Songs About Cities, Counties, States, Nations, Planets, and Galaxies

[Vyn]

Digging all the Saxon love around here!

This one centers on Nargothrond, a fortress in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. As I consider these songs, there are almost as many rock songs about Middle-Earth as there are country songs about Texas. But not much in the other way around

Anyway, this is, "Mirror, Mirror," by Blind Guardian. It is the ninth song on their 1998 release, Nightfall in Middle-Earth. As you can imagine, there is a metric fuck-tonne of music on that album about hairy midgets and shit.

For your listening pleasure:

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Forgot to post yesterday, so I'll try and do a second one later today...


Pick no. 3

Big Country - We're Not In Kansas

From the 1993 album The Buffalo Skinners - a patchy album at best, but when it gets it right it can be really good.

[Charger]

I had Blind Guardian's Nighfall In Middle Earth album back in the day but I didn't really get into it and sold it...never really liked Hansi's vocals to be honest..But that's a good song though.



My fourth pick shall take us to Leningrad at hight of the Second World War.


BLAZE BAYLEY - CITY OF BONES

Telling the story of how during the very long siege of Leningrad the Russians endured and survided the Nazis siege of the city that lasted over 2 years and 4 months. With very little provisions and food...most of the people there were reduced to mere skeletons because of starvation.

From Larry's drum intro to the monster riffs and the near prefect vocal delivery of Blaze makes this song a masterpiece!

[Zzzptm]

Oooh that is some STRONG, grim history. I'm liking that.

I first heard this song as an intro to The Drew Carey Show, done by The Presidents of the United States, and then tracked down Ian Hunter's original. I give you "Cleveland Rocks":

 

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I think I've caught up now with my 4th choice...

Rush - Xan... er, A Passage to Bankok

I think Xanadu was too obvious for my choice of Rush song, especially as they have a wealth of songs to choose from. A Passage to Bankok from 1976s "2112" album just proves the album isn;t all about the title song, this is easily one of the greatest 3 minute songs ever.

[Vyn]

Passage to Bangkok is a great tune indeed!

This tune from 1976 is the title track and suffers from Stairway to Heaven syndrome: a good song played on the radio so much it sucks now. But it is a good song, and very evocative of a place. The Eagles with Hotel California -

I was reading the Wikipedia article about the Hotel California album, and had to share this bit, fucking awesome haha:

" While the band were recording the album, Black Sabbath were recording Technical Ecstasy in an adjacent studio at Criteria Studios. The band was forced to stop recording on numerous occasions because Black Sabbath were too loud and the sound was coming through the wall. The last track of the album, "The Last Resort", had to be re-recorded a number of times due to noise from the next studio."

[Zzzptm]

Passage to Bangkok is a total banger and Don Felder's solo in Hotel California is what keeps that song fresh for me.

And those crazy kids in Black Sabbath with their heavy rock and roll noise!

Another city on the Great Lakes that's famous for its rock and roll heritage is Detroit. And say what you want about Kiss, I don't care, I'm probably saying the same things, too. But "Detroit Rock City" is a great track about the city they grew up in. Hometown heroes singing the praises of their mother city.

The video is obviously a few archive scraps patched in to try to match the studio track, but it's an interesting look at the Kiss of 1976 and the production values we had back then.

[Vyn]

Weren't they all from NYC, not Detroit? Or did they just wonkify the name of the song, but are really singing about NYC?

[Charger]

I think they were New Yorkers...part from Gene ofcourse who was from Israel.

But Detroit was a big rock city at the time so I believe that's why they wrote a song about it.




My 5th pick is about a fictional place.


JUDAS PRIEST - HELL IS HOME

This is a story about a man who in life was hated and scorned by everyone (much like me) and finally found his home in Hell which he soon became to rule.

The soft intro leading to the ultra heavy verse is pure brilliance and Tim's vocals especially on this live version are nothing short of AMAZING!

Killer tune and it hit very close to home lyrically for me.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Never been much of a Kiss fan but that's one of their better songs.

Pick Number 5

Gustav Holst - "Mars" from The Planets Suite

Not a fictional place, but a place mankind has never visited. I'm not a huge classical fan, but I know I like some of it. Mars is my favourite piece but I could have gone with a couple of the other planets.

[Zzzptm]

My rock and roll pick number six is...

New Orleans!

Originally done by Gary U.S. Bonds back in the day, Gillan took it and added a bit more speed and thunder to make it a proper heavy rock selection.

The original is great fun, but I *really* like the metalled-up version here. 

[Charger]

^^
That is another winner for Ian! Great rock 'n roll tune that one!


I'm going to the sands of SAHARA with this Nightwish tune

This is a great atmospheric heavy opera-like tune. Has a strong middle eastern vibe to it which I like like...and Anette's vocals are suberb here.

[Vyn]

Since I missed yesterday's post - here's two:

Megadeth with Hangar 18. The real-life place where the US Gov hides their alien artifacts!

Followed up by David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" This one popped into my brain immediately upon seeing KDC's post with Holst's composition in it.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Love Hangar 18... and Life on Mars is one of my favourite Bowie songs.

For my pick #6

Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss

My favourite Slayer song, never been a huge fan of them but this is a great song. I suspect I like it because it's a little "commercial"... shock!!

[Zzzptm]

Are we already up to number 7 with these? One day, we need to do a list of 30 songs so it goes a whole month.

Time for Rainbow doing Gates of Babylon!

The footage is from a live performance in a studio. I always liked those early videos that didn't do lip syncs, but did concert or performance footage. The music does *all* the talking on this video, although there's a wicked glare from Blackmore at the camera that's fated to do a close-up of his solo. He's just centimeters away from being Blackmore's next optical victim!