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

From: Southern Accents ; Year: 1985; Genre: Psychedelic Rock This Tom Petty classic just seems like a perfect choice for bidding adieu to 2022; hey, that rhymes! 😜 Whilst considered among Tom Petty's best amongst his extensive catalogue, it was actually co-written with David A. Stewart of the Eurythmics ; he also played and sung backing vocals on this track as well. Anyway, see you all next year!   Hear Don't Come Around Here No More on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Jimmy Jules and the Nuclear Soul System - The New Year   My song pick 2 years ago today: Genesis - Duke's End   My song pick 3 years ago today: Kool & The Gang - Celebration   My song pick 4 years ago today: Scrawl - 11:59 (It's January) My song pick 5 years ago today: Ella Fitzgerald - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? My song pick 6 years ago today: Iron Maiden - When the Wild Wind Blows My song pick 7 years ago today: Primus with The Fungi Ensemble - Farewe...

From: Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow ; Year: 1970; Genre: Funk/Psychedelic Soul/Hard Rock With the year and month's end at hand I am making my final Funky Friday pick of 2022; wot could be better for the occasion than something P-Funk? Specifically Funkadelic featuring the legend Eddie Hazel lending his vocals and guitar playing on this b-side track. Pure musical bliss this one with the whole P-Funk-meets-Hendrix-meets-Sly & the Family Stone flair; those sounds blend quite nicely.   Hear Fish, Chips and Sweat on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Boston - Someone   My song pick 2 years ago today: Genesis - Duke's Travels   My song pick 3 years ago today: Yazoo - Don't Go   My song pick 4 years ago today: C.W. McCall - Riverside Slide My song pick 5 years ago today: Led Zeppelin - Four Sticks My song pick 6 years ago today: Frankie Miller - Supersnatch My song pick 7 years ago today: Motörhead - Ace of Spades My song...

From: Lita ; Year: 1988; Genre: Hard Rock/Glam Metal Another case today of a song coming out of absolutely nowhere, playing in my mind even though I have not heard it in I cannot remember how long. It's one of those song that was definitely a product of its time, and thus acts as a musical time capsule of sorts wherein the memories associated with it rise to the surface whenever it is played, which is not a bad thing at all.   Hear Kiss Me Deadly on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Human Race   My song pick 2 years ago today: Boston - My Destination/A New World   My song pick 3 years ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - Blue Moanin'   My song pick 4 years ago today: Steely Dan - Fire In The Hole My song pick 5 years ago today: The Police - Can't Stand Losing You My song pick 6 years ago today: Benny Carter - Pick Yourself Up My song pick 7 years ago today: Rush - Best I Can My song pick 8 yea...

From: Georgia Sunshine ; Year: 1970; Genre: Folk/Bluegrass/Country I don't know exactly why, but I had this song come to mind earlier in the day and I thought that I would make it today's pick. Originally written by the legendary musician Grandpa Jones back in the mid 1940s, when I heard Jerry Reed's version I knew I had to go with it. The overall deceptive complexity of this song is only made all that more deceptive to the listener by Jerry Reed's effortless virtuosity both on the guitar and vocally. I remember back in the day when my own Grandfather would play his own rendition of Eight More Miles To Louisville it was one of the songs that would especially get other musicians' attention, mainly due to the rapid-fire and constant chord changes throughout the piece.    Hear Eight More Miles To Louisville on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Demon's Kiss   My song pick 2 years ago today: Bee Gees - I Gotta Get a Message to ...

From: Too Old To Rock 'N Roll: Too Young To Die! ; Year: 1976; Genre: Rock/Hard Rock I've always loved the thumping groove driven by John Glascock's bass and Barriemore Barlow's drumming on this riff-heavy song: Big Dipper . It is definitely one of the main highlights off the record in my opinion that sound and production is spot-on.   Hear Big Dipper on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Pallas - Northern Star   My song pick 2 years ago today: Queensrÿche - Speed of Light   My song pick 3 years ago today: Lighthouse - Set the Stage   My song pick 4 years ago today: Badfinger - The Dreamer My song pick 5 years ago today: Bad Company - Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy My song pick 6 years ago today: Badfinger - Without You My song pick 7 years ago today: Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry My song pick 8 years ago today: Pat Benatar - Hell is for Children My song pick 9 years ago today: The Headhunters feat. The Pointer Sisters - Go...

