Tag: Chicago

It’s Sunday Funday With The Beatles, The All-Girl Revue, and ‘Three-Part Harmonies,’ On August 10, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! It’s a great day today with a great opening set, followed by two more great sets. So, read on for all the details!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Beatles: Songs With Character(s)

Yep. That’s what it’s all about. Songs with characters like Bungalow Bill, Prudence Farrow (a real person; Mia’s sister), a deceased woman named Eleanor, the man in the mack, a barber, a woman they called Lady Madonna, a psychopath who wielded a silver hammer, and plenty more. This is a great playlist.

2:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue, Volume Three: Various Artists

We’re back with the ladies, albeit a shorter list. We’ve got Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Melanie, Aretha Franklin, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow, Linda Ronstadt, Wendy Waldman, Valerie Carter, and more!

6:00 p.m. Three-Part Harmonies: Various Artists

We love this EP and we’re going to take you into the late hours tonight with The Beatles, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Mamas & Papas, The Who, T. Rex, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Buffalo Springfield, The Zombies, The Doobie Brothers, The Band, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Allman Brothers Band, Yes, Queen, Boston, Jefferson Airplane, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Pretenders, Chicago, and more!

We’re here 24/7 and before, in between and after our programming we’ve got our big, wide Open Stream. We don’t need to tell you the rest, like we’re totally free with no commercial interruption. Nope. You can see for yourselves. The button is below.

Sunday Funday!

We End the Month With ‘Great Beginnings,’ Live Dr. John, and Great Instrumental Songs, On Friday, July 31, 2025

We kick things off today with songs that have great openings, sometimes subtle, sometimes not. Then it’s on to Dr. John live in NY, and a lost genre in great instrumental songs!

Here’s your finally Friday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Great Beginnings: Various Artists

Today we begin with great beginnings! Songs that have great opening riffs and some more subtle great openings. You’ll hear The Beatles, Elton John, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the J. Geils Band, Aretha Franklin, Yes, Chicago, The Who, Johnny Rivers, The Kinks, Electric Light Orchestra, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, The Temptations, CSNY, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top, Badfinger, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steely Dan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Paul Simon, The Chambers Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. Dr. John Live at Ultrasonic Studios, Hempstead, NY, November 6, 1973

We spend some time this afternoon with the Nitetripper live at Ultrasonic. This guy never disappoints.

8:00 p.m. Instrumentally Speaking: Various Artists

It’s been a long time since we aired this one. It’s overdue. You’ll hear instrumentals from The Beatles, Mason Williams, The Edgar Winter Group, The Allman Brothers Band, Electric Light Orchestra, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Paul McCartney, King Crimson, Steely Dan, Traffic, Little Feat, the J. Geils Band, and more!

Let’s get it going. We start bright and early. Just hit the button below and you’ll see how easy it is to tune in to the greatest music on the planet!

Get On It!

We End the Month With America ‘In the Spotlight,’ Our ‘Great Beginnings’ EP, and Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler Live in Verona, Italy, On June 30, 2025

Good morning, workers! We’re back in the shops, stores, offices and streets on this fine Monday as we end the month with ‘Great Beginnings’ sandwiched in between America and the duo of Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler.

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of America

Ah, yes, America. One of those great folk-rock bands who could push the limits of their musical genre focus. They had their hits, of course, but their absolute best and most creative music was buried on their albums. A lot of people were surprised that I liked this band when I was young, but what the hell do they know. A great listen here.

1:00 p.m. Great Beginnings: Various Artists

One of our newer playlists with featuring songs with great openings from The Beatles, Elton John, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Yes, Chicago, The Who, Johnny Rivers, Electric Light Orchestra, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, The Temptations, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top, Badfinger, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steely Dan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Paul Simon, The Chambers Brothers, and more.

8:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler Live at Arena Di Verona, Verona, Venito, Italy, June 3, 2006

Emmylou Harris always has a way to team up with people you’d never expect her to team up with, and the result is always mind blowing. Here’s another one, and it’s a great performance.

We’re back on the work week, but it doesn’t have to suck. No sir. We’ll get you through to the weekend with great music, no commercials, and no DJs who talk to damned much. Give us a try. The button is below.

The Button.

Thursday It’s Music From the Isle of Wight Festival, Then Full Performances By The Who & The Doors, May 8, 2025

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to Isle of Wight Day! We kick it off with music from the 1970 festival, followed by the full performances by both The Who and The Doors!

