Tag: Bob Dylan

It’s Snowing Outside The Mermaid Lounge, but We’ve Got Our Sixties Rotation EP and Donovan In The Spotlight To Get Us Through This Mess, Friday, February 25, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! If you live here in the Boston area, you know that we were all standing outside a couple of days ago without so much as a jacket on. Today? Today, it’s another foot of snow. Welcome to New England in February. But we’ve got some hot tunes here for you today.

Comin’ at you at 11:00 a.m. EST. The music that inspired us!

Here’s your Friday musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

There’s no sense denying it, we here in The Mermaid Lounge are lost in the past and find no release in most (but not all) of today’s music. People tell me I must be open-minded, but I actually don’t. Nope. Life is too short to listen to bad music. So, we don’t. This is the music that inspired the station. You’ll hear The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Four Tops, Buffalo Springfield, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Donovan, The Box Tops, Vanilla Fudge, Sly & The Family Stone, Cream, The Zombies, The Doors, The Chambers Brothers, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Who, The Temptations, and more! That’s five hours of commercial-free, uninterrupted music.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Donovan

Donovan was a very big part of the sixties sounds, so his presence in the spotlight today is particularly fitting. His unique sound came from fusing pop, jazz, folk, psychedelic rock and world music. He was a favorite when I was young, and remains so today.

In a few hours, I’ll be digging myself out and heading off to work. But if you don’t have to be anywhere today, this would be a great day to tune us in. All you have to do is give us a shot. And we’re not talking about buying a subscription that you can “cancel anytime.” Don’t you love that shit? We do not require a credit card or a subscription here. The only thing you must have is an Internet connection. End of story.

The Sixties Are Back!

Today We’ve Got Our ‘Folk Music From A-to-Z’ EP and The Beatles Own Our Album of The Week, Sunday, February 20, 2022

Good Morning, Music Historians! I hope this sunny Sunday (at least it is here in the Boston area) finds you in great musical spirits. If not, we hope we can help you to get there!

The Beatles land in America, February 7, 1964

Here’s your Sunday Funday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Meet The Beatles by The Beatles NEW!

As you know, The Beatles are the other half of our ‘house band’ line-up (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers being the other half). We here in The Mermaid Lounge are very careful not to overplay either band, but this is a very special month for Beatles fans, especially myself. The Beatles first landed in America on February 7, 1964…on my tenth birthday. My present from my mother on that day was Meet The Beatles, their first U.S. release. The album changed my musical life forever. It gave me my own generation of music after having listened to my sisters’ music for several years which, by the way, I acknowledge as the beginning of rock n’ roll. The Beatles were listening to my sisters’ music as well, and drew their inspiration from those artists. We will talk about that later, however.

It is time Meet The Beatles gets its due as our Album of The Week. The Beatles changed everything, not just popular music, but popular culture as well. In England, their debut album was titled With The Beatles, and had a different line-up of songs. Today we give you the U.S. version of their debut album with the iconic cover photographed by Robert Freeman, who also photographed several other Beatle album covers. In the UK, the cover was straight black & white. In the U.S., it was released as a blue duotone.

3:00 p.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We also have a great EP celebrating another important part of popular music history called folk music. Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Odetta inspired Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and so many others you’ll hear in this playlist. Those “others” include Nanci Griffith, The Band, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Andersen, Peter, Paul & Mary, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Jesse Winchester, The Stone Poneys, John Prine, Cat Stevens, Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, The Wallflowers, and more!

Come on. It’s a day of rest and relaxation. And before the Blue Laws were dropped here in Massachusetts, there weren’t any stores open to continue the capitalism game. It’s time to, as The Beatles once said, “get back to where we once belonged.” This is a good day to start.

Get Back, People!

Love Is In The Air With Our TLA and Nothing But Heartbreak Playlists, and the Love Songs of Bob Dylan, Monday, February 14, 2022

Good Morning to the true lovers and brokenhearted everywhere (yeah, I’m still in that latter category carrying the damned torch). We’ve got some great music lined up for you today, including a new playlist of Bob Dylan love songs. Read on for details!

We’ve got a brand new Dylan playlist with a twist!

