My Sunday Song – “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield

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For My Sunday Song #280 and the final of this 10 song set, we are talking about the 80’s classic “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield. It is an iconic song and one that screams The 80’s. The song went all the way to #1 and I believe is his only #1 song and garnered Rick a Grammy. Did you know, it was the #1 song in the country when MTV debuted!! The song was from the album “Working Class Dog” and helped catapult the album to Platinum status. Rick Springfield was everywhere and even on TV as he played Dr. Noah Drake on the Daytime Soap of ‘General Hospital” which my mom watched which meant I had to watch it. We didn’t have a lot of TV options back in 1981. I am sure that his TV popularity helped shoot this up the charts as women loved him and hoped to be Jessie’s Girl.

The song is about Rick’s friend’s girlfriend. His name was Gary and not Jessie as Rick was trying to protect the innocent. Rick was in a Stained Glass class with Gary and I guess saw the girl, but actually never met her or knew her name (or he is still protecting the innocent). In fact, he states that the girl probably has no idea the song is about her. Rick was lusting from afar, but at least we got a great song out of it. The lyrics are a little silly at times and it is strange that this old guy (he was in his 30’s at the time) was singing a song about teenagers, but he made it work.

The song is pure bubblegum, pop magic and total power pop bliss at the same time. It has this really cool guitar riff throughout and the solo really pushes the song on to the rock side as well which helped it be popular with everyone. Rick sings it with an energy and honest deliver that makes you feel bad for him that he didn’t have her. I am sure we all had someone we crushed on like that growing up. You feel his yearning for her and that is what connected with everyone. Plus, the music is so damn catchy.

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A Year in Music! – What did 2 Loud 2 Old Music Listen to in 2021?

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For 2021, I did something a little different here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music. I tracked every single album I listened to kind of like Spotify, but more manual and not as technical. Every time I listened to an album or E.P., I wrote it down. And I will say that this will be the last and only time I ever do this as it was a pain in the ass. I will say, this was not a normal year. I worked from home all year which gave me access to all my music, vinyl, cds and streaming. I didn’t include individual songs or shuffling which I like to do. These were straight album listens from beginning to end in the order the album was meant to be heard.

A couple more points to note. When I do a review of an album, I try to listen to it 5 to 6 times before reviewing so there are a lot of repeat listens to an album. And what did I track? I tracked the following:

  • Artist
  • Album Name
  • Year of Release
  • Month
  • Day
  • Day of the Week
  • Format

With all that data, I am able to give you lots of useless information that I thought would be fun. So let’s get started. How many albums did 2 Loud 2 Old Listen to in 2021? Easy…1,374!! If I was working in the office, the number probably would’ve been no where even close to that number. Now let’s get in to the juicy details. Out of the 1,374 albums, there were 609 unique albums I heard during the year.

What were the Top 20 Bands I listened to during the year and how many albums?

Note, I worked on a number of Review Series during the year and made some Album Rankings and as a result, those are going to be high on my list. I don’t think there are really any surprises on this list, especially the Top 5 as they were all Review Series. There were 290 different artist and bands I listened to throughout the year.

ArtistCount of Artist
Judas Priest140
Cheap Trick96
Aerosmith87
Queen85
Kiss61
Will Hoge34
Queensryche23
Wig Wam20
Needtobreathe19
Scorpions18
Def Leppard17
Whitesnake14
Danger Danger13
Stone Temple Pilots13
Rob Zombie12
Firehouse12
Jeff Scott Soto11
Steelheart11
Katy Perry10
Matt Nathanson10

What were the Top Albums I listened to during the year?

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What to Expect in New Music for 2022??

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2022 is upon us and it is always fun anticipating what new albums will come out in the year. There are quite a few we already know about, but some haven’t been officially announced or even a date set yet.

Last year, there were a few artist I was hoping would release an album that might have or might not have released one.  It is always fun to hope for new music from these bands, but sometimes there are disappointments.  Here are the ones I was hoping to get new albums from last year and what actually happened…

  • Def Leppard – I don’t care if I get new music, but give me The Collection Volume 3 at least!!! – We did get The Collection Volume 3!!!
  • Kiss – I will keep this on the list until I die!! – We did get a Live Bootleg album in what I hope is the first of many!!
  • The Winery Dogs – Still keeping my hopes up – No Album, BUT…they are working on a new album for 2022
  • Guns ‘N Roses – Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!! – STILL NOTHING…But did get a couple singles!
  • Aldo Nova – He keeps talking about a 2CD set, but will he get around to releasing it?? After 2 years still nothing…he keeps saying its coming but I will believe it when I see it!!
  • Matt Nathanson – Loved what we got last year, but time for new music!!! I believe he finished recording it, but haven’t heard anything for a long while. – He has recorded it but Covid delayed it. It Will Be 2022!!  We did get a live album so that was cool! Now he did surprise us with a U2 covers album called Achtung Matty! 

