Mid-Week Brings a Great, New Multi-Artist Extended Playlist, and That Sweet Soul Sound, Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’re at mid-week and we’ve got a brand new multi-artist long player for you today, along with that sweet soul sound later on.

Check out our brand new Water, Water Everywhere playlist starting at 11:00 a.m.!

Here’s your mid-week line-up:

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

Did you know that the earth is about 71% water, and that 97% of that water is found in the oceans? That means only 3% is drinking water. Now that I’ve filled you with scientific information, let’s talk about our latest extended playlist.

We opened this playlist up to suggestions a while ago, but hadn’t gotten to it until just recently. The emails were out of control, but the suggestions were so great that we made ourselves a great multi-artist playlist all about water. You’ll hear The Beatles, Deep Purple, Donovan. Led Zeppelin, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Foo Fighters, Loggins & Messina, Al Green, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Elton John, and more!

In fact, you can check out this great new playlist under the ‘Playlist’ tab of this blog before listening. Just go to the tab and scroll to the bottom.

7:00 p.m. That Sweet Soul Sound: Various Artists

This is one of our mainstays here in The Mermaid Lounge. Another multi-artist playlist that’s been around for a while, it features Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Fats Domino, Jackie Wilson, The Four Tops, Curtis Mayfield, Etta James, Bill Withers, The Temptations, Ann Peebles, and more!

We’ll keep saying it. You ought to be listening to us. You won’t realize what you’ve been missing until you do. We’re totally free, do not require a subscription or a credit card. All you need is a computer tab and this link:

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Another Monday Rolls Around and We Have Tom Rush In the Spotlight, Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, and One More Airing of Highway Companion, July 26, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! The cycle continues with another Monday here in The Mermaid Lounge. We’ve got some great programming to kick off the week.

We’ve got Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Celebration coming up later!

Here’s your Monday line-up:

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

We haven’t aired this one for a while. It seems like a good time to me. Tom Rush is a local boy ’round these parts, born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He has made some excellent music over his long and storied career, and has launched many a singer-songwriter to fame and fortune.

3:00 p.m. Not the Album of The Week: Highway Companion by Tom Petty FINAL AIRING!

Yesterday was the actual release date fifteen years ago for Petty’s third and final solo album. We were pretty busy yesterday, so we thought we’d air it one final time today.

7:00 p.m. Bob Dylan & Friends: The 30th Anniversary Celebration

I was pretty much inspired by Chrissie Hynde’s Dylan’s covers album that is this week’s Album of The Week. The songs covered here are more of the well-known variety, but Dylan’s friend list is vast and this is a great concert with Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Chrissie Hynde, Roger McGuinn and many, many others. Not to be missed.

Again, let me implore you to tune us in. We’re on 24/7, uninterrupted by capitalist entreaties to purchase products you do not need. We don’t ask for your credit card or your personal information. There’s absolutely no subscription requirement. What more could you ask for?

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One More Ride on The Linda Ronstadt Birthday Train, and The Rest is Up to The Music Mermaid, Friday, July 16, 2021

Good Morning, Linda Ronstadt fans everywhere. This is our final day on the birthday bash express. We have two great programs for you today, and the rest is up to the Music Mermaid as we give you a whole lot of Open Stream.

Linda, Dolly & Emmylou

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Linda Ronstadt & Friends: Duets and More UPDATED!

Linda Ronstadt was a supremely successful soloist, but she always wanted to be part of an all-girl band. That was her dream, and that was the driving force behind the Trio albums she made with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. But Linda Ronstadt sang with many people over her career. You will hear her with Paul Simon, Randy Newman, J.D. Souther, Don Henley, Maria Muldaur, Hoyt Axton, Wendy Waldman, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Bette Midler, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aaron Neville, Ann Savoy, Neil Young, James Taylor, Valerie Carter and more on this particular playlist.

7:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, March 17, 1976

The Troubadour was the launching pad for many an artist, and Linda Ronstadt was no exception. This is her performance just as her career was going into full swing.

In between this great Linda Ronstadt programming you’ll hear a lot of wide Open Stream from our Music Mermaid. She’s got great taste. You’re in good hands.

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We’re Going Under The Influence, Airing Our Album of The Week, and Offering Up New Live Lukas Nelson & POTR on This Thursday, April 29, 2021

Good Morning, Folks! As I return to retail hell on this fine day (and hopefully not for long), we’ve got some great programming coming up in my absence. The Music Mermaid will handle the details.

