Month: January 2021

It’s Another Kick-Ass Saturday With The Laurel Canyon Crowd, Joan Baez, Elvis’ Birthday Playlist, and Live Dead, on January 9, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Saturday is our big day on the programming scale but, in spite of that, our musical day remains mostly Open Stream.

The Grateful Dead. The ultimate jam band at the closing of Winterland.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Echoes From The Canyon: Various Artists

It was all happening in the canyon back in the day. They were all groovin’ together, feeding off each other, and it produced some of the best damned sounds in the history of popular music. They inspired people like Jakob Dylan and Tom Petty. This playlist is about just over 2.5 hours and features The Mamas & The Papas, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and more!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Joan Baez by Joan Baez

The final airing of Joan Baez’s brillian debut album, recorded when she was just nineteen. Get in on it now. It will be gone tomorrow when you wake up!

7:00 p.m. Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions

We’re celebrating Elvis Presley’s birthday a day late. That’s usually how it goes around here. We do our best, but my multiple personalities have their limits. Today, we’re playing his songs from The Sun Sessions, recorded at Sun Studios during 1954 and 1955. It’s produced by Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records, who gave Elvis his start, and includes one of the greatest (and some people argue, the first) rock n’ roll songs ever, That’s All Right. Happy Birthday, Elvis.

10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at Winterland, October 22, 1978 NEW!

We made it through last year for 52 weeks with no repeats. And we intend to attempt the same here. Let’s face it. It should not be difficult. The Dead played Winterland alone 48 times. This is just one of them. Enjoy, Deadheads.

Saturdays are always a fucking great day to tune us in. Why don’t you give it a shot? We are free. No credit card or private info required. No advertising accepted. No endless DJ chatter. You have no idea what you are missing.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s a Sunny Saturday in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/9/2021

Yes, the sun is out for a change here. Let’s see how long it lasts. But in the meantime, we have all the news that’s fit for a trivia buff.

Sam Cooke. His voice was made for soul.

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 9, 1962: Sam Cooke releases Twistin’ The Night Away, a great fucking song.

January 9, 1963: Charlie Watts joins the Rolling Stones on drums, replacing Tony Chapman.

January 9, 1965: The Beatles begin nine weeks at #1 on the US Album chart with Beatles ’65, their fourth #1 album.

January 9, 1967: The Buffalo Springfield release one of the greatest songs in history, For What It’s Worth.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, The Beatles supervised the recording of the flutes, trumpets, piccolos and flugelhorn for Penny Lane.

January 9, 1969: The Beatles owned #1 on the UK Album chart with The Beatles (also known affectionately as, The White Album).

January 9, 1970: During their UK tour, Led Zeppelin played Royal Albert Hall on Jimmy Page’s 26th birthday. John Lennon, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton were in attendance.

January 9, 1976: Queen was at #1 on the UK singles chart with Bohemian Rhapsody.

Born On This Day

January 9, 1941: American singer, songwriter, musician and activist Joan Baez was born in Staten Island, New York. She recorded and released her debut album in 1960 at the age of nineteen. She is the first singer to record songs written by Bob Dylan.

January 9, 1944: James Patrick “Jimmy” Page was born in Heston, Middlesex, England. he was a session musician before forming The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. One of the greatest guitarists on the planet.

And that is it. It’s Saturday. Your lesson should be light and it is. Have a great day and we’ll be back with the line-up.

The Women Own It: We Have Young Linda Ronstadt and The All-Girl Revue 4 Sandwiched Around The Final Airing of The Shadow, Friday, January 8, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! The ladies own the day today, and rightfully so. And by the way, there is no other radio station shining a light on women in rock music.

We’re all in on The women of rock n’ roll today. Get with the damned program.

Here’s your line-up for this fine day:

11:00 a.m. Linda Ronstadt: The Stone Poneys & The Early Years

A pretty concise retrospective here of Linda Ronstadt’s beginnings, before she stole that show on that Neil Young arena tour and before Heart Like A Wheel launched her incredible career. The groundwork was laid with The Stone Poneys and her early contributions.

3:00 p.m. The Shadow: 06 House of Horror FINAL AIRING!

Our final airing of this week’s episode of The Shadow. On Monday, we will have episode seven.

7:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue, Volume 4: Various Artists

It’s funny how women continue to be a footnote in rock n’ roll history. There is so much evidence of their contribution that it cannot legitimately be denied. Here in The Mermaid Lounge, we don’t view rock n’ roll as strictly a man’s world. The evidence is quite to the contrary.

In this volume of The All-Girl Revue you’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Valerie Carter, Petula Clark, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Carly Simon, and many more!

Tune us in. We’re free. I mean, really free: No credit card or personal information required. All you need is a computer ad a free tab. No shit. No lie.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Good Morning From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/8/2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Here we are again bringing you news from the annals of rock n’ roll. Today, a very important person in the music world was born.

Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi Sept 26, 1956 © 1978 Roger Marshutz—MPTV

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 8, 1957: Bill Haley & The Comets, LaVern Baker, and Big Joe Turner start an Australian tour in Newastle Stadium, Newcastle. This is the world’s first rock n’ roll concert.

January 8, 1960: Eddie Cochran records Three Steps To Heaven in Hollywood. It will be his final recording session.

January 8, 1966: The Beatles had only been charting for a couple of years, yet they had their 11th number one hit with We Can Work It Out.

Also on this day, the album Rubber Soul soared from #60 to #1 to take over the Album chart. It was The Beatles’ seventh #1 US album.

The Who and The Kinks were the final guests on the last episode of the TV show Shindig.

A great new folk group called The Mamas & The Papas were gaining a lot of attention. On this day, they charted their first hit single, California Dreamin’.

January 8, 1968: (Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay, by Otis Redding, was released by Stax Records. It would be his only hit. He passed away the year before in a plane crash before he ever had the opportunity to see its release.

January 8, 1975: Three Led Zeppelin shows scheduled for Madison Square Garden sell out in a matter of four hours.

Born On This Day

January 8, 1931: Bill Graham, concert promoter whose name is synonymous with The Fillmore, was born Wolfgang Grajunca in Berlin, Germany.

January 8, 1935: Elvis Aaron Presley, also known as The King, was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He had his first hit in 1956 with the great song Heartbreak Hotel.

January 8, 1940: Jerome “Little Anthony” Gourdine of Little Anthony & The Imperials was born in Brooklyn, New York.

January 8, 1946: Robby Krieger, songwriter and elite guitarist with The Doors, was born in Los Angeles.

January 8, 1947: Terry Sylvester, who replaced Graham Nash in The Hollies, was born in Liverpool, England.

And that is it on this day in music history. We will be back with the line-up soon.

Jefferson Airplane Live at The Matrix, Our Expanded Folk Music From A to Z, and Our Album of The Week, on Thursday, January 7, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers. We are here in The Mermaid Lounge setting you up for a great day musically with new material and an update of some old.

Joan Baez has our Album of The Week, and appears in our Folk Music From A to Z Playlist.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Jefferson Airplane Live at The Matrix, San Francisco, February 1, 1968 NEW!

We are kicking out the day with some psychedelic rock! Shows by these guys are tough to come by, but we’ve got some others on the way! This one was broadcast on KMPX Radio back in the day.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Joan Baez by Joan Baez

Winding down with our third airing this week. We will have one more some time Saturday before we reveal our new selection on Sunday!

7:00 p.m. Folk Music From A to Z UPDATED AND EXPANDED!

We’ve really expanded this playlist wth the recent addition of new music, and we intend to expand it even further, like we did our British Invasion, Blues, and Sixties playlists. You can hear Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Richie Havens, The Beatles, Tim Hardin, Jesse Winchester, John Prine, Tom Rush, James Taylor, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Woody Guthrie, Eric Andersen, Harry Chapin, and more!

Come on, children. It’s time for you to catch up to the rest of the world and pull up that tab. It’s amazing the world that awaits, because you’ll be instantly connected with music at no charge — no credit card or personal information required. And, no. You don’t have to worry about us. We’re not Illuminati. We’re not tracking your every move. We’ve got nothing to sell you.

Come on. You know you want to.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Getting a Jump on The Trivia of The Day In The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/7/2021

Good Morning, Students of Music Trivia! It’s always so much less stressful when I get a jump on thing, not always possible, I might add.