From: Deadwing ; Year: 2005; Genre: Progressive Metal/Alternative Metal Enjoying this post-Christmas Monday actually by listening to this Porcupine Tree record, which is one of my many favourites from the band. This track, Shallow , was apparently also a hit single, which is surprising seeing as anything "progressive" usually gets marginalized and hammered by critics, but this song and entire album for that matter has amazing production quality and the song writing is exquisite as always from anything Steven Wilson touches, or so it would seem.   Hear Shallow on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man   My song pick 2 years ago today: Carmen - Stepping Stone   My song pick 3 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Joan Crawford   My song pick 4 years ago today: Frank Zappa - Theme From The 3rd Movement Of Sinister Footwear My song pick 5 years ago today: The Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Loving My song pick 6 year...

From: John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (soundtrack); Year: 1979; Genre: Christmas Music Been a long and exhausting Holiday weekend, and I thought it'd be apropos to bring it all to a close with this short, but sweet traditional Christmas song off of the film John Denver did with The Muppets back in the day. It's one of those renditions that'll surely bring back great memories if you are acquainted with the movie and/or soundtrack, but even if not it should give a nice feeling to the uninitiated listener.   Hear We Wish You A Merry Christmas on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers - Monsters' Holiday   My song pick 2 years ago today: Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Steve Winwood - Christmas Is Now Drawing Near At Hand   My song pick 4 years ago today: Louis Armstrong and the Commanders - Cool Yule My song pick 5 years ago today:...

From: Merry Christmas ; Year: 1945(1943); Genre: Christmas Music Happened to have this rather sentimental and melancholy song about the Holiday and the time around it on my mind today, so I'm picking it. With a great deal of his hit songs being of the subject of Christmas it is no wonder that he becomes more ubiquitous this time of year. This one, of course, was released for the service men and women's morale during The War, which it did perfectly apparently, but it has really transcended those beginnings into a Holiday mainstay since.   Hear I'll Be Home For Christmas (If Only In My Dreams) on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Jethro Tull - Pavane   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Smashing Pumpkins - Christmastime   My song pick 3 years ago today: Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Jingle Bells   My song pick 4 years ago today: Bob Rivers - Goin' Up To Bethlehem My song pick 5 years ago today: "Weird Al" Yankovic - The Night Sant...

From: The Jethro Tull Christmas Album ; Year: 2003; Genre: Progressive Rock/Christmas Music Woke up with this record on my mind once more this Holiday Season and thought that I would choose one more from it for my penultimate pick prior to Christmas Eve. This is, as you probably guessed, Ian Anderson and the band's own instrumental arrangement of the timeless song Greensleeves written centuries ago. It has been long associated with Christmas due to the tune being set to lyrics concerning the Holiday with the title: What Child is This? .   Hear Greensleeved on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Chick Corea - What Child is This?   My song pick 2 years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Prince of Peace   My song pick 3 years ago today: Bob Rivers - Flu Ride   My song pick 4 years ago today: The Pretenders - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas My song pick 5 years ago today: Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio - Didn't I Get This Last Year...

From: Night Castle ; Year: 2009; Genre: Symphonic Rock/Christmas Music It really wouldn't be the Holiday Season without hearing some of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas-inspired music. Whilst Night Castle is not a Christmas album, this track very much is. Originally was conceived as a pop/rock interpretation by Kim Fowley of Tchaikovsky's march from his ballet The Nutcracker and recorded by noted studio musicians B. Bumble and the Stingers , which, of course became a hit. In 1972 Emerson, Lake & Palmer would perform their own rendition of it, and later Trans-Siberian Orchestra recorded their own take on it from this record. Interestingly enough, the late-great Greg Lake from E, L&P plays the bass on this track with the band, so it somewhat comes to a circle.   Hear Nutrocker on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Brecker Brothers With Steve Khan - The Christmas Waltz ...

