The Random Ten #12

Yes, it’s a dual Random Ten today, which actually makes this a Random Twenty. Matt and I both put our iTunes on shuffle and listened to the first ten songs that came up, just for you. I assume his list will be a little more metal-centric, but you never know what you’re going to get on shuffle! Let’s take a look.

Matt #1) Arcturus - "Ad Astra" - La Masquerade Infernale (1997)

Arcturus received a lot of hype within the metal underground back in 1997 when La Masquerade Infernale came out. They were lumped in with the black metal scene, due to many members being from Norway and having done time in bands such as Borknagar and Ulver, yet one listen to “Ad Astra” reveals a far more complex band than what was expected of black metal at the time. The tune opens with mostly classical instrumentation and drum machines, creating a very sinister, low-key ambience. In fact, the song is hardly metal, although it does feature some nice lead guitar melodies in its first 4 minutes. The strings take a back seat to a piano at about 4 minutes in. The vocals finally start 5:15 into the song, and they are also set back in the mix. The drums take on a very metallic style, yet the music is still dominated by the classical instruments. This was groundbreaking stuff to come out of the metal world, and it still holds up today. The band only releases albums every 6 or 7 years it seems, but I look forward to hearing from Arcturus again.

John #1) The White Stripes – “Union Forever” – White Blood Cells (original issue 2001, reissue 2002)

The White Stripes are one of my favorite bands, and I always enjoy listening to them, but I never actually think to put them on. This track from their third album has a riff that sounds like it comes from a bad old horror film, with brief periods of musical explosion for punctuation. This is certainly not the brightest song ever; it basically features Jack White moaning about love being a crock of shit or something like that. It eventually inexplicably devolves into White reciting (without musical accompaniment) one of the numbers from Citizen Kane (the “there is a man, a certain man…” song everyone sings about Charles Foster Kane in that film). It’s oddly cool, but it really isn’t much of a song.

Matt #2) Judas Priest - "Genocide" - Unleashed In The East (1979)

Upping the speed and intensity of one of Sad Wings of Destiny’s best tracks, “Genocide” sounds absolutely rocking on this version from Priest’s first live album, Unleashed in the East. The guitar work of Tipton and Downing sounds crisp and dangerous, as opposed to the muddy and sterile sound on the studio version. I had the pleasure of seeing frontman Rob Halford’s solo band, Halford, perform this Priest classic in 2000 when they were opening for Iron Maiden (a show which my fellow blog collaborator John Lacey also attended), and it still sounded great. This song goes overlooked in Priest live sets today, but it’s got some great riffs, and an absolutely classic vocal performance from Halford himself.

John #2) Chavez – “Flight 96” – Ride The Fader (1996)

This album was given to me by my good friend Brendan Leonard at our Providence College alumni weekend nearly two years ago, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard any of it. “Flight 96” truly sounds mid-90s. Its guitar riff is really good and sounds similar to what a lot of great alternative/indie bands were doing at that time. Like many of those same bands, Chavez features fairly abrasive guitars, fairly clean vocals, and an interesting theme repeated a number of times (perhaps too many). We get a twist in the middle with a Wilco-like guitar solo, one of those that sounds like it’s going to fall apart at any time (similar to the one in “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” from A Ghost Is Born). After four minutes the riff and song take a heavier and darker tone that punches things up a bit, but everything eventually sounds a bit monotonous and boring.

Matt #3) Audioslave - “Out of Exile” - Sessions @ AOL Music (2005 bootleg)

Audioslave debuted in 2002 with a solid self-titled effort that I quite enjoyed. I was less impressed with their second effort, Out of Exile, however, I did like a few songs from the release. The title track was one that I enjoyed. This live-in-the-studio rendition showcases how great the 3 guys from Rage Against the Machine are at performing in any setting; unfortunately, it also showcases how Chris Cornell is not too much of a live vocalist these days. He struggles through the choruses mightily, but the band sounds great. The best thing about this Sessions… performance is when the band tackles Rage’s “Sleep Now in the Fire.” If you haven’t heard Chris Cornell attempt rapping, it’s hilarious. I envy anyone who got to see Audioslave perform “Killing in the Name” live at any point in time. It must have been comedy gold.

John #3) The Beatles – “Any Time At All” – A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

I still have a hard time coming around to the early work of the Beatles. It has its moments, but it’s too steeped in the big smile lovey dovey pop crap of the 50s for me to warm up to. A lot of early Beatles songs, like this one, have some great pieces that are compromised by on the nose sentimentality and an endless procession of “baby”s. There’s just too much sheen to it, though I can understand why people lost their minds about them at the time. To the song’s credit, there is a nice guitar/piano dual bridge about ¾ of the way through.

