The Random Ten #16

Matt #1) Baroness - “Swollen and Halo” - Blue Record (2009)

Those who’ve read this blog know that Blue Record was my album of the year for 2009 (ed. note: you can read that at http://themusicarium.blogspot.com/2010/01/matts-top-10-albums-of-2009.html). “Swollen and Halo,” one of the more laid-back, melodic rockers on the LP, is also one of the best tracks in the bunch. Great riff follows great riff follows great riff, and John Baizley’s cleaner singing approach really fits the vibe of the song. Amazing track from an amazing band.

John #1) Oasis – “Up In The Sky” – Definitely Maybe (1994)

We start with a cut from Oasis’ first album, Definitely Maybe, which immediately made the group superstars in the United Kingdom and garnered them a large amount of attention stateside. “Up In The Sky” is pretty straightforward Oasis; you should know the drill by now. A big, booming riff, some nice progressions and movements, relatively boring vocals, etc.

It does sound really clean for a debut record, though, and in listening to this it’s understandable why British people were shitting their pants. They sounded like the real deal at the time, but considering whom they were being compared to constantly (*thebeatlesakathebestbandofalltime*), they couldn’t sustain the momentum or make music nearly as good. Being compared to the Beatles was helpful in ways; I don’t think Oasis would have ever become as big if those comparisons never existed. Unfortunately, it’s very unfair to the band, and music fans the world over will forever think of Oasis as “that band that didn’t become the next Beatles”. There will never be another Beatles, so we can probably let that go at this point.

Matt #2) Slayer - “Born of Fire” - Decade of Aggression – Live (1991)

Captured on the original Clash of the Titans tour in 1991, Slayer were at their live peak, as well as their peak of popularity (until about 2004 or so, when they started selling out mid-sized arenas on a regular basis again). “Born of Fire” is a thrasher taken from Seasons in the Abyss, but it sounds a lot more raw and violent in the live setting. Tom Araya’s vocals were rather clean in the studio version, but here he really goes for it.

John #2) Megadeth – “Skull Beneath The Skin” – Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good! (1985)

Megadeth gets a raw deal. Their brand of thrash is every bit as fast, nasty and melodic as Metallica’s early output, but no one ever talks about them except to discuss how insane/drunk Dave Mustaine is. This tune, taken from the band’s first album, is a technical metal fan’s dream. Fast, tight, complicated and raw; exactly what thrash should sound like. Hearing this prompted me to spend twenty seconds adding the album to my iPod, which is about the highest form of praise I can mete out.

Matt #3) Halford - “Jawbreaker” - Live Insurrection (2001)

“Jawbreaker” originally comes from the criminally underrated Judas Priest album, Defenders of the Faith. What Defenders lacks in production – the drum sound is so 1980s – the songwriting more than makes up for. This live version of that album’s second track, “Jawbreaker,” features much stronger production than the original studio version, as well as a rabid South American crowd singing along with every word. Halford’s live band in 2000 was absolutely top-notch, and did an amazing job at recreating old Priest tunes, even better than Priest themselves were doing at the time with vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens. If you’re a Priest fan but never checked out Halford, the band, their debut album Resurrection and its live follow-up are mandatory listening.

John #3) String Cheese Incident – “Mauna Bowa” – Carnival ’99 (recorded 1999, officially released in 2000)

Let’s quickly go to the other end of the musical spectrum! String Cheese Incident, to create a segue, is like the Megadeth of jam bands. They flawlessly play complex, fast music that is pleasing to the ears without it being muddled or too busy. “Mauna Bowa” is an instrumental track that features great violin work from Michael Kang. Its tropical vibe and island rhythms, combined with a recurring violin refrain from Kang and a manageable length (seven minutes) make it a fun, solid track.

Matt #4) Dr. Dre f/Xzibit & Eminem - “What’s the Difference” - 2001 (1999)

This is probably my favorite song from 2001, although Eminem’s rap hasn’t aged that well over time. The main beat and chorus are catchy as hell, and Dre and Xzibit’s verses are well-constructed and executed. I’m no expert on rap, by any means, but this is one of my top 10 rap tunes of all time, easily.

