Rock-tober: Day 8

The Guess Who hail from our northern neighbor and released "American Woman" in 1969.

Some folks say this song is a condemnation of American Materialism and Imperialism.

Some folks say this song was written in protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War.

Some, more literal folks, say this song is about American women in general and how they're not as compliant as other women around the world.

Some folks out there even say it's a slam against the Statue of Liberty.

*sigh*

From www.songfacts.com:

Randy Bachman explained the origins of this song in an interview with Words & Music magazine, Spring 2005. Said Bachman: "We were playing in a curling rink in Kitchener, Ontario (Canada), and I broke a string. I was up there alone, tuning up my E an B strings on an old Les Paul. I started playing that riff and in the audience, heads started turning. The band got up, and I said, 'Keep playing this, I don't want to forget it.' When Burton had run out of solos, I yelled out, 'Sing something!' So out of the blue Burton just screamed, 'American Woman, stay away from me!' That was the song, the riff and Burton yelling that line over and over. Later, he added other lines like 'I don't need your war machine, you ghetto scenes.' Before America knew it, it was a #1 record and it was a protest song."

LOL. No insurrectionist intent here. Dude was just tuning his guitar...in a curling rink. You've gotta love Canadians.

Rock-tober: Day 7

There's something visceral about tearing down the road at 80+ mph with the stereo cranking out a hard charging rock anthem - a screaming guitar and your car's throaty rumble assaulting your ear drums as the world blurs past.

That being said, I'm now wise enough to realize that going full tilt nonstop at 120 beats per minute is a good recipe for a flame out.

We've all got a lot of noise in our lives. Everyone and everything around you is demanding your attention. Sometimes you just have to slow down. Sometimes you just have to shut the world out and go to your happy place. Sometimes  you just have to chill, recharge, and contemplate. "Drift Away" embodies these sentiments perfectly.

I've not tested this, but it feels like my blood pressure drops by verse two. The high profile, critical emergency the boss just dropped in my lap - meh, it's not so daunting. That jackass driver that just cut me off - maybe he's rushing home because his gas station sushi lunch didn't agree with him. Whatever. This song has a very calming effect for me and has earned it a permanent place on my playlist.

Enjoy the track, preferably with a stiff drink in one hand and cigar in the other, all while watching the sunset from your front porch. I know I am.

Rock-tober: Day 6

When I first met Andrea, her musical tastes were...not as broad as they are now. Back then, she humored me and never messed with the 'stang's radio which was always pegged on some classic rock station. One day, we were tooling around Auburn, and the radio started playing an Eagles song.

Testing her new found knowledge base, she asked, "Is that the Eagles?"

"Yup."

She gets really excited at this point.

"Hey! I recognized the Eagles!"

Not thinking I might quash her new enthusiasm for the classic rock genre, I just blurted out, "Pfft. Everybody recognizes the Eagles."

I don't remember what happened next. She either pouted or punched me in the arm. Maybe both.

The bookend to that story took place 15 years later when Andrea and I were on vacation in the Southwest. We followed Historic Route 66 for a while and found ourselves in Winslow, AZ. She obliged my rock-n-roll geekness by snapping this pic of me. On a corner. In Winslow, AZ. Think about it....

Anyway...

The Eagles broke up in 1980 and were asked repeatedly, "When are you guys getting back together?" The response was always, "When hell freezes over." Well, the Eagles got back together in 1994 for their appropriately named "Hell Freezes Over" tour. They played a venue close to Mobile, AL, where I was living at the time. I checked on ticket prices and found the cheapest seats were way north of $100 - might just as well have been a cool million back then. Luckily, I was able to catch taped performances later. One of the best things to come out of that tour was the re-release of an acoustic version of "Hotel California". What I thought made this more than a microwaved rehash of an old hit was a 12-string guitar extended intro. The crowd had no idea what was coming until after the familiar opening refrain from one of rock's greatest ballads washed over them.

Rock-tober: Day 5

The Marshall Tucker Band has been around for a loonnngg time, and this longevity has established them as one of the greats of the Southern Rock genre. I saw them twice. Once at Oak Mountain Amphitheater near Birmingham and the other at some smoke filled bar in Columbus, GA. At both (very different) venues, these guys came across as very down to earth, friendly, and highly appreciative of their fans, and both times they put on an a kick ass show. At the Columbus venue, the end of one song just melted into a 30 minute, free-form jam session.

"Can't You See" was released waaayy back in 1973. Originally it didn't do very well on the charts, but the song had amazing staying power and today it's a staple on any reputable classic rock station. Great songs are relatable to every generation, and every guy out there at some point in his life will be able to relate to this song's lament.

For you local peeps, the Marshall Tucker Band will be playing locally at Ram's Head in Annapolis on December 12th. Maybe I'll see you there.

Rock-tober: Day 4

Drivin' N Cryin' came out of Atlanta in the mid 80's and was part of a movement including R.E.M. and the Georgia Satellites that was redefining the sound of Southern Rock. During my tenure at Auburn, DNC was red hot and making the rounds of all the southeastern venues. I don't recall them making it to the War Eagle Supper Club, but it didn't matter. You could hear tracks from "Mystery Road" being cranked full blast at every party in town soon after its 1989 release.

The hits off this album were "Straight to Hell" and today's featured song, "Honeysuckle Blue". The immediate guitar frontal assault got my attention quickly. After that, the poignant lyrics take hold:

 "Abandoned by the promised land;

set sail on your own.

How much longer will the well

be dry for those who roam?"

Toss in references to my own fond memories of the south:

• southerly breezes
• blooming dogwoods
• the Blue Ridge Mountains
• and of course, honeysuckle vines

and you've got one of my top Southern Rock ballads.

Rock-tober: Day 3

Bob Seger is not your typical rock star who came through the 80's. No product-laced, teased-up hair jacked to Jesus, no dark eye liner, no leopard print spandex pants. He's a dude's dude, and the soulful, no nonsense grittiness of his voice is that of someone who paid his dues to get where he is.

This was a hard decision. Seger's discography is a large part of all of my classic rock playlists. "Against the Wind", "Night Moves", and "Hollywood Nights" were all contenders, but I comfortably selected "Like a Rock". The older I get, the more I relate to this song. Seger was in his 40's when he wrote it, and the lyrics describe an older guy looking back on his life thus far, mirroring my own internal dialog. Do I have regrets? Sure, but none of them are incapacitating. Have I accomplished all the dreams from my youth? Nope. Some died while others have been changed or tempered and refined by life, and I still believe in them. Oh, and I still have no time for "these hucksters and their schemes".

Seger previously turned down many lucrative Mad Men type offers of corporate sponsorship, not wanting the strings that came attached with those relationships. The story is, an anonymous man changed his mind. Sitting at a bar, a stranger walked up to him and asked, "How come you never do any commercials for the auto companies and help us out a little bit?" The rest is history. Did Chevy actually have better trucks at that time? Debatable, but during one of the longest and most successful ad campaigns in history, Chevy, using "Like a Rock" as their tagline, sold a lot of trucks. Obviously, something about the song resonated with a lot of people. They just figured out something I already knew.

Rock-tober: Day 2

In the late 80's you would only find a few cassette tapes in my car, and Whitesnake's self titled album was one of them. This release was chock full of great tracks, but by far my favorite was "Here I Go Again". When I first heard the opening lyrics, "I don't know where I'm going, but I sure know where I've been." I was thinking "Holy crap, this song was written for me. Why, this could be my personal anthem." Pfft. Silly teenager, you have no frackin' clue. A few decades later, the lyrics still resonate, just without all the teenage angst.

Oh, and the video didn't hurt either.

Shortly after we got the '67, I was watching this vid when Andrea was in the room.
"Hey, Andrea, check this out. We could probably..."
"No."
"Wait, it would be pretty cool if..."
"No."
"Seriously, just a few shots is all..."
"No."

She was a good sport about it.