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

1505 Paris - Big Towne, 2061 From: Big Towne, 2061 , Year: 1976 Genre: Hard Rock/Funk It's Friday, so I'm making a Funky Friday pick. This is, of course, the title track off of what was Paris' second and final album. Apparently it wasn't too long after this album that the band broke up. Many have probably never heard of this '70s power trio/supergroup; it hasn't gotten as much attention as deserved. Paris consisted of: Bob Welch from Fleetwood Mac on guitar and vocals, Glenn Cornick from Jethro Tull on Bass and Keyboards, and Hunt Sales, from some of Todd Rundgren's projects on drums. From what I've read, Hunt Sales was also the son of legendary comedian Soupy Sales . Later in his career he also played with Iggy Pop along with his brother bassist Tony Sales as well as the band Tin Machine among others. Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You My song pick two ye...

1504 Rush - Presto From: Presto , Year: 1989 Genre: Progressive Rock VH1 Classics has been doing their yearly 24 hours of Rush, which continues until around sundown tonight to coincide with the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah); they call it 'Rush Hashanah.' For those who are curious I believe that it's the year 5772 on the Jewish calendar. Anyway, as normal when they have this going on and I'm home I have the television on in the background, so I can listen to it whilst going about my normal evening. However, last night I happened to hear this hilarious ' Gefilter ' skit going on that caught my attention and made me run to see what it was. Apparently they were playing most of the concert from the yet-to-be-released DVD: Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland . It would seem as if the little skits just keep getting funnier and funnier with each tour. 'Rash' LOL! I so wish I could've managed to go and see them on this year's tour: I'm goi...

1503 Chickenfoot - Lighten Up From: Chickenfoot III , Year: 2011 Genre: Rock/Hard Rock I've been meaning to pick a song from this band for a while now and I guess today I'll do just that. They've been all over the media lately due to the release of their new album, so I figured I would sample it and see what it was all about. This was one of the songs off of the album that I happened to like, so I'm making it my pick today. Hear Lighten Up on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Aerosmith - Dream On My song pick two years ago today: Rush - One Little Victory My song pick three years ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - Fortunate Son My song pick four years ago today: Franz Schubert - Op. 1 - Der Erlkönig " The ErlKing " +

1502 Weather Report - Barbary Coast From: Black Market , Year: 1976 Genre: Jazz Fusion/Funk I was having a lot of fun playing with this song yesterday; I decided that if I had not picked it I would today. Well, low and behold, I checked and surprisingly I hadn't added it to my list yet. This is one of my favouite tunes from the band, I like how it takes you all over the place. I absolutely love how they used the blast of a train horn at the beginning to usher in the song and at the end you hear the click-clack of the train going by; almost as if the song is a symbolic train itself. This was one of only two songs on the Black Market album to feature Jaco Pastorius; it is actually a composition of his as well. Jaco Pastorius would go on to replace Alphonso Johnson and join the band full time for the next four studio albums and was then be replaced by Victor Bailey. It's amazing just how many great bassists played in this band. Hear Barbary Coast on YouTube. Watch a li...

1501 Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun From: Band of Gypsys , ( Midnight Lightning ), Years: 1970, (1975) Genre: Rock/Blues/Psychedelia I always find the first pick after a milestone pick to be a bit difficult due to having the feeling that I'm starting over again; I want to have a really good one to start with. I've had this one in mind for quite a while now; it seemed like an excellent pick for today. This is one of my favourite Jimi Hendrix songs; it showcases why his is considered one of the greatest musicians of the last century. The song was originally released on his live Band of Gypsys album, but was also released posthumously on the Midnight Lightning album, only a lot shorter in length and not as good in my opinion. Here is a fan video with a live version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli (Quintette du Hot Club de France) featuring Freddy Taylor - After You've Gone My song pick two years ago today: Th...