John #4) Slayer – “Postmortem” – Reign In Blood (1986)

More thrash! This time, darker and with satanic themes! This is Slayer, and the Reign In Blood album revolutionized metal and helped move the genre into the extreme places it has since gone. Oh, the song rules, too; it’s really, really heavy and evil sounding. I may have to dust off my Jnco jeans from eighth grade when I was into metal and start listening to this stuff more often.

Matt #5) Alice in Chains - “Dam that River” - Live (2000)

Half of Alice in Chains' Live is a great documentation of the band at their live peak. Half was recorded post-Alice in Chains, when the band played approximately 5 live shows before going into exile for 6 years, leading up to the death of frontman Layne Staley. This version of “Dam that River” comes from 1996, when Staley sounded about as worn-out as he looked. Not an easy song to sing by any means, this version sounds way too bare and stripped down, and shows a band falling apart at the seams. Staley’s singing along with the guitar riff prior to the first verse is just awkward and pathetic. Depending on your view of the band, they’ve either tarnished their legacy completely in recent years by continuing in Staley’s absence, or they’ve reclaimed their glory with a renewed vigor. Either way, everyone should be glad that Live isn’t most people’s lasting image of the band.

John #5) Jethro Tull – “My God” – Aqualung Live (recorded 2005, officially released in 2006)

Talk about letting the air out of the balloon. My brain was just set aflame, and it took a couple of minutes to actually pay attention to this once it started. This is simply a live performance of Jethro Tull’s masterwork 1971 Aqualung album. These old bastards actually sound pretty good considering this was recorded in 2005. Everything sounds on point and Tull’s famous sludgy guitar riffs remain intact. Of course, we need to break for five minutes to listen to Ian Anderson play the flute. I get it, you’re talented. Stop.

Matt #6) Lamb of God - “Laid to Rest” - Ashes of the Wake (2004)

Ashes of the Wake was the album that turned Lamb of God into the modern-day Pantera, if not in sound, then at least in popularity. “Laid to Rest,” the opening track from their now-classic 3rd release, is a modern metal staple. Say what you want about the state of metal in the 2000s, but Lamb of God picked up the ball that Pantera dropped, and have run with it, full steam ahead. I saw the band perform this song on Ozzfest 2004, prior to the release of the album, and I knew their 3rd release was going to be a phenom. Did it hit Number 1 on the charts like Far Beyond Driven? Certainly not, but it brought this band out of the underground and into the front of the “mainstream” metal pack, alongside Mastodon and Killswitch Engage. One listen to the passionate riffs and vocals of this song, and it’s easy to see why.

John #6) Mother Love Bone – “Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns” – Mother Love Bone (1992; the song was originally released on the Shine EP [1989])

I fucking love this song. It features one of the most haunting intro piano pieces of anything I’ve ever heard. I was first exposed to it with Pearl Jam playing it live (Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam were initially in Mother Love Bone and play this song routinely). Usually, Pearl Jam plays a few bars of the intro piano part and then they go into the “Crown Of Thorns” section of the song. The Mother Love Bone version is much better. The intro piece, “Chloe Dancer”, makes the song what it is. It’s simple but elegant and important-sounding. After two minutes, that becomes “Crown Of Thorns”, a quintessential early grunge track, and one of the first that showed the legitimately majestic heights the genre could reach. Listening to this, it’s hard not to wonder what would have happened if lead singer Andrew Wood hadn’t died and the group hadn’t eventually morphed into Pearl Jam. Judging by this, they might have been even better.

Matt #7) Killswitch Engage - “The End of Heartache” - [Set This] World Ablaze EP (2005)

Taken from their live DVD, and promotional EP of the same name, this version of “Heartache” features the band’s insanely rabid hometown crowd, recorded in Worcester, MA in 2005. This was right near the end of the touring cycle for The End of Heartache (the album), and the band had turned the title-track into a minor radio rock hit. The catchy hooks and 80s-inspired riffing (“Panama,” anyone?) struck a nerve with fans, and the back and forth between Howard Jones and the crowd’s singing is nothing short of inspiring. If you’re a KsE fan, you need to hear this. As I always say about KsE, you either love them or hate them. I don’t love them as much now as I did in 2005, but this song still rules.

