Rock Blog - New World Man (Rush)

Artist: Rush
Song:  New World Man

Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQRShD0xuAk

Quick Thoughts: This is Rush's only American Top 40 hit, peaking at #21 on the Billboard singles chart for three weeks.  According to wikipedia, "the song's lyrics, by contrasting a New World Man with that of one from the Old World and Third World, apparently refer to the need for Canadians and Americans, as their nations take their societal and political place in the 21st century, to learn from the experiences of European and Third World nations".  I don't know what exactly Rush band members meant by this, but it's a title that makes me curious about the political views behind it.  The song is good, though I'm having a hard time really liking Geddy Lee's voice.

Ranking from Original "Top 1000" List:  918
Added to my Personal List?  YES
Total Songs Added to Final List: 44

For upcoming concerts:  http://www.rush.com/

Having grown up listening to mostly hip-hop, R&B, some alternative, and all sorts of music in Spanish, I decided it was time to give myself a personal survey of Rock music.  My friend BJ Swanner compiled a "Top 1000 Rock Song List", aggregated from several "Top Lists".  As I go through all 1,000 songs, I'll be creating my own list, sharing a brief post like this for all the songs that will make my final list.   I will not be ranking the songs that make it to my final list.....for now.

Twitter: @jimmythelion

Rock Blog - Because the Night (Patti Smith)

Artist: Patti Smith
Song:  Because the Night

 Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSVd8szH7Qk

Quick Thoughts: Known as the "Godmother of Punk", Patti Smith created a fusion of rock and poetry, bringing together her talents as a singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist. I first heard "Because the Night" in the early 1990's as a cover by 10,000 Maniacs for MTV Unplugged, not knowing that this song had existed since before I was born, having been co-written with Bruce Springsteen in 1978 and reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Ranking from Original "Top 1000" List:  918
Added to my Personal List?  YES
Total Songs Added to Final List: 43

For upcoming concerts:  http://www.5gig.com/Patti+Smith-tourdates/

Having grown up listening to mostly hip-hop, R&B, some alternative, and all sorts of music in Spanish, I decided it was time to give myself a personal survey of Rock music.  My friend BJ Swanner compiled a "Top 1000 Rock Song List", aggregated from several "Top Lists".  As I go through all 1,000 songs, I'll be creating my own list, sharing a brief post like this for all the songs that will make my final list.   I will not be ranking the songs that make it to my final list.....for now.

Twitter: @jimmythelion

Rock Blog - Stone in Love (Journey)

Artist: Journey
Song:  Stone in Love

  
Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqXFE8OSG4

Quick Thoughts: An American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973, Journey has sold 47 million albums in the US, making them the 28th best selling band of all time.  Many critics over the years might knock this band and their embrace of pop sensibilities, but that doesn't make them any less pleasurable to listen to.  "Stone in Love" is timeless with its ability to conjure up feeling of youthful romance.  

Ranking from Original "Top 1000" List:  919
Added to my Personal List?  YES
Total Songs Added to Final List: 42

For upcoming concerts:  http://www.journeymusic.com/pages/tour

Having grown up listening to mostly hip-hop, R&B, some alternative, and all sorts of music in Spanish, I decided it was time to give myself a personal survey of Rock music.  My friend BJ Swanner compiled a "Top 1000 Rock Song List", aggregated from several "Top Lists".  As I go through all 1,000 songs, I'll be creating my own list, sharing a brief post like this for all the songs that will make my final list.   I will not be ranking the songs that make it to my final list.....for now.

Twitter: @jimmythelion

Rock Blog - Straight On (Heart)

Artist: Heart
Song:  Straight On

Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcEFPgNftPc 

Quick Thoughts: Started by the Wilson sisters (Ann and Nancy), Heart has spanned over four decades, giving them the longest span of Top 10 albums by a female fronted band.  Heart has had a large number of band members during their run, and have also come in and out of success with their records.  They were announced as inductees to the 2013 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame last year.  "Straight On" is from their 1978 album Dog & Butterfly. In the U.S., it became Heart's third single to enter the Top 20.

Ranking from Original "Top 1000" List:  921
Added to my Personal List?  YES
Total Songs Added to Final List: 41

For upcoming concerts:  http://www.heart-music.com/tourdates.html

Having grown up listening to mostly hip-hop, R&B, some alternative, and all sorts of music in Spanish, I decided it was time to give myself a personal survey of Rock music.  My friend BJ Swanner compiled a "Top 1000 Rock Song List", aggregated from several "Top Lists".  As I go through all 1,000 songs, I'll be creating my own list, sharing a brief post like this for all the songs that will make my final list.   I will not be ranking the songs that make it to my final list.....for now.

Twitter: @jimmythelion

Rock Blog - Lyin Eyes (The Eagles)

Artist: The Eagles
Song:  Lyin Eyes

Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S67CTVVv3KQ 

Quick Thoughts:  Lyin' eyes was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded in 1975.  Glenn Frey has said the song stems from his meetings with Don Henley at a restaurant called Dan Tana's where they once observed a woman and a man having a romantic dinner but then speculating that the woman was in love with his money.  Here is the link to the restaurant: http://www.dantanasrestaurant.com/home.php.  I'd like to check out this restaurant sometime.  From the looks of the website, it seems like a place for celebrity sightings. Interestingly, the single version of this song is shortened quite a bit from the album version since Top 40 Radio in 1975 typically didn't play songs longer than 4 minutes.  Not only that, the label went as far as noting the runtime on the 45RPM label as being 3:58, but the actual playing time was 4:14.

Ranking from Original "Top 1000" List:  924
Added to my Personal List?  YES
Total Songs Added to Final List: 40

For upcoming concerts:  http://www.eaglesband.com/events

Having grown up listening to mostly hip-hop, R&B, some alternative, and all sorts of music in Spanish, I decided it was time to give myself a personal survey of Rock music.  My friend BJ Swanner compiled a "Top 1000 Rock Song List", aggregated from several "Top Lists".  As I go through all 1,000 songs, I'll be creating my own list, sharing a brief post like this for all the songs that will make my final list.   I will not be ranking the songs that make it to my final list.....for now.

Twitter: @jimmythelion

Rock Blog - Tell Me What You Want (Zebra)

Artist: Zebra
Song:  Tell Me What You Want

  
Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAl1nrRqSVg 

Quick Thoughts:  Zebra, a band formed in 1975 in New Orleans, started their career by playing covers of Led Zeppelin, The Moody Blues and Rush songs.  Because of the reactions to their Led Zeppelin covers, the band decided to take their act to New York.  They would only go to record 7 albums, with their first album "Zebra" going

Ranking from Original "Top 1000" List:  929
Added to my Personal List?  YES
Total Songs Added to Final List: 39

For upcoming concerts:  http://www.thedoor.com/sched.html

Having grown up listening to mostly hip-hop, R&B, some alternative, and all sorts of music in Spanish, I decided it was time to give myself a personal survey of Rock music.  My friend BJ Swanner compiled a "Top 1000 Rock Song List", aggregated from several "Top Lists".  As I go through all 1,000 songs, I'll be creating my own list, sharing a brief post like this for all the songs that will make my final list.   I will not be ranking the songs that make it to my final list.....for now.

Twitter: @jimmythelion

Black Sabbath Concert - August 28, 2013

I gathered a few friends to see Ozzy Osbourne reunited with Black Sabbath yesterday at the Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine.  When asked to describe the experience, the following comes to mind:  burned trashbins, burned t-shirts, skyrocket fireworks launched from the crowd, water bottles flying around here and there, moshpits, one dude being restrained, another dude throwing up and then laying out in the back, and a sprinkling of a few more bodies passed out afterwards on the lawn.  This was an experience!...to say the least.

The Production:  This was my first time at the Verizon Amphitheater and let me just say that the parking is pretty bad and the exiting of the venue after the concert is very poorly planned.  The lawn area is definitely where you want to be if you're open to some shenanigans, which for a Black Sabbath concert, is part of the experience.  The sound system was adequate but the lighting and the design of the stage was extremely well done.   

The Performance: Black Sabbath has been around for more than 40 years and Ozzy's relationship with the band has pretty much been on and off since 1977, when he first quit the band.  At 64 years of age, I was impressed with Ozzy's stamina, as he performed for approximately two hours without an intermission, all while consistently engaging with the crowd.  At times, he'd even dunk his head into a water bucket and then throw buckets of water into the crowd.  Not as crazy as biting the head off a live bat, but enough to rile up his followers.  His only rest came when drummer Bill Ward rocked the crowd with the best drum solo I've ever seen.  What made the drum solo more impressive was the fact that it came after one solid hour of performing with Ward showing no signs of fatigue.  What made the drum solo more electrifying was the strobe lighting effect that accompanied the most rapid parts of the set.  I'm not sure if I can say the same for Osbourne, but Bill Ward has apparently been sober for approximately 30 years and is still quite vigorous the drums. Despite Ozzy's energy onstage, his voice isn't what it used to be, and it became increasingly apparent towards the end of the show.  But what Black Sabbath provides still, is an atmosphere of lost inhibitions and a certain degree of aggression.  Ozzy finished the concert with "Crazy Train", at that point, leaving his fans with a solid concert and a great deal of entertainment.