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

From: Love + Fury ; Year: 2013; Genre: Punk/Rock Have to say: the first time I heard this punk cover of the classic song from ABBA I didn't really like, but I stuck around for the chorus and then they won me over. It's kind of interesting how they were able to whittle about 1:10 off the length of the original and still essentially not leave anything out of the track; heck, they even "shoehorned" in a guitar solo, so, yeah, I'd say it's quite a successful cover song.   Hear S.O.S. on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From   My song pick 2 years ago today: Primus - Last Salmon Man (Fisherman's Chronicles, Part IV)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover My song pick 4 years ago today: Michael Martin Murphey - Wildfire My song pick 5 years ago today: Alestorm - No Grave But The Sea My song pick 6 years ago today: Antoine Busnois - Gaude Coelestis Domina M...

From: UB40 ; Year: 1988; Genre: Reggae I've been inordinately busy as of late, so I have chose songs that are on my mind a lot and/or ones that seemed to just hit me at some point during the day. I suppose this pick would fall into the latter of the two categories as I just so happened to hear music from UB40's eponymous release from 1988 and decided to go with this instrumental that starts the record off.   Hear Dance With The Devil on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Van Halen - 5150   My song pick 2 years ago today: Funkadelic - If You Got Funk, You Got Style   My song pick 3 years ago today: Billy Squier - Lonely Is The Night My song pick 4 years ago today: Hawkwind - The Secret Agent My song pick 5 years ago today: The Motels - Suddenly Last Summer My song pick 6 years ago today: Faith No More - Last Cup of Sorrow My song pick 7 years ago today: Stanley Clarke - The Dancer My song pick 8 years ago today: Bread - Down on my Knee...

From: 3rd Secret ; Year: 2022; Genre: Alternative Rock/Grunge The other day I learned of this album and supergroup's existence; I know it's been out already for a few months now, but I'm not a person who has his finger on the pulse of new music and/or sometimes I'm slow on the uptake even when it comes to things I really enjoy. Anyhoo, for others like myself whom may not be aware, this is a project by members of bands who made up the Seattle grunge scene back in the early-mid 1990s. With alumni from the likes of Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, amongst others you would kind of figure out what they sound like. However, they are not a Temple of the Dog for the 2020s; their sound is actually fairly unique, but blended with that familiar grunge you've been hearing for about 30 some odd years now.   Hear Somewhere in Time on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Temptations - Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On   My song pick 2 years ago today: Ultravox -...

From: Party Patrol ; Year: 1990; Genre: Funk/Electronica/New Jack Swing I don't know why, but I've had this album in particular on my mind for most of the week, so a few days ago I decided that I'd make the title-track the week's Funky Friday pick.  Anyway, ever since I first listened to this record it had such a good and familiar feel and sound to it I just fell in love with it. Most anybody who listened to music from the mid/late 1980s to, I guess, about the mid/late 1990s should instantly recognize a lot of the elements in this electro-funk track with a good helping of that new jack swing rhythm/beat that was very popular at the time. Yes, the track may have a sound dated to that point in time, but in my opinion it was a great time to consume music, especially funk/soul/R&B amongst others.   Hear Party Patrol on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Nocturnal Rites - Never Trust   My song pick 2 years ago today: Quiet Riot - Metal Health (...

From: Dream, After Dream ; Year: 1980; Genre: Progressive Rock Some might not know much about this Journey album, which is treated kind of as an afterthought was actually also a soundtrack to a film: the Japanese motion picture Yume, Yume No Ato , which apparently itself has been lost to time. After the record founder Gregg Rolie would leave the band, which would go on its continue its success throughout most of the 1980s. I have always been a fan of both the earlier eras of the band as well as the material that would follow, but it is rather fascinating to hear what is basically the album that sits in the middle of one of the major transitions from one era to another, which for me this record shows aspects of the earlier progressive sound and the later more pop/rock sound the band is most known for.   Hear Destiny on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Queensrÿche - Electric Requiem   My song pick 2 years ago today: HammerFall - Never Forgive, Neve...

From: Santana III ; Year: 1971; Genre: Latin Rock/Jazz Fusion Happened to hear some of Santana's music the other day; it also felt like a perfect day to choose another one of their songs. If you like hearing virtuosity across the board, then this song and album are right up your alley so to speak. No One to Depend On shows how Santana at this point in time was like a well-built machine with each part doing their own job to a high level of competence to make an amazing piece to music.   Hear No One to Depend On on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Tightrope   My song pick 2 years ago today: Carmen - Por Tarantos   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Guess Who - Runnin' Down the Street My song pick 4 years ago today: Parliament - Sir Nose d'Voidoffunk (Pay Attention – B3M) My song pick 5 years ago today: The Alan Parsons Project - Sirius/Eye in the Sky My song pick 6 years ago today: 30 Seconds to Mars - N...

From: Achtung Baby ; Year: 1991; Genre: Alternative Rock I find it quite peculiar how, it would seem, that most people I've come into contact with one way or another have chronological "dividing lines" for the great U2 music and the not-so-great U2 music. Now, I'm sure that there are many fans out there that like all eras of the band's music, and/or prefer their more recent material. For me personally, Achtung Baby is really the last record from the band that I truly enjoy without a doubt. Sure, it's not as good as The Joshua Tree album, but there are a lot of excellent, memorable songs on this one. This song: One , is one of those songs you should immediately recognize and should invoke some memories along with it. The aspects that I like the most about it is the overall tone/chord progression of the guitar as well as the mellow, unobtrusive keyboards throughout parts of the song.   Watch the music video on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Me...