From: McLemore Avenue ; Year: 1970; Genre: Rock/Pop/Soul I guess when you get a selection of songs from one of the most legendary bands of the last century being covered by an equally important group of highly talented and noted musical legends this amazing record is wot you get as a product. Since it's once again the Winter Solstice I wanted to pick another version of The Beatles' hit Here Comes the Sun , and when I remembered that it was part of this medley from the incomparable Booker T. and the MGs I knew I had today's pick. Whilst the biggest "star" in this cover is without a doubt Booker T. Jones' organ/keyboards throughout, the rest of them do the exceptional job of it like always.   Hear the full medley on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Beatles - I'll Follow the Sun   My song pick 2 years ago today: Geoff Tate, Carlos Cavazo, James Lomenzo & Ray Luzier - Silver Bells   My song pick 3 years ago today: Jethro Tull - We Five Ki...

From: White Christmas/The Bells of St. Mary's (single); Year: 1954; Genre: Doo-Wop/R&B/Christmas Music For me personally, doo-wop and Christmas music are two types of music that just go together. This version by The Drifters was amongst the many early hit covers of White Christmas , some 12 or so years after Bing Crosby's original; from wot I have read, it is the most recorded Christmas song to date. While this version was more or less initially relegated to the R&B charts, in the last 30-40 years it has gained fame after its use in movie soundtracks.   Hear White Christmas on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Steeleye Span - Today in Bethlehem   My song pick 2 years ago today: Van der Graaf Generator - La Rossa   My song pick 3 years ago today: Binky Griptite - Stone Soul Christmas   My song pick 4 years ago today: Bachman & Turner - Find Some Love My song pick 5 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Another Harry's Bar My song...

From: Christmas Through the Years ; Year: 1996 (1951); Genre: Christmas Music/Pop/Jazz Here's another legendary artist that I, personally could not go through this season without listening to. Pops' upbeat and purely joyful, cool style is absolutely perfect for this time of year; this is one of his that I like to hear around Christmas every year.   Hear Baby It's Cold Outside on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Primus - Hail Santa   My song pick 2 years ago today: Soundgarden - Head Down   My song pick 3 years ago today: Dave Edmunds - Almost Saturday Night   My song pick 4 years ago today: Paul Revere & The Raiders - Just Like Me My song pick 5 years ago today: Soundgarden - Burden in My Hand My song pick 6 years ago today: Wild Turkey - Good Old Days My song pick 7 years ago today: Stuart Hamm - Terminal Beach My song pick 8 years ago today: James Brown - Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto My song pick 9 years ago to...

From: White Trash Christmas ; Year: 2002; Genre: Parody/Comedy/Christmas Music/Country Less than a week left until Christmas, and it just wouldn't be right to not have some of Bob Rivers' exquisite comedy music for the season to kick off this week.  This is yet another case in which I was absolutely sure that I had already chosen this song, but surprisingly enough I did not. This is, as you could easily guess, his hilarious parody of the Holiday mainstay White Christmas , which was written by Irving Berlin and made famous in more recent times by the likes of Bing Crosby. The use of contemporary country and western music combined with lyrics that plays on the stereotypes of the song's subject, and you get a Christmas comedy classic.   Hear White Trash Christmas on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Ben Keith, Neil Young, Pegi Young - Les Trois Cloches   My song pick 2 years ago today: Primus - The Thing That Should Not Be   My song pick 3 y...

From: Groovin' ; Year: 1967; Genre: Rock/Pop/Soul A couple of days ago Dino Danelli , who was the drummer and founding member of The Young Rascals, passed away, so I'm finally getting around to choosing a song from the band. Whilst I have never been a gigantic fan of either incarnation of The (Young) Rascals, I have liked some of their music over the years, this one probably in the top three from the group. I've always liked the verses of this track in particular with the sparse and mysterious sounding music and vocals, but wot really comes to mind is the complimentary line played on, I believe an accordion, some other free-reed areophone, or facsimile, in the pre-chorus and chorus that gives way to the trumpet finishing the line.   Hear How Can I Be Sure on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Hot & Sassy - Christmas Strutt   My song pick 2 years ago today: Billy Squier - My Kind of Lover   My song pick 3 years ago today: Vince Guaraldi Trio...

