Saturday Shuffle: Cinderella, Bruce Dickinson, Iced Earth, Johnny Cash, Motley Crue

Another shuffle coming right up:

“Push, Push,” Cinderella. From the album Night Songs (1986). Not one of the band’s most creative tunes. It’s the quintessential 1980s hard rock sex song. No double entendre, nothing really clever, just straight sleaze. Still, it’s not a bad tune.

“Born in ’58,” Bruce Dickinson. From the album Tattooed Millionaire (1990). When it came out, Bruce Dickinson’s first solo effort struck me as a little strange. I was expecting something in the vein of Maiden, and this was a very 1970s rock vibe. It grew on me greatly, though. “Born in ’58,” a Bowie-influenced semi-ballad, became and remains one of my favorite tunes from the record.

“Stormrider,” Iced Earth. From the album Night of the Stormrider (1991). This is one of my favorite Iced Earth tunes. It opens with a very Iron Maiden-influenced intro, and then explodes into a bashing, high octane thrash tune. This is what Iced Earth does best.

“Folsom Prison Blues,” Johnny Cash. From the album Live at Folsom Prison (1968). A true country classic that can, and should, be respected by even metalheads. When you look at it in terms of attitude, originality and refusal to back down, there have been few musicians in history more “metal” than Johnny Cash.

“This Ain’t a Love Song,” Motley Crue. From the album Saints of Los Angeles (2008). And this week’s shuffle starts where it began, with a pure sleaze sex song, albeit this one from 20-plus years later. At times, I almost feel guilty about enjoying this song so much, but it’s just so damned catchy.