Month: June 2022

Today We’ve Got Bob Dylan Live at Royal Albert Hall, Songs Banned From the Airwaves, and Our New Seasons Playlist, Monday, June 20, 2022

Good Morning, Music Aficionados! How goes the battle on this fine Monday? We’ve got some great stuff here for you today, including a brand new playlist to close out our programming later.

We start the day off with Dylan live at Royal Albert Hall, vintage 1966

Here’s your Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Bob Dylan Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, May 17, 1966

It’s a mystery. Is it May 17 or May 26. Is it the real Royal Albert Hall concert, or the Manchester concert mislabeled as Royal Albert Hall? As far as we can tell, this is the real Royal Albert Hall concert. Either way, it’s vintage early Dylan and it is a milestone in the development of popular music as he moved folk into the electric era. We here in The Mermaid Lounge love a good musical mystery. One thing we’re absolutely sure of is that this is part of what is known as The Bootleg Collection.

3:00 p.m. Banned From the Airwaves: Various Artists

This is a fun one. There are songs that have been banned from all over the spectrum, although you can pretty much catch them on all radio stations in this day and age. Petty’s You Don’t Know How It Feels was initially banned for its reference to weed; both Lola by the Kinks and Arnold Layne by Pink Floyd were banned because of their references to transgender and/or LGBTQ characters; My Generation by The Who was initially banned because it insulted people who stuttered; and McCartney’s Hi Hi Hi, The Everly Brothers’ Wake Up Little Susie, The Doors’ Love Me Two Times and The Stones’ Let’s Spend the Night Together were all initially banned because of references to sex. Listen to the rest and see if you can figure it out.

7:00 p.m. Seasons: Various Artists NEW!

Tonight we close out the programming portion with a brand new playlist about the seasons. Either the word ‘seasons’ appears in the song somewhere or the song references a specific season in some fashion. You’ll hear Bobbie Gentry, Janis Ian, Donovan, Simon & Garfunkel, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Byrds, Johnny Rivers, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Hoyt Axton, Don Henley, Wendy Waldman, The Stone Poneys, Jefferson Airplane, The Kinks, Nina Simone, Linda Ronstadt, Michael Murphy, James Taylor, The Beatles, Eva Cassidy, Eddie Cochran, The Band, Sly & The Family Stone and more!

We’ve got a full house this morning with Germany, Chile, The Netherlands, Russian Federation, our friends from the Faroe Islands, Italy, Greece, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, Australia, the UK, along with Texas, Montana, Massachusetts, and New York. When are you logging on?

Put That Cursor Here!

McCartney’s Solo Debut is Our Album of The Week, and We’ve Got ‘The Psychedelic Express’ Rolling Through Later, Sunday, June 19, 2022

The Psychedelic Express rolls through this afternoon!

Here’s your Sunday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: McCartney by Paul McCartney NEW!

Released on April 17, 1970, this was the very first Beatle solo album. Of course, people were absolutely pissed that the Beatles had broken up, so it took a while for people to warm up to this one, but over the years it has become one of the most beloved albums of all time. I also look back now and remember that the album was criticized for what appeared to be “unfinished” tunes. Now, alternate takes, unfinished versions, home recordings and all of the progressions to the final product are literally an art form. I remember the angst of millions that The Beatles were gone, and I suspect a lot of the criticism came from the fact that they broke up to begin with. The blame game was being played. I, too, was upset that The Beatles were no more, but as I got older I realized that bands break up all the damned time. I also know that The Beatles gave us all they had in the tank. They changed everything in a very short period of time, and the band’s music is timeless. That’s also the way I look at them as solo artists as well.

4:00 p.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

Psychedelic music is one of my most favorite genres of all time, so I’m looking forward to this one myself! Even bands not know as “psychedelic” bands tried their hand at this genre. You’ll hear Vanilla Fudge, The Chambers Brothers, The Beatles, The Electric Prunes, The Animals, Jefferson Airplane, Blues Image, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Donovan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Canned Heat, Tommy James & The Shondells, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, and more!

