Three for the Ride: Bee Gees, Poundhound, Queensryche

Some days, I take the train to work. Other days, I drive. Either way, I listen to music on the way. I put the iPhone music player on shuffle, and off I go. Calling my collection eclectic would be an understatement. It's often an interesting mix. There are songs though, that I really wish the world could appreciate as much as I do. Songs that make me say, "Ooh, listen to THIS! Isn't it great?!"

Here's what I heard this morning:

Bee Gees: "Nights on Broadway"
Let's start by saying I did not like the disco era. The Bee Gees were the poster boys for the disco era. That said, there's no denying their vocal prowess and that they wrote some amazing tunes. This particular song is one that was the opening track on 1975's Main Course. It was just on the cusp of their becoming disco megastars and they were still very pop. It also features one of Barry Gibb's strongest vocals. Now, all these years later, I'm able to appreciate what they accomplished and am even saddened that Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb have passed away.



Poundhound: "Jangle"
Poundhound is one of Dug Pinnick's many side projects. In 1998, Dug released Massive Grooves from the Electric Church of Psychofunkadelic Grungelism Rock Music. This is the opening track. I can't find words to express how much I love this song. I'm not sure anyone else will get it the way that I do, but that's what music is about- the very personal and unique experience. It's heavy. It's poppy. It speaks to me... "Something to believe in." Dig it.



Queensryche: "I Don't Believe in Love"
Geoff Tate has one of the greatest voices in rock. Period. He was a huge influence on my own singing style. The production values on Queensryche's records is insane. The musicianship is incredible. And they write some seriously good songs. This is one of their songs that demonstrates all of the above. This is from their 1990 release, Empire.



Until next time...

Three for the Ride: The Pursuit of Happiness, Badfinger, KXM

Some days, I take the train to work. Other days, I drive. Either way, I listen to music on the way. I put the iPhone music player on shuffle, and off I go. Calling my collection eclectic would be an understatement. It's often an interesting mix. There are songs though, that I really wish the world could appreciate as much as I do. Songs that make me say, "Ooh, listen to THIS! Isn't it great?!"

Here's what I heard this morning:

The Pursuit of Happiness: "I"m an Adult Now"
Todd Rundgren is a prolific producer, having produced some of the biggest selling records of all time, including Meatloaf's Bat out of Hell. He's produced Cheap Trick, The Tubes, Patti Smith, XTC, New York Dolls, Badfinger, Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, the Psychedelic Furs, Bourgeois Tagg and the Canadian band, The Pursuit of Happiness - just to name a few. The album, Love Junk, was released in 1988. This was the first of three singles from the record. At the time, it was a pretty heavy tune. You can definitely hear Todd's influence on it.



Badfinger: "No Matter What"
1970's No Dice was Badfinger's second album and this was the band's first top-ten single. Written by the late Pete Hamm and the late Mal Evans. It has a distinct Beatle flavor to it. The band was on Apple records and the song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios so there was definitely a Beatle influence there.. I recently got to see Joey Molland play this song. Joey is the surviving guitarist who played on the original track. He's the McCartney look-alike strumming happily away on the Gibson Firebird in the video.



KXM: "Rescue Me"
What do you get when you put together drummer Ray Luzier (Korn), bassist, vocalist Dug Pinnick (King's X), and guitarist George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob)? KXM. It's soulful, heavy, kick-ass, melodic metal with amazing drums and a killer hook. This track, "Rescue Me", is from 2013's self-titled debut.



Until next time...

Three for the Ride: Dire Straits. Black Sabbath, Supershine

Some days, I take the train to work. Other days, I drive. Either way, I listen to music on the way. I put the iPhone music player on shuffle, and off I go. Calling my collection eclectic would be an understatement. It's often an interesting mix. There are songs though, that I really wish the world could appreciate as much as I do. Songs that make me say, "Ooh, listen to THIS! Isn't it great?!"

