My Sunday Song – “Sweet Euphoria” by Chris Cornell

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For My Sunday Song #337, we are going to explore the song “Sweet Euphoria” by Chris Cornell. The song was off his debut solo album ‘Euphoria Morning’ from 1999 and wasn’t a single but probably should’ve been as it is one of my favorites from that album. The album did really well going to #18 on the Billboard 200 list.

The song was written by Chris Cornell and the meaning can be different to every listener but to me it is about his struggles with depression or even bipolar disorder. Apparently, euphoria is a symptom of bipolar disorder in a roundabout way. You have the depression side, but there is also the mania side that can make you be full of energy, full of great ideas that might seem like it euphoria. That up and down feeling can be exhausting and so hard to handle and he battled with it and hid it well most of the time. The song feels like his confession and an opening up of his problems.

Musically, it is just Chris with his voice, armed with his lyrics and an acoustic guitar. The song feels like pain, like sorrow, like sadness and at the end when he screams “save my love’ it almost devastatingly heartbreaking. There is nothing else to it and yet, it is more than enough to convey his feelings and for something so sad, it is also so hauntingly beautiful. This might be the most powerful song he’s ever written.

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Friday New Releases – February 10, 2023

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The weeks keep coming and they seem to keep getting faster because I feel like I just did one of these, but that has been a whole 7 days ago. And we now have around 30 more fore you this week. There are a few I want to hear, but only one that I am actually going to get (right now). That one is Wig Wam as I have been a fan of theirs for years now and was so glad they got back together. A couple others worth noting are the new Paramore album and of course, another great Rolling Stones live album. All is good. Let me know what you want to hear this week and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

  • 81ZRWq3wlaL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Wig Wam – Out of the Dark – (Frontiers Records)
  • 71HsPgbe5rL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Paramore – This is Why – (Atlantic Records)
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Scorpions – ‘Acoustica’ (2001) – Album Review (The Scorpions Collection Series)

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The Scorpions were in a mood to keep doing things their own way and after doing an album and touring the classically orchestrated Scorpions rock, they decided to strip it all back and do some shows acoustically. The band performed 3 shows at the Convento do Beato in Lisbon, Portugal in February 2001 and those shows were recorded. From those 3 shows, the album called “Acoustica” was made. The album was released a few months later on May 14, 2001.

The show was a little unusual for the band as it was just the normal guys. Yes, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Mathias Jabs, Ralph Rieckermann and James Kottak performed, but they weren’t alone. The actually had three guitarists and the third was Johan Daansen which really fills the songs up with that acoustic guitar sound. On keyboards was Christian Kolonovitis who also helped the band arrange the songs for the acoustic set. Christian was also the one who was the conductor and arranged the Scorpions songs for the Moment of Glory Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra album the prior year. James might have been on drums, but they also had a percussionist by the name of Mario Argandona. And to fill up the stage even more, there was a cellist, Ariana Acu and a group of female vocalists to help with backing vocals. They were Hille Bemelmanns, Liv Van Aelst and Kristel Van Craen. They really went all out to bring a different experience and I would say it worked pretty well.

The band also were great in giving us a few things extra on this release. We got the biggest hits, no doubt, but that wasn’t all. We actually were treated to 3 brand new songs (four if you got the DVD). And on top of that, we got a handful of great covers from The Cars, Kansas and Queen. With all that, it made this a very worthwhile purchase to get all the songs we hadn’t heard before. But was it all worth it? Let’s see.

The set opens with “The Zoo” and it has this cool groove which is almost like ‘Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. Then we get the ballad “Always Somewhere” and the crowd claps along and at times sings along, there are female backing vocals and Klaus sounds stellar. Ballads usually work well in the acoustic setting and this one is no different. After this one we get the first of three new songs. First one up is “Life is Too Short” and this one brings some string orchestration. It is another ballad but it really shows the maturity of the band. I would really love to hear a studio version as this is really a great song. The chorus is really catchy which helps draw you in and as the song builds it just keeps getting better.

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The Original vs. The Cover – “Hey Operator”

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For the month’s The Original vs. The Cover, we have a Canadian Battle Royale!! We are going to look at the song “Hey Operator” which was originally recorded by Toronto’s own Coney Hatch and they are battling it out with Montreal’s own Aldo Nova. The song was written by Coney Hatch’s lead singer Carl Dixon and was on their 1982 debut self-titled album. It was released as a single and went to #19 on the Canadian charts. No real success in the U.S. though. Aldo Nova released the song in 1983 on his second album ‘Subject’. It was never released as a single, but for me was one of my favorite songs on his album. I had never heard of Coney Hatch back then, but I was a massive Aldo fan.

