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Post by The Ocean on Jun 19, 2021 21:08:56 GMT
Thanks! Got more coming! I've got a total of 100 already pre-chosen for this "season" of Deep Track of the Day. My goal is to do 100 songs in a row starting every December and June, so like three months on and three months off. And I have the next one ready:
Deep Track of the Day #119 - 6/19/21 The Edgar Winter Group – “Autumn” from They Only Come Out at Night
A truly beautiful (and sad) song with the late Dan Harman's soft vocals a lovely surprise. He had such range as a singer and as a writer, being the sole songwriter for this, and one other classic from this album, Free Ride. For those who know only the funkiness of Free Ride* and Frankenstein, I'd encourage you to take a look at this whole album.
*Free Ride can be found in two versions: the album version as heard on the radio, and the single version which has a lot more funk guitar, more prominent clavinet, and a completely different (and to my mind better and more memorable) guitar solo.
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Post by Emily Wilson on Jun 19, 2021 23:05:04 GMT
About 5 months late, but I really like your Tesla deep track! Tesla is one of those bands I've hoped to see often, but only saw once in 2017. One of my all-time favorite concerts I went to period; they were at the top of their game both in sound and enthusiasm. I really wanted to see Tesla again when they and Lita Ford were supposed to open up for Alice Cooper in 2020, but alas, it was cancelled.
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Post by The Ocean on Jun 20, 2021 0:25:02 GMT
About 5 months late, but I really like your Tesla deep track! Tesla is one of those bands I've hoped to see often, but only saw once in 2017. One of my all-time favorite concerts I went to period; they were at the top of their game both in sound and enthusiasm. I really wanted to see Tesla again when they and Lita Ford were supposed to open up for Alice Cooper in 2020, but alas, it was cancelled. Love them so much. Their Replugged Live album is one of the best sounding albums. I love their newest album Shock, and I especially loved their double album of covers. Their "reunion" album Into The Now was so epic when it came out. Jeff Keith has SUCH an iconic voice. I remember being so pleased with myself once I finally nailed the solo from Love Song.
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Post by The Ocean on Jun 20, 2021 6:20:39 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #120 - 6/20/21 Ted Nugent - "Queen of the Forest"
This one starts with an immediacy thanks to the thumping bass drum of the late Cliff Davies. The riffage is vintage dirty rock & roll that you couldn't mistake from any other era. Derek St. Holmes performed the lead vocals for Ted Nugent's band before somebody decided to let Ted think he could be a lead vocalist. St. Holmes would later go on to form the group Whitford/St. Holmes with Aerosmith's Brad Whitford.
Many bands tend to close their albums out with something softer or slower, but this final track is fast, quick, has plenty of musical tricks up its sleeve, and tells a tale about a magical being of great and terrible power who, if left alone, can take care of all creatures great and small. Make her mad, however, and her wrath be tremendous...
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Post by luxexterior on Jun 20, 2021 16:56:41 GMT
Great stuff probably Nugent's best album. You are absolutely right about his singing.
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Post by The Ocean on Jun 21, 2021 23:49:27 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #121 - 6/21/21 The White Stripes - "Ball and Biscuit" from Elephant
Okay, I'm sure you've heard this song before. It certainly isn't as deep as some, but it was also never released as a single until 17 years after the original album it came from, and it didn't chart in any territory. Now, just because a song wasn't released as a single doesn't make it a deep cut if it gets a ton of radio play. But does it? Seven Nation Army and Fell In Love With a Girl still show up, but does this seven minute blues epic get much airplay? Billboard doesn't even show it ranking on Alternative or Mainstream Rock airplay.
This song, to my mind, should be their most well-known release. Sure, it opened the movie The Social Network, and Jack White recently performed a heavily altered version on Saturday Night Live this last season, but you just aren't going to hear it dominate the airwaves like Seven Nation Army does, and I think that's a shame.
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Post by The Ocean on Jul 11, 2021 21:53:33 GMT
Have to catch up. Been busy with studying for another bar exam and trying to find a new job.
