Thin Lizzy / Metallica
I first heard and loved the Metallica version of “Whiskey in the Jar”. And for a while I thought it was originally a Thin Lizzy song (first featured on the extended version of their 1972 album Shades of a Blue Orphanage).
As it turns out, it is a traditional Irish song, covered by many artists, who each brought their own style to the music. Thin Lizzy made it very rock’ n roll, while Metallica added even faster guitar riffs and made the song rock even more. Thin Lizzy covered it in the 70s, while Metallica covered in the 1998s, which brought them a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2000. The song is featured on their covers’ album Garage Inc., which reached number 2 in the US, and number 1 in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Def Leppard
High ‘n’ Dry is from Def Leppard’s second studio album High ‘n’ Dry, released in 1981. This is before Def Leppard’s glam phase. The album saw number 26 in the UK and 38 on Billboard Top 200. This is the second, and last album of the band that has guitarist Pete Willis as an official member. He was kicked out of the band due to his problematic behavior, and was later replaced by Phil Collen, who has been in the band ever since.
Written by Joe Elliott (vocals), Steve Clark (guitars), Rick Savage (bass).
ZZ Top
American blues/hard rock band ZZ Top was formed in 1969 and became popular with their guitarists’ ridiculously long, trademark beards, as well as their catchy tunes. The band was formed by, and still consists of, Billy Gibbons (lead guitars), Dusty Hill (bass, vocals) and Frank Beard (drums).
“Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers”, as a theme, is pretty similar to Buck-O-Nine’s “Irish Drinking Song”. The song is featured on the band’s third album Tres Hombres, released in 1973. Written by the trio Gibbons, Hill and Beard. The album’s most famous song is the top ten hit “La Grange”. The band’s total album sales to date is estimated to be over 50 million.
Buck-O-Nine
“Irish Drinking Song” is from Buck-O-Nine’s 1994 debut album Songs in the Key of Bree. Buck-O-Nine is an American ska/punk founded in 1991. Although the song is often mistaken as Celtic punk band Flogging Molly’s, it was written and sung by Buck-O-Nine members.
Buckcherry
Californian hard rock band Buckcherry was formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. Even though they broke up after 2 albums in 2002, they got back together in 2005 and they have been rocking since, having released 3 more albums, with the later one being in 2010.
“Whiskey in the Morning” is an entertaining song from their second album Time Bomb (2001). Although the activity itself isn’t recommended (think about your stomach!), the song is good for listening at all times. Written by singer t Josh Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson.
Whitesnake
“Wine, Women An’ Song” is from the album 1981 Whitesnake album Come an’ Get It, which is the band’s 4th studio record. The album reached number 2 in the UK. Written by David Coverdale (Whitesnake lead singer), Moody, Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Jon Lord, Ian Paice; the song is a typical Whitesnake track centered around girls, partying and rock n’ roll. There is nothing poetic or deep about the lyrics (not that we were expecting that from Whitesnake). For just plain old-fashioned rock n’roll fun, and some hard rock nostalgia from the 80s, you might want to check it out.
Greenday
Greenday is one of the most famous punk rock bands worldwide, formed in the States in 1987. The band preserved its original line-up, apart from the drummer John Kiffmeyer. Drummer Tre Cool took his place and has been with the band since before the release of the second album.
“Blood , Sex and Booze” is a song featured on the band’s 6th studio album Warning. Even though the lyrics and melody are pretty catch, the lyrics (written by the band’s front man/ lead guitarist Billy Joe Armstrong) are weird and dark (you can figure out the topic from the title). Warning is a commercially successful album, having reached number 4 in the US and the UK , 2 in Canada and Japan.
