Stepping "Out Of The Ordinary"
“On the wires I can hear you comin'
With a rush and a strummin'
This electric phase ain't no teenage craze
In your house a phone is ringin'
Just a hot touch that keeps lingerin'”
From “Electric Phase” from the album Lights Out by U.F.O.
This blog is to help you sort out different sounds and it is also your choice on this one to heed my advice or move on.
If you are so inclined to continue, we all have a few groups or albums we like and no one can seem to understand why. So here is a list of ten of my personal favorite groups and their best albums (in my most humble opinion) that are out of the ordinary, just to give you an idea of what might be out there if you ever feel the need. I am sharing my darkest and most well-kept secrets.
Enjoy:
U.F.O.: Yep, leading right off the bat with a HEAVY METAL-ish band. This group had some phenomenal guitar work from Michael Schenker and some really interesting songs. Although the band never really made it big in the US, they are not to be ignored. Their best album, Lights Out, should be owned by rock fans and metal fans alike.
Blue Oyster Cult: The boys from New York scored it big with the song “Don’t Fear The Reaper” and the album that bears it—Agents of Fortune; but there is more than meets the eye with this pseudo-occult band. They are more Sci-Fi than cultish, but they play some great tunes like Godzilla, Astronomy, Black Blade, Joan Crawford, Harvester of Eyes, and Veteran of a Thousand Psychic Wars. They have played the “County Fair” circuit as of late, but I always enjoyed their music—a strong bass with an excellent guitar. Best album: Fire of Unknown Origin.
Sweet: Power Pop with that 1970s edge, this is a band that redefined “Glitter Rock.” Everyone knows the hits of Ballroom Blitz and Fox on the Run, but they had some true anthems in Set Me Free, AC/DC (a song about a girlfriend who swings for both teams), Little Willy, Blockbuster, and Teenage Rampage. Great fun and a nostalgic look at what rock once meant to so many 1970s kids who dreamed of playing a guitar. Drums were among their strongest suit. Best album: Desolation Blvd. (US version).
Boomtown Rats: For all of you who think they did one song—“I Don’t Like Mondays,” here is a clue—they did six albums. I like Bob Geldolf’s voice (he played “Pink” in The Wall movie and led the way for Live Aid) and I like the “new wave” sound of their albums. I was introduced to this band via Hit Parader magazine and then bought Tonic For The Troops on album. Their songs had a clever ring and a nice use of keyboards that just screams 1980s and probably one of the best uses of rhythm guitar in any band ever. Usually the Rats are lumped with punk, but truly they are power pop and have some unique views of life. Best album: The Fine Art of Surfacing which not only features “Mondays” but has the essential “Diamond Smiles.”
Alan Parsons Project: Yes, they can sound a little “elevator music” like, but to be fair, most “progressive music” has that sound. Alan Parsons was the engineer for some Beatles cuts and his big claim to fame before “the Project” was that he engineered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. His first album Tales of Mystery And Imagination took Edgar Alan Poe works and put them to music. Interestingly textured sounds that abound from the headphones with Parsons music; they scored it big in the early 1980s with Psychobabble and Eye In The Sky—the latter used as an introduction for the Chicago Bulls during the Bulls heydays. Best album: Turn of A Friendly Card.
T. Rex: This is a bit too “British” for most Americans, but what a fantastic group. Marc Bolan could play guitar and was “mystic” enough to be obscurely original. I love the “boogie” sounds he achieved, and to most in the States, his work begins and ends with Electric Warrior and the single Bang a Gong. His Twentieth Century Boy single was recently used in a car ad as well, but I think his best work was when he let loose and just jammed. He’s hippie-ish and met an untimely end as a result of an auto accident where he was a passenger. Oh, and the punks love him. T-Rex also had 14 albums, not one—like the American audiences think. Best album: The Slider.
Meatloaf: I can imagine you may have read my blogs previously where I ripped on ‘Loaf, but the reality is I own them all and I love his voice. He is dramatic and theatrical, but I think the sound is incredible. Meatloaf teamed with writer Jim Steinman and made history with Bat Out Of Hell. Then Meatloaf made some truly wretched works without Steinman. He re-teamed with his former writer and created Bat Out Of Hell II in the early 1990s and it became one of my favorites. I recommend his fantastic “A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste” from his Best of two CD set. This song has a fantastic sound with a complete orchestra backing him. Everyone knows my penchant for simplified punk, so why the over-produced sounds of Meatloaf? I have no idea, but it works. Best album: Bat Out Of Hell.
