Category: The Sixties

We Hit Our Midweek Stride With The ‘M is For Motown’ EP and Dusty Springfield In the Spotlight Later, August 31, 2022

Not only is it midweek, but we’re closing out the month of August in fine form with a trip to Motown and a visit from the Queen of Blue-eyed Soul later, Dusty Springfield!

Here’s today’s lineup:

10:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We’ve got a couple of Soul and R & B extended playlists, but this one focuses strictly on Motown artists like Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Eddie Holland, Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson Five, Kim Weston, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Contours, Mary Wells, Rare Earth, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Marvelettes, The Spinners, Jimmy Ruffin, and many more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Dusty Springfield

Tonight we have the Queen of Blue-Eyed Soul paying us a visit here in The Mermaid Lounge. Dusty Springfield was one of the most popular British female singers on either side of the Atlantic Ocean during the sixties, and her career spanned five decades. A Mermaid Lounge favorite here.

Great day to tune us in. Of course, we believe that every day is a great day to tune us in. We say it over and over and over. We’re not just playing music when we have programming. We run 24/7 totally free of charge to the world. Before, in between and after our programs we give you that great wide Open Stream of more than 27,000 songs and albums.

M is For Motown!

We Celebrate Tuesday Bluesday With Paul Butterfield ‘Live’ in Boston and Eva Cassidy ‘Live’ in Georgetown, August 30, 2022

We’ve got some great vintage stuff for you on this fine Tuesday Bluesday with a couple of great ‘live’ performances. Sandwiched in between is our Album of The Week

Join us for Tuesday Bluesday!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

11:00 a.m. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live at Unicorn Coffee House, Boston, MA, May 1966

This is one of those mystery date performances. I’ve been looking around for the actual date since we uploaded the music five years ago. Nobody seems to have it. But hell, we know it happened. And we know the Unicorn was real, a little one-room venue in Boston where Butterfield frequently played.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Ram by Paul & Linda McCartney

A fine vinyl release here back in the day. The only album ever credited to the husband and wife team eventually ended up being one of McCartney’s most highly acclaimed albums of his solo career.

7:00 p.m. Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., January 2-3, 1996

We have the date of this great performance by Eva Cassidy, a great folk and blues singer who passed on the very same year of this performance.

Our overseas friends make up the bulk of listeners every morning. Some of them have been on all night, depending upon where they live! And the folks from Kansas? They’re either dead or just really like the radio station because they’ve been on for two days solid now. Whatever works.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

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’re at Midweek With Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, and Our Brand New Spotlight Featuring Joan Baez, on Wednesday, August 10, 2022

We’re hitting the infamous midweek stride here in The Mermaid Lounge as we pay homage to the sunrise and mornings through music, and give you a brand new ‘Spotlight’ later featuring Joan Baez.

We begin the day with our multi-artist ‘Ode to Morning’ EP!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

10:00 a.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists

We began the month with ‘Here Comes The Night’ and now we’ve got the flip side for you. 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 Joan Baez NEW!

Joan Baez is an American folk music legend, a singer-songwriter whose music has never left behind the spirit of protest and social justice. She recently retired after more than 60 years of playing and touring, and has released more than 30 albums. Tonight we put her In the Spotlight where she belongs.

Before, in between, and after, The Music Mermaid gives you our wide Open Stream with no commercial interruption and no chatty DJs. Just music. Totally free 24/7. No lie. See for yourself.

Morning Has Broken!

Today We’ve Got “Aftermath” by The Rolling Stones as Our AOW, and A Long Afternoon of ‘Travelin’ Fever’ On Sunday, August 7, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Do you have that ‘hit the road’ kind of feeling? Well, we here in The Mermaid Lounge are about ready to move someplace cooler. It’s only appropriate that we give you our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP today.

We’ve got our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ multi-artist EP up at mid-afternoon today!

Here’s your Sunday musical line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Aftermath by The Rolling Stones NEW!

The Rolling Stones recorded this album at RCA Studios in California in December of 1965 and March of 1966 during breaks in their international tour. It is considered to be an artistic breakthrough for the Stones. It is the first album of original compositions they released, all credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Brian Jones also began taking a more active role in their music, experimenting with instruments they’d never used before, including sitar, Appalachian dulcimer, Japanese koto, and marimbas. Aftermath topped the British album charts for eight consecutive weeks and eventually achieved platinum album status from the Recording Industria Association of America (RRIA).

3:00 p.m. Travelin’ Fever: Various Artists

One of our favorite EP’s is up today as we spin up Travelin’ Fever. Lately we’ve had the desire to get out of this hothouse and move to cooler digs. We’re waiting for the heat to break with 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!

Hey, if you’re inside today (and if you live in these here parts, I’d advise that), this is the perfect day to give us a spin. Look at strictly the upsides: We do not clog our music stream up with advertising. Because we don’t accept any commercial advertising. There’s only an occasional station break courtesy of yours truly. Lasts seconds at most. You know, so you know where you’re getting all this great music. No talkative DJ’s either. We’re on 24/7, not just when we have programming. And we don’t cost you a cent. Here are the downsides (to those who even consider these downsides): You can’t create personal music collections (we’re a radio station like the old days, sorry). We don’t play disco, or rap, or hip-hop. Neither do we play head banging heavy metal. Sorry, we’re not all things to all people. Give us a listen. You won’t regret it.

Travelin’ Fever!

We Head Toward The Weekend With The Kinks In The Spotlight, Some ‘Live’ Doors, and Dr. John With Our AOW, Thursday, August 4, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are making our way to the weekend with some great sixties sounds today from two anchor bands of that musical generation. For good measure, we toss in Dr. John, the Nitetripper, with our AOW.

Here’s Thursday’s musical landscape:

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

Here we are with the fighting Davies brothers of Muswell Hill. Regardless of their reputation for feuding and pounding each other out backstage, the Kinks were a musical force that distinguished itself as one of the most influential bands of the sixties.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Creole Moon by Dr. John

We’re winding down on this week’s selection, this being our next-to-last airing. Our final airing will be sometime on Saturday and, by Sunday, it will be a memory. We’ll have a brand new selection for you when you wake up, so don’t miss your chance here.

7:00 p.m. The Doors Live at The Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, June 6, 1970

The Doors were another force during the sixties, and probably would have been into the seventies. But Jim Morrison would pass away in Paris just a little over a year from this performance. The cause was listed as heart failure, although no autopsy was performed. Here’s a little bit of music trivia for you: The infamous photo of Jim Morrison’s ghost shot at his burial site in Paris was rumored to have been shot by Tom Petty. However, it should be noted that Mr. Petty never made that claim himself anywhere. It remains a mystery. But maybe they’re hanging out together talking about music in Rock n’ Roll Heaven.

Why not join your friends from around the globe today? With temperatures in the Boston area nudging 100 degrees today, I ‘d say hunkering down in air-conditioned comfort with some great music would be a great choice. And we won’t cost you a cent. Your money is absolutely no good here. Give it a shot.

Cursor Here, Please!

We Hit The Midweek Stride With Our ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young In The Spotlight, Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Today we take a trip to Laurel Canyon where so many bands of the sixties and seventies banded together to make some brand new sounds heard ’round the world. It also birthed the country-rock genre. We are starting a bit earlier than usual with the programming, so read on for the details!

Take a trip to Laurel Canyon with us today!

Here’s today’s music lineup:

9:00 a.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

The Laurel Canyon music scene was like a giant musical commune where artists got together to both party and develop their musical chops. The shared energy from these bands changed the face of popular music, inspiring a host of future musical generations. 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, Souther-Hillman-Furay and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

We keep with that Laurel Canyon family tonight as we put one of the finest supergroups on the planet In the Spotlight in CSNY with their unmistakably unique sound. Neil Young was off-and-on a part of this great quartet, but they were always better for his presence.

Before, in between, and after we give you that great wide Open Stream, and we’re even throwing in some unannounced afternoon Trifectas. So, you’re just going to have to tune us in to find out who those might be from! We are totally free of charge 24/7 with no commercial interruption. No strings. No surprises. We promise.

Echoes From The Canyon!