Month: July 2017

“My First Time” with Ted Nugent’s ‘Cat Scratch Fever’

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This month for “My First Time”, I am going to go back to the first Ted Nugent album I ever owned which was ‘Cat Scratch Fever’.  The album is Ted’s third solo album and was released May 13, 1977 just a hair over 40 years ago.  I was around 9 years old at the time.  No, I didn’t buy it then.  It wasn’t until some time in the 80’s when I finally picked it up.

The album has sold well over 3 million copies and peaked at #17 on the Billboard charts. Ted and company were riding high though not actually high as Ted is a staunch advocate against drugs and alcohol.

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The original Ted Nugent band was back together after Meat Loaf was brought in for some of the songs on their last album ‘Free For All’.  However, this would be the last studio album with the original band as Rob Grange would leave before the next studio album ‘Weekend Warriors’.  The band consisted of the following members:

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My Sunday Song – “Hotel California” by The Eagles

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My Sunday #50 is “Hotel California” by The Eagles.  When you add on 2 special edition weekends, this is the 52nd week of My Sunday Song.  One full year!!  Each 10 weeks I have been switching up the theme, but I am enjoying going through my favorite songs so much that I will continue with this theme for a lot longer.

I had to choose a very special song to celebrate a year’s worth of My Sunday Song so I chose what just might be one of the songs ever written or ever played.  “Hotel California” is pure magic in songwriting.  Musically it can’t be beat and lyrically it conveys a mastery of storytelling.

“Hotel California” is the title track to the album of the same name.  The single was released in February 1977 and went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song also won the band a Grammy (which they did not attend because Henley didn’t believe in contests or something like that).  The song was written by Don Felder (who wrote the music), Don Henley (who wrote the lyrics) and Glenn Frey (who contributed some lyrics, but mostly helped with the outlining of the story).

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Friday New Releases – July 28th

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It is the last Friday of the month and it has been a slow month.  And it is another Friday where there isn’t a ton of releases, but there are at least a few I am interested in and those are highlighted in Blue.  If you like Rock, Pop, Metal, Country, Christian, Electronic and even old time rock & roll, there is a little for everyone.

  • 51ZBD6E9HnL._AC_US218_  Alice Cooper – Paranormal – (EarMusic):  The Man, The Myth, The Legend, Alice Cooper is back with his 27th or so album.  How many artists can say that??  I have seen and heard a lot of buzz about this one and I am actually excited to get this one.  I can’t wait to hear what is in store with this one.

  • 617WoFX2ojL._AC_US218_  Seventh Day Slumber – Found – (VSR):  The Christian rock band from Texas is here to bring us more of their post-grunge, hard rock.  I haven’t heard anything of this one yet (haven’t watched the video either) so waiting to be surprised when the full album is out.  I am generally not disappointed by anything they have released over the last 12 years.

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Cher – “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” – The 45 Single

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This might be the last 45 Single I had in my box of vinyl that is anywhere near worth mentioning.  It is Cher’s 1971 single for “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”.  It is from her seventh album for which it is the title song.  It is also Cher’s first #1 song as a solo artists. “Believe” it or not, she has only had 4 #1 songs as a solo artist (not counting the Dance charts).

I don’t have the cover jacket for the album, only the 45 itself.  The cover is below…

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The song is about a girl who was born in a wagon and raised by her parents who were what people called Gypsies.  They earned money preaching and selling “their services” (if you know what I mean).  In their travels, they pick up young man the tender age of 21.  He ends up sleeping with the 16 year old girl and winds up pregnant.  The boy disappears and the girl ends up having her baby in a wagon and she ends up selling her services for money.  Her life went full circle.

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The Debut: Jet – ‘Get Born’

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Welcome to the new series “The Debut”.  This monthly series will bring you some of my favorite debut albums by bands from across all the decades I have been alive.  It will cover rock and pop and who knows what else.  To begin with, the albums will be debut albums that I absolutely loved and I discovered when the album actually was released and not found years later.  I will get to those eventually.  So sit back and I hope you enjoy “The Debut”…

In 2003, one of the most unoriginal bands to come along and who stole their sound and style from such great bands as AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, Oasis and Iggy Pop brings us a collection of songs that show heart and at the same time are so catchy that you can’t help but take notice.

Brothers Nic & Chris Chester, Cameron Muncey and Mark Wilson are Jet.  An Australian band that found success overnight on their first album release called ‘Get Born’.  They recorded the album at Sunset Sound Studios in L.A. and it was produced by Dave Sardy (who had previously produced Marilyn Manson).

And something I didn’t know before writing this post was that the name of the album was taken from the Bourne Identity movie starring Matt Damon (‘Get Born’…I get it now…don’t know if I believe it, but I get it).  I also read the title comes from a line in Bob Dylan’s song “Subterranean Homesick Blues” which is more believable.

