Good Morning, Music Lovers! It’s once again time for a visit from the bands and singers who brought you The British Invasion, one of the absolute best times in all of music. We have it here today from The Mermaid Lounge.
The Rolling Stones.
Here’s today’s line-up!
11:00 a.m. The British Invasion: Various Artists
We’ve got more than five hours of some of the best music on the planet, uninterrupted save for a couple of station ID’s along the way. Hear The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, Lulu, Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, The Who, The Zombies, The Dave Clark Five, Gerry & The Pacemakers, and many more.
7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Wreckless Abandon by The Dirty Knobs
We bid a fond farewell to Mike Campbell and his band as this is our final airing for this cycle. Don’t miss it. It is indeed like hearing old friends. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new Album of The Week.
10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at The Capitol Center, Landover, Maryland, September 25, 1976 (aka, Dick’s Picks Volume 20) NEW!
Yet another brand new outing from the world’s preeminent jam band, this one from The Capitol Center in Landover.
Tune us in, people. This is a solid day of programming guaranteed to please. No advertising. No political speeches. No news to speak of except for music news. No credit card or personal information required. Just click the damned link below, already.
Good Morning, Music Trivia Buffs! Here we are at the proverbial weekend. Today will be my final day of retail servitude for a couple of days and I’m very much looking forward to being a full-time DJ once again.
The late great singer-songwriter J.J. Cale, who gave us the Tulsa sound. You’ll be hearing him later this coming week.
Here’s today’s lesson:
December 5, 1964: The Zombies’ debut single, She’s Not There, tops the Cashbox Best Sellers Chart. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it peaked at #12 in the UK.
December 5, 1965: The Beatles played their final gig in their own hometown of Liverpool. On December 5, 1980, John Lennon called his Aunt Mimi saying he was homesick and was planning a trip back home. On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed.
December 5, 1968: An actual, real-life banquet was held for the launch of the Rolling Stones album Beggars Banquet. It ended abruptly at the (unplanned) pie-throwing fight.
December 5, 1969: Badfinger released Come And Get It, written by Paul McCartney. It is the first hit on Apple Records that is not from The Beatles.
Also on this day, the Rolling Stones release my absolute favorite Stones album, Let It Bleed, loaded with great songs including Gimme Shelter (this could be my favorite Stones song ever) and Midnight Rambler. The title might have been prophetic. The next day, a fan is killed during their performance at the Altamont Speedway.
December 5, 1975: Fleetwood Mac’s tenth album is certified Gold, and will eventually go Platinum. This is the first album of the post-Peter Green era (my preferred version of Fleetwood Mac). John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie are all there. The newcomers are Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. The band’s singles cracks Billboard Top 40 for the first time. They are Rhiannon, Over My Head, and Say You Love Me.
December 5, 1976: Three days after surviving an assassination attempt, Bob Marley performs at the Smile Jamaica Festival, which he organized to promote peace in his country. It is estimated that 80,000 Jamaican’s attend the festival. Marley does a 90-minute set.
December 5, 1980: John Lennon gives his final interview to Jonathan Cott of Rolling Stone magazine. You know the rest, sadly.
Born On This Day
December 5, 1912: Legendary bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson was born Alex Miller in Tallahachie County, Mississippi.
December 5, 1932: Richard Wayne Penniman, later know to the world as Little Richard, was born in Macon, Georgia.
December 5, 1938: Singer-songwriter J.J. Cale, who brought us the Tulsa sound, was born John Weldon Cale in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
December 5, 1947: Jim Messina (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins & Messina) was born in Maywood, California.
And that is it for today from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge here in The Mermaid Lounge.
Good Morning, Students! Here we are again with a lesson in rock n’ roll history from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. We’re not as active as some days today, but we do pick and choose our subjects here. There are a lot of people we don’t give a flying fuck about, like Madonna. JayZ. Lady GaGa. Kanye West, the waste of musical space, and so on.
Tom Petty’s final shows. Ever.
And now, today’s lesson:
December 3, 1955: Elvis Presley’s first release on RCA Victor Records was announced. The first two were purchased from Sam Phillips at Sun Records, Mystery Train and I Forgot To Remember To Forget.
December 3, 1961: Brian Epstein makes his first pitch to become The Beatles’ manager. Although the meeting goes well, there is no decision on this day.
December 3, 1965: Keith Richards cuts it close. He steps on a microphone cable and is electrocuted and knocked unconscious during a Stones concert in Sacramento. After a short break, Richards is able to come back and play.
Also on this day, The Beatles release the album Rubber Soul and the single Nowhere Man in the UK.
