SONG OF THE WEEK: 7-27-2025

SONG:  "Thin Air"

ARTIST:  Pearl Jam

ALBUM:  "Live At Benaroya Hall"

YEAR:  2004

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Seattle, Washington

YEARS ACTIVE:  1990 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The Pearl Jam song "Thin Air" is a love song that explores themes of deep emotional connection, vulnerability, and the enduring nature of love, even when physically separated. It emphasizes the profound impact one person can have on another's heart, suggesting a connection that transcends physical presence

PEARL JAM DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1991 - Ten (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Diamond

1993 - VS (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 7X Platinum

1994 - Vitalogy (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified 5X Platinum

1996 - No Code (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

1998 - Yield (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

1998 - Live On Two Legs (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2000 - Binaural (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2002 - Riot Act (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2003 - Lost Dogs (Epic Records)

* Peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2004 - Live At Benaroya Hall (BMG Records)

* Peaked at #18 on the Billboard 200

2006 - Pearl Jam (J Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2006 - Live At Easy Street (J Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2009 - Backspacer (Monkeywrench/Universal Music Group)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2011 - Live On Ten Legs (Universal Music)

* Peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200

2011 - Pearl Jam Twenty (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200

2013 - Lightning Bolt (Monkeywrench Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

2017 - Let's Play Two (Republic Records)

* Peaked at #31 on the Billboard 200

2019 - MTV Unplugged (Legacy Records)

* Peaked at #47 on the Billboard 200

2020 - Gigaton (Monkeywrench Records)

* Peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200

2023 - Give Way (Epic/Legacy Records)

* Peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200

2024 - Dark Matter (Monkeywrench Records)

* Peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200

* Pearl Jam also has a bunch of live "vault" releases as well as releasing bootlegs of their live shows through their website*

MY THOUGHTS ON PEARL JAM:

Pearl Jam got their start back in 1990, hailing from Seattle, Washington. Their story is quite long so I'll try to keep it simple! When the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood, died of a drug overdose, MLB members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were not quite sure where they were going to go from there. Gossard began jamming with childhood friend Mike McCready. McCready suggests Stone call Jeff Ament. Demo's are being created. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden asks Stone, Jeff and Mike to help him on some songs as a tribute to Andrew Wood. Add Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron to the mix. Temple Of The Dog is formed! Former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons tells Stone that a buddy from San Diego is a good vocalist. Stone gives Jack a instrumental tape. Jack gives Eddie Vedder the tape. Eddie goes surfing. Puts lyrics and vocals to the songs "Alive", "Once" and "Footsteps". The "Mamasan" trilogy is born. Vedder lays first official vocals on Temple Of The Dogs' "Hunger Strike". Stone Gossard on guitar, Mike McCready on guitar, Jeff Ament on bass, Dave Krusen on drums and Eddie Vedder on vocals form a band called Mookie Blaylock. Band goes on tour opening for Alice In Chains. NBA player, Mookie Blaylock doesn't want band using his name. Pearl Jam is formed! Let me break it down by decade. The 90's! The "grunge" rollercoaster is about to begin! Nirvana's "Nevermind" changes the whole musical landscape and flips it on it's head! Seattle is the spot! Nirvana. Alice In Chains. Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. This is where it's at! Pearl Jam's first 3 albums are historic! 1991's "Ten", 1993's "VS" and 1994's "Vitalogy" catapult Pearl Jam to the top of the mountain. But success and fame are hard to deal with. Since "VS", Pearl Jam has been pulling back from the spotlight. No more music videos. Less interviews. A lawsuit against TicketMaster! When the band released 1996's "No Code", they were clearly trying to reinvent themselves a little bit, as shown by their decision to release "Who You Are" as their lead single. Awesome song but very un-Pearl Jam like for that time! They would close the decade out with 1998's "Yield". Could be my favorite album by the band but that could change day to day! 2000 to 2010. These were some tough years for the band. 2000's "Binaural" and 2002's "Riot Act" were not the band's most sought after records. On top of that was the tragedy that happened at the band's performance at the Roskilde Festival in 2000 where 9 fans were crushed to death during PJ's set. Never shy in their politics, the Bush Administration with their warmongering ways led the band to produce probably their most political album, 2006's "Pearl Jam". A very urgent album and also one of my favorites by the band! The band would finish that decade off with 2009's "Backspacer", maybe the band's most positive album and one that keeps growing on me year after year! 2011 to present. By this point, the albums are more spread out. The band members have growing families and other projects so it takes a little longer to get together and record new material. 2013's "Lightning Bolt" is a somewhat disappointing album. 7 years later the band dropped "Gigaton" in 2020. A much better effort from their previous album. "Who Ever Said" is currently my favorite song. Once again, that can change in a minute! In 2024, the band released their most recent album, "Dark Matter". Produced by Andrew Watt, he got the band to come to the studio and hammer out the songs as a band like they did back in the day and the guys loved the approach and the album shows that it's such a cohesive effort. I think "Dark Matter" will be considered one of the band's best albums in time. Oh. I forgot to mention the drummers.. Dave Krusen on "Ten", Matt Chamberlain ('91 tour), Dave Abbruzzese on "VS" and "Vitalogy", Jack Irons on "No Code" and "Yield" and Matt Cameron ever since! What can I say? Pearl Jam is my favorite band and has been since I heard the opening chords of "Once" on their debut album "Ten". I really believe that the early 90's grunge explosion was the last great era of music. I appreciate the greatness of bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana and Alice In Chains more and more each time I listen to their music. They are still so relevant and I'm always waiting for a new band to come out and have the kind of impact that those bands had. It will happen. Someday, it will happen. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Soundgarden