Okay, are there albums I want to see this year from some of my favorite bands that haven’t been announced or in some cases even rumored?  Of course there are.  These are the bands I want new albums from this year…but it might not happen.

  • Def Leppard – They’ve been writing…will we get the new album in 2022??  Or at least The Collection Vol. 4 which is the final in the series
  • Kiss – I will keep this on the list until I die!!  At least give us another Soundboard LP.
  • Guns ‘N Roses – Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!!  They teased us with a couple singles, is an album in the works?
  • Aldo Nova – He keeps talking about a 2CD set for over 2 years and still nothing much, but will he get around to releasing it in 2022??
  • Poison – I think it is finally time for a new Poison album!!
  • Will Hoge – His last one was 2020 so now is the time for another!
  • Billy Idol – He teased us with an E.P. in 2021.  A full album would be nice

From what I have gathered around the internet, here are the bands that should have new albums out in 2021, but no dates announced yet. The ones I would give a try will be highlighted in Blue.  The ones with Dates Announced are at the bottom of this post.  The list is building up nicely!! Continue reading “What to Expect in New Music for 2022??” →

December 2021 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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Welcome to the final Monthly Purchase review of 2021. Sit back because we are going out with a bang!! Not only did I score some major vinyl and CDs in my hunts, but my Christmas/Birthday presents were a lot as well. I am not going to waste anymore time and we will just jump right in.

First up this month is an RSD release that I didn’t get until after the Black Friday RSD. It is the latest Aerosmith release and will be final review in The Aerosmith Collection Series. It is the very first live recording of the band…

Then my daughter and I found out that one our digging holes was going out of business. Manifest Disc closed its doors and before they did, we hit them up for some of their deep discount deals. My daughter did some damage in the DVD section and I did some in the CDs and one vinyl. The CDs are hodge podge of stuff some of it I was hoping to find vinyl, but I have given up hope so I just bought the CDs since they were dirt cheap.

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The Top Albums of 2021

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2021 was not quite as strange as 2020 as things started to get back to normal. I got out to see a couple concerts and back to digging in the record stores and even went in to the office a few times.  Covid pushed back a lot of albums in 2020 and they finally came out in 2021. Some were worth the wait and well, some weren’t.  But there were some great releases and I am sure I missed a number of great albums and if you look around the web, there will be tons of Top Album lists you can get a pretty good idea of what you should check out in case you missed any of these.

This year I am doing things a little different.  I am only doing one list post, but that list will be centered around my Favorite Rock Albums of the year.  At the end I’ll give you my Top 5 Non-Rock Albums of the year as I didn’t listen to a ton of new releases this year as I was focused so much on my Kiss, Judas Priest, Queen and now Cheap Trick & Aerosmith Series.  That took a lot of time.

Also note, these are MY FAVORITES!!  These are not the most popular or trendy albums.  You won’t find the cool trendy bands, because they are usually here today gone tomorrow.  These are the albums that I connected with during the year and I kept coming back to again and again.  And without further adieu, here are the Top Rock Albums of 2020:

THE TOP ROCK ALBUMS OF 2021:

#10 – Eclipse – ‘Wired’:

71-t49UrImL._SX522_ Eclipse is a melodic rock / glam rock /hard rock band out of Sweden and let me tell you Sweden knows how to pump out these bands. I think there are more rock bands in Sweden then there are people.  It is just a guess.  The two original guys, Erik Martensson and Magnus Henriksson. are back with their 9th album and they keep delivering.  Erik’s vocals are killer and Magnus can lay down some riffs.  The three opening tracks, “Roses On Your Grave”, “Dying Breed” and “Saturday Night (Hallelujah)” just suck you in and you know you are in good hands and just along for the ride at this point. Continue reading “The Top Albums of 2021” →

ZZ Top – “Legs” – 12″ Maxi-Single

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I was out at a record show in Charlotte and was digging through the crates when I came across a 12″ Maxi-Single of ZZ Top’s song “Legs”. Who doesn’t want a “special dance mix” of that song. I had to have it especially since it was not the album mix. I love finding the non-album versions of the songs. I quickly snatched it up and here we are now doing a post.

The song is off the band’s multi-platinum, 1983 album “Eliminator”. This album, along with this song, put ZZ Top in to the stratosphere of success. And really we have MTV to thank as ZZ Top fully embraced the video concept and they did a trilogy of videos with these powerful women driving around in the classic 1933 Ford Coupe and it was stunning, just like the women.

“Legs” went Top 40 going all the way to #8 and saw the band incorporate electronic elements and new wave sounds in to their music. This was the first time that the band embrace synthesizers and electronic drum machines and if I’m not mistaken the bass and drums that were recorded for the song were actually replaced by the electronic equipment. I wonder how that went over the Hill and Beard.

