Another month comes to a close so it is time for another monthly wrap up of what landed in 2 Loud 2 Old Music’s collection this month and it was another decent month, if I do say so myself. It started off with a couple of new releases. First being the vinyl for the 2nd Mammoth WVH album and I like it as much as the first one…
And the second that item that came out the same time was the new album for Rick Springfield. 20 songs on one disc and it is classic Springfield and I have enjoyed it a lot as I do most of his albums.
Happy Friday! Welcome to another week of new releases and we have over 40 for you this week including a new Greatest Hits package from Aerosmith. How’s this one different, well, it is a deluxe package so I guess that makes it different. And we also have one from The Dead Daisies. With a multitude of singers and players, the best of the bunch are gathered here for your listening pleasure. Outside of that, for me there really isn’t anything else I’m overly interested in, but I hope there is something for you with this varied batch of artists. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Aerosmith – Greatest Hits Deluxe – (Universal Music / Queen of Denial / Aerodisc Partnership)
The Dead Daisies – Best of The Dead Daisies – (Dead Daisies)
For My Sunday Song #317, we are going to talk “Long Time Coming” by Cheap Trick. The song is off their 2017 album ‘We’re All Alright’ which I think is one of their best. It was the only single from the album and only hit #36 on the Mainstream Rock Chart but it is way better than that. A band that has been around for over 40 years comes along and delivers a song and album like this shows they still have a ton of gas in the tank. The song was written by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson and producer Julian Raymond and it was released as a single on April 27, 2017.
“Long Time Coming,” a crunchy hard rocker driven by a Kinks-flavored riff, is a bit of a one-song tribute to Cheap Trick’s influential forebears. “It’s our interpretation of Slade and MC5 and AC/DC and Aerosmith — a lot of riffs that are reminiscent of the Move, but they’re not steals,” Nielsen says. “It’s just, like, all the bands we like.” The song also features a synthesizer underbelly that was a signature in “Surrender,” “Dream Police” and other Cheap Trick songs.
There is nothing I can say that will summarize better than Rick Nielsen does. It is full of that classic angst of early Cheap Trick with their influences laid out on their sleeves. It rocks out and is about as heavy as these guys get. And though they are 40 years in, you don’t know that based on this song. They sound, hungry and fresh as ever! And if you want to sound like The Kinks and AC/DC and mix the two together, sign me up.
Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. These guys are still going strong and seem to be getting better and better. Not too many old bands still excite me like these guys do!! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful and Happy Sunday!!
“Long Time Coming”
I’m in the middle of something And it sure feels good It makes me feel better Do I look like a should?
Get me on the tour bus Then put me on a plane Take me to the city Before I go insane
I can feel, I can think, I can show ya What you want, what you need, get to know ya I don’t care what they say all the time Believe me, you’re gonna feel fine
It’s been a long time coming (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming down (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming down (long time coming)
Shake it, shake it, shake it About to blow my mind A real pole grinder I leave my troubles behind
I can feel, I can think, I can show ya What you want, what you need, get to know ya I don’t care waht they say, I can tell all the time Believe me, you’re gonna feel fine
It’s been a long time coming (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming down (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming down (long time coming)
I can feel, I can think, I can show ya What you want, what you need, get to know ya I don’t care what they tell all the time Yeah, believe me, you’re gonna feel fine
It’s been a long time coming (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming down (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming down (long time coming)
Long time coming (long time coming) Long time coming down (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming (long time coming) It’s been a long time coming down (long time coming)
It’s a long time!
Written by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson and producer Julian Raymond
For My Sunday Song #310 and the final in the 10 Song Aerosmith set, we will discuss my all time favorite track, “Sweet Emotion”. The song is another off ‘Toys in the Attic’ and was the first single off the album. It kicks off side two of the album and actually went all the way to #36 just cracking the Billboard Top 40 song chart.