Here's what I heard this morning:

Dire Straits: "Telegraph Road"
Most albums I buy, I recall the circumstances. 1982's Love Over Gold is one of those records that I just don't know how I came across it. But I'm glad that I did. "Telegraph Road" is a 14-minute long masterpiece that is, IMHO, Dire Straits's best work. It never gets radio play, so if you've never had the record, you've probably never heard the song. The kinda hokey "Industrial Disease is the only single from the album to chart in the U.S. "Telegraph Road" is an epic, moody piece, best listened to in solitude with headphones. I liken it to being Dire Straits's "Stairway to Heaven", "Freebird", or "Jungleland".



Black Sabbath: "Neon Knights"
Ozzie Osbourne left Black Sabbath in 1979 and was replaced by the now-late Ronnie James Dio. That following year, 1980, the band recorded and released their first-ever album without Ozzie, Heaven and Hell. This song, cowritten by Dio, was the opening track and the first time anyone had heard the new Sabbath sound. I bought the album immediately after hearing the song on the radio.



Supershine: "Take Me Away"
Guitarist Bruce Franklin teamed up with bassist and vocalist Dug Pinnick of King's X in 2000 to release the self-titled Supershine. It's heavy riff-driven rock reminiscent of Black Sabbath and Grand Funk Railroad. As one reviewer on Amazon put it, "it generally makes you want to get into powerful American cars and drive fast with the radio blaring." Which, oddly enough, is exactly how I initially listened to this record, driving my Mustang GT convertible across the Arizona desert. This link is to the entire album, but the first track is "Take Me Away." So, listen to as much as you like, but at least listen to the first track.



Until next time...

Three from the Train: Pinnick Gales Pridgen, Bill Spooner, U.K.

Every morning that I decide to drag myself to the city, I have a little over an hour to listen to music on the train. I put the iPhone music player on shuffle, and off I go. Calling my collection eclectic would be an understatement. It's often an interesting mix. There are songs though, that I really want the world to appreciate as much as I do. Songs that make me say, "Ooh, listen to THIS! Isn't that great?!"

This morning was tough. I hear at least six songs I'd love to bring to your attention. But I will not break my own rule. I'll also try not to repeat the artist, too often. Here's what I heard this morning:

Pinnick Gales Pridgen: "Been So High (The Only Place to Go is Down)"
So, once upon a time, three incredible musicians got together to form a band and see what kind of music came out. We used to call those super groups, like Asia. This super group is made up of Dug Pinnick (King's X) on bass and vocals, Eric Gales on guitar and vocals, and Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta) on drums. What came out was magic. Dug has been my favorite rock vocalist for decades and he's a heck of a bass player, too. Eric Gales channels Jimi like no one else I've ever heard, and Thomas, though new to me, is amazing, as well. Check out this track from their debut album, Pinnick Gales Pridgen.



Bill Spooner: "Too Much"
I'm a huge Tubes fan. Not to detract from the other GREAT talents in the band, one of the truly creative geniuses behind the Tubes was Bill Spooner. He left the band back in the mid 80's and kind of fell off the radar. I try to keep up with what he's been doing because I love, so much, his voice, his writing, and the choices he makes as a guitarist. This is a song - a beautiful song - that he released on 2001's Demolicious: Adventures in Lo-Fi. To me, it encapsulates everything that makes Bill so amazing.



U.K.: "Night After Night"
Speaking of super groups, U.K. was comprised of John Wetton (King Crimson), Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music, Zappa), Alan Holdsworth, and Bill Bruford (Yes, etc.). Terry Bozzio (Zappa) replaced Bruford in 1978, and in 1979, U.K. released the live album, Night After Night, recorded in Japan. Hey, if it worked for Cheap Trick and Deep Purple, then why not U.K.? This track is from that live album. It's classic 70's progressive rock-pop. I really love the audience clapping along with the song the whole way through.


Until Next Time...