Playlist for 10/31

Bob Stanley Presents London A to Z - Various (Ace)

Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds

Tamara Stewart - Woman

Cindy Wilson - Realms

Be Your Own Pet - Happy

A Song for Leon (Tribute to Leon Russell) - Various

Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We

How the Music of 1976 Changed My Life (Article) in Copper Magazine

 Can music change your life?  My article in Copper Magazine on how the music of 1976 did just that.  

Can One Year In Music Change Your Life

Greatest Halloween Songs (2023 Edition)

 Greatest Halloween Songs (2023 Edition)

1.  Thriller - Michael Jackson
2.  Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
3.  I Put A Spell On You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
4.  Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
5.  (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult          
6.  Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
7.  Haunted House - Jumpin' Gene Simmons
8.  Time Warp - Rocky Horror Cast
9.  Theme From "Halloween" - John Carpenter
10.  Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
11.   Nightmare On My Street - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
12.  Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
13.  Season of the Witch - Donovan
14.  Spooky, Scary Skeletons - Andrew Gold
15.  Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
16.  Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
17.  Dinner With Drac - John Zacherle "Cool Ghoul"

18.  Theme from "Twilight Zone" - Jerry Goldsmith
19   Theme From "Psycho" - Bernard Herrmann
20.  Hell's Bells - AC/DC
21.  I Was A Teenage Werewolf - Cramps
22.  What's He Building In There? - Tom Waits
23.  Lucifer - Alan Parsons Project
24.  Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo 
25.  Theme From "Psycho" - Bernard Herrmann
26.  Toccata and Fugue in D Minor -   Bach
27.  Theme From "Addams Family" - Vic Mizzy
28.  In The Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg
29.  I Walked With A Zombie - Roky Erickson
30.  Theme From "Munsters: - Jack Marshall
31.  Nature Trail To Hell - Weird Al Yankovic
32.  Dream Within A Dream/Raven - Alan Parsons Project
33.  Witch Queen of New Orleans - Redbone
34.  (Ghost) Riders In The Sky - Johnny Cash
35.  Spooky - Classics IV
36.  Welcome To My Nightmare - Alice Cooper
37.  Dinner With Drac - John Zacherle "Cool Ghoul"
38.  Fire On High - ELO
39.  Surfin' Dead - Cramps
40.  Halloween - Misfits
41.  In The Hall Of The Mountain King - ELO
42.  Lucifer - Alan Parsons Project
43.  Jack the Ripper - Screaming Lord Sutch
44.  Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
45.  Goo Goo Muck - Ronnie Cook
46.  Knoxville Girl - Louvin Brothers
47.  Witchy Woman - Eagles
48.  Devil Woman - Cliff Richard
49. Halloween - Siouxsie & the Banshees
50. Night of the Vampire - Roky Erickson
51. Unquiet Grave - Gryphon
52. Dragula - Rob Zombie
53. Heartbreak Hotel - Jacksons
54. Spooktacular Finale - Spike Jones
55. Whistlin' Past The Graveyard - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
55. Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
56. Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
57. Spooky - George Barnes
58. Pet Sematary - Ramones
59. Theme From The X-Files - Mark Snow
60. 'Til The Following Night - Screaming Lord Sutch
61. Shadow Knows - Coasters
62. Blob - Five Blobs
62. Creep - Three Suns

63. Supernature - Cerrone

64. Werewolf - Barry Dransfield

65. Downbound Train - Chuck Berry

66. Bo Meets The Monster - Bo Diddley

67. Twilight Zone - Golden Earring

68. Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

69. Everyday Is Halloween - Ministry

70. Boris the Spider - Who

71.  Marie Laveau - Bobby Bare

72. Scary Monsters - David Bowie

73. Careful With the Axe Eugene - Pink Floyd

74. Race With The Devil - Gene Vincent

75. The Witch - Sonics

76. Zombie Zoo - Tom Petty

77. Black Widow - Alice Cooper

78. You're Dead - Norma Tanega 

Music Years Of My Life: 1990

Today it's known as Americana, but back in the 70's/80's the phrase was Progressive Country.  It's most famous radio station was located in Gilroy, CA, and was called KFAT on your FM dial.  From 1975-1983, KFAT played anything that was left-of-center Country, Bluegrass, Blues and whatever other mainstream channels weren't playing.

After it went off the air in 1983, most of the staff relocated to Freedom, CA (near Watsonville or near Monterey) and began KPIG-FM which signed on in 1988.

As someone who lives on the Monterey Peninsula I was aware of KFAT, but at that time my car presets were on Top 40, Old School Soul and mainstream Country.  Progressive Country was a genre that I knew of from music mags, but wasn't something I would buy.

At some point in 1990,  a colleague of mine asked me what radio stations I listened to.  This was pre-Internet and pre-Sirius.  He mentioned that KPIG was an ear-opener.  So, on his suggestion I started listening to it.  He was right.  Most of the artists they played I was familiar with:  Joe Ely, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams.  Bigger names like the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers were already in my collection.  But there were acts played that even I never heard of.   Suddenly, I'm hearing modern Hawaiian, Folk, Blues names that were a revelation.  The great thing about KPIG is that it wasn't and still isn't always about Americana.  They'll throw in some older R&B names like Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding.  Elvis Presley? Beatles?  Yep.

The Americana tag didn't begin until 1995.  Good old Wikipedia tells me that was the first year an airplay chart was published with the Americana word on it.  (Besides KPIG, Texas' KFAN was the other Americana staple at the outset.   Today, the weekly chart is a must-look for me.

The good thing about going deep with another genre is that you discover artists and songs that make you wonder how you missed them.  But they were right there,  on my book shelf at least.  One of the great music books, John Morthland's 1984 Best of Country Music included records from the early days of Prog-Country.  Morthland's book can still be found used, and even though he refused to pring any updates, is a must for any music lover. He passed away in 2016.  But thanks to his book, I had easy access to some of the acts played on KPIG.  

Now, some 23 years later the Americana genre is as strong as ever with a yearly Award show, more radio stations (Sirius' Outlaw Country is basically their Americana channel).  KFAT is still alive, but only as a streaming online station.  KPIG continues to roll along.   Years ago, the company that owns KPIG was thinking of changing its format.  An outcry occurred and the public won.  And my dial preset remained as it has for a couple of decades.  

  

Music Years Of My Life: 1984

1984 was the year I discovered that there was a vast history of Rock and Roll that I knew little about.  Oldies?  Sure I heard them and even listened to them.  I worked at a hotel in 1984 and one of the cook's would keep his radio tuned to an oldies station.  On Saturday's Wolfman Jack's syndicated show would come on.  Records that in my childhood days would go right past me were now catching my ear.

Also in 1984 I bought two books that not only looked at the albums of the day but music of the past:  The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (1983 edition) and Robert Christgau's Rock Albums of the 70's (1981).  Christgau's book I remember skimming though in a library in 1982.  But with interest music before 1984, I decided to finally buy both of them.

The third thing that fueled my oldies obsession was making 1 or 2 trips a month to Tower Records.  The nearest Tower store was 60-90 minutes away, so given a free day I'd make a trip.  And having read both of those books and doing even more research at my local library, I found myself heading to Tower's oldies sections more often.

Happily, the catalog reissue boom was just starting to take shape.  Rhino Records was off and running as were imported catalog titles.  And even major labels were digging deeper than they had in the past.  My Tower trips were getting expensive.  While I would still buy the latest titles locally, the only way to find deep catalog was by going out of town.  Might be hard to believe, but I owned very little Beatles titles in 1984.  And not many more Elvis Presley ones.  But other names were on my mind.  Oldies stations were easier to find in 1984, and I would seek them out.  And my library reading on the history of Rock had me scooping up many of the originators. I'd come back from Tower with Greatest Hits albums by the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, etc.  Moving forward came more Hits albums, everyone from the Doors to the Monkees to the Band.

One time I decided to take a night trip to Tower.  For the whole ride I put on an oldies channel.  I became transfixed by the Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes For You".  A perfect nightime record.  Have I heard this before?  Probably.  But now I'm floored.  I've got to have this record.  This is how it started.  It's something I still do today.  Buried treasures are still out there.

1984 was also the year where I first started to buy Country oldies.  Merle Haggard, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, etc.  It's a glorious time for the music biz, right?  Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) is in its last years, before the fragmentation of radio formats.  Albums are selling in the millions.  It's the era of the Big Blockbuster Album.  Thanks to Thriller.  We now have monsters like Born In The USA, Purple Rain, Footloose.  MTV is King.  Everyone is happy.  Labels, artists, radio, tour promoters.

For the next few years, until the Compact Disc comes into my life, my vinyl collection grew substantively as I added oldies along with current titles.  A glorious time for the music biz?  Nope, I look back 32 years later and consider it a glorious time for me.  Discovering new music in old titles.

My Appearance on Rock In Retrospect Podcast

Was glad to join Nick Bambach's Rock In Retrospect podcast to talk about all-time favorite artist, the King, Elvis Presley.  Specifically the 2023 documentary Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback, streaming as of this date on Paramount+.   The original Producer/Director of the '68 Special, Steve Binder, was Executive Producer of this excellent documentary. 

Here' the link to this podcast episode:

Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback

Playlist for 10/19

Elvis SiriusXM Fan Voted Top 100 Countdown

Margaret Glaspy - Echo the Diamond

Hiss Golden Messenger - Jump For Joy

Speedy Ortiz - Rabbit Rabbit

Turnpike Troubadours - A Cat In The Rain

Smokey Robinson - Smokey

Smokey Robinson - Pure Smokey

Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (reissue Disc 4)

Music Years Of My Life: 1976

  What's the most important musical year of your life?  The one year you can look back on right now with the fondest of recollections?  For me, it's always been 1976. This was the year.  Just writing it out brings back the best musical memories.  Many things happened that birthed my love of music in 1976.  What was the source of all this?  Good old terrestrial radio.  Remember AM radio? We had two AM Top 40 radio stations in our area. Every week both published a Top singles weekly chart.  There wasn't much difference between the two, but I picked them up whenever I had a chance.  These charts proved handy because I still hadn't read a copy of Billboard. Interesting note: one of those stations would give away the weekly Top 10 singles if you were the lucky caller and could name them.  I happened to win twice.

  At this stage, I knew all about the Billboard charts because I listened to Casey Kasem's American Top 40. We moved to California in 1975.  Before that AT40 was on the Armed Forces Network in Germany.  I heard it every weekend.  But when we got to the U.S., finding AT40 became more of a chore.  The only station that played the show was in San Francisco, two hours away and my radio had problems picking up its signal. Still, I did the best I could. I'd often catch the show at different points, but I always listened as long as I could.  And I kept a journal where I wrote down as many of the hits I would hear every week.  But it wouldn't be until the summer of '77 when I got my hands on a copy of Billboard that I became an avid chart watcher.  It was the first magazine I ever subscribed to (until Rolling Stone in 1978).  What a revelation Billboard was to read!  All those charts! All that music biz info!  Pretty mind-blowing for a 14-year-old.

  But back in 1976.  I turned twelve in May and AM radio was the only frequency I visited.  I knew of FM radio.  We had a local Gospel & R&B Soul channel on the top of the FM dial.  It would play R&B hits you never heard on the Pop charts.  It was another ear-opener.  I began to explore this new frequency on the dial, but I was still stuck on the AM dial for the majority of my listening time.

  I should also point out how important American Bandstand and Soul Train were to my musical upbringing.  Both came on back-to-back on Saturday mornings.  I would catch them often when I wasn't playing sports or doing something else.  Soul Train was the bigger revelation since they showed and played records that didn't always cross over to the Pop charts. 

  One fall night I was flipping through the AM dial and came upon an Album countdown show.  The only way I knew of the best-selling albums in 1976 was through my local paper, which published the weekly Billboard Top 20 albums and singles.  The show was called the National Album Countdown, a weekly Top 30, and it had just launched in '76 (ran until '85).  Because of my paper's Top Albums list, I knew of these albums and most had singles in the Top 40.  But there were others.  Names I didn't know like Bob Marley, Jeff Beck. A Bob Seger live album, Led Zeppelin's Presence.  What was this and why haven't I heard of any of it?  I still hung on to AM radio even after this, but I finally figured out how FM radio could be different than AM. Album Oriented Rock stations. Playing the songs that you would never hear on AT40.  It would be a few years before I started listening to AOR regularly, but that barely-remembered Countdown show from '76 started it all. And little did I know then, but I was hearing about the future of Classic Rock radio.

    In 1976 radio was filled with classic singles and albums by  Peter Frampton, Boston, Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, Boz Scaggs, Steve Miller, Heart, ELO,  Abba, Thelma Houston, Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Hall & Oates, Bob Seger, Queen, Spinners, KC & the Sunshine Band, Earth, Wind & Fire, Manhattans and Aerosmith. The list goes on and on. 

  Yet, everything that happened during that year had a bearing on how I became a music junkie: winning the Top 10 weekly singles, the AM radio countdown sheets, that lone R&B station in my town plus my continued pursuit of American Top 40, the National Album Countdown on the radio dial.

  What all of this did was shape my eclectic listening tastes that I still have today. 1976 was a glorious, musical year.  My love of AM Top 40 was cemented in 1976. A curiosity about what else was out there on the airwaves also began that year.  Which is why I still love most of the chart hits from the last Golden Decade of Top 40 radio.  The 1970's.

Just some of my favorite recordings of 1976:

Abba - "Dancing Queen"

Aerosmith - Rocks

Al Stewart - "Year of the Cat"

Bee Gees - Children of the World

Bellamy Brothers - "Let Your Love Flow"

Billy Ocean - "Love Really Hurts Without You"

Blue Oyster Cult - Agents of Fortune

Bob Marley & the Wailers - Rastaman Vibration

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves

Boston - Boston

Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees

Brothers Johnson - "I'll Be Good To You"

Candi Staton - "Young Hearts Run Free"

Car Wash - Soundtrack

Commodores - "Sweet Love"

Daryl Hall & John Oates - "Sara Smile"

David Bowie - "Golden Years"

Deniece Williams - "Free"

Diana Ross "Love Hangover"

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band 

Doobie Brothers - "Takin' It To The Streets"

Eagles - Hotel California

Eagles - "Take It To The Limit"

Earth, Wind & Fire - "Can't Hide Love"

Earth, Wind & Fire - "Getaway"

ELO - A New World Record

ELO - "Strange Magic"

ELO - "Evil Woman"

Elvis Presley - "Hurt"

Elton John & Kiki Dee - "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"

Elvin Bishop - "Fooled Around and Fell In Love"

England Dan & John Ford Coley - "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight"

Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action

Fleetwood Mac - "Rhiannon"

Foghat - "Slow Ride"

Four Seasons - "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)

George Benson - Breezin'

George Jones & Tammy Wynette - "Golden Ring"

Graham Parker & the Rumour - Howlin' Wind

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - "Wake Up Everybody"

Heart - "Crazy On You"

Hot Chocolate - "You Sexy Thing"

Isley Brothers - Harvest For The World

Jackson Browne - The Pretender

Johnny Cash - "One Piece At A Time"

Joni Mitchell - Hejira

Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"

Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Kate & Anna McGarrigle

KC & the Sunshine Band - Part 3

L.T.D. - "Love Ballad"

Lou Rawls - "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine"

Manhattans - "Kiss and Say Goodbye"

Marvin Gaye - "I Want You"

Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From"

Mighty Clouds Of Joy - "Mighty High"

Miracles - "Love Machine"

Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers

Nazareth - "Love Hurts"

Norman Connors - "You Are My Starship"

Ohio Players - "Love Rollercoaster"

O'Jays - I Love Music"

Parliament - Mothership Connection

Paul Simon - "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"

Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive

Queen - "You're My Best Friend"

Ramones -  Ramones

Roxy Music - "Love Is The Drug"

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan - "Sweet Thing"

Runaways - "Cherry Bomb"

Seals & Crofts - "Get Closer"

Spinners - "Rubberband Man"

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle

Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life

Tammy Wynette - "'Til I Can Make It On My Own"

Thelma Houston - "Don't Leave Me This Way"

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - "American Girl"

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - "Breakdown"

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon

Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson - "Good Hearted Woman"

Wild Cherry - "Play That Funky Music"

One of the first Spotify playlists I made was on the music of 1976. 

Here's a link to it: Music of 1976

Poll: October 1964 Songs

  October 1964.  I'm five months old.  With the sounds of the Beatles coming from my Sister's room. 

  For this latest poll, 41 songs were picked to vote on. Listen to this countdown at popgoldradio.com.

"Oh, Pretty Woman", Roy Orbison & the Candy Men : 1
"Dancing In The Street", Martha & the Vandellas : 2
"The House Of The Rising Sun", Animals : 3
"Where Did Our Love Go", Supremes : 4
"Do Wah Diddy Diddy", Manfred Mann : 5
"Baby I Need Your Loving", Four Tops : 6
"Leader Of The Pack", Shangri-Las : 7
"She's Not There", Zombies : 8
"When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)", Beach Boys : 9
"Ride The Wild Surf", Jan & Dean : 10
"Chug-A-Lug", Roger Miller : 11
"It Hurts To Be In Love", Gene Pitney : 12
"Little Honda", Hondells : 13
"Walking In The Rain", Ronettes : 14
"When You Walk In The Room", Searchers : 15
"Time Is On My Side", Rolling Stones : 16
"Baby Love", Supremes : 17
"Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)", Shangri-Las : 18
"Funny (How Time Slips Away)", Joe Hinton : 19
"I'm On The Outside (Looking In)", Little Anthony & the Imperials : 20
"Last Kiss (Where Oh Where Can My Baby Be..)", J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers : 21
"I'm Into Something Good", Herman's Hermits : 22
"G.T.O.", Ronny & the Daytonas : 23
"Bread And Butter", Newbeats : 24
"We'll Sing In The Sunshine", Gale Garnett : 25
"Haunted House", Gene Simmons : 26
"A Summer Song (Trees Swayin' In The Summer Breeze...)", Chad & Jeremy : 27
"Let It Be Me", Berry Everett & Jerry Butler : 28
"Come A Little Bit Closer", Jay & the Americans : 29
"Tobacco Road", Nashville Teens : 30
"Ain't That Loving You Baby", Elvis Presley : 31
"The Door Is Still Open To My Heart", Dean Martin : 32
"You Must Believe Me", Impressions : 33
"Matchbox", Beatles : 34
"Save It For Me", Four Seasons : 35
"Have I The Right?", Honeycombs : 36
"I'm Crying", Animals : 37
"I Like It", Gerry & the Pacemakers : 38
"Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)", Dave Clark Five : 39
"I Don't Want To See You Again", Peter & Gordon : 40
"My Love, Forgive Me (Amore, Scusami)", Robert Goulet : 41

Playlist for 10/10

Morgan Wade - Psychopath

Teddy Thompson - My Love Of Country  

Tyler Childers - Rustin’ In The Rain 

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

Shamir - Homo Anxietatem

Bobby Rush - All My Love For You

Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble In Mind (2022 Documentary)

Playlist for 10/3

Bethany Cosentino - Natural Disaster

Baseball Project - Grand Salami Time

Neil Young - Chrome II

Nils Lofgren - s/t

Zach Bryan - s/t

Doors - An American Prayer

Keith Jarrett - Solo-Concerts Bremen/Lausanne

San Francisco Sounds (2023 Documentary)

My Favorite Albums of 1993

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders

Aerosmith - Get A Grip

Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen

Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle

Asleep at the Wheel - Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills

Babyface - For The Cool In You

Bob Dylan - World Gone Wrong

Billy Joel - River of Dreams

Bjork - Debut

Bobbie Cryner - s/t

Breeders - Last Splash

Brooks & Dunn - Hard Workin' Man

Cassandra Wilson - Blue Light 'til Dawn 

Clint Black - No Time To Kill

Common Thread: Songs of the Eagles - Various

Counting Crows - August and Everything After

Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It

Crowded House - Together Alone

De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate

Digable Planets - Reachin'

Digital Underground - Body-Hat Syndrome

Dolly Parton - Slow Dancing With The Moon

Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette - Honky Tonk Angels

Donald Fagen - Kamakiriad

Duran Duran - s/t

Dwight Yoakam - This Time

Faith Hill - Take Me As I Am

Garth Brooks - In Pieces

George Gershwin - Gershwin Plays Gershwin

George Strait - Easy Come Easy Go

Guns N' Roses - Spaghetti Incident

Janet Jackson - Janet

Jellyfish - Spilt Milk

Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Spinning Around The Sun

John Mellencamp - Human Wheels

Lemonheads - Come On Feel The Lemonheads

Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way

Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville

Loudon Wainwright III - Career Moves

Luther Vandross - Never Let Me Go

Mariah Carey - Music Box

Martina McBride - Way That I Am

Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell II

Meshell Ndegeocello - Plantation Lullabies

Mick Jagger - Wandering Spirit

Moby - Move

Nirvana -  In Utero

Patty Loveless - Only What I Feel

Pearl Jam - Vs.

Pet Shop Boys - Very

PM Dawn - Bliss Album

PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me

Radiohead - Pablo Honey

Rosanne Cash - Wheel

Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 

Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle

Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales

Suede -s/t

Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It

Toni Braxton - s/t

Tony Bennett - Steppin' Out

Tony! Toni! Tone! - Sons of Soul

Trisha Yearwood - Song Remembers When

Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne

U2 - Zooropa

Willie Nelson - Across the Borderline

Wynonna Judd - Tell Me Why