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Shows 67-69

Rock Show 67

After last week’s rip-roaring start I’m kicking off today with a couple of slightly more mellow numbers.

I'm starting off with a tune by Canadian rock band ‘A Foot in Coldwater’ who formed up in 1970, best known for their song "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want”, a Canadian hit single in 1972 and again in 1974.  And It's the from their self-named 1972 first album. Here’s (Make Me Do) Anything You Want  by ‘A Foot In Coldwater’.

"Dare You to Move" is a single by the alternative rock band Switchfoot from the band's 2004 fourth studio album, The Beautiful Letdown. The song was originally called "I Dare You to Move", and was on their year 2000 album Learning to Breathe, but the band decided to remix it, and also put it remixed on The Beautiful Letdown album. Ok, Dare You To Move (Alternate Version)  and Switchfoot.

 Lionhart was a Texas hard rock band in the 1970s. They only released one self-named album in 1977, but what an album!   The album, and another unreleased one, can be listened to now for free, thankfully, on SoundCloud. Yet another band where one wonders how great they might have become, - in this case if only they’d had the confidence to sign for a major record label!  - Perhaps they didn’t want stardom? Right then  Long Legged Lover  with  Lionhart band.

 Adrenalin is an American rock band from East Detroit Michigan, perhaps best known for their song "Road of the Gypsy," which features in the 1986 film Iron Eagle, also on their 1986 same-named album Road of the Gypsy. When PolyGram as part of MCA records collapse went under, they re-formed under a new band name DC Drive.Ok, the title track  Road of the Gypsy  and Adrenalin band.

 Think metal as much as medieval, and when I say it’s a UK Midlands band, not that far from Sherwood Forest,  and talk about heroes past, we get the next tune. It’s from UK metal band Dark Forest, not the Canadian band with the same name, from UK’s dark Forest’s 2011 second album Dawn Of Infinity.  And the song title Under The Greenwood Tree  by UK band Dark Forest.

"Alone" is a song by  Steinberg and Kelly that first appeared on their pet project, 1983's I-Ten, Taking a Cold Look. American rock band Heart made it a number one US and Canadian hit single  in 1987 and twenty years later, Céline Dion recorded it for her album Taking Chances.  So going for the rock version, from their also 1987 album Bad  Animals, by Heart band, with the song Alone.

 American rock band Clutch formed up in 1990 and have been going strong since with ten albums to their credit. From Beale Street to Oblivion is their 2007 and eighth album, the track "Electric Worry" being  a partial cover of the Mississippi Fred McDowell song "Fred's Worried Life Blues". It also shares a striking similarity to "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker, even including the "Bang Bang Bang Bang" variation he would do live. Great song, none-the-less  Electric Worry  and Clutch band.

 Marilyn Martin, now coming up for 60, is an American singer best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, titled "Separate Lives."   The original recording self-titled Marilyn Martin album came out in 1986 and has since been re-released in 2005 and can also be found on YouTube. Here  from the album is  Night Moves  by Marilyn Martin.

Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer Dave Edmunds did a cover of a Four Tops number in 1984.   Although primarily associated with pub rock and New Wave, he had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, and his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll. This next track, the noted and notable cover, is from his 1984 album Riff-Raff.  Something About You  and Dave Edmunds.  Could almost be Quo!

 Played one last time by USA band Bandit from their self-named 1975 album, and as I said it’s a tremendous album . The band unfortunately broke up shortly after a Tour to support the album, and ABC’s somewhat wanton prediction that the album would crash, and hence wouldn’t renew a contract with them.  So to spite ABC, here’s another one by US band Bandit from the same album, titled Woman. 

Ok, do like King Diamond’s 1987 Abigail album, better even than Abigail II, The Revenge  of 2002, also by them.  For the record, they are a Danish heavy metal outfit formed in 1985 and most of their twelve albums are concept albums.   The band has two long-standing mainstay members,  though the band has been stable with four members since 2001. Their album Abigail is one of the very top concept albums out there. Cracking track, Black Horsemen  and  King Diamond.

