NumberSix

The Chronicle of Big Star

Recently, I had as the featured artist segment on my show Big Star. At the time, I thought of it as basically a reset: I was going back to the beginning and playing the first major power pop band. Big Star can be said to be the first band that basically was trying to emulate The Beatles, and artists such as R.E.M., the dBs and Bill Lloyd have cited Big Star as an influence.

In 1967, Alex Chilton became the lead singer for the Box Tops, a blue-eyed soul group that had a #1 hit with “The Letter” when he was sixteen. The band had a few more hits before Chilton left the band in 1970. He recorded a solo album; then Chris Bell asked him to join Icewater, comprised of Bell, drummer Jody Stephens and bassist Andy Hummel. They renamed themselves Big Star (after Big Star Markets, a grocery store near Ardent Studios). They signed with Ardent Records, a label established by Ardent Studios founder John Fry and started work on their first album.

#1 Record

1 Record (April 1972): What is interesting about Big Star’s first album is how it holds up over the years. It could easily pass for an album released ten years later or even twenty years later. Although the freshness is gone – after all, many power pop bands have followed the same formula over the years – there is no denying that these are well-crafted pop songs. We get “Feel”, which starts the album off on a good note, and “The Ballad of El Goodo”, a lush, dreamy ballad. “In the Street” is familiar as the “That ’70s Show” theme song. “Thirteen” is an acoustic ballad that states “Rock and roll is here to stay”. These four songs are worth the price of admission alone, but there are other solid songs.

Unfortunately “#1 Record” did not sell well. Ardent was an independent label and Stax Records handled distribution. Stax apparently didn’t know how to distribute a power pop album. When Stax signed a deal with Colombia Records, it did not improve matters, either; Columbia removed the existing copies of #1 Record from the stores.
By the end of 1972, Bell had quit Big Star, which had disbanded. But after a few months, Chilton, Stephens and Hummel decided to reform Big Star, and the trio resumed work on their second album (work had begun on the album when Bell was still a member of the band).

Radio CIty

Radio City (February 1974): The quartet had been reduced to a trio, which you think would have doomed the band. But this album is actually better than the previous one, with several songs written or co-written by Andy Hummel, including the classic “Way Out West”, a song written for Hummel’s girlfriend. We start to see the beginnings of Chilton’s eccentricities, and there are several standout songs, including “O My Soul”, and the single “September Gurls” b/w “Mod Lang”.
Again, sales of “Radio City” failed due to poor marketing and poor distribution. Colombia refused to distribute the album following a disagreement. Sales of the album were far greater than that of “#1 Record”, but it only sold about 20,000 copies.
With the failure of two albums, Andy Hummel left to go back to school, and the band was reduced to a duo of Chilton and Stephens, who returned to Ardent Studios to work on a third album.

Third/Sister Lovers

Third/Sister Lovers (March 1978): Now that both Bell and Hummel had left the band, there was nothing to stop Chilton from becoming a dominant creative force, and it’s not without justification that this album is called “Chilton’s untidy masterpiece”. It includes my personal favorites “Thank You Friends”, “Holocaust”, and the Christmas song, “Jesus Christ”.
By now, Ardent Records had folded, and John Fry and producer John Dickinson flew to New York with promotional copies and met with a number of record labels. But they failed to generate interest in the album. The album was not released until 1978, when PVC, and independent label, was given the tapes and released the album in the UK, and then a year later, released it in the U.S. In that same year, Chris Bell died in a car accident at the age of 27.
That would be the end of the Big Star story…if not for the fact that the band was cited as influences with the new generation of power pop artists and continued to have a cult following. They would reunite with guitarist Jon Auer and bassist Ken Stringfellow (of the Posies) joining Chilton and Stephens. The resurrected band made its debut at the 1993 University of Missouri spring music festival, and they would tour Europe and Japan. They also released a new album.

In Space

In Space (September 2005): This is not really a Big Star album, but more of an Alex Chilton album – albeit a very good Alex Chilton album. While it doesn’t really achieve the high water mark of the three albums Big Star recorded from 1972 to 1975, it is quite good. Highlights include “Dony”, “Lady Sweet”, “Turn My Back on the Sun”, and the funky “Love Revolution”.
Alex Chilton suffered a fatal heart attack on March 17, 2010 and Andy Hummel died four months later of cancer, so now Jody Stephens was the last surviving member. In May 2010, the surviving members put on an Alex Chilton tribute show, and Stephens said it would be Big Star’s last show. Apart from the occasional reunion concert, Big Star is history – but their legacy lives on.

Playlist: 1-1-2023

Here’s the playlist for 1-1-2023, in which I ushered in the new year (Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time), had John H*mmond as the featured artist, and played Skyfoot in the live segment:

Hour 1

  1. Thor, “The Party Never Ends” [Rising (2020)]
  2. Van Duren, “New Year’s Eve” [Are You Serious? (1978)]
  3. U2, “New Year’s Day” [War (1983/2008)]
  4. The Heartbeats, “After New Year’s Eve” [The Ultimate Christmas Album (2001)]
  5. Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners, “Another Lonely New Year’s Eve” [The Ultimate Christmas Album (2001)]
  6. Dressy Bessy, “This May Hurt (A Little)” [Dressy Bessy (2003)]
  7. Dan Fogelberg, “Same Old Lang Syne” [The Innocent Age (1981)]
  8. Guy Lombardo, “Enjoy Yourself” [78 RPM single (1949)]
  9. The Specials, “Enjoy Yourself” [More Specials (1980)]
  10. Prince Buster, “Enjoy Yourself” [King of Ska (1968/2000)]
  11. Jolie Holland, “Enjoy Yourself” [The Living and the Dead (2008)}

Hour 2

  1. Transvision Vamp, “I Want Your Love” [I Want Your Love (1989/2019)]
  2. Donnie Iris and the Cruisers, “Glad All Over” [The High and the Mighty (1982)]
  3. The Waitresses, “They’re All Out of Liquor, Let’s Find Another Party” [Bruisology (1983)]

New Music Express

  1. Hallelujahs, “I’m Not Green” [Eat Meat, Swear an Oath (2022)]
  2. Shannen Moser, “Two Eyes” [The Sun Still Seems to Move (2022)]
  3. Popular Creeps, “Tear Me Apart” [All of This WIll End in Tears (2022)]

Featured artist: John Hammond Jr.

  1. John Hammond, “Two Trains Running” [John Hammond (1963)]
  2. John Hammond, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” [John Hammond (1963)]
  3. John Hammond, “I’m Ready” [Big City Blues (1964)]
  4. John Hammond, “Barbecue Blues” [Big City Blues (1964)]
  5. John Hammond, “Big Boss Man” [So Many Roads (1965)]
  6. John Hammond, “You Can’t Judge a Book By The Cover” [So Many Roads (1965)]
  7. John Hammond, “Crawling Kingsnake” [Country Blues (1965)]

Hour 3

  1. The Donnas, “Here for the Party” [Bitchin’ (2007)
  2. The J. Geils Band, “(Ain’t Nothin’ But a) House Party” [Bloodshot (1973)]
  3. The Rubinoos, “Party Insurance” [45 (2014)]
  4. The Yardbirds, “The Yardbirds Give Their New Year’s Resolutions” [BBC Sessions (1968)]
  5. The Yardbirds, “You’re a Better Man Than I” [For Your Love (1965)]
  6. Zumpano, “The Party Rages On” [Look What the Rookie Did (1995)]

Live Segment: Skyfoot

  1. Skyfoot, “Yes We Can Can” [Live at Portland House of Music, Portland Maine, 3-4-2022]
  2. Skyfoot, “Bluebird” [Live at Portland House of Music, Portland Maine, 3-4-2022]

Playlist: 12-25-2022

Here’s the playlist for 12-25-2022, in which I played mostly Christmas music, and played Trans-Siberian Orchestra as the featured artist:

Hour 1

  1. Big Star, “Jesus Christ” [Third/Sister Lovers (1978)]
  2. Blues Traveler, “Christmas” [A Very Special Christmas 3 (1997)]
  3. The Who, “Christmas” [Tommy (1969)]
  4. Nick Lowe, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” [Quality Street (2013)]
  5. Jona Lewie, “Stop the Calvalry” [The Best of Jona Lewie (1980/2002)]
  6. Bing Crosby, “White Christmas” [VOX Christmas Classics (1942/2006)]
  7. NRBQ, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” [Christmas Wish (1997)]
  8. William Shatner, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” [Shatner Claus (2018)]
  9. Porky Pig, “Blue Christmas” [98 Rock (1998)]
  10. Joe Perry, “Blue Christmas” [Merry Axemas (1998)]
  11. Van Duren, “Yellow Light” [Are You Serious? (1978)]
  12. Stan Freberg, “Green Christmas” [The Very Best of Stan Freberg (1958/1978)]

Hour 2

  1. Lemmy Kilmister and Others, “Run Rudolph Run” [Christmas Rock (2008)]
  2. AC/DC, “Mistress for Christmas” [The Razors Edge (1990)]
  3. Tom Lehrer, “A Christmas Carol” [An Evening Wasted (1959)]
  4. Spinal Tap, “Christmas with the Devil” [Break Like the Wind (1992)]
  5. Tiny Tim, “Santa Claus Has Got the Aids This Year” [Single (1985)]
  6. The Mansfields, “Broke on Christmas Again” [Rodney on the Rock Presents Santa’s Got a GTO, Vol. 2 (2017)]
  7. Ray Stevens, “Home for the Holidays” [Christmas Through a Different Window (1997)]
  8. David Peel and the Lower East Side, “Santa Claus Is Coming on Downs” [Marijuana Christmas (2008)]

Featured artist: Trans-Siberian Orchestra

  1. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “First Snow” [Christmas Eve and Other Stories (1996)]
  2. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “This Christmas Day” [Christmas Eve and Other Stories (1996)]
  3. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Boughs of Holly” [The Christmas Attic (1998)]
  4. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Christmas Canon” [The Christmas Attic (1998)]
  5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Overture” [Beethoven’s Last Night (2000)]
  6. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “The Lost Christmas Eve” [The Lost Christmas Eve (2004)]

Hour 3 (TSO, continued)

  1. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Christmas Concerto” [The Lost Christmas Eve (2004)]
  2. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Christmas Nights in Blue” [The Lost Christmas Eve (2004)]
  3. Trans-Siberial Orchestra, “Night Castle” [Night Castle (2009)]
  4. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Prometheus” [Letters from the Labrynth (2015)]
  5. The Darkness, “Christmas Time [Don’t Let the Bells End]” [Single (2003)]
  6. Weezer, “O Come All Ye Faithful” [Sleigh Bells in the Snow (2011)]
  7. Debbie Gibson, “Sleigh Ride” [Winterlicious (2022)]
  8. The Figgs, “Father Christmas” [Sleigh Bells in the Snow (2011)]
  9. Bob Dylan, “Here Comes Santa Claus” [Christmas in the Heart (2009)]
  10. Meco, “What You You Get a Wookie for Christmas” [Christmas in the Stars (1980)]
  11. The Monkees, “Wonderful Christmastime” [Christmas Party (2018)]

Film Review: Waiting: The Van Duren Story

Review: Waiting: The Van Duren Story

I remember when I became a fan of Van Duren. While listening to the radio on the way to work, the death of Alex Chilton was announced in March 2010. This led me to become a Big Star fan, and eventually I went into a rabbit hole that led to Van Duren. Born on August 25, 1953 in Memphis Tennessee, his life was changed when he saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.

Cover of Van Duren's "Are You Seious?"
Van Duren

For the rest of the 1960s, he was in several bands, and travelled in the same orbit as Big Star. He was friends with Chris Bell and Jody Stephens. In fact, he auditioned to replace Chris Bell in 1974. Although he was not hired, Big Star was crumbling anyway, and he joined forces a year later with Chris Bell and Jody Stephens in The Baker Street Regulars. By 1975, his star seemed to be rising, and he was managed by Andrew Loog Oldham, former manager and producer of the Rolling Stones. A skilled musician and excellent songwriter, he was being compared to Paul McCartney.

Whenever an artist is being compared to luminaries such as McCartney (a household name) and said artist doesn’t become a household name, the question is, what went wrong? As this documovie illustrates, the answer is fairly mundane. Becoming a famous recording artist requires several elements to be successful: distribution, promotion, the backing of a major recording label, and Van Duren didn’t have any of these.

This is not to shortchange the artist: if anything, Van Duren seemed to be a fully evolved artist by the time he recorded his debut album, “Are You Serious?”. But the major record labels did not sign him. He did have Andrew Loog Oldham as his manager, who was friends with Dr Thomas Cavalier (a.k.a. Doc Cavalier). Big Sound Records, a record label founded by producer Jon Tiven and Cavalier, was interested, and Tiven told him that he could record an album if he could travel to New York. But there was no advance. He had to sell his bass guitar to get the money for a plane ticket. Once there, he lived in an efficiency apartment in Greenwich Village, where Tiven lived, and from there, they commuted to Trod Nossel Studios in Wallingford, Conneticut.

Duren recorded “Are You Serious?” in 1977, and the album was released in 1978. The album was a critical success. It contains well-crafted power pop songs, and shows the influence of artists such as The Beatles while being original. But commercially, “Are You Serious” left something to be desired. Doc Cavalier may have been a good producer, but he didn’t know how to distribute an album outside of Connecticut. And Big Sound Records didn’t have a distribution deal with any of the major labels, which meant that sales were going to be low.

In spite of it, “Are You Serious?” was released internationally. London Records, a subsidiary of Decca, released it as “Staring at the Ceiling” (different title, but all the tracks are the same) in 1978. And in 1999, it was released on Air Mail Recordings in Japan. Van Duren and his band were touring, and his songs were being played on over 100 radio stations. What Van Duren lacked in sales he made up for in momentum. Perhaps his next album would be his breakthrough.

But alas, his second album would not be released. He immediately started recording the follow-up LP, and arguably, this album was even better than the previous one. But the situation took a turn for the worst when Doc Cavalier and people working for him became Scientologists. [In fact, Van Duren was the only individual who didn’t convert to Scientology.] Recording for the album was complete in early 1980, but Cavalier claimed that he didn’t have money to release the album. Rather, he said, Van Duren should be able to provide the working capital to press the album and print sleeves. He asked Van Duren to get a loan, and the collateral would be sales of the LP. Rather wisely, Duren declined, and walked out of Trod Nossel.

Van Duren was still unknown, and now, due to the unreleased album, he had lost momentum. His band was forced to be a covers band just to survive. But by 1981, Duren had formed a new band, Good Question. By 1986, Good Question was signed to Sur Records, a Memphis-based label, who released “Thin Disguise”, their first (and only) LP. This album contained “Jane” and “Catcher in the Rain”. But again, commercial success evaded them. Still, Good Question would remain together through the 1980s and 1990s.

In September 1999, Van Duren had a stroke, and lost ability on the right side of his body. For a time, he couldn’t hold a pic, but eventually recovered. He teamed up with Tommy Hoehn and released two albums: “Hailstone Holiday” (1999) and “Blue Orange” (2002). This collaboration may have yielded fruit if Hoehn hadn’t died of cancer in June 2010.

Fast forward to 2016: Two Australians (Wade Jackson, Greg Carey) discover Van Duren, and think his music is awesome. As much as they like his mucis, they are perplexed that Van Duren is not famous. Never having made a movie, they go to America to make a documentary about Van Duren. They also discover than Van Duren doesn’t have the rights to his songs and try to get these rights back.

Along the way, they travel to Conneticut to Trod Nossel Studios, to Memphis, home of Van Duren himself, and to Japan, the home of Air Mail Records, which released Van Duren’s first two albums. They meet with Van Duren, and get back the rights to his songs.

Overall, this is a good movie, even if it doesn’t tell anything that hadn’t been revealed previously. It tells Van Duren’s story with interviews conducted with people who were close to Duren: his brothers, Jody Stephens, Jon Tiven, his ex-wife, and Chris Bell’s sister, who owns a club where Van Duren performs. This gives some perspective to Van Duren’s story without really revealing anything new. To tell the truth, Van Duren hasn’t been a recluse; he’s still actively pursuing the career of a musician, albeit in relative obscurity. The two filmmakers do a good job of telling a story, even though it’s their first movie.

In summation, I’d say this movie is worth the $5 I spent to purchase it on Prime Video. A worthy documentary in the same tradition of “Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me”, this movie is recommended to anyone who is a fan of the Memphis power pop movement from the 1970s.

Playlist: 12-18-2022

Here’s the playlist for 12-18-2022, in which I talked about the Van Duren documentary, played the rest of the Top 25 for 2022 and played King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard for the live segment:

Hour 1

  1. The Kinks, “Destroyer” [Give the People What They Want (1981)]
  2. Big Star, “Don’t Lie to Me” [#1 Record (1972)]
  3. The Pretty Things, “Private Sorrow” [S.F. Sorrow (1968)]
  4. The Rolling Stones, “Scarlet” [Goats Head Soup Deluxe Edition (1973/2020)]
  5. Hoehn and Duren, “Black Little Book” [Blue Orange (2002)]
  6. Thor, “Donner & Blitzen” [Christmas in Valhalla (2018)]
  7. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” [Christmas Eve and Other Stories (1996)]
  8. The Brian Setzer Orchestra, “Jingle Bells” [Christmas Rocks: The Best of Collection (2008)]
  9. Buster Poindexter and His Banshees, “‘Zat You, Santa Claus?” [The Ultimate Christmas Album (2008)]
  10. Run DMC, “Christmas in Hollis” [Walk This Way (The Best Of) (2010)]
  11. Billy Squier, “Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You” [A Rock ‘N’ Roll Christmas (1995)]

Top 25 of 2022 (part three)

  1. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “These Are the Ways” [Unlimited Love (2022)] #14
  2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizaard, “Mycelium” [Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava (2022)] #13

Hour 2

  1. Megadeth, “The Sick, The Dying…and the Dead!” [The Sick, the Dying…and the Dead! (2022)] #12
  2. Van Morrison, “Dangerous” [What’s It Gonna Take? (2022)] #11
  3. Chuck W. Chapman, “Sadie Hawkins Slam Dance” [Burn It Down (2022)] #10
  4. Goo Goo Dolls, “Yeah, I Like You” [Chaos in Bloom (2022)] #9
  5. Tedeschi Trucks Band, “Last Night in the Rain” [I Am the Moon: IV Farewell (2022)] #8
  6. Superchunk, “Endless Summer” [Wild Loneliness (2022)] #7
  7. Chuck W. Chapman, “Young and in Love” [Burn It Down (2022)] #6
  8. Bredan Benson, “Whatever’s on My Mind” [Low Key (2022) #5
  9. Elvis Costello, “Farewell, OK” [The Boy Named If (2022)] #4

Hour 3

  1. Wilco, “Cruel Country” [Cruel Country (2022)] #3
  2. Lannie Flowers, “Lost in a Daydream” “Flavor of the Month (2022)] #2
  3. The Test Pressings, “Love Grows Where MY Rosemary Goes” [We All Shine On: Celebrating the Music of 1970 (2022)] #1

Live segement: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

  1. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, “Hypertension” [Live at The Anthem, Washington D.C., 10-23-2022]
  2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, “Blame It on the Weather” [Live at The Anthem, Washington D.C., 10-23-2022]
  3. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, “The Reticent Raconteur” [Live at The Anthem, Washington D.C., 10-23-2022]
  4. Elvin Bishop, “Silent Night” [Classic Rock Christmas (2008)]

Playlist: 12-11-2022

Here’s the playlist for the 12-11-2022 show, in which I talked about screening the Van Duren documovie, and ran overtime (but played Christmas at the Patti):

Hour 1

  1. Roxy Blue, “Squeeze Box” [Want Some? (1992)]
  2. Urge Overkill, “Witchita Lineman” [Jesus Urge Superstar (1989)]
  3. Foghat, “Maybelline” [Foghat (1972)]
  4. Britny Fox, “Hair of the Dog” [Boys in Heat (1989)]
  5. The J. Geils Band, “Where Did Our Love Go (Live)” [Blow Your Face Out (1976)]
  6. The Rolling Stones, “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” [The Rolling Stones Now! (1965)]
  7. Van Duren, “Make a Scene” [Idiot Optimism (1999)]
  8. Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets, “Let it Snow” [Winter Wonderland/Let it Snow single (2020)]
  9. Student Teachers, “Christmas Weather” [Ork Records: New York, New York (1979/2015)]
  10. The Waitresses, “Christmas Wrapping” [I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts (1982)]
  11. Bob & Doug McKenzie, “Twelve Days of Christmas” [Great White North (1981)]
  12. The Alarm, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” [Standards (1990)]

Hour 2

  1. Juliana Hatfield, “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” [Juliana Hatfield Sings the Police (2019)]
  2. John Mayall, “Lost and Gone” [Road Show Blues (1981)]

New Music Express

  1. Brendon Benson, “People Grow Apart” [Low Key (2022)]
  2. Brendon Benson, “People Grow Apart” [Low Key (2022)]
  3. David Bowie, “Changes (Demo)” [Divine Symmetry (2022)]
  4. Popular Creeps, “Black & Blue” [All of This Will End in Tears (2022)]
  5. Imagine Dragons, “Sharks” [Mercury – Acts 1 & 2 (2022)]

Top 25 of 2022 (part two)

  1. Irene Pena, “Come and Get It” [We All Shine On: Celebrating the Music of 1970 (2022)] #20
  2. Tony Valentino, “Dirty Water” [Dirty Water single (2022)] #19
  3. The Flashcubes featuring Steve Conti, “Gudbuy T’Jane” [Gudbuy T’Jane single (2022)] #18
  4. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, “Kepler-22b” [Omnium Gatherum (2022)] #17
  5. Lannie FLowers, “Don’t Make Me Wait” [Flavor of the Month (2022) #16
  6. Eytan Mirsky, “What Took You So Long” [Lord, Have Mirsky! (2022)] #15

Hour 3

  1. The Three Wise Men (a.k.a. XTC), Countdown to Christmas Party Time [Thanks for Christmas single (1983)]
  2. Adam Sandler, “The Chanukah Song” [What the Hell Happened to Me? (1996)]

Tribute to Wilko Johnson (part two)

  1. Ian Dury & the Blockheads, “Superman’s Big Sister” [Laughter (1980)]
  2. Ian Dury & the Blockheads, “Pardon” [Laughter (1980)]
  3. Ian Dury & the Blockheads, “Hey, Hey Take Me Away” [Laughter (1980)]

Live segment: Christmas at the Patti

  1. Help Yourself and Deke Leonard, “Eddie Waring” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  2. Man, Dave Edmunds and Stan Pfeiffer, “Life on the Road” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  3. Man, Dave Edmunds and Stan Pfeiffer, “Shuffle” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]

Playlist: 12-4-2022

Here’s the playlist for 12-4-2022, in which I notably did not play a tribute to Wilko Johnson, have Anthony Gomes as a featured artist, but did play the Top 25 (part one) and Christmas at the Patti (part one):

Hour 1

  1. The Clarks, “I Want You Bad” [Rewind (2015)]
  2. The Kinks, “Give the People What They Want” [Give the People What They Want (1981)]
  3. Van Duren, “Oh Babe” [Are You Serious? (1978)]
  4. Thor, “Gonna Have A Rockin’ Christmas” [Christmas in Valhalla (2021)]
  5. The Toms, “Fake Christmas” [Fake Christmas single (2007)]

New Music Express

  1. Richard Dawson, “The Tip of an Arrow” [The Ruby Card (2022)]
  2. White Lung, “Hysteric” [Premonition (2022)]
  3. White Lung, “Under Glass” [Premonition (2022)]
  4. The Flashcubes, “Get the Message” [Get the Message single (2022)]

Hour 2 – New Music Express, continued

  1. Dazy, “Out of Body” [Outofbody (2022)]
  2. Dazy, “Deadline” [Outofbody (2022)]
  3. Madness, “House of Fun (Live at the London Palladium 2021)” [The Get Up! (2022)]
  4. Madness, “Our House (Live at the London Palladium 2021)” [The Get Up! (2022)]

Top 25 of 2022 (part one)

  1. Nick Frater, “Dancing with a Gertrude” [Aerodrome Motel (2022)] #25
  2. The Beths, “Expert in a Dying Field” [Expert in a Dying Field (2022)] #24
  3. Librarians with Hickeys, “Ghost Singer” [Handclaps and Tambourines (2022) #23
  4. Richard Barone, “Riki Tiki Tavi” [We All Shine On: Celebrating the Music of 1970 (2022)] #22
  5. Jane Aire and the Belvederes, “Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache” [Jane Aire and the Belvederes (1979)]
  6. Elvis Costello, “Penelope Halfpenny” [The Boy named If (2022)] #21
  7. Nick Frater, “Buggin’ Out” [Buggin’ Out single (2022)] #20
  8. Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, “Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache” [Breakin’ Down The Walls Of Heartache: 1968-1975 (1968/2008)]
  9. Bull and the Matadors, “The Funky Judge” [Beg, Scream & Shout! The Big Ol’ Box Of ’60s Soul (1968/1997)]

Hour 3

  1. The Three Wise Men, “Thanks For Christmas” [Thanks for Christmas single (1983)]
  2. Ray Stevens, “The Annual Office Christmas Party” [Christmas Through a Different Window (1997)]
  3. Stan Freberg, “Christmas Dragnet/Yulenet (Part 1/Part 2)” [The Very Best of Stan Freberg (1953/1998)

Live segment: Christmas at the Patti

  1. Flying Aces, “Welcome to the Party” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  2. Ducks Deluxe, “Boogaloo Babe” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  3. The Jets, “My Way” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  4. The Jets, “Jambalaya” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  5. Plumb Crazy with Dave Edmunds, “Jingle Bells/Run Rudolph Run” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  6. Help Yourself with Deke Leonard, “Mona” [Christmas at the Patti (1973)]
  7. Alex Chilton, “The Happy Song” [1970 (1985)]

Update (12-10-2022): The archive of the show had some PLP. I’ve replaced it with a better version.

Playlist: 11-27-2022

Here’s the playlist for 11-27-2022, a show in which I discussed “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles”, mourned the death of Wilko Johnson, and for the live segment, played Neighbor:

Hour 1

  1. Tim Moore, “Rock and Roll Love Letter” [Behind the Eyes (1976)]
  2. Screaming Trees, “Nearly Lost You” [Sweet Oblivion (1992)]
  3. Alex Chilton, “The Singer Not the Song” [Ork Records: New York, New York (1977/2015)]
  4. Cosmo Topper, “Hippie Christmas” [A Very Woody Xmas (2018)]

New Music Express

  1. Hieroglyphic Being, “There Is No Acid in This House (Just Emotions Remix)” [There Is No Acid in This House (2022)]
  2. Uni Boys, “You Worry About Me” [Do It All Next Week (2022)]
  3. Uni Boys, “Hypocrite” [Do It All Next Week (2022)]
  4. Popular Creeps, “Gone By 45 (Radio Edit)” [Gone By 45 single]
  5. Mud Morganfield, “Love to Flirt” [Portrait (2022)]
  6. Richad Ohrn, “Seal Your Move” [Sounds in English (2022)]
  7. Paul Weller, “Devotion” [Will of the People (2022)]
  8. Guided By Voices, “My Impression Now” [Scalping the Guru (2022)]

Hour 2

  1. Barclay James Harvest, “Good Love Child (Remastered)” [Miles Out to Sea: The Roots of British Power Pop 1969-75 (1970/2022)]
  2. NRBQ, “I Want You Bad” [Kick Me Hard (1979)]
  3. Da Yoopers, “Rusty Chevrolet” [Holiday in Dementia (1995)]
  4. Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets, “Winter Wonderland” [Winter Wonderland/Let It Snow single]
  5. Cheap Trick, “Merry Xmas Everybody” [Christmas Christmas (2017)]

Tribute to Wilko Johnson (part one)

  1. Dr. Feelgood, “Boom Boom” [Down by the Jetty (1974)]
  2. Dr. Feelgood, “Roxette” [Down by the Jetty (1974)]
  3. Dr. Feelgood, “Going Back Home” [Malpractice (1975)]
  4. Dr. Feelgood, “I’m A Man” [Stupidity (1976)]
  5. Dr. Feelgood, “Johnny B. Goode” [Stupidity (1976)]
  6. Dr. Feelgood, “Lucky Seven” [Sneakin’ Suspicion (1977)]
  7. Dr. Feelgood, “As Long as the Price Is Right” [Be Seeing You (1977)]
  8. Dr. Feelgood, “Baby Jane” [Be Seeing You (1977)]

Hour 2

  1. Weird Al Yankovic, “The Night Santa Went Crazy” [Bad Hair Day (1996)]
  2. The Moody Blues, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” [December (2003)]

Live segment: Neighbor

  1. Neighbor, “Milwaukee Talkie” [Live at Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore PA, 11-5-2022]
  2. Neighbor, “Trippin’ in a Van” [Live at Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore PA, 11-5-2022]
  3. Neighbor, “Move Along Jimmy” [Live at Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore PA, 11-5-2022]
  4. The Toms, “I Did the Wrong Thing” [The Toms (1979)]

Playlist: 11-20-2022

Here is the playlist for 11-20-2022, in which I did not play the latest album from Neil Young (and provided some good reasons for it), talked about the missile strike in POland, and played “Alice’s Restaurant”:

Hour 1

  1. The Alarm, “Sixty Eight Guns” [Declaration (1984)]
  2. sparkle*jets U.K., “Sunshine” [We All Shine On: Celebrating the Music of 1970 (2022)]
  3. Marshall Crenshaw, “Whenever You’re On My Mind” [Field Day (1983)]
  4. Sam and Dave, “I Thank You” [I Thank You (1968)]
  5. Stan Freberg, “Pilgrim’s Progress (Take an Indian to Lunch)” [Stan Freberg Presents the USA: Vol 1 & Vol. 2 (1961)]
  6. Big Star, “Thank You Friends” [Third/Sister Lovers (1978)]

New Music Express

  1. Weyes Blood, “Grapevine” [And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (2022)]
  2. Adrian Quesada, “Jaguar Sound” [Rise of the Have Nots (2022)]

Hour 2: New Music Express, continued

  1. Chris Isaak, “Run Rudolph Run” [Everybody Knows It’s Christmas (2022)]
  2. Royksopp, “So Ambiguous” [Profound Mysteries III (2022)]

Featured Artist: Richard X. Heyman

  1. Richard X. Heyman, “Kenyon Walls” [Actual Sighs (2007)]
  2. Richard X. Heyman, “Winter Blue” [Actual Sighs (2007)]
  3. Richard X. Heyman, “FIre in the Country” [Tiers (2011)]
  4. Richard X. Heyman, “Wild Souls” [Tiers (2011)]
  5. Richard X. Heyman, “When Denny Dropped Out of the Scene” [X (2013)]
  6. Richard X. Heyman, “Incognito” [Incognito (2017)]

Hour 3

  1. Adam Sandler, “The Thanksgiving Song” [They’re All Gonna Laugh at You (1993)]
  2. Stan Freberg, “The Thanksgiving Story” [Stan Freberg Presents the USA: Vol 1 & Vol. 2 (1961)]
  3. Graham Parker, “Almost Thanksgiving Day” [Your Country (2004)]
  4. Paul Revere and the Raiders, “Turkey” [Indian Reservation (1971)]
  5. Librarians with Hickeys, “Fairground” [Handclaps & Tambourines (2022)]
  6. Arlo Guthrie “Alice’s Restaurant (The Masacree Revisited)” [Alice’s Restaurant (The Masacree Revisited” (1997)]
  7. Brinsley Schwarz, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” [The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz (1975)]
  8. Bad News “Cashing in on Christmas” [Bad News (1984)]

Playlist: 11-13-2022

Here’s the playlist for 11-13-2022, a show for which I was not prepared, in which I unfortunately played Bruce Springsteen, had Richard X. Heyman for the featured artist segment, and had Big Something for the live segment:

Hour 1

  1. XTC, “Generals and Majors” [Black Sea (1980/2013)]
  2. Material Issue, “Cowboy Song” [Eleven Supersonic Hit Explosions (1991)]
  3. Tav Falco & Panther Burns, “Surfside Date” [Hip Flask: An Introduction to Tav Falco & Panther Burns (1990/2015)]
  4. The Armoires, “Yellow River” [We All Shine On: Celebrating the Music of 1970 (2022)]
  5. Marshall Crenshaw, “Someday, Someway” [Marshall Crenshaw (1982)]
  6. The Donnas, “Up on the Housetop” [21st Century Santa (2015)]

New Music Express

  1. Bruce Springsteen, “Only the Strong Survive” [Only the Strong Survive (2022)]
  2. Christine and the Queens, “Tu Sais Ce Qu’il Me Faut” [Redcar Les Adorables Etoiles (Prologue) (2022)]
  3. Fitz & the Tantrums, “Sway” [Let Yourself Free (2022)]
  4. Fitz & the Tantrums, “Steppin’ On Me” [Let Yourself Free (2022)]
  5. Heather Trost, “The Devil Never Sleeps” [Desert Flowers (2022)]
  6. Heather Trost, “The Debutante” [Desert Flowers (2022)]

Hour 2 (New Music Express, continued)

  1. Mud Morganfield, “Praise Him” [Portrait (2022)]
  2. The Flashcubes, “Get the Message” [Get the Message (2022)]
  3. Robyn Hitchcock, “The Sir Tommy Shovell [Shufflemania! (2022)]
  4. Guided By Voices, “Glow Boy Butlers [Scalping the Guru (2022)]

Featured artist: Richard X. Heyman

  1. Richard X. Heyman, “Call Out the Military” [Living Room (1988)]
  2. Richard X. Heyman, “All for the Girl” [Living Room (1988)]
  3. Richard X. Heyman, “Falling Away” [Hey Man! (1991)]
  4. Richard X. Heyman, “Loud” [Hey Man! (1991)]
  5. Richard X. Heyman, “Civil War Buff” [Hey Man! (1991)]
  6. Richard X. Heyman, “All I Have” [Cornerstone (1998)]
  7. Richard X. Heyman, “When She Arrives” [Cornerstone (1998)]
  8. Richard X. Heyman, “One Way Feeling” [Basic Glee (2002)]
  9. Richard X. Heyman, “What in the World” [Basic Glee (2002)]

Hour 3

  1. Fountains of Wayne, “I Want an Alien for Christmas” [I Want an Alien for Christmas single (1997)]
  2. Alex Chilton, “Boogie Shoes” [Like FLies on Sherbert (1979)]
  3. Bram Tchaikovsky, “Sarah Smiles” [Harmony in My Head: UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81 (1979/2018)]

Live segment: Big Something

  1. Big Something, “Intro/Thriller/Julia Brown” [Live at Lincoln Theater, Raleigh NC, 10-31-2013]
  2. Big Something, “Megalodon” [Live at Lincoln Theater, Raleigh NC, 10-31-2013]
  3. Big Something, “My Volcano” [Live at Lincoln Theater, Raleigh NC, 10-31-2013]
  4. Motor Boys Motor, “Drive Friendly” [The Stiff Records Box Set (1980/1992)]