YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 96 (Ridin' The Storm Out)
(Originally finalized on September 18, 2024)
Preface: The first weeks of September, it seems to me, are the worst part of hurricane season. The summer is winding down to a close, and the days are just starting to get noticeably shorter. And then you have these erratic weather patterns, creating unpredictable surges where it can feel like fall has already arrived one week, and then it's summer again the next. In honor of these untamed forces of nature, and as a spiritual successor to my Rain Mix theme, this week we're going to explore songs about storms - both literal and figurative.
Monday: Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall [The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963]
Comments: Although his first album introduced the world to Bob Dylan's voice, his second was essentially his songwriting debut. And while it sometimes sounds like he's just making up words as he goes along, Dylan has a way of capturing turns of phrase that resonate. Among other songs that would suit this theme (e.g., Shelter From The Storm), this one best fits the narrative progression I'm building.
Tuesday: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood [Texas Flood, 1983]
Comments: The title track from his debut studio album, I think this is one of Stevie Ray Vaughan's all-time greatest recordings - every bit as good as The Sky Is Crying. As it happens, the title track from Stevie's second album - Couldn't Stand The Weather - would also suit this theme, but it's not as strong an offering, in my opinion. Why settle for second best?
Wednesday: Deep Purple - Stormbringer [Stormbringer, 1974]
Comments: Itself a title track, from the second album released by Deep Purple's Mk III lineup featuring David Coverdale on vocals, the lyric "ride the rainbow" foreshadows guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's departure following this album, to form the band Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio.
Thursday: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Like A Hurricane (Live) [Live Rust, 1979]
Comments: While the best tracks from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - the debut of Neil's electric jam band Crazy Horse - were enough to convert me into a fan, tracks like Cortez the Killer and this song, with its out-of-the-stratosphere instrumental breaks, sealed the deal. Both are featured on the album Live Rust from 1979, but of the two, Like A Hurricane makes the better rival to its studio counterpart, in my opinion.
Friday: The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter [Let It Bleed, 1969]
Comments: There are many periods of interest in the Stones' long and illustrious career, but this song (an album opener!) sits smack dab in the middle of their golden era, between the albums Beggars Banquet and Sticky Fingers. An antiwar ballad for the Vietnam generation, it's one of their all-time greatest hits.
Saturday: REO Speedwagon - Ridin' The Storm Out (Live) [You Get What You Play For, 1977]
Comments: Originally an album opener and a title track, the live performance from You Get What You Play For is the definitive version of this song - it's even used for the band's hits compilations! REO Speedwagon had a few pop hits over the years (some more tolerable than others), but I know them primarily from this live album - which is a rock 'n' roll classic.
Sunday: The Doors - Riders On The Storm [L.A. Woman, 1971]
Comments: We'll close out this theme, appropriately enough, with an album closer - the last song on The Doors' last album. I considered doing a whole theme based on that concept, but band breakups are rarely so final (even when they involve the death of a band member, as did this one). Anyway, this mellow track is a whole mood, and another one of The Doors' finest. Listening to it takes me straight back to my childhood summer vacations.