 Carl Perkins, the rockabilly rock ‘n roll legend (not the US Jazz pianist) played alongside many rock legends in his lifetime (he lived until 1998). Paul McCartney stated famously that without him, there’d have been no Beatles. His songs were covered by Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and Johnny Cash, amongst many others, further cementing his place in rock history. Today’s track I’ve traced to a self-titled album release of his in 1981. It’s   I'm Walkin'  by Carl Perkins. Something of a Rock ‘N Roll classic!

Going back through the annals of time, English rock vocalist Graham Bonnet with the duo, The Marbles had his first hit single in 1968, with the single "Only One Woman” reaching Number 5 in the UK Chart. This and its follow-up were written by none other than the Gibb brothers of the Bee Gees, who had recorded in Australia with Bonnet bandmate from The Marbles, Trevor Gordon.  Ok,  Only One Woman  Graham Bonnett & The Marbles.

 The Tremeloes of course of English fame had quite a number of hit singles in the 1960s, Silence Is Golden being the most well-known.  More surprisingly they are still around to this day.  While they mostly released singles, there has been the occasional album, and from their ‘67 album Chip, Dave, Alan, Rick  I’ve the track Suddenly Winter and The Tremeloes.

 We're An American Band is the 1973 seventh  album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, credited as Grand Funk and certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America just a month after release. The two singles from the album, "We're an American Band" and , "Walk Like a Man", were both sung by drummer Don Brewer. The original album cover was covered in gold-coloured foil, and the album initially pressed  in transparent, dark-yellow vinyl, with many subsequent re-releases.  Ok, gonna have We're An American Band  this time by Grand Funk (1973)

 Next one,  the Newds, spelt   n. e..w .d. s.  to avoid any confusion, and referencing their being newbies and their newness, from Manchester UK, could almost be the equivalent of new Beatles. Fine praise indeed. Except it is well-deserved. Their 2013 mini-album ‘Ready!’  might only have four tracks, but the musical diversity and musical talent is awe-inspiring  and truly amazing.  Oh, and you can pick up the album on Bandcamp for small small smackers! Fresh, alive and new, Chasing Shadows  The Newds. More to come in future shows!

Sometimes a performance is well just 100% right, and so it is with the next one.  Al Marbella Sanchez is a brilliant singer/guitarist from New Mexico who has moved over to the UK to further his career as a professional musician.  You can hear more from him on Facebook and Vube under alsanchez66. The song is an England Dan and  John Foley classic, Lady, but to my  listening, Al’s version is much, much better. Lady  sung and performed very beautifully by  Al Marbella Sanchez.

Ok, better come back to earth after that one!  Kenny Rogers of Country music fame, has had more than 120 hits selling over 130 million albums world-wide. Love him or hate him, that’s some achievement!  Better put on my country slacks for the next, rather less well-known track, it’s  Reuben James  by Kenny Rogers from his 1969 Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town album.  (Don’t worry, this is only a short track if you’re in any way allergic to Kenny Rogers!).

 Played Vow Wow’s brilliant cover last week, so for comparison, here’s The Beatles very own  track as written and performed by them. It first appears on their self-titled The Beatles 1968 album and is also on their  Anthology 3 album of 1996. Here we go Helter Skelter  Beatles-style with The Beatles!

 Well was it the super-sweet mega-pop music, or Agnetha's super-cute Swedish derriere (much to Norwegian Anni-Frid's chagrin?) that got fans attention, not my words incidentally? I don't think it was much to do anyway with Benny and Bjorn's looks!, but,  well, they were two seriously great song-writers, with a fantastic ear for melody  and producing an amazingly commercial sound. Then fronted by two la la la ladies and Abba  totally smashed the 1974 Eurovision song contest with yep, you've guessed it Waterloo. It's one of Abba's best ever, Waterloo!   And did that start something!!!!

 L.A. US   R & B/ Blues rock band Vintage Trouble have some rip-roaring tracks on their 2012 The Bomb Shelter Sessions album.  Slightly different from last week’s track, and this time from their album, I have to admire their blues/R&B and rock mix style.  Let’s rock with Blues Hand Me Down  and Vintage Trouble band.

 The Lonely Wild is an American indie folk/folk rock band based in Los Angeles, California. The group's debut album, The Sun As It Comes, was released last year 2013 via their own Ursa Major Recordings label. They would stay lonely in the wild long with music like this, it would soon find its way onto some good or great film's soundtrack!  Ok, keeping us whole with Keep Us Whole  and The Lonely Wild band.

 Canadian hard rock band Brighton Rock did an amazing album Take A Deep Breath in 1988. Some of it might be AOR with a vengeance, but it is Brighton Rock's most commercially successful album, which has also gone Gold.  Suffice that Warner Records are to re-master and re-release it under their own label.  From the album here’s Outlaw and by  Brighton Rock.

Booker T Jones of Booker T. & the M.G.'s R & B/Funk band fame is caught here as rarely recording alongside Vintage Trouble band and it's off Booker T's new 2013 "Sound The Alarm" album. Booker T is of course an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger of the very greatest talent, so here's Your Love Is No Love (feat. Vintage Trouble)  with Booker T Jones.

"The Wizard" as I'm playing here today to close today’s show is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath,  from their 1970 debut self-titled album. The Wizard" is about a wizard who uses his magic to encourage people he encounters. Partly inspired of course by Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings. We’ll forget a possible secondary meaning for today.  Ok, heavy metal wizards indeed, The Wizard  by Black Sabbath.

Rock Show 68

It amazes me having done so many rock shows now, and 1675 tracks, just how much very great rock material is still out there, waiting to be found and played for future shows!

I'm starting with an assault on the senses by Canadian glam rock band Brighton Rock that as well as appearing on their self-titled debut EP, was also re-recorded along with two other tracks from the EP for their their first album, Young, Wild and Free, these appearing in 1985 and 1986 respectively. Ok, here we go the track is Assault Attack and it's by Brighton Rock! 

"Beth" is a rock ballad by American rock and heavy metal band Kiss, showing something of their gentler side;originally released on their 1976 album, Destroyer. To date, it's their highest-charting single in the US, reaching #7 in the charts. It is one of only two gold selling singles for the band and their first of two so far top 10 singles. Kiss have done rather better in the album charts though! Beth sung and performed by Kiss!

Welsh hard rock/heavy metal band from Cardiff, Budgie, amazingly had a 24 year hiatus between their 2006 album You’re All Living In Cuckooland and their last previous one in 1984, especially as they were chirping out albums every one to two years. I suppose, like The Groundhogs,   they’ve rested on their laurels and mostly played older material. From the album I Don't Want To Throw You and Budgie, not bungee. I think if you bungee you don’t want to hit hard rock, tweet tweet!

Take That are a British very pop band, but some of their material is definitely worth a place here. The next track is very Bee Gees-like with its own spin.  And you might just have heard of Gary Barlow, from the said band  . . .  who wrote the song!  You’ll find the song which is Never Want To Let You Go  on Take That’s 1992 Take That & Party album, their debut album,  reaching #2 in the UK albums, staying in the chart 73 weeks, certified 3x Platinum in the UK. Ok, Never Want To Let You Go by Take That.

Ok, piling on the rock, Some Kind Of Wonderful  is a 1967 Soul Brothers Six song. Grand Funk Railroad recorded it for their own 1975 All the Girls in the World Beware!!! album with it reaching #3 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. You can also hear it on  the fictitious radio station K-DST in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. And it's one of Grand Funk's best known songs! Grand Funk Railroad with Some Kind Of Wonderful.

Uh-Huh (that’s U H - H U H)is an 1983 album by John Cougar Mellencamp, John Mellencamp’s stage name . It’s his seventh album and first using his real last name, charting at #9 in the Billboard 200. Ok, first of two songs today mentioning authority. Authority Song  and John Mellencamp.

"Blaze of Glory” by Jon Bon Jovi which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Mainstream rock chart in 1990, his only chart-topper away from his band Bon Jovi, and it became the theme tune to the film Young Guns II, apparently because the director wanted Bon Jovi's song "Wanted Dead or Alive" but Jon didn't think the lyrics, about the band's constantly touring, fitted in with the theme of a Western. However, the request inspired Jon to write this next song for the film! Blaze of Glory with jon Bon Jovi.

"I Just Want to Make Love to You" is a 1954 blues song written by Willie Dixon first recorded by Muddy Waters and a major hit then. British blues-rock and boogie rock group Foghat released their version on their 1972 self-titled debut album, and as a single the same year as their first hit, also later to be used in the films Dazed and Confused and Halloween II.  I Just Want To Make Love To You  with Foghat band.

US progressive rock/AOR band Pavlov Dog's formed up in 1972 but split in the late 1970s.  Surprisingly, the band reformed up in 2005 and have toured since.  And the track  "Of Once and Future Kings"  from  their 1974 album, Pampered Menial, is used in an edited form in the 2007 film Beowulf.  Timeless story. Timeless Tune!   Pavlov's Dog and their more latterly of Beowulf tune ‘Of Once and Future Kings’.

 American rap-rock duo Aer spelt A E R  (full title Fresh Aer Movement) formed up in 2010 in High school and a year later released their debut EP What You Need,  reaching  #1 on Itunes Hip-Hop chart, then after leaving school their 2012 debut album The Bright Side went on to hit the iTunes album top spot. You can listen to most of their tracks if you wish for free on their ‘theaermusic’ page on Soundcloud.  I've a track though only released as a YouTube video. Stay A While and it’s by Aer  - Cool!

Is it a jet engine? , No it’s The Beatles!  "Back in the U.S.S.R." is a 1968 song of theirs, written by Paul McCartney, the lead track on their double album The Beatles a.k.a. The White Album.  Gotta be one of their very best songs! They weren’t actually allowed to play it live in Russia until 2003, when the crowd went wild!  Back In The U.S.S.R. The Beatles.

"Come Sail Away" is a song by American progressive rock group Styx, featured on the band's 1977 and seventh album The Grand Illusion. On release as the lead single from the album, "Come Sail Away" charted at #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, helping their The Grand Illusion  album achieve multi-Platinum sales in 1978. It’s also one of the biggest hits of Styx's career.  Let’s have Come Sail Away, with Styx band.

I had a bit of trouble finding exactly what album the next one is on, as it was performed for a live album in 1987, but it seems it was recorded first by the Groundhogs themselves in 1985 for their Razor’s Edge album. It’s in fact a cover of a Muddy Waters’ song Mad Love (I Want You to Love Me) of 1954, which paved the way for Muddy’s  biggest hit of all “Hoochie Coochie Man” . Ok, I Want You To Love Me performed here by The Groundhogs.

"Rain Wizard" is a from American 2000s rock band Black Stone Cherry's debut, self-titled album, Black Stone Cherry. The song reached #29 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and not surprisingly is about a local legend of a mysterious wiseman who can bring the rain in times of drought. Well I don't think we need that here in Britain right now, where it's hardly stopped raining for the past 5 or 6 weeks!  Anyway, it's a great song but please, not any more rain!  Perhaps he can make the rain stop! Rain Wizard by Black Stone Cherry.

The next one has to one of, if not the most famous track in Country and Western music. It was recorded in 1973 by Charlie Rich, hitting the top spot on all three main US charts. If you haven’t guessed the title yet, it’s The Most Beautiful Girl , of course, in the world.  The album of his being titled Behind Closed Doors.  Maybe a bit easy going for a rock show, but such a great song, I really as in really can’t resist.  So please tell me if you see, The Most Beautiful Girl  here by Charlie Rich.

Another very famous track this time a pure rock track,  Badge  by UK band Cream of the 1960s. Written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison. It’s on Cream's 1969 final album, Goodbye. "Badge" as a single was a minor hit in the US but much more successful in the UK, where it reached #18, just breaking into the top twenty, a major achievement at the time for a hard rock band. In retrospect it’s regarded as one of Cream's very best tracks. Badge  by UK band Cream!

Shania Twain has been around for years now, well before Rihanna, Lana del Rey, Kate Perry and other female singers trying  to outsing each other on each new song, while attempting to scream or tear their lungs out figuratively or almost literally speaking! Shania is very well up in the top league of female singers in the US, and with songs like the next one, it isn’t hard to see why.  From the phenomenally successful  best selling female act album ever,  and one of the biggest-selling albums in music history; her 1997 third album Come On Over, Shania Twain and  From This Moment.

Yet another famous Country song is Jolene by American Country singer Dolly Parton, released in 1973 as the first single and title track on her album Jolene, It ranks #219 in the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and charted at  #1 in the US and Canadian Country charts and hit the UK #7 spot.  The name "Jolene" incidentally came from a beautiful little red-headed girl with green eyes, who sought her autograph at a concert.  And the song had to do with Dolly’s husband - hmm - becoming enamoured by a bank teller. Ok,  Jolene with and by Dolly Parton. And for the record, Dolly put up a huge fight to successfully get her husband back!

Well, going for some right favourite and famous tracks today.  Who hasn’t heard of the 60s American rock band The Doors.  Open and shut case I think!  They might have only lasted until 1973, but they’ve a very well-earned and most well-deserved place in rock history.  And the track though not making the UK top twenty has had an enormous amount of airplay over the years, and it did get there in the US.  We’ve been doing this for weeks here, storm after storm.  From their 1971 album L.A. Woman I’ve Riders on the Storm and The Doors.

It's a Beautiful Day is the 1969 self-titled debut album by San Francisco psychedelic band ‘It's a Beautiful Day’. The song "White Bird" from the album becoming the band's biggest hit. For a few weeks in 1967 the group members lived in the attic of an old house. In an ironic twist on the band's name, the song was partly inspired by Seattle's rainy winter weather and their feeling like caged birds! Ummm, know the feeling.  ‘It's A Beautiful Day’ band and their  song  White Bird.

The song "The Ballroom Blitz" (on some releases just "Ballroom Blitz") is written and originally recorded by the British rock band Sweet (who were then at the time known as ‘The Sweet’). It appears on their 1975 U.S./Canadian only version of Desolation Boulevard  and the 2005 European reissue of their 1974 album Sweet Fanny Adams. The song believe it or not was inspired by an incident in 1973 when the band was performing at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock, Scotland and were, given their general popularity, very surprisingly, driven no less, offstage by a barrage of bottles. Ok we’re in for a bit of a Ballroom Blitz and it’s by The Sweet.  Umm, sweet audience that!

I mentioned The Newds (N E W D S)  very recent EP ‘Ready’ last week. Don’t know if the analogy of Go getter with Go Get Her was meant or not,  but it’s a very great track by them, and oh yes, costs four readies or four smackers from Bandcamp. Go get it! You can listen to a track from the EP and plenty more of their other tracks too on Soundcloud.  The Newds with Go Getter. 

US punk rock band The Dwarves may not have themselves been little and tiny, but they are certainly big and hard in the punk rock music they produce, in fact as hard as if not harder than rock!  They have their own punk rock sound which emphasizes intentionally shocking or very shocking lyrics, often sexually based, and sometimes very offensive as well. They‘ve been described as "one of the last true bastions of punk rock ideology in the contemporary musical age" Their song  Like You Want appears on their 2004 The Dwarves Must Die album. The lyrics though suggestive, for once aren’t overtly laced with very bad language.  Ok, The Dwarves, Like You Want.

Dax Penick, known onstage just as as Dax is a US rock artist, who has recently moved to Nashville, from doing independent CDs and 150 shows a year to try to further his rock career.  You can buy his latest album     The End of the World on Bandcamp which though just a two-track mini-album is a very real bargain for $2, given the quality of the tracks!  You can also download two of his previous albums entirely for free from Noisetrade, online, which site I well recommend if you haven’t heard of it before as everything, as in everything, on there is free to download.  From his 2012 mini-album here’s Run And Hide by  Dax.

Canadian progressive rock band from Toronto, started in 1970 A Foot In Coldwater  released their first and self-named A Foot In Cold Water album, in 1972. Today’s track to close the show is a much more hard rock number than last week’s track.  Rip-roaring stuff in fact.  It’s titled tongue-twistingly Yalla Yae from A Foot In Coldwater band and album.

Rock Show 69

Well, starting off in something of a big way today with a great track by none other than the legendary Pink Floyd.  This one is undoubtedly a not so subtle message about their record company, as do they even know who they are, and do they care as in ‘who cares’ as long as they bring in the dosh!  Roy Harper sang the vocal, being in the studio when their 1975 album Wish You Were Here was being recorded , one of just two of all their songs not sang by Pink Floyd themselves! Ok,   Have A Cigar Pink Floyd

"Come Together" by the Beatles was written by John Lennon though credited  Lennon–McCartney.  It's the opening track on their 1969 album Abbey Road, released as a double A-sided single with "Something" reaching top of the charts in the US, and  number four in the UK. Undoubtedly one of The Beatles best. Love playing this through a speaker set with a very large bass speaker! Can almost see and feel the walls shake!  Come Together  The Beatles

"Amazed" is a song first recorded by the American country music group Lonestar,  as a single from their 1999 album Lonely Grill. Lonestar's version is their longest-lasting #1 single and biggest hit, spending eight weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart.   Let’s get    Amazed   and it’s by  Lonestar!

Trimming the next one as it’s a ten minute track in full.  "July Morning" is a song by Uriah Heep from their 1971 and third  album Look at Yourself. The song was written by them, but it is also thought Manfred Mann had a strong input to the song’s composition. The album is considered their finest, and this song as well as various releases as a single is on a number of their albums including compilation albums of theirs. Here to remind us of Summer,  July Morning  with Uriah Heep.

You may not have heard of the next one, it’s a rather obscure one listed in the book ‘Unknown Legends Of Rock And Roll’. It’s a garage punk track from 1966, now put on YouTube from a very scarce vinyl single!   Something of a brain-slam and very well done at that!  And they were only around in the late 1960s. The explosive (and quite innovative for its time)1966 track, with its unusual mixture of folk-rock and pre-acid guitar work, Point of No Return by The Music Machine.

When you hear the next one, it raises quite an enigma. How was it her records didn’t sell? Most likely the record company didn’t promote her anywhere near vigorously enough. Marilyn Martin is an American rock singer best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, "Separate Lives." But her own albums and singles didn’t sell, a third album was unreleased, and she now of all things does backing vocals. A rock success story in reverse. Perhaps an exception to prove the general rule that great music that rocks usually sells!  A single from her 1986 self-named album Marilyn Martin.  And all her music is free to listen to on her official website! Body And The Beat  Marilyn Martin

"Don't Do Me Like That" is a song  by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in 1979 as a single from their album Damn the Torpedoes of the same year. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's first Top 10 hit and peaked at #3 in Canada.  It also features in 2009 romantic comedy film  It's Complicated starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. Streep and Baldwin's character dance to the song in a bar.  Ok, Don't Do Me Like That  with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

The song "I Can't Dance" is on the 14th album by Genesis  the 1991, We Can't Dance, and is a single from the album  The song peaked at number seven on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The album itself reached No.1 in the UK, where it stayed in the album charts for 61 weeks. And the best version is one performed live by them.  I Can't Dance (Live)  by Genesis.

Aphrodite's Child was a Greek progressive rock band formed in 1967 lasting through to early 1972. In-between albums Aphrodite's Child released a couple of singles, mostly to keep a steady flow of hits while they worked on the next album and toured Europe. The next track, one of these singles the 1969 I Want To Live / Magic Mirror wasn't released in the US but the B-side Magic Mirror goes that little bit more psychedelic and is actually far better than the A-side.  Aphrodite's Child with Magic Mirror.  

I do like the next one!   Argus the 1972 third album by  Wishbone Ash is very much the most popular Ash album and widely considered their greatest by both fans and reviewers. Named "Album of the Year" in the 1972 year-end issue of Sounds magazine. The album features a blend of progressive rock, folk, and hard rock, and is considered a landmark album in the progression of twin-lead guitar harmonisation later adopted by bands such as Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden.  From the album Sometime World  and Wishbone Ash.

Golden Earring is a remarkably great Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 still going strong. They've even provided inspiration for Black Sabbath! Moontan their 9th 1972 album contains their most notable radio hit, "Radar Love" and was voted best Dutch pop album ever.  From the same album, here’s Candy's Going Bad  by Golden Earring.

Oasis were an English rock band from 1991 to their split in 2009. Perhaps a good song to play after their split is  "Don't Look Back in Anger"  released in 1996 as a single from their 1995 second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? It was very much one of the band's signature songs, played at almost every  live show of theirs.    Don't Look Back In Anger  and Oasis.

I’ve one by Frijid Pink next.  Frijid Pink is a Detroit area blues rock band formed in 1967, best known for their version of "House of the Rising Sun," released in 1969. I haven’t played anything by them before today, but I’m sure they’ll also feature in some future shows of mine as well.  The most widely distributed version of their 1970 self-named debut album has two of the original tracks missing, but two bonus tracks included instead.  From the album, I’ve I Want To Be Your Lover  with  Frijid Pink.

"Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" is the 1971 debut single by Lobo. Written by Lobo under his real name Kent LaVoie, it appears on his ‘Introducing Lobo’ album, hit the #5 spot in the US and the #4 spot in the UK. Lovely track it is too! So catchy! What more can I sayMe And You And A Dog Named Boo  by Lobo.

New York rocker Ace Frehley, former lead guitarist and founder of Kiss has since had a most illustrious solo career as a rock musician.  Anomaly his 2009 5th album  has some great tracks including  Space Bear  and it’s by Ace Frehley.

Looking Glass was one of the luckiest bands of the early '70s, doubly so, coming out of New Jersey in 1972 and with a number one hit, three years before anyone was thinking about Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, and getting radio play, though they themselves didn't think their hit was typical of their kind of music. Great stuff!  Looking Glass with their hit single City Lady. 

The Allman brothers band’s 1969 self-named debut album at the time didn’t sell well outside of the Southern US states. "Dreams" and "Whipping Post" off the album would become the basis for two of The famous Allman Brothers' most famed epic concert numbers  I’m playing  "Don't Want You No More" an instrumental cover of a 1967 song by The Spencer Davis Group here with The Allman Brothers Band.

Ok, another big name band and another version played from  live for their very best version. From Scottish rock band Nazareth’s  2010 compilation album Hot Tracks I Want To Do Everything For You (live) by  Nazareth.

"No More Tears" is the title track on Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 heavy metal album No More Tears and it reached #5 on U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song  also features in the Adam Sandler movie Little Nicky in the final battle scene where Ozzie appears. Ozzie touchingly describes the song as 'A Gift from God'! No More Tears  Ozzy Osbourne!

Manowar is an American heavy power metal band formed in 1980, known for its lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery), mythological topics (particularly Norse mythology) and for playing a lot of songs about heavy metal music, along with their "loud and bombastic" sound. Their 1992 seventh album The Triumph of Steel has the track The Demon's Whip  a great rock track by Manowar!

Another obscure one, not quite so far back, though still not that far off 30 years ago is the song Clara Bow by a band who called themselves Cleaners From Venus, [well I suppose it takes all sorts!] off their 1987 album Going To England. Yes a bit of a hop from Venus there! And again from YouTube and 'Unknown Legends Of Rock And Roll'  This song in praise of silent film star Clara Bow is among the best by Cleaners : witty, nostalgic, British, and instantly hummable, decorated by airy harmony vocals.  A real Mod pop gem in fact!   Clara Bow  by Cleaners From Venus

Eye in the Sky is the sixth album by the British rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1982,  recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios. The album has songs in a number of different styles, from cool and funky to lyrical and heavily orchestrated and is their best-selling album. The 2007 remaster re-issue has 7 extra bonus tracks. from the original, I've the title track Eye in the Sky with  The Alan Parson's Project.

Highway to Hell is the 1992 sixth album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC the last to feature their late lead singer Bon Scott.  "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)", and "Shot Down in Flames" from the album have become fan favourites and regular songs in their setlist during their live shows and the album has helped propel AC/DC to global heavy metal fame.  The provocatively titled If You Want Blood (You've Got It) and  AC/DC.  

I played a track week before last by Canadian singer Dax Penick, known just as Dax.  The one of his I’m playing today sounds as acoustic as it does electric. It’s introspective, dark, lyrical and poetic, original, yet at the same time wholly accessible.  It’s a 2013 track from his same-titled  album Oh Canada... Meet Me in Detroit . Ok,  Oh Canada... Meet Me in Detroit   and it’s by  Dax

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