1500 Ralfe Band - 1500 Years From: Swords , Year: 2005 Genre: Folk/Rock Hit another milestone with my Song-a-Day Blog today: number 1500! I thought I should pick an apropos song to go along with it. After doing a search for a song with the appropriate title I ran across this gem from the Ralfe Band; although I've only been at this blog for about 1500 days, not years. You can hear a lot of Beatles influence in this song mixed with a heavy Folk/Country sound. Anyway, on to 1600! Here is a music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Jerry Reed - The Telephone My song pick two years ago today: The Beatles - Penny Lane My song pick three years ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - Green River My song pick four years ago today: Rush - A Passage To Bangkok +

1499 The Gentrys - Keep On Dancing From: Keep On Dancing , Year: 1965 Genre: Rock 'N Roll/Pop I have no clue how or why this song got lodged in my brain at some point over the last couple of days; I figured, oh what the heck, I'd go ahead and add it to my list today. The drums and the organ are really the driving force behind this uptempo piece of mid-'60s Pop/Rock. Here's is a little piece of trivia concerning this band: later on after the band, singer Jimmy Hart became Pro Wrestling personality "The Mouth of the South" and also recorded with Hulk Hogan and The Wrestling Boot Band . Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Azteca - A Night in Nazca My song pick two years ago today: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band/With a Little Help from My Friends My song pick three years ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - Midnight Special My song pick four years ago today: Megadeth - U...

1498 The Steve Miller Band - Macho City From: Circle of Love , Year: 1981 Genre: Rock/Funk/Other For some reason I was thinking about this rather weird track last night; I haven't listened to it in over 15 years now. I remember when I first bought my copy of the Circle of Love record being amused by the entire second side being taken up by this rather odd composition. I had actually known about it prior to purchasing the album, (it was a bit of an infamous track among fans of The Steve Miller Band), and was actually looking forward to hearing it. Except for the first three minutes or so where Steve Miller raps/talk sings this track is mostly a funky groove instrumental with either guitar/keyboard playing over it or odd noises and sound effects. Hear the 16 and 1/2 minute studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Bad English - When I See You Smile My song pick two years ago today: The Beatles - Love Me Do My song pick three years ago today: Mr. Big...

1497 R.E.M. - The One I Love From: Document , Year: 1987 Genre: Alternative Rock Yesterday I found out that R.E.M. is breaking up . This is one of my favourites from the band; it started playing in my mind after I read the news. While I've never been a proper fan of the band, there's always been something about their music that I liked. Although there are a couple of their tracks I avoid due to the amount of overplay they received over the years; you couldn't have been alive during the '80s/'90s and not heard them. Watch the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tuesday's Gone My song pick two years ago today: The Beatles - Help! My song pick three years ago today: Santana - Black Magic Woman My song pick four years ago today: Bon Jovi - Tokyo Road +

1496 Megadeth - Bad Omen From: Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? , Year: 1986 Genre: Thrash Metal I felt like listening to some Megadeth this morning and making one of their songs today's pick as well. For the last little bit I've been hearing this album a lot; mostly due to it being the 25th anniversary of its release. Damn, has it really been 25 years? I can still remember when I first heard this record; it made me a fan for life. Anyway, this is one of my favourites off the album. I love the subject matter of this song that has to do with people messing with things they don't fully understand and the consequences thereof. Hear Bad Omen on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Jethro Tull - Beggar's Farm My song pick two years ago today: The Beatles - Something My song pick three years ago today: Jethro Tull - Singing All Day My song pick four years ago today: Jethro Tull - Heavy Water +

1495 Supertramp - Crime of the Century From: Crime of the Century , Year: 1974 Genre: Progressive Rock/Rock After hearing Supertramp on the radio recently it has gotten me back into the mood to listen to them. This is one of, if not my favourite, songs from the band. It is essentially the epilogue to the story told throughout the album and is, except for the first minute or so of the song, an amazing instrumental work. This is one of those song where you just want to sit back and put the headphones on. Here is a fan video with the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance circa '10 on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rammstein - Benzin My song pick two years ago today: Chet Atkins & Jerry Reed - Cannonball Rag My song pick three years ago today: The Moody Blues - The Voice My song pick four years ago today: W. A. Mozart - K.620 - The Magic Flute (Queen of the Night Aria) +

