Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Let It Ride

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OMG, talk about blowing the roof off the motha sucka ! At the time, this was THE rock n roll track from my favorite vinyl LP, the Don Kirshner Presents Rock Power compilation. This BTO song really upped the ante. Despite having other rock artists on the album, I thought I was jammin pretty good with the funky classic rock songs from rock artists like Dr. John, Five Man Electrical Band, and David Essex. Then outta nowhere Bachman Turner Overdrive shows up and opens up a whole brand new can of whoop ass ! Back then, I thought I had just heard one of the best songs of all time. I guess growing up with mostly mainstream radio, the jangly guitar on this classic rock radio track really fit that mold. It drew me right in, and I could tell it was gonna be a cool song. But then here come the hard rockin drum beats, distorted guitars, and gritty vocals blowin the lid off everything! That made it just the perfect kind of heavy for me at that time. Being just a kid, it was all next level for me. Quite frankly, I wasn't even sure what the lyrics were talkin about, but hey man Let It Ride !

Like a lot of the classic rock music that came from that time, there was good contrast and flow. Of mellow building up into something heavy, some nice vocal harmonies with a little bit of screaming over the top, etc. It was just the right elements all coming together at the right time to create a nice musical work of art. It's also another good example of the rock and roll evolution I've been referring to. Not just the latest cookie cutter song from a corporate mold like a lot of stuff today.