Guitar Power Songs v2 & Bota Box Riesling

Power Riffs #2

Tonight I’m continuing the Guitar Power Songs. To recap, the songs were selected by several criteria. First, was there a great hook or guitar part that sticks in your mind like a worm devouring your gray matter? Songs like “Frankenstein,” “Smoke on the Water,” or “Jump,” are representative of this category. Second, did the song have such an impact that it’s been re-recorded or covered numerous times? I can’t even count the acoustic guitar versions of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that I see on YouTube (the one by Eric Roche is the best). Third, were they just real guitar anthems like “Thunderstruck” or “Cat Scratch Fever?” Fourth is a miscellaneous category. The song defined an era (think “Hotel California,” and ‘Teen Spirit”). And last but not least, fifth, I just plain liked it.

Tonight I’ve got some of my all time favs like Frankenstein, Jump, Smuggler’s Blues (heard on Miami Vice), an all acoustic Hotel California, and one of my favorite guitar riffs, Enter Sandman. Have a rocking Saturday night…after the football game.

Edgar Winter & Rick Derringer

Frankenstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1mV_5-bRPo

Rock and roll hoochi koo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdHnGyU1yJQ

Aerosmith:

Walk this way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9YrvIZUPg

Nirvana

Smells like Teen Spirit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

Survivor:

Eye of the tiger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4

AC/DC

Thunderstruck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC41dglnM

Highway to hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJQp7Id2ywE

Van Halen

Jump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlq0lYB3iSM

Panama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-NshzYK9y0

Eagles

Smuggler’s Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUFFakjZqFA

Hotel California: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYf4kqnAWos

Bon Jovi

Livin on a prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk

It’s my life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE

Deep Purple

Smoke on the Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mCK05dgwgU

Ted Nugent

Cat scratch fever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me4pO9cqcmU

Derek & the Dominos

Layla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTETsS5Lk7M

Metallica

Enter Sandman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-E-LDc384

One of my favorite wines for anytime drinking is Riesling. With so many songs, you’re going to need a lot of it. So keeping with last night’s theme, I suggest the Riesling from Bota Box (3L/$17.00). It’s an off dry style with flavors of sweet apricots, lemon, and honeyed apples. It’s clean with good acidity and it’s a good sipper or quaffer. Enjoy it with some great guitar classics.

Cheers!

Pump It Up Music & La Vielle Ferme Rose Ventoux

It was 105^o in Lincoln today. That makes the 20^th day of 95^o+ weather we’ve had in a row and the 7^th time we’ve hit the century mark in the last two weeks. It makes it difficult to want to do anything, let alone head off for work on a Monday knowing the temperature’s gonna make Hell look like the North Pole. So to motivate and pump you up for the week, I’ve assembled a collection of my favorite “Pump-Up songs. 

What do I mean by a pump-up song? It’s a song you want to listen to when you’re in the gym and feeling the strain of lifting weights or running on a treadmill or cross trainer. It’s a song that keeps you going when you’re out on a 5 mile run in the heat. It’s a song when you’re traveling cross-country and need a boost to stay awake. And it’s a song when your job sucks and you need something to get you through the drudgery, i.e. I’ve had some really sucking experiences at my job lately and as I listened to my Pandora channels, on two consecutive mornings, AC/DC’s Highway to Hell came on. Ironic? 

These are songs that you crank, that you tap your toes, or feel your body sway to the music. One of my all time favorites is Dire Strait’s Money for Nothing, but all of these will get you going. One caution, be careful if you listen while driving as the next thing you know, you’re 25 over the speed limit and there are flashing blue and red lights in your rearview mirror. Pump it up!

ZZ Top:

Sharp Dressed Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn2-b_opVTo

Gimme all your lovin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4VFFBCa5Aw

Metallica:

Enter Sandman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPJKuygePHk

Aerosmith:
Sweet Emotion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V87ZNemLyRk

Walk this way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2dUXjarX4

Scorpions:

Rock you like a hurricane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI2COawqMJQ

AC/DC:

Highway to hell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n_yvrROCtU&feature=related

Back in black: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gComM_ASfuM

Cream:

Sunshine of your love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16h6vLy6n4A&feature=related

Crossroads: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=becWr0vc6cA

Van Halen:

Panama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-NshzYK9y0

Jump: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlq0lYB3iSM

Orianthi:

Highly Strung: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7b-_YcACuQ

Joe Satriani:

Summer Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vp7TmTfVZI&feature=fvst

Satch’s boogie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzQb79IhoRE

Eric Johnson:

SRV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKYKxXc2D4I

Zenland: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txp2FwL9bE4&feature=related

Stevie Ray Vaugh:

Scuttle Buttin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHEVIWpX2XM&feature=related

Crossfire:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsHXd4rQnW0

Led Zepplin:

Whole lotta love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mln0RciE2o0&feature=related

Dire Straits:

Sultans of Swing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jxsnIRpy2E&feature=related

Money for Nothing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlPjxz4LGak

The weather begs the question, “Why does anyone live in Nebraska?” My wife and I have asked that question a lot lately. Maybe it’s time to move to cooler climes. But when it’s this hot, it calls for something refreshing, like a 2011 La Vielle Ferme Rose Ventoux, Rhone Valley ($10.00). It’s produced by the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel fame. It’s a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault. Beautiful strawberry pink color with aromas of strawberries and cherries that follow on the palate. It’s a very rich, balanced wine that refreshes on a hot summer evening (it’s still above 100 as I write this at 7:15 PM). So grab a bottle and hit the floor with some great music. In fact, play it while you’re getting ready for work tomorrow morning. Anything to get you going! Enjoy!

Cheers!