Here’s your Valentine’s Day line-up:

11:00 a.m. True Love Always: Various Artists

You know what the Buddhists say. Nothing is ever forever. But that doesn’t stop us hopeless romantics from thinking it is. Am I right? I sure am. This is the number one topic of the music world and you’ll hear from 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, The Mamas & The Papas, Bonnie Raitt, Guy Clark and more!

3:00 p.m. Bob Dylan: The Love Songs NEW!

Bob Dylan is one of the most talented and prolific songwriters of all time, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for good reason. But Bob Dylan was so much more than protest music, even though he is also the master of that genre. He also wrote some of the greatest love songs on the planet, in our opinion. We’ve got them for you today on Valentine’s Day. But we’ve also got some surprise guests as well! You’ll have to listen to the playlist. We’re not talking…

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

And now, the flip side of that great true love feeling. My specialty: The broken heart. Comes in right behind TLA in the music subject category. You’ll hear the heartbreaking stories of Elvis Presley, Dan Fogelberg, Aretha Franklin, The Band, Cat Stevens, The Bee Gees, Lucinda Williams, Them, The Pretenders, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, The Beatles, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Tom Rush, the J. Geils Band, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Mudcrutch, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and more!

Step into The Mermaid Lounge (figuratively speaking) and swoon with us today. You know you want to, so why not make this the day. You have absolutely nothing to lose because we don’t require our listeners to pay for their music. We run 24/7 totally free of charge and we don’t run advertising. We are completely self-funded. Jump in, kids!

True Love? What’s That?

The Original Sixties EP, The Final Airing of “Sticky Fingers” and LIVE DEAD! All On Tap For Saturday, February 5, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! Some of us have to work in retail for a living, but many of you can start to enjoy our weekend offering today!

It’s baaaaaack!

Here’s your Saturday line-up:

10:00 a.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

Ah, yes. The music that is the lynchpin of this radio station. One of our very first playlists ever created here. You will hear from The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Petula Clark, Buddy Holly, The Kinks, Neil Diamond, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Searchers, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, Simon & Garfunkel, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, and many more. More than five hours of uninterrupted sixties music.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones FINAL AIRING!

Today we have the final airing of Sticky Fingers, our current Album of The Week. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new selection for you.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia, March 27, 1988 NEW!

Another great soundboard recording of the world’s ultimate road and jam band for your listening pleasure. This one is from the Hampton Coliseum.

In addition to all this great Saturday programming, you’ll get our usual wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. She has impeccable musical taste, as you well know if you tune us in every day. We won’t cost you a cent. This isn’t Spotify. We don’t air medical misinformation, nor are we seeking to turn our little station into a repository of talking heads. Join us (figuratively, that is). There are no subscription fees and no joining fees.

Put the Cursor Here.

It’s Pouring Rain Here and We’ve Got Our ‘Water, Water Everywhere’ EP On Tap Along With Buddy Holly In The Spotlight, Friday, February 4, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great line-up on tap today including, appropriately, our ‘Water, Water Everywhere’ EP on a day that is pouring rain (last week at this time, it was a blizzard). But that’s not all. Read on for details!

Today, we finally put Buddy Holly, a true founding father of rock n’ roll, In the Spotlight!

Here’s your Friday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Water, Water Everywhere: Various Artists

I promise I didn’t plan this to be aired on a day when it’s pouring out. It kind of just happens that way, but we do have it on tap, as we say. You’ll hear from Valerie Carter, Bob Dylan, The Band, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Deep Purple, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Bruce Hornsby, The Grass Roots, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steely Dan, Tom Rush, Lindesfarne, Electric Light Orchestra, Gordon Lightfoot, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Mudcrutch, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Tracy Nelson, B.J. Thomas, Al Green, Foo Fighters, and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Buddy Holly NEW!

It was 63 years ago yesterday, on February 3, 1959, that the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (also known as The Big Bopper) went down in Clear Lake, Iowa. It was “the day the music died” for Don McLean, as he relayed so eloquently in his song American Pie. We are not focusing on all three here, but we are putting Buddy Holly In the Spotlight. He and his band, The Crickets, had a profound effect on many who came after him. Although The Beatles only recorded one of his songs for an album, they used to fill their early live shows with several of his songs. His songs have also been covered by Linda Ronstadt, Eva Cassidy, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen and many others. Today, we give you Buddy Holly & The Crickets singing his own songs, but we close out the playlist with a few of our favorite covers as well as Don McLean’s opus, American Pie as the final tribute.

Great day to tune us in. Actually, I know I say that every day, but it is the truth, after all. We run totally free 24/7 with no commercial advertising. We’re all about the music, and nothing but the music. So help me, Buddha.

Just Push Play.

We’re at Midweek With Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP and The Beatles Album Openers Later, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve hit our midweek stride with a great EP about night time, and a brand new playlist of songs that open the Beatles US and UK album releases.

The Beatles album openers are on tap for later!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

10:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

We’ve got an EP dedicated to the morning, and we’ve got one for the night. Songs with the word “night” in the title, lyrics, or both is on tap for this morning. You’ll hear Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Poco, Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, The Traveling Wilburys, The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joe Walsh, the Ronettes, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Wilson Pickett, Steelers Wheel, Gregg Allman, Sam Cooke, Phoebe Snow, The Electric Prunes, Jimmy Cliff, and more!

7:00 p.m. The Beatles: The LP Opening Songs NEW!

Some playlists are long; others short. By our standards, this one is pretty short but oh, so sweet. We give you the opening songs from both the US and UK Beatle album releases. As you know, some were different country-to-country and, in some cases, albums were released in one country and not in another. We do not focus on compilations or post-career releases…just the studio albums released on the Beatles labels over the years (Capitol, Parlophone, Apple, and so on).

A couple of more comments on this playlist, there is a complete list (with notes) on the blog under the Playlist tab should you wish to take a look. And while some sources do not include “With A Little Help From My Friends” as part of the opening to Sgt. Pepper, we here in The Mermaid Lounge do.

Come on, people. It’s midweek and we’re going strong around the planet this morning. It’s time to tune us in. We’re free 24/7. No credit card or subscription required. No personal information requested. We’re all about the music.

Just Push Play.

Under a Blizzard Warning in Beantown, and We’re Spinning Our House Playlist EP, Giving You The Final Airing of Our AOW, and LIVE DEAD! Later, Saturday, January 29, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! The snow’s flying. The wind’s blowing. And the music’s flowing. We’ve got a great line-up for you today, no matter what your weather is.

Our very own EP starts at 11:00 a.m. today and runs uninterrupted for just about five hours

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist: Various Artists

It’s that magic time again. Our House Playlist calls, and we give you Barry McGuire, the Temptations, CSNY, Pink Floyd, Peter Tosh, Edwin Starr, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Chambers Brothers, Buffalo Springfield, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Byrds, Donovan, Jimmy Cliff, Cat Stevens, The Association, Marvin Gaye, The Band, Arlo Guthrie, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan FINAL AIRING!

Today is the final airing of this week’s Album of The Week, Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan. Get it while you can. Tomorrow, there will be a brand new featured album when you roll out of bed.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Boston Garden, Boston, MA, May 7, 1977 NEW!

The Dead bring their Wall of Sound to the fabled Boston Garden for this one, vintage 1977. Another great soundboard recording for your listening pleasure from the world’s premier road and jam band.

Well, gang, we’re rolling here in The Mermaid Lounge. The good news is that we will keep on keeping on through this New England blizzard. Be sure to join your friends from around the globe today!

Tap Here!

We Head Toward The Weekend With a Fun Beatles Playlist, Volume 1 of ‘Repeat After Me’ and Our AOW, Thursday, January 27, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Today it’s just cold, but by Saturday we could be buried in over a foot of snow in the Boston area. We’ll see how that goes. But today, we’re talking great programming.

Today’s Beatles playlist is all about their imaginary friends.

