Prayers For The Damned, Volume 1 - Sixx:A.M.

I was torn between reviewing this or Rob Zombie's new album but I couldn't bring myself to listen to Rob Zombie's latest wacky project yet. Maybe next week, though.

I'll admit that I'm unfamiliar with the work of this side project from Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx but I was intrigued to give the latest album a listen, knowing it was the first album released after Motley Crue called it quits. I'm not entirely sure why but who cares, I still listened to it. The big question is am I tempted to listen to their previous albums after sitting through this one and the answer is a resounding no.
I made the mistake of assuming that Sixx:A.M. would be closer to Heavy Metal than Hair Metal based on decent album opener and lead single "Rise". Unfortunately, Prayers For The Damned, Volume 1 is nothing more than a bland, whiny, modern Hard Rock album. It may start off with aggressively loud drumming and heavy guitar riffs but it gets old fast, padded only by your bog standard moody whining that American Rock bands are fucking adept at.
Granted if you like songs to sound heavy and emotional, this album will probably be a good listen for you as there are plenty of "epic" sounding tracks with...well, heavy riffs and loud drumming, but also a variety of soft and powerful vocals ("Better Man" & "When We Were Gods"). There are also a few more energetic tracks that feel less out of place on a Rock album than most of this Pop Metal ("You've Come To The Right Place", "The Last Time (My Heart Will Ever Hit The Ground)") but overall, everything feels tired. Tired or even worse; limp.

There are songs that attempt to carry the same power or grand feel but end up falling flat due to relying too much on the Hard Rock staples milked dry in previous tracks, resulting in a dull mush of sound masquerading as Rock ("Can't Stop"). Most of the album seems to have been built around the idea that "quiet bits followed by loud bits = awesome!!!" but by the fifth track, this roller coaster of dynamics just gets annoying.
Maybe that's the reason I preferred tracks towards the end of the album that broke the mould and tried to stay at least a little consistent with the volume and use of heavy riffing ("Everything Went To Hell", "Rise Of The Melancholy Empire")...that or I was just glad to be near the end. After all, there's nothing here for fans of Motley Crue's material, that's for bloody sure! In fact, "Belly Of The Beast" sounds like it could be the backing track for a random Hip Hop song once you remove the guitar.
The one saving grace for this album is that the band haven't phoned in their performances. Drums, guitar, bass, vocals, backing instrumentalists/vocalists, all tip top. Sadly the quality of songwriting isn't up to the same standards, at least as far as music is concerned. The lyrics could be as deep as a black and white Instagram post with a poignant quote in the middle of it but none of that matters if everything else around it is whiny and pathetic, also known as My Chemical Romance Syndrome. Some of the song titles alone sound like they were ripped straight from some floppy-haired virgin's poetry journal.

I definitely won't be listening to Prayers For The Damned, Volume 2 or any of Sixx:A.M.'s previous albums unless I'm given a bloody good reason, and even then I'll probably reread this review to remind myself why I don't care for the band's music. For the benefit of Future Me and Present You reading this and wondering why I dislike the album so much (even after everything I've just said), here's a short summary:
It's generic.
It's boring.
It's unnecessary.
It's the sort of music fake tattoo-sleeved teenagers who think they're cool because they listen to Rock would like.
It's getting a 2/10.

Metal Album Covers: Dos & Don'ts

Every now and then when I review an album on this blog, I dedicate a sentence or two to a particularly striking album cover. Modern Rock bands tend to go with photographs fresh from Baby's First Pretentious Instagram Post or maybe some soulless CGI guff that tries too hard to be impressive but no genre created a string of album covers fantastic enough to hang in a museum better than Heavy Metal.
I'm not saying the genre had a perfect track record but there's nothing quite like a damn good Metal album cover, hence why I'm focusing entirely on them for this post as opposed to album covers in general. However, despite my love for the genre's artwork, there are examples where the band or whoever pitched the idea to the artist should've thought it through a little more.
Time to look at some of the Dos & Don'ts of creating an awesome Metal album cover with a couple of examples of my personal favourites along the way, in case you care about that sort of trivia.