My copy of the single is the standard U.S. 12″ Maxi-Single that included the “Special Dance Mix” of the song “Legs” and the B-Side was the album version of the song “La Grange” from the album ‘Tres Hombres’ from 1983. It is weird to think that this Texas Blues Rock Band would have a “Dance Mix” of a song, but in the 80’s, anything was possible. It was a dramatic change for the band that brought them a completely new audience. To think, these guys were old as far as the MTV generation was concerned, but they somehow pulled off a miracle thanks to videos and brought a fun, good time rock & roll vibe to the audience and they ate it up.

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Run DMC – “Walk This Way” – 12″ Single (The Aerosmith Collection Series – Bonus Edition)

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After ‘Done With Mirrors’, the band was not in a good place with fans, the label and themselves. The drugs use was real bad and it was time to sober up. First Steven got sober and then the rest of the band did and by 1986 they were ready for the next big thing. They needed a break. Something to get them back in the public eye. And it came in the most unexpected way.

The big break for Aerosmith came about because of Rick Rubin. Rick was working with Run DMC on their 1986 hit album, “Raising Hell”. Rick pulled out ‘Toys in the Attic’ and told Run DMC they should cover ‘Walk This Way’. Not a crazy thought as the band had free-styled over part of the song in their live shows anyway. They weren’t too keen on the idea at first, but Jam Master Jay was digging it.

But Run DMC wasn’t going to just sample the album. Why not get the band to come in and play and sing. So, a few calls were made, the band was convinced and Joe Perry and Steven Tyler went in to the studio to help out on the song. Joe played that famous riff and Steven sang the chorus and they even changed one line from “Give me a Kiss” to “Give me Head”…okay! Not what I was expecting.

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My Sunday Song – “Every Night I Wake Up Screaming” by Rick Springfield

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For My Sunday Song #279, we are going with “Every Night I Wake Up Screaming” by Rick Springfield. This is the second track in the series from my favorite Springfield album called ‘Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance’ which came out on February 24, 2004 and it is freaking brilliant. This is another of my favorite tracks from the album obviously. It was not a single and I don’t believe charted, but that doesn’t take away from its greatness.

The song is about how the world is gone to hell. The song feels like Rick is suffering from Anxiety with all the turmoil going on the world from terrorists to any other bad stuff you can think of. The “breathe” comments lead me to believe it is a panic attack and that the nightmares are occurring while he is awake. The line “everything looks better with my eyes close” that he can’t take watching it anymore. He sees it while sleeping and while awake and it is frightening. The song was 17 years ago and I don’t feel anything is better. In fact, I think things are worse, but that topic could be talked about for hours.

Musically, it starts of with some quiet guitar notes and a more quiet, reserved first verse before the song explodes and the volume gets turned up to 11. The song is heavy, it is angry and Rick attacks it with the ferocity that is needed. It goes back and forth between the quiet and the heavy. The drum beats during the quieter verses still give it that ominous vibe that things aren’t all rosy and then all hell breaks loose again. It is one of the heaviest songs I think he’s done.

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Have Yourself a Metal Memes Christmas!!

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I wanted to take a second and wish everyone a very Happy and Merry Christmas! And Happy Holidays to those that don’t celebrate Christmas. Thanks for all your support over this past year and I appreciate all the comments as I enjoy what everyone thinks of the albums and songs we talk about here on 2 Loud 2 Old Music. I don’t have any long speech, but instead I will leave you with some Memes to hopefully bring a smile to your face. Thanks again!!

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Kiss – ‘Black Diamond: Lafayette Music Room, Memphis, TN April 18th, 1974 – FM Broadcast’ – Album Review (The Bootleg Series)

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In my quest to get as many Kiss Bootleg’s I can, I found this one in a local record store, new and sealed. And cheap. This is actually an easy one to get if you are collecting Kiss Bootlegs. I think I paid $25 for it. There is nothing really special about this one, no inserts, no picture sleeves and no surprised in the package like I have received in a lot of my bootlegs. This one is rather generic. For historical reasons though, it is pretty cool. The recording is an FM Broadcast from April 18, 1974 in Memphis, TN at the Lafayette Music Room and is one of the earliest recordings of the band.

Soundwise…well…let’s just say there is sound. This is a recording off a radio broadcast on to a tape. That tape was then copied, which was then copied, which was then copied, which was then copied and keep going for another dozen copies. There is a massive tape drag at several points during the show which slows the song down and it is quite noticeable. That proves that the source material was from an old tape that had been copied many times. Yes, the sound sucks at times and might be on the low end of some of my bootlegs, but I am still okay with it and because I collect them I will buy regardless.

Continue reading “Kiss – ‘Black Diamond: Lafayette Music Room, Memphis, TN April 18th, 1974 – FM Broadcast’ – Album Review (The Bootleg Series)” →