SIX PACK OF ROCKERS YOU NEVER HEAR ON THE RADIO VOL. 6

Every so often when i start reminiscing i think it might be about time
that i write another long awaited blog in the six pack of rockers you
never hear on the radio series. Tonight i`m almost in the mood to
do it, so i`ll give it a go. For those who haven`t been following this
blog or Badrick Unadulterated for long, the first four SIX PACK OF
ROCKERS YOU NEVER HEAR ON THE RADIO blogs appeared on
BU, the fifth one, was on Lost Treasures. The first three proved
to be very popular with people overseas who linked it left, right
and centre, but i have to admit that the overseas links have been
really drying up lately, almost as much as the amount of comments
i`ve been getting to my blogs from my domestic audience in aussie.
Arrr well, writing to yourself can be a very self consciously reward-
ing experience they say, so maybe it`s not so bad being this unpop-
ular LOL. OK, song number one on the sixth volume of the Six Pack
of Rockers You Never Hear on the Radio Vol. 6. Being an aussie, i
would like to start proceedings once again like i did with Volume 5
with an aussie rock song of the 80`s, and DRAGON is the band. The
band is best known perhaps for songs like `Rain` and the touching-
ly philosophical `Young Years` from 1989, my pick for number one
on tonights countdown is Tommy Emmanuel`s guitar gem `Dreams
of Ordinary Men`, an uproarious and inspiring anthem which sees
Marc Hunter in full vocal flight and Emmanuel, who was a tempo-
rary addition to the band, cook up a brilliant stadium worthy
performance on guitar. Dragon were perhaps always a bit light
on and tinny sounding with some of their 80`s pop output, but
`Dreams` was a wonderful exception. Song number two tonight is
one from the king of swamp rock, who else could that be besides
John Fogerty. Fogerty brought out a long awaited solo album in
2004 called `Deja Vu All Over Again`, and the song which really
tickles my fancy off it is a souped up grungy rocker called `In
The Garden`, the final track on the album. Fogerty was always a
bit of a Led Zep head, even if he didn`t know it himself, and i
reckon this song really pumps iron. The rest of the album in ma-
ny places is actually quite forlorn and acoustic, one song that
i have to mention besides the one getting the nod for number
two in the six pack Vol.6 is the witty `Wicked Old Witch`, both
songs are almost on a par with each other. Number three song is
a black metal song, ewww arrr, Timbo`s turning into a bad arse.
I wouldn`t want my daughter to go out with this guy, but being
honest i have to say that he is one of the most convincing vo-
calists and storytelling lyricists in the history of heavy metal
He is Ronnie James Dio, the singer who was the replacement
for Ozzie Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980 and a purveyor of
really cheesy and eery blues based heavy metal both in Black
Sabbath and as a solo artist. His grinding and spinetingling
thriller `Strange Highways` from 1991, was a change of pace
for Dio in that it was more inspired by thrash metal rather
than traditional blues based metal. But the manner in which
his manic intensity is maintained throughout the song makes
for a great metalhead listen. Song number four also is big
heavy duty stuff, but it`s from the early 70`s rock blues
mould. I am going to write a seperate blog for this dude
when i get the chance, because he was so good and yet so
unrecognised. He is Stan Webb, and his obscure band from
the early 70`s was called CHICKEN SHACK. Fleetwood Mac`s
Christine McVie was once a member, and his professional
association with the entire early Fleetwood Mac line-up
was well known. The song i love of Chicken Shack is one
called `Going Down` from around 1972, influenced a lot
obviously by the likes of the Mac, ZZ Top and a bit of
Hendrix. Not a songwriters award winner by any stretch
of the imagination, but it is one of the best pieces of
proto-type american hard rock around. Time has come
now to be a bit of a cheat and be a pop sellout, just so
i keep in sweet with all the beautiful women who i know
are just swirling their tongue over my blog every night.
I thought i would satisfy their needs by throwing in a
pop rocker from the 80`s called `Loverboy`, by who else
than the love man himself, Billy Ocean. Billy`s biggest
problem was always that he had a weak voice, as well as
the fact that he was a popper and not a rocker hehe. No
fair dinkum, he was okay, but the pretentious and forced
pop rockers like `Get Out Of My Dreams Get Into My Car`,
as well as the goofball `When The Going Gets Tough` were
just too tacky by ten, even by 80`s standards. But `Lover-
boy` and the more soul inspired `Caribbean Queen` were
great songs then & are great songs now. `Loverboy` was
better than the average Ocean fare because he really put
some real emotion into it, and it is genuinely atmosphe-
ric, with just the right amount of pop rock guitar and
finesse. Up to number six and the final song tonight in
the six pack No. 6, and i haven`t drunk anything tonight
except the little nip of port at my brother place a few
hours ago. Bugger it, it might be dinosaur 90`s pop me-
tal, at least it`s not pop pop like Billy Ocean, and i am
talking about the veteran German rockers The Scorpions,
and i just love their anthem from the early 1990`s called
`Crazy World`, one of the more convincing songs from one
of the more convincing heavy rock/metal bands. The song
came out around the same time as their worldwide megahit
`Wind of Change`, a song featuring one of the most unbe-
lievably controlled displays of whistling from the guitarist
whiz Rudolph Schenker. Of course you have heard the song,
and maybe you have heard `Crazy World` which was more in
the vein of Def Leppard but a lot more blues heavy than
that band generally is. I`m off to bed to keep all them
women happy, Billy Ocean can only entertain so many.