Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXLV--AC/DC: You Shook Me All Night Long

As I've noted a time or two here on Friday Night Jukebox, rock and roll for me never ceases to come up with new surprises that delight me.  I'd always liked this week's tune, but wasn't all that familiar with the album from whence it came (mostly because I'm not exactly Mr. Heavy Metal--this week's feature is about as hard rocking as I get).  A few years back I picked up a copy of Back in Black because my younger son adores the title track and I figured I could add it to his playlist.  On a whim, I put it in the CD player in my car for a listen or two as I drove to work...and spent the next two months head banging away.  As a good friend of mine used to say, "Ah, but you never know...."

As with now numerous other bands whose tunes have graced these blog posts for the last few years, AC/DC has a long and storied history that's difficult to summarize in a paragraph...but here goes, anyway.  The band was originally formed in 1973 in Sydney, Australia (not Nebraska) by the brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.  They put out several albums without much success outside of their native Australia and Europe until 1979 when their album Highway to Hell became a hit.  Sadly, shortly thereafter lead singer Bon Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning.  The band considered calling it a career, but stuck it out when Scott's parents told them he would have wanted them to continue.  They hired Brian Johnson to be their lead singer, released Back in Black the next year, and the rest, as they say, is history.  AC/DC has released 17 studio albums (two of which have hit number one on the Billboard 200, with five others going top five), four live albums, and overall have sold over 200 million records worldwide, making them the 14th best selling artist of all-time.  Unfortunately, Malcolm Young had to retire in 2014 due to early onset dementia, and died in 2017.  Brian Johnson suffered from severe hearing loss and had to take some time off (Guns 'n Roses' Axl Rose was the band's lead singer for a time), but the band continues to tour and rumor has it that another studio album will make the rounds eventually.

Fun Fact:  In their native Australia--and only in their native Australia--the band is often referred to as "Acca Dacca."  Why the hell that is I have no fucking clue, but it is kind of interesting (or not...).

"You Shook Me All Night Long" was the first single released from AC/DC's seminal work, Back in Black.  It would eventually reach #35 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  The album would sell just a wee bit better, reaching #4 on the album chart and to date has sold over fifty million copies, making it the third best selling album of all-time.

One of the traits I've discovered over the last few years while listening to AC/DC more than I ever have before, is what great pop sensibilities they have for a hard rocking band (for the record, AC/DC refuses to label themselves, saying they just play rock and roll--which I find oddly refreshing in a business where labels have increasingly become the norm).  "You Shook Me All Night Long" most assuredly showcases those sensibilities.  Ostensibly a somewhat humorous story of a man who has joyously found himself a good loving woman, from the guitars to the drums the song not only allows you to play an unabashed air guitar, but lets you shake a tail feather as you're doing it.  Brian Johnson may never get to sing in an opera, but he is one of those vocalists who voice was made for rock and roll--and he uses it to good effect on "You Shook Me All Night Long," capturing not only the protagonists ecstasy but also his wonder at the ray of sunshine the Gods of Good Loving have sent his way.  I'd be the last person I'd want to sing the praises of a hard rock song...but that in itself may be reason enough to understand why "You Shook Me All Night Long" has entered the hallowed (or not) halls of Friday Night Jukebox.

Lyric Sheet:  "She had the sightless eyes telling me no lies/Knocking me out with those American thighs..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,

emaycee

Hallellujah, I love her so, Part 2

More Democratic Badassery

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out republican "Senators" who claim to have not yet read the whistleblower report concerning Donald Trump seeking an investigation of Joe Biden and his son Hunter in return for U.S. financial aid, saying they should either read it or quit.

Ocasio-Cortez could not be more correct--if you're a United States Senator and you haven't made time in the last three days to read a report that directly implicates the President of the United States and has led to impeachment hearings, you are incompetent, a coward, or, even worse, an incompetent coward.  It's nine fucking pages--there is no reason to have not read it by now.  Period.

The American people deserve the best--if you can't give them that as their Senator, then hit the road, motherfucker.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Hallelujah, I love her so, Part 1

Still a badass

Time will tell whether Nancy Pelosi was lucky or if she played Trump like a fiddle knowing that eventually he would fuck up so the House of Representatives could impeach his sorry ass.  My bet is on the latter--Pelosi didn't become the first woman Speaker of the House by accident.  She is one smart and shrewd politician.

