World Wide Woozle episode #443 - guest programmer DJ Dr!

And hello music fans…guest programmer Dj Dr here sitting in for DJ Rob as he has a well-earned rest.

Just some quick background, DJ Rob and I have been mates thanks to a mutual friend - DJ DJ - for many many many years.  Back to when we both had hair!!

We share a love for rock, stories, social justice and chunky crusty guitars…as well as well-crafted pop. 

My favourite DJ Rob story revolves around a particular September/October day in 1991 where I drove DJ Rob and DJ DJ around to various guitar shops in Sydney.  I can't quite recall the guitar DJ Rob purchased on that day (ROB: it was a 1976 Gibson SG) but I do remember that it was a seminal day for music; it was the day where I heard for the first time one of the truly greatest songs of all time AND one of the all-time worst; and all on my car radio and within 30 mins of each other.  Which one is which??   Well…I'll let you decide.

Nirvana:  Smells Like Teen Spirit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

Bryan Adams:  Everything I Do…  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyYP8gxebMU

As for DJ DJ, his impact on my musical journey has been profound. 

While I have always loved my rock music, I was more a KISS fan throughout the late 70s/80s. 

KISS:  Calling Dr Love  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gia_YZqIIvA  [God I love a good cowbell] 

DJ DJ changed that direction in one fell 21^st Birthday present when buying me a Led Zeppelin box-set.  My life has never looked back.  And a truly great album cover.

Led Zeppelin:  Immigrant Song  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlNhD0oS5pk

Led Zeppelin:  Whole Lotta Love  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQmmM_qwG4k   [The opening riff still sends shivers down my spine]

Since then I have fallen in and out of various rock bands and songs over the decades.  Probably the one rock band that has stood the test of time for mine is Foo Fighters…with Dave Grohl continuing to be the scariest man in rock 'n roll (just think about this…drummer in Nirvana…they split up…he then learns the guitar, writes some songs, puts them together by singing, drumming and recording the guitar tracks…and suddenly within 2 albums they are the biggest rock band in the world…and arguably still are…now THAT's scary). 

Here's two of my all-time fav tracks from probably my all-time fav rock band.

Foo Fighters:  Everlong  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBG7P-K-r1Y

Foo Fighters:  The Pretender  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjQ9tuuTJQ 

As for Australian rock…I've actually been more impressed with NZ bands.  Sorry…

Shihad:  Comfort Me  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poS8X25bgtg

The D4:  What I Want  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBqdQePMN4M

The Feelers:  Pressure Man  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoSiPatxzDU 

…although along the way an amazing rendition of some true Aussie rock classics has grabbed my attention…

Rockwiz:  Highway To Hell  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-ImE55VY2A  [don't tell me Angry Anderson can't sing] 

…or some great Aussie musicians performing some amazing global rock classics:

Rockiz:  Gimme Shelter  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KJ8jRTnsFk  [Vika Bull…my God…]

Speaking of Tim Rogers…there was a time post his fleeting ANU days that he ruled the rock world.  Geez he nailed this one.

You Am I:  Jewels and Bullets  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR0O9B2NwXk

But perhaps my fav Australian rock band over the past 2-3 decades is actually a band that never conformed with the true rock clichés…well other than creating controversy…which is probably why I loved them…

Regurgitator:  I Love Tommy Mottola  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIaP4As-RYo  [not a film clip…just some classic wah guitar]

Regurgitator:  Blubber Boy  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2anvqsDP0ik&list=PLe0Y5Y4PQfjvp6q5yLFF3Ftix2f5UXtA1&index=5

 But my fav Aussie rock song??  Well…there is this:

ACDC:  Back in Black  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAgnJDJN4VA  [sorry…but it really is that good]

…and this…

ACDC:  Jailbreak  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXO9_3gb3o  [love the uniforms]

But then there is this.  Just click on the link, close your eyes and try and imagine what was going on in her head when she wrote this.  Good luck…

Magic Dirt:  Vulcanella  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWC4o8sbPAs 

Well that's it for now.  If I get invited back I might show you some other sides of my music coin.  If I get invited back…

TaTa and BuBye

Dj Dr

…OK Ok…maybe just a tease…here's a song from one of the best bands I have seen live…ever…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZsVcoWRIkY

World Wide Woozle episode #442

Hello again and a special thank you to listeners who wrote back to me after last week's episode. I had no idea that Linda Ronstadt was so popular! Sadly she can't sing anymore due to illness but we do have an extensive back catalogue to enjoy.

