My Latest iTunes Acquisitions
Thanks to a promotion from Pepsi, February was a banner month for acquiring music from iTunes. Nearly all of the following songs were free so I was a bit experimental with my choices. Ordinarily I might not have spent the money on them.
“Rock Me” by Muddy Waters from I’m Ready
The name Muddy Waters almost guarantees good blues. Add a tight harmonica as this track does and you have a classic. The rhythm will be familiar to those not accustomed to the Blues so this is a good song to begin a first-timer’s collection.
“E5150” by Black Sabbath from Mob Rules
The music is as enigmatic as the title. This is one of the few tracks I have that changes its character depending on the volume at which it is played. But trust me; the slow, methodical melody is best at full volume. Black Sabbath achieves with this track the stuff that much of Electronica strives to be. Partly because the track ends so abruptly I would guess that this is an intro piece, though I’m not sure because I haven’t heard the whole album and the iTunes samples were of no help. I can easily imagine “E5150” opening a concert and a thrashing guitar riff or a pounding drum tattoo following on. Its place in my Purchased Music play list makes it a strange though entirely natural sounding intro piece for the next song.
“Everyday People” by Nicole C. Mullen from Everyday People
This track opens with a quiet giggle and the sounds of children. Following “E5150” the transition is rather surreal, not just because they are very different tunes (Duh!), but because the combination is hauntingly familiar. It is rather Pink Floyd-like, giving a message about the dark grittiness beneath a cheerful facade. On the whole, though, the track is a joy. Excellent mixing compliments the classic tune and gives it a fresh perspective. iTunes classifies it in the Inspirational genre but I’m not sure I would put it there. It has more in common with Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World” and “Black and White” than it does tracks you’ll find in contemporary worship albums. This puts it in a special group with the likes of Superchick and P.O.D. – well-crafted music that stresses positive social and moral values. Overall, its a brilliant cover of the already stellar Sly & the Family Stone original.
“Across the Universe,” a special track featuring Alicia Keys, Alison Krauss, Billie Joe Armstrong, Bono, Brian Wilson, Norah Jones, Steven Tyler, Stevie Wonder, Tim McGraw & Velvet Revolver from the Grammy collection on iTunes.
This one I bought. Ninety-nine cents isn’t much to give for a song and some of the proceeds went to charity. While I didn’t watch the Grammys I’m sure this gang-jam was a hit. The 30-second sample on iTunes was pretty good and I figured it would be hard to butcher the Beatles (though it’s been done), so I dropped a buck and went for it. While it may not make my regular rotation, I’m sure it will be a track that gets at least average play time among the nearly 800 tracks now on the machine.
“Love Song” by Tesla from Standing Room Only
Okay, admit that you have some hair-band tracks, too, and be done with it. As much as I really didn’t like the general ilk of 80s rock, Tesla was probably one of the best. And the first minute-thirty has to be one of the best guitar intros in Rock. Period. Surprisingly, the live track I have didn’t stretch out the intro riffs as often happens in concerts. Too bad, as that would only enhance a great tune.
Three tracks from Roy Buchanan: “Five String Blues” and “Dual Soliloquy” from Sweet Dreams: The Anthology and “Roy’s Bluz” from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Roy Buchanan.
Usually I don’t jump into collecting tracks from artists I’m not familiar with. For example, I’ve bought three tracks from Joe Sample but I have a few more wallowing in my Wish List. But the 30-second samples of Buchanan's work sold me and I took advantage of the Pepsi promotion to pay for two of them. Buchanan knows Blues. Each is reminiscent of, but not quite in the style of traditional Blues (and one day I’ll learn the subtleties between Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, and Memphis Blues, so bear with my vague descriptions) nor are they the more modern Rock-influenced blues. They seem to have a niche of their own with the true, gutsy feeling of an impromptu jam session. Actually, “Dual Soliloquy” may have been recorded during some studio downtime if the dialogue at the start is to be believed (the rough quality of the recording adds an air of authenticity, but since the Kiss Alive album scandal I tend to be of the Missouri sort – show me). If I wind up with more promotional credits there are a few more Buchanan tracks I might pick up.
“All Right Now” by Free from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Free
Why didn’t I nab this one earlier? “All Right Now” is a must for any Rock fan. The melody (you can’t help but bob your head in synch), vocals (full-throated character without being too rough), drum line (especially the awesome bridges), and lyrics are pure examples of late-60s – early-70s 4-piece band Rock. Highly skilled guitar work means the solos are as much art pieces as they are anything else in the whole structure.
“Psyché Rock (Fatboy Slim Malpaso Mix)” by Fatboy Slim, Norman Cook & Pierre Henry from The Fatboy Slim/Norman Cook Collection.
Yes, I finally bought it, thank you, Pepsi. I’m either hot or cold on Fatboy Slim so I thought about this one for a long time, especially since the sample tune was not very insightful. Look elsewhere in my posts for more about this tune. I’m rather pleased I got it.
“Holy is the Lord” and “Whole World in His Hands” by Passion Band from the Passion 05 (Live) EP. Accompanied by “Waking Up to the Whole Gospel.”
Chris Tomlin’s rendition of “Holy is the Lord” already lives in my library so picking up a duplicate was not an easy decision. But the whole EP was just $2.50 and included a mid-concert sermon nearly an hour long, all apparently recorded at a revival meeting in Nashville, TN. I’ve only heard bits of it so far (I keep forgetting to listen), but I’m sure I have my money’s worth. One day I’ll get around to putting some of these “audio tracts” on the iPod, like the ones I got from LivingWaters.com recently. Both of the music tracks are good, though I think they are better in a play list with other songs rather than being tunes I’d fire up the computer just to hear.