December 3, 1966: Paul Revere & The Raiders had their sixth Billboard Top 40 hit enter the Top 100. Good Thing will climb the charts and eventually reach #4, It stays on the charts for ten weeks.
December 3, 1968: It’s a Banner Day for Gold Records: The Grass Roots song Midnight Confessions is certified Gold on this day; and the albums Aretha Now by Aretha Franklin and Fresh Cream by Cream are certified Gold as well.
The Montreux Casino caught fire and burned during a show by Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention. The event is immortalized in the song Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. Deep Purple was supposed to begin working on their Machine Head album the following day.
December 3, 1976: Bob Marley narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. Seven gunmen sprayed bullets into his Kingston, Jamaica, home where he and the Wailers were rehearsing. Marley had become unpopular in some circles due to his influence over some local politicians. He moved to Florida a short time after the incident.
December 3, 2003: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) gave Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers a Diamond Award, markng the sale of 10 million copies of their Greatest Hits album in the U.S.
Born On This Day
There’s really only one person mentioned that we give a shit about here.
December 3, 1947: John Wilson, drummer for Them, was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
School is never out here in The Mermaid Lounge. We are here every day giving you all the news that’s fit to print. Of course, you know we post early for Wednesdays as retail slavery starts early.
Taj Mahal 1968, one of our favorites here in The Mermaid Lounge.
Here’s today’s lesson:
December 2, 1957: Sam Cooke proves third time’s a charm when You Send Me becomes his first hit on the Billboard Pop chart.
December 2, 1962: The Beatles are the opening act for a gentleman named Frank Ifield. However, contrary to his calm crooning style, the Fab Four were pounding out blistering rock n’ roll, prompting some in the crowd to tell them to “turn it down.”
December 2, 1963: Roy Orbison released the single “Pretty Paper.”
Also on this day, the Beatles performed This Boy, All My Loving, and I Want To Hold Your Hand for the UK’s Morecambe & Wise Show.
December 2, 1967: Gladys Knight & The Pips hit #1 on the R & B chart with a remake of Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine.
Also on this day, Donovan had one of the hottest songs on the charts with Wear Your Love Like Heaven.
December 2, 1968: The Bee Gees released the song I Started A Joke. They made some fine fucking music before turning disco. After that? Nah.
December 2, 1969: George Harrison joined Delaney & Bonnie on stage at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.
Also on December 2, The Rolling Stones stop by Muscle Shoals Recording Studios in Alabama on their way to their ill-fated Altamont show on December 6. There, they record Wild Horses, You Gotta Move, and Brown Sugar over a three-day session.
December 2, 1971: Taj Mahal plays for death row inmates at North Carolina’s Wilmington State Penetentiary.
December 2, 1972: The Temptations’ version of Papa Was a Rolling Stone gives them their fourth US #1 song.
Steely Dan made The Billboard 200 for the first time with their debut album, Can’t Buy A Thrill. The album’s name is taken from a line in the Bob Dylan song, It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.
And Cat Stevens’ album, Catch Bull At Four, continued at #1 for a third week. This would also be Cat’s most commercially successful album.
Born On This Day
December 2, 1941: Tom McGuinness, bass guitarist with Manfred Mann, was born in Wimbledon, London, England.
December 2, 1942: Ted Bluechel, drummer for The Association, was born in San Pedro, California.
And that’s it for today from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!
Good Morning from the office of the chief researcher and writer (also the programmer, marketing director, music researcher, and various other tasks). We have a short one in comparison to other days, but still informative.
Jimi Hendrix. Guitar God.
Here’s today’s knowledge from the college:
December 1, 1964: The Who played the first of 22 consecutive nights at the Marquee Club in London.
December 1, 1965: The Rolling Stones played at the Vancouver Auditorium in Canada as part of their North American Tour on this night.
December 1, 1966: Jimi Hendrix signed a management deal with Yameta, a company founded by managers for the Who, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp.
December 1, 1967: The Who (again) finished their first tour as headliners in the US at the Long Island Arena in Commack, NY. Vanilla Fudge was the opening act.
December 1, 1968:The White Album by The Beatles starts a seven-week run at number one on the UK chart.
Also on this date, Janis Joplin plays her final gig with Big Brother & The Holding Company in San Francisco.
December 1, 1969: Delaney & Bonnie perform with Eric Clapton at Royal Albert Hall. Friends George Harrison and Ringo Starr are in attendance.
December 1, 1971: Yes plays the Palace Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Also on this day, John Lennon releases Happy Xmas (War Is Over) in the US.
