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

From: The Original Monster Mash ; Year: 1962; Genre: Pop/Holiday Wow, I realized that I have been through six other Halloweens and have yet to pick this holiday favourite. Most everyone alive has probably heard this song at some point in their lives, so it would be folly to go any longer with my writing today. Anyway, have a fun and safe Halloween to-night! Hear Monster Mash on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Kreeps - Dead Men Walking My song pick two years ago today: Dick Dale - Riders In the Sky My song pick three years ago today: Andrew Gold - Spooky, Scary Skeletons My song pick four years ago today: Rammstein - Mein Teil My song pick five years ago today: Rush - Witch Hunt My song pick six years ago today: Jethro Tull - Witches Promise

From: Earth and Sun and Moon ; Year: 1993; Genre: Rock I was drawing a blank when I got to the keyboard this morning, so I'm picking one off my queue. I'm mentioned it before, but I've always been a fan of Midnight oil; they're one of those bands that I can listen to and not get really tired of it. This is one of my favourites off of their '93 release; it moves along quite nicely. Hear Drums of Heaven on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Irving Berlin - Alexander's Ragtime Band   My song pick two years ago today: Queensrÿche - Della Brown My song pick three years ago today: Van Halen - Unchained My song pick four years ago today: Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money My song pick five years ago today: Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes My song pick six years ago today: Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 565 - Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor 

From: Honky Château ; Year: 1972; Genre: Rock I had some of Elton John's music on my mind and thought I would pick one of his songs. I've always loved this song; I was actually surprised that I hadn't already picked it, but apparently not. The way that John and Taupin wrote this space epic as if the Rocket Man was a long-haul trucker was a stroke of genius; essentially turning something exciting like space exploration into something akin to the daily drudgery of work that everyone can relate to. Of course the lyrics are one-half of the equation, the masterful way Elton John mixes major and minor chords brings the sense of longing in the verse and then swells in the pre-chorus to all the way to the sky in the chorus is just as genius as the lyrics; they compliment each other perfectly. Hear Rocket Man on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Béla Bartók - BB 52 - String Quartet No. 1 in A minor My song pick two years ago today: Victor Wooten - Us 2 My ...

From: Transformer ; Year: 1972; Genre: Glam Rock Yesterday we lost yet another musical legend: Lou Reed passed away at the young age of 71. An obituary for him can be found here on BBC.com . I cannot state how important the man was to music in the last half a century; again the musician died, but his music and influence will live on! Probably most will remember him as either the frontman of Velvet Underground or for his monster hit Walk on the Wild Side . However, his influence on music spread far beyond those two instances. Really, I couldn't think of too many other great songs of his to pick today, just based of the cultural significance of this track; most would probably remember the title of this song as also the name of the space craft from Mystery Science Theater 3000 . That being said, if I hadn't already picked the song Walk on the Wild Side would have been my pick today. Hear Satellite of Love on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Alestorm - Barret...

From: Jazz Guitar Virtuoso ; Year: 1990 (1932) ; Genre: Jazz I had some other songs in mind for today's pick, but most of the morning I've been having early Jazz guitar music running through my mind and thought I'd pick one of that ilk instead. It still amazes me to think that Eddie Lang was playing guitar this way all the way back 80 to 90 years ago, years before guitar greats like even the Gypsy Jazz guitar master Django Reinhardt. I guess he earned the title "father of the modern guitar" that some have bestowed on him. Anyway, this is definitely a virtuoso piece that goes all over the place from jazz to pop hit parade to even classical. I would loved to have heard him during the time of overdriven amplifiers playing with the likes of today's guitar greats. Hear Pickin' My Way on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Sergei Rachmaninoff - Op. 27 - Symphony No. 2 My song pick two years ago today: AC/DC - Big Balls My song pick three...

From: Running with Scissors ; Year: 1999; Genre: Comedy/Third Wave Ska This morning I've had this rather funny song running through my mind, and as usual I thought I would make it my pick today. This happens to be one of "Weird Al's" originals, which features music in the style of bands of the "Third Wave Ska" genre such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, which is pretty fun to listen to. However, as with most of his material the lyrics are the main draw, and this one has him running down comedic horoscopes for each sign of the zodiac at break-neck speeds. Hear Your Horoscope for Today on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Sly and the Family Stone - Stand! My song pick two years ago today: Sethian - Purity in Sorrow My song pick three years ago today: Sethian - Nothing Is True My song pick four years ago today: Steely Dan - Charlie Freak My song pick five years ago today: Van Halen - Summer Nights My song pick six years ago today:...