1494 Joachim Witt - Du Teufel From: Eisenherz , Year: 2002 Genre: Neue Deutsche Härte I had this track running through my mind this morning and it felt like a rather nice song for a Monday pick. This one has a faster technoesque feel to it and reminds me a lot of his earlier work in German New Wave. I absolutely love his vocals throughout this song, especially in the almost operatic chorus sections. Watch an Animé music video with the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Karussell - Nämlich Bin Ich Glücklich My song pick two years ago today: Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams My song pick three years ago today: The Delgados - All You Need Is Hate My song pick four years ago today: Tesla - Signs +

1493 Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic From: Toys in the Attic , Year: 1975 Genre: Rock/Hard Rock I had another song in mind to pick today, but for some reason this track kept 'earworming' me for most of the day, so I'm picking it instead. Hear Toys in the Attic on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Kinks - Where Have All the Good Times Gone My song pick two years ago today: Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour My song pick three years ago today: Collective Soul - Shine My song pick four years ago today: Skid Row - 18 And Life +

1492 Heart - How Deep It Goes From: Dreamboat Annie , Year: 1976 Genre: Rock/Folk I heard this song at some point this last week; I knew I should make it a pick soon, so today I am. This very beautiful song can sometimes get lost amongst all of the other hits on this incredible album, but it's one of my favourites off of it. Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Ozzy Osbourne - Flying High Again My song pick two years ago today: Amon Amarth feat. Lars Göran Petrov - Guardians of Asgard My song pick three years ago today: Bob Welch - Ebony Eyes My song pick four years ago today: Jethro Tull - 17 +

1491 The Walter Murphy Band - A Fifth of Beethoven From: A Fifth of Beethoven , Year: 1976 Genre: Disco/Funk I've had this song running through my mind for the last few days, so I'm kind of making a 'Funky Friday' pick today with it. This song is Walter Murphy's renowned Disco/Funk arrangement of the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. I remember many years ago my dad would play one of his Super Hit records that had this song on it; my siblings and I would make him play it over and oven again. Hear A Fifth of Beethoven on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - A Celtic Medley: Meridian/Traveling Light/Salamander's Reel My song pick two years ago today: Finntroll - Trollhammeren My song pick three years ago today: Pink Floyd - Learning to Fly My song pick four years ago today: Fire Bomber (Humming Bird) - Remember 16 +

1490 Genesis - Keep It Dark From: Abacab , Year: 1981 Genre: Rock/Progressive Rock I've been neighbourless for the last week, so I've been able to crank my music much louder than normal. For much of last night I had Genesis' Nursery Crime and Abacab albums blaring. It felt good feeling the thump from some Prog Rock, especially this song, which has very heavy and defined bass. I love the subject matter on this track: a man gets abducted by space aliens and taken to another world, but when he is returned to Earth he has to make up a lie about where he's been due to the fact that everyone would believe he was a lunatic. Here is the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance of Keep It Dark circa '84 on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rush - Lessons My song pick two years ago today: Badfinger - Come and Get It My song pick three years ago today: Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends My song pick four years ago today: Rush - F...

1489 Coven - Wicked Woman From: Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls , Year: 1969 Genre: Metal/Psychedelic Rock It's hard to believe that this is the same band that recorded the famous pop protest song: One Tin Soldier , which can be found here on YouTube . They were actually one of the earlier Metal bands to use dark imagery and subject matter in their music for shock value. In fact, from what I've read about it this album, which was their debut, brought about enough controversy that it was removed from store shelves; it actually made it a collectors item. Anyway, the first time I heard this song I was blown away by Jinx Dawson's powerful vocals and Jim Donlinger's blazing guitar. Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Pink Floyd - In the Flesh? My song pick two years ago today: Joachim Witt and Peter Heppner - Die Flut My song pick three years ago today: Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim My song pick four years ago to...

