Today's Apocalypse Sign: Halloween iPod Monday

With everyone squarely focused on hurricane Sandy, I give you a brief musical interlude (if you still have power). Stay safe all my blogger buddies close to the coast...and the Big Apple.



1. Rob Zombie - Dragula (this has been my favorite Halloween party song for years. There really is none better...Living Dead Girl is a close second however.)



2. The Doors - Crawling King Snake (I love the Doors. Let's just say I spent a week one weekend during the 80's deeply immersed in an altered states experience of every Doors album. It was phenom.)



3. Nirvana - Polly (the greatest two opening lyric lines. Kurt, we hardly knew ye bro. I love the unplugged 1994 album. You'll see a young Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters founder)backing vocals from the drum kit. Give it a listen when you have time.)



4. Jimmy Buffet - Fins (okay, finally something for the Parrot-heads out there. There is nothing better in Cozumel than an afternoon on the beachfront of the Margaritaville bar listening to Buffet. Raise your fins!)



5. Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand ("Oh the mighty arms of Atlas" for sure. This song is from a closet favorite Zep album of mine - Presence. I just wore it out back in the mid-70's when it was released. All four members were the best at their craft. Page and Bonham were peerless. RIP Bonzo. Timeless music.)




Any likes or dislikes here? Any Parrot-heads? Most importantly...any Doors fans? Zeppelin history on me...I had tickets to their show in Ohio in October of 1980 (could not get tickets to their 77 show) and John Bonham died about month before the show. So tragic. Like a dumbass I sent the tickets back for a refund. Bye bye collectors item!

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday Is Back!

Sorry for the absence in this spot...if you haven't missed, well, it's back anyway. I am talking about iPod Monday!

Quick review for anyone who happened to stumble in here today and are going WTF??

When I get home on Monday's my end-of-work therapy to start the week is to relax and fire up my iPod in shuffle mode. I run through 5 songs and then post those tunes here for you to enjoy/comment/ignore etc. Got it?

Okay here are this weeks selections....enjoy!

Wiki info is the link on the band name...lyrics are on the song title link....feed your head, people! 

1. Sublime - Santeria (these guys have so many great songs that I feel entertained after everyone of them. This song is fun to sing along to too...all the lyrics are great, check 'em out!) And just so happens my drumming goddess Meytal just recently posted her cover of this tune so give it a look & listen





2. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird (Live) (this song has always fallen #2 to Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven on almost every top rock songs of all time countdowns. I cannot disagree. Great song with classic twin lead guitars just jammin' at the end until you get the chills.) Never gets old. RIP Ronnie.





3. Sammy Hagar - Mas Tequila (I defy you not to desire a party after hearing this. And Sammy's Cabo Wabo Tequila is some good stuff!! Ahhh...to be in Cabo right now.) Since he's about to turn 65 is few days I guess I can leave "party with Sammy Hagar" on my bucket list. Been a fan since '73.





4. Candlebox - You (one of the hit songs off their  great first album. I hadn't heard this one in a while but it made me listen to several other songs as I rode my exercise bike tonight.) If you haven't heard them before give 'em a try.




5. Jars Of Clay - Flood (Christian rock band from Tennessee with perhaps their biggest hit. Great song) I am nothing if not diverse and non-denominational in my music.




All these familiar to you? Any favorites? Would you want to party with Sammy?

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday Is Here

Very late in getting this out so I'll just say here it is!!! No links this week...sorry.


The winners this week:


1. Flash And The Pan - Hey St Peter (from their fantastic 1978 album full of all great songs)



2. Elton John - All The Girls Love Alice (Yellow Brick Road is my favorite EJ album. Love every song on it. This being one of my favs...and a very interesting subject for the mid-70's) Moog synth ruled the 70's!



3. Creed - One (this band was great right out of the gate. This song off their 1997 debut album My Own Prison demonstrates why.)



4. Foghat - Honey Hush (my post-highschool years were filled with lots of Foghat!)



5. Korn - Freak On A Leash (first Korn song I ever heard...loved it. Not completely into all their music but they have some really good and imaginative stuff)




Well a mixed set to be sure. Feedback always welcome. Do you have a favorite Yellow Brick Road track? Ever listen to Flash And The Pan.

Today's Apocalypse Sign: Keep ON Rockin' That iPod...Monday

A rock and roll cornucopia this week. New and old but all rockers!

1. Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench ( I know a lot of people are tired of the FF but they have so many great songs and I think it is pretty cool that Dave Grohl went from unknown drummer in Nirvana to leading the Foo Fighters to the top of their genre) I like them. PS. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones of Zeppelin fame came on stage and jammed with the band during this show at Wembley.




