ROCKOLLECTIONS: THE CYCLE OF LIFE PT.1
Mar 10, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Here’s another idea for a Theme Series that I have had for a long time that would bump into the annual Tribute/Memorials.
The Cycle Of Life!
And I would always be reminded by those people passing away, thereby completing the Cycle.
Well, no more excuses.
It’s a new decade, and after about 10 years of doing them, I am putting those Tributes to rest, at least for a while.
As you will hear me say, it is coincidental that this comes during my birth month, March. Thinking more about it, maybe…maybe not.
At any rate, in this first chapter I will be taking a musical look at just some of what the singers and the songwriters think Life is- including our major opening question.
But to give you a better understanding of our real beginning and how this journey is going to go, in the next chapter Rockollections Will Give Birth!
Yes, Life will begin and I will take it from there.
At this point I have no idea how long this Theme Series will take.
It’s free-form radio, and I’ll know when I get to the end.
But this is how it begins…
Mike
Tags: birthday, Free-form Radio, Life Is, March, Theme Series, Tribute.Memorials
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A CELEBRATION OF WINTER PT.4 CONCLUSION
Mar 5, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
My beloved Winter ain’t over yet.
I am going to open up this final chapter with a set of music about those freezing Cold Winds that are always able to slip in through the cracks, no matter what kind of house you live in.
We will hear from the Fairport Convention, the Doors and a great but grossly ignored group called Spirit.
I have some info on the famous 1816 Winter Without Summer- in which Connecticut had blizzards in JUNE & JULY!
Plus all the strange temps in other places that year.
We are all aware that it is always colder at night in the Winter, sometimes by as much as 15 to 20 degrees or more.
And never more so than when you are without your sweetheart, your main squeeze.
So some songs about that.
Including the beautiful “On A Winter’s Night” by Willie Nininger- with lyrics like these, “…just for now, we’ll stay by the radio, we’ll sing every song we know, turn off all the lights, wrap the blankets warmly, shut the windows tight, put your arms around me- for all we know, it may snow tonight”.
And an equally wonderful song from Gordon Lightfoot, one of the rare non-Christmas songs to have sleigh bells in it. Listen for them.
I have chosen an appropriate and meaningful to me song to end it all with.
This was great fun for me.
I hope I have made the case that Winter songs can be just as good as Summer ones.
And hey, remember it is STILL Winter- for all we know, it MAY snow tonight!
Mike
Tags: 1816 Winter Without Summer, Cold Winds, Connecticut, Fairport Convention, Gordon Lightfoot, On A Winter's Night, Spirit, Summer Songs, The Doors, Willie Nininger
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A CELEBRATION OF WINTER PT.3
Mar 2, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Well we may have some snow flurries in the next few days.
OK with me, lol!
I will open this episode up with the sounds of Winter, those cold winds blowing.
By the way, all of the unbelievable weather information I got and passed along is from the National Weather Service- so they ought to know a thing or two.
Wait till you hear about the Winter of 1779-80!
I played my favorite Winter song already, so I will share my 2nd favorite with you, plus two songs that have always seemed to me to go together perfectly.
Then the fascinating Winter of 1888!
We will close out with my sermonizing on the treatment of the Acadian people after the French & Indian War- a subject that is recorded so brilliantly in the Band’s Acadian Driftwood.
I can’t stop now.
And I will continue to shovel Winter songs at you, as this is beginning to snowball!
One more chapter to go.
Mike
Tags: Acadian Driftwood, Acadians, French & Indian War, National Weather Service, Shovels, Snowballs, steve miller band, The Band, Winter Of 1779-80, Winter Of 1888
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A CELEBRATION OF WINTER PT.2
Feb 26, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
I have done it!!!
As I look out my window on this Winter’s night, it has been snowing all day- and it is supposed to snow all day tomorrow into tomorrow night.
Here’s one internet report, we have us a blizzard:
A blizzard — perhaps one destined to be talked about for generations — began raking the Northeast and northern Mid-Atlantic region today, affecting millions of residents with a dangerous combination of snow and wind.
Snowfall will end up being measured by the foot, and residents are bracing for airports and road closings, and power outages.
I never knew I had such power, lol!
Looks like no school or work tomorrow…YAY!!!
Gotta hurry up with this and get out there- throw snowballs and walk in the deep snow where no one has walked yet…that’s my thing!
And generally just look at the beautiful white coating that covers everything!
Honestly, I could NEVER live in a place where it doesn’t snow.
I will open this episode with song about February from a 60’s group called the Rose Garden- where everything is sunny and groovy, lol!
Then the best song EVER about Winter, it is non-negotiable- written by Joni Mitchell but taken to even greater heights by the interpretation of Tom Rush. And from the old vinyl LP.