From: Graham Central Station ; Year: 1974; Genre: Funk/Soul I'll tell you what it is: it's another Funky Friday , my sixth one in a row to be exact! It seems as if a lot of my Funky Friday picks have somehow to do with Larry Graham; well if you just listen to the Funkmaster himself you can see why. Dang, that bass on this song is just jaw dropping for a musician and a damn good groove to dance to. Hear Tell Me What It Is on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rush - Mr. Soul My song pick two years ago today: Megadeth - How the Story Ends My song pick three years ago today: Sethian - Epitaph My song pick four years ago today: Marcus Miller - Frankenstein My song pick five years ago today: Jackyl - The Lumberjack My song pick six years ago today: Blackmore's Night - Rainbow Blues

From: Sky ; Year: 1979; Genre: Progressive Rock This morning I woke up with a couple of songs from Sky running through my mind; I of course took it as a sign that I should pick one of their songs. This was the first song from their first album, so back in '79 if you just "dropped the needle" this classical guitar meets electronic groove/funk track would've been there to greet you. While it's not even close to my favourite from the band, it's a very interestingly arranged track. Hear Westway on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Asia - Wildest Dreams My song pick two years ago today: Don Henley - Dirty Laundry My song pick three years ago today: The Scorpions - Big City Nights My song pick four years ago today: Graham Central Station - Earthquake My song pick five years ago today: John Denver - Season Suite - Fall My song pick six years ago today: Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki ( Ue o Muite Aruko )

From: The Coasters 20 Greatest Hits ; Year: (1959); Genre: Rhythm and Blues I've had this track in the queue for a while now, and I though I would pick it today. It's kind of funny, on the surface this is kind of an upbeat "feel good" song. However, if you dig into the metaphor-laced lyrics this one is somewhat of a "dirty" track about a superficially beautiful woman whose not only loose, but also carries a sexually transmitted disease. It's amazing to think that this was such a radio hit in the "wholesome" 1950s; of course the great performance by The Coasters probably had more to do with it being so big. Hear Poison Ivy on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - Earthling Parade My song pick two years ago today: Stuart Hamm - Kings of Sleep My song pick three years ago today: Steeleye Span - Lovely on the Water My song pick four years ago today: Crosby, Stills & Nash - Just a Song Bef...

From: Innuendo ; Year: 1991; Genre" Hard Rock This morning I had songs from Queen's Innuendo album running through my head; not that I need to have a reason to pick a song from the band, but I took it as a sign I should pick another track from the album. This is a rather up-beat rocker and is one that I've always liked. Hear Ride the Wild Wind on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Enter Maurice My song pick two years ago today: Mastodon - Capillarian Crest My song pick three years ago today: Hot Chocolate - Brother Louie My song pick four years ago today: Rammstein - Frühling in Paris My song pick five years ago today: Jethro Tull - A Small Cigar My song pick six years ago today: Ian Anderson - Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song)

From: Gone in 60 Seconds (Soundtrack) ; Year: 2000; Genre: Rock I had this song on my mind today for some reason and thought I would pick it. I found it odd that this song was only released on the soundtrack of the remake of the classic film Gone in 60 Seconds , and never made it to a proper Cult album. Even though it was made for the motion picture, it is still a really great track, and is among my favourites from The Cult; it would've fit very well on one of their albums. Hear Painted on My Heart on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Scott Joplin - The Entertainer My song pick two years ago today: Maktub - So Tired My song pick three years ago today: Dizzy Gillespie - Manteca My song pick four years ago today: Iron Maiden - Sun and Steel My song pick five years ago today: Deep Purple - Knocking At Your Back Door My song pick six years ago today: Slade - Cum On Feel The Noize