Deep Track of the Day #122 - 6/22/21
hellogoodbye - "Honeymoon (Forever)" from S'only Natural
Lo-fi goodness. Just listen to the song. It's freaking beautiful. What else do you need?
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Deep Track of the Day #123 - 6/23/21
Twenty One Pilots - "Screen" from Vessel
It's amazing what you can do with a very simple hook. It's really what Twenty One Pilots does so well and why they've captured such incredible success. This easily memorable piano phrase gets into your head, and the vocal melody of the chorus just floats over your ears so smoothly. It's like a Masterclass on how to make a catchy tune. I'm amazed this wasn't a hit for them.
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Deep Track of the Day #124 - 6/24/21
Depeche Mode - "The Worst Crime" from Spirit
My wife and I listened to this album on repeat for days when it first came out. This track stands out the most. Most of this album is so angry, yet this song eschews the traditional sounds Depeche Mode is known for and goes mostly analog to mournfully weave this tune.
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Deep Track of the Day: Bonus Wifey Edition - 6/25/21
E - "Fitting In With the Misfits" from A Man Called E.
I had never heard of E or The Eels or Mark Oliver Everett until my wife told me the story about how she loved this album so very much, but we didn't have a copy of it. I resolved not to spoil my appetite and go stream it beforehand and simply ordered us a copy. Before long it arrived and I could listen to every last second of this all-too-brief album for the first time.
Laura loved it for the beauty of its music and the unique lyrics of E. And she was absolutely tight. The music is beautiful and the lyrics are astoundingly unique, yet simple and accessible rather than incomprehensible or inscrutable, like so many lyrics I've heard described as "unique" before. After all, unique is not a value judgment in and of itself, so when somebody says that, you are no closer to understanding what you are in for.
I must have listened to this album eight times in seven days. I know I did, in fact, because we listened twice on the first day we had it, a Saturday, again the next day, and it is about twice the length of my short commute so that I can listen to it in one round trip on work days. And I have.
My wife chose this song in particular for its beautiful lyrics. I love this song by how spectacularly well it feels like a Pet Sounds era Beach Boys in parts.
My wife only knew of this album by E, and we only discovered his wider discography as The Eels when I went on Amazon to purchase this album. Needless to say, we will be making more purchases. In the not-too-distant future.
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Deep Track of the Day #125 - 6/25/21
The Refreshments - "The Preacher's Daughter" from The Bottle & Fresh Horses
Between The Refreshments and Gin Blossoms, Arizona definitely has a Sound. The Refreshments were always a lot more tongue-in-cheek where Gin Blossoms were incredibly sincere. They are best known for Banditos, and here with The Preacher's Daughter they have another fun song ending up with the protagonist on the wrong side of the law.
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Deep Track of the Day #126 - 6/26/21
The Joe Perry Project - "Let the Music Do the Talking" from Let the Music Do the Talking
In the late 90's I traveled to Chicago with my dad and my brother a few times to see The Cubs and other baseball teams (but mostly The Cubs) play. We would drive to Chicago in two days and see one game on the way each night, first night Pittsburgh, second night Cincinnati, third night Chicago. Chicago became our base of operations and we'd see a game there, then the next day we'd go to Detroit or something like that.
When we had time to kill in Chicago we'd explore, and I found a record shop there where I found NUMEROUS treasures, including the first two Joe Perry Project albums, Let the Music Do the Talking and I've Got the Rock N' Rolls Again. I've been an avid fan of Aerosmith since I started buying my own albums. Toys in the Attic is one of the most perfect rock albums of the 70's. I couldn't play the records until we got home but I was so excited, and I remember hearing the title track and being in AWE of its rock and roll sensibilities, the slide guitar, the rawness. This was before I had heard Aerosmith's Draw The Line, so I had never heard their re-recording of this track. Perhaps that's why I found Aerosmith's version inferior to Joe Perry's original.
