The third album by alternative rock band American Hi-Fi was
a pretty big departure for the band. With Butch Walker at the helm as producer,
the album was markedly more lighthearted and melodic than its grittier
predecessors.
“Hearts on Parade” was released in Japan in 2004, but got its US release in 2005.
Most people remember this band for their breakout single, “Flavor
of the Weak”, which just missed the Billboard Top 40 in 2001. The leadoff single
from “Hearts on Parade” was “The Geeks Get the Girls”, but it failed to chart. Nevertheless,
the album reached #129 on the Billboard Top 200.
The track I keep going back to is “We Can’t Be Friends”. The band's sense of humor is on full display in the lyrics, and the chorus is one of the catchiest the band has ever written. Overall, a very slick and memorable
song!
“Troubled Times” may be one of the best albums of the 2000s
that you’ve never heard – but I’m willing to bet you’ll recognize some of the
tracks. While none found its way onto the Billboard Top 100 chart, all 10
songs on this debut album by AM were placed in a TV show or movie.
“Troubled Times” is the 2005 debut album from singer/songwriter AM.
My favorite from the record is the catchy gem, “Playing The
Game” – check it out below.
Singer/songwriter Tim Warren and guitarist Eric Donnelly
formed The Alternate Routes in the early 2000s. You may have heard their single
from 2007 called “Time Is A Runaway”, which the band played on Late Night with Conan
O’Brien, or their more recent song, “Nothing More”, which received airplay on
the popular TV show NCIS. “Nothing More” was inspired by the group Newtown
Kindness, which formed following the 2012 school shooting in the band’s home
state of Connecticut.
The Alternate Routes first released their debut record, “Good and Reckless and True”, in 2005. It was re-released by Vanguard Records in 2007 with different artwork.
“Ordinary” is the lead-off track from “Good and Reckless and
True”, and remains one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. I’m not alone in acknowledging this song's greatness, as it won an Independent Music Award in 2006. Warren is at his most earnest
singing this song, asking “When you die will you be surrounded by friends?” The
song lures you in gently and then builds to a chill-inducing climax – Warren’s
vocal performance towards the end will leave you speechless.
Hailing from Germany, the synth pop band Alphaville struggled
to find chart success in the US despite their notable achievements in Europe. Even
“Forever Young”, the song that comes to mind when most people think of
Alphaville, only reached #65 on the US Billboard chart.
“Forever Young” was the first and most successful album from Alphaville. Released in 1984, it went to #1 in three European countries, yet only reached #180 in the US.
The sound of 80s synth pop is unmistakable, instantly dating
the song to that era. Wildly popular at the time, especially in dance clubs, it
is a bygone genre. Many people still love it for nostalgic reasons, but buried under
all those keyboards were some mighty good songs.
I submit that “Fallen Angel” by Alphaville as one of them.
It gets off to a fairly unremarkable start, but then launches into one of the most beautifully addictive choruses of the decade.
Another hidden gem on this release is the peppy song, “Lies”.
The mighty Aerosmith needs no introduction, but there is a
deep track on their massively successful album, “Get A Grip” that deserves
highlighting.
“Get A Grip” became Aerosmith’s first #1 album in 1993. Despite the grunge takeover, this traditional rock record spawned four top 40 singles and went platinum 7 times.
Aerosmith was one of the few classic rock bands that sustained
a string of hits during the 90s after grunge put most glam/hair band/hard rock
bands to bed. The four singles released from “Get A Grip” that hit the
Billboard Top 100 were all power ballads and doctored by hit-makers who knew
how to make something radio-friendly.
The strategy worked well, but as a consequence there are
some great rockers on “Get A Grip” that went overlooked. One of the best is
“Fever”, a rousing rocker in the finest Aerosmith tradition that needed no
tweaking by so-called “song doctors”.
In a rather unexpected move, country superstar Garth Brooks
later covered this Aerosmith tune as “The Fever”, with altered lyrics. In an
even more unexpected move, Steven Tyler will be releasing a country album this
year.
