Today We Give Thanks For Arlo & Alice, Dolly, Linda and Tom, Thursday, November 23, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! It’s Turkey Day and we are NOT celebrating the colonization of the free world. No sir. We are celebrating our musical artists of the day (as well as our families and friends, of course).

Here’s your Turkey Day lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Rockstar by Dolly Parton

Some of us thought we’d never see the day when Dolly Parton would make a rock album, but it has arrived and it is a treat. We’re winding down on this one, so get in on it. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday.

12:00 p.m. Arlo Guthrie: Alice’s Restaurant

Our Thanksgiving tradition continues at high noon with Arlo Guthrie’s ode to Alice. There will be no intro. No fanfare. It shall simply begin on cue and last for just under 20 minutes.

3:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at The Troubadour, W. Hollywood, CA, March 17, 1976

Linda live at the iconic Troubadour on St. Patty’s day in 1976. This was two years after Heart Like A Wheel, still one of the absolute best albums ever made by anyone, and the release of another gem, Hasten Down The Wind (which would be released in August of 1976).

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Live at The Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, October 16, 2002

The Heartbreakers on The Last DJ tour at The Olympic. I actually really love this album because it’s simply an album of great songs. The song The Last DJ laments the fall of radio into the abyss of utter capitalism: ‘As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs want to see/How much you’ll pay for what you used to get for free.’

The Music Mermaid is all keyed up and ready in The Lounge for an early start. Making a bird today? Hey, turn us on in the background. We’ll keep you entertained before the mob arrives.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With the Louisiana Blues EP and ‘Live’ Tedeschi Trucks Later. In Between, It’s Dolly! November 21, 2023

Good morning, blues lovers! We’ve got our multi-artist Louisiana blues EP and the Tedeschi Trucks Band up later. In between, Dolly’s Rockstar airs.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Best of Louisiana Blues: Various Artists

We kick off the blues programming with blues on the bayou! You’ll hear from Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo, Ray Brown, Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Big Boy Myles, Little Walter, Mary Butler, Erline Harris, Dave Bartholomew, Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rockstar by Dolly Parton

Dolly drops by for a second airing of her rock release, Rockstar, our Album of The Week.

8:00 p.m. The Tedeschi Trucks Band Live at The Orpheum, Madison, WI, March 18, 2015

Let’s fast-forward to one of the greatest blues-rock bands on the planet today. Led by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, this is one of the most amazing blues bands on the planet.

Join us. It’s Tuesday Bluesday, always a big draw in The Mermaid Lounge. We’re on a short work week, and we have great music to be thankful for. Screw the pilgrims; they were a nasty lot.

It’s a Simple Sunday With Dolly and Our AOW and the ‘Are You Ready for The Country’ EP Later, November 19, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’ve got a real treat for you today with our Album of The Week as Dolly Parton’s Rockstar makes its debut on our station. Read on for details!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

When Dolly Parton learned she was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she turned it down because she felt she was not a rock star. She’d never made an album of rock music. The people at the Hall disagreed with her and wanted to induct her anyway. She returned the favor by releasing Rockstar, a 30-song album of classic rock and rock n’ roll songs given the Dolly treatment. And it’s a treat. Dolly had a lot of supporters on this one, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on her version of The Beatles’ Let It Be, Ann Wilson on her version of Magic Man, and Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow on You’re No Good.

3:00 p.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

While Dolly goes rock, you’ll also find her in our big, bad country EP. Along with Dolly, you’ll hear Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Pure Prairie League, Asleep at The Wheel, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, the Marshall Tucker Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, The Desert Rose Band, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and more!

Saturday Brings Elvis’ AOW, Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Walter Becker-Donald Fagan as Our Singer-Songwriters, November 18, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! Yes, it’s finally Saturday and The Music Mermaid has her selections all queued up for this fine day. Read on for the details!

Here are your musical details:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley FINAL AIRING!

We bid farewell to Elvis’ debut album today, a fine piece of music from what I personally consider his best time, right around 1956 and the Nashville/Sun sessions. Tomorrow, we’ll have a new album.

12:00 p.m. Under the Influence: Various Artists

Ah, yes. In my youth, some of my best times were spent under the influence. Today, you’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glen Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys, The Temptations, Small Faces, Steely Dan, The Beatles, Talking Heads, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 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!

There’s a thing out there on social media asking the best bands of the seventies. Had it not been for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Steely Dan would have been my number one. They’re a very close number two. We love them here in The Mermaid Lounge, and they are that good because of the singer-songwriter duo that put them on the map.

Thursday Brings Our ‘Ode to Morning’ EP, Elvis With Our AOW and ‘Live’ Bob Marley & The Wailers, November 16, 2023

Good morning, music lovers. We’re here in the lounge preparing to pay musical homage to the morning and the sunrise, followed by Elvis Presley’s debut album and Bob Marley and his crew ‘live’ at The Beacon.

Here’s your musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. Ode to Morning: Various Artists

We start off what is going to be a fine, sunny day here in the Boston area with a musical tribute to the morning hours with Cat Stevens, Hoyt Axton, The Beatles, Neil Young, The Rascals, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin, Three Dog Night, Ry Cooder, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters, Jonathan Edwards, Bob Dylan,, Townes Van Zandt, Pure Prairie League, Badfinger, Chris Hillman and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley

We’re winding down here with this great Elvis debut album that spent ten weeks in the number one slot. There was no turning back on rock n’ roll. Our final airing will be sometime on Saturday.