DO relate your cover to the content on the album

This might seem obvious but it's still worth noting. It doesn't have to be a concept album to have a cover related to the name or lyrical content of some of the tracks. Remember, if you thought the subject of one of your songs was strong enough to make it into a worthy title track, why couldn't it do the same for the album cover? It focuses the art so it actually belongs and doesn't just feel like a drawing that's cool for the sake of cool.
Not only that but it helps differentiate a career of striking artwork, compared to the Warpig collection of Motorhead album covers that are all but interchangeable. Sure, they look great in small spaced out doses but I challenge you to name the differences between Overkill, Another Perfect Day and Rock 'N' Roll without looking at pictures of them first.

DO base the work around one strong colour (usually blue or red)

The idea behind covers is that it needs to make the object stand out, whether it's for a book, DVD cover or incredible Metal album. The problem with album covers that use realistic photographs is that they blend in, whereas the album covers that perfectly combine realism in the drawings with the use of colour to make it stand out are almost always at the top of Greatest Metal Album Covers lists, or at least they should be.
Not convinced? Let's take a look at some other notable covers.

Point made.

DO try to shock

There's nothing wrong with safe album covers but if you want it to stand out and be truly awesome, you've got to make it eye-catching beyond colour. It's got to leave an impression and one surefire way to do that is to make it visually shocking. It'll make people more likely to give it a second and much longer glance, allowing them to take in the intricate details once the initial shock has faded.

Note that there's a difference between "shocking" and "offensive". Scorpions made this mistake when they released album covers featuring exposed breasts, military grave defiling and naked 12-year olds...consecutively.

DON'T hire a poor artist

No, I'm not saying this is poor and I'm not using poor in the financial sense. It's often quite hard to find information on the artists behind great album covers but most Metal fans will be able to tell you about Derek Riggs and Ed Repka, the artists who gave us Eddie The Head and Vic Rattlehead respectively. These guys create incredible works of art to match the art within the album sleeve itself. However, it's often quite hard to pinpoint what is and isn't great in the world of art...until now, anyway.
Take a look at the album cover above. Pretty fucking cool, huh. Now take a look at the cover below.

The difference is clear. One looks like something out of an acclaimed graphic novel, the other looks like it was painted on the side of a van known for being the only thing rape victims remember in their roofie-induced fugue.
Make sure you pick the right artist, especially in a day and age where it's not exactly hard to find amazingly talented individuals posting their work all over the Internet.

DON'T neglect your mascot

Some bands are known for using a character on their album covers such as The Guy, Murray or the aforementioned Vic Rattlehead. However, sometimes the band decides to take a break from their beloved mascot and goes in a completely different direction. Unfortunately, this new direction is often a worse one as proven by the album cover up above that looks like a bored teen drew it on their workbook in class.
I'm not entirely sure why bands would want to abandon their mascot when they've been established as an iconic unofficial band member, as the whole point of a mascot is to represent their music and image. Changing or even retiring them signifies a change to the band, something that fans are rarely ever happy with, and showing that with pride on the front of your album is a poor way to start the experience off.
Also, I'm aware that I had a pop at Motorhead album covers that use the mascot but my issue there isn't the use of Warpig; it's the lack of interesting designs other than "OOOFIERY-ESPLOSION!". I mean, just look at how many variants of Eddie The Head there have been in the 80's alone.

DON'T use real life photographs on the front

I'll admit that there are some exceptions to this, such as Diary Of A Madman and Vulgar Display Of Power, but real photography definitely feels more appropriate on the inner sleeve or back cover (unless it's a Southern Rock album, then real photography works). In the same way realistic gameplay can make a video game less fun, real life photography can limit what you can include on the artwork unless you decide to fuck it off and fill it with CGI anyway. Remember, this isn't a college photography assignment and just because it's black and white doesn't mean it's deep. It's a fucking Heavy Metal album cover, make it pack a punch!
There's something special about a meticulously detailed piece of artwork, something that just makes the album look like more care and attention has gone into making it awesome that a simple photograph can't even hope to match. Unfortunately, drawn artwork on album covers is now considered quite dated when compared to the average album cover from modern acts such as Avenged Sevenfold and Rob Zombie but thankfully, some new bands are still keeping the tradition alive.

Took me ages to find that last one but I'm glad I did!
So what do you think about Heavy Metal album covers? Did I miss a classic that deserves a shout-out or are there any Dos/Don'ts I neglected to mention? Let me know on Twitter or in the comment section.
Next week I'll try to post a review of the new Sixx:AM album, if I get round to listening to it.

