Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam. This is off of their 1993 album Vs. which was the follow up to their breakthrough debut album Ten.

This song is about a lady who has been stuck in her small little town for most of her life when an old flame walks in. He had moved away and moved on with his life. She wants to say hello to him but she is too embarrassed.

Weekend Wildcard - The Way It Is by Tesla

This Weekend's Wildcard is The Way It Is by Tesla. This if off of their 1989 album The Great Radio Controversy which launched the band into stardom.

The name of the album is a reference to the controversy of the true inventor of the radio. Nikola Tesla held numerous patents including one for a "system of transmitting electrical energy" and "an electrical transmitter." However, Guglielmo Marconi made the first-ever transatlantic radio transmission in 1901 and was credited as the inventor of the radio. Tesla argued that he did it with 17 Tesla patents.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson

Today's Metal Track is Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson. This is the title track off the band's 1998 album Mechanical Animals. This was the album that made me a fan and I still think it is the band's best to date.

The lyric "You were my mechanical bride" is a direct reference to Marshall McLuhan's critical study of popular culture titled The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man. This 1951 study was very critical of the media and its impacts on North American Culture.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Don't Talk to Strangers by Dio

Today's Metal Track is Don't Talk to Strangers by the legendary Dio. This is off of the band's 1983 debut album Holy Diver. Prior to this, both Ronnie and Vinny Appice  (Drummer) were playing with Black Sabbath. Both also returned to perform with Black Sabbath at various times in their career.

RIP Dio!

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Ashes in the Fall by Rage Against The Machine

Today's Metal Track is Ashes in the Fall by Rage Against The Machine. This is off of their 1999 album The Battle of Los Angeles which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. This song is not as popular as many of their other tracks, including ones on this album, but it has always been one of my favorites from the band.

The song is about people who are oppressed by fascist leaders and their various institutions. It talks about the empty promises that are made by those leaders and how they try to convince the people that they are living in a great place. "This is the new sound, just like that old sound." One image portrayed in the song is people starving while they look through the window at meat that is left to rot.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Suite Sister Mary by Queensryche

Today's Metal Track is Suite Sister Mary off of Queensryche's 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime. This concept album follows Nikki, a heroin addict who has been brainwashed by a politician who goes by the name Dr. X. Whenever Dr. X says the word mindcrime, Nikki becomes a puppet and is made to carry out the commands of Dr. X, basically becoming an assassin.

Nikki befriends a prostitute-turn-nun, Sister Mary, and he begins to question the role he has taken with Dr. X. Seen as a threat, Dr. X asks Nikki to kill Sister Mary along with a corrupt priest. Nikki kills the priest but not Mary and goes back to tell Dr. X that he is out. When he goes back to get Mary, he finds her dead. He does not know if it was by his own hand or someone else's but the police find him with a gun and arrest him.

Scott's Instrumental Metal Track of the Day - Altitudes by Jason Becker

With all of the ALS awareness going on recently, I feel this song is appropriate. I've posted Jason Becker songs a couple of times already and talked about his disease but that was before the ALS thing went extremely viral.

Jason was an extremely talented virtuoso guitarist and remains a talented composer to this day. Talent like this doesn't come around very often and it is a shame that we never got to see his full potential. At the age of 20 (In 1989), he was diagnosed with ALS and given 3-5 years to live. In 1996 he lost his ability to speak and now communicates with his eyes via a system his father developed.

With that said, today's Instrumental Metal Track is Altitudes by Jason Becker. This is the opening track off of his 1988 debut solo album Perpetual Burn. This song is just overflowing with emotion and feeling. Hard to believe that he was doing stuff like this as a teenager.

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - Hey Love by Stevie Wonder

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is Hey Love by the extremely talented Stevie Wonder. This is the closing track off of his 1966 album Down to Earth. Stevie was only 16 when he recorded this song.

This was not a major hit for Stevie especially compared to his numerous other hits. I don't really know why because I think it is great. This track did go on to become a big hit for Detroit soul singer Betty Lavette the following year.

Scott's Weekend Wildcard - Once In a Lifetime by Talking Heads

This Weekend's Wildcard is brought to you by Talking Heads. This is off of their 1980 album Remain in Light. This song is about melting away in suburbia.

This video is exhibited in the New York Museum of Art. It features singer David Byrne dancing like a marionette. In the background, there are smaller clones of Bryne dancing in synch. The further the song progresses, the more the larger Byrne gets out of synch.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Thoughts Without Words by Shadows Fall

Today's Metal Track is Thoughts Without Words by Shadows Fall. This was the first single and video released off of their 2002 album The Art of Balance.

The song is "based around meditation and yoga," and on "trying to be able to calm the mind and experience things without constantly thinking them." In other words, being lost in the moment.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Terrible Lie by Nine Inch Nails

Today's Metal Track is Terrible Lie by Nine Inch Nails. This is the second track off of his 1989 debut album Pretty Hate Machine. This song is about a man who is struggling with his faith because everything in his life is falling apart. He blames God for doing this to him, calling His promises a terrible lie. Ultimately he seems to beg for salvation and want to retain his belief:

"My skin is begging you, please (terrible lie)
I'm on my hands and knees
I want so much to believe
Don't take it away from me
I need someone to hold on to"

I think about this song when I am playing golf and hit it in the rough and end up with a TERRIBLE LIE!

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Laterlus by Tool

Today's Metal Track is Lateralus by Tool. It is the title track off of their 2001 album Lateralus. This song is about two realms in life; physical and spiritual.

It's about expanding your mind into the unknown while being careful not to go too far into the spiritual realm and completely separate the body from the mind. Instead try "to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human" and to push the boundaries while keeping the two connected.

"We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been.
Spiral out. Keep going, going"

Another cool note about this song is the use of the Fibonacci sequence (1,1,2,3,5,8...) in the opening lyrics. Maynard pauses between words to separate them based on the number of syllables.
Black | then | white are | all I see | in my infancy | red and yellow then came to be

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Cloak of Feathers by The Sword

Today's Metal Track is Cloak of Feathers and is brought to you by The Sword. This is off of their most recent album Apocryphon which was released 2012. This is a great mix of psychedelic rock, doom metal, and blues commonly referred to as Stoner Metal.

Beneath her cloak of feathers lies a body soft and fine
Eyes of hazel green, flowing hair as dark as wine
A thing of beauty to remember, but a sorrow to forget
She took all that I gave her 'till there was nothing left

Scott's Instrumental Metal Track of the Day - Oracle by Scale the Summit

Today's Instrumental Metal Track is Oracle by Scale the Summit. This is off of their 2013 album The Migration. This video is a play through by one of their guitarists, Travis LeVrier. I wish they would have included Chris in this one as well because their parts lay over each other so well.

Travis makes this look easy with his effortless playing. My favorite part starts at 2:05 with the sweet bass line that is soon joined by an overlaying riff.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - More Human Than Human by White Zombie

No Easy Like Sunday Morning to track today. Instead, we have a special birthday request for my man Jimmy Purcell.

Today's Metal Track is More Human Than Human by White Zombie. This one comes off of their 1995 album Astro-Creep: 2000. The video features some home video clips of Rob and his brother Michael when they were younger. Michael is better known as Spider One of the band Powerman 5000. This video won the MTV Video Music award for Hard Rock Video in 1995.

The title and the lyrics are references to the movie Blade Runner. 'More Human Than Human' was the slogan of the Tyrell Corporation, manufacturers of the replicants in the film.

Happy Birthday Jimmy!

Weekend Wildcard - Jump Around by House of Pain

This Weekend's Wildcard is Jump Around by House of Pain. This insanely popular song has been used everywhere from movies to sporting events. It was released in 1992 on the group's debut self-titled album.

The song features numerous samples including the Harlem Shuffle by Bob & Earl and Popeye the Hitchhiker by Chubby Checker. But the most recognizable sample is the high pitched saxophone sample taken from Junior Walker & the All Stars' Shoot your Shot song from 1967.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Disposable Heroes by Metallica

Today's Metal Track is Disposable Heroes by Metallica. This is off of their 1986 album Master of Puppets which is often referred to as one of the best, if not the best, metal albums of all time. I have to agree. This song is about soldiers and how they are viewed by their leaders as disposable.

I remember Isman Alston using some of these lyrics to write a poem for our AG English class in middle school. I'm surprised the teacher didn't pick up on it since he was a rock n' roll fan.

Soldier boy, made of clay
Now an empty shell
Twenty one, only son
But he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
Do just as we say
Finished here, greetings death
He's yours to take away

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - White Walls by Between the Buried and Me

Today's Metal Track is a doozy by the progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me. White Walls is the closing track to their outstanding 2007 album Colors. This song is considered by many fans to be their best song. It's not my favorite but it's up there.

Tommy Rogers stated that "this song is about growing and realizing what you need to do in order to make yourself happy in music… cause when its all said and done, this is what people hear when we die. When I started playing music it was a blank canvas (white walls) and this journey I’ve lived so far are the paintings that will be seen when I die."

This is all we have when we die
It's what's left of us when we die
We will be remembered for this

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Ember City by Mastodon

Today's Metal Track is Ember City and is brought to you by Mastodon. This is off of their newest album Once More 'Round The Sun which was just released a couple of months ago.

This is a great song that is a little more polished than a lot of Mastodon's previous tracks but still packs a punch with tons of great guitar work and vocals. One reason is sounds a little more polished is because it features Brann Dailor (drummer) on vocals for the chorus who has cleaner vocals than Troy and Brent. Brann is starting to be used more for vocals in their recent albums which definitely adds another dynamic to their songs.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day: Killer Be Killed - Wings Of Feather And Wax

Adam filling in for Scott today bringing the Metal Track of the Day!

This track is called Wings of Feather and Wax by the band Killer Be Killed.  This band is a supergroup of sorts, with Troy Sanders of Mastodon, Dave Elitch formerly of The Mars Volta, Max Cavelera of Soulfly, and Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan.  This track is the first track from the album and really gives listeners a taste of what to expect from the rest of the album.

What is interesting about this particular group is that because there are three vocalists each song can be a little different depending on who is the vocal lead.  Greg Puciato is also playing guitar in this band which is a step outside the box from his duties in Dillinger where he is the lead vocalist.

Scott's Instrumental Metal Track of the Day - We're Going In. We're Going Down. by Cloudkicker

Today's Instrumental Metal Track is brought to you by Cloudkicker which is the name that Ben Sharp releases all of his music under. He writes, records, mixes, and masters everything from his home.

This one is titled "We're Going In. We're Going Down." and is off of his 2010 album Beacons. He releases all of his music from his website using the name your price model. He still has a ton of stuff I have yet to listen to.

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - Take It to the Limit by Eagles

Today's  Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is Take It to the Limit by Eagles. This was the third single released off of their 1975 album One of These Nights.

This song is unique in that it features Randy Meisner on lead vocals instead of Glenn Frey. This caused great contention between the two. Oddly enough it was because Glenn wanted Randy to perform the song live instead of him because the fans loved the way he hit the high notes at the end. According to Joe Walsh, Randy enjoyed performing the song, but was not fond of being told he had to sing it.

Weekend Wildcard

This Weekend's Wildcard is Easy Lover by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey. This duet was released on Philip's 1984 solo album Chinese Wall and was also later released on Phil Collins' live album in 1990 and his compilation album ...Hits in 1998.

This video is basically a video about making the video.

Philip Bailey was a longtime member of Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins was formerly in the band Genesis.

Scott's Heavy Metal Track of the Day - Dead to Rights by DevilDriver

Today's Metal Track is Dead to Rights by DevilDriver. This is the opening track off of their 2011 album Beast. This was the last album to include bassist Jonathan Miller. He was fired on tour in the UK by unanimous vote within the band and sent home from the tour.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Locust by Machine Head

Today's Metal Track is Locust and is brought to you by Machine Head. This is off of their 2011 album Unto the Locust.

Rob Flynn stated that "Locust is a metaphor. Locusts fly in a swarm, but they can't control which direction they fly; they float on the wind, they land, cause massive destruction, and then float away on the wind to leave you in the aftermath. The song is a metaphor for a type of person that sometimes comes into your life and has a similar effect."

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Dusk Dismantled by Trivium

Today's Metal Track is Dusk Dismantled by Trivum. This heavy track is off of their 2011 album In Waves. This song is brutal from beginning to end and is probably my favorite off of the album. A group of us thought we were going to see them at Lincoln Theater this past Monday but either they had to cancel or the website was wrong all along.

It's also fun to sing along by screaming DUST THIS MANTLE! Jessica doesn't appreciate it when I do that to her.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Peace Sells by Megadeth

Today's Metal Track is Peace Sells by Megadeth. This is the title track off of their 1986 album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying. The iconic bass line at the beginning of the song has been used as the theme song for MTV News' The Week in Rock segment since 1990. I'm not sure if they still run the segment or not though.

This song has been used in numerous video games throughout the years and remains a staple in their live shows. The skull that you see explode in the video is the actual skull used as the album cover on their previous album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! Apparently Dave had a thing for ellipses when naming his albums.

Scott's Instrumental Track of the Day - Waves by Guthrie Govan

Today's Instrumental Track is Waves and is brought to you by the extremely talented Guthrie Govan. This is the opening track off of his 2006 debut solo album Erotic Cakes. When the band played live they were billed as Erotic Cakes instead of just Guthrie Govan. This is a wonderful song and Govan's playing is tremendously soulful.

My favorite comment from the Youtube video:
"Jesus is back!!
...and plays the guitar like a boss!"

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - She Talks to Angels by The Black Crowes

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is She Talks to Angels by The Black Crowes. This is off of their 1990 debut album Shake Your Money Maker. In 2010 Chris Robinson stated that this song was loosely based on a goth girl he was acquainted with in Atlanta who was into heroin.

Yes, she'll tell you she's an orphan,
After you meet her family

Weekend Wildcard - How Soon is Now by The Smiths

This Weekend's Wildcard is How Soon is Now and is brought to you by the English rock band The Smiths. This song was not originally a big hit and was only released as a B-side on their 1984 single William, It Was Really Nothing. It was later released as its own single and included on the US release of their 1985 album Meat is Murder.

A cover version by Love Spit Love was used in the 1996 movie The Craft and was also later used as the theme song to the show Charmed.

I am the son, and the heir, of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir, of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Where There's Smoke by Overkill

Today's Metal Track is Where There's Smoke by my favorite thrash band of all time Overkill. This is off of their brand new album White Devil Armory that came out last week. After decades of thrashing the boys prove that they've still got it. Tight riffs, great solo, and plenty of 'tude by my man Blitz!