Tag: George Harrison

It’s Monday Morning Back at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 11/23/2020

And so begins another week. Here at the Mermaid Lounge, we’re trying to accomplish the impossible: Programming a week in advance. It’s a valiant effort, but the jury is OUT. Nevertheless, we have a lot of info here for you.

The very first juke box at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco

November 23, 1899: The first jukebox was placed at The Palais Royale Hotel in San Francisco (see photo).

November 23, 1962: The Beatles auditioned at St. James’ Church Hall in London for The BBC, which was looking for people with potential to be on TV. The Beatles failed. I wonder if the guy who made that decision kept his job.

November 23, 1963: Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs have the top R & B song with Sugar Shack.

November 23, 1964: /The Beatles release the single, I Feel Fine. The B-side is She’s A Woman.

The Rolling Stones are late for the radio shows Top Gear and Saturday Club, and were banned by The BBC.

November 23, 1965: The Beatles film promos for I Feel Fine, Ticket To Ride, Help!, Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out at Twickenham Studios in London. The BBC paid 1,750 pounds for the broadcast rights, and then deals were made with other broadcasters around the world.

November 23, 1967: The Who played the New Barn at The Lions Delaware County Fairgrounds in Muncie, Indiana.

November 23, 1968: Little known fact, here: After Dusty Springfield had recommended Jimmy Page to Ahmet Ertegun, head of Atlantic Records, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant finalized their recording contract.

Steve Miller debuted on the charts after his first single, Living in The USA.

The Beatles tied the existing rock era record (held by Bobby Darin’s Mack The Knife) with a ninth week at #1 for Hey Jude.

Judy Collins’ version of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now enters the Top 40, where it will peak at #8. It will also win The Best Folk Performance of the year.

November 23, 1970: George Harrison released his first solo single, My Sweet Lord, in the US.

November 23, 1972: Bob Dylan arrives in Durango, Colorado, to film the movie Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door).

November 23, 1975: Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody goes to #1 on the UK charts, where it will remain for nine weeks.

November 23, 1976: Wings kicked off a 19-date UK tour at The Royal Court in Liverpool.

November 23, 1983: Tom Evans of Badfinger committed suicide after the band decided to break up.

Born On This Day

November 23, 1939: Betty Everett, of The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) fame, was born in Greenwood, Mississippi.

November 23, 1940: Freddie Marsden, drummer for Gerry & The Pacemakers, was born in Liverpool.

November 23, 1954: Bruce Hornsby, one of the greatest keyboardists ever, leader of Bruce Hornsby & The Range and keyboardist for The Grateful Dead, was born in Williamsburg, Virginia.

And that is it, children. Today’s lesson is over.

Your Brain Might Be Full After Today’s College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 11/22/20

It’s one pistol of a day at the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge! We have got a lot of musical news for your history lesson today. I don’t know how we could possibly put anybody but The Beatles in the main photo today. You’ll see why.

We couldn’t possibly put anybody but The Beatles in this blog post today.

Here’s today’s musical historical happenings:

November 22, 1957: Two sixteen-year-olds named Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel appeared on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand as Tom & Jerry where they sang Hey Schoolgirl. The rest, as they say, is history.

November 22, 1961: Bob Dylan completes the recording of his debut album.

November 22, 1963: The Beatles release their second album in the UK called With The Beatles. It knocked their debut album out of the #1 spot, and then proceeded to give The Beatles 51 consecutive weeks at the #1 position on the UK Album Charts.

November 22, 1965: Stevie Wonder releases his hit Uptight (Everything’s Alright).

November 22, 1967: George Harrison begins recording the soundtrack to the movie Wonderwall.

November 22, 1968: The Beatles release their self-titled double album set called The Beatles. It becomes better known as The White Album.

November 22, 1969: The Beatles sit atop the album charts with the spectacular Abbey Road.

November 22, 1981: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods of The Rolling Stones join Muddy Waters on stage at the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago.

November 22, 1983: The Pretenders release their great single, Middle of The Road.

November 22, 1986: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble launch their 149-date American and European tour at the Towson Center in Towson, MD.

November 22, 1988: Pink Floyd released their live album, The Delicate Sound of Thunder.

November 22, 1990: Freddie Mercury of Queen issues a public statement confirming the rumor that he has AIDS. He passes away on November 24, 1991 from the illness.

November 22, 2010: After just one week of availability on ITunes, The Beatles’ music sold more than 450,000 albums and 2 million individual songs.

November 22, 2010: The Beatles (aka, The White Album) returns to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart after its 50th anniversary reissue on November 9.

Born on This Day

November 22, 1943: Floyd Sneed, drummer for Three Dog Night, is born in Calgary, Ontario, Canada.

November 22, 1944: Jesse Colin Young, lead singer and bassist for The Youngbloods, is born in Manhattan.

November 22, 1946: Bass Guitarist Aston “Family Man” Barrett of Bob Marley & The Wailers is born in Kingston, Jamaica. Seems the nickname “Family Man” was a good one. He is reported to have fathered 41 children.

November 22, 1950: Steven Van Zandt (aka, Little Steven), songwriter, guitarist, arranger and producer with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, is born in Winthrop, MA.

Tina Weymouth, founding member and bass player with Talking Heads, is born in Coronado, CA.

November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. His death inspires many songs, including The Beach Boys’ Warmth of the Sun, and Bob Dylan’s 2020 release, Murder Most Foul. We will play Murder Most Foul this evening at 10:00 p.m.

And that is it for Sunday at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. Stay tuned for today’s line-up!

Another Day in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 11/21/2020

It’s yet another day at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. Yesterday’s entry was prolific. Today’s, not so much.

The Zombies, 1964 – Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Hugh Grundy, Paul Atkinson and Chris White (seated) ? Chris Walter (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)

Today’s action in rock history:

November 21, 1960: George Harrison, merely 17 years old, is deported back home from Germany because he is too young to play with the band. They are forced to play without him at The Kaiserkeller Club in Hamburg.

November 21, 1964: The Supremes made it four weeks with their #1 R & B song, Baby Love.

The Zombies, one damned fine band, had one of the biggest hits of their career with She’s Not There at #5.

November 21, 1969: T-Rex played at The Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.

November 21, 1970: Two months after his death, Jimi Hendrix had the #1 song in the UK with Voodoo Chile.

November 21, 1975: Queen releases the album A Night At The Opera in the UK.

November 21, 1980: Steely Dan releases the album Gaucho, which includes appearances by guitarists Rick Derringer and Mark Knopfler.

November 21, 2013: Forty-three years after their break-up, The Beatles had their 31st Top Ten album with On Air–Live at The BBC, debuting at #7 on the Billboard 200.

That’s today’s light lesson. Hey, it’s Saturday, so that’s a good thing. We’ll be back with today’s line-up in just a bit.

Put On Your Thinking Caps: It’s Friday at the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Apparently, the 20th of November is a banner day in rock n’ roll history. Let’s not waste any time!

Keith Moon, on a day when he was apparently not creating problems.

Here’s today in music history:

November 20, 1955: The song that changed music forever, Rock Around The Clock, by Bill Haley & The Comets, went to #1 on the UK charts. It would re-chart six more times until 1974.

Bo Diddley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show requested that he play Sixteen Tons. When he went on stage, he instead sang Bo Diddley. They banned him from further appearances in punishment. (Give me a fucking break, Ed.) As Tom Petty said, “Elvis was king, but Diddley was daddy.”

November 20, 1961: Bob Dylan began recording his debut album. It was completed over two days at Columbia Recording Studios in New York. Some of the songs recorded the first day are Song to Woody, Fixin’ to Die, and Baby Let Me Follow You Down.

November 20, 1965: The Supremes had their sixth #1 single in the US with I Hear a Symphony.

November 20, 1966: The Supremes again were at #1 on the US charts with You Keep Me Hangin’ On, their seventh single.

November 20, 1967: The Strawberry Alarm Clock was at #1 with Incense And Peppermints, one of my all-time favorite songs. The opening riff is what did it for me. Oddly enough, the band hated the lyrics so much, they had a friend who was attending the recording sessions sing it instead. It worked.

November 20, 1968: Janis Joplin’s manager approaches Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites about creating her a new backing band, which becomes Janis Joplin & The Kozmic Blues Band.

November 20, 1971: Isaac Hayes hit #1 on the US singles charts with The Theme From Shaft.

November 20, 1974: Keith Moon collapsed on stage when his drink was spiked with horse tranquilizer (I wonder who did that). A 19-year-old drummer in attendance at the Cow Palace volunteered to replace him and the concert went on. Moon would also collapse on stage in Boston in 1976 when yours truly was in attendance. That was allegedly from the flu. The concert was rescheduled.

November 20, 1975: The Who kicked off a North American tour at the Summit in Houston. After that show, Keith Moon was arrested for disorderly conduct. What a guy.

November 20, 1976: Paul Simon joins George Harrison on stage on SNL where they perform Here Comes The Sun and Homeward Bound together. both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in New York at the time and watched the show.