Showdown: Cover Versions, part 4

Back again with another video game post!
If you recall the last time I did a Showdown post about Cover Versions, it was all about WaveGroup Sound covers from the Guitar Hero & Rock Band games. I chose ten songs from different games in the franchises that were covered by WaveGroup Sound and decided whether the original track or faithful cover was superior before coming to the conclusion that on average WaveGroup Sound's covers were just as good as the originals...or are they?
Time for another round of Originals Vs. Covers!

ROUND ONE: Godzilla
Blue Oyster Cult - As far as Blue Oyster Cult riffs go, this one is probably a 6/10. Incredibly simplistic but memorable. However, the highlight of this song has to be the guitar solos and guitar licks throughout the track. Plenty for aspiring guitarists to sink their teeth into and there's also a nifty little bass solo in the middle too. I wouldn't call it the band's best track but it definitely belongs in GH.
WaveGroup Sound - Props to the guitarist for fucking nailing it on this recording! The main difference between this and the original has to be the bass solo, reduced and converted to guitar to avoid the long pause in the actual song. However, it doesn't feel out of place or forced if you're familiar with the original and it fits in perfectly if the song is new to you.
VERDICT - Right, let's think about this for a minute. On the one hand, I love Blue Oyster Cult and their original sounds a little less harsh on the ears than the cover. On the other, this is a damn good cover by WaveGroup Sound and whilst it may not improve on the original, it recreates it with care and detail. I think I'm giving the win to Blue Oyster Cult, but WaveGroup Sound deserve a shout-out for this cover in particular.

ROUND TWO: Killer Queen
Queen - I'm not a big fan of this song compared to other Queen hits. It's catchy, sure, but it's also kind of plain. It's a bit safe for a song with such a great title, plus Brian May's guitar isn't exactly exciting by any stretch. At least Freddie Mercury's vocals are as flawless as ever so this song would make a fun addition to karaoke evenings or vocal-based games, maybe not guitar ones.
WaveGroup Sound - Two things should become apparent when hearing this cover. First of all, the fuck's up with their Mock Freddie? They couldn't find anyone better than that guy? Secondly, there's a lot more guitar in this cover. Just as well really, it'd be a little embarrassing for the first game in the Guitar Hero series to have to rely on charting keys for guitar when there are so many proper Rock songs in existence. At least Mock Brian's guitar sort of sounds right during the solos.
VERDICT - Clearly the WaveGroup Sound version was more appropriate for GH due to the added guitar but I'm giving the win to Queen just for sounding better overall. Why they included the master recording of this track in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits over David Bowie or Red Hot Chili Peppers, I'm not sure.

ROUND THREE: Woman
Wolfmother - The most well known Wolfmother song with their...I'm going to say "classic" sound. A heavy gallop and a great riff. It's got some decent guitar in it although there comes a point halfway through where it kind of goes batshit with dissonant organ solos and such. A wacky but decent Hard Rock track that arrives and departs on a loud note, great for GH2.
WaveGroup Sound - Hmmmm...the vocalist is no Andrew Stockdale but the guitar and drums seem alright. I also like the added guitar solo over the organs in the middle section. It's a little wacky and out there like the rest of the song and works with the rest of the track, even if it's not as fun as the added "Ziggy Stardust" or "All The Young Dudes" solos.
VERDICT - My feelings for Wolfmother have been made loud and clear on the blog before but I'm giving this win to WaveGroup Sound. I know the vocalist doesn't stand out as much as Andrew Stockdale but I think I actually prefer him after listening a couple of times, although if you like Andrew's vocals then the original is for you.

ROUND FOUR: Metal Health (Bang Your Head)
Quiet Riot - As far as Hair Metal goes, this has to be one of the top tracks of the genre. It's an anthem for the Rock lifestyle right down to the epic riff and twin solos. It's a shame this band are arguably more well known for a shitty cover of a Slade song but at least they'll always have this track up their sleeves too.
WaveGroup Sound - I never understood why this song was chosen to be one of the first tracks on-disc when the cover version would need to be toned down. The first solo has been removed completely and the second is less intense than the one in the original outro. At least the band are suitable, even if the vocalist is a little too close to KISS for him to be truly spot on.
VERDICT - Definitely Quiet Riot for this one. The cover is like a radio edit that hasn't been bloody shortened. It's a shame Guitar Hero couldn't get the original version of this at some point but at least it's available as RB DLC.

