The Friday Five

Friday Five : |ˈfrÄ«dā – fÄ«v| : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button in iTunes and share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up the media player of your choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

“Mud in Your Eye” by Les Fleur de Lys (from Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From the British Empire and Beyond, 1964-1969 (disc 1: Volume 1), 2001)

This tune rocks with a brash, snotty, punk ferocity predates the birth of punk by a good ten years. Les Fleur de Lys never actually released a record; just a handful of singles with a roster of producers and guest musicians that includes Jimmy Page, Glyn Johns, Chas Chandler, and Jimi Hendrix.

“When the Morning Comes” by Hall & Oates (from Live at The Troubadour (disc 1), 2008)

You know, I don’t have a damn thing to say about this track. It’s a perfectly serviceable version of an album cut from the duo’s 1973 release, Abandoned Luncheonette, and really does absolutely nothing for me.

“Bring’ on the Heartbreak” by Def Leppard (from Pyromania (bonus disc: Live – L.A. Forum 1983), 2009)

This, on the other hand, pretty much rocks. I’ve been to more Def Leppard shows than I care to admit, and only once or twice have I heard Joe Elliot be as on point vocally as he is here. Granted, when I first saw Def Leppard it was probably 8-9 years after this was recorded.

“Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath (from Master of Reality, 1971)

It is so bloody simple, but I’ll be dammed if every Metal guitarist in the world didn’t wish they wrote the opening riff to “Sweet Leaf.” This one will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day, likely until I pick up the guitar and pound through this monster riff a few dozen times.

“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix (from The Ultimate Experience, 1992)

Speaking of massive riffs! That pentatonic riff with the gaping wah–taking an otherwise normal blues-rock phrase into the funk stratosphere–is instantly recognizable, and sets the stage for some of Hendrix’s fiercest licks. I still pull this riff out any time I’m playing with a wah pedal in my signal chain.

What’s on your shuffle today?

About the Author

Michael Parr

Husband, Father, Writer, Musical Voyeur, Pop Culture Glutton, Gourmet in Training. I'm the tall guy behind all these short guys. You can find me on the Twitter.

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