Sunday. It’s a day of rest all across the globe. Pull up a chair and tune us in. We’re on 24/7 (not just when we have programming), we’re totally free, and we never air commercial advertising. What are you waiting for?

The Psychedelic Express!

It’s Saturday with a Happy 80th McCartney Celebration, the Final Airing of Our AOW, Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP and LIVE DEAD! Later, on June 18, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great lineup for you today and it’s a bit busier here in The Lounge than usual because we’ve got McCartney’s 80th birthday celebration later on.

Happy 80th Birthday to Sir Paul McCartney!

Here’s today’s musical journey:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We begin the programming day with this great extended playlist that includes tunes from John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, The Carter Family, Jesse Winchester, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Poneys, Phil Ochs, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy FINAL AIRING!

Today we bid a fond farewell to this week’s Album of The Week by the late, great Eva Cassidy who, unfortunately, didn’t live long enough to see her success. Don’t miss this collection of rehearsal tunes and live performances.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul McCartney

Today we say happy 80th birthday to a true musical living legend who’s still rocking away on his ‘Got Back’ tour. We’ve got Beatles’ stuff, solo performances, his stint with Wings…it’s all here for a couple of hours tonight.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Summer Jam, Watkins Glen, New York, July 28, 1973

Tonight’s LIVE DEAD! is a rare repeat, but it hasn’t been aired since 2020, so it should sound just like new to those of you who aren’t Deadheads (and they don’t care how many times they hear a Grateful Dead show; it’s all new to them).

We’re chock full of stuff today and we think you’ll like it. There’s no better way to kick start your weekend than with the little radio station that could. (I think I like that.) There are, of course, some things we just can’t do, like play rap and screaming heavy metal death, charge for listening, or play commercial advertising. But we’re pretty damned good with everything else.

The Little Radio Station That Could.

Friday Delivers Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Puts Paul Simon In the Spotlight as the Weekend Is Right Around the Corner, June 17, 2022

Go ask Alice. She knew where it was at.

Here’s Friday’s lineup:

10:00 a.m. Under the Influence: Various Artists

Ah, yes, taking me back to my youth, where I took numerous risks that I would never take in my old age. Remind me to tell you about the blotter acid experience sometime. Today, you’ll hear from Arlo Guthrie, The Byrds, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glen Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys The Temptations, The Small Faces, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, The Beatles, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Dave Van Ronk, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Steve Winwood, Harry Chapin, The Band, The Fraternity of Man, Led Zeppelin, and more!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul Simon

Whether with his partner, Art Garfunkel, or as a solo artist, Paul Simon has been an immensely brilliant singer-songwriter for many years. Today, after far too long a hiatus, we put him In the Spotlight.

We are one day away from the true weekend. Some of us working under the scourge of retail, however, start our weekends even later. But no matter, because whether I’m sitting here in The Mermaid Lounge or taking shit in retail hell, the Music Mermaid is clearly in control. The music here never stops.

Non-Stop 24/7

We’re Sliding Toward The Weekend With Bobbie Gentry & Some Friends at BBC Studios, Our ‘Rock, Blues & Ballads’ Playlist, and our AOW, Thursday, June 16, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists. We’ve got some great new stuff to start off the day today as we’ve discovered a Bobbie Gentry BBC Studios performance with a couple of friends along for support.

A couple of friends dropped by to help Bobbie Gentry out with her BBC Studios show

Here’s Thursday’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Bobbie Gentry Live at The BBC Studios, London, 1968-1969 NEW!

This was a great find, given the fact that Bobbie Gentry was always a bit reclusive and shunned the limelight. She just wanted to write songs for other people. But she did perform live music, and she did so at BBC Studios in 1968 and 1969. Maybe she brought Donovan and James Taylor along for moral support! We’re glad she did!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy

We’re winding down on this week’s album selection as we’ve reached our next-to-last airing here. The final will be sometime on Saturday. Don’t wait too long!