Either way, I loved it, and as much as that late 70's to early 80's era of Aerosmith is very poorly received, it's clear that Joe Perry was having a great time doing his own thing while Aerosmith was floundering without him. This may be the best known track by his band, but it is deep in the sense that you will usually hear the remake first, and I think that's a shame.
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Post by The Ocean on Jul 11, 2021 22:07:26 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #127 - 6/27/21
The Spencer Davis Group - "Since I Met You Baby" from The Second Album
This Ivory Joe Hunter cover swaps the piano out for a guitar. This is some great work from the band that nailed it with songs like Keep On Running, I'm A Man, and Gimme Some Lovin.
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Deep Track of the Day #128 - 6/28/21
The Allman Brothers Band - "Please Come Home" from Idlewild South
Aside from Whipping Post, I cannot stand the first Allman Brothers Band album. It's just same old same old to me. But they hit their stride with their follow-up album Idlewild South, and Please Call Home is probably their best track on it. I can close my eyes and fall into the sonic perfection of this.
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Deep Track of the Day #129 - 6/29/21
Heart - "Love Alive" from Little Queen
There is not a single track in the entirety of Heart's output that captivates me as much as this one. Heart wear their Led Zeppelin influence on their sleeve on this track, for sure. It's undeniable what they are doing. I love every last second, from the acoustic guitar and flute to a dynamic and unforgettable bassline (when it does come in). This is a perfect song, and in my opinion their best.
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Deep Track of the Day #130 - 6/30/21
Men Without Hats - "Intro/Walk on Water" from Pop Goes the World
Men Without Hats have a penchant for infectious hooks, and yet aside from Safety Damce and to a lesser extent Pop Goes the World, further hits have eluded them. What a shame. I think Walk on Water is their most effortlessly perfect song. The melodies are always simple but that doesn't take away from the skill it takes to make something great. I can't walk on water, to answer the song's key question, but I CAN recognize a song that darn well should have been a hit when I hear it.
Side note: I almost went with the song after this on the album, which was a softer ballad. But Walk on Water just sounds so delightful, and I needed to hear this kind of delight today.
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Deep Track of the Day #131 - 7/1/21
Grand Funk Railroad – “Comfort Me” from Survival
Grand Fuck Railroad is responsible for for some killer epics such as I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home or their cover of Inside Looking Out. Comfort Me is a much more relaxed song in some respects, but no less compelling. There is ALWAYS something interesting going on with their music. There are always this little touches and flourishes in the rhythm guitar that keep me coming back to their music time and time again.
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Deep Track of the Day #132 - 7/2/21
Lenny Kravitz - "California" from Baptism
Lenny Kravitz has been making amazing music for decades, a lot of his early work all by himself, playing guitar, bass, and drums. Here is a short and sweet pop rock number that pays homage (intentionally or not) to The Rolling Stones' Let's Spend the Night Together. It was never a hit, but it's catchy and memorable to me, and while I had a few options I was considering for Mr. Kravitz' entry in this series, this song won out by the sheer amount of pop goodness contained within three short minutes.
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Deep Track of the Day #133 - 7/3/21
Humble Pie – “Home and Away” from Town and Country
The harmonies evoke CSN, but Peter Frampton's young voice is unmistakable. Humble Pie was generally a harder rocking band, but this song is mostly acoustic. It goes on a journey, takes a short detour about four minutes in, fades out, then comes back home. I think this is a lovely and underappreciated gem.
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Deep Track of the Day #134 - 7/4/21
Toto - "Takin' It Back" from Toto
The keyboard sounds are top notch on this album. This soft rock tune is subdued but so precise. There is a wonderful bifurcation of guitar solo sounds that happens where it starts with an acoustic guitar solo and ends with an electric one, and as the song comes closer to the fadeout you can hear the late Jeff Porcaro's drums going wild. It may not be as flashy as Rosanna, but it's a lovely little soft rock tune from Toto's debut album.
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Deep Track of the Day #135 - 7/5/21
Jeff Buckley – “Lilac Wine” from Grace
Hope Foye, Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone, and some white boy named Jeff Buckley. What they have in common is that they've all recorded versions of Lilac Wine. And while Buckley's is not the best version (honestly, how COULD it be, really?), it was unjustly overshadowed by his cover of Hallelujah. Miley Cyrus recently covered it, but when it comes to contemporary versions, this one stands above. I think it is the best track on Grace, an album already filled to the brim with masterpieces.
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Post by The Ocean on Jul 11, 2021 22:22:13 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #136 - 7/6/21 Kings of Leon - "Crawl" from Only By the Night This isn't the deepest one could go, because this was a single and it DID chart, however it paled in comparison to mega-hits like Radioactive and Use Somebody from the same album. I never once heard it on the radio, and of the numerous alternative charts for the six singles released for this album, this one charted the lowest of them. What a shame, honestly. The vocal melody owing a tiny bit to Guns N' Roses' Locomotive, plus a little twelve bar blues in its DNA, this song is such a perfect construction of noise. The fuzzy bass, the octave doubling solo, the drums... it's like a cacophony in the best way. I just love this song through and through. ----- Deep Track of the Day #137 - 7/7/21 Peter Frampton - "Do You Feel Like We Do" from Frampton's Camel "That's not a deep cut." Oh, but it is! It IS! When was the last time you heard the studio version of Maybe I'm Amazed, I Want You to Want Me, or Do You Feel Like We Do? There's a good reason why you either haven't or it's been a while. The live versions are so excellent that they almost render their original studio versions irrelevant. But let's take away the performance aspect of what makes the Frampton Comes Alive version so iconic and look at the song underneath. Cycling through modulations, key changes between verses and choruses, borrowed chords, half measures, the works. Underneath a showstopper of a performance live is a SOLID rock track that stands on its own legs. Without the talk box and the extended solo sections is a standout piece of rock songwriting. I've already chosen my Humble Pie track, and I think even though there are a lot of Peter Frampton tracks out there that I could have chosen, deeper ones, this individual track right here is deep by virtue of how it has been overshadowed by its live counterpart on Frampton Comes Alive. Give this a listen and appreciate how classic a rock tune it is on its own merits. ----- Deep Track of the Day #138 - 7/8/21 Collective Soul - "Bearing Witness" from Afterwords Sort of like George Harrison by way of Binaural-era Pearl Jam this song as a smooth auditory drive down a tree-canopied back road with rays of sunshine breaking through here and there. Simply put, this song may not be complicated or adventurous, but it does everything just right and I would never turn it off once I hear it start to play. ----- Deep Track of the Day #139 - 7/9/21 Foghat - "Save Your Loving (For Me)" from Fool for the City Just a fun little boogie with a bopping swing, fun guitar work, an almost Cheap Trick vibe to the vocals. This song is a great little tune on a near perfect album. I got a chance to see Foghat open for Blue Öyster Cult, and they blew me away by just how fun a band they were. By that time Lonesome Dave had sadly passed away and Rod Price had left the band (he would sadly also pass away soon after), but they nevertheless had an incredible energy and did justice to their older tunes. ----- Deep Track of the Day: Bonus Friend Edition - 7/9/21 Oingo Boingo - "Pedestrian Wolves" from Boingo My friend Julia chose this bonus edition. This song shouldn't work, but somehow it does. If cocaine had a sound, I presume it would sound like this. I don't understand how Steve Bartek can make such "ugly" sounds from his guitar coalesce into something strangely beautiful and compelling. There's nothing objectively about this song that I can articulate as far as what makes me like it. I just do, somehow. ----- Deep Track of the Day #140 - 7/10/21 Survivor - "As Soon as Love Finds Me" from Survivor Before Eye of the Tiger and Burning Heart, Survivor were occupying a sort of generic Foreigner/Journey space, perhaps just a little heavier than Foreigner. This song is the best on the album by a mile. I actually really like it, whereas the rest is just not up to their later stuff. This is fun, and has an interesting left turn for the bridge. Also, the cover of the album is notable for featuring a pre-stardom Kim Basinger. ----- Deep Track of the Day #141 - 7/11/21 Chicago - "Southern California Purples" from Chicago Transit Authority It starts with a laugh... some fooling around in the studio... chatter. What it turns into is a delightful blues jam where every sonic element is designed to make you react as if you had just tasted the greatest morsel of food on the planet. Your eyes close, you get goosebumps, you nod. That chromatic ascending riff, the bass, the horns slowly come in, the guitar solo follows, it quotes some other famous songs, then comes some delightful dissonance. All in unison. All so tight. This song is a testament to how incredible early Chicago really was as a rock band. They became known in the 80's for their easy listening hits (which I don't personally have a problem with), but they were at their best when they were rockin' the joint. I almost chose "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" from their second album, but as amazing as that track is, there is an elegant brilliance to the more basic blues and less quasi-proggy "Southern California Purples" that I couldn't avoid recommending. But I guess I'm kind of cheating by mentioning the other song I would have chosen as well. ----- And now I'm caught up to date!