ROUND FIVE: La Grange
ZZ Top - I love this song but I've always had one massive problem with it; it's not powerful enough. The drums are too soft and the guitars need to sound a lot heavier when the bass is introduced. At least the guitar solos are good and the boogie rhythm carries the song all the way to the end without getting boring like most Blues Rock tracks.
WaveGroup Sound - Now THIS cover gets it right! Not only in the heavier mix but the vocalist sounds better suited to the song as well. But wait, there's more! Since this was recorded specifically for Guitar Hero, you can bet your bottom dollar that the guitar solos are both faithful and fun. Final cherry on top? This cover actually ends as opposed to the original fading out. Perfect pick for GH3!
VERDICT - Again, I like ZZ Top (to some extent) but the win has been well earned by WaveGroup Sound. I'd love to hear them cover "Cheap Sunglasses", as that song suffers the same issues.

ROUND SIX: Story Of My Life
Social Distortion - I would love to take this song back in time to the 70's and play it to The Sex Pistols, telling them that this country-blend is what their pisspot of a joke genre becomes in less than 20 years. Anyway, enough Punk bashing. I do actually like this song a lot and the Rock ballad structure makes for a fun little tune that can be carried for over five minutes without making me want to blow my brains out.
WaveGroup Sound - This was my first experience with the song so I'll try not to let that bias cloud my judgement. The guitar melody sounds a lot clearer in this cover although some of you might find a few guitar riffs distracting. You know the ones that I mean, the ones that sound like overdrive guitar on a MIDI track.
VERDICT - Gun to head, I'm going to say WaveGroup Sound gets this one for the clearer mix and better build up throughout the song that you only really notice if you listen to the track outside of playing it on GH3.

ROUND SEVEN: I Know A Little
Lynyrd Skynyrd - You can't help but tap your foot to this one! It sounds like it's been plucked straight out of a 50's Diner but with a Southern Rock twist in the form of a slide guitar AND piano solo. It may not be as popular among the casual fans as "Simple Man" or "Sweet Home Alabama" but this song definitely deserves more recognition...then again, you could say that about a lot of pre-plane crash Skynyrd songs.
WaveGroup Sound - I have to say, the vocalist does a cracking job here. Sure the rest of the band get it right too but it's a lot harder to impersonate a vocalist (especially one like Ronnie Van Zant) than a bassist. It's an incredibly faithful cover, right down to the piano solo.
VERDICT - Last time, I gave Lynyrd Skynyrd the win for "Free Bird". This time, I think the win should go to WaveGroup Sound for a superb cover rounding off GH: On Tour. The only sadness is that this track never got a chance on console GH/RB titles, but there's still a thread of hope. A few years ago, I would've confidently told you that this song isn't available for GH/RB due to complications with Skynyrd master recordings but now that there are tracks from Street Survivors in Rock Band, I don't know what to believe.

ROUND EIGHT: Tom Sawyer
Rush - I fucking love everything about this song, from the multitude of awesome riffs/fills/solos played on each instrument to the badass lyrics that I wish I fully knew (there are times when I try as hard as I can to understand Geddy Lee but ultimately fail). I'm glad Rock Band got the original version of this track as DLC (Guitar Hero too, albeit over a year late) as you can't beat playing along to the one and only on plastic guitar, although I imagine the members of Rush would disagree since they couldn't even beat the song when they played it on RB years ago.
WaveGroup Sound - It's a noble attempt but let's not fool around here, this cover is a silver medal at best. It just sounds too clean without the little things like the echo or Geddy's screeching vocals (again, it's almost like the guy who does the KISS covers got the wrong memo). Granted there are many things the song gets right such as the space-age synth effects but you can't beat the original. Also, fuck off with that Big Rock Ending outro.
VERDICT - WaveGroup Sound win...of course not! Seriously, what did you expect? It's Rush all the way.

ROUND NINE: The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden - Gee, I wonder who'll win this one. No no, let's do this fairly. This is probably Iron Maiden's biggest song next to "Run To The Hills" but this is definitely the superior track of the two. Awesome riff, great bass to match the guitars, dynamite vocals and some superb drumming too. It's an all-round top notch track and I'm so fucking glad GH3 got the master recording of this, otherwise I probably wouldn't love this band as much as I do now.
WaveGroup Sound - Credit where due, this is a pretty sweet cover. The vocalist does a stellar job of matching Bruce Dickinson and dare I say screams better during the intro than Bruce has ever done live. The bassist has also done a good job of emulating Steve Harris although I'm not overly keen on the mix of this track. The drums sound a little too prominent, although that might just be the version I'm listening to.
VERDICT - It's actually quite a tough call (no, really) but I'm going with Iron Maiden. The WaveGroup Sound version sounds like the band members are flagging a little bit towards the end, especially in the vocal and guitar department. Whilst WaveGroup Sound may have had their work cut out for them topping Iron Maiden for this piece of Rock Band DLC, they certainly put up one hell of a fight.