Aaron Neville had the first #1 song of 1967 with “Tell It Like It Is.”

Here’s today’s lesson, kids:

January 7, 1954: Muddy Waters recorded Hoochie Coochie Man.

January 7, 1955: Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & The Comets debuted on the UK charts.

January 7, 1964: Bluesman Long John Baldry forms The Hoochie Coochie Men.

Also on this day, The Beatles recorded for the BBC program Saturday Club, singing Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode, along with All My Loving, Money, I Want to Hold Your Hand and three other songs. It was their third appearance on the show.

January 7, 1967: The Doors and The Young Rascals played the second of two nights at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.

Also on this day, Aaron Neville had the first #1 song of the new year with Tell It Like It Is, undoubtedly one of my favorite songs ever.

January 7, 1970: Fleetwood Mac started a five-night stint at The Whiskey A Go Go on Sunset Strip.

January 7, 1978: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album, which was already #1 for 29 weeks, returns to #1 after 46 weeks of release.

January 7, 1980: Led Zeppelin’s In Through The Out Door is certified Platinum. It is the final album John Bonham appears on before his death.

January 7, 1981: The Eagles Live is certified Platinum. In spite of that, it will be 13 years before their next album is released.

Born On This Day

January 7, 1948: Kenny Loggins was born on this day in Everett, Washington.

And that is it. We are done here, and will return with today’s line-up shortly. (It really is tomorrow’s line-up today.)

It’s Another (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday With Visits From Jethro Tull and The Shadow, January 6, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! It’s another nose-to-the-grindstone morning as we shove all this shit out before the working bell rings.

Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull.

Here’s today’s line-up:

All Day (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday with Some Trifectas!

Once again, we’re circulating 27,000+ songs. We added 500 new files last week alone. Remember to listen for those Trifectas! (Yeah. I renamed them. The other was too complicated to type.)

5:00 p.m. Jethro Tull Live at The Capitol Centre, Landover, Maryland, November 21, 1977

Jethro Tull was one of the finest, most unique bands on the planet. I saw them at least three times that I can remember, but the most memorable one was at the Music Hall in Boston. And the fact that I can remember any of my musical escapades at all is a miracle.

9:00 p.m. The Shadow: 06 House of Horror

The one about the stolen gorilla, the mad scientist, and a brain transplant. What could possibly go wrong?

I hope you folks have a wonderful day. But I promise you’d feel a lot better about life if you’d just tune us in. I’m actually quite serious about that. I mean, seriously, what do you have to lose?

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Greetings & Salutations From the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/6/2021

Here we are again hanging out in The Mermaid Lounge cramming in my musical duties before an opening shift. I hope you are soaking all this knowledge in like a sponge.

Tom Petty (& The Heartbreakers) with his Gibson Flying V.

Here’s your lesson for Wednesday:

January 6, 1957: Elvis Presley makes his third and final appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, where he sings seven songs, including Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel, and Heartbreak Hotel. Of course, they only show Elvis the Pelvis from the waist up.

January 6, 1958: Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis hits #2 where it will remain for four weeks before dropping down. What’s keeping it from #1? At The Hop by Danny & The Juniors. (Are you fucking kidding me?)

January 6, 1964: The Rolling Stones headlined their first UK tour, with The Ronettes as the opening act.

January 6, 1966: The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out is awarded a Gold record, two days before it begins a three-week stay at #1.

January 6, 1968: Gibson patents its signature Flying V Electric Guitar.

January 6, 1973: Carly Simon hits #1 with You’re So Vain, and people continue to obsess to this day trying to figure out for whom the song is written. Carly’s conflicting answers shed no light on this mystery.

January 6, 1975: Pink Floyd begins recording their album Wish You Were Here, after abandoning their original idea of recording an album making music using ordinary household items. Thankfully.

January 6, 1993: Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman leaves the group after 30 years because he didn’t see anything new coming on the horizon.

January 6, 2007: “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow, one of the finest pedal steel guitarists ever who played with The Flying Burrito Brothers, died in Petaluma, California, of complications from Alzheimers.

