Shaddup and Listen

A FEW SELECTIONS FROM JULY 1969

2009-07-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here is another look at some of the great music that originated this month in 1969, 40 years ago. Usually, we require two shows to cover this era, but today, we manage to combine both hit singles and relevant album tracks from July 1969.

Songs include;

1) Reconsider Me – Johnny Adams

2) Honky Tonk Women – The Rolling Stones

3) Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town – Kenny Rogers & the First Edition

4) Polk Salad Annie – Tony Joe White

5) A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash

6) Rocket Number Nine – NRBQ (from ‘NRBQ’ debut album)

7) Si Tu Dois Partir – Fairport Convention (from ‘Unhalfbricking’)

8) Who Knows Where the Time Goes - “ “

9) Walk On By – Isaac Hayes (from ‘Hot Buttered Soul’)

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-55 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 55

2009-07-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

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After a short break (and a show dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson), we resume our coverage of Motown Records in the Summer of 1970, when the label was becoming somewhat obsessed with the state of Diana Ross’ solo career. A LOT of time, money and effort had gone into establishing Ms. Ross as a ‘household’ name, but things were proving more difficult that expected. Today, we cover that aspect of Motown’s history, along with every other 45-RPM a-side that was released during this time period.

Songs include;

1) I Know I’m Losing You – Rare Earth

2) How You Gonna Keep It (After You Get It) – Blinky

3) An Important Message from Barney Ales

4) Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Diana Ross

5) Young, Gifted & Black – Bob and Marcia

6) Still Water (Love) – The Four Tops

7) Stone Soul Booster – Buzzie

8) I’ll Be There – The Jackson 5

9) Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Untie the World) – The Temptations

10) Stand By Me – David and Jimmy Ruffin

HIT SINGLES FROM JULY 1959

2009-07-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

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The Summer of 1959 qualifies as a period of transition in pop music. It was an era when ‘genuine’ rock and roll almost ceased to exist. But the inroads created by rock and roll brought a distinctively new sound to pop music. For example, this was the month that the world heard Ray Charles (and the first time we heard an electric piano as well).

The edge may have been dulled, but there was still plenty of interesting music. Songs featured in today’s show include;

1) Back in the U.S.A. – Chuck Berry

2) Only Sixteen – Sam Cooke

3) What’d I Say (parts 1 and 2) – Ray Charles

4) Sea of Love – Phil Phillips

5) Personality – Lloyd Price

6) Teenager in Love – Dion & the Belmonts

7) From Bobby Sox to Stockings - Frankie Avalon

8) Tallahassee Lassie - Freddie Cannon

9) I’m Just a Lonely Boy – Paul Anka

10) Hushabye – The Mystics

11) Waterloo – Stonewall Jackson

12) Battle of New Orleans – Johnny Horton

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-54 – MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009

2009-06-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

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Despite all of the eccentricities, flat-out weirdness and even the horrific allegations, I always felt a certain connection with Michael Jackson. We were born within a few weeks of one another, and the experience of seeing someone my own age, at 11, doing what Michael could do had left an indelible impression on me that never really faded away. His talent was so enormous that it trumped ‘undeniable’ and jumped with no resistance into the category of ‘unbelievable.’ Michael Jackson was the artist that made the dissolution of the Beatles slightly easier for me to bear, because here was a kid, an American kid like me, who seemed ready to lead us toward a bold new frontier of creativity and performance. By the 80’s, he made good on that potential, and turned his huge success as a singles artists with his brothers, into phenomenal album success as a solo artist, while literally defining the potential for the video medium.

It is a terribly sad coincidence that Heidy and I had just returned from Detroit the day before, where we visited the Motown Museum, which is housed at the location of the original Motown Recording studios. There, we saw plenty of Jackson 5 memorabilia, including Michaels jeweled glove. Today, our intention was to do a special show that would convey information about the famed ‘Snakepit’ where literally hundreds of hits were recorded. Instead, we must now pay tribute to a man that the Guinness Book of World Records referred to as “The Most Successful Entertainer of All Time.”

Songs include;

1) Can You Feel It?