DEVO: Most people call them a “one-hit wonder” with Whip it—ignorant fools. Devo was one of the best “pop” new wave bands ever. The boys from Akron, Ohio made many folks smile, so much so that even Neil Young was enamored with their sound. Their first album gave them an outlet for what they called the de-evolution of society as they covered Satisfaction and gave us one of the first videos ever in that and Jocko Homo (You know the chorus: Are we not men?, We are Devo). I liked the second album, Duty Now For The Future, with Pink Pussycat and Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA. The third album, Freedom of Choice had the Whip It hit along with Girl U Want and Planet Earth. My favorite was the fourth album, New Traditionalist with the hits Working In A Coal Mine, Jerkin’ Back and Forth, Through Being Cool, and Beautiful World. Coal Mine was featured on the Heavy Metal film/soundtrack and Beautiful World was recently featured in a Target ad. Best album: New Traditionalist.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: I admit to getting caught up in the Ska sounds of the early 1990s, but the Bosstones had an edge. Their hits were down to earth mini anti-morality plays with such classics as Where Did You Go?, Hell of a Hat, Someday I Suppose, Drugs and Children, and Holy Smoke. Then they hit it big with The Impression That I Get, Rascal King, and Royal Oil from Let’s Face It. They made the talk show circuit and the like, performing songs and having a band member dance “the bosstone dance” throughout the entire affair and had some fun. The CD Let’s Face It sells like no one’s business and they reissue their first few CDs. Starting a trend for other bands and giving way to the “swing revival,” this was the group that began it all. How the singer still has a throat with the way he wails is beyond me. Best album: Let’s Face It.
Collective Soul: Rounding out the ten “out of Sweetwood’s ordinary” is a 1990s band that my wife actually enjoyed more than me. We bought the first album—Hints, Allegations, & Things Left Unsaid--and liked the hits Shine and Breathe. The second album—Collective Soul--was more of a breakthrough with the hits Gel, Where The River Flows, The World I Know, and December. This band sounds interesting and the group can play guitar—at a time when “pop” ruled the charts, this group offered rock. Their third album—Disciplined Breakdown—is one of the best—even though there is a lack of hits other than Listen. I like the title song and Crowded Head and Blame. Really tight playing on this album and very clever lyrics abound. The fourth album was very radio friendly—Dosage—and contains some of their best songs in Tremble For My Beloved, Heavy, No More No Less, Slow, Run, and Generate. Some of those songs were featured in the film Varsity Blues. I really liked the next one that Pam won from a radio station as she also won free concert tickets—Blender—which is a bit more punk-like. It features three classic tracks in Skin, Vent, and Why Part Two. Collective Soul is a very talented group that has put out a greatest hits and another album that received very modest acclaim. Pam called this one long before me—the thing is she no longer plays the CD’s, and I enjoy them. Life is oddly ironic at times. Best album: Dosage.
I have declared my soft spots, as it were. Add your own if you so desire.
With a rush and a strummin'
This electric phase ain't no teenage craze
In your house a phone is ringin'
Just a hot touch that keeps lingerin'”
From “Electric Phase” from the album Lights Out by U.F.O.
This blog is to help you sort out different sounds and it is also your choice on this one to heed my advice or move on.
If you are so inclined to continue, we all have a few groups or albums we like and no one can seem to understand why. So here is a list of ten of my personal favorite groups and their best albums (in my most humble opinion) that are out of the ordinary, just to give you an idea of what might be out there if you ever feel the need. I am sharing my darkest and most well-kept secrets.
Enjoy:
U.F.O.: Yep, leading right off the bat with a HEAVY METAL-ish band. This group had some phenomenal guitar work from Michael Schenker and some really interesting songs. Although the band never really made it big in the US, they are not to be ignored. Their best album, Lights Out, should be owned by rock fans and metal fans alike.
Blue Oyster Cult: The boys from New York scored it big with the song “Don’t Fear The Reaper” and the album that bears it—Agents of Fortune; but there is more than meets the eye with this pseudo-occult band. They are more Sci-Fi than cultish, but they play some great tunes like Godzilla, Astronomy, Black Blade, Joan Crawford, Harvester of Eyes, and Veteran of a Thousand Psychic Wars. They have played the “County Fair” circuit as of late, but I always enjoyed their music—a strong bass with an excellent guitar. Best album: Fire of Unknown Origin.
Sweet: Power Pop with that 1970s edge, this is a band that redefined “Glitter Rock.” Everyone knows the hits of Ballroom Blitz and Fox on the Run, but they had some true anthems in Set Me Free, AC/DC (a song about a girlfriend who swings for both teams), Little Willy, Blockbuster, and Teenage Rampage. Great fun and a nostalgic look at what rock once meant to so many 1970s kids who dreamed of playing a guitar. Drums were among their strongest suit. Best album: Desolation Blvd. (US version).
Boomtown Rats: For all of you who think they did one song—“I Don’t Like Mondays,” here is a clue—they did six albums. I like Bob Geldolf’s voice (he played “Pink” in The Wall movie and led the way for Live Aid) and I like the “new wave” sound of their albums. I was introduced to this band via Hit Parader magazine and then bought Tonic For The Troops on album. Their songs had a clever ring and a nice use of keyboards that just screams 1980s and probably one of the best uses of rhythm guitar in any band ever. Usually the Rats are lumped with punk, but truly they are power pop and have some unique views of life. Best album: The Fine Art of Surfacing which not only features “Mondays” but has the essential “Diamond Smiles.”