Here’s today’s musical line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Beatles: Songs With Character

The Beatles certainly have had their share of imaginary friends: Maxwell and his silver hammer, Jeremy Hillary Boob (aka, Nowhere Man), Lucy who flew around the sky with diamonds, the tiger-hunting Bungalow Bill (who always took his mom). And some have been drawn from real life, like Penny Lane’s barber, the man in the mack who wouldn’t let John and Yoko get married, and Eleanor Rigby. We’ve got them here for you today in one place.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan

Once again, we’re winding down on this one and are preparing for the next album. This is our next-to-last airing. Our final will be on Saturday.

7:00 p.m. Repeat After Me: Various Artists

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and this playlist proves it. Here we give you the original versions of some great songs along with their reboots. You know, like Tumblin’ Dice by The Rolling Stones covered by Linda Ronstadt and Thirteen Days by J. J. Cale covered by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Get the drift here?

Today we’ve added listeners from the Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Lithuania, and Turkey to the mix. When are you coming on board? It’s a really simple process. All you need to do is pull up a tab and use the button below. End of story.

Just Push Play.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With ‘The Best of Chicago Blues’ and Live Buddy Guy With Stevie Ray Vaughan Later, January 25, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists everywhere! We’ve got some great blues lined up for you today, along with the second airing of our Album of The Week.

We’ve got nearly three hours of great Chicago Blues opening the programming today!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues: Various Artists

This one is destined to become an EP, no doubt, as we build our Chicago blues library. Right now, it’s nearly three hours of great blues with Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Howlin’ Wolf, Magic Slim, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Buddy Guy, Sonny Boy Williamson, and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan

The second airing of Bob Dylan’s brilliant Blood On The Tracks, his fifteenth studio album, was released January 20, 1975, on Columbia. The album is home to what is undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite Dylan songs, Tangled Up In Blue.

7:00 p.m. Buddy Guy & Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at The Lone Star Cafe, New York City, April 14, 1986 NEW!

Here we have a brand new entry to our blues collection, with two blues guitar masters. This is undoubtedly unbridled electric blues here. These two would play together several times. Another notable show as in 1989 at Buddy Guy’s Blues Legends club. We’re working on that one also.

If you’re a lover of the blues, Tuesday is your day here in The Mermaid Lounge, where two of the programs are always dedicated to the blues. Before, in between, and after, we give you wide Open Stream with The Music Mermaid in charge. Just do it. It’s free.

Tuesday Bluesday!

Sunday Gives Us ‘Blood On The Tracks’ As Our New Album of The Week, and The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two EP, January 23, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! Maybe you’re sleeping in; maybe not. But we never actually sleep here in The Mermaid Lounge. We blast out music on a global basis 24/7!

Mid-afternoon brings a little under five hours of the best of the mid-to-late sixties!

Here’s your musical landscape for today:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan NEW!

Dylan is another one of those guys who gives me fits. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for me to pick a favorite album. Is it Desire? Is it Blood On The Tracks? Is it Nashville Skyline? I don’t know. It varies with my musical mood, I guess. I have the same problem with The Heartbreakers and The Beatles.

This is Bob Dylan’s 15th studio album, released on January 20. 1975, so we honor this album very close to it’s 47th anniversary, written at a time when there was a lot of stress in Dylan’s personal life. Jakob Dylan once described this album as “my parents talking,” but his father insists it’s not autobiographical. Either way, this album logged in at no. 16 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time. By 2004, it has risen to no. 9. It reached no. 1 on The Billboard 200 Chart, and no. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. Give it a listen. It is undoubtedly one of Dylan’s very best.

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

The Sixties Rotations (volumes 1 & 2) were the very first playlists we ever put together for this station. They have both expanded to EP’s at this stage of the game, and today we give you the one that focuses on the mid-to-late sixties. You’ll hear The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Simon & Garfunkel, the Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Janis Joplin, The Four Tops, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, James Brown, Chuck Berry, The Four Tops, Vanilla Fudge, Sly & The Family Stone, The Zombies, The Doors, The Chambers Brothers, The Animals, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, Procol Harum, The Electric Prunes, Them, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Mamas & The Papas, and many more!

It is indeed a day of rest. And what could be better than joining your fellow global listeners on such a day? You don’t have to wait for programming. We run on wide Open Stream 24/7, so our button is never in the ‘off’ position. All you really have to do is click the button below. Go ahead. See for yourself.

The Sixties!