We have Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real up in the early evening.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

We’ve all done it. Some of us do it every day. Functioning under the influence, that is. This great multi-artist playlist features Glenn Frey, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Donovan. The Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, John Lee Hooker, Neil Young, The Temptations, and more!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Damn The Torpedoes! by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

We’re winding down on our Album of The Week. We’ll have one more airing of this fantastic album on Saturday. When you roll your butts out of bed on Sunday, there will be a new selection. So, get in on this now! The Heartbreakers’ breakout album for sure. And the rest, as they say, is history.

7:00 p.m. Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real Live at The Boathouse, Newport News, Virginia, June 14, 2018 NEW!

This is a great little band, and you know it’s great when a legend like Neil Young takes them on the road with him. They can stand on their own, however, and this is your chance to see that for yourself.

Tune us in, people. We’re not-for-profit. We accept no advertising and we sure don’t employ long-winded DJ’s. The Music Mermaid is silent but deadly in her selections.

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Sunday Brings ‘Folk Music From A to Z’ and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Own The Album of The Week, April 25, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s another fine Sunday here in The Mermaid Lounge. We bring you our long-playing folk music playlist today, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Damn The Torpedoes.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers around 1977

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Damn The Torpedoes by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers NEW!

We chose Hypnotic Eye as our first Heartbreakers’ album to be the Album of the Week back a couple of years ago. However, Damn The Torpedoes is second to none. There is no question that this put the band on the map, and there is absolutely no question that this album is an absolute classic in popular music. It kicked off a long and wonderfully amazing 40-year run from one of our house bands (The Beatles being the other).

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

We are back with another of our long-players today, an uninterrupted homage to our folk music roots with Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Woody Guthrie, Peter, Paul & Mary, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, John Prine, Tom Rush, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, John Hartford, Eric Andersen, Cat Stevens, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt, The Carter Family and many, many more.

It is a great day to tune us in. Let me reiterate: We are totally non-for-profit, and we do not allow advertising. The only thing that interrupts the flow is an occasional station I.D. announcement by yours truly. We never ask our listeners for a credit card or personal information. Best of all, we do not purchase music from either Amazon or Apple. That’s why we call ourselves #BecomeUngovernable Radio.

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It’s Saturday in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/23/2021

Good Morning, fellow music trivia buffs, and welcome to The Mermaid Lounge! We have today’s lesson all prepared for you. We guarantee you’ll impress your friends and family with your knowledge if you apply yourselves.

The Winter Dance Party Tour begins. But before it’s over, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper will die in a plane crash. Don McLean called it “the day the music died” in his hit American Pie.

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 23, 1959: The Winter Dance Party Tour began at the Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee. Before the 24-city tour is over, the headliners, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper will die in a plane crash.

January 23, 1964: The Temptations released The Way You Do The Things You Do, one of the best R & B songs ever, in my opinion.

January 23, 1965: Herman’s Hermits released Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat.

Also on this day, Downtown made Petula Clark the first woman to have a #1 in the US since Vera Lynn in 1952. Of course, she’ll have many more here, but she is an old hand at this in the UK where she has been charting since 1954.

Beatles ’65 spent a third week at #1 on the Album charts.

January 23, 1966: Stevie Wonder played The Cavern Club in Liverpool.

January 23, 1967: Johnny Rivers, one of our favorites here, released Baby I Need Your Lovin’.

January 23, 1969: Alan Parsons (later of The Alan Parsons Project) engineered his first session at Apple Studios (as 2nd engineer to Glyn Johns) as The Beatles record one of their best ever, Get Back.

Elvis Presley records Suspicious Minds at American Sound, a small studio in Memphis. It is a huge comeback hit for The King, and it is also his final #1 hit in America.

January 23, 1970: Judy Collins is denied the opportunity to sing her testimony at the infamous Chicago 7 trial.

January 23, 1971: George Harrison is the first ex-Beatle to hit #1 on the UK charts with My Sweet Lord.

Also on this day, Gladys Knight & The Pips recached #1 on the R & B charts with If I Were Your Woman. This band never got the recognition it deserved, in my opinion, and Gladys Knight was a powerhouse of a singer.

January 23, 1973: While singing to a sell-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York, Neil Young is handed a message. He then announces that a peace accord had been reached in Vietnam. The crowd goes wild for 10 minutes. Here we are in 2020, and American imperialism continues on unabated and forgotten as we fucking argue over masks.

January 23, 1978: Terry Kath of Cbicago accidentally shoots himself in the head with a gun he believed was empty. He dies instantly, just eight days shy of his 32nd birthday. It also marks the death of Chicago, as far as I am concerned, as Peter Cetera leads them down the path of elevator music and renders them irrelevant.

Born On This Day

January 23, 1950: Danny Federici, keyboardist for the E Street Band, was born in Farmington, New Jersey.

January 23, 1950: Bill Cunningham, bassist for The Box Tops, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

And that is all because we do not give a flying fuck about Mariah Carey or Justin Bieber. We will be back with our line-up soon!

It’s Sunday Funday From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/17/2021

Happy Sunday, Musicologists! We are here in The Mermaid Lounge where we never sleep and the music never stops. It has been running 24/7 since February of 2017.

Joni Mitchell released the amazing album, Court & Spark, on this day in music history.

Here’s Sunday’s musical lesson:

January 17, 1963: The Beatles played their usual lunchtime gig at The Cavern Club, and then at the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead in the evening. The Majestic tickets all sold in advance. With literally hundreds of fans turned away, it was definitely time to look for a bigger venue.

January 17, 1964: The Rolling Stones released their first EP, which included You Better Move On, Poison Ivy, Bye Bye Johnny, and Money.

January 17, 1966: The Turtles released the song You Baby on this day. By the way, The Turtles were a great little band.

January 17, 1967: The Daily Mail ran a story about a local council survey finding 4,000 holes in the road in Lanashire, inspiring John Lennon’s contribution to the Beatles’ amazing A Day In The Life.

Also on this day, the Jimi Hendrix Experience recored a session for Radio Luxembourg’s Ready Steady Radio. The band ran up a $6.21 bar bill which they could not afford to pay. That would change soon.

January 17, 1970: The Doors performed the first of several concerts at the Felt Forum in New York City.

Also on this day, Led Zeppelin II would take over the #1 Album spot from Abbey Road after an 11-week run.

January 17, 1972: Neil Young released the great single Heart of Gold, with friends Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor singing background vocals.

Meanwhile, Paul Simon released his hit Mother and Child Reunion.

And a section of Highway 51 in South Memphis, Tennessee, was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. It was intended to be the entire road, but a church objected to their section being named after Elvis the Pelvis. No sense of humor.

January 17, 1974: Joni Mitchell’s amazing album, Court and Spark, was released on this day.

Bob Dylan also released Planet Waves on this day.

January 17, 1975: Bob Dylan released another great album on this day a year later called Blood On The Tracks.

Born On This Day

January 17, 1927: The amazing Eartha Kitt was born on this day in North, South Carolina.

January 17, 1949: Mick Taylor, guitarist for both John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and the Rolling Stones, was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.

January 17, 1955: Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Steve Earle was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia. Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Gretchen Peters, and Shawn Colvin have covered his tunes.

And that is it for today’s lesson. Back with the line-up soon.

Greetings and Salutations From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/4/2021

Good Morning, Students! It’s another happy Monday here in The College, and we’re delivering all the musical news that’s fit to print:

One year before her explosion on the music world, Linda Ronstadt opened for Neil Young on tour and stole the shows. Literally.

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 4, 1936: The first pop music chart based on national sales was introduced by Billboard.

January 4, 1950: RCA Victor announces that they will manufacture long playing (LP) records.

January 4, 1954: (Just about one month before I was born.) A young truck driver named Elvis Presley pays to record two songs at the Memphis Recording Service (MRS). It’s his second visit, and this time MRS head Sam Phillips gets his name and number. Later, he phones Elvis and asks him to record for his Sun label.

January 4, 1957: Solomon Burke makes his debut on The Steve Allen Show.

January 4, 1967: The Doors release their self-titled debut album.

Also on this day, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of what would be over 240 gigs when they appeared at the Bromel Club in Bromley.

January 4, 1969: Marvin Gaye extended his stay at #1 to four weeks with I Heard It Through The Grapevine. Again, I reiterate, Marvin Gaye remade the song, not Gladys Knight & The Pips. She released it a year earlier than Marvin Gaye did, and it went to #1 then as well. They don’t mention that. They call hers the remake.

January 4, 1970: George Harrison recorded the second guitar solo and McCartney, Harrison and Starr re-recorded vocals for Let It Be. This is the final recording session for The Beatles. John Lennon isn’t even present for the session. The last time all four Beatles were together in a studio was August of 1969.