With the Jackson 5

2) I Want You Back

3) ABC

4) The Love You Save

5) I’ll Be There

6) Never Can Say Goodbye

Early solo sides

7) Got to Be There

8) Ben

Later solo sides

9) Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough

10) Rock With You

11) Billie Jean

12) Thriller

13) Beat It

With the Jacksons

14) Shake Your Body Down to the Ground

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-53 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 53

2009-06-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

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In the previous four or five shows, we’ve implied that Motown appeared to be struggling for relevance, while the ratio of hits started to dwindle. This show puts the lie to any of that, as it contains a higher ratio of hits than any other show in this series. A full seven of the eleven songs we feature reached the top 40. Here’s our list;

1) The Love You Save – The Jackson 5

2) The End of Our Road – Marvin Gaye

3) Just Another Morning – Michael Denton

4) Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder

5) War – Edwin Starr

6) It’s a Shame – The Spinners

7) Do You See My Love for You Growing – Jr. Walker & the All Stars

8) The Day Will Come Between Sunday and Monday – Kiki Dee

9) Everybody’s Got the Right To Love – The Supremes

10) We Can Make It Baby – The Originals

11) Stay a Little Longer – Yvonne Fair

JUNE 1969 ALBUM TRACKS

2009-06-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

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The older I get, the more I feel capable of determining which music will be deemed timeless and ‘classic’ and which can be dismissed as trendy or short-lived. Either that, or I’m so old I can’t see past the music of my own youth. The music from 1969 makes me wonder which of these options is the right one, because I seem to like so much music from this era. I’m not some ageing hippie, pining for the ‘good old days’, but I feel that there is an undeniable quality to much of the music created during this era, a quality that makes itself just as apparent to subsequent generations as it had been to mine. To varying degrees, each of the albums featured today can be considered classic; if an album has remained available forty years after its initial release, what else can you call it?

Here’s a list of songs and albums featured in today’s show;

1) You Don’t Have to Cry – Crosby. Stills & Nash (from ‘Crosby, Stills & Nash”)

2) Wooden Ships - “

3) Helplessly Hoping - “

4) St. Stephen – The Grateful Dead (from “Aoxomoxoa”)

5) China Cat Sunflower - “

6) Here Comes the Meter Man – The Meters (from ‘The Meters’)

7) Sophisticated Cissy “

8) Long Black Limousine - Elvis Presley (from ‘From Elvis in Memphis’)

9) Wearin’ That Loved On Look - "

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-52 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 52

2009-06-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

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By 1970, the material coming out of Motown was a hit-or-miss affair, even in the literal sense; There were still a few incredibly great hits emanating from the label, but there were more than a few misses as well. This show captures the ratio of hits and misses as the label attempted to adjust to a new decade, while preparing to abandon Detroit altogether.

Songs include;

1) You Need Love Like I Do (Don’t You) – Gladys Knight & the Pips

2) I Remember When (Dedicated to Beverly) – Ivy Joe

3) The Onion Song – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

4) It’s All in the Game – The Four Tops

5) Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand) – Diana Ross

6) Indiana Wants Me – R. Dean Taylor

7) Come On People – The Rustix

8) On the Brighter Side of a Blue World – The Fantastic Four

9) Who’s Gonna Take the Blame – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

10) My Baby’s Love – Arthur Adams

11) Two Feet from Happiness – Chuck Jackson

12) Ball of Confusion – The Temptations

HIT SINGLES FROM JUNE 1969

2009-06-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

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With music culture being as rich as it was forty years ago, I doubt we will a single month in 1969 that doesn’t take more than one show to convey the varied and wonderful music from this era. June is certainly no exception. Today, we will cover some of the most interesting singles to debut on this month forty years ago. Next week, we will focus on a few classic albums that were released in June ’69.

Singles covered in today’s show include;

1) My Cherie Amour – Stevie Wonder

2) What Does It Take – Jr. Walker & the All Stars

3) The Ballad of John and Yoko – The Beatles

4) Crystal Blue Persuasion – Tommy James & the Shondells

5) Israelites – Desmond Dekker

6) In the Year 2525 – Zager & Evans (as a ‘Great Miss’)

7) One – Three Dog Night

8) Black Pearl – Sonny Charles & the Checkmates

9) The Windmills of Your Mind – Dusty Springfield

10) Tomorrow, Tomorrow – The Bee Gees

11) Spinning Wheel – Blood, Sweat & Tears

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-51 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 51

2009-06-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

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Today’s show brings on a new decade for Motown. The glorious success that came with the 1960’s now turned into a challenge for the label. Times brought on a whole new set of rules for the label, and Motown did their best to adapt. By the decades end, Motown would no longer be the leading record label in the nation, but they did hold their relevance for a while longer, as the next few shows ought to attest.

