Category: Live Recordings

‘The British Are Coming’, The Pretenders and Dr. John are All On Tap As We Head For the Weekend, Thursday, October 10, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We’re over the hump and on the downslide to the weekend. We’ve got our big British music EP, live Pretenders and a Dr. John Spotlight feature.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The British Are Coming: Various Artists

We start with music from the British Invasion and beyond with The Beatles, The Who, Dave Mason, Electric Light Orchestra, Petula Clark, The Zombies, The Hollies, Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Kinks, the Dave Clark Five, The Bee Gees, the Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, Them, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Badfinger, The Yardbirds, Traffic, Elton John, Lulu, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Animals, Manfred Mann, Spencer Davis Group, Queen, Donovan and more!

4:00 p.m. The Pretenders Live at Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany, June 23, 2009

Chrissie Hynde battled plenty of sexism before launching the Pretenders in 1978. At the time, the band didn’t have a name but recorded five tracks which eventually got them their start. She eventually named the band after the Platters song, The Great Pretender, which was a favorite song of her ex-boyfriend. The rest, as they say, is musical history. I am not what you’d call a ‘fan’ of the punk music genre, but The Pretenders under the leadership of Chrissie Hynde is one of the best bands on the planet, regardless of genre.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Dr. John

We close out the evening with Dr. John, another music master who managed to combine New Orleans-fueled blues, jazz, R & B, soul and funk into a style all his own.

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We’re ‘Under The Influence’, Then It’s Emmylou Harris & The Desert Rose Band, and Later We Remember John Lennon On His Birthday, Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We’re here in The Mermaid Lounge and we’re going to be ‘Under The Influence’ for several hours before we move on to our other programming!

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

We’ve all been here, whether the ‘influence’ of choice is legal or not. You’ll hear The Byrds, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Jimmy Hendrix, Steely Dan, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Talking Heads, Neil Young, The Beatles, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Foreigner, Jonathan Edwards, John Lee Hooker, Donovan and more!

4:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & The Desert Rose Band Live at The Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley, CA, August 3, 1986

Emmylou Harris has always managed to either pull together great bands, or team up with great bands. This time around she teams up with Chris Hillman’s Desert Rose Band for a great show.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of John Lennon

We close with a celebration of Lennon’s life and musical legacy as we celebrate what would have been his 83rd birthday today.

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It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Windy City Blues, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Buddy Guy, and Rory Block on October 8, 2024

Good morning, bluesologists and welcome to another Tuesday Bluesday where we kick things off with ‘The Best of Chicago Blues’ EP, then we move on from there!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues: Various Artists

We take a trip to the Windy City for some blues from Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann and more!

4:00 p.m. Buddy Guy With Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at The Lone Star Cafe, New York, NY< April 14, 1986

Two guitar masters together in one show. What’s not to love?

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Rory Block

We close out the blues programming with the sounds of Rory Block, a purveyor of the country blues and Delta blues, whose career has spanned six decades.

There’s always room in The Mermaid Lounge on Tuesday Bluesday, no matter how busy it gets! We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. There’s no commercial interruption and no mouthy DJs to suck up all the air in the room. The button is below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

On Monday, We Close Out Tom Petty Weekend With The Fillmore ’97 Shows in Three Parts, October 7, 2024

Good morning, Petty lovers! Today we close out Tom Petty Weekend with all Fillmore ’97 programming and plenty of big, wide Open Stream! We keep it simple today.

Your musical lineup is simple:

10:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, Volume 1, January 31-February 7, 1997

3:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, Volume 2, January 31-February 7, 1997

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, Volume 3, January 31-February 7, 1997

We have two concerts from the famed 1997 Fillmore concerts, which every member of The Heartbreakers considers the best of times on stage.Today’s collection is the one from the boxed set released a couple of years ago. Tom himself felt the band was at its most creative, and it is apparent as this collection covers 20 magnificent nights of shows where the playlist changed every single time out. That is unheard of. Of particular note are the number of “covers” from their rock and roll heroes that the band performs. We here in The Mermaid Lounge not only reveres The Heartbreakers as the best rock n’ roll band on the planet, but also the best cover band.

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The Heartbreakers at The Fillmore, 1997

The Weekend Starts With Our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP, J.J. Cale & Leon Russell, and More Tom Petty, Saturday, October 5, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! Today we continue celebrating the life and music of Tom Petty later this evening. Before that we’ve got J.J. Cale and Leon Russell ‘in session’ and songs about dreaming.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

We wake up to songs about dreaming with The Everly Brothers, The Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Monkees, The Mamas & The Papas, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Linda Ronstadt, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Buffett, Widespread Panic, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, Harry Chapin, Roy Orbison, Townes Van Zandt, Dusty Springfield, Tom Rush and more!

4:00 p.m. J. J. Cale & Leon Russell Live at Paradise Studios, Los Angeles, CA, Recorded June of 1979

You know that lost dates annoy me, but it is a fact of life. So here we are with two masters ‘in session’ together on a 21-song set at Leon Russell’s Paradise Studios.

8:00 p.m. Mudcrutch Live at The Fonda Theater, Hollywood, CA, June 26, 2016

This very same tour passed through Boston’s House of Blues and I missed it. I regret it to this day, I might add, because the very best live version of Hungry No More just happens to have been recorded here on that tour. Nevertheless, we continue on with our celebration of Tom’s life and music today with Mudcrutch, his “other” band.

We’re here for yet another day as I prepare myself mentally for nine glorious days free of retail hell. Yes, it’s true. My first actual real vacation in five years. But I digress. We’re here. We’re free. And we don’t accept commercial advertising. What could possibly be better? Oh, yeah, we play some of the best music on the planet.

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Friday Brings The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Cliff and Volume Three of Our ‘Love Street’ Series, October 4, 2024

Good morning, Tom Petty fans! Today begins our Petty weekend as we celebrate his life and musical legacy in all of its forms. It’s also the final installment of our ‘I See You Live on Love Street’ series…for now.

Fans gather to mourn the death of Tom Petty at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, after it had been announced that the musician had died at the age of 66. © Sheri Determan Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 02 Oct 2017 Credit: Sheri Determan/WENN.com

We’re nearly there (the weekend). And here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live and Loving It!

We open up with a few hours of what we consider The Heartbreakers’ best live performances. However, we do concede that this particular playlist could use a serious updating. We will tend to that soon. In the meantime, it’s still pretty great.

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

To understand the importance of Jimmy Cliff all you need to do is read the opening paragraph of his Wikipedia entry: “James Chambers, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.” Feel free to read on and learn more!

8:00 p.m. I See You Live on Love Street: Various Artists NEW!

We close out the night with our final installment of this Laurel Canyon playlist with Little Feat, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson, Gram Parsons, Leon Russell, Crabby Appleton, Rita Coolidge, Dan Fogelberg, the Souther, Hillman, Furay Band and more!

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On Thursday It’s ‘The Female Species’ EP, a Kris Kristofferson Tribute and Another Trip to Love Street, on October 3, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and we are now officially on the downslide to the weekend. We’ve got a tribute to the late, great Kris Kristofferson sandwiched in between a couple of great multi-artist playlists!

Here’s your musical mojo:

9:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

This one is songs about women, not necessarily by women (although some most definitely are). You’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, Jackson Browne, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, The Temptations and more!

4:00 p.m. Kris Kristofferson Live at Philharmonic Hall, New York, NY, December 3, 1872 NEW!

This afternoon we honor Kris Kristofferson’s musical legacy with a concert at Philharmonic Hall. He even brings along a few friends, like Willie Nelson, Rita Coolidge and Larry Gatlin.

8:00 p.m. I See You Live on Love Street, Volume Two: Various Artists NEW!

We’ve got Volume Two this evening, with Dave Mason, Grin, Gene Clark, Jimmy Webb, Rick Nelson, David Crosby, Tim Buckley, Frank Zappa, Steppenwolf, Glen Campbell, Hoyt Axton, The Turtles, Stephen Stills, Poco and more!

We’re on the case 24/7 with no commercial interruptions and no overly-chatty DJ’s who like to cut off the openings and closings of songs. We promise. And we also promise that there’s no charge for your time in The Mermaid Lounge. The button is below.

A Tribute to Kris Kristofferson

On Tuesday Bluesday ‘The Ladies Sing The Blues’, Nina Simone Does Too, and We Close With Live John Mayall. October 1, 2024

Good morning, bluesologists! We kick off a brand new month on a Tuesday Bluesday and we’ve even got a brand new playlist for you this afternoon! Read on!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ladies Sing The Blues: Various Artists

We kick off a new month with the ladies of the blues in charge. You’ll hear Billie Holliday, Big Mama Thornton, Ruth Brown, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Koko Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Christine McVie, Marcia Ball, Ellen McIlwaine, Susan Tedeschi, Irma Thomas, Tracy Nelson, Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Sippie Wallace, Bessie Smith, Shawn Murphy, Angela Strehli, Aretha Franklin, The Blues Broads and more!

4:00 p.m. Nina Simone Sings The Blues NEW!

Nina Simone’s musical career not only spanned decades, but covered many genres, including the blues. Today we give you a brand new bluesy Nina Simone playlist.

8:00 p.m. John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers Live at Kongresshalle, Berlin, Germany, May 21, 1969

We go into the Wayback Machine for this John Mayall performance from 1969. It’s a great way to close out Tuesday Bluesday.

It’s always busy on Tuesday Bluesday, but there’s plenty of room in The Mermaid Lounge for everyone. And we’re totally free. No cover charge. Ever. Did I mention that we stream music 24/7? Check it out. The button is below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

On Monday It’s Live Warren Zevon, the ‘Ladies Day Out’ EP and a Jackson Browne Spotlight, September 30, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We close out another month in fine style, putting the ladies of music in charge for a large part of the day. Around that, we’ve got Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne.

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Warren Zevon Live at The Empire Concert Club, Cleveland, OH, January 5, 1992 NEW!

We’ve got some new live Warren Zevon to spring on you today in a show from the home of the RRHOF! It’s a good one.

1:00 p.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

The ladies are large and in charge for the afternoon hours with Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Eva Cassidy, Wendy Waldman, The Ronettes, Shawn Colvin, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Valerie Carter, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Susan Tedeschi, Sheryl Crow, Dusty Springfield, Dolly Parton and more!

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Jackson Browne

We close out the programming with a Jackson Browne Spotlight that hits the spot. The man is a legend.

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Sunday is Folk Day With Our Big EP in Between Early Live Dylan and a Gordon Lightfoot ‘Spotlight’, September 29, 2024

Good morning, folk music lovers! We’ve got some good stuff today, with our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP sandwiched between early live Dylan and a Gordon Lightfoot Spotlight feature!

Here’s your Sunday Folk-day lineup:

10:00 a.m. Bob Dylan Live at The Finjan Club, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, February 7, 1962 NEW!

I was eight years old when Bob Dylan performed at the Finjan Club. I actually discovered The Beatles first. Dylan came later, but the connection was instant. This is very early Dylan, but some call it one of his most passionate performances. It includes a few rarely-heard Dylan originals, including The Death of Emmet Till.

1:00 p.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We’ve got our big folk EP this afternoon where you will hear Bob Dylan along with John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Joni Mitchell, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family and more!

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Gordon Lightfoot

This guy is a giant of folk, folk-rock and country, and who is also rightfully credited with bridging the gap between folk and pop and defining the folk-pop sound of the seventies. He has been called the greatest Canadian songwriter, although I’m sure Joni Mitchell and Neil Young fans would have something to say about that. There’s plenty of room for all of them, and he is certainly on that list.

Kids, it’s Sunday and that is a day of rest by definition, is it not? Personally, I think retail business establishments should be closed on Sundays. One day will not kill anyone. But I digress. If you’re lucky enough to not have to work a retail Sunday, tune us in. The Magic Button is below.

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