1488 Black 47 - Bankers and Gangsters From: Bankers and Gangsters , Year: 2010 Genre: Rock/Celtic Rock/Punk Over the last couple of years I've become a huge fan of Black 47; mostly due to their eclectic arrangements that span many genres and, of course, their extreme and totally unapologetic political themes. Anyway, this is the title track off of their last album released a year ago; I've also seen the song titled: American Tragedy , but Bankers and Gangsters appears to be the official title. This song, as you could probably guess, is about the current economical state of the country. Hear Bankers and Gangsters on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - House of the Rising Sun My song pick two years ago today: The Moody Blues - The Story in Your Eyes My song pick three years ago today: Cheech & Chong feat. Alice Bowie - Earache My Eye My song pick four years ago today: Weather Report - Birdland +

1487 Edvard Grieg - Op. 46 - In the Hall of the Mountain King Op. 46, Year: 1874-5 Genre: Romantic Period, classical I normally diligently try to not let any of my previous picks influence current song choices and rather view each pick as unique, which is probably one of the reasons why I end up picking certain artists more than others. Anyway, I noticed that four years ago today I chose Savatage's title track off of their Hall of the Mountain King album and I decided I should pick the piece of music that helped to inspire it. Actually, their song Prelude to Madness , which can be heard here on YouTube , that precedes it uses the original Grieg melody along with parts from Gustav Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War . I've actually been meaning to pick this one for quite some time. As probably most know this piece is from the popular play from Henrik Ibsen: Peer Gynt ; it can be found in the sixth scene of the second act. Even if you don't know this song by title ...

1486 Bob Dylan - Maggie's Farm From: Bringing It All Back Home , Year: 1965 Genre: Folk Rock/Blues/Rock For some reason I just felt like picking something from Bob Dylan today; I had this song in particular running through my mind, so I'm making it my pick. Here is a studio recording on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Life by the Drop My song pick two years ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - Down on the Corner My song pick three years ago today: Iron Maiden - 2 Minutes To Midnight My song pick four years ago today: Savatage - Believe +

1485 Stone Temple Pilots - Plush From: Core , Year: 1992 Genre: Alternative Rock/Rock/Grunge Off and on for the last few days I've had Stone Temple Pilots running through my mind, so I thought I would pick one of their songs on this Saturday Evening. I could have sworn that I had picked this song a some point in the last four years, but I guess not... so I will remedy that. This is one of my top favourites from the band; somewhere in the top five. Here is the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Eddie Floyd - Knock on Wood My song pick two years ago today: Jethro Tull - Pussy Willow My song pick three years ago today: Bon Jovi featuring Big & Rich - We Got It Going On My song pick four years ago today: The Thermals - I Hold the Sound +

1484 The Who - Going Mobile From: Who's Next , Year: 1973 Genre: Hard Rock I heard this song on this morning on ye olde radio; I checked and low and behold I'd not picked it yet, so I will take it as a sign from beyond that I should make it my pick today. I'd have to say that Who's Next is probably song-for-song my favourite Who album. I should probably say that The Who Sell Out or It's Hard are my favourites to make myself seem like more or a diehard fan instead of one of their most popular albums, but all I can say is I like what I like. Actually, for the record, I happen to like much of the material on The Who Sell Out and It's Hard , but just not as much as Who's Next . Even though this song was supposed to be part of the rock opera Lifehouse , it holds its own quite well as a stand alone track. Here is the studio version on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Louis Armstrong - The Blues are Brewin' My song pick two years ago today: The Beat...

1483 Freddy Taylor and His Swing Men from Harlem - Blue Drag From: Ultraphone -AP-1489, Year: 1935 Genre: Swing Jazz I was thinking about this number from Freddy Taylor, who is one of my favourite Jazz musicians. This is another song that hails from that incredible 1930s Paris Jazz scene. While the entire band is truly amazing, I absolutely love the smooth vocals and horn playing of Freddy Taylor in this song. Another member of the band on this song that many should recognize among others is renowned virtuoso guitarist Oscar Alemán. Hear a recording on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Hans Zimmer - Fighting 17th My song pick two years ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - I Put a Spell on You My song pick three years ago today: Rammstein - Hallelujah My song pick four years ago today: Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Spirits in the Night +

1482 Rush - Distant Early Warning From: Grace Under Pressure , Year: 1984 Genre: Progressive Rock I was thinking about this song most of the morning; it is one of the more popular Rush songs and can be heard on the radio every now and then. This was, I believe, the second Rush song I learned to play on the bass in its entirety. I learned to play Tom Sawyer at about the same time and it was a quite a long while ago, so it actually could be the third. I've always loved the neat time signature changes and rhythmic devices used in this song, which was one of the main reasons I decided to learn to play it in the first place. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things My song pick two years ago today: Santana - Every Step of the Way My song pick three years ago today: Megadeth - Washington is Next! My song pick four years ago today: Rammstein - Stripped +

1481 Queen - Spread Your Wings From: News of the World , Year: 1977 Genre: Rock I'm having one of those days where I'm not wanting to think about music that much, so after I saw the Google mainpage informing me that yesterday would have been Freddy Mercury's birthday, (we got it a day late here in The States), I thought that a Queen track would be in order for today's pick. Anyway, this is one of my fav's off of News of the World , which is one of my favourite Queen albums. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rush - Working Man My song pick two years ago today: Elmore James - The Sky is Crying My song pick three years ago today: The Allman Brothers - Jessica My song pick four years ago today: Megadeth - Foreclosure of a Dream +

1480 Earthless - Godspeed From: Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky , Year: 2007 Genre: Psychedelic Rock Here is an amazing instrumental piece from a band that I've been getting into recently: Earthless. This song, Godspeed , is just over 20 minutes in length and is broken up into five parts: 1. Amplified , 2. Passing , 3. Trajectory , 4. Perception , and 5. Cascade . Here is the entire song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Big Star - Thirteen My song pick two years ago today: David Bowie - Queen Bitch My song pick three years ago today: The Offspring - Self Esteem My song pick four years ago today: The Allman Brothers - Blue Sky +

1479 Three Dog Night - Heaven is in Your Mind From: Three Dog Night (One) , Year: 1968 Genre: Rock/Psychedelia I had this song playing in my head most of the morning this Sunday. I decided that if I could find it on YouTube I would make it my pick for today, and sure enough it was there. As with the majority of Three Dog Night's songs, this is a cover; it was originally written by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood and recorded a year earlier on the Traffic album Mr. Fantasy . This is another one of my favourite "headphone music" tracks; I love how they played with vocals and harmonies to make an interesting sounding song. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a television video clip circa '69 on YouTube. Here is the original version performed by Traffic on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Queensrÿche - One & Only My song pick two years ago today: The Spiders - Back My song pick three years ago today: Nena...

1478 Ten Years After - One of These Days From: A Space in Time , Year: 1971 Genre: Hard Rock/Blues This song has been running through my mind most of the day and it felt like a good Saturday pick to boot. It is the opening track to a truly awesome album; I absolutely love the raucous bluesy sound. Hear One of These Days on YouTube. Watch a live performance circa '75 on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Fairport Convention - Polly on the Shore My song pick two years ago today: The Guess Who - No Time My song pick three years ago today: Jerry Reed - Lord, Mr. Ford My song pick four years ago today: Nena - Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann +

1477 Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes From: So , Year: 1986 Genre: Rock/Progressive Rock I'm finally getting around to picking this track; I've been meaning to for a while now ever since Arthur picked it on his Song a Day blog a bit ago. It's kind of odd, but I can't really think of a song off the top of my head from Peter Gabriel or from Genesis when he was with the band that I dislike. Hear the studio version on YouTube. Watch a live performance circa '94 on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Something Special My song pick two years ago today: Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 1048 - Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G-Major My song pick three years ago today: The Buoys - Give Up Your Guns My song pick four years ago today: The Buoys - Timothy +

1476 Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 1049 - Brandenburg Concerto No.4 in G major BWV 1049, Year: 1721 Genre: Baroque Period/classical Today marks the fourth year since I started my Song a Day Blog and as usual, except for the one year I forgot, I'm picking one of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos . Well, I guess I only have two left to pick from. For no reason whatsoever I'm going with his fourth one; I suppose that next year's pick won't be a big surprise. While four other Brandenburg Concertos have been picked before, by no means is this my fifth favourite out of the bunch; just as I do on a normal day, the song has to fit my mood. However, I will admit that the 2nd and 5th Concertos are my favourites. This is such a beautiful and inspiring piece of music. Here is a performance of the piece by The Freiberg Baroque Orchestra: Here is Part 1: Allegro on YouTube. Here is Part 2: Andante on YouTube. Here is Part 3: Presto on YouTube. Here is a ...