From: Imaginaerum ; Year: 2011; Genre: Symphonic Metal/Power Metal The other day whilst I was out and about this track on my iPod and I thought it would make an excellent pick. Anyway, this is the main 'epic' piece of music off of Nightwish's most recent release: Imaginaerum , and clocks in at just over 13 minutes. From what I understand it is based on one of bandleader Tuomas Holopainen's favourite poems: Walt Whitman's work of the same name . Hear Song of Myself on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Gustav Mahler - Symphony No.4 My song pick two years ago today: Saigon Kick - Chanel My song pick three years ago today: Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out My song pick four years ago today: Return to Forever - Vulcan Worlds My song pick five years ago today: Victor Wooten - Me and My Bass Guitar My song pick six years ago today: Pink Floyd - Welcome to the Machine

From: Minor Swing (single) ; Year: 1937; Genre: Gypsy Jazz Yesterday I watched a French documentary film about Django Reinhardt, and this original composition from Reinhardt and Grappelli was one that was heavily featured. It's quite a pretty piece of mid 1930s jazz driven by both the guitar and violin. Hear Minor Swing on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Van Der Graaf Generator - A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers My song pick two years ago today: Asia - Only Time Will Tell My song pick three years ago today: British Whale (Justin Hawkins) - This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us My song pick four years ago today: Donald MacLeod - Field of Gold My song pick five years ago today: John Lennon (The Plastic Ono Band) - Hold On My song pick six years ago today: John Denver - Looking for Space

From: One Nation Under a Groove ; Year: 1978; Genre: Funk I'm continuing my streak of Funky Friday picks with this being my fifth in a row. Since I picked one from George Clinton's Parliament, I couldn't let this Friday go without picking one from the his sibling band: Funkadelic. This track has a great funky groove that just won't let you go. Hear Cholly (Funk Getting Ready To Roll!) on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf Rag My song pick two years ago today: Jethro Tull - Play In Time My song pick three years ago today: Exile - Kiss You All Over My song pick four years ago today: Rush - Show Don't Tell My song pick five years ago today: The Four Tops - Bernadette My song pick six years ago today: Devo - Some Things Never Change

From: Rust Never Sleeps ; Year: 1979; Genre: Folk Rock I figured after yesterday's pick it would be apropos to pick the "bookend" sibling track off of Rust Never Sleeps . For the most part this is a carbon copy, (or it could be the other way around), of Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) except for the fact that this is an acoustic folk/rock arrangement and their are some lyrical differences as well. Hear My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing My song pick two years ago today: Rush - Leave That Thing Alone My song pick three years ago today: Jim Croce - Photographs and Memories My song pick four years ago today: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Turn To Stone My song pick five years ago today: Sniff'n the Tears - Driver's Seat My song pick six years ago today: Styx - Lady

From: Rust Never Sleeps ; Year: 1979; Genre: Hard Rock/Metal The other day I started playing this song on my guitar and forgot how much of a stress reliever this track can be. Just hearing that obscenely distorted guitar in the intro is enough to get the blood moving. The totally awesome, raw, unpolished primal 'grunt' of this entire album has been one of the main draws for me. In reality it actually was more or less a live album, which is what I think made the album as good as it is; doing these tracks in the studio would've spoiled it in my opinion. Hear Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Hawkwind - Hurry on Sundown My song pick two years ago today: Steeleye Span - New York Girls My song pick three years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Living in the U.S.A. My song pick four years ago today: Three Dog Night - Shambala My song pick five years ago today: Diesel - Sausalito Summernight My song pick six years ...

From: Stand Up ; Year: 1969; Genre: Progressive Rock Out of the first few pieces of music I tried to learn after getting my first bass guitar this had to have been one of the most insane song for a novice to learn, but I did. I remember having to learn Glenn Cornick's bass solo more or less note-by-note; what a pain in the arse. Although, I have to say it was a very rewarding experience and pushed my skills as a musician past their limits, thus making everything else seem tame at the time. Anyway, this was one of Jethro Tull's earlier hits; it is Ian Anderson's arrangement of J.S. Bach's fifth movement of his Suite in E Minor BWV 996 . Apparently Ian had a neighbour that was practicing this song on classical guitar ad nauseam and he thought he would "get back" at J.S. Bach by arranging it into a jazz-rock song. Watch a music video clip of Bourée on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra My song pick tw...

