Month: January 2021

We’ve Got Some Drivin’ Songs, Badass Guitarists, and Our New Album of The Week by Jeff Lynne and ELO, Sunday, January 24, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got some great ‘various artist’ streams today, and our new Album of The Week by The Electric Light Orchestra!

Speaking of badass guitarists…

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Face The Music by The Electric Light Orchestra NEW!

Face The Music was ELO’s fifth studio album, led by musical genius Jeff Lynne. While Eldorado took a more classical approach, Lynne here moved the band into a more radio-accessible style of music (although the strings remained prominent). It is the first Platinum album for ELO. Lynne would later produce Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Petty called him the best producer on the planet), and join Petty in The Traveling Wilburys. He still continues on with ELO today.

3:00 p.m. Deb’s Stream: Drivin’ Songs, Various Artists

Essentially, what we have here are songs that give me what we used to call ‘lead foot’ on the highway. Let’s see if these match up with yours. You will hear The Eagles, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Van Morrison, The Pretenders, The Doobie Brothers, Mudcrutch, Deep Purple. Blind Faith, and more!

7:00 p.m. Badass Guitarists, Volume One: Various Artists

We have a second volume of this also and we’re working on a third, but we haven’t heard this particular playlist in a while, so here it is. We have Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, The Yardbirds, Steely Dan, ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, and Aerosmith in this multi-artist playlist.

Remember, music lovers, wrapped around all of this programming we still have the vast majority of hours dedicated to open stream. We are circulating songs 24/7, totally free, no credit card required, and no personal information requested. Just give us your ears. (Not literally.)

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Welcome to Sunday Funday in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/24/2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! The DJ slept late because she couldn’t fall asleep until nearly 2 a.m. I mean, seriously? What the hell was that all about? But here we are with your lesson!

The Beatles and the one and only manager they ever had, Brian Epstein.

Here’s your lesson:

January 24, 1958: The Quarrymen performed at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool. It was their first and last performance there until they changed their name to The Beatles.

January 24, 1961: The Beatles officially sign on with manager Brian Epstein, their one and only manager. His signature does not appear on this contract. Epstein always had the band’s best interest at heart. He was a man of his word. He said he would not sign until he had a record contract for the band. He also said that they could opt out of that contract if they could find a better deal somewhere else. On October 1, 1962, a final contract was drawn up with Epstein’s signature included. He had fulfilled his promise. In return for his loyalty, The Beatles gave him 25% of all profits, far above the standard 10% of the day.

On this day, another momentous occasion as Bob Dylan arrived in New York after dropping out of the University of Minnesota. He put his musical career in action immediately by performing at the club, Cafe Wha?, in New York’s Greenwich Village.

January 24, 1965: The Animals appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

January 24, 1967: The Who began a world tour at Central Pier in Morecambe, England.

Also on this day, Aretha Franklin gets a $25,000 signing bonus to record her first tracks for Atlantic Records. It was quite a tumultuous session as her husband apparently got into a fight with one of the musicians. Nevertheless, over her career, Aretha Franklin would have twenty #1 hit singles and ten #1 albums on the R & B charts.

January 24, 1969: Jethro Tull played its first concert in the US, opening for Blood, Sweat & Tears at The Fillmore East in New York City.

Meanwhile, The Doors also performed at Madison Square Garden in New York.

January 24, 1970: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed at The Royal Albert Hall in London.

And Abbey Road by The Beatles returned to the #1 position for a third time, giving the album eleven weeks at the top of the Album charts.

January 24, 1975: Pink Floyd began recording tracks for their album Wish You Were Here at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Born On This Day

January 24, 1941: Aaron Neville, elite vocalist with The Neville Brothers, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He will also have a successful solo career, recording two duets with Linda Ronstadt.

January 24, 1947: Wild man Warren Zevon was born in Chicago. He initially tours as keyboardist for The Everly Brothers while he tries to get a jump on his own career. He finally catches a break when Linda Ronstadt begins to record his compositions as she dominates the seventies.

The End. We are done. And I will be back with today’s line-up shortly.

Bob Marley’s Final Concert, Bonnie Raitt & Her Friends at Ultrasonic Studios, The Final Airing of Dylan’s AOW, and Live Dead, Saturday, January 23, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! Yes, it is the usual jam-packed eclectic Saturday offering here from The Mermaid Lounge. Enjoy.

We have Bob Marley on The Uprising Tour, his final tour ever. He would be dead less than a year later from melanoma.

Here’s your Saturday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 23, 1980

The Uprising Tour was Bob Marley’s final tour and the biggest European tour for that year, beginning in Zurich and ending at The Stanley Theatre (33 cities in Europe; 5 in the U.S.). Before September of the following year, Bob Marley would be dead from melanoma.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan

This is the final airing of Dylan’s first album of original material since 2012’s Tempest. Tomorrow when you awaken, there will be a new selection.

7:00 p.m. Bonnie Raitt & Friends Live at Ultrasonic Studios, 1972

This great live album features Bonnie Raitt, Lowell George (Little Feat), John Hammond and Freebo at Ultrasonic Studios in New York. It was recorded and broadcast on WLIR-FM. We have it here for you today.

10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at Long Beach Arena, December 13, 1980 NEW!

Another great live show from our Grateful Dead vaults here in The Mermaid Lounge. No two shows ever sounds the same from these guys. Not even if it’s on the same tour.

It’s time for you to join our friends in Europe, Asia and beyond and tune us in. What are you waiting for? Must we charge you for our services?

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s Saturday in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/23/2021

Good Morning, fellow music trivia buffs, and welcome to The Mermaid Lounge! We have today’s lesson all prepared for you. We guarantee you’ll impress your friends and family with your knowledge if you apply yourselves.

The Winter Dance Party Tour begins. But before it’s over, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper will die in a plane crash. Don McLean called it “the day the music died” in his hit American Pie.

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 23, 1959: The Winter Dance Party Tour began at the Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee. Before the 24-city tour is over, the headliners, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper will die in a plane crash.

January 23, 1964: The Temptations released The Way You Do The Things You Do, one of the best R & B songs ever, in my opinion.

January 23, 1965: Herman’s Hermits released Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat.

Also on this day, Downtown made Petula Clark the first woman to have a #1 in the US since Vera Lynn in 1952. Of course, she’ll have many more here, but she is an old hand at this in the UK where she has been charting since 1954.

Beatles ’65 spent a third week at #1 on the Album charts.

January 23, 1966: Stevie Wonder played The Cavern Club in Liverpool.

January 23, 1967: Johnny Rivers, one of our favorites here, released Baby I Need Your Lovin’.

January 23, 1969: Alan Parsons (later of The Alan Parsons Project) engineered his first session at Apple Studios (as 2nd engineer to Glyn Johns) as The Beatles record one of their best ever, Get Back.

Elvis Presley records Suspicious Minds at American Sound, a small studio in Memphis. It is a huge comeback hit for The King, and it is also his final #1 hit in America.

January 23, 1970: Judy Collins is denied the opportunity to sing her testimony at the infamous Chicago 7 trial.

January 23, 1971: George Harrison is the first ex-Beatle to hit #1 on the UK charts with My Sweet Lord.

Also on this day, Gladys Knight & The Pips recached #1 on the R & B charts with If I Were Your Woman. This band never got the recognition it deserved, in my opinion, and Gladys Knight was a powerhouse of a singer.

January 23, 1973: While singing to a sell-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York, Neil Young is handed a message. He then announces that a peace accord had been reached in Vietnam. The crowd goes wild for 10 minutes. Here we are in 2020, and American imperialism continues on unabated and forgotten as we fucking argue over masks.

January 23, 1978: Terry Kath of Cbicago accidentally shoots himself in the head with a gun he believed was empty. He dies instantly, just eight days shy of his 32nd birthday. It also marks the death of Chicago, as far as I am concerned, as Peter Cetera leads them down the path of elevator music and renders them irrelevant.

Born On This Day

January 23, 1950: Danny Federici, keyboardist for the E Street Band, was born in Farmington, New Jersey.

January 23, 1950: Bill Cunningham, bassist for The Box Tops, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

And that is all because we do not give a flying fuck about Mariah Carey or Justin Bieber. We will be back with our line-up soon!

Today We Celebrate Sam Cooke’s Birthday, We Air Our ‘Between Heaven & Hell’ Playlist, and The Final Airing of “The Shadow,” Friday, January 22, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got a great line-up today here from The Mermaid Lounge. Some people are forgotten at times. We won’t allow that to happen to Sam Cooke.

Sam Cooke, the man whose voice was made to sing soul.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. One Night Stand: Sam Cooke Live at The Harlem Square Club, Miami, Florida, January 12, 1963

This performance was recorded back in 1963, but not released until 1985. RCA kept it locked in their vaults, thinking it was too gritty and would tarnish his pop image. In fact, it is now recognized as one of the best live performances in popular music history. Today we celebrate what would be Sam Cooke’s 90th birthday.

3:00 p.m. The Shadow: 08 Murder By The Dead FINAL AIRING!

That pesky beyond-the-grave killer returns. It’s a mystery, of course, until The Shadow figures it out.

7:00 p.m. Between Heaven & Hell: Various Artists

Haven’t heard this one in a while. This is a good day for it. Tuning us in will bring you Donovan, Led Zeppelin, The Foo Fighters, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, The Grass Roots, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, Elvis Presley, Van Morrison, and then some!

