A-Z CDs - Day 49

406. The Brian Setzer Orchestra - The Dirty Boogie (last listen: 2-5 years) - Another huge part of the swing revival of the mid to late '90s. Setzer, of course, was the lead singer and guitarist of the Stray Cats. The big hit off this was the cover of Louis Prima's jump blues classic, "Jump, Jive An' Wail." Other highlights include the toe-tapping "Switchblade 327" and covers of The Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You," Santo and Johnny's instrumental "Sleepwalk," and the Stray Cats' "Rock This Town."
407. Seven Mary Three - American Standard (last listen: never) - Yet another CD that didn't make it to the United Arab Emirates. It sounds a LOT like White Zombie and/or Rob Zombie, which isn't a bad thing, but the resemblance is uncanny. Holy shit, I'm an idiot. I just got to song number 8, which is "More Human Than Human" by White Zombie. Thus, the CD that was placed in the Seven Mary Three CD case by the Australian architect who left a bevy of CDs behind when he moved to Dubai is NOT Seven Mary Three's American Standard, but actually White Zombie's Astro-Creep: 2000. Now it all makes sense: the thunderous beats, the dark b-horror movie inspired lyrics, the lead singer named Rob Zombie. This actually turned out much better than I would have hoped, since I was kind of dreading having to suffer through Seven Mary Three, especially after yesterday's Schonsheck Debacle. And for those of you wondering, the name of the band and the name of the album are NOT on the CD itself, and the albums were released in the same year, so the "© 1995" was no help.
408. The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols (last listen: 3 months to 1 year) - Released the day before I was born, this is probably the most famous album in punk history and was the band's only album. Other than "Anarchy in the UK" and "God Save the Queen," I quite enjoy "No Feelings," "Bodies" ("It's not an animal / It's an abortion"), "Pretty Vacant," "Seventeen," and "EMI." "Sub-Mission" served as a direct influence on many of the early songs I wrote and/or improvised for Cervical Implosion, including, but not limited to, "Burning Urination," "Should've Used a Hanger, Bitch," and "Syphilis Bitch."
409. Shaft (soundtrack) (last listen: 5+ years) - Isaac Hayes laid down a nice funky, jazzy, and soulful score. Has there ever been a better movie theme than "Theme from Shaft"? I don't think so. You know that cat Shaft is a bad mother--shut your mouth. I'm just talkin' 'bout Shaft.
410. Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Ledbetter Heights (last listen: 2-5 years) - The 1995 debut album from then-18-year-old blues virtuoso guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a good buy for anyone who is into the blues. I saw him on the old VH1 show Crossroads when I was in high school and he was 17, and I couldn't believe some skinny kid with shoulder-length blond hair (who was only a few months older than me) could play a guitar with that much soul. Comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan are legit. I've seen Shepherd live a few times, and he is unbelievable. I saw him open up for Dylan my freshman year at IU, and he blew Dylan out of the water (not that Dylan is a great showman). "Aberdeen," "Deja Voodoo," and "One Foot on the Path" are my favorites off the album.
411. Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (last listen: 1-2 years) - A solid album from these Swedish garage rockers. "Hurry Up Let's Go," "The Comeback," and "Oh Sweetheart" are my favorites.