Post A Song

Be Thankful by Charlotte Hatherley, from The Deep Blue, released on 5th March, 2007.

Esper by Loudness, from Disillusion, released on 1st July, 1984. I first heard this on a Music For Nations metal compilation called Hell Comes To Your House, which was also released in 1984. The compilation also famously featured Creeping Death by Metallica and was where I first heard that band. Perhaps there were earlier examples of the speed/thrash metal genre, but Esper was the first example that I heard. I didn't really get it at the time, and it was only a year-or-two later when Loudness released their more commercial Lightning Strikes album that I realised what brilliant musicians and an underrated band they were. In fact, the musicianship on Esper is phenomenal too, and Disillusion has some other classic songs on it, notably Crazy Doctor.

Hell Raiser by The Sweet, released on 27th April, 1973. It was The Sweet's UK No. 1 hit Blockbuster that turned me on to music at the start of 1973 when I was only nine years old. Hell Raiser was the single that followed it and it was a hundred times better, but it only reached No. 2. I think this is an absolutely classic song: as heavy as anything to be heard at the time, and full of unexpected twists and turns. When viewed from today when all pop music is bland, computer-generated and instantly-forgettable, it seems incredible that there was a time when a song as original and powerful as this could (almost) top the charts. I was there and it was an incredibly exciting time for me.

Fucking brilliant.

Randomly remembered this song that a friend burned for me in 1999. Needed to share it with someone. I had no idea they had some kind of juggalo thing going on?

Figurine by Die So Fluid, from The World Is Too Big For One Lifetime, released on 7th June, 2010. Brilliant song, brilliant album, brilliant band! Why has no-one heard of them?

Captain Nemo by Michael Schenker Group, from Built To Destroy, released in September 1983. Built To Destroy was a patchy, half-finished-sounding album in its original form with some very rough production and clunky editing, and songs that appear to have been written for Graham Bonnet but which were sung by Gary Barden, who lacked Bonnet's vocal power and range. This remixed version is much better, and Captain Nemo demonstrates Schenker on top form and features the complex, lightning-fast and highly melodic style of playing for which he is renowned.

Something in the Air by Thunderclap Newman, released on 23rd May, 1969. This is a very familiar song from my childhood. I'd have been five years old when it was released and came to be one of 1969's big hits. I'd have heard it playing on my mother's radio many times. I think it's a beautiful song that conveys that era's sense of optimism and hope for a better world. Such idealism seems unimaginable in today's dystopian times.

No Boundaries by Michael Angelo Batio, from No Boundaries, released on 1st September, 1995. Michael Angelo Batio is an astounding musician, and this is a classic example of his work. No matter how often I see this and similar videos, I still can hardly believe that it's humanly possible to play with such incredible speed and precision.

Rats by Subhumans, from Rats, released in 1984. The Subhumans always stood out from their contemporaries right from their first release, the Demolition War EP of 1981. They always had more of a metal/progressive edge than the generic thrash-punk bands of the time while also including ska and reggae influences in their songs, and they've continued to develop these aspects of their music until now. Rats is probably my favourite of their early songs. It would have been a fairly bog-standard thrash-punk song if it hadn't been for that five-beat chord sequence in the coda.

Ullyses by Dead Can Dance, from The Serpent's Egg, released on 24th October, 1988. This song was included on a compilation cassette that was sent to me by a penpal from Birkenhead during 1992 when I lived briefly in East Wemyss, Fife. That cassette included numerous great songs and bands that I hadn't been familiar with previously, including Enya, Paradise Lost and Dreamgrinder amongst others, and it proved to have a massive influence on my taste in music thereafter. Swapping compilation tapes was such a great way to discover new music. Despite how much more widespread and easily-available music is in the digital age, identifying the good stuff amongst the oceans of dross seems immeasurably more difficult. Hence, I tend to stick with what I know.

Raven by Die So Fluid, from The World Is Too Big For One Lifetime, released on 7th June, 2010. Phenomenal song, phenomenal singing, phenomenal band. It's scandalous how little-known and underrated Die So Fluid are.

Tristessa from Gish by The Smashing Pumpkins, released on 28th May, 1991. I didn't really get this band when I first saw them on TV sometime around 1989 or 1990, but I became a fan as soon as I heard Cherub Rock, the first track on their second album, Siamese Dream, which was released in July 1993. I then went back and listened to Gish, and found that it was excellent too. Aside from the excellent songs and the heaviness and power of Butch Vig's production, what I like above all about The Smashing Pumpkins is Jimmy Chamberlin's drumming. He is one of the greatest drummers there is, and the band wouldn't have been (and wasn't) the same without him. And I mustn't forget D'arcy Wretzky. Top babe!

Coffee and TV by Blur, from 13, released on 15th March, 1999. This is probably my favourite song by Blur, though it was written and sung by their guitarist, Graham Coxon, and sounds more similar to the songs on his later solo albums Happiness in Magazines and Love Travels at Illegal Speeds. I remember where I first heard this song: on the radio in the shunters' bothy at Haymarket Shed in Edinburgh when I was working as a train driver. I liked it immediately, and still do. I can hardly believe that was nearly thirty years ago.

Innocence Faded by Dream Theater, from Awake, released on 4th October, 1994. Compared to a progressive band like, say, Rush, who played very complex music but had a stripped-down sound and always made every note count, Dream Theater have a tendency to be excessively fiddly just for the sake of it. However, sometimes they get it right, and Innocence Faded is an excellent, melodic song that represents the band at their very best. In my view, they left the best part until the end: the coda and John Petrucci's guitar solo over it are phenomenal. White hot!

Low by Testament, from Low, released on 30th September, 1994. That was evidently the classic year for the very heaviest of metal. This is probably my favourite Testament song.

Strength Beyond Strength by Pantera, from Far Beyond Driven, released on 22nd March, 1994. I think this is the standout track from this album. It has to be one of the heaviest and most intense performances ever recorded.

Gonna assume this was released in 1999/2000...not exactly sure, but I remember seeing it on MTV (RIP) while on vacation. We didn't have MTV at home.

The last song posted reminded me of this one. This could have been filmed today...weird. The message didn't really hit me as a budding teen back then. I just thought the lead singer was hot. I find the politician puppet to be extra spooky today.

I don't think I need to explain much about this song after yesterday in the States.
It was a hit single on "Return Of The Boom Bap", KRS-One's debut solo album, released in 1993 in the US.
Pay close attention at 1:29, for those unfamiliar.
This verse is particularly relevant today, given the information about how many FIRED former police officers or other law enforcement officials -- and how many more who applied to be and FAILED -- are now employed as current members of the US Gestapo force known as ICE.

The stage name KRS-One stands for Knowledge Reigns Supreme.
He is also known as Teacha.

When was this song released? 16th January, 2002.
Where and when did you first hear it? Flowing Tears may have played this song at the gig where I fist saw them, supporting My Dying Bride at The Astoria, London, on 31st October, 2003; however, I arrived late at the gig and Flowing Tears were part-way through their set. In fact, I didn't know who was on-stage when I arrived and didn't find out until a few weeks later. My Dying Bride were probably my favourite and most-played band at the time, but Flowing Tears grabbed me straight away and they literally blew MDB off the stage. After asking around for a while, I eventually discovered that My Dying Bride's support band had been Flowing Tears and I bought their Serpentine CD from HMV in Edinburgh. I loved it from the very first note, and it rapidly grew to be amongst my all-time favourite albums. I still think it's an absolute classic more than twenty years later.
Do you own the song you've posted on vinyl or CD? If so, do you remember where and when you bought it? I do. As I mentioned above, the album is called Serpentine and I bought it from HMV in Edinburgh as soon as I learned the name of the band.
What experiences, places or people do you associate with it? The adventure of going to London, going to a gothic metal gig at The Astoria on my own, and it being a great and memorable gig. It seems I used to be a lot more adventurous in that respect than I am now. The Astoria was demolished some years ago to make way for a station on the recently-built Elizabeth (Crossrail) Line. I haven't been back to London since then, but I suspect the area will now be fairly unrecognisable to me.
Have you ever seen it performed live? I've seen Flowing Tears live, but I wasn't familiar with them at the time and I don't know if they played Children of the Sun.
What are the things you like and dislike about the song you've posted? Children of the Sun is one of my favourite songs from one of my all-time favourite albums. Every song on it is quirkily melodic and none of them give you the feeling that you've heard them somewhere before. Stefanie Duchêne's voice is deep, rich and powerful, while also having a sharp edge that cuts through like a more melodic Siouxsie Sioux. And I think the production on the album is amongst the best I've ever heard. It's very heavy and doomy, yet atmospheric, with the subtle use of keyboards. The playing is rock-solid. You can hear every instrument loud and clear, which is the hallmark of excellent production.

Biosphere by Loudness, from Biosphere, released on 4th September, 2002. There's nothing much I can say about this apart from that it's very heavy indeed, and I love it.

Blackberry Way by The Move, released as a 7" single on 29th November, 1968. This song has been familiar to me since my early childhood: I'd have heard it on my mother's radio and I'd have been five-and-a-bit when it was in the charts. It was a No. 1 UK single in February 1969. This is from a time when songs were all about the melody and were composed and played on real instruments and recorded in real time, on real tape. All the wonders of modern technology really haven't improved anything, have they?

Alien Kamikaze by Pagan's Mind, from God's Equation, released on 9th November, 2007. I was introduced to this excellent Norwegian power-metal band by an old friend quite recently, and this is one of my favourite songs of theirs.

Religion by Sad Society. Demo recorded circa 2007 and never released officially. Along with The Exploited, Sad Society are one of Edinburgh's longest-established punk bands, having played their first gigs in 1984. I played bass with them during 1998 and again during 2007 and 2008. Religion is one of their best-known songs, and it played a big part in Sad Society gaining over 20,000 followers on their MySpace page before that site vanished down the plug-hole.

When was this song released? 14th September, 1973.
Where and when did you first hear it? Rock'n'Roll Disgrace was the B-side of The Ballroom Blitz, which was one of The Sweet's biggest hits, reaching No. 2 in the UK singles chart in 1973. My parents must have bought me the single as I wouldn't have heard the B-side otherwise, but I clearly remember hearing it on my parents' record player. It certainly wasn't the sort of music they liked.
Do you own the song you've posted on vinyl or CD? If so, do you remember where and when you bought it? I had the 7" single back in the day. I now have two or three CD compilations of The Sweet's songs, and Rock'n'Roll Disgrace will certainly be on at least one of them.
What experiences, places or people do you associate with it? It was The Sweet who awakened my passion for music with their No. 1 hit, Blockbuster, and I loved them from then on and throughout their later more 'metal' phase from around 1973 to 1976. I still think they were a brilliant band who should have ranked alongside and had similar success to Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. As well as being amongst the originators of metal, they also epitomised the original glam rock style. They enraged old grannies everywhere with their performances on Top of the Pops!
Have you ever seen it performed live? No. A version of The Sweet is still performing, but nothing could ever compare with having been able to see them in their early-seventies heyday.
What are the things you like and dislike about the song you've posted? It's raw, brash and heavy (check the ultra-heavy drumming), and although plod-metal later became something of a cliche, this song was in a field of its own at the time. It pretty much created the template for what came after. I absolutely love it.

Gen by Cardiacs, from Ditzy Scene, released on 5th November, 2007. I love the crazy, brain-scrambling instrumental section that follows the second verse and chorus in this song. That, of course, is a Cardiacs trademark.