Linda Ronstadt - That'll Be The Day (live) - https://youtu.be/o4zpoL-tr6A

Linda also had a hit with this next song but I much prefer the 1976 original version from Warren Zevon. If all you've heard from Warren is "Werewolves of London" then I strongly recommend checking out more of his work.

Warren Zevon - Poor Pitiful Me (live)  - https://youtu.be/Wqc9DI9Xaoc

I played a track from Sadler Vaden for you recently. Well, he has a brand new single called "Still Kids". According to YouTube I was the first person to view it which is fairly amusing. Give it a spin everybody as it is a great rock and roll tune. What I'm liking more and more about his music is how solid the rhythm section is. Having bass and drums that really feel the beat is so important in rock and roll.

Sadler Vaden - Still Kids - https://youtu.be/XQKFdhqyZFc

Next up is a song from my childhood, it may be from yours as well. Looking back now on primary school in New Zealand I recognise that many of my teachers worked out ways for us to sing what was popular music at the time. This is a song that may have sounded dreadful being butchered by young kids but I still like it today. What a great voice!

John Denver - Annie's Song - https://youtu.be/QzDuczUrgKo

Press Club are a Melbourne outfit that I only heard of TODAY! They did a couple of live to tape (yes, tape) songs for Halfway Records and the results (click here) are fantastic. Halfway Records is the brainchild of ex-King Cannons frontman Luke Yeoward who has also released a couple of singles (try this one). It's only early days for his record label and studio but we can only hope that the output remains at such high quality. Press Club sort of remind me of a more punky version of Nitocris. Hopefully they'll get a gig in Canberra before too long.

Press Club - Suburbia - https://youtu.be/XcfGC1ADj9g

On June 29th, Guns n' Roses are set to release a remastered version of their classic 1987 album, "Appetite for Destruction". In total you get 73 songs, 43 of which are previously unreleased. For fans this looks like it will be something pretty special. There are two singles already released ("Shadow of Your Love" and a demo version of "Welcome To The Jungle"). I doubt that the package will come cheap but it will certainly make the band even more money. The demo versions are what interests me the most. Hearing now classic songs being worked on is a real treat.

Guns 'n Roses - Shadow Of Your Love - https://youtu.be/aHUmy5PvPjQ

Who remembers 80's pop star Tiffany? Ha ha! I bet lots of you do and are suitably embarrassed. Well what I didn't know until very recently was that was her biggest hit was a cover version. I'll admit that Tiffany and her production team did a decent job but going back and hearing the original and then another earlier cover shows that it's a pretty well written pop song.

Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We're Alone Now (1967) - https://youtu.be/IkMFLUXTEwM

The Rubinoos - I Think We're Alone Now (1977) - https://youtu.be/FIxvP--GjPg

Well the World Cup is here. That's football (or soccer) for those who haven't been paying attention. It's being held in Russia which brings all sorts of questions to the fore with regards to bribery, corruption and doping. The biggest worry that I can see however is the lack of a team song for the Socceroos. We had auto-tuned mish mash of  pop blandness in 2014 but seemingly nothing for Russia 2018. You know, Scotland have appeared at the World Cup Finals on eight separate occasions and never progressed passed the first round but they've had great tunes to support them along the way. As the pundits would tell you, Scotland are always home before their postcards. I have memories of the 1978 campaign in Argentina as my Grandparents sent me a recording of the song. It was a cracker but didn't help the team. Even funnier was the '82 song entitled, "I Have A Dream". Scotland will keep dreaming and the Socceroos remain tuneless. Maybe no song is the best good luck charm of all. I'd never be guilty of supporting England but this is pretty good....

The Skatoons - The World Cup's Waiting for You - https://youtu.be/F8KMeZM93lM

Well it's been waiting for England since 1966 and I'll bet it'll still be waiting for years and years to come.

I think I'll finish this week with a mash-up. This is one of the best I've ever heard or seen. Very clever indeed.

Black Sabbath vs The Who - Who? Are you Paranoid? - https://youtu.be/z9O71IhDIXY

Have a fab weekend everyone.

DJ Rob

"...and my poetry to protect me", I Am A Rock, Simon and Garfunkel, 1966

World Wide Woozle episode #441

Here at HQ Woozle we've just had some cork flooring put down and the stench from the sealant is really, really strong. So if I drift off on some kind of weird tangent during this episode you'll know why. 

