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Title: “The Storm” Format: Album track Written by: John Oliva and Paul O'Neill Performed by: Savatage Genre: Progressive Metal Taken from: The Wake of Magellan Year: 1997 Acclaim: n/a One of the very early albums I reviewed for my original journal, Savatage's The Wake of Magellan contains three instrumentals, of which this is the last, in fact the penultimate track on the album. I love the way it evokes the majesty of nature while threading that with a sense of danger and foreboding. You can almost feel the deck rocking beneath your feet as the gale tosses the ship to and fro like a toy in God's bath. Great stuff. Things I like about this : 1. The deceptively gentle opening on piano with sound effects 2. The way it builds to a crescendo, just like a real storm breaking 3. The almost Holstesque percussion 4. The fretwork, so emotional Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat5.png |
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Title: “Stormbringer” Format: Album track Written by: David Coverdale, Ritchie Blackmore Performed by: Deep Purple Genre: Heavy Metal Taken from: Stormbringer Year: 1974 Acclaim: n/a I'm not the hugest Purple fan. I like the usual albums, but outside of the classics I'm a little meh about them. This was apparently the album that began to turn them away from the hard rock/heavy metal of albums like In Rock and Machine Head and would lead to the departure of a disillusioned Ritchie Blackmore and indeed later David Coverdale too, as one went to form Rainbow and the other Whitesnake. You can hear sort of funky elements already leaking into the music here from the beginning of the track, and to me it sounds very Zep. Is that wrong? It also features the lyric ”Ride the rainbow” – is this a prophecy being fulfilled? ;) It's still heavy but nothing like “Speed king” or “Highway star”. Blackmore puts in a fine farewell performance and I guess it's kind of the end of an era. Kind of sounds like a sped-up “Wrathchild” too, though I know that wouldn't be for another six years. Things I like about this : 1. Still heavy, I'm glad to hear 2. Though apparently it's nothing to do with same, I loved the Michael Moorcock books about Elric of Melnibone, whose magic sword was called, you guessed it, Stormbringer 3. Great solo Things I don't like about this: 1.The riff sounds very like a Zep song, not sure which one. Chula? 2. A little funky. Man. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat3.png |
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Title: “Stormy Monday” Format: Single Written by: Aaron “T-Bone” Walker Performed by: Gary Moore Genre: Blues Taken from: Back to the Blues Year: 1947 (original) 2001 (Moore version) Acclaim: One of the most popular blues standards, it has been covered by everyone from BB King to John Mayall and from Mountain to Muddy Waters. If you're into the Blues then you really have to be into this song. It absolutely drips the kind of self-pity, anger and bitterness that informs the blues, as the singer laments about facing another week. On one level, we all know that feeling, and given that the full title of the original song is “Call it stormy Monday (but Tuesday is just as bad)” there's no indication things are going to get any better for the singer. Written by blues legend T-Bone Walker, I could have chosen any of a dozen versions to showcase here, but picked one of my two favourite bluesmen, as I believe Gary Moore does a fabulous and emotional version here. Hard to track down a studio version on YouTube but here's Gary live, as we say here, giving it socks. Things I like about this : Everything. I know, it's the easy way out, but I do. It's just such a great song, I don't want to break it down into separate components, even if I could. Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat5.png |
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Title: “American storm” Format: Single Written by: Bob Seger Performed by: Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band Genre: Rock Taken from: Like a Rock Year: 1986 Acclaim: Just outside the top ten in the US, nowhere in the UK. How surprising. I've always been a big fan of Bob Seger, ever since I heard “Night Moves” on the radio, and have collected pretty much all his albums. I think I'm correct in saying he has never toured outside of the USA, and he's certainly nowhere near as well known outside the States as he is at home. What I did not know is that this, the lead single from his album Like a Rock (which had originally been titled American Storm) is about cocaine abuse. I assumed it was just another of those gung-ho American nationalist things, but it appears that Bob was worried about the spread of cocaine across the US and wrote this song in reaction to reading John Belushi's biography. Well. You learn something new every day. The song itself is a powerful driving rocker, running on a romping piano line and with Bob's trademark drawl telling us all about facing ”A full force gale/ An American storm”. Indeed. Takes on new significance now that I know what it's about. Must admit, whoever designed the single sleeve was having a very unadventurous day, as it's the album sleeve too. How boring and lazy. Nothing lazy about the song though! Things I like about this : 1. Powerful, punching opening that drags you right into the song 2. Great piano work 3. Bob's vocal 4. Great sense of energy in the song Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat4.png |