The song is supposedly about Joe Perry’s ex-wife and the riff she caused in the band. I guess she was the Yoko of the band as they did eventually part ways briefly with Joe Perry (he came back after his marriage ended). Steven blasts her for “Talking about things that nobody cares/ wearing things that nobody wears”. And how she was on the side of the stage just shaking her ass for Joe and he was soon eating form her hand. No, no tensions there! The song also is about the infighting in the band as not only were the wives getting in the way, but so were the drugs and egos.
Another Tom Hamilton and Steven Tyler penned track which explains that killer bass opening to the song. Damn Tom is on fire with this one. That bass line is so hauntingly cool and then throw in Perry on the Talk Box and you have a memorable, killer opening. And that vibraslap you hear in the opening, actually broke on their third take from what I’ve read. Tyler’s vocals are pristine and no one can deliver a lyric like him. Perry’s guitar playing is on fire just like the pants in the lyrics. Kramer lays down a great rat-tat-tat right before Perry’s solo and his fills throughout are over the top as he is playing on the twos and fours rather than than ones and threes of the beats which totally blew producer Jack Douglas away. The band shows a more sophisticated side to their writing and they deliver one of my all time favorite Aerosmith tracks. It is a freaking masterpiece.
We are moving through the year quite fast I believe as it is already the end of July. And it was a hot one, both temperature and purchases. Now, I do have a handful of vinyl, but as prices skyrocket, I am focusing on the albums that mean something to me or from bands that mean something to me so the purchases have slowed. CDs are cheaper and a lot easier to obtain so I seem to be buying way more of those these days. With minor exceptions, I have been laser focused on what I’m buying. Let’s go through the vinyl first. First up is the new album from Shinedown called ‘Planet Zero’. I have all their albums on vinyl as I am a big fan so why not get the new one…
Then it I picked up a couple holy grail type albums. First was one from Kiss that had only been issued for their very limited exclusive Kissteria box set. I didn’t think I’d every own one. Thanksfully, they re-issued it on vinyl and I snagged a copy. Not their best compilation, but one that was lacking in my vinyl collection so couldn’t be happier…My list of missing vinyl is now smaller.
For My Sunday Song #309, we are working through “Toys in the Attic” by Aerosmith which is off their 1975 album of the same name. It is the lead off track, but was not a single. Instead it was the B-Side to the single “You See Me Crying”. The album was their third studio album and is one of their biggest selling albums with over 9 million sold as it chock full of Classic Aerosmith tracks including this one.
The song was written by Joe Perry & Steven Tyler and the phrase “Toys in the Attic” is a euphemism for insanity and that is what the song is all about. It talks of a guy that is hearing voices and seeing things yet nothing is real. He is losing his mind and we get to watch it happen in all its glory.
“Toys In the Attic” is rich with the guitar riffs of Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton’s bass groove will get the juices flowing. It is fast-paced, a bluesy and gritty rocker that is almost punk, but so not at the same time. It is a fun-filled pack of goodness and the band just explodes. Steven Tyler’s vocals are on edge, tilting towards the edge of insanity and fits with the them of the song perfectly. You have to listen to the bass as it is front & center and some of Tom’s best work. Really brilliant!!
For My Sunday Song #308, we are going back to the beginning with “Mama Kin” off Aerosmith’s debut album simply called ‘Aerosmith’. The song was not a single, but it was the B-Side of “Dream On”. “Mama Kin” is a staple in their live shows and one of the early so called “classic” Aerosmith songs. It is a song that Steven Tyler thought would make them rich and he believed it so much he had the title tattooed on his arm. That is confidence.
The song is about staying in touch with what drives you. According to Tyler, it is the “spiritual force that drives creativity and pleasure.”. Never loose sight of that and let it push you to accomplish everything you dreamed of doing. You could also read it in to it that it is telling you to keep in touch with your roots, where you came from and the family that supported you. Always reach out and drop them a line. Either way is great.
“Mama Kin” has a long intro into the song by Joe Perry with a killer riff and some solid bass lines by Hamilton. There is also a saxophone played throughout the song by David Woodford that really gives it more texture and flavor. The rhythm section on this one is the backbone, but those Perry riffs are also pretty killer. Tyler’s vocals are soulful and yet feel a little sleazy too and full of energy. It is a blast of a song.