From: I'll Be Your Santa Baby (single) ; Year: 1973; Genre: Funk/Soul/Christmas Music I never really noticed just how many funky Christmas songs are in existence, but as far as I can tell, the list is all but endless. What a better style of music for the Season anyway. right? You got a great bumping rhythm throughout this quite funny, innuendo and double entendre laden song concerning a rather amorous Saint Nick; again, quite a lot of fun.   Hear I'll Be Your Santa Baby on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy   My song pick 2 years ago today: Uriah Heep - Take Away My Soul   My song pick 3 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Salamander's Rag Time   My song pick 4 years ago today: Gloryhammer - Universe on Fire My song pick 5 years ago today: Bon Jovi - Lay Your Hands on Me My song pick 6 years ago today: James Brown - Santa Claus Gave Me a Brand New Start My song pick 7 year...

From: Kilroy Was Here ; Year: 1983; Genre: Rock It's one of those days that I had nothing special in mind to pick for my song, however, I've had some of Styx's music playing in my mind, so I'll go with that. This track from the pen of Tommy Shaw comes in earlier on the second side of the noted concept album that is Kilroy Was Here . I really like how they set the mood in this one with the Eastern musical influences, and that steady, bluesy rhythm really sells the rest of the song.   Hear Just Get Through This Night on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Stevie Wonder - Someday At Christmas   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Moody Blues - Have You Heard (Part 1)/Voyage/Have You Heard (Part 2)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Dust   My song pick 4 years ago today: Savatage - Not What You See My song pick 5 years ago today: Winger - Without the Night My song pick 6 years ago today: Eurythmics - Winter Wonderland My so...

From: Hunky Dory ; Year: 1971; Genre: Rock/Pop Off and on over the last month or so I have had songs off of this record playing in my mind; I am finally getting around to choosing one today. This track is kind of an oddball when compared to the other songs on the album, being that it's light-hearted, uplifting, and just a fun one to listen to.   Hear Fill Your Heart on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bob Rivers - Sled Zeppelin   My song pick 2 years ago today: Bob Rivers Comedy Corp. - The Restroom Door Said, "Gentlemen"   My song pick 3 years ago today: King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black   My song pick 4 years ago today: Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Sylvia's Mother My song pick 5 years ago today: John Denver - Goodbye Again My song pick 6 years ago today: John McCutcheon - Christmas in the Trenches My song pick 7 years ago today: Cybotron - Implosion My song pick 8 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Godzilla My so...

From: Cold Dark Place ; Year: 2017; Genre: Progressive Metal After hearing a lot from this band recently I decided I should choose another one of their songs. I really like the overall heaviness throughout this track; it makes the weight through the whole piece something amazing and adds so much emotion.   Hear Cold Dark Place on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Jerry Reed - How Many Tomorrows   My song pick 2 years ago today: Charley Pride - When I Stop Leaving (I'll Be Gone)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Béla Fleck & The Flecktones - Jingle Bells   My song pick 4 years ago today: Hawkwind - Brainstorm My song pick 5 years ago today: America - The Border My song pick 6 years ago today: Yes - Machine Messiah My song pick 7 years ago today: The Offspring - The Meaning of Life My song pick 8 years ago today: Savatage - Degrees of Sanity My song pick 9 years ago today: Extreme - Get the Funk Out My song pick 10 years a...

From: Run With the Fox (single) ; Year: 1981; Genre: Progressive Rock/Christmas Music Here's another Seasonal offering, this time from from Yes alumni Chris Squire and Alan White with this rather fun track. Whilst being released as a single initially, it was included on newer releases of Squire's epic Fish out of Water .   Hear Run With the Fox on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Rush - Cold Fire   My song pick 2 years ago today: Molly Hatchet - Miss Saturday Night   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Who - Who Are You   My song pick 4 years ago today: Gentle Giant - His Last Voyage My song pick 5 years ago today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - The Waiting My song pick 6 years ago today: Rush - Marathon My song pick 7 years ago today: Devo - Beautiful World My song pick 8 years ago today: The Jimmy Castor Bunch - E-Man Boogie My song pick 9 years ago today: Yes - The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be My song pick 10 years...