The most important "storm" song
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Title: “Retribution: Storm of the light's bane” Format: Album track Written by: Jon Notdvedit, Zwetsloot (?) Performed by: Dissection Genre: Black Metal Taken from: Storm of the Light's Bane Year: 1995 Acclaim: n/a Black Metal, eh? Well, Batty is always trying to slide the old extreme metal into my journals; sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. We'll see how this one goes. This band are broken up, apparently mostly due to the suicide of their leader and founder Jon Nordveidt, who was very active in a Satanic organisation dedicated to opening the gates of Hell and welcoming the Big Guy to Earth. Good for him; it's important to keep yourself busy. Nice easy run in, not. Hammering drums, slicing guitars, but I have to say a lot of what I recognise as melody. As Batty would say, bitchin'. Great riffs being set up here and there's a real sense of power and energy about the piece. Any vocals? Yeah, there they are. Kind of growly but hey, not too bad for BM! Can't say I hate this, not at all. It's clear this guy could sing, for certain. Might have to look into that album. Possibly. Things I like about this : 1. The power of the riffs 2. The general melody Things I don't like about this: 1. Not crazy about the vocal, though I don't hate it. Not entirely. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat3.png |
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Title: “Stormwarning” Format: Album track Written by: Gary Hughes Performed by: Ten Genre: AOR/Melodic Rock Taken from: Stormwarning Year: 2011 Acclaim: n/a And now for something exactly the same. Well, not quite. This is the title track from my favourite band, Ten's, ninth album. When I heard it first I wasn't as impressed as I had expected to be, but on repeated listens I've grown to really like it. Thing about Ten is though, for me, I usually liked their albums on first listen, so to have to allow one to sink in is a new feeling for me. This was especially galling as I had waited five years for a new Ten album since their previous The Twilight Chronicles. Nevertheless, this song has the classic Ten sound, with Gary Hughes on perfect form as ever and a very melodic/AOR style chorus that grabs you, rocking along nicely. Kind of song that should have played really well on radio, but, story of Ten's career, they never get near the airwaves. Hey, it's the world's loss. Maybe. Things I like about this : Everything. Things I don't like about this: Nothing. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat4.png |
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Title: “Storm corrosion” Format: Album track Written by: Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt Performed by: Storm Corrosion Genre: Progressive Rock Taken from: Storm Corrosion Year: 2012 Acclaim: n/a Of the many solo projects Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson has been involved in, Storm Corrosion is the only one I've heard which I was unimpressed with. A collaborative effort with Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt, the band only released one album, and this is it. The title track, which this is, runs for over ten minutes so I'm taking a chance I may like it more this time around. OK, well it's very pastoral progressive rock, almost folk in its way, very soft and meandering. Nice restrained guitar work by Åkerfeldt though I have to admit, three minutes gone by and nothing much happening. Oh, there are the vocals. Nice enough. Have to admit, it's very relaxing. At the seventh minute already and now there's some odd little experimental/psych weirdness. Now we're back to acoustic guitar and singing. Yeah, it's okay but a little all over the place and I still don't feel I'd particularly remember it ten minutes after listening to it. Meh. Things I like about this : 1. Nice guitar 2. Nice overall atmosphere 3. Decent vocals Things I don't like about this: 1. Perhaps a little on the boring-nothing's-really-happening side of things 2. The psych bit from 7:20 onwards. Bit pointless and seems out of place. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat2.png |
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Title: “I've been dreaming up a storm lately” Format: Album track Written by: Jim Steinman Performed by: Pandora's Box Genre: Progressive/Art Rock Taken from: Original Sin Year: 1989 Acclaim: n/a Finish up then on a quirky little one. I loved the Pandora's Box project, even though they only released the one album, and some of the material made it into future Meat Loaf albums. There are three spoken pieces on the album, of which this is the second, and I think the best. It has no music, apart from some guitar feedback (I think) and wind sounds, and is driven by Steinman's increasingly manic voice as he describes the life of a man who believes that magic mirrors are forcing him to go out and kill. “They create a reflection”, he tells the unnamed victim, “and then I have to go out and find the real thing that matches it. And almost always, when I put the real person in front of the mirrors it is not nearly as beautiful as the reflection that came first. And at that point I have to destroy the real thing.” I love the way his voice almost cracks into a growl on the word “reflection”; you really get the idea he is twitching, fighting back the urge to lash out, and it's a perfect study of a man on the edge and about to topple over, who believes in his crazy fantasies and refuses to take responsibility for the murders he perpetrates, blaming his compulsion on the mirrors. Things I like about this : 1. The different idea of speaking the whole thing 2. The unhinged voice of Steinman 3. The minimal sound effects 4. The way he seems to make you hear mirrors scream 5. The storyline 6. The rhythm and cadences of his voice; you could almost hear this being sung Things I don't like about this: 1. I'm not crazy about the opening lines, but that's about it. 2. Actually, I don't like the throwaway last line either. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/stormrat4.png |
And as I say, that's it for storms. Next theme up...
http://31.media.tumblr.com/e0ea9aee7...vtaoo1_500.gif Yep, that's right: killers, especially serial killers. So go on Batty, you know you want to! :laughing: |
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Title: “Killer on the loose” Format: Single Written by: Phil Lynott Performed by: Thin Lizzy Genre: Heavy Metal/Heavy Rock Taken from: Chinatown Year: 1980 Acclaim: Reached no. 10 in the US and no. 5 in the UK. Also, more infamy than acclaim, garnered significant outrage as it was released during the height of the reign of terror of the Yorkshire Ripper. I'm the first to say I don't rate Chinatown very highly, especially coming after two such stormers as Bad Reputation and Black Rose, but Lizzy picked it up for the three following albums, their last three, leaving this one, for me, somewhat in the middle as a poor cousin right smack in the centre of their golden period. It has its moments – the title track is excellent of course - and this is one of them. Based freely around the legend of the nineteenth-century infamous lady killer Jack the Ripper, it's a rocking, headbanging tune with the growling voice of Lynott leering out at you from the music, but as mentioned above it was either badly timed or very well timed, being released as a single during the hunt for the man known as the Yorkshire Ripper, who, unlike his Victorian counterpart, was caught and imprisoned. Naturally, the lyric enraged many women, as did the, shall we say, less than sensitive video, but even at that it was a major hit. Although Gary Moore was only with them for the one album, the aforementioned Black Rose, I still find Snowy White a poor substitute for the departed (literally now, sadly) axeman, though as ever there's Scott Gorham there to pick up the slack. A powerful song and, if you don't get your knickers in a twist about its lyrical content, a lot of fun, it even features cover art (for both the album and the single) by the great Jim Fitzpatrick. How cool is that? And how can you not smile at a line line “Some people they call me Jack/ Some people they call me insane!”? Ah, good times! Things I like about this : 1. The opening guitar riff, chugging along madly 2. The guitar solo 3. The general melody 4. Lynott's warped vocal as he reveals who he is (as if we weren't supposed to know) 5. That maniacal laughter at the end Things I don't like about this: 1. Nothing really, but when I read about the bad (or good) timing, I can't help but tsk at the lads. 2. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
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Title: “Maxwell's silver hammer” Format: Album track Written by: Paul McCartney Performed by: The Beatles Genre: Pop/Psych Taken from: Abbey Road Year: 1969 Acclaim: n/a unless you count how many Beatles fans apparently hate it, also that just about any track on this album is considered gold. I had never heard Abbey Road at all before last week, when I came across it in my History of Prog Rock journal, and I instantly loved it. Every track. Even this, which a lot of people seem to hate. I like it possibly for the same reasons many people hate it: that cheerful, whistly, twenties-sounding style, the fact that it is such an upbeat song while being essentially about a serial killer. There's nothing dark about it on the surface – we're not talking Slayer here – and indeed, when Maxwell kills it's illustrated in the lyric by the words “Bang bang” and in the music by the hitting of an anvil. There's something innocent about it, and the very incongruity of a song about a killer being so cheerful and almost childlike (“granny music”, as John Lennon called it) appeals to me. Things I like about this : 1. The oddly upbeat, cheerful way it's sung and played 2. The lyric Things I don't like about this: Nothing really. (Look, I haven't included a video as there appear to be no originals out there, and the only one I found was some stupidly disabled (by which I mean the sound was partially disabled) version. I'm sure most of you know it already, if not check it out on Spotify.) Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat3.png |
You're thinking of "Octupus's Garden" on the fan hatred.
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Anyway, moving on... http://czbwik0n.cloudimg.io/s/resize...8109102005.jpg Title: “The Ripper” Format: Album track Written by: ? Performed by: Pallas Genre: Progressive Rock Taken from: Arrive Alive Year: 1981 Acclaim: n/a When I first heard this song it was already live, via the 1981 album Arrive Alive (on which, curiously enough although you don't care, the first and title track was studio) so I don't know where it originally came from, as it seems to have been part of Scottish prog rocker Pallas's set for several years at that point, greeted as it is with enthusiasm when it starts up on this album. It's a long song, almost fifteen minutes (at least, the live version is) and sung alternately in the third and first person, though at times you wonder if the point of view is actually being seen from inside the mind of the eponymous Ripper? Anyhow, the song seems to suggest at the end that after receiving medical treatment the Ripper goes on to become Prime Minister, which is, I think, asking a lot of my suspension of disbelief. Nevertheless, the menace with which the song is sung and its interesting denouement with that unsettling cackling laugh at the end is worth giving this track your time to listen to. Not suite in the same vein as other rockier songs about killers, it's more the knife slid elegantly across the throat in the dark than the mallet crushing the head, but the result is the same: it fucking kills. Things I like about this : Oh, where do I start? 1. The long and ominous intro 2. The crazy drum and keyboard part after the intro 3. The crazed voice of Euan Lowson 4. The mad laughter at the end 5. The ominous synth run at the end 6. The ideas in the lyric 7. The childlike nursery-rhyme-like bit 8. Pop goes the weasel (“He always was a little ... different.”) Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
We would of course have to have a Slayer song for this section, and I did consider "Angel of Death", but while Mengele was a mass murderer, it was state-sponsored killing, so not really what I would class as a serial killer. Jeffrey Dahmer, now, on the other hand...
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...tervention.jpg Title: “213” Format: Album track Written by: Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman Performed by: Slayer Genre: Heavy Metal Taken from: Divine Intervention Year: 1994 Acclaim: n/a How could I leave this one out? Slayer have of course written a few songs about killers and even serial killers, but the grand-daddy of them all? Jeffrey “eat your face” Dahmer? That's setting the bar pretty high (or low, depending on your view) right there. If there was going to be one band capable of taking on a song about one of the most evil serial killers in history, then Slayer were the ones to step up. And they don't disappoint, with a spooky, eerie guitar intro putting you right in the killer's sights as he stalks you down some dark corridor. The sudden punch of Kerry King's power chords is like the knife plunging into your back, the trundling drumbeat your legs folding underneath you as you fall... Things I like about this : 1. Great spooky intro 2. Builds really well, no vocals till well into the second minute 3. Rocks like a fucker once it gets going 4. Great lyric 5. Excellent solo 6. The abrupt ending Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
Let's keep it Metal for now. And when I say Metal...
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...yisdestiny.jpg Title: “Waxwork” Format: Album track Written by: Matt Harvey Performed by: Exhumed Genre: Death Metal/Grindcore Taken from: Anatomy is Destiny Year: 2003 Acclaim: n/a Ah I fucking hate grindcore, but this one wormed its way under my flesh and would not leave, purely from the lyric I read. It's fucking hilarious, the way Matt Harvey talks of killing people (I assume women, though it's not confirmed; could be men too) and then preserving them in wax. If you look on it at one level it's horrifying, very John Christie/Rillington Place, but on another it's just so funny and, in fairness, the lyric is very well written. I couldn't give a toss about the music or the singing, but for lyrical content alone this won me over. Things I like about this : 1.The lyric. That's it. Things I don't like about this: Everything else. But man, that lyric! :laughing: Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat3.png |
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Title: “Nebraska” Format: Album track Written by: Bruce Springsteen Performed by: Bruce Springsteen Genre: Folk Rock Taken from: Nebraska Year: 1982 Acclaim: n/a Often, the true test of an artiste is can they sing and play without any accompaniment, studio trickery, electronics, backing; a literal “unplugged” where it's just them and their chosen instrument. Well, in the case of The Boss the answer was of course an emphatic “yes!” Now recognised as one of his most celebrated albums and consistently chosen as their favourite by fans, the album Nebraska is entirely acoustic, just Bruce and his guitar, and occasionally a harmonica. The title track envisions the story of Charles Starkweather, a serial killer who went on a rampage in Nebraska and Wyoming in the late fifties with his girlfriend and slew eleven people before being caught, tried and eventually put to death. The bleak, dismal atmosphere evoked by Springsteen's drawled, almost bored vocal accompanied only by guitar and harmonica conjures up exactly the kind of “why not?” idea that killers often profess, as in the end here where, when asked why he killed, Starkweather, or at least Springsteen's character here, replies “I guess there's just a meanness in this world.” Chilling. Things I like about this : Everything; the starkness, the loneliness evoked, the harshness of the harmonica contrasting with the softly strummed guitar. Just perfect. Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
I guess I'll give Springsteen the benefit of the doubt and give him a few more shots to win me over, but that album bored the snot out of me. I seem to remember thinking it sounded like country for people who don't listen to country.
And lol @ TH listening to Exhumed. |
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Title: “Psycho killer” Format: Single Written by: David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth Performed by: Talking Heads Genre: New Wave/Art Pop Taken from: Talking Heads Year: 1977 Acclaim: Although not originally a big hit, though it did well in much of Europe, this has become one of Talking Heads' most famous and most recognisable songs, a real standard. You always know David Byrne singing. There's just no way to mistake that distinctive voice, and though this was originally performed three years prior to the release of their debut album when they were a band called The Artistic, it is now well known as a popular and classic Talking Heads song. The usage of French in the song is odd, and never quite explained (but then, this is Byrne we're talking about) but from that funky bass intro to the slightly unhinged vocal, you can't help but be hooked. Things I like about this : Pretty much everything Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat4.png |
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Title: “Killer” Format: Single Written by: Adamski and Seal Performed by: Adamski and Seal Genre: House/Soul/IDM Taken from: Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy Year: 1990 Acclaim: Reached no. 1 in the UK; was also the first hit single for Seal. The breakthrough single for record producer Adamski, this was also the first shot at fame for Seal, who later went on to find fame as something of a superstar himself. In fact, he capitalised on the success of this single when he recorded a version himself for his debut album the following year. The song is classic nineties House, full of funky beats, tight percussion and very danceable I'm sure. Not my type of music but I must admit I liked this, and still do. Things I like about this : 1. The beat 2. The wailing keyboard 3. Seal's vocal Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat4.png |
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Title: “John Wayne Gacy Jr” Format: Album track Written by: Sufjan Stevens Performed by: Sufjan Stevens Genre: Folk/Indie Taken from: Illinois Year: 2005 Acclaim: n/a A different take on the serial killer, another infamous one, this time John Wayne Gacy, the man who dressed like a clown when he killed over thirty men and boys, also raping them. In a similar manner to Springsteen's recounting of the tale of Charles Starkweather on “Nebraska”, Stevens takes a more relaxed approach to the song, however in the end there's a sting in the tail. Things I like about this : 1. Lovely piano intro with soft acoustic guitar 2. Gentle vocal 3. The sense of horror in Stevens' voice at times 4. The shocking payoff at the end, the dark secret he reveals Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
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Title: “Mack the Knife” Format: Single Written by: Kurt Weill/Berthold Brecht (Original); Mark Blitzstein/Turk Murphy (English version) Performed by: Bobby Darin Genre: Pop/Jazz Taken from: That's All Year: 1959 Acclaim: One of the most famous and covered songs of the period, with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Ella Fitzgerald and Sinatra to Robbie Williams having a go. Originally written as part of The Threepenny Opera in German in 1928 and translated into English in 1933. Since then it has been reinterpreted and had its lyrics changed, and is now recognisable as one of the classic songs from the fifties and sixties, with this version by then pop idol Bobby Darin making it into the charts and securing for himself a number one hit. I think just about everyone will know the song, so no point in my describing it. If you for some reason don't know it, click the video. Things I like about this : 1. The swing/jazz rhythm which defies you not to move your body 2. Darin's vocal 3. The smooth brass 4. The lyric 5. The way it slowly builds up in layers Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
Not a song about a killer, serial or otherwise, but I did mention when opening the journal that I might also look at bands or artistes who had the theme in their name, as here:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...%27ve-Done.jpg Title: “All these things that I've done” Format: Single Written by: Brandon Flowers Performed by: The Killers Genre: Pop/ Alt-rock Taken from: Hot Fuss Year: 2004 Acclaim: Reached no. 18 in the UK The first time I heard this song I loved it. I have since not gone on to become a big fan of The Killers, which I guess just proves that just because one song is great it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get into the band. It was the same with Embrace: loved “Ashes” to death but the album kind of left me meh. I'd still listen to the odd Killers song, but I wouldn't really be arsed listening to a whole album. Things I like about this : 1. The gospel/organ opening 2. The bass and percussion opening 3. The Big Country style guitar 4. The gospel chorus 5. The build up to the final chorus Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
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Title: “Killers” Format: Album track Written by: Paul Di'anno/Steve Harris Performed by: Iron Maiden Genre: Heavy Metal Taken from: Killers Year: 1981 Acclaim: A real fan favourite and the only song written by Di'anno on the album. I could of course go on at length about this song, one of my favourites, not only from the Di'anno era, but overall (I'm pretty sure it made it into the top ten of my alltime Maiden tracks last year). However you've read it all before, so instead I'll just go to the list. Things I like about this : 1. The chunky bass intro 2. Di'anno's voice changing from mad scream to gutteral growl 3. The solo 4. The lyrical idea 5. The idea of the narrative turning from third person to first, ie “He walks in the subway/ His eyes burn a hole in your back” becoming “He walks in the subway/ My eyes burn a hole in your back.” Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/killrat5.png |
That's enough from killers, so on we go to the next theme, which is
http://www.swissvistas.com/image-fil...88zBea_Uc4.jpg Trains. Songs with the word train in them, or about trains, or bands who have train in their name. (Note: the "train" has to be the vehicle, so songs about training, trainers or training a gun on someone will not be eligible). |
Oh please don't review Train.
