Cold, Baby? Warm up with Music!

Cold enough for y'all? Not yet? Well, stand by, because the coldest weather of the last few years is about to be upon us. If you are like me, you are busy making preparations to protect pets, plants, and pipes. And, in interest of preservation of our own selves, a hunkerin' down inside, in front of the fire, or television, or computer seems our best bet for the next couple of nights.

What's that you say? Still chilled to the bone just thinking about ol' Jack Frost outside? Well, take heart, kiddies, for here I am to save the day (and night) with some toasty, tasty tunes to warm your soul. I guarantee that after you've indulged in these HOT songs, you'll be chilly no more.

How about starting things off with a little "Rock and Roll Stew"? Yes, I know the old holiday songs says "the traffic is terrific," but in this case, the Traffic really IS terrific. You can listen to this cool song here from their album "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys." The vid may not be much to look at, but the music more than suffices and warms the heart.

Next up is the one and only "Highway to Hell" from the album of the same name with amazing vocals by the one and only Bon Scott of AC/DC. Bon died much too young, but with this great vid here, and the albums lovingly treasured by yours truly, he will live forever.

Now that we're there (below, that is), could you imagine it could get hotter? Hotter than, well, Hell? I guess that calls for a song that reflects the heat around us: "Hotter Than Hell" off the album of the same name by none other than KISS. Enjoy these cool pics and the song here. I especially like the attention paid to Ace Frehley here, since I was and am a major Frehley freak.

Well, are you feeling the heat yet? Are you...."On Fire"? If so, you will enjoy the song here of the same name by Van Halen from their first (and best), self-titled debut album. This tune was an awesome finish to an awesome album. They never topped this album, in my opinion. It was all downhill from there. But the sweet thing is, we can listen to this anytime we please and remember a band that was at their prime strangely at their beginning.

Don't cool off just yet. It's gotten so hot in here, I think I may be "Burning Down the House"! In everyone's life a little Talking Heads must fall, and I think David Byrne's weirdness from the Talking Heads album "Speaking In Tongues" suits the mood we have going here perfectly, don't you? Check out a great vid here, and "hold tight - we're in for nasty weather"!

I can't imagine any of you would still be cold by this point, but just in case you still have a little chill, then go here and head south for a while. Some songs have the ability to transport folk, and this is one of them. How could you be cold while south of the border with the "Mexican Blackbird," who is rumored to be "hot as a pepper" and that little ol' band from Texas, ZZ Top? This is a fabulous, bluesy tunes from their album "Fandango", and I am on my second copy of that album, as I literally wore my first one out from too much play.

Lastly, if you're "full" from the feast of music I have laid out for you, how about just a little dessert to top it off? This time, it's the band's name that's hot, not the song title. Yes, I'm speaking of Hot Chocolate and one of my favorite tunes from them, "Every One's a Winner", again from the album of the same name. You can view a rather different video here. That song always takes me back to a certain place and time, and it's all good.

So that's it, kiddies. If you're not warm, or HOT by now, you never will be. Glad I could be of assistance during this cold, dreary week. Music always warms the soul, and now I hope yours is nice and cozy.