Category: Albums

Sunday Brings a Brand New Album of The Week, Our Original Sixties EP, and Plenty of Wide Open Stream, January 2, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got our Original Sixties EP to bring you through the afternoon and early evening, plus a brand new Album of The Week from Yusuf Islam, also known as the great Cat Stevens!

We bring you the music that inspired the station and the very first playlist we ever built!

Here’s Sunday’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Teaser and the Firecat by Cat Stevens (also known as Yusuf Islam) NEW!

This is one of the Cat’s best albums and is undoubtedly one of my favorite albums of all time. I recently read a review of the album where the author stated that Cat Stevens was a “pop” artist at heart. It’s funny how music is in the ears of the beholder. I’ve always viewed Cat Stevens as a folk-rock musician. Labels do not matter, at the end of the day. It’s what you like. On a more somber note, I remember the dark days after the 9-11 attacks, and Cat Stevens being denied entry into the United States because he had converted to Islam. I have a difficult time imagining Cat Stevens as a terrorist. Seriously.

3:00 p.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

This was the very first playlist we ever built back in June of 2017, when we started this up and opened our Facebook page. You’ll hear The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Buddy Holly, Petula Clark, The Kinks, Neil Diamond, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Searchers, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Jefferson Airplane, Johnny Rivers, and more!

Before, in between, and after, we’ve got that great wide Open Stream where we put you in the capable hands of the Music Mermaid. As you well know, she has impeccable taste in music, and there are days when she simply feels like picking up a playlist or two. Give a listen and see for yourself.

Just click here

Happy New Year! We Begin With a New Look But One Thing Remains Consistent: Our Commitment To Great Music, Saturday, January 1, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We kick off a new year with a new look. We’ll also have some new programming coming your way. Read on for your January 1 programming.

We start the new year’s programming with our “Here Comes The Night” EP!

Here’s your New Year’s Day programming:

11:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

Here’s how we kick the year off today: Songs with references to the night time in either the title, lyrics, or both. You’ll hear from Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Poco, Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, The Beatles, The Traveling Wilburys, Joe Walsh, The Ronettes, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Wilson Pickett, Steeler’s Wheel, Gregg Allman, Phoebe Snow, Sam Cooke, The Electric Prunes, Jimmy Cliff, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and more!

6:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles FINAL AIRING!

Today’s the final airing of Magical Mystery Tour, and album that started as an EP in the UK, but became a full-blown album here in the U.S. with the addition of their five singles released the same year as the movie. Tomorrow when you wake up, we’ll have a brand new album.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, with New Riders of The Purple Sage, November 8, 1970

Another rare repeat performance here for the boys, but a great one that hasn’t been aired here for quite a while. It’s like brand new (not that true Deadheads really care).

We’ve got a new look, and we’ll be introducing some new programming, but everything else remains the same. We’re free 24/7. We do not accept advertising, and we do not require a “subscription” from anybody. We ask for no personal information. All we ask is that you give us a listen. How difficult is that?

Happy New Year!

We Spend Thursday With Several Musical Legends As We Return to British Rule (Musically Speaking) For the Day, December 30, 2021

Good Morning, British Invasion lovers! We’re totally British on the programming end today as we approach the New Year. Read on for details!

We’ve got full-on British music programming today interweaved in all of that great Open Stream!

Here’s Thursday’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Dusty In London: The Lost British Recordings of Dusty Springfield

Dusty Springfield is one of those iconic singers who is sometimes forgotten in the crush, but her soulful career spanned half a century. She’s often referred to as the Queen of Blue-Eyed Soul, but she’s really much more than that. All you need to do is listen, and you have that chance today.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles

We’re winding down on this week’s chosen album. This is our next-to-last airing; our final airing will be on Saturday before we choose a new album to take us through the first week of the new year.

7:00 p.m. The Spencer Davis, Traffic, Blind Faith Superjam: A Tribute To Steve Winwood UPDATED!

Somehow when we first put this one together, we forgot the Spencer Davis Group portion of Winwood’s brilliant career. We remedied that and have a brand new version of this playlist up today. Our Winwood “Spotlight” highlights Winwood’s solo career as well, but this one is dedicated to his “band” work of the sixties and early seventies.

