SONG OF THE WEEK: 1-26-2025

SONG:  "Autonomy" (Buzzcocks cover)

ARTIST:  The Offspring

ALBUM:  "Want You Bad" Maxi Single

YEAR:  2001

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Garden Grove, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1984 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The song “Autonomy” by The Offspring explores themes of individuality, freedom, and the struggle against societal pressures. The term “autonomy” itself refers to the ability to make one’s own choices and govern oneself without external control. In the context of the song, it reflects a desire for personal independence and self-determination. "Autonomy" is a cover song. The original version of the song is by the band The Buzzcocks and can be found on their 1978 album "Another Music In A Different Kitchen".

THE OFFSPRING DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1989 - The Offspring (Nemesis Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1992 - Ignition (Epitaph Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

1994 - Smash (Epitaph Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 6X Platinum

1997 - Ixnay On The Hombre (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

1998 - Americana (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 5X Platinum

2000 - Conspiracy Of One (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2003 - Splinter (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2008 - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2012 - Days Go By (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200

2021 - Let The Bad Times Roll (Concord Records)

* Peaked at #27 on the Billboard 200

2024 - Supercharged (Concord Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2024 - Supercharged:  Worldwide In '25 (UMG Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE OFFSPRING:

The Offspring formed as a band back in 1984, hailing from Garden Grove, California. Originally, the band went by the name Manic Subsidal, but in 1986, they were officially called The Offspring. The band would drop their debut full length album in 1989, titled "The Offspring". The band was quickly signed by legendary punk label, who wasn't quite legendary yet, Epitaph records. More on that in a second. The band's first album with Epitaph was 1992's "Ignition". Then 1994 happened! The Offspring dropped the album "Smash" and totally blew up! Considered to be one of the main bands of the punk rock resurgence in the mid 90's, The Offspring, Green Day, Bad Religion, Rancid and several more punk bands surged to the top of the charts and into the mainstream. "Smash" became the highest selling album on an independent label, selling more than 11 million units as of this day! The Offspring was now headliner material and they were a hot commodity to major labels. Columbia Records would eventually ink The Offslpring to a record deal. The first album with Columbia would be 1997's "Ixnay On The Hombre". It was a definite departure from "Smash" but still a killer album. Maybe a little more mature. 1998's "Americana" turned out to be another huge hit for the band. It would be the band's highest charting album, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts. In 2000, the band dropped "Conspiracy Of One", their last album to be at least certified Platinum. 2003's "Splinter", 2008's "Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace" and 2012's "Days Go By" all completed the band's deal with Columbia. It would be 9 years till the band's next release, 2021's "Let The Bad Times Roll". This would be the longest stretch between albums for the band. The Offspring's most recent release was the 2024 album "Supercharged". The Offspring are a great band. As I said earlier, they were a prominent reason why punk rock had a crazy resurgence in the mid to late 90's. They are one of the highest selling punk rock bands of all time, moving over 40 million albums worldwide to this day. They play a melodic style of punk rock, a little pop punk, a little skate punk. They can be silly at times but also take on some more serious issues as well. They are well respected and highly influencial in punk rock circles. Though "Smash" was their huge breakthrough album, I actually became a bigger fan of theirs from all their albums after "Smash". I thought all of their albums after "Smash" were way better than "Smash" but hey, what do I know?! Any way you look at it, The Offspring are a top notch band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Pennywise

Bad Religion

Green Day

Rise Against

Social Distortion

TEN THE OFFSPRING SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. All I Want

2. The Kids Aren't Alright

3. Can't Get My Head Around You

4. Days Go By

5. Gotta Get Away

6. Kick Him When He's Down

7. Want You Bad

8. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

9. Make It All Right

10. Let The Bad Times Roll

SONG OF THE WEEK: 1-19-2025

SONG:  "Lovegut"

ARTIST:  Seaweed

ALBUM:  "Despised"

YEAR:  1991

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Tacoma, Washington

YEARS ACTIVE:  1989 - 2014

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

“Lovegut” encapsulates the messy, often chaotic nature of love and relationships while emphasizing the importance of embracing these experiences as part of personal growth. It reflects Seaweed’s ability to blend melodic punk with thoughtful lyricism, allowing for a deeper understanding of human emotions.

SEAWEED DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1991 - Despised (Sub Pop Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1992 - Weak (Sub Pop Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1993 - Four (Sub Pop Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1995 - Spanaway (Hollywood Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - Actions And Indications (Merge Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON SEAWEED:

Seaweed formed as a band back in 1989, hailing from Tacoma, Washington. After releasing several 7" singles, the band put out "Despised" in 1991 which featured some new tracks as well as some old ones. Early on, the band was signed to legendary seattle label Sub Pop. Seaweed's "proper" debut would probably be considered 1992's "Weak". In 1993, the band finished their contract with Sub Pop with the release of "Four". In 1994, the band recorded a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song "Go Your Own Way" which was featured on the "Clerks" soundtrack. Awesome cover! 1995 saw the band release "Spanaway". This album featured the band's highest and only charting single "Start With". That song hit #38 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. In 1999, Seaweed released "Actions And Indications". This would turn out to be their final full length album. Seaweed disbanded not long after the release of this album in 1999. In 2007, the band reunited to play some one off shows, including the 20th anniversary of Sub Pop. Rumors had it that the band was working on a new album, titled "Small Engine Repair", but this album would never come to fruition. In 2011, the band released the double single "Service Deck/The Weight" and in 2014, the song "Rusty Ranch" appeared on a compilation. That would turn out to be the last song Seaweed would release as in 2014, the band broke up for good. Seaweed sort of caught the wave of the grunge explosion but they never quite got over the hump and enjoyed the crazy success of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden. Seaweed was always an underground band. Their style had more in common with post hardcore and punk than it did with the "grunge" sound. Maybe more like Mudhoney for sure. I first caught wind of these guys from that documentary "Hype", which was about the Seattle music scene. Their 1993 album "Four", I think is their best album. For fans of Seaweed, frontman Aaron Stauffer has a new band called Ghost Work which is pretty good and should be on any Seaweed fan's radar. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Mudhoney

Samiam

Rival Schools

Hot Water Music

Local H

TEN SEAWEED SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Start With

2. Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac cover)

3. Kid Candy

4. Antilyrical

5. Let Go

6. Chalk The Cracks

7. Service Deck

8. Free Drug Zone

9. Baggage

10. One Out Of Four

SONG OF THE WEEK: 1-12-2025

SONG:  "In My Time Of Dying"

ARTIST:  Led Zeppelin

ALBUM:  "Physical Graffiti"

YEAR:  1975

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  London, England

YEARS ACTIVE:  1968 - 1980

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

“In My Time Of Dying” serves as a poignant exploration of mortality intertwined with spiritual longing, encapsulating both fear and hope in the face of life’s ultimate end. This is a cover song. The original was from Blind Willie Johnson, written in 1928. The original was called "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed". 

LED ZEPPELIN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1969 - Led Zeppelin (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 8X Platinum

1969 - Led Zeppelin II (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Diamond

1970 - Led Zeppelin III (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 6X Platinum

1971 - Led Zeppelin IV (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 2X Diamond

1973 - Housed Of The Holy (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Diamond

1975 - Physical Graffiti (Swan Song Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Diamond

1976 - Presence (Swan Song Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 3X Platinum

1976 - The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 4X Platinum

1979 - In Through The Out Door (Swan Song Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 6X Platinum

1982 - Coda (Swan Song Records)

* Peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

1997 - BBC Sessions (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 2X Platinum

2003 - How The West Was Won (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2012 - Celebration Day (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON LED ZEPPELIN:

Led Zeppelin formed as a band back in 1968, hailing from London, England. Originally dubbed The New Yardbirds, due to legal issues with members of the original Yardbirds, the band changed it's name to Led Zeppelin. Right out of the gate, the formation of Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, keyboards, mandolin's and whatever else he could get his hands on!, John Bonham on drums and Robert Plant on vocals, Led Zeppelin proved to be a giant amongst men! Their debut self titled album, "Led Zeppelin", smashed down the door of the musical landscape and announced that there was a new sheriff in town! 1969's "Led Zeppelin II" would begin a string of seven straight albums to peak at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts! It would also be their first album to be certified platinum! That means it went at least 10X Platinum! Where Zeppelin's first two albums were heavy, blues based rock and roll, their third album, 1970's "Led Zeppelin III" featured a more acoustic atmosphere, showing that this band could shift on a dime at any moment. Then there was 1971's "Led Zeppelin IV". What can you say? This album has been certified 2X Diamond! It has sold more than 37 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful albums of all time. The song "Stairway To Heaven" I believe was the most requested and most played song of the 1970's! Led Zeppelin was officially the biggest band in the world by this point! 1973 saw the band release "Houses Of The Holy", another album to certified Diamond as well as their next release, 1975's "Physical Graffiti". 1976 saw the band take a bit of a hit for the first time. While the album "Presence" still peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts, it was probably their first album to get some negative reviews, though "Achilles Last Stand" is an epic song. In 1979, the band released "In Through The Out Door". This album was the only Zeppelin album where Jimmy Page was not as involved with the songwriting process as he was for the rest of their albums. It's really a John Paul Jones/Robert Plant album. In the early morning hours of December 10, 1980, drummer John Bonham was found dead in his bed after suffocating on his own vomit while sleeping, or more likely being passed out from drinking. The tragedy was so heavy for the band that they ultimately decided they could no longer continue as a band. No one could replace Bonzo on the drum kit. Zeppelin would release a collection of b-sides and rarities in 1982 called "Coda". They also released some live albums after their break up, most notably 2012's "Celebration Day" which was a live reunion of Led Zeppelin with Jason Bonham, John's son, on drums. The band reunited for a tribute concert for Atlantic Records' president Ahmet Ertegun. This show took place on December 10, 2007 at London's O2 Arena and was one of those shows that everyone wanted to be at. Rumors circulated that maybe the band would get back together for good with Jason on drums but that did not happen. Page, Jones and Jason Bonham seemed to really want to do it but Robert Plant wanted to leave Zeppelin's legacy as it was so the permanent reunion was not to be. Most recently, it appears that the remaining members are all on board with a Led Zeppelin documentary that is in the works so that's great news. Arguably, Led Zeppelin is the greatest rock and roll band of all time. Many say that them and Black Sabbath are the originators of what would become heavy metal and hard arena rock. What a collection of all stars of music Led Zeppelin is! Robert Plant, again, you can argue is the greatest rock and roll frontman of all time. Jimmy Page, you can argue is the best guitarist of all time. Not only that, the music he created for Plant to sing his lyrics over is just some of the best music of all time. Timeless music! John Bonham.. In my mind, he is the best drummer of all time. John Paul Jones is sometimes the unheralded guy of the band but this dude is a legend. His basslines are so tasty and he brought so much to the table as a multi-instrumentalist. Led Zeppelin was just a freight train, especially from 1969 to 1975. Their first 6 albums are just incredible. A truly legendary band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Cream

Pink Floyd

The Doors

Jimi Hendrix

The Rolling Stones

TEN LED ZEPPELIN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Whole Lotta Love

2. Black Dog

3. Immigrant Song

4. Over The Hills And Far Away

5. Kashmir

6. Going To California

7. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

8. Achilles Last Stand

9. Hey Hey What Can I Do

10. Fool In The Rain

SONG OF THE WEEK: 1-5-2025

SONG:  "Tumble In The Rough"

ARTIST:  Stone Temple Pilots

ALBUM:  "Tiny Music...Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop"

YEAR:  1996

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Diego, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1989 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

“Tumble In The Rough” encapsulates a cycle of frustration where the narrator grapples with addiction and emotional pain while yearning for change but feeling stuck in their current reality. The song reflects both an acknowledgment of these struggles and an underlying hope for something better. 

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1992 - Core (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200

* certified 8X platinum

1994 - Purple (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* certified 6X platinum

1996 - Tiny Music... Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

* certified 2X platinum

1999 - No. 4 (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200

* certified platinum

2001 - Shangri-La Dee Da (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200

* certified gold

2010 - Stone Temple Pilots (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

2018 - Stone Temple Pilots (Rhino Records)

* peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200

2018 - Live 2018 (Rhino Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - Perdida (Rhino Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON STONE TEMPLE PILOTS:

Stone Temple Pilots formed as a band back in 1989, originally called Mighty Joe Young. When they signed with major label Atlantic Records, the band changed their name to Stone Temple Pilots. The band dropped their debut album "Core" in 1992. Riding the wave of the grunge/alternative explosion of the early 90's, "Core" would go on to be certified 8X platinum! The album includes the single "Plush" which is arguably STP's best song. The band kept on rolling with their sophomore release "Purple" in 1994. This album was certified 6X platinum! On the band's third release, 1996's "Tiny Music... Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop", the band veered away from the grunge/alternative rock style and really started to incorporate more of a glam rock style. This would also be a time when lead vocalist Scott Weiland's addiction problems began to cause some unrest within the band. In 1997, STP members Dean DeLeo (guitar), Robert DeLeo (bass) and Eric Kretz (drums) formed a short lived band with vocalist Dave Coutts called Talk Show. Weiland released a solo album in 1998 as well. STP worked through their differences to release their fourth album in 1999 called "No. 4". This was a return to their early, heavier sound. In 2001, the band released "Shangri-La Dee Da". This album marked another slight shift in sound, becoming a little more experimental. The record was seen as a bit of a disappointment for the band even though it was certified gold. In 2003, the DeLeo brothers pretty much put it out there that STP was done. In 2004, Weiland joined a supergroup with Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns 'N Roses called Velvet Revolver which went from 2004 till 2008. The DeLeo brothers also formed a supergroup in 2006 with Richard Patrick of Filter called Army Of Anyone. This short-lived outfit only released one album. In 2008, STP again worked out their differences and reformed, releasing a self-titled album in 2010. As the band was working out what they were going to do for the 10 year anniversary of their debut album "Core", in fighting again started to derail the band. By 2013, the DeLeo brothers decided to fire Weiland and all kind of legal battles ensued after that. Ultimately, the DeLeo brothers were awared the right to keep the name Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland would go on to form a band called The Wildabouts and STP recruited Linkin Park's Chester Bennington as vocalist and they recorded an EP called "High Rise" in 2013. Bennington would leave the band in 2015 however to focus on his main band Linkin Park. In 2015, tragedy struck the band and the whole music world when Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in Minnesota. Though Weiland and the band went through some tumultuous times, the news still carried a lot of weight for the remaining STP members. There was always the thoughts of what might have been had addictions not taken over Weiland. In 2017, STP announced new lead vocalist Jeff Gutt and the band released yet another self-titled album in 2018. The lead single of that album "Meadow" showed clearly that STP still had it. Gutt's vocals and delivery are eerily similar to Scott Weiland's. In 2020, the band released "Perdida", an album that is mostly acoustic and played with vintage instruments. The lead single "Fare Thee Well" is an excellent song. Stone Temple Pilots are an incredible band. These guys got some shit early on, critics panning them as grunge light or whatever. Those critics were totally wrong. STP is a band that can stand on it's own and stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of the grunge era. Lead vocalist Scott Weiland had a definite David Bowie and Jim Morrison influence to his style. You could always see that the band was more glam than grunge. "Purple" in my mind is one of the greatest albums of all time. It's a shame that Weiland just couldn't control his addictions because we definitely missed out on more great music from these guys. It's great to see the band still pushing forward with their new lead vocalist Jeff Gutt. He does Weiland justice for sure. It's been 4 years since their last release so hopefully STP has something in the works for the near future. Top 10 band for me for sure.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Soundgarden

Alice In Chains

Temple Of The Dog

Mad Season

Pearl Jam

TEN STONE TEMPLE PILOTS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Interstate Love Song

2. Plush

3. Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart

4. Fare Thee Well

5. Sour Girl

6. Meadow

7. Out Of Time

8. Days Of The Week

9. Between The Lines

10. Andy Warhol (David Bowie cover)