John #7) Jeff Buckley – “Alligator Wine” – Grace (original album released 1994; this track is from the “legacy edition” released in 2004)

“Alligator Wine” finds Jeff Buckley performing a twangy blues track included on the deluxe reissue of his seminal Grace album. The song sounds like Buckley mimicking an old blues singer to an electric guitar and repeating snare hit. Not very noteworthy, and probably for completists only.

Matt #8) Kiss - “Love Gun” - Love Gun (1977)

One of the songs and bands that first inspired me to pick up a guitar, mainly because of Ace Frehley’s simple-yet-ass-kicking solo. “Love Gun” is, to paraphrase Sean William Scott in Role Models, about Paul Stanley’s dick. The lyrics are Kiss at their nonsensical best, with some vague and some not-so-vague innuendos thrown out left and right, all about sex, naturally. Still, the rollicking beat and Gene Simmons’ always-underrated bass work really carry the tune, and I had the fortune of seeing the last incarnation of the original line up on their “farewell” tour in 2000 (The band, of course, still continues touring to this date, with replacement players Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer in for Ace and Peter Criss, respectively).

John #8) Grateful Dead – “They Love Each Other” – Dick’s Picks Vol. 10: Winterland, San Francisco, CA 12/29/77 (recorded 1977, released 1998)

The Dead returned to their hometown at the end of 1977, and thankfully for us the affair was recorded and officially released twelve years ago. “They Love Each Other” is a nice, soft, rolling number; pleasant sounding and expertly handled but featuring few surprises. It moves along unassumingly for eight minutes, with some nice understated jamming towards its end. Decent but forgettable.

Matt #9) Celtic Frost - “Inner Sanctum” - Into the Pandemonium (1987)

Celtic Frost simply did not give a fuck, and I will always commend them for that. From over-the-top extreme metal (for the time) on Morbid Tales, to string-based, operatic singing and new-wave covers on third album Into the Pandemonium, they really did whatever the hell they wanted, and managed not to really alienate their fanbase until the release of their dumbed-down, hair metal-esque fourth album, Cold Lake. Their reunion in 2005 and subsequent album Monotheist rightfully restored the band’s legacy in metal history, although they unfortunately disbanded for good in 2007. Into the Pandemonium ran the gamut of styles, but “Inner Sanctum” is the one song on the album that sounds like it could have come from To Mega Therion or Morbid Tales, as it’s pretty much a heavy, thrashing metal song all the way through. My favorite track from Pandemonium would have to be “Mesmerized,” but “Inner Sanctum” is a close second.

John #9) Nirvana – “Rape Me” – In Utero (1994)

Luckily, I didn’t buy this album at Wal-Mart so the objectionable lyrics haven’t been censored. As opposed to the earlier Mother Love Bone song, “Rape Me” is much louder and more aggressive, with a metal-sounding chorus. Both approaches work, however, and here Nirvana chooses to eschew subtlety and go full bore. Nothing wrong with that. Rightfully famous.

Matt #10) Iron Maiden - “Wildest Dreams” - Dance of Death (2003)

Dance of Death was Iron Maiden’s second studio effort following the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith in 1999. Released in 2003, “Wildest Dreams” was the lead track and first single from the album, which I think was a mistake, because, frankly, it’s not that great of a song. The album was great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s one of the rare albums where they lead off with an average track and then each subsequent track gets better, all the way up until the album’s climax, “Paschendale.” This song is almost too upbeat, with no great riffs or parts that really stand out, and the lyrics, meant to be a rousing, crowd-pleasing anthem, are just kind of there. Not Maiden’s best effort at all.

John #10) Deep Purple – “Space Truckin’” – When We Rock, We Rock And When We Roll, We Roll (1978; the song was originally released on Machine Head [1972])

Let’s end with a classic ‘70s radio hit! Whooooooooooooooeeeeeeee! This song makes me picture myself driving down the highway in my convertible, pedal to the metal, sun in my hair and a beer in my hand. Maybe I should actually try that sometime, instead of thinking intently about life while listening to a Decemberists song. Deep Purple sounds a lot more fun.

It’s obnoxious, sophomoric, and mind-numbingly simple, and it’s fucking great. It has some of the sexuality of the big Led Zeppelin rock anthems but doesn’t take itself too seriously. “Space Truckin’” is a perfect early ‘70s hard rock song.

Matt Steele/John Lacey