This Mother Love Bone record, Apple, is better than I remember. Too bad the singer Andrew Wood wasn’t able to manage his state. He died of a heroin overdose before this album was released. On the back cover there is a note: “In memory of Andrew Wood.” At the time I thought they were a little too perfect, too Seattle, too trippy. Some of the lyrics and titles still strike me as a bit uh… something, but the record has plenty of great riffs and hooks. My favorite song is a dirge, “Stardog Champion.” I’m a sucker for gang vocals from a bunch of kids. Check out the video, and stay tuned for the kinders at the end.

More about Mother Love Bone at Wikipedia.

If you’ve heard only one song by Motörhead it’s almost certainly “Ace of Spades” from the album of the same name. There’s an AT&T television ad in heavy rotation, or maybe it’s just the type of shows I watch, that has a burly metalhead singing the song at the end. I’ve seen it so much I had to hear the real thing again.

One fun thing about the Ace of Spades (1980, this version on Profile Records 1986) album is its copious use of that curious percussion instrument the vibraslap. Hear one at Wikipedia. No sound conjures up the spaghetti-western, guns-about-to-be-drawn vibe more than the vibraslap’s rattle. I first became intimately familiar with the vibraslap when I was a percussionist in my junior high band, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. So, it’s probably no coincidence that my all time favorite Motorhead song is “Shoot You in the Back.” Just listen to all that vibraslap.

There are a few other great songs, but despite its fame this is not a consistent record. Unfortunately, there is also some really off-putting stuff like “Jailbait.” Come on, man.

Raw, loud, fast, naked rock and roll power! I will never tire of it, or The Hellacopters. I just read that after a tour of Europe for their new album Head Off they are calling it quits. So sad. We end the week with another great one, Grande Rock, released in 1999 by Sub Pop. I got this record from Olsson’s in Old Town Alexandria, VA. Yes, it is vinyl. Olsson’s was cool enough to maintain a small vinyl section, but I think I had them special order this. My favorites are “Dogday Mornings” and “Venus in Force.” I brought this home and started playing it right away. Mere seconds after the needle hit the groove my daughter Paris, who was five years old at the time, exclaimed “I know that’s rock and roll!” I raise ‘em right.

Oh my goodness, this song rocks! I’m a long time fan of The Hellacopters and “Sign of the Octopus” from their new record Head Off is already one of my favorites. Listen closely for the cutting guitar lick at the end of the chorus. It only happens twice for a cumulative four seconds of rock and roll bliss. Be ready to rewind because you’re going to want more, more and more! And more!

If you’re still standing after “Octopus” check out more of their new stuff at their MySpace page, especially “No Salvation” and “Veronica Lake” and “I’m Watching You” and, well, all of ‘em. I gotta get the scratch together to add this to my Hellacopters record collection.

More Hellacopters coming soon…

I typically play what I’m posting, but today I’m posting what I’ve been playing: Led Zeppelin’s Presence (1976). I had a hankering to hear “Nobody’s Fault but Mine,” but once this record started spinning I rediscovered some other gems like “Hots on for Nowhere” and “Royal Orleans.” There are only seven songs, but I was still surprised to read this album was recorded and mixed in only 17 days. I believe I bought Presence in the mid ’80s when I worked at a chain record store. I was late to the Zeppelin party due to acute punkrockitis.

More about Presence and the cover artwork at Wikipedia.