“Hey Operator” is a simple song about a guy wanting to call his girl long distance…or maybe it is just phone sex, who knows. There doesn’t seem to be any deep seeded meaning behind it, but that doesn’t make a great song no matter who sings it. As both versions are worth a listen. But let’s’s walk through both and see who has the best version.

CONEY HATCH

The Coney Hatch is more of a guitar and piano version and is a straight up rock track. Very radio friendly with a catchy chorus and I like how the piano gets louder during the chorus with some great riffing by Steve Shelski. His solo is also great, if not short and sweet. The rhythm section of Andy Curran and Dave Ketchum is the driving force behind the song though. But for me the real highlight is Carl’s vocals as they are quite fantastic. I love his tone and he just has a great rock & roll voice. How did these guys never make it in the U.S. is unknown as this is great, a kind of Foreigner vibe to it.

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W.E.T. – ‘W.E.T.’ (2009) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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After Jeff Scott Soto was let go from Journey, Serafino Perugino of Frontiers Records really wanted Jeff to record an album a pure hard/melodic rock album that is the same vein of Journey. Jeff had different ideas. Jeff had been working on his solo album ‘Beautiful Mess’ which was a far cry from that type of music. However, Jeff agreed but on one condition. That condition was that ‘Beautiful Mess’ was released first…and it was.

Serafino also had the idea of doing a supergroup with Jeff in it. When he heard the first handful of songs, Jeff was really in to it and signed up. It also helped who else was in the band. The original name of the band was called Lost in the Shadows and I don’t think anyone liked that name at all. They come up with the name W.E.T. and that was because who was in the band. That included Robert Sall of the band Work of Art (The “W”); Erik Martensson of the band Eclipses (The “E”) and Jeff Scott Soto of the band Talisman (The “T”). All three bands are Swedish bands and all on Frontiers so it made it easy to bring these three guys together.

The songs were written by a number of writers, but Erik and Robert wrote a majority of the songs and Jeff wrote the lyrics. Magnus Henriksson was also involved with writing along with Johan Becker and Miqeal Persson. On instruments, of course Erik and Robert played, Jeff sang, but there were others. Magnus Henriksson from the band Eclipse played most of the lead guitars and Robben Black, also of Eclipse, played the drums and was actually the fourth member of the band and since he was in Eclipse, technically he is part of the “E” as well. This rag tag group of musicians actually pulled it off and brought one of the best Supergroups Frontiers has put together (and they have put together a lot and most are forgettable).

The band was only going to be a one-off project and were not going to tour. however, the fans wanted more. When Warrant pulled out of the the 2011 Firefest, they asked if W.E.T. would fill in. After a lot of phone calls and changed schedules they made it happen. The next thing you know, they agreed to do another album and the band played on. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, so let’s dive in to the debut album called ‘W.E.T.’ (simple enough). The album came out on November 29, 2009 in Europe and the U.S. got it some time in 2010. The reception of the album was fantastic and it helped solidify me as a massive Soto fan. In fact, when I met Jeff back in April 2022, I brought 5 CD covers of my favorite Soto albums and this was one of them. As you can see above in the header photo, Jeff signed this CD for me. I think I now have about 7 of the albums signed by him.

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My Sunday Song – “Show Me How to Live” by Audioslave

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For My Sunday Song #336, we are going to examine the song “Show Me How To Live” by Audioslave. The song is off their 2002 debut, self-titled album. The song went to #2 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and actually made the Billboard Hot 100 landing at #67. The song is credited to Brad Wilk, Chris Cornell, Tim Commerford and Tom Morello.

The song has a ton of religious references and I think it deals with the struggles the singer is going through. God created him, but now he doesn’t know how to live and is full of guilt and wants his creator to show him how to live. The lines about him not sleeping and needing a priest to help him leads me to thing there is a lot of guilt that he needs to confess. With the lines “nail in my head/from my creator” makes me believes he feels he is being crucified. It is a really dark song and there is a lot of pain there that needs to be eased.

The song itself is pretty damn heavy with some killer riffs by Tom Morello and a solo that sounds so insane. He accomplishes those sounds by using a phasing, fluttering effect which he achieves by using a combination of tremolo picking the high E-string, using his trademark Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal and a ring modulator effect (thanks wiki for that info). And listen to the bass and the drums on this one as well. So powerful and so freakin’ dirty and groovy. Cornell’s vocals are freaking sick and you can feel the pain from those lyrics. At the very end of the song he has a cool effect on his voice that he gets by taking his hand and hitting his throat which changes the pitch. No tech for him, just good old fashion self harm.