ROUND TEN: Green Grass And High Tides
The Outlaws - Another Showdown, another Southern Rock epic! This ~10 minute boss of a song follows the same formula as "Free Bird", "Highway Song" and "Fall Of The Peacemakers" where the first half is relatively slow and relaxing and the second rips the knob off with furious guitar duelling solos. However, what separates this from those tracks is that unlike Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws have filled the relaxing half with cool soloing as well. It may be well over nine minutes long but it definitely has more packed into it than any other Southern Rock epic I can think of.
WaveGroup Sound - The grand finale of Rock Band and a strong cover too. The bass in this mix is a little stronger than the original (which sounds awesome during the faster parts) and the guitar solos are lovingly recreated almost to the exact detail. Each band member gives it their all and if they were playing Rock Band, they'd be looking at gold stars all round!
VERDICT - For what I believe to be the better mix and for completing the impossible task of recording a note perfect rendition of this 9:45 epic, which I imagine must've been so fucking stressful in the studio, WaveGroup Sound get the win here. Again, it's a shame neither GH or RB got the master recording of this great track but at least we got something as good as this cover.


...well, this is a little awkward.
WaveGroup Sound walk away with five wins yet again. I can assure you, this wasn't deliberately planned. However, it's pretty cool that on two separate occasions, I've come to the conclusion that WaveGroup Sound are as strong as the bands they're covering when it comes to rerecording in a studio.
As I said last time, there might be a possibility of me returning to a Showdown post with GH/RB covers but it won't be for a while. Either way, let me know if you agree/disagree with my opinions and if you have any WaveGroup Sound covers that you reckon deserve a shout out for being better than the originals.

Tenology: Songs That Sound Better When Sped Up

Bonus Post!
This is to make up for the week I missed in March and I figure you might want to read this short little post over a random video game one.

Recently, I learned that you can speed up or slow down videos on Youtube so naturally, I gave several slower songs a listen with the speed increased to 1.25x. Many tracks didn't work at all but surprisingly, quite a few songs actually sounded pretty awesome when sped up slightly.
I've created a playlist of some of these songs on Youtube but the problem with keeping track of things via Youtube (especially when it's a music playlist) is that videos get deleted quite frequently. As a result, I've chosen to list ten of my favourite sped up songs here so that I can find them again even if some prick deletes them off Youtube.
If you have any suggestions for songs that'd sound just as good (or arguably better) when sped up, let me know in the comments or via Twitter. Also, feel free to let me know if any of the embedded Youtube videos get removed and I need to replace them.

WARNING! YOU MAY NEED A COUPLE OF LISTENS TO THE ORIGINAL/SLOWER VERSIONS OF THESE SONGS IF YOU EVER WANT TO HEAR THEM THE SAME AGAIN!


1. "Night Moves" - Bob Seger
(wait until the drums come in, it sounds like The Doobie Brothers)




2. "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N' Roses
(I finally found a way to fix Axl's voice...sort of)




3. "Man In The Box" - Alice In Chains
(less Alice In Chains, more Velvet Revolver. I love it!)




4. "Nothing Else Matters" - Metallica
(it almost sounds like a Christmas song or sea-shanty, SO much better!)




5. "Bad Company" - Bad Company
(it may not sound less powerful and more...broadway, but it sounds alright enough for this list)




6. "Everything About You" - Ugly Kid Joe
(the Poison vibe is strong with this one!)




7. "Time Is Running Out" - Muse
(I can imagine a band like Paramore rocking a sped up cover of this)




8. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult
(obviously I prefer the original but it's cool to hear this song if covered by The Ventures)




9. "Crazy Train" - Ozzy Osbourne
(the rest of the song is kinda...yeah...but at least the riff sounds cooler!)




10. "Do You Feel Like We Do?" - Peter Frampton
(closest I can get to creating a studio version of the Frampton Comes Alive version, although shame about the Disco sound)




Honourable Mentions

"Green Tinted Sixties Mind" - Mr. Big
"Jump" - Van Halen
"Hot Blooded" - Foreigner
"Rosalie" - Thin Lizzy
"Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" - The White Stripes*
"Don't Stop Believing" - Journey
"The Zoo" - Scorpions
"Same Old Song And Dance" - Aerosmith


Thanks for reading/listening! I'll see if I can find something to review either next week or the week after.


* Fun fact! You can hear Meg White changing the tempo between 1:28-1:34 due to being a shit drummer a lot clearer when everything's sped up.

Tenology: Inferior Signature Songs

Every band worth their salt has at least one signature song, one track that you automatically think of when someone mentions that band. Signature songs don't necessarily or exclusively mean "most popular tracks" or "highest selling singles", they're just songs that are closely associated with that band for any variety of reasons.
Sometimes, the signature song is a perfect representation of the band's material and generally does contain riffs, solos or lyrics regarded as some of the band's finest, e.g. "Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd or "Highway To Hell" - AC/DC. However, there are instances where a band's signature song divides opinion and fans of the band will happily list a string of tracks they believe to be greater or more deserving of critical acclaim.
This blog post will take a look at ten signature songs I believe have been wrongfully assigned, as well as tracks I would consider more noteworthy or better suited when compared to the rest of the band's back catalogue. Naturally, some of you are bound to disagree with my opinions on these songs so feel free to correct/educate me in the comment section if there are signature songs you believe need adjusting.


1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
I don't think I've ever liked this song but I would feel more confident arguing that it's a poor signature song over a poor song in general. Nirvana are widely regarded as the signature band for the entire Grunge genre so you'd think their signature song would be a Grunge staple, right? Wrong. It's basically Alternative with a mainstream Rock riff, not to mention a shitty solo that copies the vocal melody. It sounds like a song that was deliberately written to be top of the charts, flying in the face of the Grunge movement.
If I had to pick a Nirvana track that should be their signature song over this...hmm, tricky choice. Tracks like "Lithium" or "Heart Shaped Box" sound more like Nirvana classics that reflect the rest of their music to me. On a personal level, I prefer songs like "Breed" or "Very Ape" but I know they're poor choices for signature songs.


2. "Cat Scratch Fever" - Ted Nugent
Fuck me, this riff is boring. Not only that but everything else sounds fatigued and dull too, from the simple drumbeat to the tired vocals. Say what you want about The Nuge's wacky personality and asshole politics but if there's one thing he can do properly, it's write killer guitar licks. Songs like "The Great White Buffalo" - Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes or "Just What The Doctor Ordered" from his first solo album are perfect for lovers of guitar-based Hard Rock, the polar opposite of this song that sounds like it was hastily cobbled together so Ted could clock in some extra hours at the shooting range instead.
Which songs are superior to this one? Well, most of them, if I'm honest. However, I reckon "Stormtroopin'" is a perfect signature song. Great riff? Yup. Tidy structure? Check. Passable solo perfect for casual listeners? Three for three! You could argue "Stranglehold" is one of Ted's signature songs too but I wouldn't rate that song highly either, as I tend to nod off after the third minute of listening to it.


3. "I Want You To Want Me" - Cheap Trick
I'm pretty sure Cheap Trick aren't huge fans of this song either, considering how much they've changed it since originally recording it. Compare the tame Beatlesque sound to the rougher edged live version from At Budoken or recent live performances and you can tell the band weren't happy with the song. To me, it doesn't seem right that a band's signature song is one they weren't happy with (note that this is different to when a band gradually falls out of love with their signature song, such as Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven"), especially when said song doesn't showcase the band at their best.
Want some great Cheap Trick tunes? "Stiff Competition" and "He's A Whore" are underrated should-be Rock classics but I reckon "Surrender" is a far better signature song, even if I don't personally like it that much. It's catchy, it's more of a Rock song and it's one of their biggest hits, if not THE biggest.


4. "Jump" - Van Halen
I've talked about this song on the blog before and I still believe it's an "upbeat, Hard Pop poster child for the Disney generation's definition of "Rock"" that barely begins to reflect the band's music. It's too clean and friendly to represent Van Halen, not to mention the fact that the main riff and half of the solo is played on a fucking synth. I'd be curious to hear what the song actually sounds like played entirely on guitar, although I reckon it wouldn't sound much better anyway.
To be honest, you could pick practically any of Van Halen's singles and choose a more appropriate signature song than "Jump" but to save you some time, I'd vote for either "Runnin' With The Devil", "Hot For Teacher" or "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". I guess "Eruption" would also fit the bill, if you can call that a song. Signature solo, easily. Signature song, doubtful.