Alan Parsons Project: Yes, they can sound a little “elevator music” like, but to be fair, most “progressive music” has that sound. Alan Parsons was the engineer for some Beatles cuts and his big claim to fame before “the Project” was that he engineered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. His first album Tales of Mystery And Imagination took Edgar Alan Poe works and put them to music. Interestingly textured sounds that abound from the headphones with Parsons music; they scored it big in the early 1980s with Psychobabble and Eye In The Sky—the latter used as an introduction for the Chicago Bulls during the Bulls heydays. Best album: Turn of A Friendly Card.
T. Rex: This is a bit too “British” for most Americans, but what a fantastic group. Marc Bolan could play guitar and was “mystic” enough to be obscurely original. I love the “boogie” sounds he achieved, and to most in the States, his work begins and ends with Electric Warrior and the single Bang a Gong. His Twentieth Century Boy single was recently used in a car ad as well, but I think his best work was when he let loose and just jammed. He’s hippie-ish and met an untimely end as a result of an auto accident where he was a passenger. Oh, and the punks love him. T-Rex also had 14 albums, not one—like the American audiences think. Best album: The Slider.
Meatloaf: I can imagine you may have read my blogs previously where I ripped on ‘Loaf, but the reality is I own them all and I love his voice. He is dramatic and theatrical, but I think the sound is incredible. Meatloaf teamed with writer Jim Steinman and made history with Bat Out Of Hell. Then Meatloaf made some truly wretched works without Steinman. He re-teamed with his former writer and created Bat Out Of Hell II in the early 1990s and it became one of my favorites. I recommend his fantastic “A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste” from his Best of two CD set. This song has a fantastic sound with a complete orchestra backing him. Everyone knows my penchant for simplified punk, so why the over-produced sounds of Meatloaf? I have no idea, but it works. Best album: Bat Out Of Hell.
DEVO: Most people call them a “one-hit wonder” with Whip it—ignorant fools. Devo was one of the best “pop” new wave bands ever. The boys from Akron, Ohio made many folks smile, so much so that even Neil Young was enamored with their sound. Their first album gave them an outlet for what they called the de-evolution of society as they covered Satisfaction and gave us one of the first videos ever in that and Jocko Homo (You know the chorus: Are we not men?, We are Devo). I liked the second album, Duty Now For The Future, with Pink Pussycat and Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA. The third album, Freedom of Choice had the Whip It hit along with Girl U Want and Planet Earth. My favorite was the fourth album, New Traditionalist with the hits Working In A Coal Mine, Jerkin’ Back and Forth, Through Being Cool, and Beautiful World. Coal Mine was featured on the Heavy Metal film/soundtrack and Beautiful World was recently featured in a Target ad. Best album: New Traditionalist.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: I admit to getting caught up in the Ska sounds of the early 1990s, but the Bosstones had an edge. Their hits were down to earth mini anti-morality plays with such classics as Where Did You Go?, Hell of a Hat, Someday I Suppose, Drugs and Children, and Holy Smoke. Then they hit it big with The Impression That I Get, Rascal King, and Royal Oil from Let’s Face It. They made the talk show circuit and the like, performing songs and having a band member dance “the bosstone dance” throughout the entire affair and had some fun. The CD Let’s Face It sells like no one’s business and they reissue their first few CDs. Starting a trend for other bands and giving way to the “swing revival,” this was the group that began it all. How the singer still has a throat with the way he wails is beyond me. Best album: Let’s Face It.
Collective Soul: Rounding out the ten “out of Sweetwood’s ordinary” is a 1990s band that my wife actually enjoyed more than me. We bought the first album—Hints, Allegations, & Things Left Unsaid--and liked the hits Shine and Breathe. The second album—Collective Soul--was more of a breakthrough with the hits Gel, Where The River Flows, The World I Know, and December. This band sounds interesting and the group can play guitar—at a time when “pop” ruled the charts, this group offered rock. Their third album—Disciplined Breakdown—is one of the best—even though there is a lack of hits other than Listen. I like the title song and Crowded Head and Blame. Really tight playing on this album and very clever lyrics abound. The fourth album was very radio friendly—Dosage—and contains some of their best songs in Tremble For My Beloved, Heavy, No More No Less, Slow, Run, and Generate. Some of those songs were featured in the film Varsity Blues. I really liked the next one that Pam won from a radio station as she also won free concert tickets—Blender—which is a bit more punk-like. It features three classic tracks in Skin, Vent, and Why Part Two. Collective Soul is a very talented group that has put out a greatest hits and another album that received very modest acclaim. Pam called this one long before me—the thing is she no longer plays the CD’s, and I enjoy them. Life is oddly ironic at times. Best album: Dosage.
I have declared my soft spots, as it were. Add your own if you so desire.
posted by Eric Sweetwood at 10:35 PM
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