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Tag: Kiss

  • SonicClash 2008 Top Tens: Aboard the Rock ‘n Roll Train

    Over the next week, the team here at SonicClash will be posting lists of their favorites from this year. First up to bat is our rock ‘n roll renaissance man, Mikey Hersh. Take it away, Mikey.

    Keep in mind that this Top 10 list is not about the greatest tunes in terms of musical integrity.  These are the ten songs of 2008 that brought a smile to my face. These ten songs have great melodies, great guitar riffs, or a great dance beat. My list probably isn’t going to match up to all of the critics, but I determined my list on what songs really made an impact on me regardless of whether it’s cool or not to admit.  I have no shame in including songs from the Pussycat Dolls and New Kids On The Block on my list. Remember to understand my warped tastes in music, and don’t take me all that seriously on this list. Music is very subjective, and just because a song has three chords or is formulaic doesn’t mean it isn’t quality.

    1) Rock & Roll Train:AC/DC-  AC/DC not only put out a killer album after making me wait eight years, but they also contributed another song that will be a classic in the same vein as Highway To Hell and Back In Black.  Rock & Roll Train was AC/DC’s first ever song to be nominated for a Grammy, and has been
    kicking ass on the modern rock charts.  The song even peaked at #47 on the dance charts.

    2) Never Walk Away:Journey–  Journey also returned in full fashion going back to the sound that made them famous, even if Steve Perry is no longer in the picture.  Never Walk Away, the first track on the album, is a killer tune that sounds like Be Good To Yourself from the Raised On Radio album.  A song so good, that I got chills upon listening to it for the first time.

    3) Use Me:Hinder–  I thought Hinder would be a here today, gone tomorrow band.  Their first album was okay, and that Lips Of An Angel song was definitely not as great as it was hyped up to be.  Use Me, the first single from Hinder’s sophomore album sounds just like an 80’s hard rock song.  It has a great opening guitar riff, and a fun chorus.

    4) Summertime:New Kids On The Block– This is the first song on my list that I’m sure to get shit for.  I don’t care, this song has a great dance beat, and was the perfect comeback tune for a group who I wanted to die quickly back in 1988.  It’s a song that defined the summer, and a song I wish I would have heard more of at the clubs.  The New Kids surprised many, and especially me with a catchy pop song that works.

    5)  My Apocalypse:Metallica–  I was very impressed with Metallica’s new album, and the fact that they decided to go back to their old sound.  My Apocalypse was not officially released as a single, but was one of the tracks you could download before the album was released.  The song is a full-out kick-ass song, and a song that works well when you are having a bad day and want to take your aggression out.

    6) I Will Be With You (Where The Lost Ones Go):Sarah Brightman & Paul
    Stanley    –  Not a well-known hit, but anytime Paul Stanley from KISS goes outside the box, I’m going to take notice.  On this track, he collaborates with Broadway star Sarah Brightman for a fun little pop song.  It’s always fun to hear Paul try to sing songs that are outside the rock and roll style we are used to from him.

    7) Troublemaker:Weezer–  I truly believe this should have been the first single, although as the second single of the Red Album, it’s been a huge hit on the modern rock charts.  Rivers Cuomo is the king of writing these 3 minute rock songs with that noticeable melody.  The lyrics are fun, and this might just be my new theme song.

    8) When I Grow Up:Pussycat Dolls–  I’m getting to get heat for this one also!  I thought nothing would best Don’t Cha, but I was wrong.  When I Grow Up has a fun dance beat, and the “When I Grow Up, I want to have boobies” line in the song is the lyric of the year.  Ha ha ha ha ha!

    9) Rise Above This:Seether–  It might be formulaic, but still good. Seether knows how to write songs that get ingrained in your head.  My eyes light up whenever I wake up to WDHA in the morning and hear this song as I try to wake up.

    10) Hot N Cold:Katy Perry–  I know I’ll also get shit for this one, but I prefer Katy Perry’s second single.  I Kissed A Girl got old really quick, but Hot N Cold is a fun song that brings back memories of rollerskating back in the 80’s for some reason.

  • Holiday Music That Won’t Kill You – Part 1: Christmas Present

    Holiday music sucks!  No, actually it’s only sappy overplayed Christmas music that gets annoying.  The listening environment counts too.  Anything played at Christmas Tree Shops while you are waiting for your mom to decide what size glass beads to buy will torture you.  Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane could be jamming right in front of you but the stink of scented candles and the puddle of sweat inside your jacket will ruin everything.

    Relax.  The truth is there are some really great Christmas CDs available.  Here is a guide to some holiday music that won’t kill you.