Despite the album’s success, and the many others in
Aerosmith’s impressive catalogue, the band never hit #1 on the singles chart
until 1998 with “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”, written by Diane Warren for the
Bruce Willis movie “Armageddon”. Incidentally,
Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv co-starred in this movie.
Alien Ant Farm, a modern rock band audacious enough to
title its debut indie record “Greatest Hits”, quickly found success in the
early 2000s. Their major label debut, “ANThology”, soared to #11, buoyed by
their kickass cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”, which went to #23
on the Billboard Top 100. To this day, "Smooth Criminal" stands as the only charting single for this underrated band.
The band’s 2003 sophomore effort, “truANT”, would not
meet that level of success, largely due to folding of the record label. Solid
singles like “These Days” and “Glow” mustered considerable airplay, but many of
the other potential hits on this fine record went unheard.
One of the overlooked cuts includes “Drifting Apart”, a
song about the different directions people go. A very cool pre-chorus builds up
to a righteous chorus that will be stuck in your head all day.
I’ve waited a long time for the follow-up to the outstanding
2005 debut, “Manifesto
of a Broken Heart” by the UK power pop and rock group, The Ravines. “Everything’s
Fine” came out this year and was certainly worth the wait.
There’s no shortage of fantastic, melt-in-your-ear songs on
the new record, but the title track is easily one of the catchiest tunes I’ve
heard in a long time. I’ll be reaching for this one anytime I need a little
pick-me-up.
Pioneers of the grunge movement, Alice in Chains needs no
introduction for most people. Carried by the distinctive wail of the great
Layne Staley (R.I.P.), their gloomy songs often had at least one melodic
section that helped the band score some major crossover hits. While few
actually charted on the Billboard Top 100, most everyone knows classics like “Man In The Box” and “Would?”
The band’s second full-length record, “Dirt”, was released in 1992 and buried its competition by going 4x platinum and reaching #6 on the Billboard album chart.
“Them Bones” was the lead-off track from their biggest selling record, “Dirt”. Short and to the point, this gritty rocker grabs
your attention and leaves you wanting more. Songwriter and guitarist Jerry Cantrell
propels this song with a meaty riff that augments Staley’s cries before they
launch into this meditation on mortality.
Cantrell reportedly had this to say about the
song’s meaning: "I was just thinking about mortality, that one of
these days we'll end up a pile of bones. It's a thought for every human being,
whether you believe in an afterlife or that when we die, that's it. The thought
that all the beautiful things and knowledge and experiences you've been through
just end when you end scares me, the thought that when you close your eyes for
good, it's gone forever."
“Dirt” is filled with songs about addiction, but another standout
track is “Rooster”, which was written as a tribute to Cantrell’s father and his
service in the Vietnam War.
Their follow-up release, “Jar of Flies”, was the first EP to
debut at #1 on the album chart and contained their biggest Billboard hit, “No Excuses”, which went to #48. The EP was written and recorded in just one week,
largely as an acoustic outing, following the tour to support “Dirt”.
Composed of members from the bands Heart and Sheriff,
Alias was one of those dime-a-dozen hard rock bands capitalizing on glam and
hairband trends just before grunge shampooed the scene.
Released in 1990, the self-titled debut record from supergroup Alias reached #114 on the US Billboard 200.
Like most “hard rock” bands at the time, the power ballad
was the main attraction and their best shot at chart success. Alias proved no
exception and almost hit #1 with their monster hit, “More Than Words Can Say”,
which would have been a repeat success for lead singer Freddy Curci – his
amazing voice topped the charts when Sheriff re-released “When I’m With You” in 1989.
Alias almost hit the top 10 again with the pleasant mid-tempo
number, “Waiting For Love”.
The album had a string of other potential hits, but the music landscape was
changing rapidly. I always thought “True Emotion” was one of the best tracks on
this record – it probably would have hit top 10 if released just a year or two
earlier.
Alias released a long-awaited follow-up record called “Never
Say Never” in 2009, most of it containing material recorded in 1992.
Arthur Alexander, an R&B singer/songwriter from Alabama,
should have been just as much of a household name as Smokey Robinson, Sam
Cooke, or Otis Redding. Alexander skillfully blended Southern soul with a dose
of rock n’ roll. More than just a performer, Alexander wrote several of his
biggest songs. While none of them scored that high on the charts, several
legendary artists recognized his brilliance and covered them.
This compilation from Razor & Tie released in 1993 is an excellent introduction to the genius of Arthur Alexander. Sadly, he passed away that same year after suffering a heart attack.
His biggest hit was his first, “You Better Move On”,
shooting up to #25 in 1962. “You Better Move On” serves as a warning to a rich
suitor who has eyes for Alexander’s woman. This masterful song was rerecorded
by a number of other artists, most famously The Rolling Stones and The Hollies,
but I think Alexander got the attitude just right.
“Anna (Go To Him)” was another notable hit for Alexander,
although it only reached #68 on the charts in 1962. None other than The Beatles
rerecorded a version of this song in 1964. The song resurfaced in an episode of
Married…With Children when Al Bundy
struggled to remember the song.
In addition to writing these smoldering ballads, Alexander
could rattle the house down with party anthems such as “Pretty Girls
Everywhere” and “A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues”.
I saw the delightful animated movie, “Shaun The Sheep” this
weekend (which I highly recommend for all ages, by the way) and I still can’t get this irresistibly catchy ear worm out of my head:
“Feels Like Summer” is an uplifting song done in the grand
tradition of The Beach Boys with lots of great harmonies and hooks. This is by the
same Tim Wheeler from the alternative rock band, Ash.
Bryan Adams is no stranger to the music charts. He made his
first appearance on the Billboard charts in 1982 with “Lonely Nights” reaching
#84, and his second appearance with the top 10 classic, “Straight From The
Heart”. His trademark rasp and brand of no-nonsense melodic rock made him one
of the biggest artists in the 80s. However, some critics argue that he hit a
speed bump with his 5th album, “Into The Fire”.
“Into The Fire” was released in 1986 and reached #7 on the Billboard album chart.
It is hard to follow-up a mega success. His previous effort
was the monster album, “Reckless”, which spent 2 weeks at #1 and went on to
sell over 5 million copies in the US and over 12 million worldwide.
Adams admits he was at a crossroads after the phenomenal
success of “Reckless”, and these feelings provided the inspiration behind the
album’s terrific title track.
“Into The Fire” is my favorite cut off this darker, moodier album.
Adams was going for more lyrical depth on this record and wrestled with social
and political issues in his songs. Many of the songs plod along and clock in
over 5 minutes. In other words, not the type of album that made Bryan Adams a
household name, and certainly not the type of record radio and fans expected
from him.
An artist always takes a risk when he/she tries something
different, and that should be respected. But many consider this album to be a
failure as it yielded only one top 10 hit (“Heat Of The Night”), and two other
songs that barely made the top 40. It still sold over a million copies in the
US alone, but that pales in comparison to what “Reckless” had achieved.
No worries for Bryan Adams, though. He went right back to
the party rock anthems and grandiose power ballads to come back in a big way
with the smash, “Waking Up The Neighbours” in 1991.
If I had to name one of the most underrated bands of
all-time, The Alarm would be high on the list. They came close to superstardom
during their rise in popularity in the 80s, culminating with their biggest
chart topper in the US – the masterful album, “Strength”.
“Strength” went to #39 on the US Billboard albums chart in 1985.
The title track from “Strength” yielded a modest hit,
reaching #61. But another gem tucked away in this album of strengths is “Father
To Son”. Don't let the title fool you...this isn’t a gushy song - it is a rebel’s anthem. But unlike most
rebellious tunes, the song has a bouncy and happy beat rather than a bunch of heavy
guitars and screaming.
The mix of angst-ridden lyrics with a poppy melody may
reflect the complicated relationships between parents and children. Lead singer
and songwriter Mike Peters once explained
that the song is autobiographic, but added that he loved his parents to
bits.
A special post today, reflecting on the tragic events of
9/11. Bruce Springsteen’s critically acclaimed album, “The Rising”, was largely inspired and written about that horrible day. “You’re
Missing” is a heartbreaking song about a missing family member.