After that, I will head in a different direction with songs about the Snowman, including one by the mad Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.
Got a Winter one from the group Renaissance with Annie Haslam.
Finally, a set I played for my own enjoyment. Just for personal giggles.
See if you can figure out where I am going with it.
Why would I play a short reading by a famous poet, a song about poets and an instrumental?
What does that have to do with our Theme?
The answer is out there!
Oh man, you are going to hate me, lol!
We have reached the halfway point of the Winter Carnival Of Song, much more to come.
Mike
Tags: Blizzard, Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers, joni mitchell, Renaissance, Rose Garden, Snowman, Tom Rush, Winter Carnival
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A CELEBRATION OF WINTER PT.1
Feb 24, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
For years now, I have wanted to do at least a couple of shows on my favorite season, Winter.
But things always intrude.
You have the Christmas and New Year Holidays, and after I recover from them I am usually onto the Tribute/Memorials to all those who passed away the preceding year and have some link to Rock & Roll or our culture.
Well, I cannot wait any longer.
So get your gloves, boots and scarves out, because I will attempt to prove that, although there are far less of them, Winter songs are as literate, poetic, touching and good as Summer songs.
Please join me for this, the first of 4 parts, of our Winter Carnival Of Music!
Mike
Tags: Christmas, New Year's, Rock & Roll, Summer Songs, Tribute/Memorial, Winter Carnival, Winter Songs
ROCKOLLECTIONS: FOR 2/22- THE POWER OF TWO! PT.2 END
Feb 19, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
I knew going into this that I would regretfully disappoint people by not playing their own particular favorite Duo- there are too many of them to please everybody.
But I will open this ending episide with a couple of biggies, ones that I knew I HAD to play.
Even as the show was progressing though, I was thinking of other Duos that I should play but wouldn’t have time for.
But that is what sequels are for- we’ll do it again some time.
I talked about what I thought was the difference betweet a Duo and a Duet.
No dictionary definitions here- just my feeling as to the difference.
And the heydays for Duos were probably the 50’s 60’s 70’s & 80’s.
Seems to me in recent years there have been more Duets than ever before.
However, things run in cycles, and Duos will inevitably return.
Curiosly, there have been many so-called one-hit wonders that have been Duos.
I’ll explore some of those, all from the 60’s.
After that, staying in the 60’s, a trip across the Atlantic for some British Invasion Duos.
To close out, I had one final order of business.
2/22 or February 22nd, besides all twos, is George Washington’s Birthday.
A day that used to be a Holiday here until it was merged into this week’s Presidents Day.
Anybody remember Dean Friedman?
He’s a New Jersey guy who had a hit with Ariel.
A few years back he did a song called George Washington Slept Here.
It is an amazingly good, rollicking and accurate accounting of both Washington and the Revolutionary War- better than you get in school, lol!
George could have been King here if he had wanted to, but he didn’t believe in monarchies.
He reluctantly became the first President, could have had THAT job for life, but went back to his farm after two terms.
A good honorable man, a Founding Father and one of my heroes.
All in all, there is simply some great music in this edition.
Hope you agree.
Oh…Happy Birthday George!
Mike
Tags: Ariel, Atlantic Ocean, British Invasion, Dean Friedman, Duet, Duo, Founding Father, George Washington Slept Here, One-Hit Wonders, President, Revolutionary War, The 60's
ROCKOLLECTIONS: FOR 2/22- THE POWER OF TWO! PT.1
Feb 16, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Looking at the calendar, I noticed that this coming Monday was Feb. 22nd, or 2/22.
So all those 2’s were enough of a reason for me to play some of the great Duos in Rock.
And that is exactly what I will do.
The Indigo Girls have the perfect song for The Power Of Two- plus they are a Duo.
I’ll have a couple of songs regarding the necessary requirements for a Duo.
Wait’ll you hear those, lol!
Plus one of the more influential Duos from the early days of Rock & Roll, and a later 60’s Duo whom they clearly influenced.
To end this opening chapter, with my new-found engineering skills, I will attempt to combine those last two Duos into one song!
Here is my promise- this and the next chapter will simply be a lot of fun to listen to.
That’s all, sometimes you just like the way things turn out- this is one of them.
Or should I say TWO or DUO (Latin for Two!) of them, lol? Mike
ROCKOLLECTIONS: FOR VALENTINE’S- ALL HEART SONGS (EXCEPT ONE) PT.2 END
Feb 11, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Continuing on with our Valentine “HEART” songs.
And the ‘EXCEPT ONE”!
I will have lots more interesting trivia about the day, and answer the question: What group of people gets the MOST Valentine cards?
We’ll hear one of my favorite songs EVER, and why (actually if you’ve ever had a bicycle, you should pick up on it immediately)- it’s another from Kate and Anna McGarrigle- Heart Like A Wheel.
Oh man, just look at these words:
Some say a heart is just like a wheel
When you bend it, you can’t mend it
And my love for you is like a sinking ship
And my heart is like that ship out in mid ocean
Talk about melancholy- besides the bent wheel, being stuck on a sinking ship…and naturally, in the middle of the ocean.
In fact, a lot of the ladies this time.
And finally, there is that matter of a song without “HEART” in the title.
It is by a woman named Juliet Turner, and is VERY much about the heart!
One of the great things about doing this show is the ability to expose you to music that for one reason or another has fallen through the cracks.
This is one of those songs, and I implore you to listen closely to its achingly beautiful lyrics about a place we have all been and can relate to.
She makes me want to take her in my arms and fix it all for her!
This one and the McGarrigle’s song really get to me, unashamed romantic that I am.
And as always, there was a ton of songs left off the show, leading me to believe there will be an equally good sequel down the road- probably in the Spring.
I hope you get some emotional feelings out of my HEARTfelt effort to bring some unpredictability to the radio.
Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!
Mike
Tags: , Heart Like A Wheel, Juliet Turner, Kate & Anna McGarrigle
ROCKOLLECTIONS: FOR VALENTINE’S- ALL HEART SONGS (EXCEPT ONE) PT.1
Feb 9, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Here is a show I did when Valentine’s Day finally fell on the day of the radio show.
It consists of all songs with “HEART” somewhere in the title (except one!).
I considered “LOVE” but felt that would be too easy.
This was rather easy too though.
I hope you will enjoy the handpicked selections from my library.
As you know by now, I am no respecter of decades or genres of music- and I love to be all over the place.
So this is a good one, seems to me anyway.
From beginning to end, with all the surprises, songs you know, songs you have never heard, or haven’t heard in a long time, and that scholarly yet fun approach I try to squeeze into each broadcast.
Including a set in Part Two that is intended to rip your OWN heart out!
In this opening chapter, Herman’s Hermits, Buddy Holly, Lucy Kaplansky, a GREAT song from the McGarrigle Sisters, Jackson Browne and even Frankie Avalon.
But first, let’s see if we have a heartbeat!
Mike
Tags: Buddy Holly, Frankie Avalon, Herman’s Hermits, jackson browne, Lucy Kaplansky, McGarrigle Sisters
ROCKOLLECTIONS: BILLY PRESTON, UNOFFICIAL 5TH BEATLE PT.2 END
Feb 5, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Did you know Billy Preston did a duet with Isaac Hayes?
I’ll play it. Nice and bluesy- to get you In The Mood.
Then back to the Concert For George and another of those magnificent performances.
I like the way Eric Clapton starts the song, then hands off to Billy.
Gotta thank my good old friend, Mike Hennessy, for those concert CD’s.
After that it’s another duet, this one a big hit that reached # 4 I had forgotten about- yes, it happens to me too. One beautiful song!
I’ll have some interesting Preston trivia- like he was, with Janis Ian, the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live back on its debut.
Next, Billy doing a Beatle song from the horrid Sgt. Pepper movie- in which he played Sgt. Pepper (hate to bring back the memory of that flick, lol!).
Followed by a # 1 song everyone should recall and sing along with- it’s all mathematics.
After receiving a kidney transplant, Billy’s health continued to deteriorate, and I was shocked to discover he was in a coma from November 2005 until his death in June 2006!
Finally, we will end with yet another thing you may not have known.
Billy Preston co-wrote a song that was a huge hit for Joe Cocker.
Maybe for the first time, you’ll hear his own version.
And I hope you enjoy it, as well as this entire episode.
Mike
Tags: Beatles, Concert For George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Isaac Hayes, Janis Ian, Joe Cocker, Mike Hennessy, Saturday Night Live, Sgt. Pepper Movie
ROCKOLLECTIONS: BILLY PRESTON, UNOFFICIAL 5TH BEATLE PT.1
Feb 3, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
After a dopey question from me, we open this show with a better question from Billy Preston.
Although he never quite answers it.
I’ll have some very interesting biography to share with you about Billy- and one of my off-the-cuff remarks that made me want to head for Outta Space.
It still strikes me funny though, lol!
After listening to tapes made during the Beatle sessions, it may surprise you just how close Billy Preston came to being officially the 5th Beatle!
Going to play 2 songs next, one was on the Billboard charts at # 22 and the other # 62.
I will leave it to you to judge the better song, but my feelings will be known.
Did you know that the first recorded version of My Sweet Lord was on a Billy Preston album?
Produced by his good friend George Harrison. And Billy appeared on all of George’s 1970’s albums, at least.
Although ill himself, he took George’s passing very hard.
We will close out this opening chapter (of two) with one of Billy’s remarkable performances at the Concert For George Harrison.
Mike
Tags: 5th Beatle, Beatles, Billboard, Concert For George Harrison, George Harrison, My Sweet Lord, Outta Space
ROCKOLLECTIONS: BOSTON FROM BOSTON PT.2 END
Jan 29, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
We resume with Boston’s continuing legal squabbles, further holding up those snail’s pace albums.
Lots of time between them.
Then a combined instrumental and tune called Foreplay/Long Time…not the kind of song title you want with me around!
I had already said a number of things off-air, so Engineer Ken was hoping I had gotten it out of my system.
Guess I had one more, lol!
Graduation, you know.
As we close it out, Brad Delp committed suicide in a very strange way in 2007- charcoal burning poisoning.
And this as he was preparing for a summer tour, and also about to be married.
Even I wouldn’t go that far!
So our last song is the only one on that 1st Boston album he wrote.
As for my going with the flow, I sometimes do so on these one-artist or one-group shows, with just a broad idea of what I want to play.
But those theme shows I do are given a lot of thought and somewhat planned out.
However even within that framework, I go free-form.
Happy Boston and enjoy!
Mike
Tags: Brad Delp, Engineer Ken, Foreplay/Long Time
ROCKOLLECTIONS: BOSTON FROM BOSTON PT.1
Jan 27, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
We have a Classic Rock Band here, but will take them beyond those 3 or 4 songs played on commercial radio.
As I will discuss, this band Boston, with their eponymous debut album, caused me many a sleepless night, lol!
We will start off with one of those autobiographical songs, and a good one, that bands sometimes do.
A very bright guy, Tom Scholz was an MIT graduate in Engineering who put together his own recording studio.
When that wasn’t enough, he built his own equipment!
After putting the band together, Scholz was legendary for his slowness in putting out albums.
Between 1976 and 1997, Boston released 4 albums! And one of those was a Greatest Hits!
Pretty much, almost all of their best music was contained on that debut album- so I will play much from that.
It was great fun for me to hear these songs again, and I hope it works that way for you too.
Another half forthcoming.
Mike
Tags: Classic Rock, Greatest Hits, MIT, Tom Scholz
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A LAST SHOW AT A RADIO STATION PT.2- THE GOODBYE
Jan 22, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
That is a picture of what is now an empty radio station.
Well, I am back with my Last Waltz there.
I had a vague idea of playing a few songs at the end for a goodbye.
But shifted gears quickly, and decided to use my final half hour as a farewell.
Today, I have only a slight bitterness toward the station.
To their everlasting credit, they always left me alone and never interfered with what music I played- never said I couldn’t play anything, never said I should play anything.
And that is so unbelievably rare nowadays.
They trusted Ken and I to not embarass them.
And we in turn had, and have, a healthy respect for the music and the listener.
This is what my last show THERE sounded like.
My last show EVER is off in the vague future.
I’ll have something different next week.
Thank you for indulging me in what was a very strange experience.
As I listen to it now from a distance, I made some odd, yet damn good song selections, lol!
What would YOU have played?
Mike
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A LAST SHOW AT A RADIO STATION PT.1
Jan 19, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Alright, here’s one I was wondering when, or even if, I was going to put out there.
Aside from the over-the-air listeners of September 29th of 2009, no one has ever heard this.
This was my final show at the station I was at for just over 11 years.
Considering they were broadcasting for 32 years, I was there for more than a third of their history.
They decided to pull the plug, not even sell it, just let it go dark and silent.
Fortunately I was one of the people who knew I was doing a final show- others didn’t.
I had intended to do a third hour of Back To School (it was September after all), but quickly scrapped that idea.
I still had the remaining songs from the 2008 Tribute/Memorial I had never used.
That seemed like a better idea, since the station would be deceased at midnight the next day!
And I decided that I would choose a few of the more “out there” songs by some of those late artists. I wanted to be ANNOYING!
What could they do, fire me, lol?
I also brought in a few songs that I thought would say in music what I might not be able to say properly as a goodbye.
I thought I would choose one or two and be gone.
Well, that turned out to be the entire second half of the show!
But this is the first half, and although I made a number of references to it probably being our final show (there was so much confusion I wasn’t even really certain), I tried to do things as normally and professionally as I could.
I tried to be professional in both halves of the show actually, and in my opinion succeeded.
But you are always the final jury about things like that.
And the next episode will be very different from anything I have ever done.
First things first though…
Mike
Tags: Bettie Page, Centerfold, Dennis Yost & Classics IV, Eartha Kitt, J. Geils Band, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jimmy Carl Black, Love For Sale, Miriam Makeba, Mitch Mitchell, Mothers Of Invention, Pata Pata, Sormy, Spooky, The Last Waltz, Tribute/Memorial 2008
ROCKOLLECTIONS: AMBOY DUKES PT.2 & MLK DAY!
Jan 15, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Back with some more of the Amboy Dukes, Ted Nugent’s old group- and it WAS Ted’s group.
He had to keep bailing the members out of jail, booked their concerts, took care of the finances, drove their truck, made hotel reservations, etc.- all while fighting with them!
I am going to play you a hippie classic- a terrific song, complete with sitar, with just the right title for that period, Psalm Of Aftermath.
Feeling like a babysitter, Ted left the group and came back with a great solo album.
I have the band doing a great old Chuck Berry chestnut, complete with a series of those false endings groups sometimes do.
Today, Ted Nugent is into so many things I couldn’t list them all.
He even has an internet column I enjoy.
So I thought I’d play something solo by him you might know.
Finally, in honor of Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, that will be duly noted.
Talk about dreams…!
Mike
Tags: Chuck Berry, Martin Luther King Jr., Psalm Of Aftermath, Sitar, Ted Nugent
ROCKOLLECTIONS: AMBOY DUKES PT.1
Jan 13, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
This is an interesting show, for one thing this first half is entirely vinyl records.
Most of the 2nd half will be also.
After last week’s Bread, this time I’ll be playing the Amboy Dukes, Ted Nugent’s old group.
This is some VERY 60’s music!
They took their name from a novel about gang members.
They began in Chicago, and moved to Detroit where Nugent is from.
This chapter contains my favorite version of the song Baby Please Don’t Go, a tune that has been done by countless groups.
That Ted Nugent can PLAY some guitar!
The highlight for me is that during this episode I hit the extender for the microphone- not the microphone itself.
It is a sort of crossed rack with a large spring, that is what I hit and I hit it HARD!
Sounded like a Chinese gong and shocked the hell out of me, lol!
Listen for it!
More Dukes coming in Part Two.
Mike
Tags: Baby Please Don't Go, Bread, Ted Nugent
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A TASTE OF BREAD PT.2 END
Jan 8, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Here is the other slice of Bread, and we have ourselves…never mind!
I will open this final half with a song you may have always regarded as a pretty love song.
But it is not.
David Gates wrote it after the death of his father, and knowing that gives the song an entirely different meaning.
And you may never be able to listen to it the same way again.
We have the usual story of the falling out- this time Gates and James Griffin- and then the dissolution of the band.
However, while they were together they put out some amazing music.
Why they even did a mandatory-for-the-time Protest song!
Which I will play for you.
This is a curious chapter, as it has THREE different endings!
Pick a winner if you can.
Mike
Tags: David Gates, James Griffin, Protest Song
ROCKOLLECTIONS: A TASTE OF BREAD PT.1
Jan 5, 2010 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Oh man, here’s an old show I found from 2005.
I remember it was the first show after New Year’s, and I wanted to give those throbbing heads and hangovers a break.
So I picked a sort of mellow group to do, Bread.
But make no mistake- this is well-crafted, melodic music that I like a lot.
They were very, very good at what they did!
There are vinyl songs to be heard in here.
And in putting the show together I discovered a song called Aubrey that has become one of my favorites by this band.
So join me as I sounded 5 years ago…any difference?
Tell you one thing, I sure as hell couldn’t read this day, lol!
There is a Part Two to follow.
Mike
Tags: Aubrey, New Year's
ROCKOLLECTIONS: HAPPY “NEW” YEAR PT.2 END
Dec 31, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
In this ending chapter, I will take a look at the making of New Year’s Resolutions.
Some New Beginnings.
I can understand the idea of a new year being a time of reflection on the past, and an attempt to go in a different direction for the future.
But in point of fact, New Year’s Day is just another day- and any day can be a day for making a lifestyle change that will make you a better, healthier person.
I will show you that in song- and use more “NEW” songs to make my case, keeping within our stated limitation of only songs that have “NEW” in the title.
So perhaps a more serious chapter than the last.
Don’t look for me on New Year’s Day.
I have a resolution to watch the NHL Winter Classic from glorious old Fenway Park in Boston- Flyers vs Bruins…priorities you know, lol!
I wish you all a Happy New Year, filled with health and joy!
Mike
Tags: Boston Bruins, Fenway Park, New Year's Day, New Year's Resolutions, NHL Winter Classic, Philadelphia Flyers
ROCKOLLECTIONS: HAPPY “NEW” YEAR PT.1
Dec 29, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
In my never-ending attempt to bring you music that is different from commercial radio, I thought for New Year’s 2010 I would play you some “NEW” music.
Not really new music,but songs that have “NEW” in their name.
That’s right, all the songs played in both parts of this show have “NEW” in the title!
Brilliant little idea right, lol?
Simple as that!
And it made for some very odd bedfellows in this opening chapter, lol!
A toast to old and “NEW”, and here’s hoping you enjoy this!
It’s a fun one.
Mike
ROCKOLLECTIONS: CHRISTMAS PARTY 2009 PT.4 FINAL
Dec 23, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
I am rushing this chapter out to give everyone nice enough to listen to me, the chance to do so without my intruding on their busy schedules at a hectic time.
Also for those internet stations I am on, well if you would like to run these shows earlier than I am scheduled, good for you- and good for me!
My show was/is always broadcast on Tuesdays, and I am a creature of habit, so it is out here in time for Christmas.
As our Christmas Party winds down, I’ll give you some insight about how I go about doing programs.
I have literally dozens of ideas for Theme shows at any given time- the most difficult part is committing to one, as new ideas keep popping up.
These ideas are in various stages.
Some are written down and almost complete, others are just bouncing around in my head.
And still others are just half-baked ideas that come to me spontaneously.
That’s the case here.
The March Of The Wooden Soldiers is considered a Holiday movie, and I recently saw it.
It came out in 1934, stars Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy, and if you look at the beginning of the original movie you will see it is actually called Babes In Toyland.
Here’s the half-bake…I wondered if I could perhaps musically capture some of that movie- the feeling of children and the aging children that we are- for this show.
I decided to give it a try.
As always, how successful I was is left to you the listeners.
But I did try, lol!
In concluding, this two-week Party will disperse with something that may surprise, even shock you, on your way out.
That there is an ORIGINAL version, by the SAME singer, of a Christmas Song you well know- and it was done at least FOURTEEN years earlier!
For what I would like to wish you wonderful people during this beautiful time of year, my own words are not good enough.
So I’ll steal from Charles Dicken’s character, Tiny Tim.
“Merry Christmas…And God Bless Us Every One!”
Mike
Tags: Babes In Toyland, Charles Dickens, Christmas Song, Holiday Movie, Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel, The March Of The Wooden Soldiers, Tiny Tim
ROCKOLLECTIONS: CHRISTMAS PARTY 2009 PT.3
Dec 22, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Still doing it from home, I thought I would open up this Christmas episode with the voices of some sisters, a group I always call the female Beach Boys.
There is something about the harmonies of sisters and brothers that is special.
Well, guess what that made me think of to play next?
Beach Boys would be correct, and after doing the “The Beach Boys Christmas Album” in 1964, they did another Christmas LP in the 70’s that remained unreleased for decades.
Got a great track from that, a Phil Spectorish, crammed-with-instruments song, with the lead done by Dennis Wilson
After that, my trusty old calendar indicated that yesterday was the First Day Of Winter.
So, a couple of my very favorite and beautiful songs to commemorate that.
I’ll play my annual different version of Run Rudolph Run (should be Run Run Rudolph, lol!).
This year’s choice is a surprise, as he is better known for rollicking nautical, warm-weather music.
I have the FINAL Beatles Christmas Message to their Fan Club in 1969- something we started in 2003 with the 1963 Message, and for all 7 years have kept a close 40-year pace, lol!
It’s the first one I am playing without Engineer Ken.
It is plain to hear that they are NOT a group any longer, each member doing his bit seperately, not even in the same country let alone in the studio together like those early ones.
Coming up in the next and final chapter, our own peculiar musical look at the Holiday movie, The March Of The Wooden Soldiers.
Now who would want to miss that?
The big, happy, wonderful Christmas Day looms ever closer…
Mike
Tags: 1964, Beach Boys, Beatles Christmas Message 1969, Beatles Fan Club, Engineer Ken, First Day Of Winter, Phil Spector, Run Rudolph Run, Run Run Rudolph, The Beach Boys Christmas Album, The March Of The Wooden Soldiers
ROCKOLLECTIONS: CHRISTMAS PARTY 2009 PT.2
Dec 17, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Continuing on with Rockollections, I noticed Saturday was the beginning of Hannukah.
Got a couple of songs for that.
Ever hear of Tom Lehrer?
He wrote the song for the Garrison Keilor show because he felt there weren’t enough of them.
After that, the Bare Naked Ladies with the other.
Then I had really no idea what I was going to play, so I just grabbed a song by Canned Heat, and let the free-form fun of doing a show from home take over.
I was running around while a song was playing, looking for what I thought would be enjoyable to hear next.
We used to do that at the station because I would bring so much music in with me.
But at home, I have EVERYTHING at my disposal.
I will end the show with a song for my former girl, Angel.
I heard it a few years ago, and it’s by a lady named Vittoria Conn- she’s got a bit of a Mama Cass Elliott sound, seems to me.
More Christmas coming!
Mike
Tags: Bare Naked Ladies, canned heat, Garrison Keilor, Hannukah, Mama Cass Elliott, Tom Lehrer, Vittoria Conn
ROCKOLLECTIONS: CHRISTMAS PARTY 2009 PT.1
Dec 16, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Well, I was lured out of inactivity by my love of Christmas.
I just HAD to do a couple of shows for our annual Christmas Party.
This is the first show from my HOME!
And I wasn’t so happy about it, as I will describe after the opening, specifically chosen song, lol!
I guess it also marks the official name change to Rockollections, with a new theme song.
I was never happy with that name Rock Lives for a number of reasons, and I wasn’t the one who picked it.
However nothing else is different- I am the same old guy, and I will still be playing my eclectic choices of music, but the new intimacy may help to let you get to know me better.
I sure do miss the studio, and more than anything else, my man Engineer Ken.
And I never realized until I clicked on a microphone how much noise there is in an apartment, and from the computer.
But I am working on that and will find a solution, this is only our Maiden Voyage.
This opening chapter deals with the obvious fact that Christmas Is Coming.
I’m smart like that, lol!
But as I stated above, I will for the most part try to avoid the Same Old Same Old, and try to introduce you to some of the best music I can think of that doesn’t get airplay on radio any longer, if it ever did.
So let’s get this party started- and this year for the first time it’s from my apartment.
Pick a seat and help yourself to whatever you like…you’re my guest!
Mainly, I hope you enjoy the music of Christmas.
Mike
Tags: Christmas Is Coming, Enginner Ken, Maiden Voyage, Rock Lives
ROCKOLLECTIONS: REMEMBERING JOHN LENNON PT.2 END
Dec 11, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
We continue our celebration of John Lennon’s life.
Last week we talked about George Harrison’s last song, Horse To Water.
But what was John Lennon’s?
I will play 2 versions of what is commonly regarded as his final song, one a rough cut by him and the other by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Carpenter does such a good job on it, I feel she took it away from John and made it her own!
Back to his Beatle days after that, with a take that sounds very Buddy Holly to me.
Engineer Ken and I decided to go back to the Mind Games album to finish things off.
There are so many good songs on that LP that were never heard, as the radio playlists began to get even tighter.
So to rectify that a little, we will hear Tight A$ (that’s right, no typo), a catchy rocker called Only People, Out Of The Blue and finish with One Day At A Time- the best way to live your life.
If those song titles do not sound familiar to you, well, I rest my case about commercial radio!
And that will do it for George and John this year.
Hope you got something out of it.
Mike
Tags: Beatles, Buddy Holly, Engineer Ken, George Harrison, Horse To Water, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mind Games, One Day At A Time, Only People, Out Of The Blue, Tight A$
ROCKOLLECTIONS: REMEMBERING JOHN LENNON PT.1
Dec 9, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Last week we did George Harrison, this week it is John Lennon’s turn.
As you should know, he was shot and killed on Dec.8, 1980.
I was looking for a way to open this show, when those “You Are Here” signs occured to me.
Everybody has to be somewhere, so you are here!
I have some rare and unusual Lennon things, in this chapter going back to his Beatle days.
Included is a version of his Norwegian Wood, in which George first unveiled his sitar playing to us.
You’ll hear John and Paul, but George is playing those SITAR chords on GUITAR.
We’ll have some older Beatle things as well.
I’ll tell you about what some of John’s last day was like.
And you’ll hear a very interesting story from George Martin about the animal sound effects on Good Morning Good Morning from Sgt. Pepper, and what the order of succession of them was supposed to represent.
Then I will play you just the isolated animal effects!
Speaking of animals, a Walrus counts, right?
We will close this one out with another isolated bit, this time that radio broadcast of Shakespeare’s King Lear that John used in…well, you know!
Hope you enjoy this one- it was a lot of fun for me to get to play these things for more than just the people who come over to my house.
There will be another episode on Mr. Lennon shortly.
Mike
Tags: Beatles, December 8th 1980, George Harrison, George Martin, Good Morning Good Morning, I Am The Walrus, King Lear, Norwegian Wood, Paul McCartney, Sgt. Pepper, Shakespeare, Sitar
ROCKOLLECTIONS: REMEMBERING GEORGE HARRISON PT.2 END
Dec 4, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
We will conclude our remembrance of George Harrison for this year, and we will continue to hear some rare and odd selections by him. Plus my very very tenuous geographic connection to him and John Lennon.
Then it is on to George’s LAST recording- a song he wrote and recorded for a Jools Holland album- his own last album, Brainwashed, was to be released later.
The next song, Poor Little Girl, sounds somewhat similar (alliteration alert!), yet could easily have fit on a Beatles album- even the title sounds right!
It was only released on The Best Of Dark Horse.
Then what I consider the centerpiece of this show.
I found the original version of James Ray’s Got my Mind Set On You.
Broken into 2 parts for both sides of a 45 rpm single by Ray, I put them together- but if you listen closely you can hear where the break was.
A song George loved so much he remembered and recorded it 20 some-odd years later.
I’ll play them back to back!
From the Beatle days, a demo for Piggies in which he hadn’t gotten all the words together yet.
So don’t be surprised when he gets to the familiar “eat their bacon”, and instead it is “cut their pork chops”.
After that, I have an intimate, acoustic rendering of the not-too-well-known Run Of The Mill.
We will close things out with the title track instrumental music from George’s Wonderwall album under and above me.
It may surprise some that George was the FIRST of the Beatles to release a solo album!
Hope you enjoy this one, and stay tuned as John Lennon will get the same treatment.
Mike
Tags: Beatles, Brainwashed, Got My Mind Set On You, James Ray, John Lennon, Jools Holland, Piggies, Poor Little Girl, Run Of The Mill, The Best Of Dark Horse, Wonderwall
ROCKOLLECTIONS: REMEMBERING GEORGE HARRISON PT.1
Dec 2, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
It is time for our annual tributes to George Harrison and John Lennon.
Last year I did a split show.
But there is so much music out there by both of them, much of it unheard, I decided each would get their own hour.
George died on November 29, 2001, with many of us here in New York City still reeling from the Sept. 11th attacks.
Looking over his songs, I wondered if they had taken on any greater meaning for him as he grew aware that he was terminally ill.
So, I thought I would open up with a few songs to show you what I mean.
But not wanting to play the same old same old, I will be playing different versions, or takes (sometimes demos), throughout these shows and John’s.
Take for instance, Give Me Love, Give Me Peace On Earth, where he sings almost pleadingly “give me life, give me hope”. If he even heard it during his illness, how would that make him feel?
Or the Art Of Dying, would that give him some strength and solace?
George had an ongoing battle with cancer, and that moron who stabbed him and punctured his lung didn’t help.
Isn’t It A Pity he had to leave us.
I have some live things too- one from a concert in 1974 and another from 1991.
Engineer Ken saw him in ‘74 but doesn’t remember hearing the track I will play- a bluesy version of a lesser-known Beatles song, complete with vibes!
It is a different George than the serious one, joking around with the band members and making up new words.
Plus I have George doing an acoustic version of a previously unreleased Bob Dylan song that ultimately ended as electric on the Porky’s Revenge soundtrack (HUH?)
I promise you will hear things you have never heard before.
And all guitar players should particularly enjoy this episode and the next with George Harrison!
Mike
Tags: Art Of Dying, Beatles, Bob Dylan, Engineer Ken, Give Me Love Give Me Peace On Earth, Isn't It A Pity, John Lennon, New York City, Porky's Revenge, Sept. 11th
ROCKOLLECTIONS: GETTING HOME FOR THANKSGIVING: BOATS PT.4 CONCLUSION
Nov 25, 2009 Rockollections, WLSO NEWS
Thanksgiving is the most heavily traveled time of year in the United States!
In this concluding chapter, I will continue with our musical look at the people heading Home to the harbor, and those folks who are at the harbor waiting for them.
I’ll start off with a no-brainer, one you should expect to hear, lol!
After that, just some choices of my own I wanted you to hear…this is free-form after all.
Included are two songs with the same title, but completely different musically and stylistically.
This year it was Boats to carry us home.
Next year, who knows…?
I want to express my appreciation and gratitude, to you dear listeners, for your loyalty and patience with my sometimes unusual selections and presentation.
It is all in an attempt to break the mold of today’s radio, have an on-air personality that let’s you get to truly know me, and open up that whole world of music that is either isolated to one format or neglected altogether.
We are a small club that takes our music seriously and intelligently, always with a healthy dose of fun, and ever ready to receive the joy and memories that only music can provide.
So, my personal Thanksgiving to you!
And I sincerely wish you and yours the Happiest Thanksgiving celebration ever!
Mike
