MARILLION - "Script for a Jester's Tear"

Marillion
"Script for a Jester's Tear"
Album: Script for a Jester's Tear
Released: 14 March 1983
Writers: Fish, Steve Rothery, Pete Trewavas, Mark Kelly, Mick Pointer
Label: EMI

"Script for a Jester's Tear" is a song by the British neo-progressive rock band Marillion from their debut album of the same name, released in 1983 through EMI. 

Marillion's album: "Script for a Jester's Tear", 1983

Marillion - "Script for a Jester's Tear (audio)

Allmusic review by John Franck: "...Filled with extraordinary songs that remained staples in the band's live gigs, the album begins with the poignant title track, on which Fish leads his band of merry men on a brokenhearted tour de force that culminates with the singer decrying that '…the game is over.'..."

Sputnikmusic review by Matthijs van der Lee: "... 'Script for a Jester's Tear' that tilts things off is introduced excellently by the singer, who, accompanied by a simple keyboard arrangement, builds up his vocals from a soft crooning until an explosive climax:

‘So here I am once more in the playground of the broken hearts
One more experience, one more entry in a diary, self-penned
Yet another emotional suicide overdosed on sentiment and pride
Too late to say I love you, too late to re-stage the play
Abandoning the relics in my playground of yesterday

I'm losing on the swings, I'm losing on the roundabouts
I'm losing on the swings, I'm losing on the roundabouts
Too much, too soon, too far to go, too late to play, the game is over
The game is over

So HERE I AM once more in the playground of the BROKEN heart
I'm LOSING on the swings, losing on the roundabouts, the game is OVER, OVER…'..."

Marillion - "Script fro a Jester's Tear" (lyrics)

Marillion - "Script for a Jester's Tear" (Hammersmith Odeon)

Marillion - Sript for a Jester's Tear artwork

Progarchives review by Certif1ed: "...;Script...' works its way through a series of neck hair-raising highs, starting with the gorgeously rich bass entry, and never stops working through the story of the artist exploring his emotions after the break up of a relationship in which the protaganist suffers deeply from unrequited love, and even describes the process of writing a song about it "I act the role in classic style of a martyr carved with twisted smile - to bleed the lyric for this song, to write the rites to right my wrongs - An epitaph to a broken dream, to exorcise this slient scream...". All this over a winding bass line and light keyboard melody - and the word "scream..." is delivered in a muted, gasping fashion, making this a very powerful passage. But there's more power and drama to come - just listen..."

Line-up / Musicians:
Fish – vocals
Steve Rothery – guitars
Mark Kelly – keyboards
Pete Trewavas – bass
Mick Pointer – drums

Link / Review:
sputnikmusic: Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear album review
allmusic: Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear (album)
progarchives: SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR Marillion

JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS - "I Love Rock'n Roll"

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
"I Love Rock'n Roll"
Single / B-side: "You Don't Know What You've Got", "Love Is Pain", "You're Too Possissive"
Released: 20 January 1982
Album: I Love Rock'n Roll (Released: 18 Novenber 1981)
Writers: Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker
Label: Boardwalk

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows, who recorded the first released version. The song was later made famous by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in 1982.

Joan Jett's single: "I Love Rock'n Roll", 1982

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "I Love Rock'n Roll" (vinyl 45RPM)

Joan Jett saw Arrows perform "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" on their weekly UK television series Arrows when she was touring England with The Runaways in 1976. She first recorded the song in 1979 with two of the Sex Pistols: Steve Jones and Paul Cook. This first version was released on vinyl in 1979 on Vertigo records as a B-side to "You Don't Own Me". In 1981, Jett re-recorded the song, this time with her band, The Blackhearts. This recording became a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single for seven weeks. Billboard ranked it at the No. 3 song for 1982. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing two million units shipped to stores with Jett's  I Love Rock 'n' Roll album reaching number two on the Billboard 200. 

Joan Jett's version has received many accolades, including: Ranking #85 on Q magazine March 2005 list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks, ranking #484 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", ranking #56 in Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time. Jett's version also ranked #89 in the list 100 Greatest Guitar Songs and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015: 10 Outstanding Performance of Rolling Stone magazine.

Joan Jett's album: I Love Rock'n Roll, 1982

Joan Jett - "I Love Rock'n Roll (music video)

In the original version, the lyrics are about a guy picking up a young girl and taking her home, which was fairly typical rock and roll subject matter. When Jett covered this, however, it became a song about a girl who notices a guy next to a jukebox and brings him home to have sex. Other hit songs like "Physical" by Olivia Newton John and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar also had sexual overtones, but Jett sang about aggressively pursuing the guy, which for many women made this a female-empowerment anthem. This song helped shape Jett's image as a tough, confident rock star and became an inspiration to many female musicians.

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"'s black-and-white music video received heavy play from the just-launched MTV network. In it, Jett and The Blackhearts travel to a small, dingy bar and proceed to excite the drunken crowd by performing the song and yelling out its chorus. A snippet of Jett's 1981 "Bad Reputation" is featured at the beginning of the video. The video was originally in color, but it was converted to black and white because Jett was ultimately displeased with the look of her red leather jumpsuit in color.

Joan Jett - "I Love Rock'n Roll" (B&W music video)

Joan Jett - "I Love Rock'n Roll (Wayne's World 2)

Joan Jett 1981

In 1993 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts made another music video for the song as part of the Wayne's World 2 soundtrack. In the video appear several scenes from the movie with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey mixed with footage of Jett and her band in concert. It was again released as a single by Warner/Reprise with "Activity Grrrl" as the B-side.

Line-up / Musicians:

The Blackhearts

Joan Jett – vocals, guitar

Gary Ryan – bass, back vocals

Irvan Arifin Harahap – guitar, back vocals

Lee Crystal – drums

Ricky Byrd – guitar (Soon after start of 1st record sessions original Blackheart guitarist Eric Ambel replaced by Byrd)

Link / Review:

wikipedia: I Love Rock'n Roll
songfacts: I Love Rock'n Roll by Joan Jett
allmusic: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock'n Roll
rollingstone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
rollingstone: Rock and- Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015: 10 Outstanding Performances

YES - "Time and a Word"

Yes
"Time and a Word"
Single
Released: 5 May 1970
Album: Time and a Word (Released: 24 July 1970)
Writers: Jon Anderson, David Foster
Label: Atlantic

Yes' single: "Time and a Word" (1970)

Yes - "Time and a Word"

"Time and a Word" is a song by British progressive rock Yes from their second album of the same name, released in 1970. The song was written by Jon Anderson together with DavidFoster (a former bandmate in The Warriors). Foster also played acoustic guita

Time and a Word was the last Yes album to feature the group's original line-up, as Peter Banks was fired before the album's release.

Yes' 7" single "Time and a Word, 1970

Yes - "Time and a Word" (remaster)

Jon Anderson's decision to use a live orchestra on most of the album's songs (as he reported in the Yesyears video) put him very much at odds with Peter Banks. Tensions within the band increased, and just after the album's recording was completed in early 1970, Banks was asked to leave. Steve Howe would join the line-up that March, replacing Banks.

Yes' album: Time and a Word, 1970

Yes - "Time and a Word" (Yes: The Lost Broadcast)

Yes' album: Time and a Word, 1970

"...Time and a Word: Eddie Offord (the producer) once said that he thought Yes had two really magical moments in And You and I and this song..." 

(Progarchives, review by ghost of morphy)

Line-up / Musicians
Jon Anderson: lead vocals, percussion
Peter Banks: electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass guitar, vocals
Tony Kaye: Hammond organ, piano
Bill Bruford: drums, percussion
with
David Foster: acoustic guitar 

Link / Review:
wikipedia: Time and a Word (album)
progarchives: Yes - Time And A Word (album)
progarchives: Yes - Time and a Word (single)

DEEP PURPLE - "Perfect Strangers"

Deep Purple
"Perfect Strangers"
Single / B-side: "Son of Alerik"
Released: October 1984
Album: Perfect Strangers (Released: 29 October 1984)
Writers: Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover
Label: Polydor (UK), Mercury Records (US)

"Perfect Strangers" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It is the title track of their 1984 album Perfect Strangers.

Deep Purple's single: "Perfect Strangers" (1984)

Deep Purple - "Perfect Strangers (Vinyl)

This song is about reincarnation. It's a conversation between oneself from their past life and their present self. The song tells about memories this person has from their past life, but they (past and present self) "must remain perfect strangers" to each other.  It is one of the few Deep Purple songs not to feature a guitar solo. Nevertheless, band guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has called it his favorite Deep Purple song. The lyrics are actually inspired by the Elric books by Michael Moorcock.

"...The beginning of side two returns to classic mode with the deep and profound title song “Perfect Strangers”. This song contains a quasi-heavy-metal drive but with great melody and a really cool and subtle passage to the post-chorus Eastern-style phrasing. The rhythm is steady throughout, leaving Gillan the room to vocally paint the pictures of the rich scenery of the lyrics about reincarnation and passing through time..." (Classic Rock review)

Deep Purple's single: "Knocking at Your Back Door" / "Perfect Strangers"

Deep Purple - "Perfect Strangers" (music video)

The song has been covered of many musicians/band, among others: Dimmu Borgir on their album Abrahadabra as a bonus track (2010); progressive metal band Dream Theater on their EP A Change of Seasons (1995). Dream Theater also performed it live on a BBC Radio show along with Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson singing the lead vocals; Hard rock vocalist Jørn Lande covered it on his solo album Unlocking the Past (2007); Finnish duo Timo Kotipelto and Jani Liimatainen have covered it during live performances and on their studio album Blackoustic (2012). 

The song also used by Extreme Championship Wrestling wrestler "The Franchise" Shane Douglas as an entrance theme. Soundalike versions were used for his later runs in World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Deep Purple 1984

Line-up / Musicians:
Ritchie Blackmore - guitars
Ian Gillan - vocals
Roger Glover - bass
Jon Lord - organ
Ian Paice - drums

Link / Review:
wikipedia: Perfect Strangers - Deep Purple (song)
tunefacts: Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
classicrockreview: Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers