Category: Pop

Saturday Brings a Trip to Motor City, a Cass Elliot ‘Spotlight’ Feature, and Gov’t Mule Live at the Roseland, April 12, 2025

Welcome, Weekenders! I return to work today but The Music Mermaid is large and in charge for a great day of programming. Very eclectic, I might add.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We take a trip to Motor City this morning with songs from Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson Five, Kim Weston, Marvin Gaye, Jr Walker & The All Stars, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Isley Brothers, The Contours, Rare Earth, Mary Wells, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Tammi Terrell and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Cass Elliot NEW!

We leave out the “Mama” because we’ve read many times that she hated that moniker. Cass Elliot was an enigma and the subject of many rumors, and I very much look forward to reading her daughter’s biography. One thing is for certain, she had a great voice and was a member of one of the most influential bands of the sixties, The Mamas & The Papas. She went on to have a successful solo career, recording five albums as a solo artist. She died far too young, at the age of 35. Today, we’ve finally given her the ‘Spotlight’ she deserves.

8:00 p.m. Gov’t Mule Live at The Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY, October 22, 1996

One of the best road jam bands finishes up our Saturday programming this evening. The band started at a ‘side project’ by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody on a break from The Allman Brothers Band back in 1994. They’ve been together ever since.

We’re here 24/7 and we’re completely free of charge and free of any commercial advertising. We’re all about the music. See for yourselves. The button is below!

The Button!

We’re Back With ‘The Female Species’, Live Allman Brothers, and a Linda Ronstadt ‘Spotlight’, Saturday, April 5, 2025

Good morning, musicologists! We’re back today with some excellent programming, starting off with an EP of songs about women, some by women.

Here’s your Saturday musical lineup:

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

Songs about women featuring 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, Linda Ronstadt, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, The Temptations and more!

4:00 p.m. The Allman Brothers Band with Eric Clapton Live at The Beacon Theater, New York, NY, March 19, 2009

The Allman Brothers Band playing live at The Beacon is always a treat, but this night they brought along a special guest.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Linda Ronstadt

There’s never been, and may never be, another vocalist who can master so many genres and cross effortlessly between them. There’s so much music in this playlist because she’s given us so much variety. She is certainly the main female musical muse in The Mermaid Lounge.

The Music Mermaid is fully in charge after 10:00 a.m. today as I will be out on the streets in Boston against this evil fascist empire. I hope that many of you will also be there. The music will play on, but our democracy may not unless we all band together. The button is below.

The Button.

Friday Is A Day For Our Big, Wide Open Stream With The Music Mermaid Fully In Charge, On April 4, 2025

We’ve got an Open Stream day today, giving you hours of our extensively eclectic musical collection with absolutely no commercial interruption. The Music Mermaid is fully in charge and who knows what she’ll do. She could actually even chose a playlist, or a trifecta, or she could just choose to let our file of 30,000 songs run free and wild. You won’t know unless you tune us in!

The button is, of course, below.

Big, Wide Open Stream!

We’re at Midweek With The Sixties, Donovan, and The Grateful Dead Live in St. Louis, Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Good morning, musicologists, and welcome to The Lounge. We’re full-on sixties today and we’re ready to rumble!

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume 2: Various Artists

We kick off a sixties day of programming with The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas, The Hollies, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Turtles, Three Dog Night, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Blind Faith, Linda Ronstadt, Chuck Berry, The Doors, Stevie Wonder, Vanilla Fudge, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Steppenwolf and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Donovan

This afternoon we spend some time with our Scottish friend who made such great music during the sixties, a wild eclectic collection of pop, folk, jazz, psychedelic rock and world music.

8:00 p.m. The Grateful Dead Live at Washington University, St. Louis, MO, April 17, 1969

We close out the sixties programming with another classic Grateful Dead live performance.

We’re here and we’re staying here for the duration. We’re on 24/7 without any interruption in service, and without any commercial interruption. The button is below. Join the fun! Share the fun with your friends. They’ll love you for it.

The Sixties are Back!

Monday Delivers Our ’27 and Gone’ Playlist, a Rickie Lee Jones ‘Spotlight’, and Chicago Live at Tanglewood, March 24, 2025

It’s Monday, Monday again and we’ve got our playlist from the members of the ’27 Club,’ followed by Rickie Lee Jones ‘In The Spotlight’ and live Chicago.

Here’s your Monday, Monday programming:

10:00 a.m. 27 and Gone: Various Artists

Songs from members of the ’27 Club’, those musicians who died who died in their 27th year. You’ll hear Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Badfinger (Pete Ham), Canned Heat (Al Wilson), Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones (Brian Jones), The Grateful Dead (Ron “Pigpen” McKernan), Robert Johnson, Spanky & Our Gang (Malcolm Hale) and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Rickie Lee Jones

One great singer-songwriter whose career has spanned five decades and many genres, including rock, R & B, pop, soul and jazz.

8:00 p.m. Chicago Live at Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA, July 21, 1970

I was at this performance. It was and still is a truly amazing outdoor setting and this was a great show. Enjoy.

Here we are again at the beginning of another work week with more uncertainty in the air because The Orange Buffoon is back from Mar-A-Lago. I try not to be political, but these are not ordinary times and none of us can keep our mouths shut. We’re anti-capitalist and we don’t charge any money. We’re here 24/7. And we don’t track you. The button is below.

The Button.

We’re Feeling Soulful With Our Big EP, a Drifters ‘Spotlight’, and Live Nina Simone on Saturday, February 22, 2025

Good morning, soul and R & B lovers! We’re amped up today as we bring you ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ for starters, then it’s the Drifters ‘In the Spotlight’ and some live Nina Simone!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

We officially begin the weekend with our biggest soul music EP, featuring Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, The Drifters, 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, Ann Peebles, Al Green and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Drifters

The Drifters have an interesting background, reflecting the social injustice of the times. It’s too long for me to write about on this blog, but you can read all about it here. Regardless, they made some great music and we’ve got them ‘In the Spotlight’ today.

8:00 p.m. Nina Simone Live at Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, France, July 24 & 25, 1965 NEW!

Today we celebrate the birthday (February 21) of the late, great Nina Simone, singer, songwriter, music arranger and, yes, civil rights and social justice activist. Here she’s live at the the annual Jazz a Juan International Jazz Festival. We need her fighting spirit now.

Come on in to The Mermaid Lounge for a little bit of soul and R & B today. In between that programming, we’ve got our big, wide Open Stream running 24/7 at no charge. We’re anti-capitalist. We care about only one thing: Playing great music for you folks with absolutely no commercial interruption. The button is below.

The Button.

Friday Brings Both True Love and Nothing But Heartbreak, With The Allman Brothers in Between, February 14, 2025

Good morning, modern lovers! It’s Valentines Day today and we have a playlist about TLA and one about nothing but heartbreak. In between, we’ve got some live Allman Brothers.

Here’s your Valentines Day lineup:

10:00 a.m. True Love Always: Various Artists

One of our earliest playlists is the beautiful side of love with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Carly Simon, Stevie Wonder, Buffalo Springfield, Boz Scaggs, Valerie Carter, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Tom Rush, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, The Hollies, Guy Clark, Neil Young, Aretha Franklin and more!

4:00 p.m. The Allman Brothers Band Live at Warner Theatre, Erie, PA, July 19, 2005 NEW!

In between all this love stuff, we’ve got a new concert from The Brothers, this one coming at us from Erie, PA.

8:00 p.m. Nothing But Heartbreak: Various Artists

Yeah. Then there’s the flip side of all that love stuff…the ugly part where your heart gets trampled and left for dead. Some of the folks singing here were singing earlier about the wonders of love; some not. You’ll hear the J. Geils Band, Carole King, Elvis Presley, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Warren Zevon, The Pretenders, Lucinda Williams, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens, John Prine, Gladys Knight & The Pips and more!

You win some. You lose some. I’ve lost ’em all. That’s the way of love, ain’t it? But here? You’re never a loser. We’re on 24/7. We don’t charge you any money or track you. We don’t sell you stuff and we certainly don’t allow anyone else to sell you anything. And we play great music. It’s win-win. The Button is below.

The Love Button.

We Start Off With Songs About the Night, Then It’s Spanky & Our Gang and Live Steely Dan, Thursday, January 23, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! We’re starting off the morning with songs about the night, then we move on with an underrated sixties band and some live Steely Dan.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

We start the day with songs about the night with Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Them, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, The Kinks, Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow, Joe Walsh, The Doors, The Eagles, Poco, Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Steve Winwood, The Traveling Wilburys, Sam Cooke, Jimmy Cliff, Bonnie Raitt and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Spanky & Our Gang

One of those sixties pop bands that flew under the radar, powered by the voice of Elaine ‘Spanky’ McFarlane. I’ve always thought that Give A Damn was one of the best songs ever recorded.

8:00 p.m. Steely Dan Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, UK, November 20, 1974

Without a doubt, one of the absolute best bands of the seventies here in another excellent performance, this one from London.

Once again, there’s no better way to spend the day than with good music uninterrupted by commercial bullshit. We’re all about the music, not capitalism. The button is below.

The Button.

We Intro The Liverbirds, Then It’s ‘Ladies Day Out’ and a Judy Collins ‘Spotlight’ on Sunday, December 29, 2024

Good morning, music historians. We’re sure you’ve never heard about The Liverbirds, a band referred to as ‘the all-girl Beatles’ who came from Liverpool and graced the music scene from 1963 to 1968. We’ve got them today, as well as all-girl programming!

Here’s your all-girl lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Liverbirds Live at The Star Club, Hamburg, Germany, Sometime in 1965 NEW!

Was there an all-girl band before the Liverbirds from, where else, Liverpool, England? We’re not sure. They were on the music scene from 1963 through 1968 and are referred to as ‘the all-girl Beatles’. We have a link from Wikipedia in the opening paragraph of this blog entry, but here’s some additional information on this band.

12:00 p.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

Nobody plays female artists like we do, and this is a great playlist including 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, Shawn Colvin, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Nicolette Larson, Susan Tedeschi, Valerie Carter, Dusty Springfield, Ann Peebles and more!

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Judy Collins

We close out the programming with a woman whose career has spanned seven decades, releasing 36 albums and six live albums.

We love days when all of the programming centers around women. We play more women in a week than most stations play in a month. We’re on 24/7 with no commercial advertising. We’re all about the music. The button is below.

The Liverbirds are here!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Gang! Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Here is your Merry Christmas music:

8:00 a.m. The Beatles 1962-1970: Chronologically Speaking

We start out with every single Beatles song ever made in chronological order. If you’re a Beatle fan like I am, this is your day.

6:00 p.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

After The Beatles, we have Open Stream with a Theme for several hours with songs about the night time, a multi-artist list that includes Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Creedence Clearwater Revival and more!

Then it’s back to our regular stream programming uninterrupted by commercial advertising. The button is below.

The Button.