It’s a great day to listen to music. In fact, every damned day is a great day to listen to music. And this is the best place to get that music if you’re thinking like us. I’m not going to lie to you. We are not all things to all people, and we do not want to be. That means no rap, disco, hip-hop, ultra heavy metal, or bad pop bands with fiddles. And we’re free. What more could you ask for? Connect with us by hitting the button below:

Rule Brittania!

Welcome to Tuesday Bluesday With The Blues Project, The Rolling Stones ‘Live’ at The Checkerboard Lounge With Muddy Waters, and Our Album of The Week, December 28, 2021

Happy Tuesday, Bluesologists! We’ve got a couple of ‘live’ blues entries today sandwiched around our Album of The Week. Check it out below!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Blues Project: Reunion in Central Park, NY, June 24, 1973 NEW!

The original members of The Blues Project reunited as part of the Schaefer Music Festival in Central Park in 1973 and we’ve got their live performance here for you today. The Schaefer Music Festival was a “thing” back in the day. I believe they had their name on the Bicentennial Concert (Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, among others) here back in 1976 also. That one was held at…wait for it…Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Just a bit of non-essential music history.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles

An EP in the UK, but a full-blown album here in the U.S. as Capitol Records added their five hit releases from 1967 to create an album of timeless music. If you want to know what five tunes were added, take a look at Sunday’s blog entry, or click on the album image in the right-hand sidebar for all the details on the album!

7:00 p.m. Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones, Live from The Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago, IL, November 22, 1981

The Stones and Muddy Waters join forces to bring you some great blues classics, like Baby Please Don’t Go, Got My Mojo Workin’, Hoochie Coochie Man and more live from The Checkerboard Lounge. You can get all the details right here about who played in the band, and who sat in, and other songs in their set.

We’re up and running this morning and have some new locations to report, like Indonesia, Iceland, and Finland to go along with Germany, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Russian Federation, the UK, Ireland, and Texas. Yes. Texas. Join the party.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

Welcome to Sunday Funday! We Keep It Simple…and Totally British Today, December 26, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! Here we are again in The Mermaid Lounge. We generally keep it simple on Sundays, and this one is no exception. That means that there’s plenty for everyone. Read on for details!

More than five hours of uninterrupted music from The British Invasion and beyond!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles NEW!

People often raise their eyes on this one, but the fact is that it not only made our list, but the Rolling Stone list of the top 25 albums of 1967. Released as an EP in Great Britain, the U.S. version became a full-blown album when Capitol Records added the hit singles All You Need Is Love, Hello Goodbye, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, and Baby You’re a Rich Man. The music is timeless, people.

3:00 p.m. The British Are Coming!: Various Artists

Starting mid-afternoon, we bring you music from across the pond, as they say. It’s fair to say that the Brits were influenced by the American rock n’ roll scene, and the same holds true for the Americans. They were equally influenced by the sounds coming out of Britain. You’ll hear The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Zombies, The Hollies, Yes, Them, The Animals, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Dave Clark Five, Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees (not that disco shit, I promise), The Yardbirds, The Pretenders, Lulu, Herman’s Hermits, Petula Clark, Blind Faith, The Spencer Davis Group, Cream, The Searchers and more!

We’re approaching 2022, marking our fifth year of doing this. We keep on going totally free of charge, no commercial interruptions, no long-winded DJ’s…just music 24/7. No “subscription” required. Nada. Just a computer tab and an index finger to push the button below.

The British Are Coming!

Merry Christmas From The Mermaid Lounge! We’ve Got All Sixties Programming All Day For You, Saturday, December 25, 2021

Hey, but that ain’t all. Before, after and in between we’ve got a 27,000+ song rotation that may or may not be sixties related! But one thing’s for sure, there’s no disco, rap, hip-hop, or head banging heavy metal.

Here’s your Christmas Day line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Big Brother & The Holding Company by Big Brother & The Holding Company FINAL AIRING!

The band’s debut album was recorded over three days in 1966 and released in 1967. After the band’s success at the Monterey Pop festival, their contract was taken over by Columbia. The album was then re-released with the words “featuring Janis Joplin” on the cover. That was the beginning of her meteoric rise before her sad demise. This is our final airing today. Don’t miss it.

2:00 p.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

The music that inspired me to start this station takes over here and brings you into the evening. You’ll hear The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Buffalo Springfield, The Four Tops, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, James Brown, Chuck Berry, The Box Tops, Vanilla Fudge, Sly & The Family Stone, Three Dog Night, The Doors, The Zombies, The Chambers Brothers, The Animals, The Who, The Spencer Davis Group, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and many more!

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, May 19, 1966

This is a rare repeat here in The Mermaid Lounge, but it hasn’t been aired since right around this time in 2019. It’s as good as new, folks. Another soundboard gem from the world’s premier jam band.

What could be better than spending your Christmas with some great music, and listeners from around the world. We’ve got Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Russian Federation, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and Germany all on this morning. Give us a shot.

Merry Christmas!

Today We’re All About Our ‘Money, Honey’ Playlist, Blind Faith ‘live’ in Cali, and the Album of The Week, Thursday, December 23, 2021

We’re inching closer to the holiday weekend, and I have no idea what The Music Mermaid has in store, but I do know what’s going on today, and that’s a bonus.

Blind Faith, Britain’s first supergroup.

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. Money, Honey: Various Artists

We haven’t heard this one in a while, so let’s dust it off and spin it. It’s all about the money. Songs with references to money in the title, lyrics or both. You’ll hear from Elvis, The Guess Who, The Beatles, Warren Zevon, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Randy Newman, Bruce Springsteen, Allen Toussaint, The Wallflowers, Chuck Berry, the J. Geils Band, Willie Nelson, Laura Nyro, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, J.J. Cale, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Tom Rush, Albert King, The Traveling Wilburys, Barrett Strong, The Kinks, and more! Talk about an eclectic playlist!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Big Brother & The Holding Company by Big Brother & The Holding Company

We’re winding down on this week’s selection. Our final airing will be on Saturday. On Sunday morning when you roll out of bed, we’ll have a brand new Album of The Week to help you move towards the New Year.

7:00 p.m. Blind Faith Live at The Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, California, August 16, 1969

Tonight we close the programming portion of the program with Britain’s very first supergroup, featuring Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Rich Grech, and Ginger Baker playing at, oddly enough, the Earl Warren Showgrounds. To be honest, for all of my musical knowledge, I had no idea this place even existed. You learn something new every day.

Come on kids. Join your friends from around the globe. #BecomeUngovernable Radio is the perfect Christmas present to give yourselves. It doesn’t cost a penny. Really. No lie. And we happen to play the best music on the planet. Just pull up a tab and hit the button below. See for yourself.

Just Do It, People.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Stevie Ray Vaughan, James Cotton Live in New Orleans, and Our Album of The Week, December 21, 2021

Good Morning, Bluesologists! I’m in the retail slave mines early today, but we leave you in good hands with great blues programming and the Open Stream handled by The Music Mermaid.

Our Blues programming today includes James Cotton and Stevie Ray Vaughan

Here’s today’s programming:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Stevie Ray Vaughan

I don’t know what I can say about Stevie Ray Vaughan that hasn’t already been said. We lost him too soon would be a cliche. Today we feature his music as both a solo artist and with Double Trouble. Perhaps the words of B.B. King say it best. When somebody stated that you have to be black to play the blues, B. B. King replied, “Tell that to Stevie Ray Vaughan.”

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Big Brother & The Holding Company by Big Brother & The Holding Company

This is the second airing of our Album of The Week, initially released in 1967. The album was then re-released by Columbia Records with Janis Joplin’s name on the cover after they took over Big Brother’s contract (as a result of the band’s huge success at the Monterey Pop Festival the same year).

7:00 p.m. The James Cotton Band Live at Antoine’s Night Club, New Orleans, Louisiana, July 1987 NEW!

To say that I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall for this one is an understatement. New Orleans is one of my favorite places on the planet. I was fortunate enough to visit the city many times on both business and pleasure, and the music was always the big draw for me (the food isn’t too shabby either). Joining Cotton for this performance is Matt “Guitar” Murphy (guitars), Luther Tucker (guitar), Calvin Jones (bass), Willie Smith (drums), and the legendary Pinetop Perkins on piano. James Cotton, of course, was on harp and vocals.

If you’re a bluesologist, this is your day. In between the blues programming, it’s wide Open Stream brought to you by the Lounge’s Music Mermaid who, as you well know if you’re a listener, has impeccable taste. Just pull up a tab and click the button below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

It’s Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge With Our New AOW and The Women of Music Fully in Charge, December 19, 2021

Welcome to another Sunday in the Lounge. Today we have a vintage Album of The Week for you, and we have turned the musical reins over to the women of music. I don’t know a radio station that actually does any of that. We made a commitment to giving female artists a bigger voice. Take advantage of it.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Big Brother & The Holding Company by Big Brother & The Holding Company

This was the band’s debut album, released on August 23, 1967, with Janis Joplin as their main singer. It was recorded over a three-day stretch in December of 1966. After the band’s blowout success at the Monterey Pop festival in 1967, Columbia Records took over their contract and re-released the album with two additional songs and with Janis Joplin’s name on the front cover. Album reviews are mixed on this one, and we really don’t pay much attention to that stuff anyway. Regardless of the status of the album, it was the birth of Janis Joplin’s all too short, but oh so sweet, career.

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

The ladies return to take you through the afternoon and evening, making it clear that they are not second class citizens on this station. You’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Carly Simon, Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Wendy Waldman, Eva Cassidy, Shawn Colvin, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Susan Tedeschi, Phoebe Snow, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Nicolette Larson, Norah Jones, and more!

It’s certainly a day of rest, unless you’re supporting capitalism during the holiday season. Personally, I think the gift of music is a wonderful thing. You can listen in, turn your friends on to us, and it won’t cost you a penny. Or them, for that matter. We don’t play the same music over and over and over. We don’t charge for our content. We do not run commercials. And we’re here for you 24/7. What more could you want in your stocking?

The Women Rule!

Saturday is Best Experienced ‘Under the Influence,’ Along With Our Final Airing of the AOW, and LIVE DEAD Later, December 18, 2021

Good Morning, Head Trippers! We begin our day at mid-day today with our multi-artist Under The Influence EP, then move along to our weekend constitution from there.

We begin our musical journey today with Under The Influence at high noon.

Here’s your Saurday line-up:

12:00 p.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

This was originally a smaller playlist, but it had plenty of material for an EP, and so it was done. Whether your choice is legal or not, we’ve pretty much all been there at one time or another. Some of us remember the days fondly and will enjoy hearing The Doors, The Byrds, Arlo Guthrie, Donovan, Eric Clapton, Glenn Frey, Linda Ronstadt, Jonathan Edwards, Small Faces. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin, Emmylou Harris, The Band, Bob Dylan, Eric Burdon & War, The Fraternity of Man, Jefferson Airplane, and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Brainwashed by George Harrison FINAL AIRING!

Today we bid a fond farewell to George Harrison’s twelfth and final album, an album that was brought to you lovingly by his son Dhani, and Jeff Lynne of ELO, and George’s bandmate in The Traveling Wilburys. Tomorrow, there will be a brand new selection when you roll out of bed.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Olde Renaissance Faire Grounds, Veneta, Oregon, August 27, 1972 NEW!

Another new live extravaganza from the consummate road warriors. I’m not sure how many people listen to the Dead’s studio stuff (I do), but I know far more people prefer them live. They are the world’s ultimate jam band for a reason. This performance is no exception.

Hey, it’s Saturday. Some of us are still in retail bondage, but many are not. What better time to make this your ‘go-to’ radio station? After all, it’s totally free of both commercials and overly-talkative DJs who like the sound of their own voices. All you need is a tab and an index finger. No lie.

Feed Your Head