5. "Wheels Of Steel" - Saxon
I personally believe Saxon's lack of success when compared to other British Metal bands is due to this song being so popular. It's a mediocre Metal track designed to be played on the radio and destined to be used on Hard Rock compilation albums, nothing more or less. The riff is simple, the solo is basic and the song's structure gets repetitive pretty fast. The average Metal fan wanting to learn more about Saxon would probably write them off as a generic outfit if this was the first song they listened to.
However, anyone who's given the band a fair chance will tell you that they have much, MUCH better material that truly represents their sound and aggression. Songs like "Princess Of The Night" and "Power And The Glory" (even if the latter is a little similar to "2 Minutes To Midnight" - Iron Maiden) should come straight to mind when you think of Saxon, even "747 (Strangers In The Night)" would do.


6. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey
Another song I've discussed before and another song that is too "Disney" to be reflect this Arena Rock band. I'm aware the show Glee shot this song back into mainstream popularity but it was hardly a B-side before that fucking show or even before Family Guy used it once. What I can't understand is why this track became Journey's signature song. It's not based around an epic riff or solo (in fact, the song's chord sequence has been recycled throughout Rock since Pachelbel's Canon) and the lyrical themes are pretty trite, even for 80's Arena Rock standards.
Compare this to tracks such as "Wheel In The Sky" with better overall guitarwork or "Any Way You Want It" with much more of an upbeat sound. Hell, even "Stone In Love" from the same album would've been more enjoyable to listen to, although probably less enjoyable to sing along to.


7. "Master Of Puppets" - Metallica
Don't get me wrong, I like this track! It's loaded with awesome riffs and the first section of the song is a perfect example of Metal done right. However, I would argue that this is a poor signature song for the band. Most Metallica songs start with a soft section before getting more aggressive, whereas this track starts fast and slows everything down in the middle. Also, I still maintain the controversial opinion that this song has a pretty weak solo. It takes ages to build up and then it's over before you know it, unlike other Metallica songs that get the balance between song and solo spot on.
It's tricky to nail which songs would be better suited, as the band has two distinct sounds. If you want a signature song to reflect the band's Thrash Metal material across their first four albums, something like "Battery" would probably be more suitable. However, if you want a signature song for the band's music that softened into plain old Metal, "Enter Sandman" is the only track to choose.


8. "Aqualung" - Jethro Tull
Again, I can't fault the track from a standalone viewpoint. Perfect solo, decent riff, great structure, a top notch song. However, anyone who's listened to more than about four Jethro Tull songs will tell you that "Aqualung" is the odd one out. For starters, it actually has a proper guitar solo. It's also pretty fast paced during the middle section. Oh, and then there's the matter of the missing flute! Ian Anderson's flutework is a staple of Jethro Tull's music in itself so a track that lacks it seems like an odd choice for the band's signature song, even if it is a great song.
When it comes to Prog Rock, signature songs aren't really commonplace unless it's one of those Prog-Gone-Pop bands such as Genesis or Yes. Jethro Tull never really went as Pop as other bands in the same genre but if I had to pick some replacement signature songs, I'd probably go with "Living In The Past" or "Locomotive Breath".


9. "Since You Been Gone" - Rainbow
After Richie Blackmore left Deep Purple and formed Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio, he essentially created another Deep Purple but with more fantasy-inspired lyrics and complex music. This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that "Since You Been Gone" is the band's most well known song among casual Rock fans. This song is as basic as they come with a simplistic riff and catchy chorus, likely written due to the departure of Ronnie James Dio. It's not a bad song but it's nowhere near as awesome as the average Rainbow song.
Even tracks written after this had better riffs and solos more appropriate for Rainbow. Songs such as "Stargazer", "Kill The King" and "Long Live Rock & Roll" should spring to mind when you think of Rainbow, not this track.


10. "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
Much like other songs/bands on this list, this is one of several signature songs belonging to the group. However, unlike those entries, I've started to run out of ideas by number 10 on this list so stick with me through this and we can make it to the end together. I like "Paranoid" and Black Sabbath but when you listen to this track in comparison to the rest of the band's material, I would argue that it isn't as representative of their pioneering Heavy Metal music.
Obviously "War Pigs" and "Iron Man" are regarded as some of the other signature songs but if I had to rank them in any order, "Paranoid" would either be right at the bottom or not at all. Superb track but not as heavy as better known tunes by the band.