One thing, though, is crystal clear after this week's events--it's much better to have an intelligent and competent leader for you party (e.g., Pelosi) than an incompetent moron (that would be Trump). 

Trump may keep his job, but he's lost his balls forever.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Get rich...or die

Sadly, this is getting closer and closer to being a fact

From the No Shit Sherlock Files:  A study from the Government Accountability Office shows that richer Americans are living longer than poorer Americans, and that while mortality rates in America are slowly sliding down, they are sliding down even faster for America's poorest 20%.

In a related study, the Economic Policy Institute notes that CEO compensation has risen 52.6% since 2009 (over 1007% since 1978) while the average worker has seen his pay rise by 5.2%, and it has actually fallen .2% the last two years.  Even worse, the study shows that this increase in pay has nothing to do with the talent of the CEO, and more to do with their ability to set their own pay (if only the rest of us had such a tilted field in our quest for a raise).

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but really, folks, this kind of imparity in our economic lives is just not sustainable.  Eventually poor folks are going to have had enough, and when they do, they are going to move mountains...right on top of their overlords.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Union made

Solidarity for the middle class

While it's obviously getting a lot of play here in the Motor City, I'd be willing to bet that the rest of the country isn't getting quite the daily onslaught of stories concerning the UAW strike against General Motors--but its influence on the rest of the country could be monumental.

When GM was struggling in 2009, the UAW made huge concessions to help keep the company afloat, but now that GM is swimming in money ($18.1 billion in profits last year) they seem to have developed a case of amnesia when it comes to rewarding their workers.  The UAW rightly seeks its fair share of the company's success, and it is striking to not only help themselves, but to help all of the middle class.

Unions built the middle class, and it is unions that will rebuild it.  Income inequality has become an epidemic and if we don't draw a line in the sand, it will only get worse.  This strike is a step in the right direction to helping us all. 

When I first moved to Detroit, I remember thinking that if it weren't for the UAW and the wages and benefits that it had gotten for its workers, there was no way KMart would have ever paid me a decent wage or given me decent benefits.  Thanks to the UAW I was able to make a decent living.  And it's that way for all of us, not just here in Michigan.

If this strike fails, it's hard to imagine a way back to a vibrant economy that works for all of us, and not just the wealthy, without a lot of ugliness that the powers that be will sorely regret.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Elizabeth Warren for the win

Not just who America wants, but also who America needs

Rolling Stone had a piece last week in which they posited that the possibility of a President Elizabeth Warren is very real

I certainly hope so.  Every time I look at Joe Biden I see Al Gore and John Kerry, and am reminded how anointed candidates run lackluster campaigns and lose eminently winnable elections.  Elizabeth Warren is not only running a fantastic campaign (easily the best since Barack Obama in 2008), but she is what this country is going to need after four years of Donald Trump:  a healer.

The selfies she's devoting so much of her time to are not just smart politically, they're showing a concern for ordinary Americans that Donald Trump (and the republican party) just are not capable of...unless you're a billionaire.  That humanity is just what most Americans are going to want and need in lieu of the sociopathic legacy Donald Trump will leave behind.

Want to really make America great again?  Then vote for Elizabeth Warren.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Lewandolt

Republicans are not good Americans

Reading about Corey Lewandowski's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee should be enough to make any self-respecting American who actually loves this country want to projectile vomit upon Lewandowski's face. 

Lewandowski--and by extension, the republican party itself--has no interest in what is best for the citizens of the United States, only in what is best for him personally.  He made a mockery of our rule of law and showed that as far as republicans are concerned, corruption in government is fine as long as it's a republican, and that fealty to dictators who don't have America's interests at heart is their modus operandi.  Our democratic norms are under assault--and still Democratic leadership wrings its hands and wonders what to do.  Hello, McFly?  Fucking impeach!

I'd call him a fucking traitorous pig, but that would be an insult to pigs, who are much smarter than Corey Lewandowski.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Since you're gone, moonlight ain't so great

Bye, bye love...