Year ago now I got into a band called Winterpills by mistake. I was looking around for a song about having a broken arm and they popped up. I think it was 2008 then and in 2018 I still love the song and the couple of albums of theirs that I have. It's dreamy folk-pop I suppose. What really matters is that it's good music.

Winterpills - Broken Arm - https://youtu.be/JbZhP4jbB-k

I was looking through my CDs recently to try and find out which ones hadn't made their way into my iTunes library. Spotify renders the library redundant mostly but there are certainly a few artists and albums you can't get there. Judge Mercy were an Australian hard rock band who released their only album (I think) in 1992. It was a good solid slab of rock and had the advantage of being pretty radio friendly to boot. Anyway. it was a bit of a time warp to drag the album out and spin it a few times.

Judge Mercy - Mr Attitude - https://youtu.be/4T2qfX56Yac

Little Steven has been touring all over the USA. Along with the band thing going on, he's running loads of sessions for school teachers called "teachrock". You can get more information at www.teachrock.org - what a cool thing to do. Many episodes ago now I pleaded with you all to have a listen to Stevie's most recent album called "Soulfire". That plea still stands; it's fantastic. 

Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul - Soulfire - https://youtu.be/yRqIfs1qXE8

Father John Misty has a new long player out called, "God's Favourite Customer". I'll have a decent listen to it in the coming weeks. His previous recordings reminded me a lot of earlier Elton John. Well, if you mixed old Elton up with Indie-Rock. The latest single is worthy of your time and the clip is an added bonus. 

Father John Misty - Mr Tillman - https://youtu.be/j5B5IGqyy2s

Def Leppard are coming to Australia with German rockers, The Scorpions as their support band. And whilst I understand that getting the band, their gear and everything else to Australia is a mammoth undertaking the ticket prices are prohibitive. DJ George often told me that if you could buy a band's whole back catalogue for the cost of a live ticket then they were probably overpriced. There are very few live acts that I'm prepared to pay $150+ to see. I do like their new stuff but if I had to recommend one song to the uninitiated then it'd be this...

Def Leppard - Armaggedon It - https://youtu.be/hHL2Fc0XD50

Kenny Wayne Shepherd is another performer in the "oh my goodness, you're charging HOW MUCH?" group. KWS is a great blues guitarist. If you like classic blues artists then you'll like him too. Here's a bit a a stripped back recording. I really like the fact that a lot of radio stations and magazines are posting these on YouTUbe as they showcase the true performers and those that hide behind studio trickery. KWS is the real deal.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Hard Lesson Learned (live) - https://youtu.be/hEIkywhgdrs 

Tom Waits popped up in my Facebook feed apologising for some kind of problem with some of his vinyl re-releases. It was probably his record company talking but you get my drift. I realised that I hadn't listened to Tom for a while so I threw his Used Songs compilation on this week while is was driving around for work. Tom manages to make such a deep, gravelly and potentially ugly voice sound sincere and magnificent. It's an orchestra all by itself.

Tom Waits - Eggs and Sausage - https://youtu.be/TD0PTjPlc2g

Linda Ronstadt also formed part of my listening playlist this last week. She's not someone I had really thought about spending time with and my only exposure in the past was the remake of her Buddy Holly cover, "It's So Easy", to advertise the TAB in Australia many years ago. However, the strength and smoothness of her voice hooked me in and I digested a whole album whilst out for a walk in the cold.

Linda Ronstadt - Tumbling Dice - https://youtu.be/7tt2OkSSguo

I needed a laugh this week and some classic comedy did the trick. 

Bottom - Hunting Expedition - https://youtu.be/aC4rEWpMumw

Lenny Henry - Big Love - https://youtu.be/BVPvqkMHk3o

In my "studio" I have five of my favourite album covers of all time hanging on the wall. Not necessarily the best albums but artwork that I really like, Jenny Morris' "Shiver" is up there. It's a simple photo but it's so effective. I love the album as well as it flows well and there isn't a dud song on it. It's a record that you should listen to from start to finish. Here's a great track and a glimpse at the album cover too. 

Jenny Morris - Aotearoa - https://youtu.be/j33Tlh5QnQo

I hope that's a few tunes to keep you going for a while. Me, I'm off to listen to a new Henry Rollins podcast and curl up to the heater in the garage...er...studio!

Bye for now,

DJ Rob

"Keep your silly ways or throw them out the window", Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, 1977

World Wide Woozle episode #440

440...this episode comes to you in standard tuning! Sorry, it's a guitar nerd joke.

