Good Morning, Musicologists! How the hell are you on this fine Friday? We’ve got some good stuff coming your way today with plenty of wide Open Stream!
Jeff Lynne of The Move, ELO and The Traveling Wilburys, and Heartbreaker producer.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. Jeff Lynne’s ELO: Wembley or Bust, June 24, 2017
Here in The Mermaid Lounge, we have the ultimate respect for all things Wilbury. That would include Jeff Lynne. Today we have the Electric Light Orchestra’s Wembley concert from 2017. Most people don’t know this, but ELO isn’t Lynne’s first band. The Move was, and they made the original version of Do Ya! Jeff Lynne is also responsible for a string of Heartbreaker hit albums and songs.
Afternoon Open Stream
Circulating more than 26,000 songs all afternoon, with some Three-in-a-Rows tossed in for good measure. Listen up.
7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Hollies
The Hollies are truly one of the most underrated bands in all of music history, and were a big part of The British Invasion. This evening, we put them In The Spotlight.
Belgium, Serbia, The UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Italy, Fiji…all tune us in. Where are you?
Good Morning, Music Lovers! Apparently, the 20th of November is a banner day in rock n’ roll history. Let’s not waste any time!
Keith Moon, on a day when he was apparently not creating problems.
Here’s today in music history:
November 20, 1955: The song that changed music forever, Rock Around The Clock, by Bill Haley & The Comets, went to #1 on the UK charts. It would re-chart six more times until 1974.
Bo Diddley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show requested that he play Sixteen Tons. When he went on stage, he instead sang Bo Diddley. They banned him from further appearances in punishment. (Give me a fucking break, Ed.) As Tom Petty said, “Elvis was king, but Diddley was daddy.”
November 20, 1961: Bob Dylan began recording his debut album. It was completed over two days at Columbia Recording Studios in New York. Some of the songs recorded the first day are Song to Woody, Fixin’ to Die, and Baby Let Me Follow You Down.
November 20, 1965: The Supremes had their sixth #1 single in the US with I Hear a Symphony.
November 20, 1966: The Supremes again were at #1 on the US charts with You Keep Me Hangin’ On, their seventh single.
November 20, 1967: The Strawberry Alarm Clock was at #1 with Incense And Peppermints, one of my all-time favorite songs. The opening riff is what did it for me. Oddly enough, the band hated the lyrics so much, they had a friend who was attending the recording sessions sing it instead. It worked.
November 20, 1968: Janis Joplin’s manager approaches Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites about creating her a new backing band, which becomes Janis Joplin & The Kozmic Blues Band.
November 20, 1971: Isaac Hayes hit #1 on the US singles charts with The Theme From Shaft.
November 20, 1974: Keith Moon collapsed on stage when his drink was spiked with horse tranquilizer (I wonder who did that). A 19-year-old drummer in attendance at the Cow Palace volunteered to replace him and the concert went on. Moon would also collapse on stage in Boston in 1976 when yours truly was in attendance. That was allegedly from the flu. The concert was rescheduled.
November 20, 1975: The Who kicked off a North American tour at the Summit in Houston. After that show, Keith Moon was arrested for disorderly conduct. What a guy.
November 20, 1976: Paul Simon joins George Harrison on stage on SNL where they perform Here Comes The Sun and Homeward Bound together. both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in New York at the time and watched the show.
November 20, 1991: The Rolling Stones sign a deal with Virgin Records to make three albums over six years.
Born on This Day
We’ve got so many here, we’re making this a separate entry.
November 20, 1940: Jim Horn, American saxophonist, woodwinds player and master session musician is born. He played on solo albums by three members of The Beatles, and was on stage for George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh in 1971. He also played flute and sax on Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys and flute on The Stones’ Goats Head Soup album.
November 20, 1941: Matthew John Rebennack, or Dr. John, was (thankfully) born. He was a pianist, guitarist and singer who was a session musician from the 50s until his death in 2019 at the age of 77. Dr. John came into his own as a performer in the late 60s when he released his album, Gris-Gris. He is absolutely one of my all-time favorites.
November 20, 1942: Norman Greenbaum of Spirit in The Sky fame, was born in Malden, Massachusetts.
November 20, 1946: Duane Allman, undoubtedly one of the greatest guitarists of all time and leader of The Allman Brothers Band is born. If you’ve listened in on our Skydog playlists, you’ll see he was one of the most sought-after guitarists on the planet, playing with everyone from Wilson Pickett to Eric Clapton. He dies tragically in a motorcycle accident in 1971 in Macon, Georgia.
November 20, 1947: Joe Walsh, singer, songwriter, guitarist with The James Gang and later, The Eagles, is born. Did you know that Joe Walsh is Ringo’s brother-in-law?
Whew! That’s it for today, Musicologists! We’ll be back with today’s line-up in a bit!
Good Morning, Global Music Lovers! We added Italy and Serbia to our list of listeners yesterday. That’s good because we’ve got some great programming today here from The Mermaid Lounge.
The incomparable Linda Ronstadt.
Here’s today’s musical line-up:
11:00 a.m. Linda Ronstadt: Forgotten Gems and Rarities
There are some things that never make it to an album. We’ve got some live performances that have never been put to vinyl. And we also have the original music from the official Tracks of My Tears video. And it’s not the same as the released version! You’ll want to hear this playlist if you’re a Ronstadt fan.
3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Main Refrain by Wendy Waldman
Speaking of Linda Ronstadt, she helps out Wendy Waldman on this album!
7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Van Morrison
Yeah. Van is an acquired taste on a personal level. But musically? He’s a genius.
Drop by and sit a spell today. It’s a good day to get to know us. Once you try us, you may never go back to your regular music outlet.
Good Morning from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. It’s another busy day in musical history, as you will see.
Tom Petty & Dave Grohl on stage during the Heartbreaker’s 30th Anniversary Tour.
Here’s today’s lesson plan:
November 19, 1955: Carl Perkins records Blue Suede Shoes at Sun Studios in Memphis. It will be Perkins’ biggest hit, reaching #2 on Billboard.
November 19, 1966: The Supremes enjoy their eighth US #1 hit with You Keep Me Hangin’ On.
November 19, 1971: B.B. King celebrates his 25th year in music by kicking off a European tour in London.
November 19, 1973: Led Zeppelin begins recording demos for their album, Physical Graffiti.
Meanwhile, Bob Dylan releases his 13th studio album, simply called Dylan.
November 19, 1975: The J. Geils Band records Blow Your Face Out (a fucking great album) at Cobo Hall in Detroit.
November 19, 1976: Van Morrison’s Moondance album receives a Gold Record. The album spawns two hits. In addition to the title track, Into The Mystic is released.
November 19, 1982: Led Zeppelin releases its final studio album, Coda, which is a collection of unused tracks written before drummer John Bonham’s death in 1980.
November 19, 1983: Tom Evans of Badfinger died at the age of 36. Like his and mate, Pete Ham, Evans also hanged himself. The story of what record company and manager greed and avarice did to Badfinger’s career is one that should be told. We will touch on that in the blog sometime.
November 19, 1994: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers perform You Don’t Know How It Feels and Honeybee on Saturday Night Live, with Dave Grohl of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters on drums.
November 19, 1995: Bruce Springsteen’s thirteenth album, The Ghost of Tom Joad, is released.
A 60-track album called Beatles Anthology I is released and sets a single-day sales record of 450,000 units.
That’s it, children. Take notes. There’ll be a quiz later (just kidding).
Good Morning, Musicologists! Today’s mix will be Open Stream with Three-in-a-Row’s throughout. Where it goes is anyone’s guess. The Streaming Guru is in control today.
Looking out over Heartbreaker Heaven.
Here’s today’s musical line-up:
All Day Open Stream with Three-in-a-Row’s
We’re circulating 26,000+ songs for you, and tossing in some Three-fers for good measure today. Enjoy.
6:00 p.m. Tom Petty Bootleg Series, Disc 3, 1976-1981 NEW!
Live from the road with the ultimate road band. We have live bootleg performances of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers from the years 1976-1981 for your listening pleasure. And I do mean that.
Tune us in. We’re still free. We ask no information. We require no credit card. We do not accept advertising, political or otherwise. Just click on the link below as you tap your heels together, and your’e in like Flint.
Good Day, Music Lovers! We’re back here at the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge doing the deed for you.
Cat Stevens, now known as Yusef Islam.
Here’s today’s bucket of knowledge:
November 18, 1956: Fats Domino appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, where he sang Blueberry Hill. The song would peak at #2 on the US charts.
November 18, 1964: The Supremes appear on the TV Rock n’ Roll Show, Shindig, and sing Baby Love and Come See About Me.
November 18, 1967:To Sir With Love by Lulu sits on the top of the singles charts for a fifth week.
November 18, 1968: Glen Campbell, a former session musician for Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys, is awarded two Gold Records, one for Gentle On My Mind and the other for By The Time I Get To Phoenix.
The Jimi Hendrix double album, Electric Ladyland, reaches #1 on the US charts. Steve Winwood, Al Kooper, and Dave Mason appear on the album.
Randy Meisner, Jim Messina, Richie Furay, and Rusty Young — also known as Poco — make their debut at The Troubadour.
November 18, 1971: Procol Harum recorded a concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra; portions would later be released on vinyl.
November 18, 1972: Bill Withers appears on Soul Train, where he sings his hit Lean On Me, and its follow-up Use Me Up.
Danny Whitten, of Neil Young’s back-up band Crazy Horse, dies of a heroin overdose. This tragic event inspires Young to write The Needle and the Damage Done.
Steely Dan makes its debut on the music scene with the release of the song, Do It Again. It would be the first of many hits for them.