    Part One:  Christmas Present

    Various Artists – We Wish You a Metal Christmas and a Headbanging New Year

    The obvious comparison is to Twisted Sister’s 2006 release Twisted Christmas. This is way better.
    The CD was produced by Ronnie James Dio’s wife/manager and one of the Kulick brothers.  (I can never remember which one is the producer and which was in Kiss, but it doesn’t matter for this review.)  It contains twelve very well-known Christmas songs performed by very well-known 70s and 80s metal and hard rock guys.  Here are just a few of the bands they were in:  Kiss, Motorhead, David Lee Roth (not him, thankfully), Alice Cooper (yes, him), ZZ Top, Foo Fighters, Black Sabbath, Dokken, Dio, Styx, Judas Priest, and Deep Purple.

    The lineup is what makes this CD so successful.  All the musicians are really good (much better than anybody in Twisted Sister), but it’s really the variety that makes this work.  The concept could get boring very quickly (Beatallica, anyone?).  A different lineup and singer on every track keeps things fresh.

    If you think you might like it, you probably will.  If not, read on…

    Enya – And Winter Came…

    Like the previous selection, this is exactly what you would expect.  Remember the song that goes “Sail away, sail away, sail away?”  No, not Randy Newman.  I mean the one that sounds like the music Jet Blue plays when it’s time to get off the plane.

    This CD sounds just like everything else Enya has done. If you like her ethereal vocals, orchestral synth playing and new agey Celticness, you will dig this.  Holiday CDs can frequently disappoint, but I think this one works because Enya put a lot into it.  She wrote ten of the twelve songs and came up with interesting arrangements for the other two.

    Many songs are not specifically about Christmas.  Some just refer to winter or the Star of Bethlehem.  Two songs are about time passing, which makes them really more appropriate for the Winter Solstice or New Years.

    James Taylor – At Christmas

    Smarm Sandwich.

    Various Artists – The Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs

    This new compilation showcases the new generation of female singer-songwriters. It’s mostly very good, but I find myself skipping some of the standards.  That’s to be expected from a holiday comp and I don’t think it’s a big problem, especially for people who really like this kind of music.  Many of these women are good songwriters and it’s the original songs that I find most compelling.  Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson, Brandi Carlisle, Lenka, Meiko, and Colbie Caillat all contributed very interesting songs.  Priscilla Ahn’s version of “Silent Night” is really cool and a couple lesser names handle their standards well.  KT Tunstall, Alice Smith, Katy Perry, and Nicole Atkins are among those who decided to turn their chestnuts into torch songs.

    Like the metal CD, if you think you’ll like this, you probably will.

    I’ll be back soon with Christmas Past and Future.  Shine on.

    Rock Dad is hoping whoever brings presents for the winter solstice brings him the Genesis 1970-75 box set and a good rock and mineral field guide.

  • MisenPOPic: The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Is A Fuckin’ Joke!

    Every year around this time, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nominating committee submits their list of finalists of which five artists will be selected for future induction.  I always get excited each time but then always forget that the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame is a fuckin’ joke.  Instead of inducting bands that have truly made an impact on popular music, what seems to happen is that Jann Wenner and his cronies go with the bands on their personal favorites list.  If they don’t like the artist,  accomplishments like album sales and influences on other artists still won’t matter.  Jann Wenner is such an egotistical bastard that he even inducted himself into the Hall Of Fame.  I won’t discredit his contributions as founder and editor of Rolling Stone, but shouldn’t he be inducted when he’s bit older, or maybe when he’s dead?  I understand that listening to music is very subjective, and we all love to argue about who’s deserving to be in the hall of fame as much as we do about best songs of a decade, or greatest guitarist, etc.  But of any shrine to an art form or sport, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has totally missed the boat.  I respect the following artists, but of any bands in the Hall Of Fame, they are the best examples of musicians whose overall impact is questionable: Traffic, Frank Zappa, Buffalo Springfield, Sex Pistols, and The Talking Heads.   Traffic introduced the world to Steve Winwood, but have they really ever produced a meaningful song?  Frank Zappa might have been innovative, but for a guy whose best known song is Valley Girl, does he really deserve to be in the hall?  Buffalo Springfield only had one album with Stephen Stills and Neil Young and have only one relevant song (For What It’s Worth)!  The Sex Pistols are also known for one album, and it’s a fact that Sid Vicious wasn’t even good enough to play bass, so he performed without his guitar even plugged in.  I personally like the Talking Heads, but they are more known for their unique videos on MTV than their actual music. Only the creme de la creme should be in the Hall Of Fame: those that no sane person could argue such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Michael Jackson.

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