Temple Of The Dog

Stone Temple Pilots

Mad Season

Alice In Chains

TEN PEARL JAM SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Ok.. I love this band too much to just throw 10 songs out here. I'll list what song is my go to song at this moment on all their albums. And I'll throw in a non album track and a live cover to boot!

Ten - Jeremy

VS - Animal

Vitalogy - Corduroy

No Code - Hail Hail

Yield - Brain Of J

Binaural - Light Years

Riot Act - Save You

Pearl Jam - Life Wasted

Backspacer - Force Of Nature

Lightning Bolt - Mind Your Manners

Gigaton - Who Ever Said

Dark Matter - Dark Matter

non-album track - Yellow Ledbetter

Live Cover - People Have The Power (Patti Smith)

SONG OF THE WEEK: 7-20-2025

SONG:  "All My Lovin'" (The Beatles cover)

ARTIST:  Me First & The Gimme Gimmes

ALBUM:  "Blow In The Wind"

YEAR:  2001

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Francisco, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1995 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The original song "All My Loving," written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a straightforward love song expressing devotion and longing. The lyrics convey the singer's promise of faithfulness while being away from their loved one. The song's themes revolve around the pain of separation and the reassurance of enduring love. The lyrics of "All My Lovin'" remain the same in the Gimmes' version. The meaning, therefore, stays consistent with the original: a declaration of love and commitment, with the singer promising to remain true while separated from their beloved. The punk rock treatment likely adds a layer of energy and perhaps a touch of irony, given the band's often humorous approach to their covers.

ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1997 - Have A Ball (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - Are A Drag (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Blow In The Wind (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Take A Break (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Peaked at #131 on the Billboard 200

2004 - Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Peaked at #197 on the Billboard 200

2006 - Love Their Country (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Peaked at #169 on the Billboard 200

2008 - Have Another Ball (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Peaked at #163 on the Billboard 200

2014 - Are We Not Men? We Are Diva! (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Peaked at #102 on the Billboard 200

2024 - Blow It... At Madison's Quinceanera (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES:

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes are a punk rock supergroup that plays nothing but punk'd up covers spanning many genres. They formed in 1995, hailing from San Francisco, California. The original line-up and most famous line-up for the band was Spike Slawson (Swingin' Utters) on vocals, Fat Mike (NOFX) on bass, Joey Cape (Lagwagon) on guitar, Chris Shiflett (No Use For A Name/Foo Fighters) on guitar and Dave Raun (Lagwagon) on drums. The only remaining members that record and tour are Spike Slawson and Joey Cape. The band started by releasing singles covering such artists as John Denver, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Barry Manilow and many more. Their debut full length studio album would be 1997's "Have A Ball", who's theme was singer/songwriters of the 60's, 70's and 80's. 1999's "Are A Drag" had the theme of show tunes. 2001's "Blow In The Wind" featured 60's classics. 2003's "Take A Break" had contemporary R&B as it's theme. 2004's "Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah" was recorded live at a real bar mitzvah! In 2006, the theme the band shot for was country with their "Love Their Country" release. In 2014 the band had diva's in their crosshairs with the release of "Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!". The band's most recent release would be 2024's live album "Blow It... At Madison's Quinceanera". Me First & The Gimme Gimmes are awesome! What can I say? The way they punk up old classics and R&B songs is incredible. The word I think of when I think Me First & The Gimme Gimmes is fun! It's just fun and super cool how these guys reinvent songs to fit that pop punk/skate punk style. Their live shows are total fun too. It's great to see a band that is so musically tight, yet don't take themselves seriously at all. It's all about fun and some sick covers of some songs you had no idea could be so punk!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

No Use For A Name

Lagwagon

The Bouncing Souls

MxPx

Millencolin

TEN ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Goodbye Earl (Dixie Chicks)

2. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Paul Simon)

3. Sloop John B (The Beach Boys)

4. Straight Up (Paula Abdul)

5. The Longest Time (Billy Joel)

6. Save The Best For Last (Vanessa Williams)

7. Good 4 U (Olivia Rodrigo)

8. Never Tear Us Apart (INXS)

9. Only The Good Die Young (Billy Joel)

10. My Favorite Things (from The Sound Of Music)

SONG OF THE WEEK: 7-13-2025

SONG:  "That's The Way"

ARTIST:  Led Zeppelin

ALBUM:  "How The West Was Won"

YEAR:  2003

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  London, England

YEARS ACTIVE:  1968 - 1980

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The song's meaning is multifaceted, touching on themes of societal pressures, lost friendships, and environmental concerns, making it a poignant and enduring piece in Led Zeppelin's discography. This is a live version of "That's The Way". You can find the original on the band's 1970 album "Led Zeppelin III". 

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 Diamond! 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: 7-5-2025

SONG:  "Black Betty"

ARTIST:  Ram Jam

YEAR:  1977

IN MEMORIAM:

#34 LYNDON BYERS

2-29-1964 / 7-4-2025

I had a song of the week all set up for this week when a hero of mine when I was young passed away last night. Let me explain. I remember watching the Boston Bruins with my Dad when I was 5 years old. I instantly loved them. I wanted everything Bruins. Jerseys, t-shirts, hats.. you name it. I always seemed to gravitate towards the tougher guys on the team. It was Terry O' Reilly and Stan Jonathan at first. Then as I started getting older, it was all about Jay Miller and this new kid coming up through their system. That kid was Lyndon Byers. I loved this dude right out the gate! I loved the mullet. So much so that I grew my own. He would jump between the big club and the minors up until about 1987 when he was locked into the big league club. There are so many fond memories of L.B. growing up. One that sticks out is a game against the hated Montreal Canadiens, when they called up this huge goon called Steve Fletcher. Everyone in the building thought for sure Jay Miller was gonna take this big boy but it was Byers who lined up against him, and even though he gave up height and reach, L.B. took down the giant, all the while Jay Miller and John Kordic had an epic bout on the other side of the rink too. L.B. was never considered the toughest guy in the NHL but he wasn't taking too many back seats either. He beat some of the baddest dudes in the NHL, scoring wins against Todd Ewen, Craig Berube, Tie Domi, Rob Ray and Clark Gillies to name a few! Not only was Byers a tough kid, he was also a totally funny dude. He gave some classic interviews and was always joking around and had a great personality. That's probably why he was a no brainer to be on the radio in Boston on the classic station WAAF on the Greg Hill show. Boston Bruins fans are blue collar people who love guys who leave it all on the ice and stand up for their teammates and L.B. did that throughout his career as a Bruin. Because of his rugged style of play, injuries really plagued him throughout his career. People forget, when Byers was in juniors, he was a pretty skilled offensive player. In his NHL career, it seemed every time he started getting into a groove, he got hurt which sucked. I'm totally bummed out by L.B.'s passing. As a kid, it was common to see everyone sporting Neely jerseys or Bourque jerseys. Me? I had the home and away jersey of big #34. When the B's wore the white jerseys, I had my white L.B. jersey on. When they wore the black, the black Byers jersey was on my back! As me and my friends got older, like mid to late teens, we used to play in organized street hockey leagues at Hockeytown in Saugus, Ma. You guessed it, I wore #34 for my man Lyndon Byers! In the past few years, L.B. shied away from the public mostly. There was a sense that something was wrong healthwise but he kept it pretty private. When the Bruins had their 100 year celebration year a couple years ago, throughout the season they would have celebrations of the different era's of Bruins hockey. The night they celebrated the 80's Bruins teams it was kinda shocking to see L.B. go out on the ice with crutches. Even though you could tell, he wasn't looking healthy, it looked like he was having the time of his life out there, smile ear to ear while the Garden faithfull gave him a standing ovation. It seems like the afterparty with all those guys was L.B.'s last hurrah too. He loved Boston, he loved the Bruins, he loved the fans and he loved his teammates. I heard a few interviews with L.B. and he was just beaming, hanging out with his teammates and re-living old stories of the battles they had went through and all the good times. He really looked and sounded like he was on cloud 9! I'm happy L.B. survived long enough to have that moment. There hasn't been any info out there about exactly how he died but I don't want to speculate. I just want to celebrate him as a player and person. My favorite player growing up. What better way to do that by making my song of the week "Black Betty" by Ram Jam! In old interviews, Lyndon Byers used to say every time they played "Black Betty" at the old Garden he used to get totally fired up! Maybe it inspired him to drop the mitts against some of the NHL's toughest. Rest in peace #34. I'm gonna miss ya buddy.