7:00 p.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at The Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, May 1, 1976

Bob Marley’s importance to the growth and acceptance of Reggae music is undeniable. Tonight we have The Wailers live from The Beacon Theatre in New York.

We’re here 24/7 come rain or shine. We’ve been running without interruption and without charging anyone for the music for six years now. And we’re getting better as we move along. See for yourself. The button’s below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Our Chicago Blues EP, Elvis Presley, and Jimmy Reed In The Spotlight, November 14, 2023

It’s a bluesy kind of day here. I’m back on the floor in retail hell, unfortunately. And The Music Mermaid is holding down the fort here.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues:Various Artists

It’s the blues from the Windy City with Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley

Elvis is back with his debut album. (By the way, we did give you the expanded edition of this album.) This is undoubtedly our favorite time for Elvis music, when he was immersed in the Nashville and Sun sessions.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Jimmy Reed

This is a full Chicago blues day, as the great Mr. Reed was also in our Chicago blues EP today. Jimmy Reed was born in Mississippi in 1925 to a sharecropper family. He was a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was active from the 1940’s up until 1976, when he passed at the age of 50. His guitar style attraced both blues audiences and non-blues audiences.

Tuesday Bluesday is always a great day to tune us in, folks. It’s blues programming all day with our big, wide Open Stream in between. Give it a try. You need no money or credit cards. And we do not interrupt the music with commercial advertising.

It’s Simply Sunday With Our AOW and the ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP, November 12, 2023

Good morning, children, and welcome to Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge where the programming is light and the open stream is the norm.

Here’s your Sunday lineup:

Yes, we are Elvis lovers here in The Mermaid Lounge. He is one of our forefathers; one of the artists that people like The Beatles, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, and so many others that we play invoke as their inspiration. There were others to be sure, like Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Big Mama Thornton (the original Hound Dog hit was hers), but today we focus on Elvis because he did the one thing the others needed to complete the cycle: He made that music accessible to everyone and helped usher in rock n’ roll. This is Elvis’ debut album, released March 23, 1956. This is our favorite time frame for Elvis music, and today he owns our Album of The Week.

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

Today it’s our ode to the night time. The dark hours. You’ll hear Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Them, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, The Kinks, the Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow, Joe Walsh, The Eagles, The Ronettes, John Cougar Mellencamp, The Doors, Emmylou Harris, 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!

It’s The ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP, The Final Airing of Our AOW, and Dr. John is Our New Singer-Songwriter, November 11, 2023

Good morning, weekenders, and welcome! We’ve got a great Saturday lineup for you today here in The Mermaid Lounge, starting with the sounds of Laurel Canyon!

Here’s today’s music:

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

The sounds of the British Invasion rocked the U.S., and across the pond, the sounds of Laurel Canyon were making themselves known. It’s called cross-pollination. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Bee Gees 1st by The Bee Gees FINAL AIRING!

It’s the final airing our album selection by The Bee Gees. Tomorrow we’ll have something new for you right here!

Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., also known as Dr. John or The Nitetripper, was a musical treasure whose style combined New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. He was active in the business, both as a respected session man and as a solo artist, from the 1950’s right up until his death in 2019. He was originally inspired after seeing another New Orleans fixture, Professor Longhair, live in concert. Tonight, we introduce the late, great Dr. John as our featured singer-songwriter.

We Head Toward The Weekend With Our ‘Color My World’ EP, The Bee Gees’ AOW, and ‘Live’ Rolling Stones, Thursday, November 9, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’ve got a great day lined up for you today with the multi-artist ‘Color My World’ EP, our AOW by The Bee Gees, and some ‘live’ Stones later.

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

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

Songs about colors, fancy and otherwise, by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Donovan Booker T & The MG’s, Electric Light Orchestra, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchell, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Sam & Dave, Badfinger, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, 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. Album of The Week: Bee Gees 1st by The Bee Gees

We’re winding down on this selection. The final airing will be sometime Saturday and, by Sunday, we’ll have a new selection.

7:00 p.m. The Rolling Stones Live at Palais Royale, Toronto, Canada, August 16, 2002

Get yourself some ‘live’ Stones tonight as we feature their 2002 performance in Canada at the Palais Royale.

Come on. You know you want to tune us in. We’re on 24/7 totally free of charge. No lies. No strings. We do not accept any commercial advertising either; an added bonus.

It’s Simply Sunday With This Week’s AOW by The Bee Gees and Our ‘British Are Coming’ EP, November 5, 2023

It’s the Brits all the way around today as we open up with our Album of The Week by The Bee Gees and then move into ‘The British Are Coming’ EP at mid-afternoon.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

When the Bee Gees first hit the music scene, my first reaction was “Wow, these guys are good.” And they were. Until they discovered disco. That’s when I made the break. But up until that point, The Bee Gees were a great little band. And so, we play them up until that fateful disco transition. (There are a few other bands that have met that fate, like The Doobie Brothers, but that’s a different story for a different day.) This is the band’s third studio album, but their debut album in the U.S. and UK. Their first two albums were released only in Australia and New Zealand.

3:00 p.m. The British Are Coming: Various Artists

Today our programming is dedicated to music from across the pond. In this great extended playlist you’ll hear The Beatles (of course), The Who, Dave Mason, Electric Light Orchestra, Petula Clark, The Zombies, The Hollies, Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Kinks, Dave Clark Five, the Bee Gees the Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, Them, Herman’s Hermits, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Badfinger, The Yardbirds, Traffic, Elton John, Lulu, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Animals, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Spencer Davis Group, The Rolling Stones Cream, Donovan, The Searchers and more!