Man, it has not been a good week for some of my rock and roll favorites from my youth--Eddie Money on Friday and now news that Ric Ocasek , the wizard behind the Cars, was found dead at the age of 75 in his apartment on Saturday.  My loyal followers (both of you) will recall that I wrote about the Cars' song "My Best Friend's Girl" on Friday Night Jukebox a little more than a year ago.

It's hard to understate what a breath of fresh air the Cars were when they first arrived on the scene--while they may have eventually thrown their lot with commercial success, their first album was unlike anything that many of us (especially those of us growing up in small and conservative midwestern towns) had ever heard.  Ocasek was the quirky genius (Jesus, he's one of the few humans that could make dorkiness look and seem cool) who brought it all together--his lead guitar, vocals, and songwriting had a uniqueness that opened the door for a lot of bands that followed.

Fortunately, as a great man (Bob Seger) once noted in song, rock and roll never forgets--the sadly appropriate, "Since You're Gone":

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXLIV--Boston: More Than a Feeling

A song about reminiscing in a blog post reminiscing about a song...

The only constant in the band Boston has been guitarist/songwriter/producer extraordinaire Tom Scholz--and considering his contributions, it's only fitting.  Boston began in 1975 in Boston, amazingly enough--though honestly it began years earlier in Scholz' basement, where he'd put in his own studio and mixed and recorded most of the songs that appeared on their debut album, playing all of the instruments himself, as well.  Despite being rejected by numerous labels, Scholz kept on keeping on and eventually got a record deal with Epic...which lead to their first album becoming the greatest selling debut album in history (since eclipsed by Guns 'n Roses' Appetite for Destruction--still second, though).  Forty-four years down the road, Scholz is the only remaining original member (sadly, lead singer Brad Delp committed suicide in 2007, and drummer Sib Hashian--and what a great rock and roll name that is--passed away in 2017), though the band continues to tour and rumor has it, they will be releasing a new record this year.  For their career, Boston has released six studio albums, the first four of which went top ten on the Billboard 200, with two of them reaching #1.  Surprisingly, they've only released one compilation album (come on guys, you're not trying!).  They've also had four top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100, sold over 75 million records, and have been nominated for a Grammy.  For whatever reason, they've not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is a real shame, especially considering that lightweights such as Rush, Van Halen, and Abba have been....  The band, though, does have a solid legacy, especially as one of the early purveyors of power pop.

Fun Fact #1:  In what I'm pretty sure is a Friday Night Jukebox first, Scholz is a graduate of MIT--of which there is undoubtedly a dearth of in the world of rock and roll.

Fun Fact #2:  When I was taking guitar lessons eons ago, my first teacher told me that the majority of hit songs were hit songs because the chord structures in them were very simple and people like simple.  Along those lines, the bar chords used in the chorus for this week's tune (which are simple enough for a doofus like me to play) also feature prominently in the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane," Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and the Offspring's "Self-Esteem."

"More Than a Feeling" was the first single released from Boston's debut album in 1976, entitled appropriately enough, Boston .  The single would reach #5 (with a bullet) on the Billboard singles chart, while the album would reach #3 on their albums chart, on its way to selling 17 million copies.  That's a career for a lot of folks, let alone one album.

"More Than a Feeling" is one of those songs (though vastly different than) like "Night Moves" by Bob Seger that the older I get the more I appreciate both the song and it's innate greatness.  The song works on so many different levels--for one, it's how Scholz manages to make a lead guitar, a rhythm guitar, a bass guitar, and a set of drums sound almost symphonic.  There's a fullness to the music that overwhelms the senses.  For two, Scholz lead guitar playing is otherworldly, wielding his guitar like a siren in the night wailing out its presence.  He doesn't come up often in conversations about great guitarists, but he should.  Third is Brad Delp's vocals--the best falsetto this side of the Bee Gees.  Finally, it's the song itself--a song about the power of music and its ability to evoke, in this case, the memory of a lost love, and how it can both ease a memory's pain and sharpen its joy.  In the end, its been forty-three years since the song's release and if you turned on any classic rock radio station in America, you'd be hard pressed to go more than a day without hearing it once.  It's enduring relevance is a legacy unto itself.

Liner Notes:  "When I'm tired and thinking cold/I hide in my music, forget the day/And dream of a girl I used to know/I closed my eyes and she slipped away..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

On the (Eddie) Money

Thank you, and rest in peace, sir

Eddie Money passed away today from the ravages of esophageal cancer --I was a huge fan of his first couple of albums (I bought his first after being blown away by his performance on Saturday Night Live), both of which I played incessantly.  While the rest of his career wasn't my cup of tea, the first two still have a special place in my musical heart.  His songs "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise" will always be among my all-time favorites.  Fond memories of a great concert sometime back in the day, too.

Embarrassingly enough, somewhere there is a photo of me looking remarkably like the one above, sans the snazzy suit.

At some point in the future, I know "Baby Hold On" is on my list for a Friday Night Jukebox feature--but I want to play it tonight for the good times--and to say thank you to Mr. Edward Mahoney for some fine memories from my youth:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

This is not fucking normal

Going, going...

News this week that the United States had to recall a spy from Russia because our intelligence agencies didn't think the President of the United States, Donald Trump, could be trusted with the information is flat fucking beyond the pale.  There is absolutely no reason that both right and left, and our national media, should not be excoriating Trump with all the disdain that is humanly possible.

Still, the Democratic leadership is lacking the moral courage to impeach Trump, and the national media is going to go on caring about what the utter fucking morons who support Trump think and pretending that both sides are to blame.

Here's hoping that history is as kind to all three of them as it is to the greatest of political cowards, Neville Chamberlain.

Fucking pathetic, the lot of them.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Fucking little cry babies

Your average republican

It's become an utterly pathetic spectacle watching republicans resort to threats of violence if the elections in 2020 don't go their way and Democrats wisely pass sensible gun legislation.  Nothing could possibly be more un-American than republicans threatening a populist position with bloodshed.

What it does show is that republicans are nothing more than whiny-ass, sniveling, snot-nosed cowards. 

The whole lot of 'em.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Just desserts

Moscow Mitch and the Pussy Ass Bitch

Am I the only one who finds it utterly delightful that Chrissy Teigen's  new nickname for Donald Trump, Pussy Ass Bitch, rhymes so deliciously with Moscow Mitch?

Just wondering...

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXLIII--The Police: Invisible Sun

In which the Police channel their inner U2...and it only took 252 songs to get to a band that was a huge part of my musical palate from the late 70's through the mid 80's....

The Police formed in London, England in 1977, and like many a featured artist here on Friday Night Jukebox have a history that's a bit big for summarizing in a paragraph.  So without further ado...they had a relatively short career as a band, releasing five studio albums over the course of seven years.  They took a short break and went into the studio in 1986 to make their sixth album which never was completed...and that was that.  They did reunite in 2007 for a year long reunion tour (the third highest grossing tour in history), but have pretty much returned to focusing on their solo careers as before--Sting as a mega-selling (though not particularly very good) pop star, Andy Summers through guitar collaborations, and Stewart Copeland via the soundtrack route.  One can't underestimate how successful the Police were--arguably at one point the biggest band in the world, four of their five albums hit #1 in the U.K. (the fifth was #6), and even in the U.S., which wasn't as quick to catch on, their last three albums were top five and their first two were top 25.  Add to that their hugely successful world tours, that four of their five studio LPs made Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time, six Grammy Awards, and two Brit Awards, and it's not surprising that they entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.  And just for good measure, they were also on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time.

(Not So) Fun Fact:  I had the good fortune to see the Police on two of their world tours, and for the record, both times they were beyond awful.  Easily two of the worst concert performances I've seen over the years.  C'est la vie!

"Invisible Sun" debuted in 1981 on the Police's third album, Ghosts in the Machine.  While it was the first single released from the album in Europe, it was never released as a single here in the States ("Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" was the song of choice here in America).  It would go on to
reach #2 in the U.K. and # 5 in Ireland--so many cool kids in the British Isles!

"Invisible Sun" was written by Sting in response to the hunger strikes of 1981 which occurred during The Troubles in Northern Ireland--he said he was trying to understand what made people continue on despite the misery they faced in their daily lives.  Despite the song's ominous overtones, it's actually quite uplifting--the idea of their being an "invisible sun" that shines on people when life is at its worst.  And it's perfect fodder for folks like me who like their music with a political bent every now and again (or more).  The song itself is a marvelous representation of what each member brought to the band instrumentally--Stewart Copeland's drumming echoes with a sinister foreboding, Andy Summers guitar work at the end of each chorus is like a catharsis, and Sting's bass playing adds force to the song's whole.  There's some nice harmonizing on the chorus as well--and the minute and a half or so of "Oh oh oh oh oh oh"s that close the song are reminiscent of a benedictine chant and are as hopeful as a soothing prayer.  All in all, "Invisible Sun" was a tour de force for the Police...and a stunning piece of political pop for the rest of us.

Lyric Sheet:  "It's dark all day and it glows all night/Factory smoke and acetylene light/I face the day with my head caved in/Looking like something that the cat brought in..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXLII--The Polyphonic Spree: Hold Me Now

Getting a wee bit behind here again...

I discovered this week's tune as I have a few others here on Friday Night Jukebox as I flipped channels and came across an episode of Austin City Limits in which The Polyphonic Spree was the weekly featured artist.  While I haven't explored much of their catalog, I like to think that if I live to a hundred and win a million dollars I might find the time and cash to check them out further....

The Polyphonic Spree (gotta admit, it's a great name) were formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2000, though it's beginning is of a sad nature:  the catalysts behind The Polyphonic Spree were originally in a band called Tripping Daisy (they had a minor MTV hit with "I Got a Girl" which I vaguely remembered after a couple of listens) which disbanded and formed their new group in the wake of the death from a drug overdose of Tripping Daisy guitarist Wes Berggren.  Tim DeLaughter became the de facto leader of the band, and over the past nearly twenty years the Polyphonic Spree have released six studio albums, none of which have cracked the top 100 of the Billboard 200 (though two did chart, hitting #113 and #121), and three EPs.  The band is known for a) having numerous members--the current lineup features 23 band members, and past members would push the number close to a hundred, and b) for wearing colorful robes--a la a choir--in their live peformances.  While commercial success may have eluded them, the band has had a hand in a number of songs for soundtrack albums, continues to tour, and released their latest LP in 2014.  As I've noted numerous times before, beats the hell out of  slaving away in a grocery store....

"Hold Me Now" (not to be confused with the Thompson Twins single "Hold Me Now" which was a not particularly good single released in the 80's new wave frenzy) was released in 2004 on their album Together We're Heavy.  While "Hold Me Now" was not released as a single here in the States, it did reach #87 in Scotland, and #72 in the U.K.--there's just so many cool kids in the U.K., isn't there?

While I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, and trying desperately to think of who The Polyphonic Spree reminded me of--and, yes, I do need to get more of a life--I could have saved myself the trouble by doing my half-assed research a bit earlier.  It was the Electric Light Orchestra, with a little Queen, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys mixed in.  "Hold Me Now" features lush orchestration, with--surprise!--choir-like vocals, and a hell of a hook in the chorus.  There's definitely an anthemic vibe to the song--numerous instruments (my best guess is somewhere around fourteen different instruments) are featured as well as a theme of reminding us that no one is alone in this world (or that getting old isn't a death sentence...so to speak).  There's also a grandiose instrumental break which reminded me (blasphemy alert!) of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.  All in all, it's a song just a bit off the beaten path, and in a just world, would have been a top ten single that we all run around humming to ourselves every time we hear it on the radio...which pretty much describes my week after several listens....

Lyric Sheet:  "He's walking along with his soul in his lungs/Ya stare at him long you can find a new song/Everyone thinks they've got a new phrase/But you're still miles away..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Happy Labor Day!

A Diego Rivera Mural to remind you of all that Detroit's laborers have done to help you have a better life

As regular readers (both of you) well know, Labor Day is one of emaycee's favorite holidays of the year, because he gets to remind you that A) thanks to labor unions, you have paid holidays, paid vacations, healthcare, a living wage, safer workplace conditions, and just about every other benefit you can name (what you think American businesses is going to give all that out of the goodness of their hearts--get fucking real), and B) that workers who belong to a union have better pay, better benefits, better workplace safety, and more job security.

Enough said!

Pete Seeger is going to play us out, with his version of Woody Guthrie's "Union Maid" (I've used it before on Labor Day, but it's a classic)--in case you were wondering, I'm sticking to the unions, too:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee