Category: Power Pop

At Week’s End We’re on ‘The Psychedelic Express’ and Give You Some ‘Live’ Byrds Later, Friday, October 21, 2022

Good morning, psychedelic music lovers! Today we take a five-hour uninterrupted trip across the cosmos with ‘The Psychedelic Express’ EP. Later, it’s The Byrds live from Royal Albert Hall.

We’re boarding The Psychedelic Express at 11:00 a.m. sharp today! No stragglers!

Here’s your musical trip for today:

11:00 a.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

Take a trip inside your mind on The Psychedelic Express with Vanilla Fudge, The Chambers Brothers, The Beatles, 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, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Canned Heat, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Tommy James & The Shondells, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, The Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company and more!

7:00 p.m. The Byrds Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, May 13, 1971

Tonight at 7:00 p.m. we air a live performance of The Byrds at Royal Albert Hall in London. It just so happens that this is, in a way, celebrating Tom Petty’s birthday because The Byrds great twangy guitar sound was a major influence on The Heartbreakers. Tune it in.

We’re here 24/7 at no cost to you. All you need to do is click on that little button below to get on board and take a trip to The Mermaid Lounge.

All Aboard The Psychedelic Express!

Monday is Back and So Are We With The Temptations In the Spotlight, Some ‘Live’ Badfinger, and a Repeat Performance of Our New Singer-Songwriter Series, October 17, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Another work week rolls around, but we’ve got you covered musically. We have a second airing of our first Singer-Songwriter feature with Paul Simon. We’ll be airing these on Saturday nights at 10:00 p.m. and will repeat them at different time slots a couple of times during the week.

One of Motown’s finest, The Temptations, are In the Spotlight to start our programming.

Here’s Monday’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Temptations

The Temptations hailed from Detroit, Michigan, and had an amazing string of hits for the fabled Motown Records during the sixties and seventies. They originated the ‘psychedelic soul’ genre with their Cloud Nine album.

3:00 p.m. Badfinger Live at The Cowtown Auditorium, Kansas City, MO, April 7, 1972

Truly the one band signed by Apple Records that had star power. Under the guidance of the Beatles, Badfinger delivered the goods, resulting in an amazing string of hits. Unfortunately, Apple Records eventually fell apart, and this forced Badfinger out from under the Beatles’ wing. This is where the band’s demise began, eventually resulting in the suicide of Pete Ham who had become the heart and soul of Badfinger. It should be noted that Ham had exhibited deteriorating mental health before this stress occurred, but it certainly didn’t help. He would not be the last member of Badfinger to commit suicide. Their story is told here. Badfinger is definitely a Mermaid Lounge favorite.

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: Paul Simon

The second airing of the first airing of our new Saturday night feature on singer-songwriters. We will run these a few times during the week at different times. The debut show features Paul Simon, an artist whose career spans six decades.

It’s the beginning of the week, and you might need a boost to get yourselves going. We’re on 24/7 at absolutely no cost to you. We have no “joining fees,” no “subscription” requirements or any financial surprises coming your way. We are all about the music.

Monday, Monday. Sigh.

At Midweek, We’re Airing Our ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP and Putting Bonnie Raitt In the Spotlight, Wednesday, October 5, 2022

We’re at the midweek stage and we’ve got those echoes coming from Laurel Canyon. We’re also spotlighting Bonnie Raitt later on.

Laurel Canyon was home to two generations of great musicians and singers.

Here’s your midweek music:

10:00 a.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

The Laurel Canyon scene was like musical cross-pollination on steroids as it become “home” to the best of two generations of musicians and singers that ultimately brought us country-rock. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Linda Ronstadt, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Doors, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Carole King, James Taylor, the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and more!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Bonnie Raitt

Tonight we put one of the Laurel Canyon crew In the Spotlight when we feature the great Bonnie Raitt. She’s still out there kickin’ in, a true road warrior.

Before, in between and all night long we’ve got that great wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. As you know, she’s got impeccable taste in music and we’re adding new tunes to the standard rotation as we speak. We’ll have a final report for you about who’s been added soon!

Music From Laurel Canyon!

We Keep It Simple On Sundays. This Week It’s The Zombies With Our Psychedelic AOW, and Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP, October 2, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We are here in The Mermaid Lounge and the wind is whipping out there; there’s a nip in the air…but it’s going to be toasty in here. We keep it simple on Sundays: A new Album of The Week and usually an EP. The rest is wide Open Stream. Tune us in.

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Odessy and Oracle by The Zombies NEW!

Nope. It’s not a misspelling. Check out the album cover. Be that as it may, we continue our little journey down psychedelia lane with our AOW selection. Rather than me writing a tome here, I’ll give you the review by ‘Discover Music.’

You know an album is timeless when it takes a half-century to be properly appreciated. The Zombies were, however, right into the spirit of the times in 1968, evolving from their R&B origins and writing one of the most enduring peace-and-love anthems, Odyssey & Oracle’s only hit, “Time Of The Season.” But it took decades for most people to hear the rest of the album and realise how beautifully inventive it all was. It’s no secret that The Zombies were squeaky-clean compared to most 60s bands, but this album was visionary as they come.
Must hear: Time Of The Season

Discover Music

3:00 p.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

The antidote to our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, which is coming up soon also. Songs with references to the night in the title, lyrics or both. Our multi-artist EP’s are designed to be Open Stream with a Theme. You’ll hear Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Them, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Van Morrison, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, The Kinks, The Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow, Joe Walsh, The Eagles, The Ronettes, John Cougar Mellencamp, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, The Doors, Poco, Neil Diamond, The Animals, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, Steve Winwood, Cat Stevens, The Traveling Wilburys, Sam Cooke, Jimmy Cliff, Bonnie Raitt and more!

What could be better on a cloudy day than hunkering down with some good music. So far the weather isn’t matching what’s on my phone, which says partly sunny. Not even close. And if it does eventually get there, there’s always room for great music. We’ve got it here, so join listeners from around the globe.

Simply Sunday!

We Made It! Friday is Here and So is Our ‘House’ EP and Some ‘Live’ Flying Burrito Brothers Later, September 23, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s the end of another work week (for most of us; I’ve got one day left) and we’ve got a great day of programming lined up. As always, we are modest in structure. Most of our day is dedicated to that great wide Open Stream.

We kick the day off with our #BecomeUngovernable House EP!

Here’s your end-of-the-week lineup:

11:00 a.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist: Various Artists

Totally inspirational music here for you, folks. The music that inspired the station. Plenty of protest music and plenty of psychedelia. You’ll hear plenty of The Mermaid Lounge favorites with Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Who, The Beatles, Genesis, T-Rex, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Country Joe & The Fish, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, CSNY, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Ten Years After, The Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger, The Band, Nina Simone and more!

7:00 p.m. The Flying Burrito Brothers Live at The Palomino, West Hollywood, CA, June 8, 1969

One of the bands at the forefront of the country-rock phenomenon that took root in Laurel Canyon, the breeding ground for two generations of musicians who helped meld country and rock. Tonight we have them live from The Palomino.

This is the place to be today. There is a lot of great music in both the programming and the open stream, and you’ll be under the mesmerizing control of The Music Mermaid. That is significantly better than being under the control of Donald Trump. I think we can all agree on that. We’re totally free. We take no commercial advertising, so there’s no interruption (except for a few modest station I.D.’s from me), and no ‘subscription’ required. Therefore, you need not provide a credit card nor personal information. What more do you want?

The #BU House Playlist!

It’s a Busy Saturday in The Mermaid Lounge With Our ‘Folk Music From A-to-Z’ EP, Spanky & Our Gang In the Spotlight, Our AOW, and LIVE DEAD! Later, September 17, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! We’ve got a great slate of music for you today here in The Lounge, including a new playlist from the Sixties “sunshine pop” band, Spanky & Our Gang. But they were more than that.

Here’s your Saturday musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Electric Music For The Mind and Body by Country Joe & The Fish FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell to this great piece of psychedelia, one of the first psychedelic albums to come out of San Francisco. Tomorrow, we’ll have a new piece of psychedelia for you. Get this one in today!

11:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-to-Z: Various Artists

We follow up Country Joe with our great folk/folk-rock EP featuring 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, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin, Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs, The Stone Poneys and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Spanky & Our Gang NEW!

Pop was a big part of the sixties music scene, and some bands did it better than others. This is one such band. Led by singer Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane, Spanky & Our Gang became known for their amazing harmonies and for a string of hits in both the U.S. and Canada, including Like To Get To Know You, Sunday Will Never Be The Same, Sunday Mornin’, and Lazy Day. But in my mind, the best song they ever made was Give A Damn. You’ll hear all of them and more here tonight.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, June 24, 1970

We last aired this concert in 2019, so it’s definitely like brand new. When you tool around the Internet, you’ll see people saying this was their best live performance ever. Others say their Cornell University concert was the best. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder when it comes to The Dead. But one thing’s for certain: No two concerts are ever the same, even on the same tour.

Great day to give us a listen. We’ve got a lot of people on already this morning from around the globe, including Ireland, the UK, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Australia, Germany, Japan, Russian Federation, Spain, Kansas, California, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. Get with it, people. We’re totally free, we don’t accept advertising, and we’re on 24/7. No Joe Rogan either. What’s not to love?

Folk Music From A-to-Z!

We’re Heading For the Weekend With The Animals, Our ‘Repeat After Me’ Playlist, and Our Album of The Week, Thursday, September 15, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’re on the downslide to the weekend this morning, and we’ve got some great programming on the way!

We’ve got that great British blues-rock band, The Animals, In the Spotlight to start it all off!

Here’s Thursday’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Animals

Nothing like a little Eric Burdon & The Animals to get the blood boiling early. Truly one of the most influential bands in the early days of blues-rock and part of The British Invasion. We love them here in The Mermaid Lounge. We give you this from a book on the subject:

The Animals, thanks in large part to Eric Burdon’s powerful, gritty vocals, were one of the most authentic-sounding rhythm and blues revival groups of the British Invasion. The band was also one of the few First Wave acts to make a successful transition from mainstream pop to progressive rock in the late 1960s.

Survey of American Popular Music
by Frank Hoffmann and modified for the web by Robert Birkline

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Electric Music for The Mind and Body by Country Joe & The Fish

We’re on our next-to-last airing of this great psychedelic masterpiece. Saturday will be our final farewell as we move into a brand new psychedelic selection on Sunday.

7:00 p.m. Repeat After Me, Volume One: Various Artists

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and music provides plenty of proof. In this particular volume of Repeat After Me, you’ll hear Aretha Franklin sing Carole King, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers sing The Animals, Tracy Nelson sing Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris sing Simon & Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt sing Tom Petty, The Beatles sing Barrett Strong, and on and on. It’s a great concept because you get to hear the original and the reboot! Volume Two is tomorrow, and Volume Three is in the works!

This is a fine day to join the fun here in The Mermaid Lounge. We have programming for sure, but the bulk of our day is spent on our wide Open Stream of 27,000+ songs. It’s a challenge to hear a repeat any time during the week. Give us a shot. We’re also completely free, no surprises, no strings.

Repeat After Me returns!

It’s Friday and We’ve Got Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP and Jeff Lynne’s ELO In The Spotlight Later, September 9, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Here we are again at the end of another work week (almost, if you’re a retail slave), and we’re getting you through with some great music today.

Later tonight we have the music of Jeff Lynne’s ELO In the Spotlight!

Here’s your music for today:

11:00 a.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists

Looking out my window here in The Mermaid Lounge, it’s a beautiful morning. And what better way to kick off the programming today than with our ‘Ode to Morning’ EP. You’ll hear Joni Mitchell, The Move, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nina Simone, Cat Stevens, Hoyt Axton, The Beatles, Neil Young, The Rascals, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Dan Fogelberg, Harry Chapin, Three Dog Night, Ry Cooder, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters, Linda Ronstadt, Jonathan Edwards, Townes Van Zandt, Pure Prairie League, Bob Dylan, Chris Hillman, Badfinger and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra

We have not heard this one for a while now, and we’re happy to be airing this tonight. We give you former Petty producer and lifetime Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne’s primary music project by putting ELO In the Spotlight.

We could go on and on this morning, but we won’t. All we’ll say is that we have listeners from around the world on here every day: Germany, Greece, Italy, Peru, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Japan, Russian Federation, as well as Kansas, Cali, New Hampshire and Wisconsin on this morning. We’re totally free 24/7 with no commercial interruption. Done here.

It’s a beautiful morning…

Today’s Musical Journey Includes Our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP and Some ‘Live’ Linda Ronstadt Later, Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Today we’ve got the travelin’ jones with our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP and Linda Ronstadt ‘live’ from Budokan in Japan.

We start the day at 10:00 a.m. with our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP!

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. Travelin’ Fever: Various Artists

Songs about the road have always been great fodder for musicians and we’ve got a great extended playlist on that subject today! You’ll hear Canned Heat, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Steve Miller Band, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Dan Fogelberg, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Doors, The Eagles, Little Feat, The Band, Willie Nelson, Edwin Starr, Janis Joplin, Guy Clark, The Traveling Wilburys, Asleep At The Wheel, The Byrds, Joan Baez, Mudcrutch, Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield and more!

7:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, March 3, 1979

It was one of those nights where I hadn’t yet decided on the second act for today. Then I saw Linda Ronstadt’s name trending on Twitter. Like many of her fans, I went into a panic. I was happy to find out that it was just an old interview where she skewered Rupert Murdoch…at a time where most of us hadn’t yet been exposed to what he was really about. She, however, was dating Jerry Brown at the time and was very much in tune. Needless to say, I was relieved. Therefore, you all have this great concert to go to tonight!

Life is full of risks. This is not one of them. This is a no-brainer. We play music all day and night, non-stop, completely free to the public. No. You cannot created “custom” playlists here. But that’s not what radio is all about. For me, the excitement came from wondering what song was coming next. No. You will not hear heavy metal, rap, hip-hop, disco or any related content here. We’re not trying to be all things to all people. But we’re totally free and we’ve got a 29,000-song catalogue at our fingertips, a ton of playlists and more coming. What’s not to love?

Travelin’ Fever, Travelin’ Jones

We Start Off a New Week With Our New Sixties ‘One Hit Wonders’ Playlist and The ‘Down In New Orleans’ EP Later, Monday, September 5, 2022

It’s officially Labor Day today and we’d like to take the time to thank the labor movement, the people who brought you the weekend. We begin a brand new week with a new sixties-focused playlist called ‘One-Hit Wonders’ and take a trip to New Orleans later.

We have our ‘Down in New Orleans’ EP starting at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

12:00 p.m. One-Hit Wonders: The Sixties NEW!

One-hit wonders are wonderful things. Those who made them are never forgotten even though they may not have lasted decades like other musicians. In our sixties edition, you’ll hear The Amboy Dukes, Bobby Hebb, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Bobbie Gentry, The Easybeats, Count Five, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Jose Feliciano, Mason Williams, Merilee Rush, Richard Harris, Thunderclap Newman, The Capitols, The Contours, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Standells, Tony Joe White, The Knickerbockers, The McCoys, Zager & Evans, The Youngbloods, Scott McKenzie and more!

Please visit the Playlist tab and scroll to the bottom. You’ll find a complete list of the tunes included in this playlist there.

5:00 p.m. Down in New Orleans: Various Artists

This is one great EP. It not only covers traditional New Orleans musical styles, but it highlights the rock n’ rollers who were born and raised in New Orleans. You’ll hear BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Lucinda Williams, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Allen Fontenot, Aaron Neville, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Chance Bushman, The Daywalkers, The Boogaloo Swamis, Kermit Ruffins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Magnolia Sisters, The Meters, Queen Ida & The BonTemps, Boozoo Chavis and more!

I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but we here in the Boston area are finally getting some much-needed rain and the temp is down in the sixties, which is perfect in my mind. Great day to hunker down and hang out with some great musical artists before heading back to work tomorrow. Give it a shot.

‘One-Hit Wonders’ Debuts!