Category: The Blues

McCartney’s Solo Debut is Our Album of The Week, and We’ve Got ‘The Psychedelic Express’ Rolling Through Later, Sunday, June 19, 2022

The Psychedelic Express rolls through this afternoon!

Here’s your Sunday line-up:

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

Released on April 17, 1970, this was the very first Beatle solo album. Of course, people were absolutely pissed that the Beatles had broken up, so it took a while for people to warm up to this one, but over the years it has become one of the most beloved albums of all time. I also look back now and remember that the album was criticized for what appeared to be “unfinished” tunes. Now, alternate takes, unfinished versions, home recordings and all of the progressions to the final product are literally an art form. I remember the angst of millions that The Beatles were gone, and I suspect a lot of the criticism came from the fact that they broke up to begin with. The blame game was being played. I, too, was upset that The Beatles were no more, but as I got older I realized that bands break up all the damned time. I also know that The Beatles gave us all they had in the tank. They changed everything in a very short period of time, and the band’s music is timeless. That’s also the way I look at them as solo artists as well.

4:00 p.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

Psychedelic music is one of my most favorite genres of all time, so I’m looking forward to this one myself! Even bands not know as “psychedelic” bands tried their hand at this genre. You’ll hear Vanilla Fudge, The Chambers Brothers, The Beatles, The 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, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, and more!

Sunday. It’s a day of rest all across the globe. Pull up a chair and tune us in. We’re on 24/7 (not just when we have programming), we’re totally free, and we never air commercial advertising. What are you waiting for?

The Psychedelic Express!

It’s Saturday with a Happy 80th McCartney Celebration, the Final Airing of Our AOW, Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP and LIVE DEAD! Later, on June 18, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great lineup for you today and it’s a bit busier here in The Lounge than usual because we’ve got McCartney’s 80th birthday celebration later on.

Happy 80th Birthday to Sir Paul McCartney!

Here’s today’s musical journey:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We begin the programming day with this great extended playlist that includes tunes from 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, Jesse Winchester, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Poneys, Phil Ochs, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy FINAL AIRING!

Today we bid a fond farewell to this week’s Album of The Week by the late, great Eva Cassidy who, unfortunately, didn’t live long enough to see her success. Don’t miss this collection of rehearsal tunes and live performances.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul McCartney

Today we say happy 80th birthday to a true musical living legend who’s still rocking away on his ‘Got Back’ tour. We’ve got Beatles’ stuff, solo performances, his stint with Wings…it’s all here for a couple of hours tonight.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Summer Jam, Watkins Glen, New York, July 28, 1973

Tonight’s LIVE DEAD! is a rare repeat, but it hasn’t been aired since 2020, so it should sound just like new to those of you who aren’t Deadheads (and they don’t care how many times they hear a Grateful Dead show; it’s all new to them).

We’re chock full of stuff today and we think you’ll like it. There’s no better way to kick start your weekend than with the little radio station that could. (I think I like that.) There are, of course, some things we just can’t do, like play rap and screaming heavy metal death, charge for listening, or play commercial advertising. But we’re pretty damned good with everything else.

The Little Radio Station That Could.

Friday Delivers Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Puts Paul Simon In the Spotlight as the Weekend Is Right Around the Corner, June 17, 2022

Go ask Alice. She knew where it was at.

Here’s Friday’s lineup:

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

Ah, yes, taking me back to my youth, where I took numerous risks that I would never take in my old age. Remind me to tell you about the blotter acid experience sometime. Today, you’ll hear from Arlo Guthrie, The Byrds, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glen Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys The Temptations, The 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, Harry Chapin, The Band, The Fraternity of Man, Led Zeppelin, and more!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul Simon

Whether with his partner, Art Garfunkel, or as a solo artist, Paul Simon has been an immensely brilliant singer-songwriter for many years. Today, after far too long a hiatus, we put him In the Spotlight.

We are one day away from the true weekend. Some of us working under the scourge of retail, however, start our weekends even later. But no matter, because whether I’m sitting here in The Mermaid Lounge or taking shit in retail hell, the Music Mermaid is clearly in control. The music here never stops.

Non-Stop 24/7

We’re Sliding Toward The Weekend With Bobbie Gentry & Some Friends at BBC Studios, Our ‘Rock, Blues & Ballads’ Playlist, and our AOW, Thursday, June 16, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists. We’ve got some great new stuff to start off the day today as we’ve discovered a Bobbie Gentry BBC Studios performance with a couple of friends along for support.

A couple of friends dropped by to help Bobbie Gentry out with her BBC Studios show

Here’s Thursday’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Bobbie Gentry Live at The BBC Studios, London, 1968-1969 NEW!

This was a great find, given the fact that Bobbie Gentry was always a bit reclusive and shunned the limelight. She just wanted to write songs for other people. But she did perform live music, and she did so at BBC Studios in 1968 and 1969. Maybe she brought Donovan and James Taylor along for moral support! We’re glad she did!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy

We’re winding down on this week’s album selection as we’ve reached our next-to-last airing here. The final will be sometime on Saturday. Don’t wait too long!

7:00 p.m. Rock, Blues and Ballads, Volume One: Various Artists

I know. It’s about time I got volume two together. And I totally agree, so it’s on my weekend list. But this one’s pretty damned good and we haven’t heard it in a while. You’ll hear Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Tom Petty, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, J.J. Cale, Dusty Springfield, Neil Young, Paul McCartney & Wings, Long John Baldry, Randy Newman, Maria Muldaur, Ry Cooder, Gregg Allman, Linda Ronstadt, and more!

We’re sliding steadily toward the weekend here in The Mermaid Lounge, although I’ll grant you it’s not getting here fast enough this week. But good music goes a long way toward making the work week easier, so give us a shot. Because we play some seriously good shit with absolutely no commercial interruption, no chatty disc jockeys who’d rather talk than play music, or cost to you. Not one penny. And we’re open 24/7. What more do you want?

Open 24/7!

On Tuesday Bluesday We Intro Our New ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP and Our Second Airing of Eva Cassidy’s AOW, June 14, 2022

It’s Tuesday Bluesday and we’ve finally converted our Chicago Blues playlist into an EP with the addition of new cuts and artists. We also give you Eva Cassidy later.

Today we debut our expanded ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

11:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues: Various Artists UPDATED & EXPANDED!

We’ve been threatening to do this, and it finally came to fruition over the weekend. Our Chicago Blues playlist has now grown up and is an EP! We’ve added all new cuts and some new artists. You’ll hear Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon Albert King, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann and more! This is now just over five hours of uninterrupted blues!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy

The second airing of this great posthumously-released album is upon us. It’s a collection of rehearsal songs and live cuts from a woman who passed from our realm far too soon.

We’re on simple mode today as we debut our new extended playlist. We’ve also got some new Tuesday Bluesday surprises coming up as we gear up for summer! You’re going to like it around here as we move forward with some new music and new playlists. And we’re totally free. We’re a labor of musical love.

Best of Chicago Blues!

Saturday in The Lounge Brings ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’, The Final Airing of Our AOW, and LIVE DEAD! Later, June 11, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! It’s your time here in The Mermaid Lounge and we kick off the day with our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP (not to be confused with ‘M is For Motown’). This covers soul and R & B from all over the spectrum!

Today we’ve all got ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’

Here’s Saturday’s lineup:

10:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

Motown is the most renown, but it’s not the only record label for the genre. There was Stax with Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett; Muscle Shoals where Aretha Franklin released her first song in 1967; and Atlantic, with Ray Charles. Many of those who recorded for Muscle Shoals were distributed through Atlantic. We’ve got them all for you today including Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, Chuck Berry, 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 and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Living With the Animals by Mother Earth LAST AIRING!

Here’s the final airing of this great blues album featuring the amazing voice of Tracy Nelson. When you roll out of bed tomorrow morning there will be a brand new selection.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Dillon Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, July 31, 1974

Another great soundboard recording from the Dead. It’s not new, but it hasn’t been aired since 2020 so it will be just like new. Remember, no two shows are the same anyway.

Get your weekend underway in style! We’ve got some great programming for you today interspersed in between all that great wide Open Stream. We’re totally free. That not only means that we’re free of commercial advertising, but we also don’t charge for anyone to listen. What’s not to love?

A Little Bit O’ Soul

Today, We’ve Got Our ‘By the Numbers’ Playlist, Our Album of The Week, and Eva Cassidy Live Later, Thursday, June 9, 2022

It’s all about numbers. Here’ are some numbers for you. In fact, one of our songs in today’s multi-artist list is a Beatle song McCartney wrote when he was just 14 years old!

Here’s Thursday’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. By The Numbers: Various Artists

Another great multi-artist playlist with numbers in the title, lyrics or both. You’ll hear The Beatles, Chicago, Three Dog Night, Mudcrutch, J.J. Cale, Steely Dan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Asleep At The Wheel, Eddie Cochran, Alice Cooper, Emmylou Harris, The Grass Roots, The Byrds, The Temptations, The Doors, Shawn Colvin, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Johnny Rivers, and more!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Living With The Animals by Mother Earth

Our second-to-last airing of this gem is upon us; our final airing will be sometime on Saturday. While Tracy Nelson is the standout on this album, it’s much more than just a vehicle for her voice. It’s flat out a great album.

7:00 p.m. Eva Cassidy Live at Pearl’s Restaurant, Annapolis, MD, September 14, 1994 NEW!

Some people have commented that they’ve never heard Eva Cassidy before. That’s not surprising since she passed far too soon, at the age of 36, before really hitting her stride. But she’s left behind a great volume of work, and we’re about to add a bunch more into our standard rotation. During our hunt for her music, we found this great live soundboard performance. Don’t miss it.

Tune us in, people. You can’t go wrong here in The Mermaid Lounge. We’re on 24/7 unmolested by commercial advertising. And we’re totally free. What’s not to love?

Tune Us In!

We Hit Our Midweek Stride With a Case of ‘Travelin’ Fever’ and the Promise of TLA Later, Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers everywhere! We are at midweek with our great ‘Travelin’ Fever’ multi-artist EP and our answer to Monday’s heartbreak.

We start our musical journey with our multi-artist ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

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

Yes, sir. We’re on the road for this musical journey. It’s all about location, location, location and how we manage to get to those locations. You’ll hear Canned Heat, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jackson Browne, the Steve Miller Band, 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 Travelin’ Wilburys, Asleep at The Wheel, The Byrds, Joan Baez, Mudcrutch, Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, and more!

7:00 p.m. True Love Always: Various Artists

On Monday, we heard from the lovelorn. Today, it’s the opposite side of the coin. You’ll hear The Hollies, Joni Mitchell, Tom Rush, Jackson Browne, George Harrison, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Boz Scaggs, Delaney & Bonnie, The Band, Buffalo Springfield, Van Morrison, Carly Simon, Stevie Wonder, Basia, Bonnie Raitt, Guy Clark, The Mamas & The Papas, Dusty Springfield, Maria Muldaur, Valerie Carter, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Swing Out Sister, Donovan, and more!

We have two great multi-artist playlists for you today, one an EP and one not. Either way, we’ve got some seriously good material here for you with a theme. We have fun putting them together for you so, dammit, you’d better have fun listening to them. For free. And we’re free and running 24/7.

Travelin’ Fever!

The Workday Week Begins With The Heartbreakers’ Deep Cuts & B-Sides, and Nothing But Heartbreak Later, Monday, June 6, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We kick off the work week in style with some lesser-played Heartbreaker songs, and our multi-artist heartbreak playlist bringing up the rear.

Danger! Heartbreak dead ahead!

Here’s your Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Deep Cuts & B-Sides

We’ve got a few hours here of some great Heartbreakers’ music that you probably don’t hear much, at least on traditional radio. Even if you’re a subscriber to Tom Petty Radio, some of these may not be heard with frequency. But we’ve got them here today, and they are always in our rotation.

7:00 p.m. Nothing But Heartbreak: Various Artists

This one is for the lovelorn, something I’m pretty good at, by the way. To say that my skills in choosing the right person are lacking would be an understatement. But nevertheless, you’ll know that I’m not the only one when you hear Carole King, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Tom Rush, the J. Geils Band, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Mudcrutch, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Dan Fogelberg, Aretha Franklin, The Band, Cat Stevens, The Bee Gees, Lucinda Williams, The Walker Brothers, Them, The Pretenders, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and more!

There is no better way to start your week than by pushing this little button below. You don’t need your wallet. Your money’s no good here. Got it?

Just Push Play.

On Sunday, We Feature Our New AOW by Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth, Plus ‘The Female Species’ EP Later, June 5, 2022

Here’s your Sunday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Living With The Animals by Mother Earth NEW!

It’s tough to find a decent photo of Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth, believe me. We tried mightily but the best we could come up with was this poster. Etta James once called Nelson, “a bad white girl.” And she certainly is bad in the best sense of the word. One of the absolute best combinations in music happened when Ronstadt sang Tracy Nelson’s Down So Low, and you will hear Nelson’s version on this album. While Mother Earth is often presented as merely a vehicle for Nelson, that’s an unfair characterization. The band was more than that, and you’ll see that on this album.

3:00 p.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Not to be confused with our ‘Ladies Day Out’ EP. While we certainly include woman artists in this playlist, this one’s about the use of the word lady, girl, woman, chick, whatever the term, in the title, lyrics, or both. You’ll hear from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, Jackson Brown, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Electric Light Orchestra, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, The Temptations, and more!

Sunday. It’s a day of rest, people. Even the big guy (whomever that might be) took the day off from the entitled masses. That’s what you should be doing now. And what better way to spend the day than right here. Because life is too damned short to listen to bad music.

Sunday Funday!