November 20, 1991: The Rolling Stones sign a deal with Virgin Records to make three albums over six years.

Born on This Day

We’ve got so many here, we’re making this a separate entry.

November 20, 1940: Jim Horn, American saxophonist, woodwinds player and master session musician is born. He played on solo albums by three members of The Beatles, and was on stage for George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh in 1971. He also played flute and sax on Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys and flute on The Stones’ Goats Head Soup album.

November 20, 1941: Matthew John Rebennack, or Dr. John, was (thankfully) born. He was a pianist, guitarist and singer who was a session musician from the 50s until his death in 2019 at the age of 77. Dr. John came into his own as a performer in the late 60s when he released his album, Gris-Gris. He is absolutely one of my all-time favorites.

November 20, 1942: Norman Greenbaum of Spirit in The Sky fame, was born in Malden, Massachusetts.

November 20, 1946: Duane Allman, undoubtedly one of the greatest guitarists of all time and leader of The Allman Brothers Band is born. If you’ve listened in on our Skydog playlists, you’ll see he was one of the most sought-after guitarists on the planet, playing with everyone from Wilson Pickett to Eric Clapton. He dies tragically in a motorcycle accident in 1971 in Macon, Georgia.

November 20, 1947: Joe Walsh, singer, songwriter, guitarist with The James Gang and later, The Eagles, is born. Did you know that Joe Walsh is Ringo’s brother-in-law?

Whew! That’s it for today, Musicologists! We’ll be back with today’s line-up in a bit!

It’s Another (Mostly) Open-Stream But (Totally) Wilbury Wednesday, On November 11, 2020

Yeah, I know. People are always telling me I can’t have it both ways. But yes, I can. And so can you. We’re on Open Stream until 6:00 p.m. when the Traveling Wilburys pull into The Mermaid Lounge.

And, trust me, you’re going to love this two-hour Wilbury spectacular.

The Wilburys: Charlie T. Jnr., Lucky, Nelson, Lefty, and Otis. The best damned Supergroup ever.

Here’s Wednesday’s line-up!

24/7 Daily (Mostly) Open Stream

Like we do every single day, we’re streaming more than 26,000 songs for you. No charge. No credit card. No registration. No advertising. No interruption. And no politicians.

Listen for those Three-in-a-Row’s all day long!

6:00 p.m. Wilbury Wednesday! The Traveling Wilbury’s Inside-Out NEW!

The Mermaid Lounge will be rockin’ with Wilbury magic for more than two hours. Hear the Wilbury demos, extended versions, outtakes, and different recording sessions! This is a not-to-be-missed event!

By the way, all the details on what you will be hearing is under the Playlist tab of this blog. Just scroll to the bottom!

If you’re a Traveling Wilburys fan (and who isn’t?) this is a night you won’t want to miss. So, why not tune us in.? I mean, you have absolutely nothing to lose except those radio stations whose DJ’s just can’t shut the fuck up.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s a Wednesday Tradition! (Almost) Totally Open Stream Until The Wilburys Travel in Later, October 21, 2020

Good Morning, Musicologists! Today is another (Almost) Totally Open Stream Wednesday, and it’s also a Wilbury Wednesday! What could be better?

The Traveling Wilburys are the best damned supergroup on the planet.

Here’s Wednesday’s line-up!

Infinity (Almost) Totally Open Stream Wednesday!

We’re here in The Mermaid Lounge circulating about 26,000+ songs every day. No commercials. No talking heads. No politicians. No charge. No bullshit.

And today, we add a new feature to our rotation called Three-in-a-Row, so be listening throughout the day!

6:00 p.m. Wilbury Wednesday! The Music of The Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys are the best damned supergroup ever concocted. They released some albums, some videos, and never wanted to go on the road. Five guys who loved hanging out and making music together, and what great stuff they left us. If you’ve never heard their catalogue, tune us in and see for yourself.

Good day to see what we’re all about. I keep saying that stuff. Sooner or we hope you’ll join us.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Roy Orbison in B & W, A Tribute to Hank, The LIVE DEAD Train Rolls On, and The Final Airing of “All Things Must Pass,” Saturday, August 8, 2020

Good Morning, Ungovernables! It’s a new day here in The Mermaid Lounge. To say that today’s offering to the music gods is eclectic would be an understatement.

roy orbison black & white night (1)

Here’s today’s line-up from the lounge:

11:00 a.m.   Roy Orbison & Friends: The Original Black & White Concert

This concert was originally broadcast on January 3, 1988, and was shot entirely in black and white. Hence, the name. By any standards this was a great night, with Orbison joined on stage by Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang, and many others. A splendid time was had by all.

3:00 p.m.     Album of the Week: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison  FINAL AIRING!

We bid farewell to All Things Must Pass, George Harrison’s unbelievable first solo post-Beatles effort. Tomorrow, it’ll be something new!

7:00 p.m.     Timeless: A Tribute to Hank Williams, Various Artists

I love these collections, where musicians have the opportunity to pay their respects to those who influenced them. With Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Keith Richards, and more!

10:00 p.m.    Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at William & Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia, September 24, 1976   NEW!

The consummate road band. We have not had one repeat performance since this program started. There is no end to material here. Best of all, no two shows are ever the same. 

If you want to know what we’re all about, this would be a good day to find out. See for yourself how easy it is to tune us in. All you need is a browser tab and the link below. No credit card. No personal information. No advertising. No bullshit. No lie.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernables-Radio

Dylan & Petty On The True Confessions Tour ’86, We Go Down To N’Awlins, and Our Album of the Week, Thursday, August 6, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got some great programming today, including one playlist that hasn’t been heard since Fat Tuesday!

bob-dylan-tributes-tom-petty

Here is your musical landscape:

11:00 a.m.   Bob Dylan with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at the Cal Expo Amphitheater, Sacramento, June 12, 1986   NEW!

Perhaps a bit of pre-Wilburys foreshadowing here. Any time you get two guys like this on stage together, the result can only be musical nirvana. This show is from the second leg of the True Confessions Tour.

3:00 p.m.     Album of the Week: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison

This was, without a doubt, a brilliant effort by Harrison, and it deserved all the critical accolades it received. You can learn more about this album by clicking on its image in the right sidebar.

7:00 p.m.    Down In N’Awlins: Various Artists

This is one sweet playlist that hasn’t been heard since Fat Tuesday back in February. Music is from BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Fats Domino, Lucinda Williams, and many others. We hope you enjoy it.

I guess I should stop saying “join us.” There’s nothing to actually join. Tune us in would be a better phrase. No credit card or personal information required any day. No commercials. No political talk. Just music. 

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

 

 

 

Dylan & Cash Hang Out in Nashville, Bonnie Raitt Live at The Troubadour, and George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass,” Sunday, August 2, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers, and welcome to Sunday Funday. Today, we have some great music to stuff in your ears, all vintage material.

bonnie-raitt-1972-cant-find-my-way-home-735x413

Here’s your Sunday Funday line-up:

11:00 a.m.   Album of The Week: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison   NEW!

George Harrison’s first solo effort after the break-up of The Beatles can certainly be considered a tour de force, at least from my perspective here in The Mermaid Lounge. We’re giving you the expanded version here with the jams. We’ve put those at the end of the actual album.

4:00 p.m.    Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash: Nashville 1969

Back during the recording of Dylan’s masterpiece, Nashville Skyline, he teamed up with Johnny Cash to record a bunch of songs. Only one, Girl From the North Country, made it on to the album. The rest are right here, and you should avail yourself of them.

7:00 p.m.    Bonnie Raitt Live at The Troubadour, February 15, 1972

The Troubadour. The musical incubator for so many great artists — real artists. Bonnie Raitt is one of them. Enjoy.

Come on. Tune us in. It’s Sunday. A day of rest, people. All you need is a fucking browser tab and the link below. Nothing more will be asked or required.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

 

 

George Harrison & Friends, The Jefferson Airplane Live in Copenhagen, and the Inner Sanctum, Friday, June 12, 2020

Good Morning, Ungovernables! We are ready for a Friday with some great music here at The Mermaid Lounge.

Jefferson Airplane

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m.   George Harrison & Friends: The Concert for Bangladesh

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar organized thefirst-ever benefit concert of this magnitude. It took place on August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Other artists included Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, Jim Keltner, and Bob Dylan.

4:00 p.m.     The Inner Sanctum: Study for Murder

Time to get the spooky on, people. This is the final airing of this episode. A brand new episode will begin on Monday, Monday!

6:00 p.m.  The Jefferson Airplane Live in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 28, 1968   NEW!

The Jefferson Airplane was formed in 1965, and pioneered psychedelic rock. They helped to define the San Francisco Sound, and were the first band to achieve commercial success. Their album, Surrealistic Pillow, is considered one of the most significant recordings of the Summer of Love.

Join us for some great music today!

www.tinyurl.com/becomeungovernableradio