The coolest rock and roll songs of yesterday, today and beyond. From popular favorites to obscure nuggets. Album reviews, song reviews, music trivia, the future and history of rock music and everything in between.
Okay, so maybe "new wave" isn't all that new any more, but it's still a blast to listen to.
Adam and the Ants 1981 album Prince Charming is loaded with top-notch new wave tunes. If I had to sum it up, I would have to say it's about being yourself--doing what you want, but not being pressured into doing something you don't want to do.
The title track contains one of the best lyrics. It's simple, but oh so meaningful.
Ridicule is nothing to be scared of.
Plus, the campy take off of Cinderella is wonderful. There are a few celebrity cameos, and at the end we get to see Adam as Clint Eastwood, Alice Cooper and Rudolph Valentino.
I just heard this again after I don't know how many years. I thought of all you rock and roll fans right away.
Fastway was formed by "Fast" Eddie Clark (formerly of Motörhead) and Pete Way (formerly of UFO), hence their name. It should be noted that though the group was formed by Clark and Way, the latter never played on the album due to another project.
But with a hard rockin' pedigree that includes Motörhead and UFO, you know you're in for a musical treat.
Here is the video for "Say What You Will" from their debut album, Fastway.
You may be as shocked as I was as to the number of cover versions of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me".
I was most familiar with the version done in the 1980s by Naked Eyes, and was under the impression it was originally done by Sandie Shaw. Her version was one of the earliest and went to #1 in her native England and hit the Top 100 in the US.
However, the first released version was done by Lou Johnson, and charted a few notches higher than Shaw's later version.
So, in a nutshell...
Lou Johnson recorded it first and charted higher than Shaw in the US. But Shaw had the biggest hit with it in the UK. However, Naked Eyes had the highest charting US version, though they didn't chart with it in their native England.
Here are each of the above-mentioned versions, as well as a few others for good measure.
Tim Burton's version of Alice In Wonderland is opening in theaters nationwide today. So, with that in mind, here are two videos that fit that theme. One is a less obvious choice, the second is more closely related to the story.
First up we have Alice Cooper doing the theme song from another movie (Friday The 13th VI). Besides the same name, and that it was from a movie, it also contains the line "And he crawled out of his hole", which also fits in well with the Wonderland theme.
Fans of classic rock would most likely think of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" as the most obvious choice. And I like to keep everybody happy here at Rock and Roll Decades, so here it is...
Okay, I messed up. With my zany schedule I thought yesterday was Tuesday, but now that it's Thursday I realize it was Wednesday...the day we get to hear a cool rock and roll remake.
It only seemed logical to poke a little good-natured fun at myself by selecting the song "Saturday Night Special". Originally done in 1977 by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and covered here by 1980s heavy metal band Armored Saint. For a metal band, they stick pretty close to the original but crank it up a notch or two.
However, even though it was done by Armored Saint, I think the original is more rockin'. Listen to both versions, and see what you think...
"For twenty dollars you can buy yourself one, too."
Hopefully my mistaking Wednesday for Tuesday on Thursday is forgiven with a song about Saturday.
I can't believe I didn't know about Playlist.com before. You can create your own personal playlists of songs you like, or you can listen to other people's lists. Here is the first official volume of the Rock And Roll Decades Playlist.
Enjoy the listening experience, and be sure to click here to follow me on the site, and to leave your comments. Also, let me know what songs you'd like added, and you may just hear them on the next playlist.
Even though he was the youngest of The Beatles, today (February 25th) would have been George Harrison's 67th birthday. While he was regarded as "the quiet Beatle", George had a wonderful sense of humor and contributed greatly to the best rock and roll band of all time.
It would be difficult to imagine the Beatles' canon without songs like "Here Comes The Sun", "Taxman", or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Here is an acoustic rendition that George recorded right around this time in 1968. It has a somewhat haunting quality that is reminiscent of Elvis' version of "Blue Moon". Be sure to listen for the extra verse.
George recorded solo music before the Beatles disbanded. However, he didn't have his first big hit until "My Sweet Lord" was released at the end of 1970.
He had a few more hits, but as the years passed his popularity (with a few exceptions) waned. Then, in 1987 he collaborated with Jeff Lynne of ELO and released the album Cloud Nine. "Got My Mind Set On You" went to #1 in the US. It was played in heavy rotation on MTV along with "When We Was Fab". A nice retrospective that captured the feel of the Fab Four days.
The following year saw Harrison team up with other rock and roll legends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison as The Traveling Wilburys. The album was well-received by fans and critics alike.
In his later years, George was quite reclusive. This was due in large part to the heinous murder of John Lennon. As it turned out, his fear was not completely unwarranted. In December of 1999 an intruder stabbed Harrison seven times. Luckily, his wife was able to fend off the attack and George survived.
He died of cancer on November 29, 2001 His final album, Brainwashed, was released in November of 2002; just shy of the one year anniversary of his death. "Stuck Inside A Cloud" was from that album.
We still miss you, George. Perhaps you gave us the best perspective with another one of your songs from all those years ago...
The first time I saw Iggy Pop's video for "Five Foot One" was when I was in 6th grade. I snuck out of bed after everyone else was asleep because I knew there was a videos show on.
I sat about three inches from the screen because the volume had to be kept low to avoid waking anybody up. This was before MTV, so you had to take what you could get.
The funny thing is, while I am sure the program featured hit songs of the day, and that I enjoyed watching them; none of them stuck in my brain like Iggy Pop.
I had no idea who he was. But for an 11 year old fan of rock and roll, I knew I liked it. Thank goodness for YouTube!
Without any further ado, here it is boys and girls!
Does anyone else find it odd that the song "Rock You Like A Hurricane" by the Scorpions is now being used in a television commercial for Nabisco Premium Saltines crackers?
I mean I understand the juxtaposition of using it compared to "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton, but it just strikes me as strange to use a classic heavy metal song to promote something like a cracker.
It's another Wednesday here at Rock and Roll Decades and that means you get to hear a cover version of a rock song. It may be odd, in a different genre, or very close to the original. The only rule is that they have to be remakes. So, open your ears and open your mind, you never know what you'll discover here.
We got a nice slab of hard rock today, boys and girls! A remake of Chris Isaak's haunting 1989 hit "Wicked Game". It is done by the Finnish band HIM. This is their earlier version from 1998(?) and is a bit heavier than the US release.
In the summer of 1987 I was looking forward to becoming a first-time father. And even though my oldest is now a college sophomore, the following scene is still crystal clear in my mind.
At that time Saturday night meant one thing: Headbangers Ball on MTV. I was relaxing on the couch, getting ready for a brand new video by some band I had never heard of. After watching the video, and allowing for some time to mentally process what I just saw, I shared my prediction with everyone in the room.
"This band isn't going anywhere", I said deliberately.
Oh, by the way, the video was none other than "Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns N' Roses; a song that has gone on to become a part of popular culture. Its parent album, Appetite For Destruction, went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide and holds the record for fastest selling debut album in the history of rock and roll.
Almost 25 years have passed since that summer's night, and I still haven't made a prediction as dumb as that one.