This week you all get to listen to a heap of new stuff. It must be the time for new releases. So without any further ado, let's dive right in.

Witchskull are from Canberra and feature former members of  Looking Glass and the legendary Armoured Angel. They wear their Black Sabbath influences proudly on their collective sleeve so fans of that band will no doubt enjoy their tunes. Witchskull, however, are much more than a Sabbath rip off. They incorporate the heaviest of metal into their sound. So, if you like bands like Kyuss then this is for you. "Coven's Will" is their second album following on from "The Vast Electric Dark". Turn the lights down, light some candles and get your doom groove on to this...

Witchskull - Raven - https://youtu.be/FOiBuii8kwg

Also released this week is Ghost's long player, "Prequelle". It's hard to judge with only time to listen to the album a couple of times...but...it retains what is their particular sound but feels heavier than the last studio album. I won't say much more other than to recommend the band to lovers of hard rock, theatre and not taking themselves too seriously.

Ghost - Faith - https://youtu.be/gLnMZEyLJ6Q

If you like cover versions then Ghost's new version of the Pet Shop Boys track, "It's a sin" isn't too hard to track down. I think it's a bit tame but they are a multi-million dollar band and I'm blogging to anyone who will listen!

Last week I played Weezer covering Toto's song, "Rosanna". Apparently a youg fan started a campaign to get them to cover "Africa" and they released Toto's other big hit instead. A week later - this:

Weezer - Africa - https://youtu.be/E4c7EE8_IX0

Another recent release is The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic. They've taken classic surf hits and added the orchestra. Meh...that's my reaction; I'm not impressed. The extra instrumentation feels unnecessary and at times it detracts from the brilliance that was the Beach Boys. I found myself delving back into tracks that show the development of Beach Boys tunes instead. Anyway, you might like it...this is one of the least offensive in my opinion:

The Beach Boys and the Royal Philharmonic - Good Vibrations - https://youtu.be/TvvIKS2oHsc

Try this for a good indication of the brilliance of the Beach Boys' vocal talents - https://youtu.be/amD2RQmDlbo?t=3m48s

The Angels are an iconic Australian rock band. They've been around in one form or another since 1974 and are still making records and playing live shows. I saw them, with Dave Gleeson on vocals, in 2015 and they were really, really good. However, they've chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the album, "Face to Face" by re-recording it with the current lineup. Sure; it sounds pretty good and the songs are timeless but did we really need it again? The tour where the album is played in its entirety should be fun but to re-record it....I dunno. At least they included the full live version with the CD I guess. You can search out the album and tracks if you like. They are all on Spotify and YouTube. My choice is the classic lineup though....just a bit more oomph.

The Angels - Marseilles (live 1983) - https://youtu.be/O93CoQ5Klt0

On Thursday I had a frustrating day at work. After dealing with Telstra for hours I got home close on dark. I knew that I needed a short ride to hit my 1000km monthly goal so I wrapped myself in cold weather gear, strapped the lights to my bike and off I went. As luck would have it, I got a flat about half way around my 30km loop...in the pitch dark with the temperature heading towards zero. What fun! Anyway, I ended up not being able to get much more than 30psi of pressure into the front tyre (I usually run them at about 100psi) so it was a spongy ride home in the cold and dark! 

In other two wheeled news I am no longer the owner of a motorcycle. After 6 years I sold it. It's not that I didn't like riding it, more that my bicycle got way more love and it really wasn't practical for the work I do now. There's a bit of empty space in the garage now. Luckily for me I had a ride on it in the sun last Sunday. I need a pickle.

Arlo Guthrie - Motorcycle Song (live) - https://youtu.be/BvLtNBm1yyA

Alison and I saw the latest Star Wars film this week. It's called "Solo" and therefore you can probably guess what it's about. Without spoiling anything for anyone else let me say this; it was fantastic. Tons of fun, lots of action, plenty of nods to the movies that came before it and a good script. Well that's what I thought anyway. Cool twist at the end as well...I wonder if we'll get a spinoff from this spinoff?

This week is a song for DJ Zedboots...who might be off to another part of the world where natural disasters are prevalent...

Bob Seger - Kathmandu - https://youtu.be/XG-wuWNIyzI

Avagoodweegend,

Rob

"Just when every ray of hope was gone..." , My Old Friend The Blues, Steve Earle, 1986.