Once again, let me know if there are any inferior signature songs you believe I've missed either on the comment section or via Twitter.

How To Make A Memorable Music Moment

Apologies for the missing blog post last week as I was recovering from what I can only describe as the perfect storm of a chest infection and a bit of a cold. I'm feeling a bit better now so I'm coming back with a bang or at least a noisy whimper.

I'm sure you've all seen a TV show or film that uses a song so well that it skyrockets both the TV show/film/video game and that song's popularity for a few days on social media. Maybe it was used to choreograph a fight scene, maybe it enhanced a running gag or maybe it simply played in the background in place of unnecessary dialogue during a plot-advancing montage.
Either way, there are ways to go about choosing a great song to enhance a moment and hopefully this blog post will teach you some of those ways...or, at the very least, make it look like I know how to teach you those ways.

1. Know Your Moment
It should go without saying but it's important to make sure you understand the emotion behind your moment. Once you know whether you want to make the audience laugh, cry or sit with eyes transfixed on the screen, it'll be a lot easier to choose the right song. If you want to make a moment funnier, you're probably better off choosing a song with context-appropriate lyrics. If you want to make a moment emotional, choose a song that doesn't overshadow the drama on-screen. If you want to make a fight scene awesome, choose a Hard Rock song. Any Hard Rock song, you probably won't fuck it up.

2. Choreography
Whatever's happening on screen has to match up with the song you choose. I'm not saying it needs to hit each literal beat like the "Don't Stop Me Now" scene in Shaun Of The Dead but if you're doing a car chase, a fast-paced 4/4 song is the most sensible option and if things are happening in slow motion, you want a track with a BPM below 100. I suppose those points would apply to the first point more than this one so let's talk more about ACTUAL choreography.
If you're starting off calm and building up to something explosive (whether it's a fight, death or moment of betrayal), you're better off finding a song that syncs up musically to what's happening on screen, even if it means a bit of creative editing. Sure, it's hardly an inspired move but if you pick the right song, it'll sound and look awesome. If you know and love your music, you'll find it easy to pair the rhythm of a song to the rhythm of what's happening on screen.

3. Well Known Or Not Well Known?
Let's say you've got your moment sorted out and just need to decide which song to play over it. You've narrowed it down to two perfect choices; one of them is relatively unknown but fits the scene perfectly, the other is a household track that also fits perfectly but will probably cost more to license and may have been used way better in a different show. Well, each case is unique but if the song has been used in an iconic scene(s) before then you're probably better off using something different and creating a brand new moment with a song that people will mostly associate with your scene.
At the same time, sometimes moments are elevated because the song is well known but fits perfectly with what's happening too. I remember the TV show Supernatural using "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" during a scene where a jogger is killed by a Reaper. The great thing about using that track was that the song's riff is well known enough for the average person to instantly connect the dots after hearing it, meaning they could let the music do the talking whilst the action happens on screen. As I said, each case is different but it's definitely worth researching whether or not people have probably already made psychological connections between a song and a great scene.

4. Don't Oversaturate
If you get one awesome moment thanks to the perfect use of a song, you've done something right. If you get two in one episode/film/game, you'll be lucky. Any more than that is an extreme rarity with good reason. Having one or two memorable music moments means your work is more focused and the moment is one of the highlights of the production, whereas having several in a short space likely means each moment is decent but none truly memorable in the grand scheme of things.
You can compare it to a finite quantity of awesome that each episode or whatever is allowed and the more you spread it out through moments attempting to be memorable, you more diluted each moment will become. Obviously you want to make your production memorable in more than one way but if you try to pack it full of Wayne's World "Bohemian Rhapsody" clips, you risk bombarding the viewer with too much.

5. Context Is Everything
This is essentially a summary of the previous points all rolled up into one final observation. If there's a creative way you can use a song's title/chorus to mean something other than what the songwriter intended, that can potentially create an awesome moment. Once you've picked your song, listen to the lyrics and see if they also link to what's happening in the episode/film/game. If not, maybe you'd be better finding another song or maybe you need to think about which part of the song to emphasise. Finally, is the audience going to have any kind of negative connotation with hearing that section of music in that way? If not, sounds like you have the makings of a memorable music moment!


If I don't post anything tomorrow, I'll aim to get two posts done next week although one will almost certainly be video game related.