Storm Watch

So I had my weather-related playlist all set to go yesterday (post drafted, mp3s uploaded), and then I got caught in a thunderstorm while walking back to the office from lunch with the wife. Inspiration (not lightning!) struck: put my current list on ice (pun intended — you’ll eventually see why) and make a new list focusing on wild, stormy weather. Once I toweled off, here’s what I came up with:

1. The Rolling Stones, “The Storm”
   This bluesy ditty is an outtake from the recording sessions for 1994’s Voodoo Lounge that, until it finally surfaced on an exclusive iTunes EP, was only available as part of an astoundingly excellent bootleg boxed set called Voodoo Brew, which consisted of 4 discs worth Lounge alternate takes and outtakes. More on that another time; for now, enjoy this loose, Don Was-produced tune and Ronnie’s sublime slide geetar.
2. Gnarls Barkley, “Storm Coming”
   Cee-Lo’s voice is almost as frantic as Danger Mouse’s jumpy breakbeats and the sound of impending doom. One of the more overlooked cuts from their debut St. Elsewhere.
3. The Kills, “Last Day Of Magic”
   I revealed my love for this song in one of June’s crush posts, and its chorus of “Last day of magic/Coming through/The eye of the storm/And I hold on to/My little tornado/My little hurricane-o” definitely influenced my decision to move in the stormy direction.
4. Aimee Mann, “Little Tornado”
   Mann’s soft, mournful tune is a stark contrast to the thunderous noise of the last 2 songs, and the restrained tone lends incredible weight to lines like “Little tornado/Bane of the trailer park/Lifting houses/To leave your mark.” The song comes from her most recent album, @#%&*! Smilers, which is easily her best work since her rise to fame on the back of the Magnolia soundtrack album.
5. The Band, “Too Wet To Work”
   Smack in the middle of The Band’s triumphant 1973 outdoor live show at Watkins Glen in western New York state, a huge thunderstorm broke out. The group hurried offstage, but keyboardist Garth Hudson wandered back out in the middle of it, and, with the threat of electrocution looming, played this excellent solo for the crowd on his plugged-in organ. Fantastic stuff. The Band’s Live at Watkins Glen album may have dubious origins, but it’s still fun and, sadly, is out of print.
6. Manic Street Preachers, “Tsunami”
   I was first attracted to the rushing melody and gorgeous sitar that powered the song along, but the story behind the inflammatory, political lyrics gives the song a punch as powerful as the titular storm. Check it out for yourself.
7. Alice Cooper, “Hurricane Years”
   It wouldn’t be an Uncle Sam playlist without a little hair metal thrown in there for good measure, right? I have a soft spot in my heart for modern Alice, and his 1991 album Hey Stoopid (which featured contributions from Slash, and Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars) spent a lot of time in my Discman in high school. Once deciding on my new, stormy theme, the chorus to this song (”Thunder, lightning/The wind outside is so damn frightening) instantly popped into my head.
8. Garth Brooks, “The Thunder Rolls”
   This was the fourth #1 country single from Garth’s big hit crossover album No Fences, and its tale of adultery and domestic violence was pretty sensational in its day: the video, which starred a young Chris Gaines and implied more violence than the song itself suggests (the wife had a black eye; she eventually exacts revenge upon her cheating husband), won awards and acclaim but was banned from at least one country music channel due to violent content. Deserving of the ban? Not really, but any press is good press, right?

Enjoy the tunes!

Download: The Rolling Stones, “The Storm” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Gnarls Barkley, “Storm Coming” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Kills, “Last Day Of Magic” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Aimee Mann, “Little Tornado” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Band, “Too Wet To Work” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Manic Street Preachers, “Tsunami” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Alice Cooper, “Hurricane Years” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Garth Brooks, “The Thunder Rolls” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)