Saturday Shuffle: Judas Priest, Faster Pussycat, Jani Lane, Sabbath, Metallica

A pretty rocking set this week, some heavy, some glitzy, but all rocking ...

Judas Priest, “Devil’s Child.” From the album Screaming for Vengeance (1982). On an album where Judas Priest went more metallic, “Devil’s Child” is kind of a throwback to the classic hard rock of their previous records. It’s got a great 1970s feel with some early AC/DC overtones to it – a nice complement to the rest of the record.

Faster Pussycat, “Bottle in Front of Me.” From the album Faster Pussycat (1987). OK. Confession. Faster Pussycat’s first album is a real guilty pleasure for me. It’s total, mindless sex and party rock, and it’s just a good time. Though it’s been a long time since a bottle in front of me was like a frontal lobotomy, I still love the tune.

Jani Lane/Stephen Riley/Adrian Perry/Chris Holmes, “No Surprize.” From the album Not the Same Old Song and Dance: A Tribute to Aerosmith (1999). Who would have thought that the Aerosmith fanboy over here would love a cover of one of their songs by the late lead singer of Warrant. But it’s great. Jani Lane owns the vocal on this, and it’s a spirited, but faithful cover. It’s one of my favorite 1970s Aerosmith tunes and one of my favorite covers of an Aerosmith tune.

Black Sabbath, “Supertzar.” From the album Sabotage (1975). This instrumental was one of the strangest pieces of music on what is, in my opinion, Sabbath’s greatest album. The song blends some nice hard rock riffs from Tony Iommi with soaring runs from a full choir, with a few interludes of acoustic work from Iommi. It seems out of character, but it’s right at home on this album.

Metallica, “Harvester of Sorrow.” From the album …And Justice for All (1988). This album is where the cries of sellout started from a certain segment of Metallica fans. There was a new bass player in Jason Newsted, and the band (gasp) recorded a video for “One,” which went on to become a minor hit. But if you listen to songs like “Harvester of Sorrow,” it’s clear that it was anything but “selling out.” It’s a great tune that’s every bit as heavy as anything from the band’s first three album. Certainly it’s not their best album from a sonic standpoint, but still a classic.