December 1, 1975: The Allman Brothers Band played at the Civic Center in Springfield, MA (and I was there!).
December 1, 1979: The Grateful Dead played Stanley Hall in Pittsburgh, PA.
December 1, 2016: The Rolling Stones released Blue & Lonesome, a great 12-song collection of Blues classics. It is their first studio album since 2005’s A Bigger Bang, which peaked at #3 in the US.
Born On This Day
December 1, 1944: John Densmore, drummer for The Doors, was born in Los Angeles.
And that is today’s rather abbreviated lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. We shall be back with the Tuesday Bluesday line-up shortly.
It’s another Monday morning in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, and it’s going to be pretty nasty here. Why not tune us in while you’re at it?
Paul McCartney & Wings in their heyday.
Here’s today’s lesson!
November 30, 1960: The Shirelles re-released Dedicated To The One I Love, originally released in 1959. It was re-released after Will You Love Me Tomorrow became a hit.
Also on this day, The Beatles finished up their 56-night run at the Kaiserkeller Club in Hamburg, Germany.
November 30, 1963: The Beach Boys song In My Room cracks Billboard’s Top 40. Although it peaks at #23, it becomes one of the band’s most popular songs.
Meanwhile, back in Beatle Land, She Loves You returns to #1 on the UK charts, while the album With The Beatles sits at #1 on the Album charts.
November 30, 1965: Petula Clark, one of the most influential singers of the British Invasion, releases her hit Downtown.
November 30, 1966: Legendary but quirky guitarist Jeff Beck quits The Yardbirds after a year and a half. He later forms The Jeff Beck Group.
November 30, 1968: Sly & The Family Stone released the single Everyday People.
Also on this day, The Supremes topped the Billboard Top 100 with their eleventh hit, Love Child. The song was introduced on The Ed Sullivan Show.
And Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin) takes over the #1 slot on the Album charts.
November 30, 1969: The Rolling Stones wrap up a tour with an appearance at the International Raceway Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida. Also appearing at the event are King Crimson, Iron Butterfly, Ten Years After, The Band, Janis Joplin, Steppenwolf, and The Moody Blues.
November 30, 1970:All Things Must Pass is already released in the US. On this day, George Harrison released it in the UK.
November 30. 1971: Al Green, one of the most pleasantly soulful singers on the damned planet, released Let’s Stay Together.
November 30, 1972: Paul McCartney & Wings released the song Hi, Hi, Hi, which is promptly banned by the BBC because of its “unsuitable lyrics.” In site of that it goes to #5 in the UK. It will peak at #10 in the US.
November 30, 1974: The Eagles Best of My Love is released. It will become one of The Eagles’ five US #1 singles.
November 30, 1977: The Atlanta Rhythm Section released the single, So Into You.
November 30, 1980: Pink Floyd releases their double-album masterpiece, The Wall.
November 30, 2001: In Liverpool, flags are flown at half staff in memory of George Harrison. In London, the Coldstream Guards play a Beatles medley during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in his honor.
Born On This Day
November 30, 1944: Rob Grill, singer, songwriter and bassist for the seventies hit machine known as The Grass Roots, was born in Los Angeles.
November 30, 1945: Roger Glover, songwriter, producer and bassist for Deep Purple, was born in Brecon, Wales.
That’s today’s lesson. We’ll be back with the line up as soon as I make some coffee and become human again.
Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a damned good line-up today here from The Mermaid Lounge! You ought to be listening to us. Seriously.
Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs. You can take the boy out of The Heartbreakers, but youcan’t take The Heartbreakers out of the boy.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Wreckless Abandon by The Dirty Knobs NEW!
What was Mike Campbell’s side project is now Mike Campbell’s new band, and they’ve just released their first album. I’ve got to tell you, it’s really good. One review said it’s like listening to old friends, and I agree.
Which proves one thing: You can take the boy out of The Heartbreakers, but you can’t take The Heartbreakers out of the boy. It’s part of his DNA now, and we’re glad here in The Mermaid Lounge.
3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of George Harrison
From The Beatles to his solo career to The Traveling Wilburys. George Harrison was not only a mega-talent, but he was just a really good human being. But he wasn’t “the quiet Beatle” according to Mr. Petty. He was pretty damned funny.
George Harrison left this planet on this day in 2001. He was only 58 years old and I am sure he had so much more music left in him. Nevertheless, George left us a great musical history to remember him by. We will do so today.
7:00 p.m. The Rolling Stones Live At Palais Royale, Toronto, August 16, 2002
Mick and the boys tear it up on stage in Toronto. It has been my personal experience that they are always a good time on stage.
It’s Sunday. Someone once said it’s a day of rest, so just tune us in and chill. All you’ve got to do is click the link below.
Yes, it’s Black Friday, but not here in The Mermaid Lounge. There isn’t a damned thing we want for here that we have to go out among the teeming, greedy masses to get it.
Shit gets real with The Stones at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Here’s November 27th’s rock n’ roll history:
November 27, 1961: Patsy Cline’s version of Willie Nelson’s Crazy peaks at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would be the biggest of her four records t cross over to the pop charts from the country charts (where it reached #2).
November 27, 1962: The Beatles recorded songs for the BBC in the UK for the first time ever. They sang Love Me Do, Twist and Shout, and P.S. I Love You at the BBC Paris Studio in London for a program called “Talent Spot.”
November 27, 1964: The Beatles appeared on the British television show called “Ready Steady Go.”
November 27, 1965: Marvin Gaye moved into the #1 slot on the R & B charts with Ain’t That Peculiar.
Also on this day, The Lovin’ Spoonful’s You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice entered the US record charts.
November 27, 1967: The Beatles released the album Magical Mystery Tour in the U.S. and Hello Goodbye as a single in the U.S. on the same day. If that isn’t enough, the B-side of Hello Goodbye, I Am The Walrus, will chart and be a hit as well.
Also on this day, Aretha Franklin released my favorite Aretha song, Chain of Fools.
November 27, 1968: Steppenwolf’s self-titled debut album is certified gold on this day.
November 27, 1969: All kinds of milestones will be reached at Madison Square Garden in New York on this day. The Rolling Stones perform a show that is recorded and later released on Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out. The Ike & Tina Revue opened for the Stones that evening, and Janis Joplin joined Tina on stage for a duet. And in the audience celebrating his 27th, and final, birthday was Jimi Hendrix.
November 27, 1970: George Harrison released his triple album entitled All Things Must Pass. The single release, My Sweet Lord, will be the first ex-Beatle solo effort to hit #1 in both the US and UK.
November 27, 1972: Carly Simon released the single, You’re So Vain.
November 27, 1976: Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life, which debuted at #1, remained at #1 for a seventh week.
November 27, 1979: The Eagles released the single, The Long Run.
November 27 1995: The Beatles set a rock-era record when Anthology 1 sells more than 1.2 million copies in its first week of release.
Born On This Day
November 27, 1934: Al Jackson of Booker T. & The MG’s is born in Memphis, Tennessee.
November 27, 1942: Jimi Hendrix is born Johnny Allen Hendrix in Seattle, Washington.
November 27, 1945: Randy Brecker, trumpeter and flugelhorn player for Blood, Sweat & Tears, is born in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.
November 27, 1948: Dave Winthrop, sax player and flautist for Supertramp, is born.
And that’s Friday’s lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. We are posting a bit early today as I’m on the run this morning, and we will be back with today’s programming shortly.
How are we this fine morning, Music Lovers? It’s Sunday, a day of rest. It’s the perfect day to tune in, turn on, and drop out. Who said that?
Laura Nyro, one of the most amazing songwriters of all time.
Here’s your Sunday Funday line-up!
11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Homecoming by America NEW!
Here we go, everybody claiming this is a “surprise” pick for me. I remember in my younger days people being surprised that I liked much of America’s music. Hey, I’ve never been a head-banger. In fact, you don’t hear that stuff on this station, for the most part.
America is really good at what it does. Call it soft rock; call it whatever you want. But America has made some very creative music. The albums Homecoming, Hat Trick, and Hideaway have some incredible music on them. Tune it in today’s Album of The Week to see what we mean.
3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro’s contribution to popular music is undeniable. She’s a brilliant songwriter, having delivered Wedding Bell Blues, Stoned Soul Picnic, Eli’s Coming, and many other songs. Most have been hits for other people, but Laura Nyro singing them is something to behold. Today, we put her In The Spotlight.
7:00 p.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists
Some of the best mind-bending tunes on the planet from The Electric Prunes, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cream, The Doors, Pink Floyd, and others!
10:00 p.m. Murder Most Foul by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s 2020 release about John F. Kennedy’s assassination was aired here when released, and added to the general rotation. Today, we will replay it at 10:00 p.m. on the 57th anniversary of JFK’s assassination.
Here’s what you’ve got to do: Tune us in. This is the easiest thing on the planet to do. Open a tab and click the link at the bottom of this blog entry. No lie. That’s all, folks. We’re not lying.
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!
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