The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, 461-470

Spill the Wine! 

Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pride n' Joy

I have loved this forever. I went through the SRV mourning after the helicopter crash. He was a technician of the blues, as well as an educator and historian. There's a reason all of rock mourned his passing; he overcame his own addictions while serving others in the music scene. A true loss. 

Velvet Underground, Heroin, White Light White Heat

I'm not as cool as I think I am, as I am listening to Heroin for the first time. I get it, I get the brilliance. Appropriate that Andy Warhol designed the album cover for this. I say this because I never got the horror of the Kennedy assassination until I experienced his series on Jackie Kennedy in off-putting colors. His use of color helped me understand the emotional horror of what happened. 

The same holds true for the song Heroin. Although I've never done the drug, I understand through the use of tempo and instruments how it feels, the rush, and the ultimate let down. Brilliant. 

The Ventures, Walk Don't Run

The Beatles imitated them, Little Steven plays them on his show, and countless guitar gods of the 70s looked to them as inspiration. Me? Meh. But I feel a twinge of guilt, as they inspired the music I do love. So thanks, I guess. 

Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, Be Bop a Lula

Again, a second generation consumer. Paul McCartney did an awesome remake of this during his MTV Unplugged concert. I have the limited edition numbered cassette.

The Wailers, Get Up Stand Up, I Shot the Sheriff

Bob Marley's band! If you don't know these songs, did you really even go to college? 

Jr. Walker and the All Stars, Shotgun

It's the intro music to The Cosby Show! Didn't I just post something again about the conflict of amazing acts by garbage people? Cos brought so much African American culture to the mainstream via his success, like introducing Jr. Walker to the masses. I learned many great morality lessons from watching The Cosby Kids. He did an amazing thing by foregoing his appearance fee at my alma mater, as Entertainment Unlimited miscalculated the expenses of bringing him to campus, which would have bankrupt the organization. 

Sigh, why Bill? I mourn these poor choices on your part because you were truly beloved. And it's too bad, because my reaction here should have been about Junior, not about you. 

T-Bone Walker, Call It Stormy Monday
First off, what a great name. Sink your teeth into that one. Classic blues structure. 

From wiki: Stormy was recorded in 1947. Walker was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Chuck Berry named Walker and Louis Jordan as his main influences. B.B. King cited hearing Walker's recording of Stormy Monday as his inspiration for getting an electric guitar. Jimi Hendrix imitated Walker's trick of playing the guitar with his teeth. Steve Miller stated when he was eight, Walker taught him how to play his guitar behind his back and also with his teeth. Stormy Monday was a favorite number of the Allman Brothers Band; Jethro Tull and Eva Cassidy also recorded Stormy Monday.

War, Slipping into Darkness

War is something else entirely. You can hear funk, soul, reggae, rock and more in there. So distinctly 70s. My personal favorite is the song Summer.