It’s Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge and We’ve Got ‘Venus And Mars’ as Our AOW and ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ Later, on March 19, 2023

Good morning, music lovers and weekenders! Sundays are quite simple here as we give you plenty of wide Open Stream and some excellent programming.

Here’s your Sunday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Venus And Mars by Paul McCartney & Wings NEW!

This was the fourth studio album by Wings and McCartney’s sixth solo album after the breakup of The Beatles in 1970. It was a follow-up to the great Band On The Run album, and the first to be released on Capitol as opposed to Apple Records. It was recorded in London, New Orleans and Los Angeles, and released in May of 1975. It also resulted in the launch of a massive worldwide tour. I damned near wore this vinyl out, and my favorite song? Call Me Back Again, hands down.

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

Our big folk music extravaganza is back! We’ve got some classic folk artists as well as bands and artists who have embraced the musical genre and done their part to keep its spirit alive. You’ll hear Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Linda Ronstadt, Phil Ochs, Townes Van Zandt, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, The Carter Family, Harry Chapin and more!

What’s better than great music for free? It is true that we can’t accommodate requests, and you can’t build your own playlists here, but this is radio. You don’t know what song is coming next. It’s a throwback to my childhood without the commercial advertising. We’re not all things to all people, but we’re trying to be great music for all people.

We’re at Midweek With Our Multi-Artist ‘Folk Music From A-to-Z’ EP and Chuck Berry In The Spotlight, Wednesday, October 19, 2022

We hit our midweek stride with a great EP focused on folk music and folk-rock. We play both the great pure folk artists (like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan), along with those who pay homage to the musical genre (like The Beatles and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers). Later, we put Chuck Berry front and center.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-to-Z: Various Artists

We’ve got them all here in this playlist. You’ll hear John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, The Carter Family, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Chuck Berry NEW!

Tonight we put a rock n’ roll pioneer, one of its Founding Fathers, In the Spotlight as we celebrate his birthday (belatedly, it was October 18). John Lennon once said this about Chuck Berry, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.'” Indeed.

Before, in between, and after we’ve got that great wide Open Stream all day and all night long, because we run 24/7, not just when we have programming. You are in the hands of The Music Mermaid who, as you well know, has impeccable taste in music.

It’s Saturday with a Happy 80th McCartney Celebration, the Final Airing of Our AOW, Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP and LIVE DEAD! Later, on June 18, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great lineup for you today and it’s a bit busier here in The Lounge than usual because we’ve got McCartney’s 80th birthday celebration later on.

Happy 80th Birthday to Sir Paul McCartney!

Here’s today’s musical journey:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We begin the programming day with this great extended playlist that includes tunes from John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, The Carter Family, Jesse Winchester, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Poneys, Phil Ochs, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy FINAL AIRING!

Today we bid a fond farewell to this week’s Album of The Week by the late, great Eva Cassidy who, unfortunately, didn’t live long enough to see her success. Don’t miss this collection of rehearsal tunes and live performances.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul McCartney

Today we say happy 80th birthday to a true musical living legend who’s still rocking away on his ‘Got Back’ tour. We’ve got Beatles’ stuff, solo performances, his stint with Wings…it’s all here for a couple of hours tonight.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Summer Jam, Watkins Glen, New York, July 28, 1973

Tonight’s LIVE DEAD! is a rare repeat, but it hasn’t been aired since 2020, so it should sound just like new to those of you who aren’t Deadheads (and they don’t care how many times they hear a Grateful Dead show; it’s all new to them).

We’re chock full of stuff today and we think you’ll like it. There’s no better way to kick start your weekend than with the little radio station that could. (I think I like that.) There are, of course, some things we just can’t do, like play rap and screaming heavy metal death, charge for listening, or play commercial advertising. But we’re pretty damned good with everything else.

Thursday Brings Joni Mitchell, Our AOW by John Mayall, and Bob Dylan’s Songs Sung by Everybody But Bob, March 24, 2022

Joni Mitchell is front and center today as we continue our celebration of Women’s History Month!

Here’s Thursday’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Joni Mitchell Live at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA, September 9, 1979

In 1979, Joni Mitchell took to the road on her Shadows & Light Tour, and she brought her dream band along with her: Jaco Pastorius on Bass, Pat Metheny on Lead Guitar, Don Alias on Drums, Lyle Mays on Keys, and Michael Brecker on Sax. The result was simply sublime.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Sun Is Shining Down by John Mayall

This is the next-to-last airing of this week’s great Album of The Week by the Godfather of British Blues. Saturday will be your final opportunity to hear it here. We’ll have a new selection by Sunday when you roll out of bed.

7:00 p.m. Everybody But Bob: Various Artists

There is no question that Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters on the planet. He even won a Nobel Prize in Literature for his vast volume of work. But today we give you a new twist. Bob Dylan’s songs sung by everybody but…Bob Dylan. You’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joan Baez, Chrissie Hynde, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Joe Cocker, Richie Havens, Waylon Jennings, The Neville Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Leon Russell, Hot Tuna, The Band, Tracy Nelson, Maria Muldaur, Fairport Convention, and more!

Join your friends from around the world this morning here on #BecomeUngovernable Radio. We’re on 24/7. The music literally never stops. And we’ve got plenty of music here with more than 27,000 songs in our general rotation. And while we do offer programming nearly every day (except on Open Stream days), most of our time is spent just streaming our collection. At no charge to you, of course.

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.

Welcome to Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge Where The Traveling Wilburys Own Our Album of The Week and Folk Music Reigns Supreme With Our Extended Playlist, September 26, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Simplicity is the word of the day today. Lots of Open Stream, but…some really great programming to carry you through your afteroon.

Hell, it’s only the greatest supergroup on the planet: (R-L) George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Bob Dylan.

Here’s Sunday’s musical line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: The Traveling Wilburys, Volume One NEW!

There are supergroups, then there are SUPERGROUPS. This one is in the latter category. Every poll I’ve seen taken in every music magazine and on every music website puts The Traveling Wilburys at the top of the supergroup heap, and we here in The Mermaid Lounge wholeheartedly agree. It started with George Harrison needing to record a “B side” for a release. The rest is history. You can read about it here.

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

Folk music is an amazing genre. I remember when folk music purists were upset the day Bob Dylan picked up an electric guitar. Dylan changed the face of folk and made it much more accessible to many people who may have ignored it. You’ll hear Bob Dylan in this EP. You’ll also hear Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Stone Poneys (featuring Linda Ronstadt), Bruce Springsteen, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, John Prine, Tom Rush, The Wallflowers, John Prine, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Odetta, Peter, Paul & Mary, and many more!

Sunday is officially a day of rest, so we’re taking it easy in The Mermaid Lounge. But The Music Mermaid is always in control here and you’re all in good hands. I promise. See for yourself.

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It’s Another Sunday Funday Here With “Folk Music From A-to-Z” and Steely Dan With Our Album of The Week, August 29, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We have another great Sunday lined up here in The Mermaid Lounge with our folk music extended playlist, and Steely Dan owns our new featured album.

You’ll be hearing Peter, Paul & Mary later during our Folk Music From A-To-Z extended playlist

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Countdown to Ecstasy by Steely Dan NEW!

Here in The Mermaid Lounge, we don’t care much about whether or not an album has generated “hits” or not. (Although we actually consider several songs on this masterpiece actual hit material.) What we care about is music, and this is a great album. And that’s why it’s this week’s Album of The Week.

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

It’s that time of the month again when we break out the folk music archives. You’ll hear John Prine, Tom Rush, Woody Guthrie, Odetta, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, Eric Andersen, Jesse Winchester, Cat Stevens, Phil Ochs, Nanci Griffith and many more!

It’s Sunday and that means it’s the Official Day of Rest. So give it a rest and tune us in. We’re 100% free 24/7 with no interruptions from those pesky advertisers. And we never ask for your credit card or personal info.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

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.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

On a Mermaid Lounge Sunday, J. Geils Owns Our Album of The Week and We Have Our Expanded ‘Folk From A to Z’ Playlist, March 28, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! How are you all this fine morning. It’s a bit bleak here in the Boston area today. We’re forecasted for heavy rains. We’ll see if it actually happens. Sometimes the weather is spot on, sometimes not.

Woody Guthrie, Eric Andersen, Joni Mitchell and more will grace our airwaves starting at 3:00 p.m. today.

Here’s our Sunday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Love Stinks by The J. Geils Band NEW!

The J. Geils Band is a Boston favorite, and this one has been a long time coming. I know it’s sacrilege in these parts, but I prefer the music of the J. Geils Band to Aerosmith any day of the week. Just a personal observation. The band was formed back in 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts under the leadership of guitarist John “J” Geils, and featured one Peter Wolf on vocals. This is my favorite J. Geils album.

3:00 p.m. Folk Music From A to Z: Various Artists EXPANDED & UPDATED!

We’ve elevated this playlist up to the level of our Sixties, Girls Day Out, and British playlists, with nearly five hours of old, traditional, and newer artists contributing. You’ll hear Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys, Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Tom Rush, Jackson Browne, Odetta, Leadbelly, Janis Ian, Tim Hardin, Jesse Winchester, and many others! We are still adding to our folk artist collection, so there will be another update down the road.

In the meantime, this new playlist appears in the Playlist section of this blog. Just scroll to the bottom!

Sunday is a day of rest, and the perfect way to kick back and relax is to tune us in. I could continue to give you the line about how we’re free and outside the system, but hey, I’m kind of sick of that one. So, this is all I’ll say for now.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Happy Friday From the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 1/29/2021

Better late than never, kids. Here’s your lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll knowledge.

Woody Guthrie, folk hero and Bob Dylan’s mentor.

Here’s today’s lesson:

January 29, 1961: Five days after arriving in New York from Minnesota, Bob Dylan located his ailing hero, Woody Guthrie, in East Orange, New Jersey. The following year, his tribute, Song to Woody, will appear on his first album.

January 29, 1962: Peter, Paul & Mary signned on with Warner Brothers Records.

January 29, 1964: The Beatles recorded Sie Liebt Dich, the German version of She Loves You.

January 29, 1966: The Beatles returned to the #1 slot with We Can Work It Out, making it three weeks.

Also on this day, The Bobby Fuller Four released the great song I Fought The Law.

January 29, 1972: Smokey Robinson left the Miracles for a solo career.

Also on this day, Al Green spent a fourth week at #1 on the R & B chart with Let’s Stay Together.

The triple album set Concert For Bangladesh hits #1. It features George Harrison, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar, and many others. The concert itself was the very first of its kind in the world.

Born On This Day

January 29, 1936: James Jamerson, session bassist who played on songs by Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, the Miracles, Martha & The Vandellas and many others, was born in Edish Island, South Carolina.

January 29, 1944: Andrew Loog Oldham, the first manager of The Rolling Stones and founder of Immediate Records, was born in Paddington, London.

January 29, 1948: Bill Kirchen, co-founder of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen (Hot Rod Lincoln), was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

It is indeed a slow day in the College, and I acknowledge that. But please tell me why the fuck I should care if Madonna goes to a museum with her daughter? Let’s not show our desperation for informaton.

I will be back with the line up soon!