My track-by-track tales follow the bare-bones list.

1. Meat Loaf, Everything Louder Than Everything Else
2. Bruce Springsteen, Jungleland
3. Argent, Thunder And Lightning
4. Rod Stewart, The Balltrap
5. Long John Baldry, Intro: Conditional Discharge/Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock & Roll
6. Stephen Stills/Manassas, Johnny’s Garden
7. Steve Miller Band, Space Cowboy
8. ZZ Top, Groovy Little Hippie Pad
9. Elvis Presley, The Girl Next Door Went A ‘Walking
10. Blackfoot, Highway Song
11. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Faith Healer
12. Beck Bogert Appice, Lady
13. Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Woncha Take Me For A While
14. The Rolling Stones, I Just Want To See His Face
15. Groundhogs, Thank Christ For The Bomb
16. Howlin’ Wolf, Poor Boy (from The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions)
17. David Bowie, Stay
18. Little Feat, Dixie Chicken (live, from Waiting For Columbus)

My track-by-track tales:

1. Meat Loaf, Everything Louder Than Everything Else . . . Typically bombastic Meat Loaf, but that’s the point with him. It’s from Bat Out Hell II: Back Into Hell, released in 1993. It’s unclear whether they were inspired by the Meat Loaf song title but Motorhead released a live album in 1999 called Everything Louder Than Everyone Else.

2. Bruce Springsteen, Jungleland . . . Epic track from the Born To Run album, 1975. Violin intro by Suki Lahav, who worked with Springsteen on Born To Run and the preceding album The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle before returning to Israel where she continued her varied career as an actress, lyricist, singer, screenwriter and novelist. And, of course, Jungleland features the memorable saxophone solo by The Big Man, longtime E Street Band member Clarence Clemons until his death at age 69 in 2011, to be replaced by his nephew Jake Clemons.

3. Argent, Thunder And Lightning . . . Propulsive rocker, released in 1974, from the band best known for the hit single Hold Your Head Up. Argent leader Rod Argent was also a founding member of The Zombies and co-wrote such Zombies’ hits as She’s Not There and Time Of The Season.

4. Rod Stewart, The Balltrap . . . Chugging rocker that opened the ‘Fast Side”, side two (side one of course being the ‘Slow Side’) of the original vinyl release of Stewart’s chart-topping 1976 album A Night On The Town.

5. Long John Baldry, Intro: Conditional Discharge/Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock & Roll . . . Speaking of Rod Stewart, he produced six songs on one of his heroes’ albums, Baldry’s 1971 release It Ain’t Easy. Among the other ‘name’ helpers on the record: Elton John (who produced four songs), Ron Wood and Caleb Quaye, Quaye at various times during the 1970s in and out of Elton John’s band.

6. Stephen Stills/Manassas, Johnny’s Garden . . . I got to discussing how great Stephen Still is, with a buddy of mine this past week. So, here he is, a relatively well-known song, from the Manassas album (also the name of the band) although it perhaps surprisingly wasn’t one of the singles released from that renowned 1972 record.

7. Steve Miller Band, Space Cowboy . . . That’s what he truly was early in his career, Miller starting his career as a psychedelic blues rocker. Space Cowboy, from 1969’s Brave New World album, references two Miller tunes – Living In The U.S.A. and Gangster Of Love – from his 1968 album Sailor and Space Cowboy and Gangster Of Love are referenced in the opening lines – ‘some people call me the space cowboy, yeah, some call me the gangster of love’ – of Miller’s breakthrough hit The Joker. That was the title cut from the 1973 album that presaged the hit singles machine period of Miller’s career that included tracks like Fly Like An Eagle, Take The Money And Run and many others.

8. ZZ Top, Heaven, Groovy Little Hippie Pad . . . At the time, a sign of things to come for ZZ Top, the use of synthesizer played by an uncredited Linden Hudson, a longtime friend and confidant of the band members and one of the group’s sound engineers, on this infectious little ditty from the 1981 album El Loco. ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons was apparently inspired to go in the synthesizer direction in part by witnessing a Devo soundcheck. The ZZ Top book Sharp-Dressed Men, by former band crew member David Blayney, includes a section detailing Hudson’s extensive contributions to the shift in sound that reached full-blown status on the next album after El Loco, 1983’s Eliminator which featured such hits as Legs, Sharp Dressed Man and Gimme All Your Lovin’. Hudson, according to the book, later sued over credits that were denied him and the case was reportedly settled out of court for $600,000. Aside from the legal machinations, what’s fascinating, as related in the book, is how Hudson studied song tempos and beats per minute in hit songs, something ZZ Top, and Gibbons in particular, then used to help write songs whose beats and hooks would prove irresistible to listeners. Calculated, yes. Successful, yes.

9. Elvis Presley, The Girl Next Door Went A ‘Walking . . . Rockabilly type tune from Elvis’s 1960 album Elvis Is Back! The album was his first stereo album and first one of fresh material, outside of compilations, issued after his 1958-60 stint in the U.S. Army. Elvis served in West Germany as a regular soldier despite offers to enlist in Special Services, the entertainment branch of the U.S. military where he, like many who did serve in that branch, would have entertained the troops and lived in priority housing. There’s lots of interesting reading about Presley’s military stint available including how Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker kept the machine going, so to speak, in terms of releasing music while Elvis was overseas.

As for the Elvis Is Back! album, as I was telling a friend the other day, while I’m a big fan, I suppose not big enough of one because, like perhaps many people, I’ve always owned various Elvis hits compilations but never any of his actual studio records which of course go deeper. That is, until last week when I was in my neighborhood independent music shop and for $15 there sat a used, great condition, 4-CD, 8-individual albums remastered with a plethora of bonus track singles box set of Elvis’s early stuff. It runs from his 1956 debut “Elvis Presley” (the one with ‘Elvis’ printed vertically down the left hand side with ‘Presley’ horizontally on the bottom and the man himself pictured playing his guitar, a cover later copied by The Clash on their London Calling album) through to the 1960 gospel album His Hand In Mine. So I quickly checked the web, confirmed this was a legit release, saw that the same set was available online for a minimum of $50 and a maximum of the sky’s the limit, and now it’s mine. Sounds great, is great, it’s Elvis, what more can one want? Especially for $15, plus tax, $18.07 total. I am pleased.

10. Blackfoot, Highway Song . . . I say this every time I play one of them, which I have, so at risk of and in fact repeating myself I’ll say it again: Every so-called southern rock band seems to have a lengthy, signature tune. Think Lynyrd Skynyrd with Freebird, the Outlaws with Green Grass and High Tides and Molly Hatchet with Fall Of The Peacemakers, all amazing tunes. This is Blackfoot’s such song, from the band’s 1979 album Strikes with a cool cover of a cobra about to, er, strike. There are so many connections between the various successful southern rock bands. Blackfoot leader, guitarist, singer and frontman Rickey Medlocke was in early versions of Lynyrd Skynyrd, as a drummer and sometime singer before that band released an official album although his work is all over the 1978 original band post-plane crash compilation of early material called Skynyrd’s First . . . And Last which was later expanded and re-released in 1998 as Skynyrd’s First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album. By then, Medlocke had become a permanent member of the reconstituted Skynyrd, in which he remains to this day. And the late Hughie Thomasson, a founding member of the Outlaws, was Medlocke’s guitar sparring partner with Skynyrd from 1996 to 2005 before he left to reform the Outlaws, dying of a heart attack at age 55 in 2007.

11. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Faith Healer . . . A relentless groove to this one from the Scottish band’s second studio album, the 1973 release Next.

12. Beck Bogert Appice, Lady . . . I’ll just repeat what I said/wrote about the previous track by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Different song of course, but same effect. From the lone studio album, the self-titled 1973 record, issued by the supergroup of guitarist Jeff Beck, bass player Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, the latter two having previously played together in Vanilla Fudge and Cactus. Appice later was a member of Rod Stewart’s band for the albums Footloose and Fancy Free, Blondes Have More Fun, Foolish Behaviour and Tonight I’m Yours, issued from 1977 to 1981. Appice’s drummer brother Vinny is best known for his work in the Ronnie James Dio lead singer version of Black Sabbath as well as Dio the band.

13. Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Woncha Take Me For A While . . . Typically gritty C.F. (Fred) Turner vocal on this part ballad, part rocker, a power ballad in today’s parlance, from the 1975 album Head On, perhaps best known for the hits Take It Like A Man, Lookin’ Out For #1 and the original packaging where the album cover expanded into a poster featuring head shots of the four band members at the time – bass player Turner, guitarist Randy Bachman, drummer Rob Bachman and guitarist Blair Thornton. Little Richard played piano on two songs on the album – Take It Like A Man and Stay Alive.

14. The Rolling Stones, I Just Want To See His Face aka Just Wanna See His Face . . . I mentioned gospel music earlier while discussing Elvis’s 1960 album His Hand In Mine and I also had a discussion about gospel music in general over the weekend with a friend who mentioned an album of gospel tunes he had recently purchased. One doesn’t have to be religious, or spiritual, to enjoy what is simply a great genre of music. Here’s the Stones’ successful stab at it, from Exile On Main St.

15. Groundhogs, Thank Christ For The Bomb . . . A multipart piece about war. Initially acoustic with vocals followed by a low-key instrumental passage that develops into a heavy rock coda ending in, of course, explosions. It’s the title track to the English blues rock band’s 1970 album.

16. Howlin’ Wolf, Poor Boy (from The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions) . . . This one came to mind to play thanks to having attended the annual Kitchener Blues Festival over the weekend. One of the artists, the noted Canadian musician and producer Colin Linden, not only played a fine set on Saturday afternoon but, earlier that day, held one of the festival’s ‘workshops’, where artists interact with an interviewer, and the audience, telling tales of their careers. It’s fascinating stuff, and I got to thinking of The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions album because Linden mentioned it while relating a story – both at the workshop and later at his actual show – about how as a youngster his musical life was changed when he discovered the blues great, then later met him when the Wolf, real name Chester Burnett, was playing at a Toronto club. The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions album was originally released in 1971 and was re-released in an expanded deluxe edition in 2002. Receiving top billing with Wolf on the album cover are Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and The Rolling Stones’ rhythm section of drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman. Clapton and the two Rolling Stones play on the entire album, Winwood contributes piano or organ to five songs while among others contributing are Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr, Beatles associate Klaus Voorman on bass and Stones’ pianist Ian Stewart.

17. David Bowie, Stay . . . Great funk/soul rocking number from the 1976 album Station To Station. It was released as a single but didn’t chart. Golden Years was the big hit from the album.

18. Little Feat, Dixie Chicken (live, from Waiting For Columbus) . . . Little Feat was backed by the Tower Of Power horn section on the shows from which Waiting For Columbus was drawn. This is an extended 9-minute workout of the title track from the band’s 1973 album.