Today I picked Don Dokken‘s “When Love Finds A Fool” to be my song of the day. These days I’ve been listening to Don‘s solo album “Up from the Ashes” (1990) quite often and I gotta say – out of all the breathtaking memorable rockers on that glorious release, no other song impressed me as much as “When Love Finds A Fool”. I am into power ballads, that’s well-known but it’s not the main reason why I am obsessed with this song. There’s just something so mesmerizing about Don‘s vocals and don’t you even get me started on the lyrics. They hold a personal significance for me so I guess that might be the biggest reason behind my strong connection with this song. Anyhow, don’t forget to play it and appreciate it! It’s a one of a kind power ballad, definitely in my list of Top20 rock ballads of all time!
P.S. Interesting fact,“When Love Finds A Fool” is the only track on the album that was co-written by Don Dokken and Glenn Hughes! No wonder I fell for it – I love those two with all my heart and soul!
“When Love Finds A Fool”
All these tears, what good to they do
All these years my life’s been living
It’s a shame you’ve not been giving
So tell me what to do
And I’ll be there for you, only for you
[CHORUS:]
When love finds a fool like me, it doesn’t see
When love finds a fool, baby, like me
I could’ve been the one
Sad empty faces look to my eyes
They seem to know me
I can take the rejection
All I need is your affection
I should’ve seen it coming
You should’ve said ‘goodbye’
I guess you were right
…
“Screwed, Blued & Tattooed” is one of those albums which I say are “worth discovering” and definitely one of the exciting releases of the early 90s. From the opening powerful slap – “Rock in the Western World” to the playful wrap up song “Girls Girls, Nasty Nasty”, the album is one hell of an entertaining piece of hard rock music! Don’t get me wrong, the album is far from perfect or groundbreaking but with lively and highly amusing tracks like “House is on Fire”, “Damned If We Do, Damned If We Don’t” and of course the title song, I feel like I can totally forgive and forget. “Stranger Than Paradise” is unquestionably the finest moment on the album and definitely a song that had the potential to stand against any Bon Jovi, Winger, Great White or Poison song. After a couple of tracks, we finally get to the power ballad – “This Time”. It’s as good as any power ballad of the era, that’s all I have to say. If you are a power ballad enthusiast like me, then you will love it for sure! Check out the rest of the songs – “Heroes Die Young” and “Don’t Talk About Roses” are striking highly deserving rockers as well!
Born in 1946, the mechanical engineering-student formed The J. Geils Band in the late ‘60s, along with Danny Klein, Magic Dick Salwitz, Stephen Jo Bladd, and Peter Wolf, with Seth Justman. The band, heavily influenced by R&B and soul music, released a total of 11 studio albums. They are famous for rock classics like “Must of Got Lost”, “Freeze-Frame”, their cover of the song “Lookin’ for a Love” by The Valentinos and of course, “Love Stinks”, which is my choice for song of the day. 
At the end of 2016, Deep Purple released “Infinite’s” first single – the progressive opening track, “Time for Bedlam”. The song’s instant success on YouTube and social media definitely lifted my spirits – there was finally something to look forward to in the upcoming year. That spectacular guitar vs. organ race, colored by Ian Gillan’s as elegant and alluring as ever voice, gave me nothing but hope that “InFinite” will be one of the best sonic experiences of 2017. The groovy “Hip Boots” is nothing but a back-to-the-roots delight on which Steve Morse’s stirring guitar shines as bright as the sun. “All I Want Is You” turned into an instant favorite and that’s not just because I’m a softie. Those stimulating keyboards and of course, the lyrics conquered me at first listen. The album picks up the pace with the bluesy “One Night in Vegas” and the classic Deep Purple-sounding “Get Me Outta Here”. “Johnny’s Band” and “On Top of the World” are just a couple of the highlights on “InFinite”, completing your vintage, yet so modern Purple adventure. The album wraps things up with an excellent homage to The Doors and their timeless classic, “Roadhouse Blues”.
In 1984, Ratt threw one hell of a coming out party with “Out of the Cellar” – an album that not only got certified triple platinum by RIAA but it also turned Ratt into a household name on the glam metals scene of LA. Classic heavy metal staples, like the monstrous “Round and Round”, “Wanted Man” and “Communication Breakdown” brought nothing but fame and recognition to the five talented rockstars. One listen from start to finish would give you a clear idea of why this album turned into such a huge sensation, surpassing the releases of even bigger names, such as Motley Crue.
In 1985, Ratt once again followed the well-established “Out of the Cellar” formula for success, including top notch glossy production qualities, out-of-this world riffs and of course, the suggestive lyrics. “Invasion of Your Privacy” didn’t create an explosion as big as the first album did, however the sophomore release managed to do one quite essential thing – it strengthened Ratt’s position as one of the most exciting glam rockers of the age. Moreover, the music videos for “Lay it Down” and “You’re in Love” were constantly aired on MTV, which further boosted Ratt’s high standing on the competitive LA hard rock scene of the ‘80s.
Legendary bluesman, member of The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos and many more, Eric Clapton, celebrates his birthday today! One of the most prolific and influential artists of all time, turns 72 so nothing but good wishes are in order! Happy Birthday, Mr. Clapton! Thank you for your devotion, hard work and exceptional music I grew up with and still can’t live without! Thank you for making me fall in love with the blues and learn how to appreciate great guitar work and technicality. Thank you for bringing peace to my life with your music! 
Ignoring the provocative and rather unappealing (at least to me) album cover, “Power” has a lot to offer to any fan out there, looking to quench his melodic rock thirst. The British rockers crafted something not so unusual but highly satisfying and definitely worth your time. Led by vocalist and songwriter Phil Bates, who has a long and quite versatile music career, Atlantic hit the AOR market in 1994 with “Power” which unfortunately (though quite predictably) turned out to be their first and last album. Phil went on to do bigger things, including recording songs for famous TV shows and becoming the lead singer of ELO Part II – a spin-off band, formed by Electric Light Orchestra drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan.
MY ROCK MIXTAPES 