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Post by luxexterior on Jul 12, 2021 18:34:04 GMT
Great stuff, I can't think of any other band with the possible exception of Fleetwood Mac that made such a radical change of style from their starting point.
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Post by The Ocean on Jul 12, 2021 19:21:50 GMT
Great stuff, I can't think of any other band with the possible exception of Fleetwood Mac that made such a radical change of style from their starting point. Perhaps Ministry? They've practically disowned their New Wave era.
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Post by The Ocean on Jul 13, 2021 2:23:11 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #142 - 7/12/21 Bon Jovi - "Open Your Heart" from The Power Station Years
Prior to officially forming the well known lineup of Bon Jovi, John Bonjiovi recorded preliminary tracks/demos for an unreleased (for a time) album that was decidedly much more pop oriented than the band would become. I find this song in particular charming, and it would have made a fine single.
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Post by luxexterior on Jul 13, 2021 11:23:54 GMT
Great stuff, I can't think of any other band with the possible exception of Fleetwood Mac that made such a radical change of style from their starting point. Perhaps Ministry? They've practically disowned their New Wave era. Yes good call!
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Post by The Ocean on Jul 14, 2021 1:45:04 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #143 - 7/13/21 Bad Company - "Run with the Pack" from Run with Pack
I've always loved this song but despite it being the lead single and title track from a best-selling album by an internationally-known supergroup at the height of their popularity, it didn't chart. Anywhere. Bad Company have something like two dozen high-charting singles in the United States, but this song wasn't one of them, and it was excluded from their 10 from 6 compilation. This song is SOLID rock music and surely deserves at least the OCCASIONAL airplay.
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Post by The Ocean on Jul 14, 2021 4:06:41 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #144 - 7/14/21 Supernova - "Books" from Rox
Many people would associate the band Supernova with their song on the Clerks soundtrack. My association goes back to a record store in Chicago, the same place I talked about in my The Joe Perry Project entry (I also picked up the album Red Star by Sci-Fi author John Shirley's band The Panther Moderns).
I vividly remember this album. I picked it up in the store because it was a plain white cardboard sleeve and it stood put from the rest of the plastic cases. It was a promo copy with no cover art, just a sticker listing the band name and the tracks on it. The name of the first track was Back in the Saddle and I thought it might be an Aerosmith cover (it was definitely not). I bought the CD without listening to it and listened to the entire goofy affair a few times that week. The guitar tone is embedded in my brain. I hadn't heard music this absurd before, and it was stewing in its own delightful immaturity.
I listened to the whole album for the first time in years when I was choosing music for this whole series, and I was reminded of how influential this album was to the earliest guitar tones I gravitated towards when I was first learning to play. I eventually bought an Ibanez Smash Box pedal which has long since been discontinued.
They are not a favorite of mine and I never bought anything else by them, but the songs were fun, light, and had an outsize influence on my early development as a guitar player.
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