Zharth's Music Log (Revisited)
Week 80: Heat Wave
(Originally finalized on June 16, 2024)
Preface: Looks like we're headed into a major heat wave. The projected forecast is calling for 90 degree temperatures with no end in sight! Very appropriate for the first official week of summer. And what better time to listen to songs about fire? There are a lot of them - one time in college I filled a two hour radio slot with them. This week we'll pare it down to just seven. Grab an icy beverage, and turn the fan up high, because it's about to get hot!
Monday: The Runaways - Gettin' Hot [Live in Japan, 1977]
Comments: Featuring singer Cherie Currie and guitarist Lita Ford, the all-female teenage rock band that launched Joan Jett's career - The Runaways - performs in Japan to an enthusiastic audience. It's Gettin' Hot! I swear, this song plays in my head every time I feel the temperature rising.
Tuesday: The Doors - Light My Fire [The Doors, 1967]
Comments: From their self-titled debut album, in my opinion, this is one of The Doors' greatest tracks. The lyrics are catchy, and there's a lot of room for the instruments to solo, but even more than Robby Krieger's guitar, it's Ray Manzarek's fantastic keyboard accompaniment that defines the sound of the band, every bit as much as Jim Morrison's voice.
Wednesday: Arthur Brown - Fire [The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, 1968]
Comments: While most people probably prefer that other artist who wrote a song simply titled Fire, I actually really like the quirkiness of this swinging psychedelic tune from the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. While not remembered as much to this day, it was in fact a hit single once upon a time. "I am the God of Hellfire, and I bring you - fire!
Thursday: Bob Seger - The Fire Down Below [Night Moves, 1976]
Comments: For a song about fire, this one is quite cool. Narrowly passed over for the False Endings theme - Bob Seger repeats the chorus three times before counting the band back in for one last run through - I just had to include it here. Seger has had a long and illustrious career, but while some of his music can border on pop fluff and yawn-inducing ballads, tracks like this one prove that he could rock with the best of them - when he wanted to.
Friday: Electric Light Orchestra - Fire On High [Face The Music, 1975]
Comments: Switching gears, here's the Electric Light Orchestra with a rather eerie symphonic instrumental titled Fire On High. There's admittedly little this band did that has managed to catch my interest, but this is one of those songs that I latched on to very early in my development as a music fan.
Saturday: Deep Purple - Burn [Burn, 1974]
Comments: Better slather on that sunscreen - you don't want to get a burn! In 1974, Deep Purple introduced the world to their Mark III lineup, replacing singer Ian Gillan and bass guitarist Roger Glover with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. As iconic as their Mark II lineup was, this album cooks as much as anything else they did. (Coverdale would, of course, go on to form Whitesnake, but you should hear Glenn Hughes in the 21st century supergroup Black Country Communion - which has a new album out this month!).
Sunday: Boston - Smokin' [Boston, 1976]
Comments: What happens to a fire when you put it out? It starts smokin'! Admittedly, "arena rock" isn't the coolest subgenre of rock music out there, but Boston's self-titled debut album is a must play, with a raucous energy from start to finish. Congratulations, you've survived the hottest week of the year! (So far...)
Honorable Mention: Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire [Ring of Fire, 1963]
Comments: If you remember my Lines theme, I'm going to do the same thing here and give an honorable mention to another one of Johnny Cash's songs. But there are a ton of fire songs out there - feel free to throw your own favorites onto the pyre.