Cat Stevens’ Catch Bull At Four begins a three-week run atop the album charts. Stevens played 14 instruments during the recording of the album, his most successful LP.
November 18, 1989: Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville reign at the top of the Adult Contemporary charts for a third week with the song Don’t Know Much.
Here we are again on another Tuesday Bluesday in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’ve really done up the blues playlist we built for Blues Week. You get to hear it in its expanded form today.
We’ve got just over four hours of open stream blues today.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blues NEW EXPANDED PLAYLIST!
We put this list together for the first time for Blues Week in September. We have since expanded it to just over four uninterrupted hours of open stream blues with James Cotton, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Paul Butterfield, J.J. Cale, The Allman Brothers Band, and many more!
5:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Main Refrain by Wendy Waldman
If you don’t know Wendy Waldman by now, this would be an excellent time to get to know her.
Speaking of getting to know others, this would be an excellent day to get to know us. Actually, every day is. We’re not kidding here. We’re totally free. No advertising. No chatter. No bullshit. No personal information. No credit card required.
Good Morning, Students! Here’s today’s lesson from The Mermaid Lounge. Some days we have more than others. Take notes. There’ll be a quiz later.
Joe Walsh, Randy Meisner, Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Don Felder of The Eagles perform on stage at Ahoy on May 11th 1977 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)
Here’s your lesson for today!
November 17, 1938: Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot is born in Orilla, Ontario.
November 17, 1944: Gene Clark, singer-songwriter for The New Christy Minstrels and The Byrds, is born in Tipton, Missouri.
November 17, 1966: The Beach Boys had the #1 spot on the UK singles charts with Good Vibrations.
November 17, 1967: A 16-date UK package tour featuring Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Move (Jeff Lynne’s first band before ELO and The Traveling Wilburys), The Nice, and Amen Corner played at the City Hall, Sheffield, UK.
November 17, 1971: Rod Stewart & Faces release A Nod Is As Good As A Wink…To a Blind Horse. This is their third LP together.
November 17, 1980: John Lennon releases Double Fantasy. Three weeks later he is shot and killed outside The Dakota.
November 17, 1994: Bob Dylan tapes his episode of MTV Unplugged in New York City.
November 17, 2003:Let It Be…Naked is released, removing the strings and other big sound artifacts added by Phil Spector in the original production.
November 17, 2007: The Eagles have the #1 album with Long Road Out of Eden, their first studio album since 1979.
That’s it from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge! We’ll be back in a while with today’s programming.
Good Morning, Gang! It’s another Monday from The Mermaid Lounge, and we intend to make it count today.
I just love this photo. No significance here other than the fact that it’s Mudcrutch and The Shelters (whom Tom Petty was mentoring) and it was sold out.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. Mudcrutch Madness! The Complete Catalogue.
All the Mudcrutch that you can possibly play (except for live bootlegs which will be coming). Did you know that Don’t Do Me Like That was originally a Mudcrutch song? We’ve also got the definitive live version here of Hungry No More, recorded at Boston’s House of Blues in 2016.
Afternoon Open Stream with Three-in-a-Row
Whatever the stream collects as it flows is what we’ll be playing for the afternoon. Listen for some 3’s from Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, and Steely Dan.
6:00 p.m. Janis Joplin Live at The Fillmore East, New York, February 12, 1969
We’ve got some live Janis going here, and that is always a treat for sure.
This is the day to tune us in. Every day is the day to tune us in. Ask the folks in Lithuania. They love us.
Yes, it’s another Monday here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’re just full of information for you. November 16 is certainly a busy day in music history.
John Lennon. Beatle. Musician. Human.
Here’s today’s lesson in musical history:
November 16, 1948: Chi Coltrane, pianist, singer and composer, is born. She’s best known for the great fucking songs Thunder & Lightning and Go Like Elijah.
November 16, 1957: The birthplace of British Rock n’ Roll is firmly established when the BBC broadcasts it’s first pop show, The Six Five Special, from the tiny 2i’s Coffee Bar in London.
November 16, 1964: The Animals record Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.
November 16, 1965: George Martin puts together the final song order on the Beatles’ brilliant. Rubber Soul album.
November 16, 1966: The Temptations release their Greatest Hits album which become’s Billboard’s Album of the Year in 1967.
November 16, 1968:Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience goes to #1.
One the same date, B.J. Thomas releases Hooked On a Feeling.
November 16, 1973: John Lennon releases the Mind Games album.
November 16, 1974: John Lennon’s Whatever Gets You Through The Night hits #1, the only number one single he has in his solo career. Let me just say it now: The song was a collaboration with Elton John, who guaranteed it would go to number one. It is probably because of that fact that the song went to number one. While I like the song enough, I’m glad Lennon didn’t make a career out of trite, pop songs.
One the same day, Stevie Wonder’s Boogie On Reggae Woman is released.
That’s today’s lesson from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. We will see you in a while for the daily line-up and we’ll be back tomorrow with some more useless, yet musically informative information.
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