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

From: Irene & Mavis ; Year: 1980; Genre: Synthpop/Electronic Rock Just recently discovered this early EP from Blancmange that predates their debut album Happy Families by a couple of years. It is really neat hearing the duo in a more embryonic state musically, this instrumental track is one of my favourite thus far.   Hear Holiday Camp on YouTube.        My song pick 1 year ago today: Golden Earring - Future     My song pick 2 years ago today: ABBA - The Name of the Game   My song pick 3 years ago today: Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me   My song pick 4 years ago today: The Cosmic Sound Orchestra - Fight   My song pick 5 years ago today: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - If You Leave   My song pick 6 years ago today: Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth   My song pick 7 years ago today: Midnight Oil - King of the Mountain My song pick 8 years ago today: The Wootens - Do I Do My song pick 9 year...

From: A ; Year: 1980; Genre: Progressive Rock   " And with the last line almost drawn --- wish you goodbye till further on. Will you still be there further on? "   Hear And Further On on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Jamestown Story - Goodbye (I'm Sorry)     My song pick 2 years ago today: Foo Fighters - Next Year   My song pick 3 years ago today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Don't Come Around Here No More   My song pick 4 years ago today: Jimmy Jules and the Nuclear Soul System - The New Year   My song pick 5 years ago today: Genesis - Duke's End   My song pick 6 years ago today: Kool & The Gang - Celebration   My song pick 7 years ago today: Scrawl - 11:59 (It's January) My song pick 8 years ago today: Ella Fitzgerald - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? My song pick 9 years ago today: Iron Maiden - When the Wild Wind Blows My song pick 10 years ago today: Primus with The Fungi Ensemble...

From: Information Society ; Year: 1988; Genre: New Wave For some reason was drawing an absolute blank today for this song pick, not sure why though. Anyway, I happened to scroll through bands that I have chosen songs from and noticed that I had only picked one from Information Society, so thought it would be a great time to fix that. This is one of their secondary hits from their first proper studio album, which feature a great thumping dance beat and, or course more Star Trek voice samples from William Shatner (Kirk) and James Doohan (Scotty).    Hear Walking Away on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Jerry Reed - Wayfaring Stranger     My song pick 2 years ago today: Marillion - Torch Song   My song pick 3 years ago today: Rick James - Mr. Policeman   My song pick 4 years ago today: Pendragon - Ghosts   My song pick 5 years ago today: Buffalo Springfield - Rock and Roll Woman   My song pick 6 years ago today: H...

From: Book of Dreams ; Year: 1977; Genre: Psychedelic Rock This is one of the deeper cuts off of one of Steve Miller's bigger hit records, which I've already chosen a great deal from. To my ear at least, it sounds like Wish Upon a Star was one that didn't get the polish/attention of its brethren, but you can hear a whole lot of potential there, plus despite this, it is a good track. If you like the band and his more synthesizer-driven bluesy psychedelia sound, then you are in for a treat.    Hear Wish Upon a Star on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Cher - Pirate     My song pick 2 years ago today: Rush - Available Light   My song pick 3 years ago today: The O'Jays - For the Love of Money   My song pick 4 years ago today: R.E.O. Speedwagon - Time For Me to Fly   My song pick 5 years ago today: Hammerfall - And Yet I Smile   My song pick 6 years ago today: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - The Only Way (Hymn)   ...

From: Implosion ; Year: 1980; Genre: Electronic Rock/Electronica/Progressive Rock Again, with no reason apparent to myself I am picking a piece from another band that has been on my mind. This time it is from the electronic progressive rock band from Downunda: Cybotron. This is the lead-in track off of their final studio album, at least as far as I'm aware. Eureka is just a fun one to sit back and let the sounds swirl all around you.   Hear Eureka on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Uriah Heep - Rocks in the Road     My song pick 2 years ago today: The Blowflys - Funky In The Hole   My song pick 3 years ago today: Kansas - Mysteries and Mayhem   My song pick 4 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Out of the Noise   My song pick 5 years ago today: Ultravox - Man of Two Worlds   My song pick 6 years ago today: Steppenwolf - Rock Me My song pick 7 years ago today: ABBA - One of Us My song pick 8 years ago today: Rick Jam...