7:00 p.m. Rock, Blues and Ballads, Volume One: Various Artists

I know. It’s about time I got volume two together. And I totally agree, so it’s on my weekend list. But this one’s pretty damned good and we haven’t heard it in a while. You’ll hear Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Tom Petty, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, J.J. Cale, Dusty Springfield, Neil Young, Paul McCartney & Wings, Long John Baldry, Randy Newman, Maria Muldaur, Ry Cooder, Gregg Allman, Linda Ronstadt, and more!

We’re sliding steadily toward the weekend here in The Mermaid Lounge, although I’ll grant you it’s not getting here fast enough this week. But good music goes a long way toward making the work week easier, so give us a shot. Because we play some seriously good shit with absolutely no commercial interruption, no chatty disc jockeys who’d rather talk than play music, or cost to you. Not one penny. And we’re open 24/7. What more do you want?

Open 24/7!

We are at Midweek With Our ‘Are You Ready For the Country’ EP and New ‘Live’ Emmylou Harris Later, Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Good Morning to our country and country-rock aficionados this morning! We’ve got a great lineup today interspersed within all that great wide Open Stream!

We’ve got some early ‘live’ Emmylou later from My Father’s Place!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

10:00 a.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

From authentic country to the fusion of rock and country that took place at Laurel Canyon, we’ve got a great musical trip for you take today with Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Pure Prairie League, Asleep at The Wheel, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, the Marshall Tucker Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Bonnie Raitt, Glenn Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, The Desert Rose, John Prine, Tom Rush, and more!

7:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris Live at My Father’s Place, Roslyn, New York, September 14, 1976 NEW!

Some great early Emmylou Harris here with The Hot Band, one of the greatest bands ever to stand on stage with her. It’s also at a legendary venue, My Father’s Place in New York. There are a lot of songs that came off the great Elite Hotel album that put her on the map, but she had just also released a new gem in Luxury Liner, so that’s represented here as well. She is, without a doubt, a Mermaid Lounge favorite. Live broadcast on WLIR-FM.

Excellent day to tune us in, people. We’ve got some great programming and, as always, our wide Open Stream of 27,000+ songs. It doesn’t get much better than that, although we are working on it. And, oh yeah, did I mention we’re totally, 100%, no-strings-attached free? That’s a bonus.

Are You Ready?

On Tuesday Bluesday We Intro Our New ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP and Our Second Airing of Eva Cassidy’s AOW, June 14, 2022

It’s Tuesday Bluesday and we’ve finally converted our Chicago Blues playlist into an EP with the addition of new cuts and artists. We also give you Eva Cassidy later.

Today we debut our expanded ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

11:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues: Various Artists UPDATED & EXPANDED!

We’ve been threatening to do this, and it finally came to fruition over the weekend. Our Chicago Blues playlist has now grown up and is an EP! We’ve added all new cuts and some new artists. You’ll hear Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon Albert King, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann and more! This is now just over five hours of uninterrupted blues!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy

The second airing of this great posthumously-released album is upon us. It’s a collection of rehearsal songs and live cuts from a woman who passed from our realm far too soon.

We’re on simple mode today as we debut our new extended playlist. We’ve also got some new Tuesday Bluesday surprises coming up as we gear up for summer! You’re going to like it around here as we move forward with some new music and new playlists. And we’re totally free. We’re a labor of musical love.

Best of Chicago Blues!

Monday Rolls Around Again and We’ve Got Some ‘Live’ Guess Who, Jackson Browne In the Spotlight, and Some ‘Drivin’ Songs’ Later On, June 13, 2022

Here we are again from The Mermaid Lounge on another back-to-work day. If you’re working where you can listen in, just pull up a tab and make your day so much brighter right here.

It’s a ‘first’ here in The Mermaid Lounge as we kick off today’s programming with some ‘live’ Guess Who!

Here’s your back-to-work lineup:

11:00 a.m. The Guess Who Live at The Ambassador Theater, St. Louis, MO, May 6, 1974 NEW!

The Guess Who is, without a doubt, a fantastic band. We’ve got some of their stuff in our rotation, but we’re on the hunt for all of it. That’s where we found this gem. As we expand our horizons for the summer, we’re kicking off the day with this live performance which was broadcast on KSHE 95FM.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jackson Browne

It’s time to put Jackson Browne back In the Spotlight. It has been a while. Every time we hear this playlist we’re reminded why he’s considered one of the greatest song writers of all time.

7:00 p.m. Drivin’ Songs: Various Artists

And then, we close out the night with songs about driving. But it doesn’t stop there. Some of these songs may not actually be about driving, but they help you go just a little bit faster than you were originally planning. Hey, that’s why they’re driving songs. You’ll be riding with The Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, The Eagles, Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Golden Earring, CSNY, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, The Kinks, The Byrds, The Moody Blues, Deep Purple, Rare Earth, Canned Heat, Bruce Springsteen and more!

Start your Monday with a little boost from The Music Mermaid here in the Lounge. We’ve got several new playlists to unveil this week, and we start today! We’re on 24/7 totally free of commercial advertising and at absolutely no cost to you. What’s not to love?

Just Press Play.

Happy Sunday From the Mermaid Lounge Where the Women of Music Own Today’s Programming, June 12, 2022

Good Morning, Folks! It’s Sunday and that’s an official day of rest. If you’re a believer in The Big Guy in the Sky, remember that even he (or she) took today off. The women of music will not be taking today off here. They are fully in charge.

Ladies Day Out starts at 3:00 p.m. EST!

Here’s your Sunday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy NEW!

Eva Cassidy was a woman of extraordinary talent with a beautiful voice, and she died far too soon for most people to even know about her. ‘we here learned about her posthumously from a friend. This album is a really interesting album for its time. This kind of album is commonplace now, but it wasn’t so common at the time of its release. It’s a collection of her rehearsal tapes and some live performances that was released seven years after her death. But it’s not just a mere collection of songs thrown together. Give it a listen.

3:00 p.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

The women of music are in control starting at 3:00 p.m. and continuing for several hours as we listen to Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Carly Simon, Chrissie Hynde, Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Eva Cassidy, Wendy Waldman, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Nicolette Larson, Valerie Carter, Sheryl Crowe, and more!

Before, in between, and after you’ll hear our great wide Open Stream with The Music Mermaid fully in control. We’re open all day and night, we’re totally free, and we don’t ask for your personal information. We don’t need it because we don’t try to sell you a damned thing.

Ladies Day Out!

Saturday in The Lounge Brings ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’, The Final Airing of Our AOW, and LIVE DEAD! Later, June 11, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! It’s your time here in The Mermaid Lounge and we kick off the day with our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP (not to be confused with ‘M is For Motown’). This covers soul and R & B from all over the spectrum!

Today we’ve all got ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’

Here’s Saturday’s lineup:

10:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

Motown is the most renown, but it’s not the only record label for the genre. There was Stax with Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett; Muscle Shoals where Aretha Franklin released her first song in 1967; and Atlantic, with Ray Charles. Many of those who recorded for Muscle Shoals were distributed through Atlantic. We’ve got them all for you today including Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Carla Thomas, James Brown, The Shirelles, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, LaVern Baker, The Supremes, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Living With the Animals by Mother Earth LAST AIRING!

Here’s the final airing of this great blues album featuring the amazing voice of Tracy Nelson. When you roll out of bed tomorrow morning there will be a brand new selection.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Dillon Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, July 31, 1974

Another great soundboard recording from the Dead. It’s not new, but it hasn’t been aired since 2020 so it will be just like new. Remember, no two shows are the same anyway.

Get your weekend underway in style! We’ve got some great programming for you today interspersed in between all that great wide Open Stream. We’re totally free. That not only means that we’re free of commercial advertising, but we also don’t charge for anyone to listen. What’s not to love?

A Little Bit O’ Soul