Matt #4) Nine Inch Nails - “31 Ghosts IV” - Ghosts I-IV (2008)

Ghosts I-IV was an ambitious project that Nine Inch Nails released in various forms, from a free download to a 4 CD box set that cost around $50. Long story short, Trent Reznor recorded 4 CDs worth of instrumental tracks and released them to his fans via the internet only. It was a bold move, but the surprising thing was that a lot of the tracks were good, some even great. “31 Ghosts IV”, one of the last tracks on the entire set, is one of the best. It is driven by a heavy synth and bass riff, reminiscent of something from the Broken EP, and also features some inventive soloing, not something NIN was ever really known for. The great thing about Ghosts was that most of the songs were in the 2-3 minute range, so they never really wore out their welcome. It works great as background music, which Trent himself sort of described the set as, but it also works if you sit and listen closely.

John #4) Lou Reed – “Oh Jim” – Berlin (1973)

It’s amazing how clearly you can hear Lou Reed’s influence on punk bands just by listening to one of his songs. “Oh Jim” features minimalistic drumming and bass and Reed’s signature nonchalant delivery. About half of the punk and post-punk bands I’ve heard have borrowed Reed’s vocal style. “Oh Jim” gives us a really strong guitar solo that intertwines with a horns section and gradually fades into an acoustic finale dedicated to some guy named Jim. Another interesting oddity.

Matt #5) Mastodon - “Circle of Cysquatch” - Blood Mountain (2006)

Opening with a high-pitched, dissonant riff, “Circle of Cysquatch” was one of the few tracks on Blood Mountain that would have fit okay on Mastodon’s debut Remission. The band had evolved tremendously by this, their third album, but they hadn’t lost their edge or intensity by any means, as the crushing riffs starting at 2:18 will showcase. This song is fairly short and might not hold up against some of their other heavy classics, but it’s a solid track nonetheless.

John #5) Grateful Dead – “Big River” – One From The Vault (recorded 1975, released 1991)

FYI: this was the album playing the first time I ever got “lifted”. But, uh, I never touch the stuff anymore.

Anyway, this kicks ass. Great harmonizing, great guitars, and a great old-timey feel. People make fun of Deadheads, often justifiably, for their appearance, shabby clothes, smell, social status, idiocy, etc. But I don’t understand how anyone can make fun of their dancing after hearing a song like this. It’s impossible not to dance when something like “Big River” comes on. Classic Dead; great stuff.

Matt #6) Soundgarden - “Fell on Black Days” - Superunknown (1994)

This could be my favorite Soundgarden song, although they have so many great ones to choose from. I can’t believe a song so bleak and bluesy was such a big hit, but I guess that just shows the power of a great song by a great band. Chris Cornell sounds absolutely perfect here – smooth in the verses and menacing and vulnerable at the same time in the choruses and bridge. Kim Thayil also lets it rip with the wah wah pedal on his leads, and the rhythm section laid down by Cameron and Shephard is some of the best interaction they’ve ever recorded. If you don’t know this song, you’re missing out on not just one of the best rock songs of the 90’s, but of all time.

John #6) Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Safeway Cart” – Sleeps With Angels (1994)

Alright, 90s Young; we’ll see how this goes. If I’m not mistaken (and I choose to guess even though I have the Internet at my fingertips), I believe Neil dedicated this album to Kurt Cobain.

Young’s always good at setting a mood, and the mood here is decidedly melancholy, using a rusty and distant harmonica to involve railroad/hobo imagery. The problem with a lot of Young’s 90s output is that the songs constantly meander around and never really go anywhere. Often they have strong riffs or good ideas that are either not elaborated on or are wasted entirely (“Loose Change” from Young’s Broken Arrow (1996), which is actually a pretty good album, is a prime example of this wastefulness). “Safeway Cart” is really 6 ½ minutes of not much going on, which was par for the course in those days for Young Neil.

Matt #7) Metallica - “The Memory Remains” - Reload (1997)

People might remember this song more for the innovative video which involved the band playing in a revolving room and a guest appearance by Marianne Faithful, but I think it’s a pretty solid, grooving hard rock track from a time when Metallica did not exactly produce a lot of quality tracks. I’m still an unabashed Metallica fanboy, so of course I like it, but I can understand why the band’s thrash metal fanbase would have vomited upon hearing a track like this. They still bust it out live occasionally to this day, usually resulting in some great crowd participation during the Marianne Faithful sections. You either like this era of Metallica or hate it. I like the good tracks such as this, but acknowledge that they also released some steaming heaps on this album and its predecessor, Load.