From: Doremi Fasol Latido ; Year: 1972; Genre: Space Rock/Progressive Rock Felt the urge to choose one from this album, which, from wot I understand, it and the songs are a reference to The Sound of the Spheres as well as the diatonic scale. With these two pieces of music being the second and third tracks would make them, I guess, the Sun (Re) and Mercury (Mi). With One Change being a very brief track it could make some sense. Anyway, Space is Deep reminds me a lot of the psychedelic folk or rather space folk that was present from a few groups from around the time with the Queen song 39 coming to mind. Only in the middle section does the full band come in with the first half of the song or so being acoustic 12 string guitar, vocals, and odd synthesizers/noises. Lyrically it is based on Michael Moorcock's The Black Corridor , which adds to the spaciness. As earlier stated, One Change is a short song, or as I called them many years ago: " songitesimals , " I thought it...

From: Automat ; Year: 1978; Genre: Electronica/Disco/Progressive Rock Don't have many more to choose from this electronic musical act with only their single album and with that only a single, multi track song for side one, of which today's pick is the final "movement." The Genus , along with the other two that precede it, are immense fun to experience if you have a good system to play it on or a quality set of headphones.   Hear The Genus on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Jethro Tull - Mrs. Tibbets   My song pick 2 years ago today: Savatage - Awaken   My song pick 3 years ago today: Rush - Cut to the Chase   My song pick 4 years ago today: Funkadelic - Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (Opusdelite Years)   My song pick 5 years ago today: The Moody Blues - No More Lies My song pick 6 years ago today: 3 Inches of Blood - Wykydtron My song pick 7 years ago today: Deep Purple - Call of the Wild My song pick 8 years ago today: The Lively...

From: Automat ; Year: 1978; Genre: Electronica/Disco/Progressive Rock It is a shame that this is, as far as I am aware, the only record Automat ever released. I absolutely love their alien/science fiction inspired music, which really makes for an awesome album to have playing whilst working, driving, or otherwise occupied; it's pretty danceable to boot.   Hear The Advance on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Crowded House - Never Been The Same   My song pick 2 years ago today: Elton John - This Song Has No Title   My song pick 3 years ago today: Tin Tin - Toast and Marmalade for Tea   My song pick 4 years ago today: Funkadelic - Stink Finger   My song pick 5 years ago today: April Wine - Crash and Burn My song pick 6 years ago today: Foreigner - Cold As Ice My song pick 7 years ago today: Rush - Everyday Glory My song pick 8 years ago today: Rod Stewart - The Motown Song My song pick 9 years ago today: Zapp - I Can Make You ...

From: Flash Gordon: Original Soundtrack by Queen ; Year: 1980; Genre: Rock This is one of only three songs from the soundtrack that featured vocals, and those were mostly the same as the main theme except for more samples from the film that came from the point of the film where our hero is on his way to save the day.     Hear Flash to the Rescue on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Ace - Rock & Roll Runaway   My song pick 2 years ago today: Imagination - Just an Illusion   My song pick 3 years ago today: Alestorm - Fannybaws   My song pick 4 years ago today: Marillion - Seasons End   My song pick 5 years ago today: Dick Dale - Esperanza My song pick 6 years ago today: Kansas - Questions of my Childhood My song pick 7 years ago today: Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - Quartet My song pick 8 years ago today: Mahavishnu Orchestra - Radio-Activity My song pick 9 years ago today: Toto - Stranger in Town My song pick 10 ...

From: Ride To Infinity (single) ; Year: 1979; Genre: Electronica/Progressive Rock I'm not exactly sure why I have some sort of predilection to discover bands that I really like only to find out that they only released a scant few records and existed for quite a finite time: Cybotron exemplifies this. From what I understand, Ride To Infinity was their final single, released in 1980 and, from wot I can discern, never appeared on a studio album. Like much of their material it is definitely a great track to put on whilst working or on the road, although, that being said, this one in particular does not happily sit in the background as "wallpaper music;" it demands attention a lot of the time.   Hear Ride To Infinity on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Edgar Winter Group - Animal   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Eagles - The Disco Strangler   My song pick 3 years ago today: Ian Anderson - Meliora Sequamur   My song pick 4 years ago ...

From: Automat ; Year: 1978; Genre: Electronic Rock/Electronica/Disco Just had this ephemeral electronic/symphonic/progressive rock act on my mind for some reason today, so I thought I'd revisit their one and only record again. Droid is one of those "soundscape" type pieces that not only grabs your attention, but actually makes you want to get up and dance.    Hear Droid on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Paul Revere & The Raiders - Hungry   My song pick 2 years ago today: Cybotron - Encounter   My song pick 3 years ago today: Soundgarden - Bleed Together   My song pick 4 years ago today: Focus - Sylvia   My song pick 5 years ago today: Funkadelic - (Not Just) Knee Deep My song pick 6 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Morning Final My song pick 7 years ago today: Jethro Tull - The Third Hoorah My song pick 8 years ago today: Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost of Tom Joad My song pick 9 years ago today: Yes - I Would ...

From: Church of Hawkwind ; Year: 1982; Genre: Electronic Rock/Space Rock Here is a short, but sweet electronic soundscape from Hawkwind's 1982 studio release. This record actually contains a handful of such short instrumental tracks loaded down with synthesizer music.   Hear The Last Messiah on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Traffic - Heaven is in Your Mind   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Moody Blues - Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Alice in Chains - Again   My song pick 4 years ago today: Toad the Wet Sprocket - Walk on the Ocean My song pick 5 years ago today: Soundgarden - 4th of July My song pick 6 years ago today: Carmen - Dancing on a Cold Wind My song pick 7 years ago today: Jane's Addiction - Three Days My song pick 8 years ago today: Grand Funk Railroad - Some Kind of Wonderful My song pick 9 years ago today: The Isley Brothers - The Pride (Parts 1&2) My song pick ...

From: Adventures in Radioland ; Year: 1987; Genre: Jazz Fusion I guess you could more or less call this album the last gasp of the storied jazz fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra; other than some unreleased tracks from the '70s, greatest hits and live albums, this would be it. Really, the last two records post-reformation were quite different from the material in the 1970s, but that does not make it bad by any means, on the contrary, this one is quite a fun disc to hear. Anyway, this synthesizer-heavy instrumental piece was penned by the song's namesake: composer/keyboardist Mitchell Foreman . You can certainly hear influences from the album if you ever played Japanese RPG video games back in the 1980s and 1990s; the music in some of those games must've been somehow, if not influenced by this band, someone similar for sure.   Hear Mitch Match on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: George Harrison - This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)   My song pick 2 y...

From: Technicians of the Sacred ; Year: 2015; Genre: Progressive Rock/Electronica Been quite a busy last couple of days and I'm finally getting to use my computer, so I'm making a late-ish pick.  Anyway, for last few days I have been really wanting to choose another track from Ozric Tentacles; funny enough, for once I am going with the shortest song on this album, however, it is still just over five minutes in length. 😁   Hear Butterfly Garden on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Billy Joel - Leningrad   My song pick 2 years ago today: Hot Butter - Popcorn   My song pick 3 years ago today: Parliament - Agony of Defeet   My song pick 4 years ago today: Dream Theater - Untethered Angel My song pick 5 years ago today: Oasis - Supersonic My song pick 6 years ago today: U2 - A Sort of Homecoming My song pick 7 years ago today: A-ha - The Sun Always Shines on T.V. My song pick 8 years ago today: Cream - Crossroads My song pick ...

From: Break Out ; Year: 1983; Genre: Electronic Pop/R&B The other day, (on New Years Eve actually), Pointer Sister, Anita Pointer passed away after a battle with cancer. As I usually do when an artist that I like passes, I am choosing one of their songs. Back in the 1980s it seemed like the Pointer Sisters' music was everywhere, especially after the release of this album. Break Out might as well be a greatest hits album with the sheer amount of smash hit songs that still gets play across all mediums. That's also not counting the rest of their work, which spans over 30 years and work with other artists as well. Anyway, I remember hearing this one a lot throughout the '80s and to this day; it is a favourite of mine from the band.   Hear Jump (For My Love) on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Even the Losers   My song pick 2 years ago today: Mott The Hoople - Foxy, Foxy   My song pick 3 years ago today: Ultr...

From: Will of the People ; Year: 2022; Genre: Symphonic Rock/Alternative Rock Happy Halloween to those few who visit my Song-a-Day blog! I discovered this new album from the band Muse the other day, which has at this time been out for about a couple of months, with this apropos song for today's pick. I really like the two keyboard parts that are both doing their own separate lines, but working together quite well. The "organ" piece on one plays around with some of the lines and themes from Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor (BWV 565), which is attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, whilst the other keyboard lays down some funky riffs, especially in the choruses, that are reminiscent of some of the classic tracks of the type heard back in the 1980s. Add to that the awesome groove from the rhythm section and excellent vocal delivery of some great lyrics, and you get one of the best songs I've heard from the band in a while.   Hear You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween on Y...

From: Black Celebration ; Year: 1986; Genre: Synthpop/Dark Wave The other day I learned that Depeche Mode founding member Andy Fletcher passed away at the young age of 60 years. It seems as if more and more of my favourite artists have been dying over the last few years; kinda sad, but I guess such is life....  Here's one from my favourite era of the band, which demonstrates their unique take of the synthpop/new wave electronic sound.   Hear A Question of Time on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Veins   My song pick 2 years ago today: Weather Report - The Moors   My song pick 3 years ago today: Stratovarius - S.O.S. My song pick 4 years ago today: Asia - Without You My song pick 5 years ago today: Bob Weir (The Grateful Dead) - One More Saturday Night My song pick 6 years ago today: Ronnie Milsap - Daydreams About Night Things My song pick 7 years ago today: George Duke - Reach For It My song pick 8 years ag...

From: The New Zapp IV U ; Year: 1985; Genre: Funk/Electronica Was drawing somewhat of a blank today whilst thinking about which song to choose for this Funky Friday pick; I figured that I couldn't go wrong with something from the funk band Zapp. Computer Love definitely is a product of its time, but more in a friendly nostalgic way and not too dated.   Hear Computer Love on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Primus - The Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman Chronicles, Part 3)   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Tubes - Talk To Ya Later   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Kinks - Good Day My song pick 4 years ago today: Elton John - Bennie and the Jets My song pick 5 years ago today: Stuart Hamm - Radio Free Albemuth My song pick 6 years ago today: Central Line - Walking Into Sunshine My song pick 7 years ago today: Zakk Wylde - Way Beyond Empty My song pick 8 years ago today: XTC - Travels in Nihilon My song pick 9 years ago to...

From: More Hot Butter ; Year: 1973; Genre: Electronic Rock/Synthpop After hearing one of their songs while driving about yesterday I thought I should pick yet another one from this rather unique act. The well-defined melody played on the Moog synthesizer makes it a quite a catchy tune.   Hear Slag Solution on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Midnight Oil - Shakers and Movers   My song pick 2 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Urban Apocalypse   My song pick 3 years ago today: Al Green - Guilty My song pick 4 years ago today: Genesis - No Son of Mine My song pick 5 years ago today: Elton John - Saturday's Alright for Fighting My song pick 6 years ago today: Laura Branigan - Gloria My song pick 7 years ago today: The Zombies - Care of Cell 44 My song pick 8 years ago today: Band of Horses - The Great Salt Lake My song pick 9 years ago today: Stahlhammer - Eisenherz My song pick 10 years ago today: Exist†Trace - RESONANCE My song pi...

From: Automat ; Year: 1978; Genre: Electronic Rock This electronica band from Italy happened to come to mind today for some reason and I decided on checking out more of their music. The sad part is that this is apparently the only album recorded by Automat, so there's not a lot out there. This one has that nice, futuristic/space sound to it with the very inventive synth sounds.   Hear Mecadence on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Carmen - Table Two For One   My song pick 2 years ago today: Jethro Tull - This Is Not Love   My song pick 3 years ago today: U2 - October My song pick 4 years ago today: Pendragon - Victims of Life My song pick 5 years ago today: Parliament - Mothership Connection (Star Child) My song pick 6 years ago today: Joni Mitchell - Furry Sings the Blues My song pick 7 years ago today: Paul Revere & The Raiders - Kicks My song pick 8 years ago today: C.W. McCall - Ghost Town My song pick 9 years ago today: S...