2. Jethro Tull - Locomotove Breath ( takes me back to my high school days. Tull was a staple back in the mid 70's.) This is what you would have seen had there been rock n' roll back in Shakespeare's day.



3. Linkin Park - In The End (love this band and love this song. Great lyrics...right up there with Green Day's Time Of Your Life)




4. Pink Floyd - Time (from one of the greatest bands greatest album, Dark Side Of The Moon...live in Wembley 1974)





5. Kiss - Strutter (Could be the first Kiss song that really got me into the band back in the 70's) This is a 1975 B&W performance at Winterland.

Today's Apocalypse Sign: Labor Day iPod Monday

No work today but still took time to wind down from the great PGA tournament that finished today. Tiger fought hard but ended up third in a star-studded field. Just two events left for the $10 million FedEx cup championship. Then it's on to the Ryder Cup...USA vs Europe! On our home soil this year.

Enough sports...let's get to the music. Another wide range of musical types and performers. Hope you find this Labor Day in good health and spirits. Please enjoy today's shuffle...

[Links to the bands Wiki on the group name and the link to the lyrics on the song title] Educate yourself people!


1. R.E.M - Crush With Eyeliner (not sure how to interpret this one but it is one of my favorite REM songs...Lyric: "She's a sad tomato...she's 3 miles of bad road.")




2. Janis Joplin - Cry Baby (gots lots of Janis since she is one of my wife's favs)



3. Smashing Pumpkins - The Crying Tree Of Mercury (Billy and his acoustic guitar)



4. Filter & The Crystal Method - Trip Like I Do (this collaboration created this song for the soundtrack of the Spawn movie.(you have heard this group (well actually CM is just two members) before if you watch the TV show Bones...they do the theme music)



5. The Cult - Love Removal machine (a hard drivin' song from yesteryear...gotta love the Cult!) (and yes, I did submit corrections to the lyrics that are posted on the link)




Any of these ring a bell or bring back any memories? Any you don't know? Favorites songs from any of these groups?

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday To Cure Those Summertime Blues

This weeks offerings were really a nice set after a stressful workday. I shook the shuffle extra hard and submit these 5 songs for your review

[Link on the band goes to Wiki and link on the song goes to elyrics] Educate yourself people!!


1. Pink Floyd - Pigs (3 Different Ones) (One of my all time favorite Floyd songs..."you like the feel of steel/you're hot stuff with a hatpin/and good fun with a handgun" - great lyric!) Together with Zeppelin, they are at the top of my list of favorite as well as greatest bands ever. Their influence has been far reaching and continous. I think I have listened to Animals at least as many times as Dark Side. The Wall of course is in a whole different stratosphere of music. Enough of me...give a listen!



2. Aerosmith - Angel (Yes, the best love ballad of the 80's...way better than Kiss's Beth. Don't argue.)



3. Santana - Smooth (One of the greatest guitarists ever, playing one of the greatest romance songs ever) Carlos Santana at 65 years old is simply amazing!!



4 Drowning Pool - Bodies (not everyone's cup of tea but it gets my adrenaline flowing...and they are from Dallas!)



5. Steely Dan - Don't Take Me Alive  (this is a great band to listen to when you are winding down for the day. A fusion of jazz and rock with smart lyrics. I have been listening to them for almost 40 years.)




Recognize or listen to any of these? Or maybe all of them? Quite a diverse range of music this week and I hope you found something you may not have heard...and enjoyed.

Til next week...keep rockin'

Today's Apocalypse Sign: Your iPod Monday Fix!!

1. Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do (Is have some fun) (good looking and talented...great combo. I like a lot of Sheryl's music and this is one of my favorite tunes)



2. Thin Lizzy - Cowboy Song (off of the 1976 album Jailbreak. This album is still as good today as it was then and one of my favorites. If you have never heard anything but The Boys Are Back In Town, then you owe it to yourself to pick it up and give it a listen.)



3. Godsmack - Faceless (hide the children...Godsmack is here! Love this band. I have the whole Faceless show this video is part of, on DVD...I watch it while on the treadmill or exercycle...gets your blood flowing!)



4. Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil (is Keith Richards not just the coolest guitar player...what fun he has on this song. Say what you want but these boys are still together and still rocking into their 60's...timeless indeed)



5. ZZ Top - Blue Jean Blues (one of many favorite songs from rockin' threesome! I have been listening to the Top since high school. And pretty cool that Billy Gibbons is Angela's dad on the TV show Bones.)

Today's Apocalypse Sign: Some New Tunes On iPod Monday

These are not necessarily newly released tunes but I reloaded my iPod with a different, larger playlist and spun the shuffle. Here's today's offerings:

{If you want to know more about the band click the link on the band name. If you are interested in the lyrics click the link on the song title.}


1. Soundgarden - The Day I Tried To Live When Soundgarden came out in the early nineties they fell in with my listening tastes at the time (grunge-oriented) and Howard Stern was promoting their single Black Hole Sun on the radio. This song is off their Superunknown CD. Lead singer Chris Cornell went on to form Audioslave and continues to produce great music and lyrics.




2. Days Of The New - Shelf In The Room With it's beginning cast, this is a close example of a one-hit wonder of a band. They only put out one studio album but when I first heard it I was hooked. The sound was more acoustic but still pretty hard driving. Travis can jam on that guitar. This song is off that debut album.



3. Bad Company - Deal With The Preacher What can you say, Paul Rodgers founding this band back in the 70's was a rockin' good time. Several hit songs from the former Free vocalist and his bandmates came from their debut album the year I graduated high school. And the songs still rock!



4. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Runnin' Down A Dream When TP&theHBS came out with Breakdown...wow, their music has been a staple of mine ever since. They seem to have hundreds of hits but I know its less than that. Good music (and TP was one of the Wilburys). Best car drivin' song in recent years.



5. Tool - Die Eier Von Satan You know I love Tool. I think Maynard is a genius on a couple levels. When I first heard this track on the Aenima CD I thought I was at a Hitler youth rally. It wasn't until I finally read the lyrics in English that I had a good laugh. (lyrics on the song link are German first and English translation at the end...give it a read.)


Here is one comment from the youtube site on this video:
To truly enjoy this song, you must understand Tool's dark sense of humor...because this is a recipe on how to make Spanish Cookies, not a Nazi deathmarch song

I know Tool has been on the list before but any favorites from any of the other bands? Ever listened to Days Of The New before?

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday

Okay another iPod Monday is here. Today's offering's are chock full of interesting things...to whit:

The first two songs also happen to be covered by my favorite young Jewish female drummer...Meytal Cohen! You have probably seen her featured here before. Her work on the skins continues to impress. If you want to see/hear more from her, check out youtube and search Meytal Cohen.

A very obscure band came up this week in Marcy Playground. Semi-one-hit wonder.

A country band?? Here on my site?? Well when it's the Dixie Chicks...yea!!! Natalie Maines has a voice that is way bigger than she is.

And then Trent Reznor, brilliant song writer...if you have ever heard Johnny Cash's cover of the NIN song Hurt right before he died, nuff said.

I hope you enjoy this musically diverse feast for this Monday...


1. Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything About You (I don't know if this is a song about co-dependence or just a love hate relationship, but the music is good! Meytal does her usual stellar job on the skins!)



2. Tool - Lateralus (what can I say, I love Tool. Maynard is a brilliant song writer and their music is phenomenal. This is a long song and a complicated drumming exercise and Meytal pulls it off effortlessly. My attention span isn't that long so I could never do this.)



3.Marcy Playground - Opium (quite frankly I bought this groups CD years ago because of the Sex and Candy song (how can you not like the lyric "like disco lemonade") . That and Poppies are two other songs from this quirky bands self-titled first album)



4. Dixie Chicks - Sin Wagon (these chicks can jam, are really easy on the eys, and how can you not like a song with the lyric "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition".)



5. Nine Inch Nails - The Wretched (not everybody's cup of tea but Trent Reznor's quote, "There's something strangely musical about noise" is an anchor for his sound. He is the only member listed for NIN.)




What are you up to this Monday? Did you know all these bands? Thoughts?

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday For Olympics Week

Funny how things go...

Today was 105 and baking! So after work I come home to my hot as hell living room and...ride my execise bike for 30 minutes! Now I am sweating but I am back in the coldest room of the house. My wife keeps the back room at 68-degrees (not that it ever really gets there in the summer) and it is relatively cooler than any other room.

I am here of course to bring forth this weeks offering of iPod Monday.


1. Green Day - Hitchin' A Ride (one of the first songs I heard from this bands double platinum Nimrod CD. Time Of Your Life is an anthem for the ages. Love the American Idiot album!)



2. Peter Frampton - Do You Feel (Like We Do) - LIVE! (from one of the best selling albums of all time (Frampton Comes Alive) his best song.) It's a 14 minute concert staple so make some time later to enjoy it all.



