YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 85 (Paint It Black)
(Originally finalized on July 18, 2024)
Preface: Listening to all these blues has got me thinking about other colors. I've already done a theme based on the rainbow, but I thought I could shine a spotlight on the blacks and whites, since I can easily think of a number of good songs to represent those colors. And we'll start with black - which, it turns out, is a pretty popular color for song titles.
Monday: Led Zeppelin - Black Dog [Untitled, 1971]
Comments: Although the vaguely ominous title is a head-scratcher (legend has it that a black dog visited the studio while Led Zeppelin were recording this track), this song - which features a call-and-response format that was popular in traditional blues - takes its humble subject (yet another rendition of "boy meets girl") and turns it into a musical powerhouse, kicking off Zep's greatest album with an unforgettable bang.
Tuesday: The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black [released as a single, 1966]
Comments: I had to open with Black Dog, but here's the song this theme was named after, from a time when Indian raga music was having a moment among the eminent rock bands of the era. To repeat a story I've told before, I never could relate to Mick Jagger singing about turning his head [away] as the "girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes" - few things brighten my day so consistently. That is, until I realized the narrator is mourning his lover's death... (See, I told you I can listen to a song for years before I realize what it's about :-p).
Wednesday: AC/DC - Back In Black [Back In Black, 1980]
Comments: Opening with one of the greatest riffs in rock history, and undoubtedly one of AC/DC's biggest hits, this title track from the band's follow-up to their break-out album Highway To Hell features the debut of new singer Brian Johnson after Bon Scott's untimely death, proving that sometimes a band can survive a prominent change to its lineup.
Thursday: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) [Rust Never Sleeps, 1979]
Comments: Saving time and money (one presumes) in the recording studio by releasing a live album of all new material (Neil is nothing if not a prolific songwriter), Rust Never Sleeps documents a tour (which has a separate live album associated with it) that revolved around the intriguing format of being half-acoustic and half-electric. This proto-grunge anthem which calls out punk singer Johnny Rotten, and features a phrase that was later used in Kurt Cobain's suicide note, was recorded both ways, but I prefer the amplified version.
Friday: Santana - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen [Abraxas, 1970]
Comments: Although this song was written by Peter Green for Fleetwood Mac (long before Stevie Nicks joined the band) - his version has its own appeal, but I already used it for my Voodoo Magick theme - it cannot be argued that Santana made it their own, their cover version awarding them major success. In a style that is typical for the band, the song itself is followed by an extended instrumental outro.
Saturday: Ram Jam - Black Betty [Ram Jam, 1977]
Comments: Considered for my About A Girl theme, one hit wonder Ram Jam takes an old Lead Belly tune, dials up the distortion, and turns it into a rock 'n' roll tour de force. Kinda makes you wonder why this band didn't have any more hits.
Sunday: Metallica - Fade To Black [Ride The Lightning, 1984]
Comments: As a metal band, Metallica is slightly out-of-bounds for this rock and blues music log (although their presence isn't completely unprecedented), but this song - from the year I was born - transcends genres via its haunting, melodic beauty, coupling expert instrumentation with darkly sensitive lyrics. What a great way to close out this theme.
Afterthought: It amazes me that I can still discover new music from 50 years ago, even by artists I've been listening to for the past 20 years. But how can I possibly have heard it all? While working on another theme, I've been exploring deeper into the music of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, and I've found a perfect track for this theme, by the band that combined Ritchie Blackmore's guitar with Ronnie James Dio's voice - Rainbow. It's called A Light In The Black (from the band's second album, Rising, from 1976), and it has a killer instrumental breakdown. If I were doing this theme today, I would sub it out for Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) - since I'm using that song for another theme now.