too Much Time On My Hands ) This is yet another song I cannot believe that I have not added to the list yet. There is just so much that I like about this one; it moves along quite nicely with a Disco feel but still has that amazing and intricate Styx sound. An excellent song for this busy Thursday. Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #406 The Amboy Dukes - Journey to the Center of the Mind My song pick two years ago today: #38 The Who - Pinball Wizard +

777 ( Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son ) Triple 7s today, I needed a track that was appropriate: Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son off of Iron Maiden's Seventh Studio album: three sevens. Besides the relevance to the song pick number this is one kick-ass song that I was in need of adding anyway. One thing that I love about Iron Maiden is that I am never bored listening to their music; I love the complex lyrics along with their incredible musicianship that is a staple of this band; this song is great example. Here is the record version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #405 The Who - Behind Blue Eyes My song pick two years ago today: #37 Jethro Tull - Part Of The Machine +

776 ( Maddy Prior - Cold Flame ) For a while now it seems as if I have between 10 to 15 songs in mind to pick each day; I cannot remember the last time I sat down to make a post on my song blog having to think about a song to choose. Last night I was doing some further research on the solo albums from Maddy Prior, who is the lead singer of Steeleye Span. Well, suffice it to say now I have well over 25 songs in mind to pick today. This song came off of Maddy Prior's first solo album: Woman In The Wings , in which Ian and the boys from Jethro Tull took the part of her backing group in the studio; both Robin Black and Ian Anderson produced the album. It is mindblowing to hear Maddy Prior's beautiful vocal talents mixed with the sound of Jethro Tull. This is not the first time that they have collaborated, there are a few Jethro Tull tracks in which she provided backing vocals and Ian produced at least one Steeleye Span album that I know of. This is a very beautiful t...

775 ( Bon Jovi - Someday I'll Be Saturday Night ) Last night this song just kept running through my mind as if it was playing on the radio, I like it as well so I am adding it to my list today. This song was one of the unreleased tracks that they added on to their Greatest Hits album: Cross Road . One aspect about this track that is very interesting is that it spreads across a spectrum from down-right depressing to inspirational at the same time. It is about people going through the most adverse times and could easily fold, but keep on going and trudging forward and keeping on dreaming. For me this song, along with the other tracks hold a special place for me. When my wife and I were dating this album seemed to have taken up an almost permanent residency in my car's CD player. When this album is played, it is actually one of the few times that I get to hear her sing out loud. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a nice live version of the song on YouTube. My song pick...

774 ( Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Sex In A Pan ) Oi, I am asking for some weird Google hits like Max usually gets with this pick's title. The title of the song was inspired by a dessert dish, which Victor Wooten had somewhere in the North Carolina. The treat consisted of: chocolate pudding covered with Cool Whip on a graham cracker crust; it was called "Sex in a Pan." Also, from what I understand, it was inspired by James Brown's song Sex Machine as well. Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs among many from this band; quite a nice funky and grooving song with a very infectious bass line. Here is an excellent live performance of the song with The Message as well on YouTube. Some excellent rapping from Victor. Here is another nice live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #402 David Bowie - Space Oddity My song pick two years ago today: #34 The Guess Who - No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature +

773 ( John Denver - Blues My Naughty ) Quite a while ago I learned of the existence of the rare album John Denver Sings , but I was unable to find a copy; however recently I finally was able to find the songs. This album actually has quite a bit of musical history to it even though it is unknown to most who are not avid John Denver fans. John Denver Sings is actually his first solo album, which was recorded in 1966; three years prior to the official debut solo album: Rhymes and Reasons in 1969. Apparently this album came into existence because of his live shows when people started to ask for some recorded material. He self-produced this album and gave the copies to friends and some fans out of his own pocket; you have to remember back in '66 there was really no other way to record unless you used a commercial studio. Mostly, the album consists of covers from different artists, except for one glaring song in particular; that song was titled Babe I Hate To Go . From ...

772 ( The Who - The Ox ) I have been meaning to pick this song for well over a month now. It is not to be confused with the bass solo during the song 5:15 , which can be found here on YouTube; it's sometimes referred to as The Ox as well in reference to one of John Entwistle's nick-names. This track comes off of the My Generation album and is an instrumental improvisation piece that closed out the album; it has a bit of the feel of surfing music from the 60's. Keith Moon's drumming is the main highlight, he really shines in this song. What an amazing rhythm section; one of the best ever! Here is a fan video with the song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #400 Rush - Cygnus X-1 My song pick two years ago today: #32 Joni Mitchell - Amelia +

771 ( Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd - Samba Triste ) The last little bit I have been listening to a lot of Bossa Nova Jazz, of course this included quite a bit of Stan Getz's work; Bossa Nova Jazz attracted many West Coast (Cool Jazz) players like Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd. I noticed that I had not added any of this master musician's work to my list yet, so today I will. I normally like to listen to Be-Bop and/or Hard Bop Jazz, which are two of my favourite forms, but it is nice every now and then to immerse yourself in other Jazz forms as well. For those not know about it, Bossa Nova Jazz is a smoother, mellower type of Jazz, which contrasted with Hard Bop Jazz during the time of its greatest popularity: the late 50s through the 60s. It is also know as Brazilian Jazz, because of its origin. Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #399 The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary My song pick two years ago today: #31 April Wine - Roller +