Month: December 2020

We’re Celebrating The End of 2020 With Van Morrison, Birthday Boy Jeff Lynne, A Special Edition of LIVE DEAD, and While We’re Celebrating, We’ll be ‘Under The Influence,” Thursday, December 31, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers! It’s the end of 2020 (happily), but we here in The Mermaid Lounge know better than to think 2021 is going to be much better. So, we’ve got music to soothe our souls. So do you. But only if you tune us in.

Happy 74th Birthday to Jeff Lynne (yesterday, actually). He’s In The Spotlight today!

Here’s today’s year-end line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Moondance by Van Morrison

We’re winding down on Van “The Man” Morrison’s brilliant masterpiece here. You have one more day to tune it in before we choose a new AOW.

3:00 p.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

Yes, we’ll be under the influence by this time today. I promise. Let’s face it, whether legal or illegal, we’ve all done it. Personally, I have no regrets. You’ll hear The Beatles, The Byrds, Arlo Guthrie, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, Tom Petty, and more! Just over two hours of mind-altering music.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jeff Lynne NEW!

Yesterday was Jeff Lynne’s 74th birthday. Our celebration is, as they say, better late than never. We’ve got Jeff Lynne here with his Electric Light Orchestra, and as Otis Wilbury. Most people don’t realize that Jeff Lynne was also the band leader of The Move back in the sixties (one of my favorite British bands). That band morphed into ELO. We have some Move music in here as well. Lynne is also a multi-instrumentalist and producer, who has worked with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, George Harrison and, of course, The Traveling Wilburys, the best damned supergroup ever.

10:00 p.m. The New Year’s Eve Special Edition of Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Close Winterland, San Francisco, December 31, 1978 NEW!

On this particular New Year’s Eve, The Grateful Dead played their 48th and final show at Bill Graham’s Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. It was one hell of a show.

This would be an EXCELLENT way to kick out the 2020 jams and start the New Year. We’re free. We’re fun. We don’t talk a lot, and we certainly don’t cut off songs with endless DJ chatter. We talk with our music. Join the fucking party.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s The Last Hurrah for 2020 at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/31/2020

Good Morning, Students! There will be no rest for the weary here in The Mermaid Lounge as we close out the year. Take out your pens and grab a pad of paper. There’ll be a quiz later (just kidding).

On New Year’s Eve 1978, The Grateful Dead closed Bill Graham’s Winterland Arena in style. We’ve got the concert for you tonight at 10:00 p.m.

Here’s today’s lesson from the College:

December 31, 1961: The Beach Boys make their live debut with their new name at the Long Beach Civic Auditorium in California.

December 31, 1963: The Kinks made their live debut at the Lotus House Restaurant in London.

December 31, 1965: The Beatles song I Feel Fine and their album Beatles ’65 are certified Gold.

December 31, 1969: Jimi Hendrix introduced his new band at a show at the Fillmore East in New York City. They are bassist Billy Cox and former Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles. The concerts is recorded for their album Band of Gypsies, which will eventually reach #5 in America and #6 in the UK.

December 31, 1970: Melody Maker magazine reported that The Beatles were searching for a new bass guitarist, as Paul McCartney files suit to dissove The Beatles’ corporation. Truly one of the saddest days of my life.

December 31, 1974: Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham are invited to join Fleetwood Mac. It is the band’s tenth line-up change since 1967.

December 31, 1975: Elvis Presley performed a New Year’s Even concert in front of a record-breaking 60,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.

December 31, 1978: The Grateful Dead play their 48th and final show at Bill Graham’s Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, closing this institution in style. We have the concert for you tonight at 10:00 p.m. on a special New Year’s Eve edition of Live Dead.

December 31, 1980: Bruce Springsteen plays a kick-ass show at the Nassau County Coliseum, playing for more than four hours and covering 38 songs.

December 31, 1985: Rock n’ Roll legend Rick Nelson is killed enroute to a New Year’s eve show in Dallas, Texas. His private DC-3 (formerly owned by Jerry Lee Lewis) crashed in a field near DeKalb, Texas, killing Rick, his band and his future wife, Helen Blair. The pilot and co-pilot survived.

Born On This Day

December 31, 1930: Blues and folk singer Odetta was born Odetta Holmes in Birmingham, Alabama. She is known as the Queen of American Folk Music. Odetta would sing O Freedom at Martin Luther King’s 1963 March on Washington.

December 31, 1943: Pete Quaife, the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, was born in Tavistock, Devon, England.

