Category: Power 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 in All British Mode With Our Big EP, The Beatles’ Singles, and Live Rod Stewart & Faces On Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Good morning, musicologists! It’s an all-British Wednesday as we start out with our ‘British Are Coming’ EP, then it’s The Beatles singles and live Rod Stewart & Faces!

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

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

We start out the day with music from the British Invasion and beyond from The Beatles, The Who, Dave Mason, 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, Them, Herman’s Hermits, The Rolling Stones, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Badfinger, The Yardbirds, Traffic, Elton John, Lulu, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Animals, Spencer Davis Group, Cream, Donovan, The Searchers and more!

4:00 p.m. The Beatles: The Singles Collection

This afternoon we give you every Beatles single released around the globe. Are you aware that on April 4, 1964, The Beatles held the top five slots on the Billboard Top 100, a feat that no other artist has achieved to this day? The Top 5 songs were:

  • “Can’t Buy Me Love” at #1
  • “Twist and Shout” at #2
  • “She Loves You” at #3
  • “I Want to Hold Your Hand” at #4
  • “Please Please Me” at #5

8:00 p.m. Rod Stewart & Faces Live at Kilburn Theatre, London, UK, December 23, 1974

This was the final live show for Rod Stewart and his mates, and tonight we bring it to you to close out our all-British day.

It’s another day in paradise, but take heart! Tomorrow we’re on the downslide to the weekend once again. The Orange Scourge will be playing in fake golf tournaments in Flori-DUH and the world will be kind of quiet for a couple of days. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. There’s no commercial interruption either. The button is below.

The British Are Coming!

On Monday It’s ‘By The Numbers’, Live BeauSoleil, and the Paul & Elvis Catalogue, April 7, 2025

Happy Monday, working class! It has been rainy for days here in the Boston area, but it’s just fine here in The Mermaid Lounge as we bring you some great programming today, including a brand new playlist of Paul (McCartney) & Elvis (Costello) music!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. By The Numbers: Various Artists

We open up the day with a playlist of songs with numbers in the title, lyrics or both with Three Dog Night, Chicago, Mudcrutch, J.J. Cale, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Alice Cooper, Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Wilson Pickett, Johnny Rivers, Emmylou Harris, The Grass Roots, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, John Lennon, Prince and more.

4:00 p.m. BeauSoleil Live at The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, March 24, 2007

BeauSoleil happens to be one of the premier, if not the premier, Cajun/Zydeco Band in the world. Today we’ve got them live from Williamstown, Massachusetts.

8:00 p.m. Paul & Elvis: The Collaboration NEW!

That’s McCartney and Costello, who formed a musical alliance in 1987 and produced a series of fantastic songs later used on each other’s albums. Today we have the results of that alliance, along with one memorable live performance of The Beatles’ One After 909, recorded at St. James Palace in London on March 23, 1995. (Costello is a noted Beatles fan.)

Yeah, Monday’s pretty much suck, but we’re here to make them better. We can decidedly make yours better today if you give us a chance. We’re totally free and, even better, we run no commercial advertising. See for yourself how good Monday can be. The button is below.

Paul & Elvis.

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!

On Saturday It’s ‘Ladies Day Out’, A Booker T & The MGs ‘Spotlight’, and Live Kris Kristofferson at the Moody, March 29, 2025

Good morning, musicologists, and we continue celebrating Women’s Month with our ‘Ladies Day Out’ EP, then it’s a great ‘Spotlight’ featuring Booker T & The MGs, and Kris Kristofferson live at Austin City Limits.

Here’s your Saturday musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

The women of music are large and in charge for five hours. We’re featuring songs from 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, Norah Jones, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Phoebe Snow, Susan Tedeschi, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crown, Valerie Carter, Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, Ann Peebles and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Booker T & The MGs

The original Stax house band broke out to become one of the most influential instrumental R & B and funk bands in music. They helped to establish the Souther and Memphis soul genres. Today we put them ‘In The Spotlight’.

8:00 p.m. Kris Kristofferson Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX, September 14, 1981

We close out the programming with the late, great Kris Kristofferson recorded live at The Moody Theater for Austin City Limits.

We’ve made it to another weekend. The Orange Shitstain usually golfs, so things seem to quiet down so that we can rejuvenate ourselves before the next onslaught. This is a great place to be. Join us. The button is below.

Ladies Day Out!

Friday Brings a New ‘Great Beginnings’ EP, Live Allman Brothers and a New Dave Clark Five ‘Spotlight’, March 28, 2025

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to the cusp of the weekend once again. We’ve got not one, but two, new pieces of programming today! Read on for details!

Here’s your Friday musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Great Beginnings: Various Artists NEW!

From a playlist to the big kahuna. We’ve expanded our library of songs with great openings to a full-blown EP featuring The Beatles, Elton John, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the J. Geils Band, Aretha Franklin, Yes, Chicago, The Who, Johnny Rivers, Electric Light Orchestra, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, The Allman Brothers Band, CSNY, Bonnie Raitt, ZZ Top, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Badfinger, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steely Dan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Paul Simon, The Chambers Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. The Allman Brothers Band Live at Woodstock ’94, Winston Farm, Saugerties, NY, August 14, 1994

Nope. It was decidedly not anything like Woodstock ’69, but The Allman Brothers Band, as always, gave a great performance.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Dave Clark Five NEW!

Another great British Invasion band gets its due. Tom Petty used to say that it should be called The Mike Smith Five because he was their great lead vocalist. (Dave Clark was the drummer, of course.) It’s kind of parallel to the J. Geils Band here in the U.S. with the great Peter Wolf on vocals and J. Geils on guitar. But I digress. The Dave Clark Five was the second British Invasion band to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. The first, of course, was The Beatles.

We’re here. We’re rarin’ to go. And we’re on 24/7 for your listening pleasure. We never charge you to listen to our music, and we never indulge in commercial interruptions because we’re not in it for the money. So, enjoy. The button is below.

The Button!

On Thursday It’s the ‘Color My World’ EP, a Bob Marley & The Wailers ‘Spotlight’, and Norah Jones at the HOB, March 27, 2025

Good morning, musicologists. We’re over the hump and on the downslide to the weekend with a great lineup of programming dispersed in our big, wide Open Stream!

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Color My World: Various Artists

We start off with Open Stream with a theme: All the colors of the rainbow. You’ll hear The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Donovan, Booker T. & The MGs, Procol Harum, Electric Light Orchestra, Joni Mitchell, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Sam & Dave, Badfinger, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Hollies, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Cream, Marvin Gaye, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Linda Ronstadt, J.D. Souther and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Bob Marley & The Wailers

The Legend himself and his bandmates stop by The Mermaid Lounge this afternoon to show us why they were a groundbreaking reggae, ska and rocksteady band.

8:00 p.m. Norah Jones Live at The House of Blues, Chicago, IL, August 24, 2002

We close the programming with a great live performance from the one and only Norah Jones, who also happens to be the daughter of the great Ravi Shankar.

Another day in paradise awaits. We’re almost to the weekend, when things settle down a bit…but just a bit. We’re never out of the shadow of The Orange Menace here. But music can help restore a bit of sanity in these trying times. The button is below.

The Button!

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.