3. Brian May - Driven By You (former Queen guitarist out on his own and jamming. Not many people I know have heard his solo music. Worth a listen.) Oh yeah...and how many rockers are astrophysicists! His history is rather fascinating so click the link if you don't know it.



4. Peter Gabriel - Digging In The Dirt (I absolutely love this song and listened to endlessly when it first came out. The ex-Genesis frontman created some amazing music on his own. Steam is one of my other favorites.) Guaranteed to be one of the weirder videos of its time.



5. Our Lady Peace - Clumsy (I like this song as much as their more famous Superman Is Dead. I still enjoy a good listen to their stuff from time to time.)






Bonus: Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life, Live) Excellent...will give you the chills...



Did ya learn something new? Any thoughts on any of these artists?

Today's Apocalypse SIgn: The Heat Of Summer And iPod Monday

The heat of the summer is upon us. Saturday saw a record 107 for that date and I think my living room melted a little.

Today was only 97 or so and I was in the cool A/C of work all day. Since this was one of the calmer workday Mondays, I think the shuffled iPod Monday music below fit the bill nicely. Almost fell asleep while I was listening.

Give a listen and then leave your thoughts, and maybe even some of YOUR memories of the older tunes, in the comments.

Rock on...

1. Metallica - Hero Of The Day (slow and melodic then hard and rockin'. One of their best off the fantastic Load album.)


2.Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River (CCR had what seemed like an endless supply of great music. This is one of the best.)


3. Van Halen - Ice Cream Man (I dare you figure out some the types of ice cream he's selling.)


4. Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff (Clapton's remake of this Bob Marley anthem seems to have been recorded a hundred different ways. I did see him do this live in a most Reggae style. Clapton is one of the best - guitarists and bluesmen.)


5. REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You (a song you cannot help singing along with...and at their concerts, EVERYBODY is singing it!.) Back in the early 80's I saw them in Houston at the Astrodome and drove with a friend to New Orleans immediately afterward and saw them in the Superdome the next night...ahhh, the stupidity and stamina of youth! Read more about this adventure RIGHT HERE. Full disclosure: I really went for BOC and Foghat!


Keep on rockin'

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday Strikes Again

Time for another installment of iPod Monday. Where I post the five random songs I listen to on my iPod when I get home from work. Seems to be fairly popular and I enjoy it, so that to me is two thumbs up!

This week is widely varied as music goes so sit back and enjoy!

1. Foreigner - Urgent (was there a more sexually overtoned song on the radio in the late 70's...I think not. Although using lines from the song as pick-up lines with chicks was NOT a good idea!!)


2. Fear Factory - Shock (not for the faint of heart and not typically what I listen to but today it worked!) Quite frankly I am not sure where I got this CD from.


3. Joe Walsh - Ordinary Average Guy (big fan of the man who sounds like he has brain damage or is permanently drunk...solo or with the Eagles.) The James Gang Bang album is one of my favorites.


4. The Traveling Wilburys - Tweeter and The Monkey Man (if you are not familiar with this collaboration of musicans check it out here. Two points if you can name them all before Wiki. See group photo below)


5. Gun N' Roses - Estranged (Axel by any other is name is a (hold your tongue and say his name) Rose)


Have a great Monday and hope you enjoyed these selections. What's your favorite Foreigner or GNR song? Did you get all the Wilburys right? And where did the band name come from for the Wilburys?

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday Returns

Just to refresh, when I get home from work on Monday I decompress by shuffling up 5 random songs on my iPod. I then have chosen to share them with you for your musical edification.

Here are this weeks jewels:

1. Bob Dylan - House Of The Rising Sun (I think I have literally every incarnation of this song that I could find. I first heard Frijid Pink perform this back int the 60's...timelessly good)


2. Little Feat - Texas Twister (this is a great "get your blood pumpin'" song. Love the guitar riffs!)


3. Dire Straits - The Bug ( Mark Knoffler had me at Sultans Of Swing, he's a pretty good picker)


4. Led Zeppelin - Dancing Days (you can never go wrong with Zeppelin!)


5. Blue Oyster Cult - Astronomy (I discovered this band back in the early 70's...still get no credit! I love this song and Metallica does a supreme cover)



Do you know all these songs? Find any you want to hear more of?

Today's Apocalypse Sign: Vacation iPod Monday

Preposted for your listening pleasure.


Since I knew I would be on vacation today I smartly listened to the random sounds of my iPod in advance (pretty damn clever, eh). Below are today's gentle sounds of a mid-June day.