December 31, 1947: Burton Cummings, lead singer and keyboardist of the great band The Guess Who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

December 31, 1951: Tom Hamilton, bass player for Aerosmith, was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He co-wrote the hits Janie’s Got A Gun and Sweet Emotion, among others.

And that is it on this fine day in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

It’s Another (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday Until Our House Playlist and The Shadow Come Along Later, December 30, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers! This is another (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday. We’ll be circulating 27,000+ songs now that we upgraded our standard rotation. But we’ve got some great programming later!

Mr. Lennon tried to get us to “Give Peace A Chance.” We didn’t listen. You should listen to our House Playlist later for other warnings we didn’t bother to heed.

Here’s today’s line-up:

All Day (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday

Again, circulating 27,000+ songs for your listening pleasure. If you’re fortunate enough to work from home, why not put this on in the background?

5:00 p.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist

All of the music that reflects our attitude here in The Mermaid Lounge. Hear John Lennon, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, The Temptation, Peter Tosh, and many more!

10:00 p.m. The Shadow: 05 Hounds In The Hills

A replay of this week’s episode. It’s 30 minutes of outright suspense, then back to our Open Stream.

Tune us in. We’re free. We don’t run commercials. We don’t employ DJ’s that don’t know how to shut the fuck up, and we don’t interrupt or cut songs short. That’s another bonus.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Greetings & Salutations From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/30/2020

Good Morning, Music Trivia Buffs! We’re getting a jump on the day because it’s an “opening” shift this morning on Truck Day. Here’s everything you need to know to impress your friends.

Tom Petty said of Bo Diddley: “Remember, Elvis is King, but Diddley is Daddy.”

Here’s today’s lesson:

December 30, 1957: Sam Cooke’s You Send Me finished the year as the #1 R & B song where it spent the previous six weeks.

December 30, 1961: This year it was the Marvelettes finishing up a seventh week at #1 on the R & B chart with Please Mr. Postman.

December 30, 1962: The Chiffons released the single He’s So Fine.

December 30, 1965: The Who, The Hollies, The Kinks, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Manfred Mann, and Georgie Fame performed on the popular TV show, Shindig.

December 30, 1967: The Beatles were still tearing up the charts. Their new album release, Magical Mystery Tour, climed from #157 to #4 in one week.

As if that wasn’t enough, The Beatles also had their 51st hit, their 25th Top 10 song in four years, and 15th #1 with the song Hello Goodbye.

December 30, 1968: The Turtles released the single You Showed Me.

December 30, 1969: Santana released the single Evil Ways.

December 30, 1972: Seventh Sojurn by the Moody Blues remained at the #1 position on the Album chart for a fourth week.

Also on this day, Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina cracked the Top 10 with Your Mama Don’t Dance.

December 30, 1974: Bob Dylan recorded Tangled Up in Blue (a personal all-time favorite), Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, and If You See Her, Say Hello.

December 30, 1979: Emerson, Lake & Palmer announced their break up.

Born On This Day

December 30, 1928: R & B and Rock n’ Roll icon Bo Diddley (vocalist, guitarist, songwriter) was born Ellas Otha Bates (add McDaniels at the end from his adoptive family) in McComb, Mississippi. He grew up on the South Side of Chicago where he and his friends sang on street corners. Rumor has it that his nickname, Bo Diddley came from the diddley bow, a one-stringed African guitar popular in the Mississippi Delta region.

December 30, 1931: Country singer Skeeter Davis was born Mary Frances Penick in Dry Ridge, Kentucky. She is actually best known for her crossover hit, The End Of The World.

December 30, 1934: Del Shannon (Runaway) was born Charles Weedon Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

December 30, 1937: Bluegrass, folk, and country multi-instrumentalist and singer John Hartford was born in New York City.

December 30, 1937: Folk singer-songwriter Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary) was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

December 30, 1939: R & B singer Kim Weston was born Agatha Nathalia Weston in Detroit, Michigan. She would sign with Motown in 1961.

December 30, 1939: Felix Pappalardi, bassist and vocalist for Mountain, was born in The Bronx, New York.

December 30, 1940: Punk rock queen Patti Smith was born in Chicago.

And that, my friends, is it from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

By The Way, Did I Mention Our Recent General Rotation Upgrade? I Think Not.

I’m pretty sure I did not mention this, but we did do a recent music upgrade. In several cases, we added to artist libraries, but in a few cases, we added brand new artists.

Truffle. A new old local New England band. We’ve added some. We’ll be adding more.

Here’s the rundown:

Brand New Additions

Truffle, Peter & Gordon (it has been a long time coming), Hot Tuna, Jim Croce, and B. J. Thomas

Expanded Libraries

Buddy Guy, LaVern Baker, Chicago, Jackie Wilson, Wendy Waldman, Linda Ronstadt (Winter Light and We Ran), Joan Baez, The Neville Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Roy Orbison, The Highwaymen, Tim Hardin, Jackie DeShannon, The Grateful Dead (live shows literally weekly), and Guy Clark

This was a first pass. We have more to add and will be doing so soon. I have a couple more days off coming up this week and will be working on this. Feverishly, I might add. Because The Music Mermaid is bitching that her download bucket is full.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday! We’ve Got Hot Tuna Live at Sweetwater Music Hall, Later It’s Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck & Joe Cocker Singing The Blues, and Our Album of The Week, December 29, 2020

Yes, it’s another Tuesday Bluesday in The Mermaid Lounge and we have a full day of blues programming all lined up and ready to go. You’ll be enjoying it while I try to cope with the general purchasing public.

Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna.

Here’s today’s Tuesday Bluesday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Hot Tuna Live at Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley, CA, January 27 & 28, 1992 NEW!

Here we have two veterans of The Jefferson Airplane now singing the blues in Hot Tuna. On this night, they are joined by Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead on guitar and vocals, the very bluesy Maria Muldaur on vocals and tamborine and Pete Sears on piano and accordion. By the way, after this performance, Pete Sears would stay with Hot Tuna until 2000.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Moondance by Van Morrison

The second airing of our album of the week is up at 3:00 p.m. today.

7:00 p.m. Eric Clapton with Friends Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Joe Cocker

Eric Clapton gets together with friends Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Joe Cocker to round out our Tuesday Bluesday programming.

If you like da blues, this would be a good day to tune us in. We don’t cost a damned penny. We don’t ask for your personal information or for you to “subscribe” to our station. All you need to do is click the link below.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Happy Tuesday Bluesday From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/29/2020

Good Morning, Students! Yes. It’s true I return to retail hell today. I must say I enjoyed the five solid days in the DJ chair. If this job paid, I’d take it.

Antoine “Fats” Domino. Was anybody playing rock n’ roll before him?

Here’s your lesson for today:

December 29, 1956: Fats Domino spends his 11th week at the top of the R & B chart with his song Blueberry Hill.

December 29, 1958: Lonely Teardrops by Jackie Wilson was #1 on the R & B chart.

December 29, 1962: Bob Dylan played the Troubadour folk club in London.

December 29, 1964: The Liverpool Youth Employment Services announced that some applicants were having difficulties getting jobs because their Beatle haircuts and clothing was unacceptable to employers. Oh, puhleeeze.

December 29, 1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their TV debut on the UK show Top of the Pops where they performed Hey Joe.

Also on this day, The Beatles began recording Penny Lane.

December 29, 1967: Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Dave Mason leaves the popular and successful band Traffic for a solo career. Rumor had it that he did not enjoy sharing co-writing duties with Steve Winwood.

December 29, 1969: Sly & The Family Stone release the single Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again).

December 29, 1970: Norman Greenbaum (native of Malden, Massachusetts) released the great song Spirit in The Sky, a sixties anthem if there ever really was one.

December 29, 1971: America released it’s self-titled first album.

December 29, 1973: Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle tops the Hot 100, the second of three posthumous hits for the late singer/songwriter.

Also on this day, Elton John’s fine album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was #1 on the Album chart for a third week.

December 29, 1980: Singer-Songwriter Tim Hardin was found dead in his apartment of a heroin overdose at the age of 39. He is best known for If I Were A Carpenter (a hit for Bobby Darin in 1966; the Four Tops in 1968), as well as Reason To Believe (a hit for Rod Stewart in 1971).

Born On This Day

December 29, 1941: Ray Thomas, singer, composer and flautist for The Moody Blues was born on Stourport-on-Severn, England.

December 29, 1942: Rick Danko, co-lead singer and bassist for The Band was born in Green’s Corner, Ontario, Canada.

December 29, 1946: Marianne Faithful was born in Hamsted, London.

And that is your lesson from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge for today!

A Brand New All-Girl Revue, Simon & Garfunkel In The Spotlight, and a New Episode of The Shadow, Monday, December 28, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers around the globe! How are we on this fine Monday morning, as I wind down my vacation. We are bringing you new stuff as we crawl toward 2021, and it starts with the ladies today.

The Ladies: Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Lucinda Williams, The Supremes, Joni Mitchell, Valerie Carter, Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin and Irma Thomas.

Here’s your line-up!

11:00 a.m. The All-Girl Revue, Volume 5: Various Artists NEW!