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My Sunday Song – “Until I Wake Up” by Dishwalla & JR Richards

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My Sunday Song #49 is “Until I Wake Up” by Dishwalla.  Well, it was Dishwalla originally where I discovered the song and really liked it.  Years later, when JR Richards, the lead singer of Dishwalla, left the band he re-recorded the song and I discovered it again.  This time it stuck with me and I can’t stop listening to it.

The album was originally off the Dishwalla album from 1998 called ‘And You Think You Know What Life Is About”.  Most recently, JR Richards released it on his 2016 album ‘Stripped” which is of course acoustic songs of his work with Dishwalla.  It also includes their big hit “Counting Blue Cars”.  Well worth a listen.

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Friday New Releases – July 21st

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Happy Friday.  I am in a very busy season at work and I need some new music to listen to so I can make it through this time.  Sadly, not a whole lot I am interested in this week.  I hope there is something for you.  Mine are highlighted in Blue…

  • 170x170bb-68  Mr. Big – Defying Gravity – (Frontiers Records Srl):  Can’t wait to play this one.  Mr. Big has been back in a “big” way since 2010.  Now they do take 3-4 years between records, but it is better than the 9 years prior to that.  Either way, it is just great to get new music from this very talented band of musicians.  When ever you can have Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheenan, Pat Torpey and Eric Martin together, you have to be excited.  The opening bass line of this song is unbelievable and has definitely got me excited about this one.

  •  61b+59Pq0CL._AC_US218_  Europe – The Final Countdown 30th Anniversary Show: Live at the Roundhouse – (Hell & Back Recordings):  Say it isn’t so…30 years…REALLY!!  Damn!  I am getting old.  If you don’t know, Europe has been doing their thing for all this time and I am happy to see a live album to celebrate The Final Countdown.  This will definitely get a few spins.  I didn’t see a video for this so might as well show “The Final Countdown”.

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Turntables & Vinyl #9 – The 70’s Teen Idols

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Every decade has their teen idols and the 70’s were definitely not lacking in that area. My big box of vinyl had a surprise included that I never expected.  It had my wife’s records for when she was a very, very young thing (she is still young and will always be younger than me).  She loved her teen idols and most especially one in particular.

First up is Leif Garrett.  She has his second album, ‘Feel the Need’.  This was his highest charting album at #34 on the Billboard charts and spawned the Top 10 hit, “I Was Made for Dancin'”. His music career didn’t hang on to long thanks to a slight little problem with drugs.  During the 70’s, he was probably more well known for his TV & Movie career than his sining.  He appeared in movies such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band and even in the Outsiders.

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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – ‘Murder of the Universe’ – Album Review

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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are on ambitious trek to release 5 albums in one year. ‘Murder of the Universe’ is the second one so far.  Their first, which I reviewed, was “Flying Microtonal Banana” and I found it to be a sensational record.  Go check out the review.  I also review their album “Nonagon Infinity” which was another great album.

This, their tenth album, is a concept album and the concept is so far out there, that I can’t eloquently explain it.  I will have to let someone else’s words do the work for me.  I do know the album is broken out into three separate chapters.  The first two chapters are narrated by Leah Senior and she has an almost godlike personae.  The final chapter is narrated by a Free Text to Speech at NaturalReaders.com.  It sounds like the typed the story into the website and it did the narration.  Very interesting.

Outside of that I can’t describe this album’s story.  I will leave it to Wikipedia to do that for me…

The first (chapter), The Tale of the Altered Beast explores themes of temptation, and tells a tale of a human who stumbles upon a mystical human/beast hybrid, dubbed the Altered Beast. The story starts from the perspective of the human being pursued, who slowly takes interest in the idea of being altered – as it is considered taboo in their society. The perspective then changes to the Altered Beast’s itself, who is filled with murderous intent to kill. The human encountered by the beast slowly gives into temptation into becoming altered once the beast confronts them, as they crave power. Accepting of their fate, the beast and human merge, creating a newly altered beast, who now craves even more for flesh. However, the beast suffers greatly from absorbing another conscience – it loses track of its identity and eventually dies of insanity, decaying into the earth.

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My Sunday Song – “Headphones” by Matt Nathanson

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For My Sunday Song #48, I am going with my favorite Matt Nathanson song called “Headphones”.  The song features singer LOLO and is off Matt’s album ‘Show Me Your Fangs’ released in 2014.  It is one of his best albums, so check it out.

The song “Headphones” for me is about putting on my headphones, listening to music and escaping.  When you listen to music, it can take all your cares in the world and throw them out the window. With music, you can feel invincible (as the song states).  The song is everything I feel about music and how important it is in my life.  Heck, I even started a blog where all I talk about is music.  I have only known this song for 3 years now, but it is the soundtrack to my feelings on music.

The song is actually about a girl who moves to the big city to have a fresh start.  Where everyone around her is concerned with trivial things, she is out there being who she is.  Her escape is music and she is happy just sitting around listening to music and not getting caught up in the madness.  Matt is great at telling stories and he knocks another one out of the park with this one.  Matt is one of the best songwriters out there and I can’t get enough of his music.  If you want to hear what Matt Nathanson says about the song, go to USAToday.com and check this article out.

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