From: Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music ; Year: 1976; Genre: Space Rock For no real reason whatsoever I felt like listening to some instrumental Hawkind this morning. While it's not their best instrumental piece per se, The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon is a neat piece of music. Hear The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Oasis - All Around the World My song pick two years ago today: The Smashing Pumpkins - The End Is the Beginning Is the End My song pick three years ago today: Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story My song pick four years ago today: Louis Armstrong - Red Sails in the Sunset My song pick five years ago today: Jim Croce - Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy) My song pick six years ago today: Savatage - The Wake of Magellan

From: Bookends : Year: 1968; Genre: Folk Rock Last night I had this song running through my mind, essentially keeping me awake and depriving me of sleep. As I always do, I took it as a sign that the it needed picked. Anyway, I've always liked this song every since I first heard it. Mrs. Robinson is one of those songs that has it where it counts and has it in spades: great musical arrangements, incredible lyrics, amazing vocals, and an excellent all around production quality. Not only that but it was part of the soundtrack of a classic film: The Graduate . Hear Mrs. Robinson on YouTube. Hear the original version from The Graduate on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rare Earth - Get Ready My song pick two years ago today: Trio of Doom - Continuum My song pick three years ago today: Jethro Tull - Aqualung My song pick four years ago today: Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys - Wayfaring Stranger My song pick five years ago today: Billy Squier - In T...

From: A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... To a Blind Horse ; Year: 1971; Genre: Hard Rock I always find it interesting about the band Faces; they are almost like a supergroup in reverse with how members went on to super stardom. However, this was a case that, in my opinion, not only were the individual parts great, but as a whole they were great as well. I love that driving rhythm section and of course Rod Stewart's unmistakable voice, but for me Ronnie Wood's slide guitar is the the amazing cherry to top it off. Hear Stay With Me on YouTube. Watch a classic live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Oh Susannah My song pick two years ago today: Miles Davis - Freedom Jazz Dance My song pick three years ago today: Boston - More Than a Feeling My song pick four years ago today: David Bowie - Suffragette City My song pick five years ago today: Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now My song pick six years ago today: Ele...

From: Mothership Connection ; Year: 1976; Genre: Funk My fourth Funky Friday pick in a row! I'll definitely keep this going for a bit longer; I'm enjoying it. This is one of the more popular tracks from George Clinton's band Parliament; definitely an excellent funky jam to close out the work week. Hear Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Pallas - For the Greater Glory My song pick two years ago today: Steely Dan - Peg My song pick three years ago today: What Made Milwaukee Famous - Selling Yourself Short My song pick four years ago today: Jethro Tull - Left Right My song pick five years ago today: Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes My song pick six years ago today: Eisbrecher - Ohne Dich

From: Forbidden Planet (Soundtrack) ; Year: 1956; Genre: Electronic Today's pick number (2257) was, I believe, also the year that the groundbreaking Science Fiction film Forbidden Planet was supposed to take place. This is a film that not only many remember, but was would also have a profound impact on most sci-fi to come out after. One of the more interesting parts of this film was that it is credited as being the first film with a totally electronic score. Inventors and composers Louis and Bebe Barron actually created the electronic devices, or instruments that made the sound. To get an idea of how big this was you have to remember, this was almost a decade before synthesizers were even invented. Hear Forbidden Planet Main Titles (Overture) on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rush - Anagram (for Mongo) My song pick two years ago today: Sky - Troika My song pick three years ago today: Mason Williams - Classical Gas My song pick four years ago today: ...

From: What if... ; Year: 2011; Genre: Hard Rock I had Mr. Big on my mind this morning and as always I took it as a sign that I should pick one of their songs. This is one of my favourites off of their latest album; a lot of excellent music to be had on this track. Hear Nobody Left to Blame on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Savatage - Somewhere in Time My song pick two years ago today: Rammstein - Links 2-3-4 My song pick three years ago today: Rammstein - Donaukinder My song pick four years ago today: U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) My song pick five years ago today: The Charlie Daniels Band - Uneasy Rider My song pick six years ago today: Megadeth - Psychotron