Six Song Sunday

Dovetailing off last week, I thought I would share six more songs you may not know, or haven’t heard in a long, long time. Hopefully you’ll find something to enjoy.

“Woman of 1,000 Years” – Steve Stevens’ Atomic Playboys

Steve Stevens is best known as Billy Idol’s longtime collaborator. He’s the guitarist on some of Billy’s biggest songs like “Rebel Yell”, “White Wedding”, etc. In 1989, he left Billy’s band and embarked on a solo career and other projects. They reunited years later, and Steve still plays with him to this day.

“Sleepless Nights” – Dokken

Off 1987’s Back For The Attack album. One of the lesser known cuts off this disc, which also featured the song “Dream Warriors”, from Nightmare on Elm Street. This one is an upbeat rocker, with a killer riff and solo, courtesy of guitarist George Lynch.

“Killer Queen” – Jorn

Jorn Lande is a Norwegien rock/metal singer who is not well known to mainstream fans. He has been in numerous bands over the years, many of them based in Europe. I first heard of him when he released a tribute song to the late, great Ronnie James Dio. He has released multiple albums over the years, including four covers albums. While some would say covering Queen is blasphemy, I do enjoy Jorn’s version of “Killer Queen” and a lot of his other covers as well. He treats the songs with respect, and has a very good voice, in my opinion.

“House of Doom” – Black Label Society

Another of Zakk Wylde’s projects, Black Label Society is his rock/metal band when he’s not playing with Ozzy. That said, this song is off the album Hangover Music, which was more in the vein of the material he normally releases under his own name. While I love the heavier BLS fare, this is probably one of my favorite songs from them. I absolutely love the solo in this one. It just plain soars.

“One Foot Out the Door” – Van Halen

Fair Warning, released in 1981, was a bit of a departure from normal Van Halen fare. It was darker and grittier overall, and was written during a time when Eddie was considering leaving the band. Even going so far as talking to Kiss about joining them to replace Ace Frehley, according to legend. Thankfully, Paul and Gene convinced Eddie he would be far too constrained within the Kiss framework, and Eddie’s brother Alex, also convinced him to stay in the VH fold. The resulting music is possibly Eddie Van Halen at his pissed off finest, and no song may capture that than “One Foot Out the Door.” The song is a frantic ode to a cheating woman and her lover. There is a rabid aggression throughout, and the solo that closes the song may be one of the dirtiest pieces of fretwork EVH ever committed to vinyl.

“That’s Not Her Style” – Billy Joel

Off the 1989 album Storm Front, which is best known for “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “I Go To Extremes”, “That’s Not Her Style” was also released as a single, but only reached number 77 on the charts. The song is an ode to then-wife Christie Brinkley, and the rumors most celebrity couples face under constant paparazzi scrutiny. I first heard this song in the Persian Gulf, when I borrowed the cassette from one of my squad mates, and absolutely loved it. It’s slightly more “rock” than a lot of Billy’s later music, and in my view, an underrated gem.

I hope you enjoyed these selections and have a fantastic day. 🤘