Songs played today include;

1) Psychedelic Shack – The Temptations

2) The Bells – The Originals

3) My Cherie Amour – Joe Harnell

4) What’cha Gonna Do – Terry Johnson

5) Time – Edwin Starr

6) Gotta Hold On to This Feeling – Jr. Walker & the All Stars

7) I Should Be Proud – Martha Reeves & the Vandellas

8) Message from a Blackman – The Spinners

9) Life Beats – The Supremes

10) Up the Ladder to the Roof – The Supremes

11) Expressin’My Love – Stu Gardner

12) Get Ready – Rare Earth

13) ABC – The Jackson 5

Hit Songs from June 1959

2009-06-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

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In an attempt to douse the flames generated by rock and roll music, the media and conservative interests had thrown so much water at rock and roll culture that, by 1959, they nearly put the fire out entirely. Just compare the pop songs from May 1959 with those of a year or two earlier (you’ll have to check through our past shows for song titles) and you’ll see what I mean. Elvis was sent to Germany, and returned with less than half of his previous heat. Jerry Lee Lewis had been scandalized, Little Richard had quit, and Chuck Berry was marginalized, then jailed on the Mann act. Radio stations still willing to play rock and roll were being investigated for scandalous behavior. By necessity, pop music adopted a gentler edge, but speaking in a general sense, that didn’t mean that the songs were any less good. In a sense, all the hubbub forced rock and roll back to its roots, so country-western and R&B music expanded beyond regional interests and rose to national prominence in ways that couldn’t have been predicted.

Here’s a list of songs that debuted in May 1959, and are featured in today’s program;

1) The Battle of New Orleans – Johnny Horton

2) There Goes My Baby – The Drifters

3) Tiger – Fabian (as a ‘Great Miss’)

4) Lipstick on Your Collar – Connie Francis (as a ‘Great Miss’)

5) What a Difference a Day Makes – Dinah Washington

6) I Only Have Eyes for You – The Flamingoes

7) Bongo Rock – Preston Epps (as a ‘Great Miss’)

8) The Little Space Girl – Jesse Lee Turner (as a ‘Great Miss’)

9) A Cottage for Sale – Frank Sinatra (from ‘Noone Cares’)

10) Blue Moon of Kentucky – Elvis Presley (from ‘A Date With Elvis’)

11) Good Rockin’ Tonight – Elvis Presley (from ‘A Date With Elvis’)

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-50 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 50

2009-05-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

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In the wake of the Jackson 5’s remarkable debut, Motown seemed to be reinvigorated with the energy that comes from an injection of new blood. In Berry Gordy’s eyes, Michael and his brothers had provided a key to a continually prosperous future, while his ambitions for Diana Ross further fueled his ambitions. The Jackson 5 debut worked out even better than expected, while the solo career of Diana Ross would require some extra effort.

Songs featured in today’s program include;

1) If You Let Me, I Know I Can – Jimmy Ruffin

2) Gonna Put It On Your Mind – Dorothy, Oma & Zelpha

3) Someday We’ll Be Together – Diana Ross & the Supremes

4) Don’t Let Him Take Your Love From Me – The Four Tops

5) Baby, I’ll Get It – Chuck Jackson

6) What You Gave Me – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

7) Generation (Light Up the Sky) – Rare Earth

8) I’m So Glad I Fell for You – David Ruffin

9) Point It Out – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

10) Can We Talk To You? (For a Little While) – The Anonymous Children of Today

11) Can’t You Hear the Music Play – The Rustix

12) I Will Never Love Another – The Five Smooth Stones

13) How Can I Forget – Marvin Gaye

HIT SINGLES FROM MAY 1969

2009-05-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

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The funny thing about covering a year like 1969 is that it usually takes at least three week’s worth of shows to cover all of the good music that happened in a one-month time-span. So, by the time we finish covering one month (like, say, April, as we have for the past three weeks) it’s already time to start covering the next. May is no different.

May 1969 was chock full of classic songs and memorable singles. For today’s show, we’ll touch on some of the best this month had to offer, including;

1) Cissy Strut – The Meters

2) Pinball Wizard – The Who

3) More Today than Yesterday – The Spiral Starecase

4) Oh Happy Day – Edwin Hawkins Singers

5) Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival

6) Get Back – The Beatles

7) Don’t Let Me Down – The Beatles

8) Atlantis – Donovan

9) Goodbye – Mary Hopkin

10) In the Ghetto – Elvis Presley

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-49 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 49

2009-05-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

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In mid-1969, music fans may have considered Motown’s glory years to be well behind them. The unity that made their hits from 1965-1968 sound so special had eroded, and the ‘classic’ Motown sound had grown dated. The hits came less frequently as well, but one band would come along to bring Motown into the ‘70s with as much relevance and influence on culture as they had ever enjoyed.

Today’s songs include;

1) Just Another Lonely Night – The Fantastic Four

2) Midnight Cowboy – Joe Harnell

3) That’s How Heartaches Are Made – The Marvelettes

4) Home on the Range (Everybody Needs a Home) – Stu Gardner

5) A Place in the Sun – Monk Montgomery

6) Never Had a Dream Come True – Stevie Wonder

7) Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday – Stevie Wonder

8) It’s Private Tonight – Arthur Adams

9) These Eyes – Jr. Walker & the All Stars

10) Friendship Train – Gladys Knight & the Pips

11) In My Diary – The Spinners

12) I Want You Back – The Jackson 5

Album Tracks from May 1969, Part 2

2009-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

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Two weeks ago, we took a look at some of the great (and not so great) 45 RPM singles from May 1969 (you’ll find that show on this website). For perspective, we decided to cover album tracks from this same time period, but the album tracks (naturally) require a bit more space than our allotted one-hour time slot. Last week we aired part one, covering albums by Leonard Cohen, Chicago Transit Authority, The Moody Blues and Neil Young. Today, we finish our coverage of great music from 40 years ago by taking a look at a few more albums that have since been deemed ‘classic’.

Tracks include;

1) I Want to Take You Higher

2) You Can Make It If You Try – Sly and the Family Stone/Stand!

3) Country Pie

4) Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You – Bob Dylan/Nashville Skyline

5) With a Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker/ With a Little Help From My Friends

6) 1921

7) Christmas

8) Go to the Mirror Boy

9) Tommy Can You Hear Me

10) We’re Not Gonna Take It – The Who/Tommy

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-48 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 48

2009-05-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

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As we get deeper into the year 1969, we can see Motown getting deeper into funky sounds, while attempting to broaden its palette of sounds and artists. The result is a lot of good music, even if much of it does not reach the top 20. Today’s featured songs include;

1) Cheating, Is Telling on You – The Lollipops

2) Oh How Happy – Blinky & Edwin Starr

3) My Springtime – Tery Johnson

4) My Girl Has Gone – Bobby Taylor

5) I Can’t Get Next to You – The Temptations

6) That’s the Way Love Is – Marvin Gaye

7) Honey Come Back – Chuck Jackson

8) Baby, I’m For Real – The Originals

9) Taking My Love (and Leaving Me) – Martha Reeves & the Vandellas

10) In Bed – Wes Henderson

11) The Weight – Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations

12) A Whiter Shade of Pale – Shorty Long

Album Tracks from May 1969, Part 1

2009-05-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

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Our previous program featured a few standout 45 RPM singles from May of 1969,. The songs were great and did a great job of representing the era, but they barely tell half of the story. The 33-RPM album medium was fast becoming the most popular means of expression for artists, and fans took to it as well, appreciating the freedom it provided for artists to ‘stretch out’ and express themselves beyond a 3 minute single. Today’s show is the first of a two-part series covering album tracks from 40 years ago. Keep in mind, all of these albums are released during the same month, in May 1969.

Covered songs and albums include;

1) Bird on the Wire

2) Tonight Will Be Fine – Leonard Cohen/Songs from a Room

3) Beginnings

4) I’m a Man – Chicago Transit Authority/ Chicago Transit Authority

5) Lovely to See You

6) Never Comes the Day – The Moody Blues/On the Threshold of a Dream

7) Cinnamon Girl

9) Cowgirl in the Sand – Neil Young/Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-47 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 47

2009-05-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

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This point, exactly forty years ago as I type this, is when Motown starts to get a bit weird. The label with the biggest collection of stars, a bevy of ace musicians, and a reputation that is incomparable, starts to make a number of bad decisions. The music reflectds the problems, but even with so much going wrong, the label still manages an impressive degree of success. Songs from today’s show include:

1) Don’t Let the Joneses Get You Down – The Temptations

2) Just Ain’t Enough Love – The Isley Brothers

3) Green Grow the Lilacs – The Originals

4) No Matter What Sign You Are – Diana Ross & the Supremes

5) I’m Still a Struggling Man – Edwin Starr

6) The Nitty Gritty – Gladys Knight & the Pips

7) Doggone Right – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

8) Here I Go Again – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

9) Abraham, Martin & John – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

10) I’ve Lost Everything I’ve Ever Loved – David Ruffin

11) Stubborn Kind of Fellow – Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations

12) The Luney Landing – Captain Zap & the Motortown Cut-Ups

13) Oh, I’ve Been Blessed – Bobby Taylor

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-46 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 46

2009-04-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

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Coincidentally, today’s Motown program coincides with the time period we are covering during our Wednesday ‘American Hit Radio’ program. The Spring of 1969 was a rich period for pop music, but Motown was no longer leading the parade. 18 of Motown’s releases reached the top 20 in 1969. Those are good numbers by any standard, but they are disappointing when compared with the nearly 110 that charted in the five years from 1963 to 1968. Motown moved their headquarters to a glass office building in downtown Detroit, and then to the west coast, and each move took them farther away from the “blood, guts and love” that originally held the label together like a family.

Here is a list of songs from today’s program;

1) Didn’t You Know You’d Have to Cry Sometime – Gladys Knight & the Pips

2) I’ll Try Something New – Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations

3) Are You Lonely for Me, Baby? – Chuck Jackson

4) I Feel Like I’m Falling in Love Again – The Fantastic Four

5) We’ve Got Honey Love – Martha & the Vandellas

6) Runaway Child, Running Wild – Earl Van Dyke

7) For Better or Worse – Jonah Jones

8) The Composer – Diana Ross & the Supremes

9) My Cup Runneth Over – Billy Eckstine

10) Too Busy Thinking About My Baby – Marvin Gaye

11) What Is a Man – The Four Tops

12) Cherie – The Honest Men

13) What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) - Jr. Walker & the All Stars

Singles from April 1969

2009-04-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

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By the Spring of 1969, pop music’s transition from confection to personal expression was complete. Mixed in with psychological observations and pensive reflections was a huge amount of psychobabble on cultural impressions. It was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius!

Today’s show features a few random pop songs from that era. We’ll save album tracks for another show. Songs include;

1) Only the Strong Survive – Jerry Butler

2) Grazing in the Grass – Te Friends of Distinction

3) These Eyes – The Guess Who

4) The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkel

5) Stand! – Sly & the Family Stone

6) First of May – The Bee Gees

7) No, Not Much – The Vogues (as a ‘Bad Hit’)

8) Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In – The Fifth Dimension

9) Hair – The Cowsills

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-45 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 45

2009-04-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

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Our 45^th episode covering every Motown 45 RPM A-side kicks off at the start of 1969, and a label hell bent on reinventing itself as relevant to its time as it was for most of the rest of the decade. Although Motown was no longer representative of the ‘cutting edge’ of contemporary pop music, they did retain their relevance quite well, as depicted by a good number of songs from today’s show, which include;

1)I’m Gonna Hold On As Long As I Can – The Marvelettes

2) Twenty-Five Miles – Edwin Starr

3) I’m Livin’ in Shame – Diana Ross & the Supremes

4) Good Lovin’ Ain’t Easy to Come By – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

5) We’ve Got a Way Out of Love – The Originals

6) My Whole World Ended (Te Moment You Left Me) – David Ruffin

7) Muck-Arty Park – Soupy Sales

8) I Don’t Know Why I Love You – Stevie Wonder

9) My Cherie Amour – Stevie Wonder

10) Runaway Child, Running Wild – The Temptations

11) I Had a Dream – Shorty Long

12) Don’t Mess With My Weekend – Shorty Long

HOW MUSIC CHANGED PART 137-44 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 44

2009-04-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

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For all the struggling that we spoke of regarding Motown’s near-fanatical attempt to stay on top after the departure of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team, the facts tell a different story. Yes, some artists were struggling to maintain (or develop) their profile, but the end of 1968 proved to be Motown’s most success-filled era, claiming 5 positions in the nation’s top 10. As the year ended, Motown could simply point to the Billboard chart to prove all naysayers wrong. Two of those five tracks feature in today’s show, which includes;

1) Way Over There – Edwin Starr

2) All Because I Love You – The Isley Brothers

3) I Wouldn’t Change the Man He Is – Blinky

4) Gonna Keep on Trying Till I Win Your Love – Jimmy Ruffin

5) The Impossible Dream – Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations

6) I’m Gonna Make You Love Me – D. Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations

7) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – The Temptations

8) I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye

9) This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) – Tammi Terrell

10) Baby Baby Don’t Cry – The Miracles

11) Home Cookin’ – Jr. Walker & the All Stars

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 137-43 - EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN 'A' SIDE, PART 43

2009-04-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

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Our 43^rd episode covering every Motown 45-RPM A-side finds the label in recovery mode, doing their best to deal with the absence of their ace songwriting team, Holland/Dozier/Holland, who left under difficult circumstances. While Motown and the songwriting team sued each other, the artists did their best to maintain the label’s dominance. Today’s show covers both the failures and the successes from this era. Songs include:

1) I’m in a Different World – The Four Tops

2) I Love You Madly – The Fantastic Four

3) Keep On Lovin’ Me Honey – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

4) Love Child – Diana Ross & the Supremes

5) You Could Never Love Him Like I Love Him – Barbara McNair

6) I’ll Pick a Rose for My Rose – Marv Johnson

7) Malinda – Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers

8) Sweet Darlin’ – Martha & the Vandellas

9) For Once in My Life – Stevie Wonder

10) I Comma Zimba Zio (Here I Stand Mighty One) – Abdullah

11) Bad, Bad Weather (Till You Get Home) – The Spinners

12) Cloud Nine – The Temptations

ALBUM TRACKS FROM THE LATE '80s - PT. 2

2009-04-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

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After an absence of about a week (due to an April Fool’s promo at the radio station that had me hosting a sports talk show (!), we are back to doing what we know best, or what we at least know more than nothing………

We’ last covered album tracks from 1988-89, and I threatened a second show, so here it is.

Songs include;

1) The Night’s Too Long – Lucinda Williams

2) Better Be Home Soon – Crowded House

3) Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A.

4) Anchorage – Michelle Shocked

5) Had a Dad – Jane’s Addiction

6) Tennessee Plates – John Hiatt

7) Strange Boat – The Waterboys

8) Everything’s Different Now – ‘Til Tuesday

9) World Leader Pretend – R.E.M.

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 137-42 - EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN 'A' SIDE, PART 42

2009-03-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

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The year 1968 was not Motown’s strongest year, as can be determined by today’s show. That’s not to say that the music is bad (it isn’t), but only that the label was struggling in the wake of losing key personnel (Holland-Dozier-Holland, mostly) and the changing times that rendered singles to be less ‘cool’ than they were just a year ago. Eventually the label would work all of this out and return to the level of renown to which they had grown accustomed. Meanwhile, this show captures the label as it tries to rediscover its footing. Here’s a list of songs from today’s program;

1) Special Occasion – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

2) A Little Bit for Sandy – Paul Peterson

3) I Wish It Would Rain – Gladys Knight & the Pips

4) For the Love of Ivy – Billy Eckstine

5) Can I Get a Witness – Barbara Randolph

6) Chained – Marvin Gaye

7) Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream – The Ones

8) Step by Step (Hand in Hand) – The Monitors

9) Alfie – Eivets Rednow

10) Destination: Anywhere – The Marvelettes

11) Think (About the Good Things) – The Detroit Wheels

12) His Eye Is on the Sparrow – Marvin Gaye

13) Just a Closer Walk with Thee – Gladys Knight & the Pips

GREAT ALBUM TRACKS FROM THE LATE '80s - Pt. 1

2009-03-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

PLAY THE SHOW

Last week, we ripped the ’80 s apart by concentrating out program on a few of the worst singles from that era (and a few good ones, too, to be honest…). It was a convenient (and fun) perspective, but it didn’t paint a true picture of the era, because albums from the late ‘80s were fairly awesome. Here is just a small taste of album tracks from that era – more will follow!

Today’s tracks include;

1) Cactus – The Pixies

2) (Nothing But) Flowers – The Talking Heads

3) This Note’s for You – Neil Young

4) Lock, Stock & Teardrops – k.d. lang

5) Similar Features – Melissa Etheridge

6) Rank Strangers to Me – Bob Dylan

7) Eye of Fatima (Pt. 1) – Camper Van Beethoven

8) I’ll Tell Me Ma – Van Morrison

9) Roll With It – Steve Winwood