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Title: “Downbound train” Format: Album track Written by: Bruce Springsteen Performed by: Bruce Springsteen Genre: Rock Taken from: Born in the USA Year: 1984 Acclaim: n/a The kind of song that could possibly have found a place on Nebraska, this is a dour ballad recounting the breakup of a relationship and the downward spiral into which the protagonist falls in its aftermath. I don't personally believe there are any bad tracks on Born in the USA, my initial introduction to Springsteen via the lead single “Dancing in the dark”, but I count this as definitely one of the top five. Things I like about this : 1. The simple guitar intro 2. The percussion coming in 3. The lyric 4. The midsection and the return via the percussion 5. The melody Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/trainrat5.png |
Which, anyone who knows me will expect, brings us to “Downtown train”, but I'm not using the Waits version, as I have other plans for him. Instead, the man who popularised and had a hit with the Tom Waits song, and is now so identified with it that many people think he wrote it.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...bond_Heart.jpg Title: “Downtown train” Format: Single Written by: Tom Waits Performed by: Rod Stewart Genre: Rock Taken from: Vagabond Heart Year: 1991 Acclaim: Reached no. 3 in the charts; seen as one of Stewart's biggest songs from the nineties and even almost a signature tune now for him. "Tom who?" people ask... :rolleyes: As I say above, and as most of you will probably know, this is a song originally written by Tom Waits and released from his 1985 opus Rain Dogs as a single, where it did ... precisely nothing. Fast forward five years and our man Rod is releasing a cover version that gets him very close to the number one spot, but does at least rekindle some interest in Waits' work, so it can't be that bad. Things I like about this : Everything, particularly the way Stewart stays relatively faithful to the original, without being a carbon copy of it. A very good cover. Things I don't like about this: Nothing. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/trainrat5.png |
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Title: “Train long-suffering” Format: Album track Written by: Nick Cave Performed by: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Genre: Post-punk Taken from: The Firstborn is dead Year: 1985 Acclaim: n/a I'm a big Nick Cave fan, but I have to admit I don't like this album. I actually thought it was his debut, and was prepared to forgive him for what I consider its unremitting bleakness and starkness, which was toned back on later releases such as The Good Son and The Boatman's Call, but I see now it was his second, so I have to withdraw my dispensation towards him. This is a dark, dark record, very sparse, and I think there's only one track I really like on it, and that's a cover of a Dylan song. Anyway, from the yelled “Woo-woo!” it gets going in a very punk vein and comes across to me as very barebones, but then what do I know? There's a lot of energy in it, that's for sure. Actually, listening back to it now it's not half bad. Things I like about this : 1. The rhythm is good 2. There's good powerful energy in it Things I don't like about this: Meh, I thought I didn't remember liking it but I kind of do now. Like it, that is. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/trainrat3.png |
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Title: “City of New Orleans” Format: Single Written by: Steve Goodman Performed by: Willie Nelson Genre: Country/Folk Taken from: City of New Orleans Year: 1984 Acclaim: Number one Country song for Nelson in 1984 and also secured a posthumous Grammy for writer Steve Goodman the following year. I used to hear this on the radio and the bloody DJ would never say who it was by, but even before I knew that it conjured up visions of the old steam railway (yeah, yeah, railroad, whatever!) as the trains cut their way across America in the heyday of the birth of the railroad, and I loved the song. I like some Country, and who doesn't like Willie Nelson, though this is not his song. Like many train songs, it anthropomorphises the train, and chorus of the song is essentially sung “by” the train as it contemplates being decommissioned as progress overtakes it. Things I like about this : 1. Great melody 2. Love the Country rhythm 3. The way the percussion and the jews harp (?) sounds like the progress of the train 4. Great piano 5. Great vocal 6. Love the steel guitar 7. Great lyric Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/trainrat5.png |
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Title: “Train in the distance” Format: Album track Written by: Paul Simon Performed by: Paul Simon Genre: Pop Taken from: Hearts and Bones Year: 1983 Acclaim: n/a There really is something about the sound of a train in the distance. It has that sort of idea of going new places, seeing new cities, travelling free and unfettered. Of course, it's a romantic notion: you're probably listening to the nightly coal train heading down from Newcastle or the cattle freight express bringing livestock from Montana, or any of a million ordinary trains packed with ordinary, bored or uncaring or sleeping commuters who couldn't really give a toss about the joys of being on a train and would rather be at home, but like listenign to the rain is relaxing while being out in it may not be, you can certainly ascribe certain feelings to the shunt and trundle of a train passing along the tracks. I used to live near a railway bridge and there is no doubt that the sound of night trains passing over from Fairview heading into the city, or the other way, was a sound that tended to lull me to sleep and set my mind dreaming. Things I like about this : 1. The electric piano (is it) that carries most of the melody 2. The hummed chorus 3. The way the percussion makes the sound of a train engine. It's not the only song to do this, but it works very well here. 4. The fact that it's basically a love song with little real reference to trains, but still gives you the idea. Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/trainrat5.png |
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