An overlooked cover tune CXC

Kudos to KVMR for playing Alison Brown's version of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" this morning.  I never imagined it as a banjo instrumental, but it translates easily.  Banjo tunes tend to be upbeat by default, but Brown shows that the instrument also conveys bittersweet sentiments effectively.

In memory of Dash Crofts

I was sorry to learn yesterday that Dash Crofts, half of the singer-songwriter duo Seals & Crofts, passed away.  In his memory, here are two Seals & Crofts album tracks and six of their hits that appeal most to me:

• Dance By The Light Of The Moon (It puzzles me that this wasn't a hit.  With such mass appeal sentiments and a hook so upbeat, it's immediately radio-friendly.  Despite this, I've only heard one commercial station, WFXB, play it during its AAA-format days as "The Fox.") 
• Desert People (This is a comforting way to envision a utopia where "even the desert will bloom.")
• Diamond Girl ("Diamond Girl" contains one of the most memorable, distinctive hooks of any '70s soft rock hit.)
• Hummingbird ("Hummingbird" has a somewhat unusual structure for a pop tune, but that's part of its appeal.  Its chorus, "Hummingbird, don't fly away, fly away," often comes to mind at unexpected moments.)
• I'll Play For You (Lyrically, this is a sunny, inviting way to start a concert and a smart way to get the audience on your side.)
• Summer Breeze (Lyrically, vocally, and instrumentally, "Summer Breeze" has held up strongly since 1972.  The relaxing images it evokes hold up in any era, accounting for its omnipresent place on oldies and soft rock station playlists.  Bob Baldwin, Bobby Broom, and The Isley Brothers have all recorded good covers of it.)
• We May Never Pass This Way Again-Seals & Crofts (This is my favorite Seals & Crofts song, as it's one of the best tunes about appreciating the best parts of life when they happen.  I've thought of it often when leaving homes, jobs, and schools.  Its lyrical sentimentality is appropriate in any era.) 
• You're The Love (This isn't usually played on the radio these days, and that's a shame; with its breezy hook, it's as accessible and easy on the ears as many of the duo's other hits.)

SiriusXM highlights CLXX

Thursday afternoon highlights:

Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals

• Found-Martin Gauffin (The echo on the guitar gives this comforting melody added gravity.)

The Bridge Deep Cuts

• Another Rainy Day In New York City-Chicago (This is one of Chicago's underrated hits.  Despite its title, the vibe in the vocals and horns is encouragingly sunny.)

Carolina Shag Radio

• Give Me Just A Little More Time-The Chairmen Of The Board (I've always liked the general attitude of these lyrics, as it's a realistic way of saying, "Not every decision we make as a couple will be perfect, but we'll have a bright future together.")

Happy Dance

• Strike It Up-Black Box ("Strike It Up" and Black Box's other two dance hits, "Everybody Everybody" and "I Don't Know Anybody Else," have all held up equally well.  Since 1991, all of them have likely been played at wedding receptions.)

Happy Oldies

• Dance With Me-Orleans (I've never tired of hearing this 1975 oldie.  Its sentiments are appropriate in any era, and the opening guitar lick draws me in every time.  Also recommended: "Love Takes Time," which the radio overlooks these days, and Earl Klugh's pleasant guitar instrumental cover of "Dance With Me.") 

Indie 1.0

• Chicago-Sufjan Stevens (Lyrically, this is an honest accounting of how the world can seem wide open to you in your early 20s and that at least a few miscues are inevitable.)

Lo-Fi Cafe

• The Artist Weeps-Daryl Donald (It wouldn't be much of a stretch for Michael Franks to record a similar version of this track.)
• Cali Bossa-luv pug/Sweeps/CMJ (Warm bossa nova guitar against an unobtrusive beat.)

The Village

• These Times We're Living In-Kate Wolf (Less than great times for the world should make all of us more thankful for everyone in our lives who means something to us.)

Watercolors

• Meet Me In Malibu-Pamela Williams (Upbeat smooth jazz saxophone.)

FM dial scan highlights CCC

Five Wednesday afternoon standouts:

WSIE 88.7 FM 

• Working Day And Night-Big Mike Hart (This infectious mostly instrumental cover of a Michael Jackson track is one of my early 2026 favorites.  Hart nails the tune's feel adroitly on the electric bass.)
• Chillax-Norman Brown (An aptly titled smooth jazz guitar melody.)

KWUR 90.3 FM

• Scottish Tea-The Amboy Dukes (I was surprised to hear this on KWUR.  In fact, I'd be gobsmacked to hear it on any station or stream these days, as this 1968 melody fit for bagpipes, transformed into a guitar-led instrumental, isn't an obvious playlist pick these days.  Also recommended: "Journey To The Center Of The Mind.")
• Please Come To Boston (Live)-Joan Baez (Baez's soprano fits this version of the Dave Loggins hit perfectly.)

K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. WFUN-HD2

• Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Scherzo Allegro-Trio-Tempo I-Presto (Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter, conductor) (The strings convey an inviting dance compellingly before the stormy fourth movement, Allegro, crashes in.)

Persistent earworm alert CDXXVIII

Now, this is a great rhythm to have stuck in one's mind.  I don't know how this tune escaped my notice in 2016, but since hearing "Everyday" by Sacred Paws on Community Radio St. Louis last night, I've marveled at how integral the drums and guitar are in underscoring the catchy vocals.  I've had similar reactions in past years to "Nothing But Flowers" by Talking Heads and Poi Dog Pondering's "Circle Around The Sun."  All three songs share a somewhat exotic vibe in the same general ballpark.

You know a rhythm is strong when it seems reasonable to hire a cadre of fans to lead audiences in clapping along with it.  The tune runs just over three minutes, but I'd welcome a version at least twice as long. 

Context? CDXXVIII

In July 1997, a commercial on WEW began, "Are your current ways for attracting business not working?  Perhaps you should consider one of the most effective forms of visual advertising--signs."

The announcer then touted the benefits of having Signarama create signs for one's business.  Hearing that ad on tape recently made me think, "Have I heard any commercials for sign-making businesses since then?  I'm not sure I have."

Sign-making is an obvious idea for a business.  Ironically, though, it's one of the least-advertised ones I've ever heard. 

A petty fixation XLIX

In 1997, I was incredulous when I heard a new radio station, WALC, i.e. "Alice at 104.1," say in its promos, "You might not have heard of the music (we play...)"  I thought, "These are major pop hits that other stations have played for years.  These songs are also heard frequently in stores and other businesses.  To even casual listeners, most of these songs should be familiar.  Maybe they wouldn't be if you've made a concerted effort not to hear any pop music for at least the past decade.  If that's the case, though, why would this station draw you in?" 

Sometimes, it doesn't take much to trigger my inner music snob.