I hope you enjoy and yes, I am sure I am enjoying myself in Belize. Right. Now

1. Punch Brothers - How To Grow A Woman From The Ground (this is a haunting song that if you listen to it a few times will stick with you. Watched this video a hundred times. I really like it.) Chris Thile has an amazing voice.



2. Soggy Bottom Boys - A Man Of Constant Sorrow (first time I watched O Brother Where Art Thou, I was hooked on this song) I love this Coen Bros movie!!



3. J Geils Band - House Party (if you are having a house party, and who isn't this summer, this song is a must...as are several other J Geils songs)how can you not love a band whose harmonica player is called Magic Dick! The intro to Whammer Jammer is priceless, "On your lickin' stick Mr Magic Dick!"



4. Stabbing Westward - Save Yourself (very melodic and very final...if you find yourself a little too happy, this song will certainly bring you back to reality, oops there goes gravity, sorry) really intense video. Too bad this band didn't last.



5. Tommy Bolin - Post Toastee (1975 release Private Eyes by the guitarist from Deep Purple, great in every sense of the word...love the line, "Don't let your mind post toastee, like a lot of my friends did".)Ironically he died of a drug OD the day after oncoring this song at a Jeff Beck concert. Last Song he ever played. Play it loud!!

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday Strikes Again!

Those who have not been here before, this is becoming a weekly post of the first 5 songs I listen to (random shuffle mode) on my iPod when I get home from work on Monday. I hope this introduces you to some new listening and maybe rekindles some memories. Either way, I hope you find something to enjoy!
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Here is this weeks 5 wildly diverse sounds...

1. Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy (this will get you energized and ready to rock)


2. Ben Harper - Steal My Kisses (aww...how sweet is this song, share with your mate)


3. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Faith Healer (if you are new to Alex Harvey and like this, pick The Sensation Alex Harvey Band album/CD/download and listen to Swamp Snake, Midnight Moses, The Tomahawk Kid, etc. Love this band from the 70's)


4. The Byrds - 8 Miles High (60's, psychedelic, nuff said)


5. The Cars - Candy O (music from this band could put you in as trance, At least that's what I've heard. At least Moving In Stereo.)


Are any of these familar? Hear anything knew? Comments?

Today's Apocalypse Sign: iPod Monday

Backstory
To those who have not seen this before, for the past couple weeks I have come home from work and sat down with the dogs while listening to 5 songs randomly shuffled on my iPod. This is becoming my Monday Winddown. Then in a fit of purely divine  inspirational laziness, I thought, "Hey, why not post those songs (with accompanying videos) and entertain my readers to start the week." So there you are.
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Continuing on in this two-week old tradition, I present this Monday's 5 random iPod sounds to calm and soothe after a hard days work:


Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers (the link on the song title is worth looking at to gain some insight as to the meaning of the song)



The Beatles - Nowhere Man (always been one of my favorite Beatles tunes)



Fleetwood Mac - Stand Back (was any front woman sexier then Steve back in the heyday of F-Mac)



Phil Collins (Genesis) - Invisible Touch (odd that this would come up after former Genesis front man Peter Gabriel led off the night. Peter obviously went on to a rather successful solo career.)



The Allman Brothers - Southbound (All-Bros were inspirational to the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Tom Petty among others)



Are you familiar with all these bands and songs? Any favorites songs by any of them?

Til next week...keep jamming!

Today's Apocalypse Sign: Another iPod Beginning To My Week

I know it's not the latest and greatest version of the iPod but hey...it was free and holds 8 gig of music and sounds great. Good enough for me.

Since today felt like a Monday after this holiday weekend, I decided in a rather kingly fashion, that I would begin each week with an iPod listen when I got home from work. I figure this accomplishes a couple of things: 1) fairly easy and entertaining post and 2) I get to start my week rocking in random fashion.

So for now iPod Monday is born from the ashes of rock 'n roll and presented here for your listening pleasure. If you pick up a new or forgotten artist to enjoy all the better.

Tonight's five random iPod listens were as follows:

1. AC/DC - Squealer (Bon Scott version) (a lesser played track and a little racy, so ladies be warned or curious) RIP Bon



2. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Kind Of Man (Ronnie Van Zandt version) (one of my favs back in high school) RIP Ronnie



3. Van Halen - The Cradle Will Rock (Diamond Dave frontin') (I wore a rut in this song when the album came out)Eddie Van Halen showing his chops!!



4. AC/DC - High Voltage (Live) (double dose of the electrically ambiguous band!!) the sync between sound and video is a little lacking but I had to find a Bon Scott live version!




5. Candlebox - Far Behind (This could be the first CD on which I loved every song)