We’re free. We’re not intrusive. We do not require a credit card or personal information. All you need to do is click on the link below.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s Friday Morning in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/22/2021

Good Morning, Students! Here we are again. It’s another Friday here in The Mermaid Lounge, and this was a pretty active day in rock n’ roll history!

The Beatles put their differences aside and managed to finish Let It Be, a great fucking album.

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 22, 1959: Buddy Holly left for Milwaukee to begin The Winter Dance Party tour.

January 22, 1960: Sam Cooke signed with RCA Records on this day, his 29th birthday.

January 22, 1963: Gerry & The Pacemakers held their first recording session ever, laying down How Do You Do It.

January 22, 1964: Sonny Boy Wiliamson and The Yardbirds appeared at The Cavern Club for their Big R & B Night.

January 22, 1965: The Rolling Stones began a tour of Oceana with two shows at the Agricultural Hall in Sydney, Australia.

January 22, 1966: The Beach Boys began recording Wouldn’t It Be Nice at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood.

Also on this day:

Stevie Wonder went to #1 on the R & B chart with Uptight (Everything’s Alright). He was just 13 years old at the time, making him the youngest artist to ever top the charts.

The Beatles album Rubber Soul was at week three in the top Album position.

Simon & Garfunkel had their first #1 hit with Sounds of Silence.

January 22, 1968: Kenny Rogers & The First Edition released their first single, Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In). I wonder if anybody realizes that he started out as a rocker before he began singing formualted country hits.

Also on this day:

Another great band, Sly & The Family Stone, sent their first 45 record, Dance To The Music, to the radio stations.

The Who performed two shows in Sydney Stadium in Australia. They were backed by the Small Faces.

January 22, 1969: Billy Preston arrived at Apple Studios to play keyboards and help the Beatles finish the Let It Be album. In addition to his talents, he also provided a great buffer for their in-fighting.

January 22, 1971: The Joe Cocker film, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, premiered in London. It featured performances by Cocker himself, along with Leon Russell and Rita Coolidge. There was also a cast of great session musicians like Jim Keltner (Buster Sidebury of Traveling Wilbury fame), Jim Horn, and Carl Radle.

January 22, 1972: Don McLean’s album American Pie hits #1 in the US, where it will remain for seven weeks.

January 23, 1973: Gladys Knight & The Pips released the single Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye).

Also on this day, Roberta Flack released the single Killing Me Softly With His Song. The lyricist was Lori Lieberman, who was inspired by a 1971 live performance by none other than Don McLean.

January 22, 1974: Carly Simon’s great album Hotcakes is certified Gold.

January 22, 1977: Paul McCartney & Wings have the #1 album in the US with Wings Over America.

January 22, 2004: The famous nightclub, The Bottom Line, closes its doors in Greenwich Village, New York after thirty years.

Born On This Day

January 22, 1931: Sam Cooke, the man with the voice made to sing soul music, was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

January 22, 1949: Another great vocalist, Steve Perry, the frontman for Journey, was born in Hanford, California. (No matter what they tell you, there’s no real Journey without Steve Perry at the mike.)

January 22, 1959: Nigel Pegrum, drummer for both Small Faces and Uriah Heep, was born in North Wales.

I hope you took notes. Because this is a lot of information. We’ll be back with the line-up.

The Ladies Are Back To Sing to Us, The Band is In The Spotlight, & Dylan’s Album of The Week, Thursday, January 21, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’re past the mid-week point, thankfully, and we’ve got a damned good line-up to day. It starts with one of The All-Girl Revues this morning.

The All-Girl Revue, Volume 3, kicks it off this morning.

Here’s your line-up:

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

It’s been a while since we heard this particular collection, and we just expanded the playlist, adding new songs and artists. You will hear Linda Ronstadt, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin, Valerie Carter, Aretha Franklin, Norah Jones, Marial Muldaur, Bonnie Raitt, and more!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan

We are winding down on this one. Saturday will be your last day to hear the first collection of original Bob Dylan songs since 2012. Tune it in!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Band

The Band is an American classic. Beginning as Dylan’s back-up band, this amazing talented group of musicians went on to build a kick-ass history that has stood the test of time. One of our favorites here in The Mermaid Lounge. Luckily, I’ll be home from the salt mines for this one.

It’s time, people. We’ve got plenty of it, and you keep wasting yours on commercial stations. You ought to join your friends from Europe and Asia and tune us in.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Greetings & Salutations From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/21/2021

Yes, we did miss yesterday and I apologize for that. But there will be days like this here and there. We are back today, and ready to go!

The Trips Festival, held in 1966, was instrumental in the cultural development of psychedelic music.

Here’s your lesson for today:

January 21, 1959: The Kingston Trio, key to folk music becoming a staple in America, won a Gold record for Tom Dooley.

January 21, 1961: The great Del Shannon recorded the song Runaway, which will top the charts in America by April.

January 21, 1963: The Beatles made their third appearance on Radio Luxembourg’s program The Friday Spectacular, where they performed Please Please Me and Ask Me Why.

January 21, 1964: Peter & Gordon recorded the Lennon-McCartney tune A World Without Love, which goes to #1 in the UK by June 1965. Down the road during the 70s, Peter Asher will become Linda Ronstadt’s producer and manager, and helps launch her amazing career.

January 21, 1965: More than 3,000 fans greet The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison at Sydney Airport when they arrive for a 16-date tour of Australia and New Zealand.

January 21, 1966: The first Trips Festival, a three-day event, begins at the Longshoreman’s Hall in San Francisco. It’s a landmark event in the evolution of psychedelic music and the hippie movement. Produced by Ken Kesey, Ramon Sender, and Stewart Brand, ten thousand people show up to see The Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and The Jefferson Airplane. Pretty sure there was LSD in the punch.

January 21, 1968: Jimi Hendrix recorded Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower at Olympia Studios in London. Rolling Stone Brian Jones (percussion) and Traffic’s Dave Mason (12-string guitar) play on the session.

January 21, 1983: Allman Brothers Band bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer at the age of 34. He joined the band in 1972, and replaced the deceased Berry Oakley. His doctors suspect he contracted the disease from exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service.

January 21, 1984: The great soul singer Jackie Wilson died at the age of 49 after suffering a massive heart attack while performing at the Latin Casino in New Jersey. He fell head first to the stage while singing Lonely Teardrops, suffered brain damage, and remained in a coma for eight years until his death.

Born On This Day

January 21, 1941: Richie Havens, the great folk singer who appeared at the Woodstock, Newport, and Isle of Wight Festivals, was born in Brooklyn, New York.

January 21, 1942: Edwin Starr, soul singer who recorded the great songs War and Twenty-Five Miles, was born in Nashville, Tennessee.

January 21, 1947: Jim Ibbotson, who played guitar, keyboards, drums, and accordion for the very underrated Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, was born somewhere in the United States but nobody can seem to figure out where the fuck it was.

That’s it for today, and we shall be back with your line-up in just a while.

.

It’s Our Usual (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday. Then, The Stones and The Shadow Drop In Later, January 20, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We are on the run this morning, so you’ll have to wait for your rock n’ roll college lesson until later when I return from retail hell. But, in the meantime, here’s your musical line-up.

The Rolling Stones.

Here’s your line-up:

All Day (Mostly) Open Stream, Kids

By now, you know the drill. We are circulating continually all day, all night, 27,000 songs. Our Music Mermaid can even pick up a couple of programs if she so desires. It’s all on her on Wednesdays.

5:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Rolling Stones

The original bad boys of rock n’ roll (forget Aerosmith, it was these guys) are here later in the day for your listening pleasure. And I seriously mean that.

9:00 p.m. The Shadow: 08 Murder by The Dead

Vengeance from the grave. Until, of course, The Shadow figures this shit out. And he always does. By the way, this was one of the most popular radio shows of all time.

So, have at it. Enjoy your open stream day today, and we will be back later with some programming and, of course, your lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s Tuesday Bluesday! We Have The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live at Boston’s Unicorn Coffee House, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Sing The Blues, and Dylan’s AOW, January 19, 2021

Good Morning, Blues Lovers! It’s another Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge and we’ve got a pretty damned good line-up for today.

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live at The Unicorn Coffee House, Boston, Spring 1966

We go back to 1966 here for one of the best in he business live in Boston at the old Unicorn Coffee House. No alcohol. Coffee and music provided the fuel. Tom Rush recorded his first album here. Only 600 copies were pressed. Others who sang here were Bonnie Raitt, the J. Geils Band, Bonnie Raitt, Phil Ochs, and Tim Hardin. The Unicorn was owned by George Papadopoulous, who also owned the Psychedelic Supermarket, which was across the street from what is now the Hynes Convention Center. Boston has a long history of great small music venues. You can read about Unicorn and the others a bit here.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan

This is the first album of original Dylan music since 2012’s Tempest, and it is well worth a listen. The guy never ceases to amaze.

7:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Sing The Blues

Tom Petty once said he envisioned the Heartbreakers as old men sitting in chairs playing and singing the blues together. I would have loved the opportunity to hear that. You’ll see why if you tune in this playlist tonight.

What in Buddha’s name are y’all waiting for? Europe and Asia are tuned in. America is, as usual, behind the curve.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio