WLSO.FM

ROCKOLLECTIONS: FEBRUARY 3, 1959- THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED PT.2

 

We will open up this chapter with a couple of really good tribute songs to Buddy Holly.
First, one from a 1960’s pre-Buckingham/Nicks LP by Fleetwood Mac, that was written by Buddy’s mother!
And the other from a band that did their song in 1994.
Then I’ll give you my own theory as to why that 1959 plane crash was and is still so historically important after 50 years.
After that, something you have most likely never heard, that is so eerie and creepy I will say no more about it.
Followed by a couple of beautiful folkie interpretations of a song Buddy wrote.
One by Eva Cassidy, who had her own tragic and sad story.
I have some more very specific info about that fateful takeoff and crash, some of which was even news to me.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets were VERY influential on the Beatles, and I will make the case to prove it.
We’ll have some contrasts between them, including one Buddy song the Beatles never got around to realeasing.
In fact, and this speaks volumes, the Beatles even chose the name Beatles because of its similarity to Crickets!
We’ll end this, in my opinion thoroughly enjoyable episode, with my very favorite Buddy Holly song, in which he takes a four-letter word and turns it into 4 syllables.
Much more to come, with many more surprises.

Mike

Tags: Beatles, Buddy Holly, Eva Cassidy, Fleetwood Mac, Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nick, The Crickets

ROCKOLLECTIONS: IN THEIR OWN WORDS- REMEMBERING GEORGE & JOHN 2008 PT.1

Well this was an easy show for me.
I just let George Harrison and John Lennon do the talking- so In Their Own Words is what we’ll call it.
In this first half, George talks about the first song he wrote.
During the Beatles’ bloody Let It Be sesions, they were being filmed and there was a soundtrack, so he was caught on audio quitting the band.
When I first met my buddy Mike Hennessy, it was in a bar, and one of the songs on the jukebox he was playing was Blue Jay Way.
I thought that was very cool, not your casual Beatle song nor fan, and we are still pals to this day!
I have a different version of Blue Jay Way, Take 3- significantly different.
You’ll hear George’s appearance on Rutland Weekend Television…as a pirate!
And about his involvement with those Monty Pythoners.
Incidentally, that Rutland was the inspiration for the Rutles- that wonderfully funny parody of the Beatles.
Lots of rough mixes of George’s songs, and there was his love for the ukelele.
We will have Mr. Lennon up next!

Mike

Tags: Beatles, Blue Jay Way, George Harrison, John Lennon, Let It Be, Mike Hennessy, Monty Python, Rutland Weekly Televison, The Rutles

ROCKOLLECTIONS: GETTING HOME FOR THANKSGIVING: PLANES PT.4 END

Well, here we are at the final chapter and you should be Getting Home For Thanksgiving very soon now.
Planes are our mode of travel this year, 2007.
I will open this episode up with someone else who used to say “Come fly with me”, and on a nightly basis- Alison Steele, the Nightbird on WNEW-FM! A tape of the beginning of her very first show, and a befitting song for that.
I found myself getting ticked off about what happened to the Wright Brothers.
It was a shame what happened to them, and to this day those who stole their invention have never apologized nor given them their due.
And imagine this, those amazing Brothers LEARNED how to fly while they were INVENTING flying!
Compare that to driving a car, but high in the air where any mistake could be fatal.
In honor of the Wright Brothers, Alison and Women’s Libbers everywhere, lol, I will play The True Story Of Amelia Earhart by Mathews Southern Comfort.
Then the late Long John Baldry with his interpretation of a Small Faces number.
What series could be complete without a falling in love song?
I’ll take care of that with one about a woman and a pilot, grounded during a storm.
Next, I wanna play a classic one by a classic group, which despite its reputation as a drug song is actually simply about circling and landing in London.
I was handed a just-in Thanksgiving forecast that you should find entertaining, despite my reading of it, lol!
Incidentally, the instrumental underneath me at the end is a slightly different Flying by the Beatles (appropriate, yes?).
Thus will end 2007’s trip home.
It is never hard to find things to be thankful for, no matter how bad things may seem.
If you have two of most of the things you are supposed to have two of- eyes, ears, arms, legs, etc.- that’s reason enough for me.
If you have family, friends, pets or just one person who loves you, you are blessed with a bounty.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
And I am thankful to you for taking this trip and all the others with me- it wouldn’t be the same without you.

But wait, there is one more way to get home in that movie title…coming right up!

Mike

Tags: Allison Steele, Amelia Earheart, Beatles, flying, Long John Baldry, Mathews Southern Comfort, Small Faces, WNEW-FM, Wright Brothers

ROCKOLLECTIONS: BOOKER T AND THE MG’S PT.2 END

Continuing with Booker T & The MG’s, they had a number of hits in the 60’s.
Bassist Steinberg was replaced by Donald “Duck” Dunn in 1965.
The group had its first hit with Booker T playing his signature Hammond B-3 organ in 1967, and it was used in the movie, Barfly.
Now I saw that movie, but it was back when I was drinking myself.
To me, there was no story, it was like going down to my local bar, lol!
They could have just filmed it there!
The band had a successful tour in Europe, known as Hit The Road, Stax.
They played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and were invited to Woodstock, but didn’t play because Al Jackson was afraid to ride in the helicopter that would bring them in!
Got another # 17 hit in 1968.
And Booker T & MG’s and the Beatles were a mutual admiration society.
I will play the results of that.
They were the house band at Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary, and also for Bob Dylan’s 30th in 1992.
Neil Young asked the group to back him on tour, and they played behind him on his album Are You Passionate?
Have you ever heard Booker T Jones SING?
Well, you will if you give this episode a listen.
I’ll close it all out with their 2nd-biggest hit, a song about something I am reminded of every week.
Hope you enjoy this one, as usual I did doing it!

Mike

Tags: Al Jackson, Are You Passionate?, Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary, Barfly, Beatles, Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary, Booker T Jones, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Hammond B-3 organ, Hit The Road Stax, Monterey Pop Festival, Neil Young, Woodstock

ROCKOLLECTIONS: BROKEN AND BREAKING RADIOS

CHAPTER EIGHT: BROKEN AND BREAKING RADIOS

Continuing the Salute to Radio and my 10 Years as the host of Rock Lives, Rockollections or anything else you want to call it…as long as it’s nice, lol!
I am going to pick up exactly where we left off, and even on my feel-good show, not all love stories have happy endings. Under our BIG umbrella of what I consider Rock & Roll, the great George Jones will sing.
Followed by a short set regarding Broken Radios.
Then going in the other direction, how Radio can do the Breaking- unknowingly breaking your heart!
How many times have you had the radio on at home or in the car, a song comes on and you are transported back to a sense of sadness or loneliness over the loss of an ex-love?
Just another example of Radio being a part of, and affecting, our lives.
I’ll play a beautiful song by Merrie Amsterburg, and a rocker by Roy Orbison to illuminate that circumstance.
Got a song that Engineer Ken turned me on to, and a Beatles’ theme they did for their own BBC show.
Finally, I am very much aware of the special relationship- the attachment- that forms between the listener and the guy on the radio. I have had a part in both sides of that.
So, I will close this episode with a tradition born on Dec. 18, 1967- the day Scott Muni started at WNEW-FM, and stayed for 31 years!
For his first 3 to 6 years- I wish I could recall precisely- he would end his show with this song, 7 days a week, and making it easy for me to tell when it was a few minutes till 7PM.
After that, during his remaining years there, he would always use the song to end his anniversary shows, and always leave me with a huge lump in my throat.
For a man who provided such a musical style and education for me, I could do much worse than to close my own 10th Anniversary with it in honor of him.
I am sure there will be 2 more parts to this Salute To Radio, so I will have more gratitude to express.
But for now, to anyone who has EVER listened to my little radio show/podcast, a great big thank you!

Mike

Tags: BBC, Beatles, Engineer Ken, George Jones, Merrie Amsterburg, Rock Lives, Roy Orbison, Scott Muni, WNEW-FM

ROCKOLLECTIONS: WILBURY THEM PT.3

Sorry for the delay, I had computer problems- this baby has been ready to go for days.
And it is a STRONG episode!
I’ll start with the Wilburys trading vocals on the opening track to their Vol.3.
What happened to Vol.2?
Well, there are 3 theories.
One, it is more of that quirky Wilbury humor.
Two, Vol.2 is now considered to be Tom Petty’s album Full Moon Fever- produced by Jeff Lynne and featuring Lynne, Harrison and Orbison (only one missing was Dylan).
Three, it had to do with the loss of Roy Orbison, and I will have more about that next chapter.
At any rate, I thought I’d play a cut from the Petty LP, dedicated to the approaching anniversary of 9/11.
When I was preparing these shows, I remember hearing a Wilbury song and thinking it could have been done by the Beatles, or Buddy Holly, or the Diamonds or a group like that from the 50’s.
I will play that one, and follow it with a doowop style song from Bob Dylan called 7 Deadly Sins- that’s right, count ‘em- 7.
Though it is a wonderful album, Orbison was sorely missed on Vol.3.
And during the period between the 2 albums, they could have called themselves the Traveling Circus.
They singly or in groups appeared on other people’s records.
I have a great example with George Harrison playing slide guitar on the album Duane Eddy, His Twangy Guitar & The Rebels.
It is an instrumental called The Trembler, and comes with a VERY interesting story about how George brought it to the session, having to do with Ravi Shankar.
After that, an outtake of a song you should know, by the boys and Del Shannon, rumored to take Roy Orbison’s place in the group.
Strangely, he instead took his own life.
We will go out on a happier note, with a great instrumental (?) version of New Blue Moon, that was a B-side to Wilbury singles TWICE!
As I said, a STRONG episode, and an equally good one coming next to close the series out.
Mike

Tags: 7 Deadly Sins, 9/11, Beatles, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Del Shannon, Duane Eddy, Full Moon Fever, George Harrison, His Guitar & The Rebels, Jeff Lynne, New Blue Moon, Ravi Shankar, Roy Orbison, The Diamonds, The Trembler, Tom Petty, Traveling Wilburys

ROCKOLLECTIONS: THE RONETTES PT.2 FINAL

Well, in this concluding chapter, I will give you that answer right away about who influenced Ronnie Spector the most as a singer.
That way you can apply your knowledge to the remaining songs and say “Ok yeah, I hear it…”
Ronnie married Phil Spector in 1968, and a strange marriage to say the least.
The Ronettes sued him for non-payment of royalties.
It was always suspected that as a big honcho at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, he had kept them out of it because of those legal wrangles, and also his divorce from Ronnie.
While he was out on bail for his murder charges, they got in, inducted by big fan Keith Richards.
Now I recently found out, and was very surprised, that the Ronettes had done the original version of a song that was a hit for the Beach Boys.
I’ll play both of them- and you may be as surprised as I was.
Ronnie Spector had a hit with Eddie Money, singing Take Me Home Tonight.
Well, I am going to take you about 10 years before that, for a song she did that appeared on Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes debut album, demonstrating she still had the voice!
And was written by his Jersey buddy, Bruce Springsteen- a delightful bit of vinyl.
To go out, this show was broadcast April 15, Tax Day. And I have played the Beatles Taxman for it before.
But this time, I ask you to listen closely to the instrumentation, particularly the guitar work, and about two-thirds into it, you will hear lyrics you have probably never heard before.
Told you this would be fun!

Tags: Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Phil Spector, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Ronettes, ronnie Spector, Southside Johnny & Asbury Jukes, Tax Day, Taxman

ROCKOLLECTIONS: THE RONETTES PT.1

We are going back to the early 60’s, to a time when the Girl Groups were very popular.
And the toughest, sexiest girl group was the Ronettes.
I will open with their biggest hit, and go from there.
We’ll have some fun at Billy Joel’s expense very early (you’ll hear why!).
They were DJ Murray the K’s Dancing Girls, backup singers for other artists, and by the time we play our 3rd song here, they had Darlene Love and Cher as THEIR backup singers- with Leon Russell on piano!
In early 1964, they toured with the Rolling Stones and met the Beatles.
Oh, and WHO was the biggest vocal influence on lead singer Ronnie Spector?
Listen, think about it and if you don’t get it, you may be very surprised.
I’ll tell you the answer in Part Two.
This is gonna be fun!

Tags: Beatles, Billy Joel, Cher, Darlene Love, Leon Russell, Murray the k, Phil Spector, Rolling Stones, Ronettes, ronnie Spector