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Isle of Wight Festival, Afton Downs, The Isle of Wight, Newport, UK, August 26-30, 1970

The Isle of Wight Festival attracted huge crowds (between 600-700K people) to see acts like Rory Gallagher, Miles Davis, Chicago, The Doors, The Who, The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Joni Mitchell, Sly & The Family Stone, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Ten Years After and more. The 1970 festival was the third in a series run between 1968 and 1970.

4:00 p.m. The Who Live at The Isle of Wight Festival, Afton Downs, Isle of Wight, Newport, UK, August 30, 1970

The Who performed on the afternoon of August 30 and covered probably their most celebrated album, the rock opera Tommy. This is their full performance.

8:00 p.m. The Doors Live at The Isle of Wight Festival, Afton Downs, Isle of Wight, Newport, UK, August 30, 1970

Likewise, The Doors performed on the final festival day. We close out the day’s programming with their full performance as well.

Tomorrow, we give you the sounds of the Newport Folk Festival over the years as we move through Festival Week. Remember, before, in between, and after our scheduled programs, we give you our big, wide Open Stream! The button is below.

Isle of Wight!

On Monday It’s ‘By The Numbers’, Live BeauSoleil, and the Paul & Elvis Catalogue, April 7, 2025

Happy Monday, working class! It has been rainy for days here in the Boston area, but it’s just fine here in The Mermaid Lounge as we bring you some great programming today, including a brand new playlist of Paul (McCartney) & Elvis (Costello) music!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. By The Numbers: Various Artists

We open up the day with a playlist of songs with numbers in the title, lyrics or both with Three Dog Night, Chicago, Mudcrutch, J.J. Cale, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Alice Cooper, Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Wilson Pickett, Johnny Rivers, Emmylou Harris, The Grass Roots, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, John Lennon, Prince and more.

4:00 p.m. BeauSoleil Live at The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, March 24, 2007

BeauSoleil happens to be one of the premier, if not the premier, Cajun/Zydeco Band in the world. Today we’ve got them live from Williamstown, Massachusetts.

8:00 p.m. Paul & Elvis: The Collaboration NEW!

That’s McCartney and Costello, who formed a musical alliance in 1987 and produced a series of fantastic songs later used on each other’s albums. Today we have the results of that alliance, along with one memorable live performance of The Beatles’ One After 909, recorded at St. James Palace in London on March 23, 1995. (Costello is a noted Beatles fan.)

Yeah, Monday’s pretty much suck, but we’re here to make them better. We can decidedly make yours better today if you give us a chance. We’re totally free and, even better, we run no commercial advertising. See for yourself how good Monday can be. The button is below.

Paul & Elvis.

Monday Delivers Our ’27 and Gone’ Playlist, a Rickie Lee Jones ‘Spotlight’, and Chicago Live at Tanglewood, March 24, 2025

It’s Monday, Monday again and we’ve got our playlist from the members of the ’27 Club,’ followed by Rickie Lee Jones ‘In The Spotlight’ and live Chicago.

Here’s your Monday, Monday programming:

10:00 a.m. 27 and Gone: Various Artists

Songs from members of the ’27 Club’, those musicians who died who died in their 27th year. You’ll hear Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Badfinger (Pete Ham), Canned Heat (Al Wilson), Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones (Brian Jones), The Grateful Dead (Ron “Pigpen” McKernan), Robert Johnson, Spanky & Our Gang (Malcolm Hale) and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Rickie Lee Jones

One great singer-songwriter whose career has spanned five decades and many genres, including rock, R & B, pop, soul and jazz.

8:00 p.m. Chicago Live at Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA, July 21, 1970

I was at this performance. It was and still is a truly amazing outdoor setting and this was a great show. Enjoy.

Here we are again at the beginning of another work week with more uncertainty in the air because The Orange Buffoon is back from Mar-A-Lago. I try not to be political, but these are not ordinary times and none of us can keep our mouths shut. We’re anti-capitalist and we don’t charge any money. We’re here 24/7. And we don’t track you. The button is below.

The Button.

It’s Sunday In The Lounge With Chicago ‘Live’ in Japan, a Hollies Spotlight, and ‘The Founders’ EP Later, June 2, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge where the living is easy and the music is totally free 24/7.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Chicago Live at The Osaka Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan, June 10, 11 & 14, 1972 NEW!

Chicago is like a few other bands during my lifetime that have had two lives, like The Doobie Brothers and The Bee Gees. In all cases, we prefer the previous lives. We’re fans of the Terry Kath version of Chicago with its original edginess and creativity, not the Peter Cetera born-again, milquetoast collection of syrupy ballads. Today we have the original band, what I like to call Chicago Transit Authority, live in Japan.

2:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Hollies

Here is another great British Invasion band, and the band that would become one of the most musically influential of its time and spawn other great bands, like Crosby, Stills & Nash. It’s time we turn the Spotlight back on this band.

5:00 p.m. The Founders: Various Artists

This evening we go back to where this rock and roll thing all began with Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner, Hank Williams, Bill Haley & His Comets, Ray Charles, The Drifters, Roy Orbison, Robert Johnson, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters and more!

We’re here in The Lounge where the music is already running endlessly with over 27,000 individual music files for your listening pleasure. Just hit the button below.

Sunday In The Lounge!

Monday Brings Our ‘By The Numbers’ Playlist, Shawn Colvin’s Spotlight and Lennon-McCartney, March 4, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We’re back to the work week, but all is well here in The Lounge. Today we close out our singer-songwriter series with the best.

Here’s your Monday music:

10:00 a.m. By The Numbers: Various Artists

We start with songs with numbers in the title, lyrics or both from Three Dog Night, Chicago, J. J. Cale, Steely Dan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jefferson Airplane, Alice Cooper, The Beatles, Emmylou Harris, The Grass Roots, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Paul Simon, Rosanne Cash, Johnny Rivers, The Searchers and more!

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Shawn Colvin

It’s Women’s History Month, so we feel the need to pick up our game here a bit in the month of March. We start today by putting singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin in the spotlight.

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of John Lennon & Paul McCartney NEW!

We close out this version of our Singer-Songwriter Series with the best songwriting duo in the history of popular music from the band that changed everything. Nothing else needs to be said. All you need to do is listen.

Yes, we’re back into the work week for sure, but all is not lost. We will give you a great musical backdrop for your week. All you need to do is hit the button below.

Lennon-McCartney

It’s ‘Ladies Day Out’, The Rolling Stones, and ‘Great Beginnings’ Closing It Out, Saturday, February 24, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to the weekend! We start off with the women of music in charge, move on to the final airing of our AOW, and give you a brand new multi-artist playlist this evening.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

The ladies are back in the Lounge today and they own the first five hours of our programming. Spend some time with Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Eva Cassidy, Wendy Waldman, The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Susan Tedeschi, Valerie Carter, Dusty Springfield, Dolly Parton and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: It’s Only Rock N’ Roll by The Rolling Stones FINAL AIRING!

The Stones are back with the final airing of our Album of The Week. Tomorrow, we’ll have a new 50th anniversary album for you.

8:00 p.m. Great Beginnings: Various Artists NEW!

A friend suggested this one, and I thought it was a great idea. Songs with great ‘openings’, some of them definitely guitar riffs, but some not. You’ll hear The Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra, Johnny Rivers, Elton John, Yes, Linda Ronstadt, Chicago, Roy Orbison, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix Experience, CSNY, The Temptations, The Hollies, The Edgar Winter Group, Cream, Neil Young and more!

There’s plenty of room for everyone here, and there is absolutely no charge. We are anti-capitalist music lovers. There is also absolutely no commercial interruption. Just hit the button below.

Great Beginnings!

It’s Monday Again and We Start Off With New Playlist About Freedom, Followed by ‘Live’ Neil Young and a Jimmy Cliff Spotlight, July 3, 2023

Good morning, workers! Today we start off with a new playlist with the words ‘free’ and ‘freedom’ in the title, lyrics or both. And believe me, I’m not insinuating that we should be celebrating ‘freedom’ giving he current state of the nation.

Here’s your musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. Free As a Bird: Various Artists NEW!

We’ve had this one on the drawing board for a bit, and it has arrived today. You’ll hear Chicago, CSNY, The Byrds, Otis Redding, Steve Winwood, Cream, Jesse Winchester, Dave Mason, Van Morrison, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, Allen Toussaint, Elton John, Tracy Chapman, Emmylou Harris, Chicken Shack, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Pete Seeger, The Beatles and more!

4:00 p.m. Neil Young Live at The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C., November 30 to December 2, 1970

Some early Neil Young is in order this afternoon, recorded live at a series of concerts at the Cellar Door in D.C.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jimmy Cliff

Sometimes this guy gets lost in the reggae, ska, rocksteady shuffle, but he shouldn’t be. Tonight we put him In the Spotlight where he belongs.

I’m off to work shortly, working my usual day off because we are closed tomorrow. The Music Mermaid will be in charge until I return this afternoon. You will be in very good hands until then.

Freedom is Relative.