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Friday New Releases – February 3, 2023

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One month down, 11 more to go. The year is just beginning and there have been a couple so far I’ve dug like Villo Vale and Maneskin, but might most anticipated so far is today with The Winery Dogs third album. These guys kick some major ass and how could they not as it is Richie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan. Not a bad trio. What are you excited about this week? Let me know and clue us in on anything we may have missed so everyone knows what is out there. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!!

  • 71mcKT5J+AL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  The Winery Dogs – III – (Three Dog Music): Yes, the dogs are out and ready to rock!!
  • 61N81HmAx+L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Shania Twain – Queen of Me – (Republic Records)
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Scorpions – ‘Moment of Glory (with The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)’ (2000) – Album Review (The Scorpions Collection Series)

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Scorpions did something a lot of bands were doing and that was recording a live album using an orchestra. Metal and classical music go together as metal’s influences are heavily drawn from classical music. However, it doesn’t mean it should be done with every band. They were accused of copying Metallica who had released ‘S&M’ a year earlier. However, it actually had been discussed to do back in 1995 when the Berlin Philharmonic originally approached Scorpions to do such a show. Originally they had approached Michael Kamen, but he gave up on the job so he could actually go work Metallica on their album. They eventually found a composer by the name of Christian Kolonovits and along with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the album was completed.

It was recorded during January, March and April 2000 and was finally released on August 8, 2000. The album features only 10 tracks that consist of re-worked songs integrated with an orchestra and some really cool interludes from classical pieces. The album went to #3 in Germany and it did go Gold, but did nothing in the U.S. as I don’t think I heard about this until years later, but I was checked out on the band at this time any way. During the Hanover EXPO in June of 2000, they performed the show live and it was recorded for a DVD and was released in December 2000. During 2021, the band took it on the road and did 7 shows in Russia and other Baltic countries.

The show kicks off with a complete rearrangement of “Rock You Like a Hurricane” called “Hurricane 2000”. You get a grand opening that all the orchestra and it feels like the opening to a movie or maybe even a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The band joins in and you get that classic Hurricane riff re-imagined with an orchestra and a lot of extra notes thrown in. The overall tempo is slowed down as Klaus seems to slowly sing the lyrics instead of the rapid fire approach in the original. They added some women’s backing vocals towards the end of the song which totally strips the balls off the song. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t the Hurricane we all grew up with either. It does kick off the show with a bang though even if a little muted.

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Trans-Siberian Orchestra – ‘Night Castle’ (2009) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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Jeff Scott Soto has become well known for his work with Trans-Siberian Orchestra especially with the annual Christmas Tours as Soto can usually be found on the West Coast group for that annual tradition. But for Jeff, it all started back in 2007 when his name was brought up to Paul O’Neil as a possible singer. As things would have it, Paul loved Jeff and he was brought on to play a role in TSO’s next album, 2009’s ‘Night Castle’. The album was released on October 28, 2009 and actually went platinum. Normally that means it sold over 1,000,000 copies, however, it was a double CD set so it only needed to sell 500,000 copies which it did. The album went to #5 on the Billboard 200 Album chart as well as #1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums Chart.

‘Night Castle’ is a Rock Opera or you could even call it Rock Theatre. It is a concept album where the story revolves around a young child on a beach late at night, where she encounters a mysterious but non-threatening stranger. While they build a sandcastle together by the light of a bonfire, he tells her a tale that takes her all around the world and throughout history. The characters of this story include an American Vietnam War soldier named William Cozier, the Renaissance era philosopher Erasmus who is keeper of the eponymous castle of lost knowledge, and a Communist general based on the dissident Tran Do. There is a beautiful 60 page book included that tells the story along with the lyrics of each song (each song that has vocals). It is an intriguing little story, but there is so much more that is in the story in the book than I can garner from the music.

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January 2023 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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Last year flew by and now here we are in 2023 and already at our first month purchases wrap-up. It was a good start to the year if I do say so myself. I started a new collection, found some stuff for other collections I have, treated myself to an album I’ve been wanting for years and even found a Jeff Scott Soto CD that I didn’t even know existed. I would say that all makes for a solid month.

The month kicked off in full glory when 2nd & Charles kicked off the year with a buy 5 get 5 free sale on their CDs and so I pounced on it. Sadly, my memory sucks and one is one I already had, see if you can guess which one because it was in my November purchases as well.

If that wasn’t enough, later in the month I went by Repo Records here in Charlotte and found a handful of picture sleeve 45’s. I love the picture sleeves and so I bought about 9 this time around. Some great stuff to add to the collection…

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