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

From: Manna ; Year: 1971; Genre: Hard Rock Let Your Love Go is one of the harder rockers from the band Bread, which to most is the undeniable embodiment of '70s soft rock. Though kind of rare amongst its musical brethren, this is not the only time the band decided to get a bit heavier; two right off the top of my head I can think of is Down On My Knees and the ever anthemic floor-shaker Mother Freedom , both of which are top favourites of mine. I really like how the beat-heavy rhythm goes right on through both the blues-rock inspired verses and more raucous, singalong style chorus.   Hear Let Your Love Go on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Simple Minds - Love Song   My song pick 2 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Hard Liner   My song pick 3 years ago today: Traffic - Glad My song pick 4 years ago today: Megadeth - Rattlehead My song pick 5 years ago today: Parliament - Everything Is on the One My song pick 6 years ago today: Symphony X - Iconoclast My song p

From: The Lazarwalker (EP) ; Year: 1995; Genre: Indie Rock I used to listen to The Delgados quite a bit, but for some reason they kept fading away, never came to dislike them or their music, I just quit listening to them that much. Happened to have them pop back in my mind the other day and thought I'd choose another one of their songs. Interestingly enough, just as I was going over their albums I discovered that the band has regrouped for s short tour in the U.K.; this will be the first time they have performed in about 17 years or so. Here's hoping it lasts for more than the five shows! As far as I am aware, this EP was their first studio release and it contains four songs I had not heard prior. This is the opening track and is definitely in the indie rock genre with that great raw, lo-fi sound.    Hear Primary Alternative on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Toto - Make Believe   My song pick 2 years ago today: Badfinger - Take It All   My song pick 3 years ag

From: Oogum Boogum ; Year: 1967; Genre: Soul/R&B Gimme Little Sign has a distinction, (for me at least), in which some of it's best attributes are actually a bit of a liability. Don't get me wrong, I love the song and such, but that infectious melody can really, really, really stuck in your head, and that's just after one listening. A sign of great writing and arranging on Brenton Wood's and co's. part. Other than that it's a great track across the board, and that fabulous organ solo is the cherry on top.   Hear Gimme Little Sign on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Duran Duran - Too Much Information   My song pick 2 years ago today: Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire   My song pick 3 years ago today: Sly and the Family Stone - Sex Machine My song pick 4 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Crossword My song pick 5 years ago today: Blood, Sweat & Tears - You've Made Me So Very Happy My song pick 6 years ago today: Mike + The Mec

From: Bangin' ; Year: 1987; Genre: Rock/Pop Thought I would check out The Outfield's second album, since I've yet to play it. I actually recognized some of the tunes on it; mostly ones that were hit singles, with this song being the lead and biggest hit from it. Anyway, Since You've Been Gone has a lot of hooks like most of their popular material and has some great sound and musicianship throughout.   Hear Since You've Been Gone on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - Freeways   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Yes - Lightning Strikes My song pick 4 years ago today: Queensrÿche - For What It's Worth My song pick 5 years ago today: Marillion - The New Kings My song pick 6 years ago today: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - K.619 - Die ihr des Unermeßlichen Weltalls My song pick 7 years ago today: Billy Joel - She's Got

From: C'mon and Swim ; Year: 1965; Genre: Soul/Funk/Rock 'n Roll This was Bobby Freeman's second chart-topping hit, which was actually co-written by one Sylvester Steward, aka Sly Stone later of Sly and the Family Stone , who also apparently played the keyboards on the recording. Anyway, this song might be categorized as "one of those '60s songs that goes with some dance," but with the funky playing and well-written music along with Bobby Freeman's incredible vocal delivery makes it so much more.   Hear C'mon and Swim, Part 1 on YouTube. Hear C'mon and Swim, Part 2 on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Martha and the Vandellas - Heat Wave   My song pick 2 years ago today: Funkadelic - Standing on the Verge of Getting It On   My song pick 3 years ago today: Carmen - Conclusion (She Changed) My song pick 4 years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Bare Trees My song pick 5 years ago today: The Offspring - Days Go By My song pick 6 years

From: Cryptic Writings ; Year: 1997; Genre: Thrash Metal For me, Cryptic Writings was kind of the end of a "golden age," if you will, of Megadeth. The lineup of Mustaine, Ellefson, Friedman, and Menza, was something special and just pure epic in my opinion. I got into the band with the excellent album Countdown to Extinction and immediately fell in love with most of their material under this lineup. I like quite a bit of their other material from outside this "era," but I guess it was just the sound and feel from such a great time that I especially like. Anyway, as with a great deal of Megadeth's songs, this one has almost a prophetic feel to it lyrically with the way we interact with technology and each other 25 years since.   Hear Mastermind on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bootsy Collins - Don't Take My Funk   My song pick 2 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Les Invisibles   My song pick 3 years ago today: Asia - Midnight Sun My so

From: Songs of Love ; Year: 1979; Genre: Disco/Soul Happened to be thinking about this song today, so I'm making it my pick. This was one of the bigger disco hits from toward the later part of its era of popularity, at that even, it is still one that anybody who has heard it can probably recognize the catchy chorus and that "laser" sound effect.    Hear the full 12-inch version of the song on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Tears for Fears - Elemental   My song pick 2 years ago today: ABBA - On And On And On   My song pick 3 years ago today: Rainbow - Stargazer My song pick 4 years ago today: Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy My song pick 5 years ago today: The Winery Dogs - Oblivion My song pick 6 years ago today: Lipps Inc - Funkytown My song pick 7 years ago today: Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 1080 - Art of Fugue My song pick 8 years ago today: Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name My song pick 9 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Inside

From: Bat Out Of Hell ; Year: 1977; Genre: Hard Rock Had this classic album playing in my head today and, as usual, it made me want to delve back into it. Bat Out Of Hell is another one of those records that, in my opinion, does not have any weak spots on it; it's definitely a masterpiece from Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman. Being one of the shorter songs from the album, it has a great mix of the epic, progressive sound of Steinman's writing with a much more palatable length and overall mainstream feel for the casual listener.   Hear You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Saturday Night) on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Steeleye Span - Cam Ye O'er Frae France   My song pick 2 years ago today: Hawkwind - The Road To...   My song pick 3 years ago today: Lacy J. Dalton - 16th Avenue My song pick 4 years ago today: Rush - Something for Nothing My song pick 5 years ago today: Gary Davis - Gotta Get Your Love My song pick 6 years ago today: Hall &

From: Modern Man ; Year: 1978; Genre: Funk/Jazz Fusion Last night whilst driving home I had this album come on once again; thought I'd pick another from it. This rather funky tune is actually a continuation of the song Hot Fun from his previous album; a perfect piece of music to get you through the middle of the week.   Hear More Hot Fun on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Cheap Trick - Ain't That a Shame   My song pick 2 years ago today: Marcus Miller - Superspy   My song pick 3 years ago today: Seals & Crofts - Diamond Girl My song pick 4 years ago today: Rick James - Call Me Up My song pick 5 years ago today: Chris Squire - Hold Out Your Hand My song pick 6 years ago today: Al Green - Back Up Train My song pick 7 years ago today: Karla DeVito - Bloody Bess My song pick 8 years ago today: Dream Theater - Breaking All Illusions My song pick 9 years ago today: Tom Petty - You Don't Know It Feels My song pick 10 years ago today: Booker T. &

From: Summertime Blues (single) ; Year: 1958; Genre: Rock 'n Roll/Rockabilly It's hard to believe that I have been at this for about 15 years now and have not chosen the original version of this historic piece of music from the last century. It's sad to think that such an influential and important person in music was cut down so young, but did so much in the short time we on Earth had him; it seems like a common theme in the world of music.... Anyway, it's June 21st and thus it being the first day of astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere, so, I really needed to pick an apropos song for the occasion. What better track to go with than Eddie Cochran's classic song about being young in the season: Summertime Blues ? Whilst it has seemingly been covered countless times in the years since, nothing will truly beat the original.   Hear Summertime Blues on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Coming Home)   My song pick 2 year

From: Forever, John ; Year: 1998, (1980); Genre: Folk Rock/Folk This is a cover of the folk hit song originally written and recorded by Ian & Sylvia , which has been recorded and re-recorded a plethora times by many artists over the years. His version of the song was released about a year after his tragic death in a compilation of unreleased tracks, with this one being apparently left on the "cutting room floor" during a session back in 1980. As always, John Denver did his best and made a great version of this storied song.   Hear Four Strong Winds on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Rush - BU2B2   My song pick 2 years ago today: Jigsaw - Keeping My Head Above Water   My song pick 3 years ago today: ABBA - Andante, Andante My song pick 4 years ago today: The Who - Join Together My song pick 5 years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra My song pick 6 years ago today: Blood, Sweat & Tears - And When I Die My song pick 7 years ago today:

From: Blue Öyster Cult ; Year: 1972; Genre: Hard Rock/Psychedelic Rock Had BÖC's first album on my brain most of the morning and as usual I'm choosing another one from it. I love all of the interesting, spooky sounding music throughout the piece along with the strange breaks and sections; it definitely makes for a weird sounding and feeling song in many ways.   Hear Screams on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Alice in Chains - Dam That River   My song pick 2 years ago today: Funkadelic - Good Old Music   My song pick 3 years ago today: Vixen - Tangerine My song pick 4 years ago today: 3 Inches of Blood - 4000 Torches My song pick 5 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Rover My song pick 6 years ago today: UB40 - Impossible Love My song pick 7 years ago today: Funkadelic - Funk Gets Stronger, Part 1 My song pick 8 years ago today: Lenny Kravitz - Fields of Joy My song pick 9 years ago today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Here Comes My Girl My song pi

From: Barn ; Year: 2021; Genre: Rock/Blues Rock Started listening to this album once again and decided to "drop the needle" on the record's longest song and thought I'd pick it as well. It's interesting how much this song sounds like it would belong back in the '70s with both the way it's written and played, but also Neil Young's vocals. It sounds so familiar and welcoming to the ears for those who are fans of his work; so heavy and haunting with that lo-fi sound.    Watch the music video on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - Water   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Foxy Lady   My song pick 3 years ago today: Rammstein - Ausländer My song pick 4 years ago today: Cat Stevens - Wild World My song pick 5 years ago today: Steely Dan - The Fez My song pick 6 years ago today: The Nice - Diary of an Empty Day My song pick 7 years ago today: Foreigner - Spell Binder

From: First Ya Gotta Shake The Gate ; Year: 2014; Genre: Funk Thought I'd go back to one of my favourite funk acts today and check out some of their newer material. This, the title track, definitely has the psychedelia and the groove of the band historically, but with a more contemporary take on it.    Hear First Ya Gotta Shake The Gate on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Curved Air - Easy   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Temptations - (I Know) I'm Losing You   My song pick 3 years ago today: Neil Young - Heart of Gold My song pick 4 years ago today: April Wine - 21st Century Schizoid Man My song pick 5 years ago today: Mr. Big - The Monster in Me My song pick 6 years ago today: Jaco Pastorius - Liberty City My song pick 7 years ago today: Primus - The Air is Getting Slippery My song pick 8 years ago today: Soundgarden - Halfway There My song pick 9 years ago today: Jim Croce - Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels) My song pick 10 years a

From: Masque ; Year: 1975; Genre: Progressive Rock Been unbelievably busy the last few days, however, I am still making time to pick a song for my blog. I've always had an affinity for this album, which just preceded the band hitting it big with the follow-up record: Leftoverture . There's a great deal of amazing songs from Masque , with this being one of the better ones in my opinion.   Hear Mysteries and Mayhem on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Jethro Tull - Out of the Noise   My song pick 2 years ago today: Ultravox - Man of Two Worlds   My song pick 3 years ago today: Steppenwolf - Rock Me My song pick 4 years ago today: ABBA - One of Us My song pick 5 years ago today: Rick James - Below the Funk (Pass the J) My song pick 6 years ago today: Black Sabbath - Symptom of the Universe My song pick 7 years ago today: Pallas - Just a Memory My song pick 8 years ago today: Steeleye Span - Orfeo/Nathan's Reel My song pick 9 years ago today: Alestorm

From: Dance to the Music ; Year: 1968; Genre: Psychedelic Soul/R&B Was enjoying a bunch of music from Sly & The Family Stone earlier; I've always absolutely loved their positivity, activism, and messages of their music, not to mention the great compositions of the music to boot. This track has a definite Motown feel to it; Smoky Robinson and the Miracles in particular with that amazing rhythm combined with the somber soul sounds throughout. It really helps having the one and only Larry Graham providing lead vocals on this one; I've always loved his smooth, deep voice.    Hear I'll Never Fall In Love Again on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Hawkwind - The Forge of Vulcan   My song pick 2 years ago today: Asia - Ride Easy   My song pick 3 years ago today: Three Dog Night - It's a Jungle Out There My song pick 4 years ago today: Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - Last Train My song pick 5 years ago today: Boston - Don't Be Afraid

From: The Best of Crash Test Dummies ; Year: 2007 (1994); Genre: Alternative Rock For the first time in many years I saw the film for which this song was part of its soundtrack: Dumb and Dumber . This one is, of course, also a cover originally written and recorded by XTC a couple years prior, which was also a hit, which shows that it was evidently a masterfully written and conceptualized song.   Watch the music video on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Heart - Lost Angel   My song pick 2 years ago today: Steeleye Span - Harvest   My song pick 3 years ago today: Fat Larry's Band - Act Like You Know My song pick 4 years ago today: Laura Branigan - Deep in the Dark My song pick 5 years ago today: Bay City Rollers - I Only Want to Be With You My song pick 6 years ago today: Jethro Tull - One Brown Mouse My song pick 7 years ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - It's Over My song pick 8 years ago today: Petula Clark - Kiss Me Goodbye My song pick 9

From: PXR5 ; Year: 1979; Genre: Space Rock/Psychedelic Rock This is one of the bonus tracks not originally released on PXR5 . It's kind of a stripped back and straight forward rock song; the main draw for me is the vocal work of Robert Calvert, which is about horror films and the experience thereof.   Hear We Like To Be Frightened on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Rage Against the Machine - Maggie's Farm   My song pick 2 years ago today: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Infinite Space (Conclusion)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Hall & Oates - Out of Touch My song pick 4 years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Station Man My song pick 5 years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Emerald Eyes My song pick 6 years ago today: The Thermals - I Know the Pattern My song pick 7 years ago today: Grace Slick - El Diablo My song pick 8 years ago today: Marcus Miller - Juice My song pick 9 years ago today: Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning My song pick 10 years ago today: L

From: Closer to Home ; Year: 1970; Genre: Hard Rock Just felt like some Grand Funk today and thought I'd pick a song from one one of my favourite albums from the band. I really love that driving bass and drums throughout this one.   Hear Nothing Is The Same on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Helloween - Ride the Sky   My song pick 2 years ago today: Funkadelic - If You Don't Like the Effects, Don't Produce the Cause My song pick 3 years ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - Sweet Hitch-Hiker My song pick 4 years ago today: Jim Croce - I Got a Name My song pick 5 years ago today: Rush - Open Secrets My song pick 6 years ago today: Sonny & Cher - The Beat Goes On My song pick 7 years ago today: The Soul Searchers - Think My song pick 8 years ago today: Soundgarden - My Wave My song pick 9 years ago today: Midnight Oil - The Stars of Warburton My song pick 10 years ago today: Rush - The Garden My song pick 11 years ago today: Je

From: Everlasting Love ; Year: 1967; Genre: Soul/R&B/Pop To be completely honest, I had never heard this, the original version of this song prior, and have instantly fell in love with it. Whilst it has been recorded many, many times over, the cover by Carl Carlton , which is quite similar, is the one I had heard and like the most, but this one is definitely right there with it.   Hear Everlasting Love on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Parliament - What Comes Funky   My song pick 2 years ago today: Alice in Chains - Grind   My song pick 3 years ago today: Gloryhammer - The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny My song pick 4 years ago today: Dave Edmunds - Girls Talk My song pick 5 years ago today: Sky - Where Opposites Meet My song pick 6 years ago today: Jigsaw - Cry ('Til The Tears Run Dry) My song pick 7 years ago today: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Piano Concerto No. 1 My song pick 8 years ago today: Jim Reeves & Patsy Cline - Have You Ever Been Lo