For My Sunday Song #307, we are discussing the song “Seasons of Wither” by Aerosmith. The song is off their 1974 album ‘Get Your Wings’ and though not a single, was one of the great deep cuts. The album only went to #74 on the U.S. Charts but has since sold over 3,000,000 copies in the U.S. alone.
The song was written solely by Steven Tyler who was in a really bad place at the time. You see, he was doing his taxes and he owed a boatload of cash and that but him in a bad mood. He went down in to the basement of the building they were in, grabbed some drugs and Joey Kramer’s dumpster find of a guitar, lit some incense and wrote this song. No, it actually isn’t about taxes. It is about the winter season and the Massachusetts’ landscape which has that melancholy vibe which fit his mood at the time.
The band goes back to a much darker vibe with “Seasons of Wither” and opens with a blowing wind and an acoustic guitar and both sound so ominous and eerie. Not only does Tyler take on the vocals, he also handles the acoustic guitar duties and equally impressive is the bass groove set by Tom Hamilton who doesn’t get enough credit. I love the pacing and deliver of every note and Tyler might be giving his finest performance on the whole album. And Whitford’s solo is something to talk about as well as that last note goes on forever adding to the dark tone of the song. Totally brilliant track!
For My Sunday Song #306, we discuss “Nobody’s Fault” by Aerosmith which is off their 1976 album ‘Rocks”. The album came out on May 14, 1976, but this song was not a single, but it was a B-Side to “Back in the Saddle”. And it did help drive sales of the album which went to #3 on the U.S. Charts and sold over 4,000,000 copies. The song was written by Brad Whitford along with Steven Tyler. “Nobody’s Fault” is one of the band’s favorite songs and might be the heaviest track they’ve ever done.
The idea behind the song came from the band’s fear of earthquakes. I mean this was mid 70’s and there were some huge earthquakes as well as a Charlton Heston movie called ‘Earthquake’. And there was even rumors of a fault line that ran through New Jersey that ran through a nuclear power plant. So, the “Fault” in the title refers to both an earthquake fault line as well as that people & governments need to prepare for earthquakes and it is their fault if they don’t.
The apocalyptic song borders on metal as it starts with an ominous sounding keyboard before a menacing riff comes in an almost Sabbathy way. Tyler’s vocals are hard and fierce with an evil undertone. Also, listen to Kramer’s drumming on this one as it is quite stellar as his fills are perfect. The doom and gloom turn out to be a beautiful track and one of the best deep cuts the band has. It sounds like nothing else on the album and yet totally amazing.
For My Sunday Song #305, we are discussing the opening track “Eat the Rich” off the 1993 Aerosmith album ‘Get a Grip’. “Eat the Rich” was the second single released on April 17, 1993. The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and the great Jim Vallance who has written for so many, most notably Bryan Adams. I don’t think the song did much as a single, but the album did go on to sell well over 9,000,000 copies worldwide.
The song was written as a dig against wealthy people who look down upon others with a disdain as if their wealth makes them so much better than everyone else. Funny thing is Aerosmith was quite wealthy at this time, but they didn’t come from money. They had very poor and humble beginnings as they were practically homeless at times. They knew where their money came from and were grateful.
The album kicks off with an “Intro” that should’ve been merged with the first track “Eat the Rich”. The “Intro” sees Steven Tyler rapping some rhymes along a some cool drumming. And then ends with a riff of “Walk This Way” before going straight in to “Eat the Rich” with some killer tribal drumming by Kramer with a ton of people doing log drumming. There were 6 people credited as log drummers…insane. The song is full of witty lyrics and Tyler just rips through them with ease. It is catchy as hell and the bass groove on this one is sensational along with Perry who slays it on the riffs and the solo. It is a brilliant opening track that gets the juices flowing. So take that Grey Poupon and shove it up your ass. Oh yeah, the song ends with a massive burp. Only fitting!
Aerosmith – Greatest Hits Deluxe – (Universal Music / Queen of Denial / Aerodisc Partnership)
The Dead Daisies – Best of The Dead Daisies – (Dead Daisies)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 