Born On This Day

January 6, 1937: R & B singer-songwriter Doris Troy was born Doris Elaine Higginsen in The Bronx, New York.

January 6, 1946: Syd Barrett, vocalist and guitarist for Pink Floyd, was born in Cambridge, England.

January 6, 1947: Sandy Denny was born in London. She would become the lead singer of Fairport Convention, and the only guest singer on a Led Zeppelin song, The Battle of Evermore.

January 6, 1951: Blues singer Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds was born in Detroit, Michigan.

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

It’s Tuesday Bluesday in the Lounge! We’ve Got The Blues Project at The Matrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan Live in Austin, and Joan Baez With Our AOW, January 5, 2021

Good Morning, Bluesicologists! It is indeed Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge and we’ve got some new additions to our rotation and our playlists today!

The Blues Project makes its debut on #BecomeUngovernable Radio.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Blues Project Live at The Matrix Club, San Francisco, September 1966 NEW!

The Blues Project formed in New York’s Greenwich Village in 1965, and consisted of Al Kooper (keyboards and vocals), Roy Blumenfeld (drums), Danny Kalb (guitar and vocals), Steve Katz (guitar and vocals), and Andy Kulberg (bass and flute). They were short-timers, lasting only two years, but they were very good. Al Kooper and Steve Katz moved on to form Blood, Sweat & Tears after their break up.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Joan Baez by Joan Baez

The second airing of this week’s featured album by 19-year-old Joan Baez.

7:00 p.m. Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at The Austin Opera House, Texas, April 15, 1984

I was feeling the need to get Stevie Ray Vaughan back into the mix here on a Tuesday Bluesday, and we have him live from the Austin Opera House. Light the fire and put your feet up.

We are back in retail hell today, but we certainly hope we’ve left you in good hands. Remember, we’re free. We don’t ask you for a thing. Tune us in and see for yourself.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

All the Pertinent Details From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/5/2021

It is another day in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, and we’re getting a jump on all things musical today. It’s a fairly active day on the trivia front.

Jesse Winchester left the U.S. for Canada to avoid the draft. But when he left the planet, the world lost one of its best songwriters ever.

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 5, 1954: Elvis Presley recorded a 10-minute demo tape at Memphis Recording Studios.

January 5, 1959: Buddy Holly released It Doesn’t Matter Anymore, his final release before his death.

January 5, 1961: The Beatles played at Literton Town Hall in Liverpool. Two members of Rory Storm & The Hurricanes were on hand to watch — Johnny Guitar, and drummer Ringo Starr. Paul McCartney played bass for the first time with the band as Stu Sutcliffe remained at home.

January 5, 1965: The Supremes recorded Stop! In The Name of Love at Motown Studios in Detroit. Soon after, they depart on the first Motown revue tour in Europe.

January 5, 1967: Jesse Winchester, one of the finest singer-songwriters ever to grace this planet, moves from the U.S. to Canada to avoid the draft and serving in Viet Nam.

Also on this day, Paul McCartney recorded his vocal for Penny Lane which was planned (but actually never included) on the upcoming Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band album.

Tommy James & The Shondells released their single, I Think We’re Alone Now.

Pink Floyed played in concert at The Marquee Club.

January 5, 1968: Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits album is certified Gold.

January 5, 1969: Creedence Clearwater Revival releases the album Bayou Country.

January 5, 1973: Bruce Springsteen released his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

January 5, 1974: Jim Croce remained at #1 with the song Time In A Bottle, rated one of the Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era.

Bruce Springsteen plays the song Rosalita for the first time in concert at Joe’s Place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It becomes a fan favorite and is often played as his encore.

January 5, 2004: John Guerin, one of the most respected and prolific session drummers who worked with Joni Mitchell, Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Willie Nelson, and many more, died from pneumonia on this date in West Hills, California. He was 64.

Born On This Day

January 5, 1923: Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records, who discovered Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, was born near Florence, Alabama.

January 5, 1929: Wilbert Harrison, who wrote and recorded the great classic Kansas City in 1959, was born in Charlotte, North Carolina.

January 5, 1934: Phil Ramone, songwriter, violinist, recording engineer, and legendary producer who made albums with Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and many others, was born in South Africa.

And that just about sums it up from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!