From: Disco Baby ; Year: 1975; Genre: Disco/Funk/Soul Not sure why, but I've recently had this tune on my mind and thought I'd add it. This one brings back a lot of memories for me early on; probably moreso for those a little older than I am.     Hear The Hustle on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Kinks - A Long Way From Home   My song pick 2 years ago today: Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill   My song pick 3 years ago today: Megadeth - Peace Sells My song pick 4 years ago today: Dr. Hook - Sharing the Night Together My song pick 5 years ago today: Hawkwind - Kerb Crawler My song pick 6 years ago today: Funkadelic - Freak of the Week My song pick 7 years ago today: Pink Floyd - Wot's... Uh the Deal? My song pick 8 years ago today: Wild Turkey - Dulwich Fox My song pick 9 years ago today: Asia - Don't Cry My song pick 10 years ago today: Queen - Somebody to Love My song pick 11 years ago today: Rush (Neil Peart) - O Baterista (Drum Solo)

From: Victory Day ; Year: 1988; Genre: Rock This is a track that I've been meaning to pick for quite a long while now and am finally getting around to it. Big League is a song that is anthemic, but is also quite heartbreaking with the subject matter and semi-biographical nature of the piece, which has also been used to mark tragedies since it's release.   Hear Big League on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: XTC - King For A Day   My song pick 2 years ago today: Wolfmother - White Unicorn   My song pick 3 years ago today: Billy Joel - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) My song pick 4 years ago today: Wild Turkey - A Universal Man My song pick 5 years ago today: War - The World is a Ghetto My song pick 6 years ago today: Megadeth - The Scorpion My song pick 7 years ago today: Midnight Oil - Power and the Passion My song pick 8 years ago today: David Bowie - Magic Dance My song pick 9 years ago today: ZZ Top - Sleeping Bag My song pick 10 years ago to

From: Bee Gees' 1st ; Year: 1967; Genre: Rock/Soul I'm extremely happy that I got around to picking this song from the Brothers Gibb, aka the Bee Gees. Whilst I do like their disco era music, for me personally their earlier material has always been head and shoulders above the eras of their greater popularity and notoriety. To Love Somebody makes such a big statement with the massive injection of soul into it; so much power and emotion to be had in this one.   Hear To Love Somebody on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Marillion - Warm Wet Circles   My song pick 2 years ago today: Dire Straits - Tunnel of Love   My song pick 3 years ago today: Banchee - 3/4 Song My song pick 4 years ago today: Parliament - Gettin' to Know You My song pick 5 years ago today: Silver - Wham Bam My song pick 6 years ago today: Genesis - Supper's Ready My song pick 7 years ago today: Ian Anderson - Puer Ferox Adventus My song pick 8 years ago today: Jon Oliva's Pa

From: The Sky is Crying ; Year: 1991 (1985); Genre: Blues No song in mind for today's pick, but it just so happened that some tracks off this posthumous album from the late-great Stevie Ray Vaughan popped into my mind as I started to make today's post. This is a downright amazing cover of the Howlin' Wolf penned classic that shows off the bluesman's skill quite well.   Hear May I Have a Talk With You on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: ZZ Top - Legs   My song pick 2 years ago today: Primus - Eclectic Electric   My song pick 3 years ago today: Parliament - Trombipulation My song pick 4 years ago today: The Alan Parsons Project - Silence and I My song pick 5 years ago today: Wall of Voodoo - Ring of Fire My song pick 6 years ago today: John Dowland - Time Stands Still My song pick 7 years ago today: Tarot - Magic and Technology My song pick 8 years ago today: Hawkwind - PXR5 My song pick 9 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Summerday Sands My son