January 4, 1973: Lamar Williams joined The Allman Brothers Band, replacing the late Berry Oakley.

Also on this day, Neil Young kicked off his Time Fades Away tour in Madison, Wisconsin, with Linda Ronstadt as the opening act. Ronstadt is used to playing the club scene and has never performed in an arena setting. Nevertheless, she wows the audiences througout the tour with that fucking amazing voice, literally stealing the show along the way. The following year, she releases Heart Like A Wheel and begins her meteoric rock n’ roll rise.

January 4, 1974: Bruce Springsteen played the first of three nights at Joe’s Place in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Born On This Day

January 4, 1942: John McLaughlin (The Mahavishnu Orchestra) was born in Doncaster, England. In 2010, Jeff Beck called him ‘the best guitarist alive.’

January 4, 1946: R & B singer Arthur Conley, best known for his 1967 hit Sweet Soul Music, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

And that is the end of today’s lesson! Back with the line-up soon.

We’re Back at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 11/18/2020

Good Day, Music Lovers! We’re back here at the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge doing the deed for you.

Cat Stevens, now known as Yusef Islam.

Here’s today’s bucket of knowledge:

November 18, 1956: Fats Domino appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, where he sang Blueberry Hill. The song would peak at #2 on the US charts.

November 18, 1964: The Supremes appear on the TV Rock n’ Roll Show, Shindig, and sing Baby Love and Come See About Me.

November 18, 1967: To Sir With Love by Lulu sits on the top of the singles charts for a fifth week.

November 18, 1968: Glen Campbell, a former session musician for Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys, is awarded two Gold Records, one for Gentle On My Mind and the other for By The Time I Get To Phoenix.

The Jimi Hendrix double album, Electric Ladyland, reaches #1 on the US charts. Steve Winwood, Al Kooper, and Dave Mason appear on the album.

Randy Meisner, Jim Messina, Richie Furay, and Rusty Young — also known as Poco — make their debut at The Troubadour.

November 18, 1971: Procol Harum recorded a concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra; portions would later be released on vinyl.

November 18, 1972: Bill Withers appears on Soul Train, where he sings his hit Lean On Me, and its follow-up Use Me Up.

Danny Whitten, of Neil Young’s back-up band Crazy Horse, dies of a heroin overdose. This tragic event inspires Young to write The Needle and the Damage Done.

Steely Dan makes its debut on the music scene with the release of the song, Do It Again. It would be the first of many hits for them.

Cat Stevens’ Catch Bull At Four begins a three-week run atop the album charts. Stevens played 14 instruments during the recording of the album, his most successful LP.

November 18, 1989: Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville reign at the top of the Adult Contemporary charts for a third week with the song Don’t Know Much.

And that brings today’s lesson to a close.

Happy B-Day, Neil Young! Some Afternoon Open Stream, and Music About Luck, On Friday, November 13, 2020

Good Morning, Fellow Musicologists and Mixologists! It’s bleak, cold, rainy and dreary outside The Mermaid Lounge today and we’ve got about six inches of leaves on the ground out there. But inside? We’ve got great music.

Neil Young, musical legend, turns 75.

Here’s today’s Friday the 13th line-up!

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

Happy Belated Birthday to Neil Young today, who turned 75 yesterday. He’s still out there, staying true to himself like all the greats do. In addition to his outstanding solo career, Neil Young has been part of Buffalo Springfield, The Stills-Young Band, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. On the road, his backing bands have been Crazy Horse, and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. His discography is immense and his contribution immeasurable.

Afternoon Open Stream with Three-in-a-Rows

We’ve got an Open Stream afternoon with some Three-in-a-Row interludes for your listening pleasure. Keep your head low and stay out of trouble today.

7:00 p.m. Deb’s Stream: Good Luck, Bad Luck, Dumb Luck NEW!

You knew this had to happen today. It’s just too good an opportunity to remember some of the songs addressing the issue of luck. You would actually think there’d be more. Tough to find! This playist is about luck (title or lyrics) and taking chances. Enjoy.

By the way, the playlist for this is up on the blog. Just navigate yourselves to the Playlist tab and scroll to the bottom!

This morning, we welcome listeners from Portugal and Lithuania to our community. We’d like to welcome more from the U.S. But as with every other issue, they seem to be asleep at the switch. Or tab. Or keyboard. Whatever your perspective.

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