New Music from Classic Rock Artists

(Paul says:)
I bought Journey's new album (it came out on the 3rd of June), and it rocks! I wanted to put some of the songs on this blog, but they're not yet availble, so I pursued a different theme: new rock from classic artists that you will not likely hear on "classic rock" commercial radio.

Incidentally, Journey has another new lead singer, and this one is even better than Steve Augeri (who was better than Steve Perry). He was singing with a Journey cover band in the Philippines when discovered, but he sounds so much like Perry that the band recorded a disc of new material and one of classic Journey - and he sounds awesome! You can buy the 2 disc/1 DVD collecton at Wal-Mart for 11.88 or get it from www.journeymusic.com

I limited my selections to songs released in the past 15 years and since either original members left the band or since the artist declined from the height of his (or its) popularity. Since the playlist automatically shuffles (that's just a feature you have to live with at Finetune.com), I've included a list here of all the tunes. (Sorry for the long list, but it illustrates my point.) In some cases, I would've chosen some or all of the selections from a more recent album that was not available, and I have noted these. I was also limited to three songs per artist (those are Finetune's rules), but I was able to skirt that requirement when the artist's name had variables (such as Sammy Hagar vs. Sammy Hagar and the Wabos). Otherwise, even more good rock could make my point.

The purpose of this entry, so poignantly illustrated to me by the great releases by REO Speedwagon's "Find Your Own Way Home" and Journey's butt-kickin' new record "Revelation" is that cool music is still made, it's just not played on the so-called "rock" stations that would boost the record sales.

Listen here and judge for yourself.

Artist/Track/Album

Aerosmith/Jaded/Just Push Play
Aerosmith/Just Push Play/Just Push Play
Aerosmith/PinkNine Lives
(Honking on Bobo has some cool tunes, too)

America/Chasing The Rainbow/Here & Now
America/Indian Summer/Here & Now
America/Ride On/Here & Now

Boston/Livin' For You/Walk On
Boston/Walk On/Walk On
Boston/We Can Make It/Walk On
(Corporate America was not available)

Bryan Adams/18 Til I Die/18 Til I Die
Bryan Adams/It Ain't A Party - If You Can't Come 'Round/18 Til I Die
Bryan Adams/The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You/18 Til I Die
(11 was not available)

Def Leppard/C'mon C'mon/Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
Def Leppard/Go/Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
Def Leppard/No Matter What/Yeah!

Dokken/Heart To Stone/Lightning Strikes Again
Dokken/Standing On The Outside/Lightning Strikes Again
Dokken/This Fire/Lightning Strikes Again

Eagles/Get Over It/Hell Freezes Over
Eagles/Learn to Be Still/Hell Freezes Over
Eagles/Love Will Keep Us Alive/Hell Freezes Over
(Neither "Hole in the World" nor "Long Road Home" were available)

Eric Clapton/Back Home/Back Home
Eric Clapton/Love Comes To Everyone/Back Home
Eric Clapton/Run Home To Me/Back Home

Fleetwood Mac/Bleed to Love Her/The Dance
Fleetwood Mac/My Little Demon/The Dance
Fleetwood Mac/Temporary One/The Dance

George Harrison/Any Road/Brainwashed
George Harrison/Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea/Brainwashed
George Harrison/Brainwashed/Brainwashed

Iron Maiden/The Legacy/A Matter Of Life And Death
Iron Maiden/The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg/A Matter Of Life And Death
Iron Maiden/These Colours Don't Run/A Matter Of Life And Death

John Fogerty/Hot Rod Heart/Premonition
John Fogerty/Joy of My Life/Premonition
John Fogerty/Swamp River Days/Premonition

Journey/Higher Place/Arrival
Journey/Loved By You/Arrival
Journey/Message Of Love/Trial By Fire
(Revelation was not yet available; neither was Generations)

Lynyrd Skynyrd/Red White And Blue/Vicious Cycle
Lynyrd Skynyrd/Smokestack Lightning/1991
Lynyrd Skynyrd/The Last Rebel/The Last Rebel

Night Ranger/Forever All Over Again/Neverland
Night Ranger/Neverland/Neverland
Night Ranger/Someday I Will/Neverland

Paul McCartney/Dance Tonight/Memory Almost Full
Paul McCartney/Freedom (Live 2002)/Back In The U.S.
Paul McCartney/Run Devil Run/Run Devil Run
(Driving Rain was not available but has some very good songs)

Pink Floyd/Coming Back to Life/The Division Bell
Pink Floyd/High Hopes/The Division Bell
Pink Floyd/Lost for Words/The Division Bell

REO Speedwagon/Find Your Own Way Home/Find Your Own Way Home
REO Speedwagon/I Needed To Fall/Find Your Own Way Home

Ringo Starr/Harry's Song/Liverpool 8
Ringo Starr/Liverpool 8/Liverpool 8
Ringo Starr/R U Ready?/Liverpool 8

Rolling Stones/Love Is Strong/Voodoo Lounge
Rolling Stones/Out Of Tears/Voodoo Lounge
Rolling Stones/You Got Me Rocking/Voodoo Lounge

Rush/Heart Full Of Soul/Feedback
Rush/Malignant Narcissism (Instrumental)/Snakes & Arrows
Rush/Summertime Blues/Feedback

Sammy Hagar/Both Sides Now/Marching To Mars
Sammy Hagar/Mas Tequila/Red Voodoo
Sammy Hagar/Right On Right/Red Voodoo
(Cool songs are also on Ten 13)

Sammy Hagar And The Wabo's/Hallelujah - (studio track)/Hallelujah

Sammy Hagar And The Wabos/I Love This Bar/Livin' It Up
Sammy Hagar And The Wabos/Livin' On A Coastline/Livin' It Up
Sammy Hagar And The Wabos/Sailin'/Livin' It Up

Santana/Da Tu Amor/All That I Am
Santana featuring Los Lonely Boys/I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love/All That I Am
Santana featuring Michelle Branch & The Wreckers/I'm Feeling You/All That I Am

Scorpions/321/Humanity Hour 1
Scorpions/Hour 1/Humanity Hour 1
Scorpions/You're Lovin' Me To Death/Humanity Hour 1

Styx/Can't Find My Way Home/Big Bang Theory
Styx/Dear John/Return To Paradise
Styx/Kiss Your Ass Goodbye/Cyclorama

Ted Nugent/Bridge Over Troubled Daughters/Love Grenade
Ted Nugent/Journey To The Center Of The Mind/Love Grenade
Ted Nugent/Love Grenade/Love Grenade
(Craveman was not available)

The Allman Brothers Band/Don't Want You No More/Peakin' at the Beacon
The Allman Brothers Band/High Falls/Peakin' at the Beacon
The Allman Brothers Band/Seven Turns/Peakin' at the Beacon
(Hittin' the Note was not available)

The Kinks/Hatred (A Duet)/Phobia
The Kinks/Phobia/Phobia
The Kinks/Somebody Stole My Car/Phobia

The Who/Endless Wire/Endless Wire
The Who/Sound Round/Endless Wire
The Who/We Got A Hit/Endless Wire

Toto/Falling In Between/Toto Falling In Between Live
Toto/King of the World/Toto Falling In Between Live
Toto/Taint Your World/Toto Falling In Between Live

Van Zant/Friend/My Kind Of Country
Van Zant/That Scares Me/My Kind Of Country
Van Zant/Train/My Kind Of Country

ZZ Top/Bang Bang/Rhythmeen
ZZ Top/Black Fly/Rhythmeen
ZZ Top/Rhythmeen/Rhythmeen
(Mescalero was not available)

Additional notes on this list: Other bands that make "classic rock" music that haven't been around long enough to be called that include Collective Soul and Gov't Mule. Other solo artists (or members of above listed bands) that I could've chosen include Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Warren Haynes, Gregg Allman, and The Derek Trucks Band. Other bands who have new albums out include (but are probably not limited to) Asia and Whitesnake. And, of course, I could've included stalwarts such as Robert Cray, B.B. King, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmy Vaughan, Robben Ford, The Ford Brothers Blues Band, Susan Tedeschi, and other artists in the very vibrant blues scene.

I hope you love these tunes!

P