We’re kicking off the day with a brand new All-Girl Revue. This makes number five. The ladies in the photo above will join others in this playlist, like Phoebe Snow, Wendy Waldman, Ann Peebles, Tracy Chapman, Susan Tedeschi, Lulu, Petula Clark, Carly Simon, Jackie DeShannon, Carole King, Judy Collins, and others! It’s just over two hours of uninterrupted bliss.

By the way, the set list will be up under the Playlist tab. Just go and scroll until you find it.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Simon & Garfunkel

They made their television singing debut at the age of sixteen. Paul Simon went on to become one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and together they have sold 105 million records over their career. Today, they’re in the spotlight.

7:00 p.m. The Shadow: 05. Hounds In The Hills NEW!

You’re going to love this one: “A demented old hag living with her hunchback son kidnaps four boys and holds them captive in their mansion.” This comes direct from their wikifan page. And guess what? The plot only thickens from there. I’m not revealing one more thing.

Listen, the programming is light. I am not, however, shirking my duties. Your post-Shadow evening will be littered with Three-in-a-Rows throughout. This costs you nothing. Remember, sharing is caring. Or so they say.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s Another Merry Monday in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/28/2020

It’s an odd day in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge today. Aside from two entries, all of the events seem to have happened in 1968. It was, as Frank Sinatra said, a very good year musically. Devastating in others.

The year that changed the world.

Here’s today’s lesson:

December 28, 1968: The Doors released Touch Me. Believe it or not, the song’s opening guitar riff was inspired by the opening of C’mon Marianne by The Four Seasons. I shit you not. (And I think that’s probably the only song I like by The Four Seasons, come to think of it.) Touch Me would peak at #3 in America.

These other musical events also happened on this day:

The Beatles’ ninth studio album, The Beatles (aka, The White Album), hits #1 in the US.

The Rolling Stones‘ Beggars Banquet debuts at #3 on the Album chart.

Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck and The Pretty Things appeared at the Flight to Lowlands Paradise II festival at the Margriethal-Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Marvin Gaye remained at #1 on the R & B chart with I Heard It Through The Grapevine. I’ll say it again, he remade Gladys Knight’s version, which was released in 1967. Hers also went to #1. I love Marvin, but the record needs to be set straight.

In what could be viewed as a dry run for Woodstock, Joni Mitchell, Three Dog Night, The Turtles, Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye, The Grass Roots, Chuck Berry, Steppenwolf, The Box Tops, Canned Heat, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Procol Harum, The Grateful Dead, Jose Feliciano, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and others performed at the Miami Pop Festival at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida.

Whew.

December 28, 1970: John Lennon released the song Mother.

December 28, 1983: Depressed by mounting debt and his personal problems, Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys drowned while diving near his boat in Marina Del Rey, California. Brian Wilson, dealing with his own issues, did not attend the funeral.

Born On This Day

December 28, 1914: Roebuck “Pops” Staples, songwriter/guitarist/singer for The Staple Singers (I’ll Take You There, Respect Yourself) was born in Winona, Mississippi.

December 28, 1938: Charlie Neville (The Neville Brothers) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

December 28, 1946: Edgar Winter, multi-instrumentalist, leader of The Edgar Winter Group, and younger brother of Johnny, was born in Beaumont, Texas.

December 28, 1948: Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste, drummer for The Meters, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

And that is today’s lesson from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

Donovan In the Spotlight, Lucinda Williams Live at The Fillmore, and Van Morrison’s MOONDANCE is Our Album of The Week, Sunday, December 27, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We have a rather eclectic mix of programming from The Mermaid Lounge today, and we’re proud of it!

“I’d rather play a few nights at the Fillmore than one night at an arena” -Lucinda Williams

Here’s today’s programming:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Moondance by Van Morrison NEW!

We move from The Band’s Moondog Matinee to Van Morrison’s Moondance. There’s a certain unplanned symmetry to this selection. But this is undoubtedly one of the finest albums ever made in the history of popular music. It is more than a worthy selection as our Album of The Week.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Donovan

It has been a while since we heard from this guy. He certainly made some of the most memorable music of the sixties, and is one of my personal favorites.

7:00 p.m. Lucinda Williams Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, November 20-22, 2003 NEW!

These live songs were recorded over a three-night performance at The Fillmore in San Francisco on November 20, 21 and 22, 2003. Released in 2005, this was Lucinda’s first live album ever, and it’s a great one.

Beyond this, we’re on Open Stream, just as we are every single day with no advertising, no political talk, and no chatty DJ’s. We don’t cost a damned penny, we don’t ask for your credit card, and we do not require personal information. Just click on the link and see for yourselves.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio