Coverocktober Song #10: "30 Days in the Hole" by Mr. Big

I intended to post this Friday, but I made the wise last-minute decision to grab a ticket to see Violent Femmes at the Salt Shed, so my intentions were laid to waste by American music, which I do, in fact, like.

Anywho, the second Hair Band Friday selection for this Coverocktober comes courtesy of Mr. Big.  While best known for their ballads, like their #1 hit "To Be With You," their Top 20 hit "Just Take My Heart," and their Top 30 cover of Cat Stevens's "Wild World," what you may not realize is that Mr. Big could rock just as hard as the rest of 'em.

Their 1989 self-titled debut album featured a cover of Humble Pie's sublime blues rocker "30 Days in the Hole," which the latter released on their fifth studio album, 1972's Smokin' -- the band's first album after founding guitarist Peter Frampton left the band.  Written by lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott, the song is about getting busted for drug possession.  The band released the song a year before they traded $50 and a case of Heineken to Stillwater in exchange for miss Penny Lane.

Mr. Big's version is (or appears to be) a live version, and it closed out their first album.  The cover is a pretty straightforward cover of the original, showcasing the band's ability to rock a couple years before they got branded as a ballad band.