John #7) The Afghan Whigs – “Debonair” – Gentlemen (1993)

Gentlemen was the would-be breakthrough album from The Afghan Whigs, a band pegged to be the next Nirvana in the early 90s but never quite made it there. The album is shockingly dark for an early 90s alternative record, perhaps more so than Nirvana or even Alice in Chains. Singer Greg Dulli is constantly in self-loathing mode, and his sleazy whining combined with the quick and desperate guitar work combine to form a dark monument to the 90s alternative/grunge scene. “Debonair” is like a wave of anguish intensified each time the chorus kicks in. Awesome.

Matt #8) Nirvana - “Been a Son” - Incesticide (1992)

A majority of Incesticide is punky songs that were recorded before or after Nevermind, some good, some not so good. “Been a Son” is very good, with a really catchy riff and chorus, and some great distorted bass playing in the middle section from Krist Novoselic. The song’s only about a minute and forty seconds, but it stays in your head for much longer than that.

John #8) Muddy Waters – “Got My Mojo Working” – The Best Of Muddy Waters (1999, song originally recorded in 1957)

I’m not very familiar with blues music; I got most of this stuff from my dad. I’m wise enough to know a good thing when I hear it, however. Blues singers always have the most amazing voices. It makes me wonder why they always complain about not getting laid all the time. What woman wouldn’t want to bang a guy that plays guitar and sings like Muddy? Additionally, “Got my mojo working but it just don’t work on you” is a quintessential blues lyric, and I think one we can all identify with.

Matt #9) Testament - “Musical Death (A Dirge)" - The New Order (1988)

Despite the idiotic song title, “Musical Death” is a great instrumental from Testament, off what many believe to be the band’s best album (I’d say 1999’s The Gathering holds that honor, but from their classic era, this is by far their best). It blows my mind that lead guitarist Alex Skolnick was only about 19 when this album came out, because his technical ability, as well as his melodic phrasing and melody-crafting ability, was off the charts. A lot of bands shredded without crafting many memorable lead hooks (Megadeth), or had great melodies in their lead guitar playing but not great technical ability (Metallica), but Testament had a great way of combining shredding leads with instantly identifiable melodies. Skolnick shines on this, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Eric Peterson’s beautifully clean rhythm parts. Once Skolnick left the band in 1992, Peterson showed he was no slouch on the lead guitar as well, and now with Skolnick back in the present-day lineup, they have an even more cohesive two-guitar attack. The acoustic solo in this song’s middle section is one of my favorite that the band has ever recorded. Great for guitar enthusiasts and fans of instrumental metal, but not for everyone, obviously.

John #9) Jerry Cantrell – “Chemical Tribe” – Degradation Trip (2002)

I’ve never listened to this, Jerry Cantrell’s second album, though his first (1998’s Boggy Depot) honestly sounded to me like Alice in Chains without the soul and dirty majesty that band’s albums had. I’ll always like Cantrell due to his work in Alice in Chains, one of my favorite bands ever, but I find his solo stuff really dull. This song, like most of his, features a standard solo Cantrell cheesy pseudo-metal riff that doesn’t do anything for me, and actually bores the shit out of me. The song is also 6 ½ minutes long. I can handle a long song, but when nothing happens, like in the earlier Neil song, it’s really maddening.

Matt #10) Halford - “Electric Eye” - Live Insurrection (2001)

Fitting that the aforementioned Halford band would show up on this, playing another Judas Priest classic, “Electric Eye”. This was another track that I saw them perform back in 2000, and it sounds more like the classic Priest recording than any Halford-less version that Priest performed live. This was recorded in front of a rabid crowd in Rio de Janiero, so they sing along with not only the words, but the riffs and solos, as well. Absolutely insane energy from the band and from Halford on this recording, but it sounds fantastic. One of the best classic heavy metal tracks of all time, and this is a great version of it.

John #10) David Bowie – “Sweet Thing” – Diamond Dogs (1974)

I’ve never heard this either, and I’d like to thank my friend and one-time contributor to the blog, Mike Keefe, for passing it along to me recently. I’ve actually never really given Bowie much thought before and know close to nothing about him. He’s a completely unconventional rock star, who compensates for his decidedly mediocre voice with his intriguingly weird theatrics, strong and engrossing compositions and really good ideas. This song uses piano and backing vocals triumphantly, especially in the chorus. I suppose I’ll need to investigate this Bowie character a bit further.