Category: Psychedelic Music

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!

We Begin Delving Into the World of Psychedelic Music With Our AOW, and Then The Women of Music Take Over, Sunday, September 11, 2022

Good Morning, Psychedelic Music Lovers! We’ll delve into the world of psychedelic music over the next few weeks with our Album of The Week. We start it off with Country Joe & The Fish!

Today we take a mind-expanding trip into psychedelic music!

Here’s your musical lineup for Sunday:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Electric Music For the Mind and Body by Country Joe & The Fish NEW!

Country Joe & The Fish’s debut album was released in May of 1967, and was one of the very first psychedelic music albums to come out of San Francisco. We include the write up from DiscoverMusic below:

An early 1967 release, Country Joe And The Fish’s debut album opened up all kinds of possibilities: heady jams, poetic ballads, free-form ragas and even a taste of political satire. Because Joe McDonald was a songwriter first, the whole album is wrapped in a tuneful package. The closing “Grace” is a romantic epic in honour of Grace Slick (Janis Joplin would get similar treatment on the follow-up album).

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-psychedelic-albums/

Songs from the LP made it to the airwaves of progressive radio stations like KSAN and KMPX in San Francisco, and I distinctly remember listening to Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine on Boston’s WMEX back in the day. I managed to catch Country Joe live at Boston Garden as well.

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

Starting mid-afternoon, the ladies of music take over the lounge and what a line-up it is with Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Carly Simon, Chrissie Hynde, 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, Sheryl Crow, Valerie Carter and more!

It’ a keep-it-simple Sunday here in The Lounge. The Music Mermaid is fully in charge today pushing out the great mind-expanding sounds for our friends from Germany, the UK, Chile, Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Japan, the Faroe Islands, Texas, Kansas and New York this morning. Why not join us?

Tune in. Turn on. Drop out.

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!

Today We’ve Got Our ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP, the Final Airing of “Ram” by The McCartneys, and LIVE DEAD! Later, Saturday, September 3, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are looking at a beautiful weather day here in the Boston area, and we’ve got some great programming lined up for you today starting with some sounds from Laurel Canyon.

Today we’ve got those great sounds from Laurel Canyon!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

The Laurel Canyon music scene was a force across two decades, the sixties and seventies. It was one big musical happy family. There was cross-pollination that led to the country-rock revolution. You’re going to hear from 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, Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Ram by Paul & Linda McCartney FINAL AIRING!

We bid farewell to a great album today, the only album credited to Paul & Linda McCartney. It was released during a time of great public feuding between McCartney and his former bandmates and was subject to some criticism. At the end of the day when we all got over the break-up of the greatest band on the planet, Ram became one of Paul McCartney’s most critically acclaimed albums and remains so today.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, UK, October 6, 1981

We have a repeat performance here from The Dead, but we haven’t aired it since 2020, so it’s effectively brandy new. Tune it in at 10:00 p.m., Deadheads.

Another work day for me, but you are in the best of hands here in The Mermaid Lounge. She’s on duty 24/7. No rest. No retreat. We’re totally free of charge with no surprises. There aren’t any forms to fill out, we don’t require a “subscription” or a credit card. Hell, we don’t even ask for personal information. It’s none of our business. Our business is sharing music. End of story.

Music From Laurel Canyon!

Monday Brings Our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP and a Brand New Spotlight Featuring Singer-Songwriter James Taylor, August 29, 2022

Happy Monday, Musicologists! Another work week rolls around, but at least I’m not working my day off like I was last week. We’re thankful for small favors, and we’re thankful that we have The Music Mermaid to get us through the day.

Today we take a trip into dreamland with songs that mention dreams in the title, lyrics or both!

Here’s your Monday musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

One of our newer EPs bring you music about dreams from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, the Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, The Mamas & The Papas, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Buffett, The Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, kd lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of James Taylor NEW!

This one is long overdue and we’re glad it’s finally here. James Taylor is one of the greatest singer-songwriters on the planet. I finally realized this had to be done when we started working on our new singer-songwriter EP. Don’t miss this one!

We’ve got a big swath of listeners from around the globe this morning with Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, the UK, Germany, Australia, Russian Federation, Chile, Brazil, Denmark, Switzerland, not to mention Kansas, Texas and New York. Where are you this morning?

Monday, Monday

We’re Keeping It Simple on Sunday With Our Brand New Album of The Week and ‘The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two’ EP, Sunday, August 28, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s another keep-it-simple Sunday with Ram as our Album of The Week and Volume Two of our ‘Sixties Rotation.’

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Ram by Paul & Linda McCartney NEW!

This is the only album ever attributed to the McCartney husband and wife team, and it’s one of my favorites. I remember playing the grooves out of this thing when it first came out. The album generated McCartney’s first number one U.S. single as a former Beatle with Uncle Albert/ Admiral Halsey. McCartney was in a very public feud with his former mates at the time and was subject to much criticism, but eventually Ram became one of McCartney’s most critically-acclaimed solo albums. It was also recognized as an early indie pop album. While we don’t give you the full 2012 expanded release here, we are including two extra songs that were part of the Ram sessions: Another Day and Oh Woman, Oh Why.

3:00 p.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

This is volume two of our sixties collection where we focus mostly on the mid-to-late sixties with The Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Byrds, Linda Ronstadt, Chuck Berry, Blind Faith, The Spencer Davis Group, Elvis Presley, The Box Tops, The Doors, Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, The Band, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, The Ronettes, The Kinks, The Zombies, The Velvet Underground, B. B. King, Led Zeppelin, Donovan and more!

Hey, it’s officially a day of rest. If there’s a Supreme Being, he or she is taking the day off today as well. Just remember that. This is the perfect landing spot for your Sunday because we’re not going to cost you a cent. No subscriptions. No credit card. No personal information. And best of all: No bait-and-switch. Just a tab and a mouse is all you need.

The Sixties Rotation!

Today It’s The Music That Inspired The Station With Our House EP, Along With Carole King In the Spotlight, Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ll be on the road a bit earlier than usual today, but you’re in good hands with The Music Mermaid pushing the buttons as we give your our #BecomeUngovernable House EP, and a brand new Spotlight featuring Carole King!

The fun starts at 10:00 a.m.

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House EP: Various Artists

It’s back again…the music that inspired the station. You’ll hear Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, Genesis, T. Rex, The Who, 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, Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, 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. In The Spotlight: The Music of Carole King NEW!

Join us as we put a musical legend In the Spotlight tonight. It’s long overdue, but it’s finally here. One of the greatest singer-songwriters of her generation will close out the programming later today.

As always, we’ve got you covered 24/7 and we’re always totally free of charge. There are no surprises and no hidden charges. And we never, ever ask for your credit card or personal information. Your money is absolutely no good here.

The #BU House EP!

It’s Sunday and We Have Our ‘Original Sixties Rotation’ EP, a Great Collaboration for Our AOW, and Peter Tosh In the Spotlight, August 21, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got an eclectic programming day planned for you today, starting with our great Album of The Week, then moving into our very first Sixties Rotation. We close out later with our Reggae selection.

Here’s today’s lineup:

10:00 a.m. Album of The Week: The Union by Elton John and Leon Russell NEW!

Any album with these two guys in collaboration can only be called a tour de force. Released in 2010, the album was produced by the great T. Bone Burnett (who also contributes on electric guitar). Others who helped out include Booker T. Jones (Hammond B-3), Neil Young (vocals), Robert Randolph (pedal steel guitar), and Brian Wilson (vocal harmonies). It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and was listed at No. 3 on Rolling Stone’s 30 Best Albums of 2010.

1:00 p.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

We’ve got just over five hours of uninterrupted sixties music coming your way in the early afternoon. This particular rotation focuses on the early-to-mid years of the decade, although I can’t guarantee we don’t slip some stuff in from later in the decade. I may have been stoned when I made it. You will hear Del Shannon, Little Eva, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, The Walker Brothers, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Petula Clark, Glen Campbell, Johnny Rivers, The Dave Clark Five, The Supremes, Harry Nilsson, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, Blind Faith, Janis Joplin, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Fats Domino and more.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Peter Tosh NEW!

Peter Tosh has a long, storied musical history. Abandoned by his parents and shuffled among his relatives, he eventually became a self-taught singer, songwriter and musician who was a critical part of The Wailers. He eventually met Robert Nesta Marley (THE Bob Marley) and Neville O’Reilly Livingston (Bunny Wailer). They started singing together in 1962 and the rest is history. He wrote several of the Wailers hit songs including Get Up, Stand Up, 400 Years, and No Sympathy. After the Wailers, Peter Tosh went on to a successful solo career starting with his album, Legalize It. Today, we put Reggae legend Peter Tosh In the Spotlight.

Here we are again. Another Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge, and a perfect day to acquaint yourselves with our special brand of radio. Yep. It’s true. You can’t create “custom” playlists here. That’s not what we’re about. We’re about real radio. I remember the days of summer laying around in my yard with my friends tuned into our transistor radios listening to WMEX. We waited in anticipation for every song.

Sunday Funday!

It’s Saturday in The Mermaid Lounge With Our ‘Psychedelic Express’ EP, Desmond Dekker In The Spotlight, LIVE DEAD! and The Final Airing of Neil Young’s AOW, August 20, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We have a very full Saturday here for you but, nevertheless, our wide Open Stream dominates on the time scale. We never give you too much programming…just enough.

It’s time for our monthly trip into the land of psychedelia!

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Songs for Judy by Neil Young FINAL AIRING!

We bid Neil Young an early fond farewell today as we kick this one off early for our overseas listeners. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new album for you all when you finally wake up!

12:00 p.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

We’re back with our trip to psychedelic music land where you’ll hear 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, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Canned Heat, Tommy James & The Shondells, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Mudrutch, Blind Faith, Grateful Dead, The Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Desmond Dekker and The Aces NEW!

Another trip down Reggae Road here with Desmond Dekker, a Jamaican Reggae, Ska and Rocksteady singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing band, The Aces, he had one of the first international reggae hits with his song Israelites. I remember hearing that song on the radio over and over and I loved it. But I didn’t really have a total appreciation for Reggae then as I do now.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Boston Garden, Boston, MA, May 12, 1980 NEW!

Another great concert from a great jam band. This one comes from my hometown back in 1980. We’ve had a few from Boston, but not from 1980 yet. Tonight, we’ve got that one too.

Well, once again, allow me to tell you that it would be a great day to spend with us here in The Mermaid Lounge if you can spare some time. It won’t take long for you to get hooked. Trust me. We’re not about charging money so you can build Internet playlists. If you want to do that, you can go pay Spotify. We’re all about being radio. And we don’t clog our airwaves with mouthy DJs and commercial advertising.

Join us in The Mermaid Lounge!

We Start The Day With Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Close It With Bob Marley & The Wailers, On Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We start out the day Under The Influence with our many friends who sing about those mind-altering vices, and get back to Reggae with Bob Marley & The Wailers tonight.

The Caterpillar knows best.

Here’s today’s midweek lineup:

10:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

Let’s all admit that we’ve been here, whether or not our vices of choice are legal or illegal. You’ll hear many a tale from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Dylan, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glenn Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys, The Temptations, Small Faces, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, The Beatles, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Dave Van Ronk, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Steve Winwood, Led Zeppelin, Harry Chapin, The Band, The Fraternity of Man and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Bob Marley & The Wailers

Known as ‘The Legend’ among Reggae fans, Bob Marley is perhaps the most visual and storied ambassador of Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady. In 1963, he formed The Wailers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. By late 1963, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith had joined the group. The rest, as they say, is history as they became the most influential band in Reggae music.

Come on, music lovers. What’s not to love here? We don’t spread endless chatter while we should be playing music. We simply play music. No cost to you. Ever. And no reason to ask for personal information or a credit card. I know you probably find that hard to believe, but hey, why not see for yourself?

Reggae Week!