Stingray Music highlights LXI

Standout tracks heard today:

Alt Country-Americana

• I-89-I'm With Her (Sometimes, you just need space.  This is yet another example of fine vocal harmony from one of this year's strongest releases, "See You Around.")

The Chill Lounge

• Latin Note-St. Germain (How A Vibraphone-Dominated Rhythm Section Sustains A Groove: Exhibit A.)

Gospel

• Living Word-Derrick Jackson (An uplifting piano melody that could also fit into a smooth jazz format.)

Holiday Hits

• This Land Is Your Land-Arlo Guthrie & Woody Guthrie (Sentiments worth remembering during fractured times.) 

Jazz Now

• Dedicated To You-Regina Carter (Carter's tone shimmers on the violin, as usual.)

Motown

• He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'-Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers (Most listeners who recognize this tune are probably more familiar with the versions by The Velvelettes or Bananarama.  It works even better without vocals in this incarnation, as the organ stylings are reminiscent of Booker T.)

Nature

• Night On The Lake-John Grout (This could segue with or underscore Martin Denny's "Quiet Village.")

Only in college XLIX

Sometimes, disparate elements come together unexpectedly well.  In the early '90s, I created the following announcement for my answering machine:

KRJY newscast excerpt: The town of Columbia, Missouri has been ranked number five on Money Magazine's list of the nation's best places to live.
Me (with Art Of Noise's "Close (To The Edit)" in the background:) How about that?  We were living right in the lap of luxury, and we didn't even know it.  Well, the scholars of room 708 don't take any rash statement at face value, so we've set off to cruise the countryside.  We're going to ramble through the amber waves of grain and then come back and tell you where Columbia really stacks up.  It'll be a long trip, and we have no idea when we'll return...

Actually, Columbia, Missouri was--and, I'm sure, still is--a nice place to live.  Money's fifth place ranking of the town was probably pretty accurate.

Persistent (revisited) earworm alert C

Once again, "Love Shack" by The B-52s has lodged itself in my mind--but with a twist this time.  I've been imagining Chris Thile and the other musicians from NPR's "Live From Here" performing it in the style of the show's theme song, "Radio Boogie."  Imagining "Love Shack" in that acoustic setting improves the tune, in my opinion, and makes it a lot more palatable.

Online radio sampler highlights LXXVI

Eight noteworthy songs heard today:

KALX (Berkeley, CA)

• The Emancipation Procrastination-Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (Imagine a more expansive, experimental version of Herb Alpert's "Rise," in which the trumpeter and other instrumentalists journey off on various whims.)

KUOI (Moscow, ID)

• Bedroom Eyes-The Dum Dum Girls (This power pop tune has a solid hook with a hint of Belinda Carlisle in the vocals, blended with driving guitar and drums.  "Turn To You" by The Go-Gos would sound compatible after it.)

KUVO (Denver, CO)

• Move-Miles Davis (This leadoff track from the landmark "Birth Of The Cool" album lets the listener hear Davis playing in a fast big band style.  Compared to his later work, this sounds relatively traditional.  Another Davis gem from 1949: "Godchild.")
• Sunday Nostalgia-Shamie Royston (Warm, endearing piano-anchored jazz fit for a rainy day or any other time of unhurried contemplation.  Royston's version of the Bill Withers tune, "Lovely Day," is another highlight of her new release, "Beautiful Liar.")

WUMB (Boston, MA)

• (If You Were) In My Movie-Suzanne Vega (Vega's voice fits the delivery of her artfully suggestive lyrics perfectly.)
• Iowa-Dar Williams (Williams sings movingly about someone whose emotional courage ranks around the J. Alfred Prufrock level.  For additional gravity in the vocals, seek out the version featuring Sara & Sean Watkins, Motherlode & Mary Chapin Carpenter.)
• If I Had A Boat-Lyle Lovett (One of Lovett's best melodies and best-structured tunes.  I've always liked the way these lyrics build on each other)
• The Devil's Paintbrush Road-The Wailin' Jennys (This catchy, sobering number lays out the pitfalls of being a lone wolf.)

"It's 90 degrees here, but a scorching 91 degrees there."

I've always found it silly that some radio stations insist on giving temperatures for multiple municipalities in the same region.  (i.e. "In Kirkwood, it's 83 degrees, Webster Groves reports 82, and it's 84 degrees in Ladue.")  I always think, "These towns are all part of the same metro region.  The temperatures aren't going to vary that much." 

Then again, in this parochial city of St. Louis, with its 88 municipalities, maybe mentioning specific towns frequently reinforces the local nature of radio and keeps people listening longer.

Reconsidered merit III

The bass line, seemingly played on strings made from rubber bands, got the song off to a bad start for me.  For years, I told people it was one of the most off-putting intros to any pop song I'd heard.  Lyrically and vocally, the song didn't appeal to me, either.  Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" topped the charts in 1966.  Although it still isn't one of my favorite songs, I understand why it resonates with so many listeners.  For some listeners, it must feel cathartic to hear after you've been betrayed.  Sinatra sings the lyrics with resolved toughness, a quality that's often compromised after being jilted.  Being reminded that a rejection isn't necessarily the end of the world has to be reassuring.  In addition, if you want a constant reminder of inner strength to play in your mind, the chorus of "These Boots..." is nearly impossible to forget.  While I wouldn't say that I like the song, I respect it more than I used to.

Fortuitous interference

Usually, it's annoying to hear two radio stations at the same time.  Once, during the '80s, however, interference between two stations amused me.  While one AM station aired a furniture store commercial, another station's music gave the commercial unintended syrupy underscoring.  As an announcer raved about the incredible furniture bargains, a crooner on another station sang, "It's truuuuuuuue...It's truuuuuuuue..."

It would have been even funnier if the commercial had touted lounge furniture.

Persistent earworm alert XCIX

Any album rock station looking for a safe choice cut would be wise to play the song running through my mind--Autograph's "Turn Up The Radio."  I don't typically seek that song out, but it must go over well with most classic rock listeners; it's a high energy track whose right-there-on-the-surface title and chorus sum up the nature of a classic rock format.

Maybe so, but...

I once read about a famous musician who mused that his lyrics might all be written down somewhere, and that he might just be "a courier bringing (them) into the world."

"Even if that's true," I thought, "that sounds incredibly pretentious.  Some thoughts are better left unsaid."

No marches, at least, this year?

Last July 4, I told a neighbor I was on the fence about whether I should play patriotic music that day.  I decided to play my usual July 4 rotation of music; I thought, "Regardless of what I think about the state of things, the country is larger and the concept of America is bigger than any individual who holds the highest office.  Besides, a beautiful piece of music is still a beautiful piece of music."

This year, especially in light of recent shameful events, I'm wondering if it might be more appropriate to just play Paul Simon's "American Tune" repeatedly.  Sadly, Simon's lyrics about wondering what has gone wrong are even more applicable today than when Simon wrote them.  Midnight Oil's "My Country" would be an appropriate choice, as well.

I suspect others are having this same debate with themselves.

Only in college XLVIII

In late 1990, climatologist Iben Browning predicted there was a 50% chance of an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault.  Naturally, as a college student in Columbia, Missouri at the time, this was unwelcome news.  That week, I recorded the following announcement for my answering machine with Stanley Clarke's instrumental, "Hello Jeff," playing in the background:

"Iben Browning thinks we'll all be toast before the week's out, so we're going to go down to our graves with a rhythm that outquakes 'em all..."

Fortunately, the earthquake didn't happen, but I enjoyed pairing Browning's prediction with a great electric bass number.

Rotating word results

Another feature of my college creative writing notebook, ROAM (Remnants Of Abstract Minds), involved alternating spontaneous words until we formed a sentence or question.  In one instance, contributor Miranda and I came up with the following question:

Which mouse sings opera about women while Sanka perks?

Not content to just leave it there, I put an asterisk next to the question we'd just created and came up with my own related lyrics, intended to be sung to the tune of Sammy Davis, Jr.'s "The Candy Man:"

"Who can brew the Sanka, sing Italian, too?  Who can serve your coffee with an aria or two? Die Fleder'mouse' can..."

I'm still sort of proud of that.

SiriusXM highlights XCII

Standout tracks heard yesterday:

'60s On 6

• Because-The Dave Clark Five (I'd swear I've heard at least a few hundred songs with lyrics that only feel about 10 or 15% different from these.  Yet, I always let this song play out when I hear it on the radio.  That's a testimony to how well the group conveyed universal sentiments.)

'80s On 8

• Winning-Santana (Not a typical pop hit arrangement; I haven't heard it on the radio in years, so it was a breath of fresh air to hear this tale of triumph again.  I also remember hearing it as a listener's dedication to herself on "American Top 40."  That was also atypical.)

The Coffee House

• King Of The Road-She & Him (A solid cover from a surprising source.  I never expected to hear Zooey Deschanel sing this, but she pulls it off.)

Deep Tracks

• Father And Daughter-Paul Simon (I always thought this track was underplayed on the radio.  Simon's heartfelt lyrics and low-key delivery on this tune should resonate with many families.)

Real Jazz

• Paris Eyes-Larry Young (A pleasant organ groove that would segue with "Strollin'," as performed by the Gene Harris Quartet.)
  

Soul Town

• Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing-Stevie Wonder (An ear-catching piano vamp with instant atmosphere and vocals to match; this is one of Wonder's most appealing efforts--and that's saying something for an artist whose career exceeds 50 years.)
• Wade In The Water-Ramsey Lewis (If you like the way Lewis plays "The In Crowd," this should also appeal to you.  The horns augment an already strong tune.)

Watercolors

• Soulful-Cal Harris, Jr. (A piano and saxophone groove that throbs appealingly.)

Stingray Music highlights LX

Standout selections heard yesterday:

Alt Country-Americana

• Hole-Tracy Grammer (When I think of Grammer's music, the first song that usually comes to mind is "Tanglewood Tree," with Dave Carter.  If you're expecting that type of arrangement here, you're in for a surprise.  "Hole" is forthright in its brave admissions and its dark accompaniment.)

Baroque

• J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV.1009 (Helen Callus, viola) (From the opening notes of the prelude, it's obvious that this piece for cello sounds just as lyrical on the viola.) 

Cool Jazz

• Walk Between The Raindrops-John Pizzarelli (A good lounge-style cover of the Donald Fagen tune; it could segue with another perked-up cover, "Misty" by Richard "Groove" Holmes.)

Easy Listening

• Song To The Moon-Andre Rieu (An elegant piece for violin.)

Everything '80s

• Gemini Dream-The Moody Blues ("The Voice," the leadoff track from the "Long Distance Voyager" album, still gets the lion's share of the radio airplay today, but "Gemini Dream" deserves its due.  There's a different energy on this track that's worth hearing.)

Folk Roots

• Talkin' Bout A Revolution-Tracy Chapman (A well-stated acknowledgment that the deck of life is stacked against some people for no good reason.)

Retro R&B

•  (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher-Jackie Wilson (The original, fast version of this tune.  Ten years after this was released, Rita Coolidge captured the late '70s pop music sensibility with a somewhat reworked version that was a huge hit.  Both versions warrant airplay.)

Only in college XLVII

A college DJ in the early '90s used to give his seal of approval to certain jazz tunes by saying on-air that the songs were "doing it to you in your earhole."  I would never have used that phrasing on-air, but for that DJ, it somehow worked. 

Not many DJs can pull off that word choice without sounding bizarre.

SiriusXM highlights XCI

Thursday morning highlights:

'40s Junction

• The Starlit Hour-Ella Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald sings sentiments appropriate for any era.  I wish I'd thought to play this on WEW.)

The Bridge

• Operator-Jim Croce (One of the most thoughtful, tuneful examples of talking through what you're feeling and reconsidering your original plan.)

The Coffee House

• 1979 (Exclusive)-Freedom Fry (Lyrically, this Smashing Pumpkins tune works well in a soft, acoustic setting.)

Real Jazz

• Just Feelin'-McCoy Tyner (Although I listen mostly to Tyner's 1985, piano-centered version, this 1979 rendition lets you hear George Adams carry the infectious, uptempo melody on tenor sax.)
• The Peacocks-Stan Getz (Getz's saxophone conjures up images of a desolate, moonlit street.)

Studio 54 Radio

• If I Can't Have You-Yvonne Elliman (Elliman's smash dance hit still holds up, 40 years later.  Also recommended: Elliman's cover of "Hello Stranger.")

Watercolors

• Mas Que Nada-Marc Antoine (Some listeners criticize smooth jazz remakes of traditional jazz or pop songs as too watered down.  This is one remake, however, where the artist's commitment to the tune and energy level are just as solid as the original artist's.)

Stingray Music highlights LIX

Wednesday afternoon standouts:

The Asian Flavour

• Kuai Yu Zi (Yan Zou Ban)-Crowd Lu (Lu Guang Zhong) (An ambling-down-a-country-road guitar instrumental that I could imagine Dave Evans or Brooks Williams playing.)

Cool Jazz

• Francesca-John Pizzarelli (An appealing, easy-on-the-ears guitar and piano number.)

Folk Roots

• Carolina Wind-Irene Kelley (Kelley expresses sincere sentiments about returning to a place you've missed.)
• I Couldn't Breathe-Kirsten Maxwell (Maxwell sings about a take-your-breath-away experience to which everyone can relate.)

Jazz Masters

• Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me-Ben Webster (Shimmering tone on saxophone, as usual.) 

Smooth Jazz

• Put It Where You Want It-Everette Harp & Jeff Golub (A fine cover of one of the most memorable hooks The Crusaders ever crafted.) 

Soul Storm

• Fall For You-Leela James (Movingly emotive vocals and piano.)

A segue for somebody

Today, I sought out two songs from the '80s that I hadn't heard in years.  Karla Bonoff's "Somebody's Eyes," despite being used in the movie, "Footloose," wasn't a top 40 hit.  "Nobody" by Sylvia, a melody that came to mind today, was a fairly big hit in late 1982.  I wonder if any radio station or streaming service has ever segued either of those songs with the other.  Lyrically, the songs are compatible.  Both songs are about a woman trying to keep a rival for her significant other's affection at bay through surveillance.  Both songs also contain radio-friendly hooks in similar tempos.  Although neither song is likely at the forefront of most listeners' minds today, a soft rock station with a broad enough playlist should make room for both of them.

FM dial scan highlights XCVIII

Late May and early June highlights:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Berlin, Teach Me To Love-Beams (Lyrically, this release from February segues well with Sunflower Bean's "I Was A Fool."  The conviction with which the chorus is sung sells it.)
• Lotta Love-Nicolette Larson (Yes, this was played on KDHX--during Dr. Jeff's third annual yacht rock special on "The Big Bang."  It was an enjoyable three hours of mid '70s-mid '80s soft rock.  Not everyone knows this is Neil Young's song; although I enjoy his plaintive, heartfelt version on the "Live Rust" album, I enjoy Larson's version even more; she does the song justice by upping the tempo and singing it with full-throated conviction.)
• Sail On-The Commodores (Another highlight from "The Big Bang"'s yacht rock special; I've always thought this was one of Lionel Richie's best efforts.  The even-tempered acceptance with which he sings about a relationship ending is fairly unusual for a pop song, and it's an attitude everyone could stand to emulate.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Summer Soft-Stevie Wonder (All songs of rejection ought to be this tuneful.  This is one of a great many highlights from "Songs In The Key Of Life," one of the best albums ever released.)
• Fire Of Love-Gabriela Anders (The breathy delivery in which Anders sings this and other tracks on the "Wanting" album serves the lyrics well.)

KWMU 90.7 FM

• Come Sunday-Ben Webster & Oscar Peterson (Webster brings out the beauty of this Duke Ellington tune on tenor sax, and Peterson underscores it beautifully on piano.)
• Sister Sadie-Woody Herman (Herman and company make a strong case for billing themselves as "the swingin'est big band ever" on this track from their 1963 album.) 

K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. KNOU-HD2 

• Anton Diabelli: Heroic Music For Six Trumpets And Timpani: III. Allegro vivace, Allegro risoluto (Seattle Trumpet Consort) (If this movement was playing when I entered a room, I'd want to have plenty of well-reasoned insights about the state of the world and witty quips ready.  I wouldn't be living up to the music's promise otherwise.)

"The station to vanquish all stations!"

It's understandable that a new radio station would want to drum up excitement for its new format.  One station got a tad silly about this in the '90s, however. 

"As of now," a craggy prerecorded voice intoned on the station's first day, "St. Louis radio is extinct."

Nice try, but...no.  St. Louis radio wasn't extinct.  There were still plenty of other formats from which to choose on the dial.  The new station might have pleased listeners looking for a regular rotation of contemporary hits, but it didn't supplant all other stations.

In memory of Danny Kirwan

Former Fleetwood Mac member Danny Kirwan passed away Friday.  As one of the band's singer-songwriter guitarists from 1968 to 1972, he was a key part of the band's transition from blues-rock to album rock.  In my opinion, these are six of his best contributions to Fleetwood Mac:

• Bare Trees (When I was in college, I started looking for pre-1975 Fleetwood Mac albums to fill in the gaps in my collection.  One of the first tracks that got my attention was Kirwan's title track from Fleetwood Mac's 1972 album.  The opening guitar lick and steady, of-its-time groove made me listen to it repeatedly for a time.  Lyrically, it doesn't say anything more than it needs to.)
• Dust (This "Bare Trees" album track captures the finality of death.  It isn't usually played on the radio and isn't intended to be a concert number that has people on their feet, singing along, "When we are dust, When we are dust..."  Instead, it's a thoughtful, somber song that makes you think about how lucky we are to be here and how fleeting life is.) 
• Jewel Eyed Judy (One of several highlights from the "Kiln House" album; it's a relatable, forcefully sung tune about wanting someone back in your life.)
• Jigsaw Puzzle Blues (Kirwan turns this Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang's Blue Five tune into an impressive guitar instrumental.  Not every guitarist can translate a clarinet line this successfully to a guitar, but Kirwan does.  Whenever I hear Fleetwood Mac's version, I picture groggy people stumbling down the stairs to start their day.)
• Station Man (One of the best "Kiln House" tracks; it takes its time building instrumentally, and it's a strong example of the band's vocal camaraderie.)
• Sunny Side Of Heaven (I've always thought this somewhat overlooked midtempo instrumental from the "Bare Trees" album was titled appropriately.)

Just say or play something...

One day, I learned the value of always having music cued up.  I was filling in on a Sunday morning radio shift, playing mostly prerecorded financial, inspirational, and international shows.  A show on cassette that was supposed to run 30 minutes ended unexpectedly after 15 minutes.

"Looks like the show wrapped up early this week," I ad-libbed.  "Let's hear from Duke Ellington with 'Warm Valley...'"

"Warm Valley" was an incongruous segue with the program that ended abruptly, but it--and the music I chose hastily after it--filled 15 minutes better than silence.

You never know when you might need to prevent dead air.

Persistent earworm alert XCVIII

A good mental companion piece for the jingle I wrote about four days ago: If you listened to St. Louis radio or watched St. Louis TV stations with any frequency in the early '80s, you heard this jingle.  Ready?  Here goes...

..."Tile Town Carpet Ciiiiiity..."

Remember it now?

Uncomfortable but honest lyrics

Hearing England Dan & John Ford Coley's "It's Sad To Belong" on the radio for the first time in years yesterday got me thinking.  While its general sentiment of longing isn't unusual for a pop song, the resigned wistfulness of the song's premise stands out.  The protagonist wishes he could get into a time machine and choose to be with someone who seems perfect for him now; he goes home, however, to someone else he once thought was the one.  There's no trace of anger or bitterness in his acknowledgment of this, however--just an admission that the choices we make are based on the options we have and how we feel at the time.

I still think that's one of the braver admissions I've heard in a pop song.

"Severely congested? Let's talk..."

When you've committed yourself to a pretend radio station you've created whose shows exist only on cassettes that few people will ever hear, you have considerable free reign.  Thus, on a day when my sinuses were clogged, I said over instrumental opening of a tune, "Ugggggghhhhhhhh...It's allergy season, and I can't breathe worth a damn today.  If you're in the same boat, call in, and we'll commiserate.  Meanwhile, the music continues with Pablo Cruise..."

I'm fairly certain no one else has ever introduced "Love Will Find A Way" in that manner.

"Prove you're listening, and win a prize."

One early morning in the '80s, I heard one DJ say to another, "Do you ever wonder who's listening to us at this hour?  Let's find out.  Be the first caller and win--what?" 

"A Mr. Potato Head," the other DJ ad-libbed.

I still wonder if whoever the first caller was held them to that promise.

Persistent earworm alert XCVII

Although I never bought anything from the now defunct National Supermarkets, their radio and TV jingle is embedded deeply into my psyche.  Sometimes, when strolling through a park on a pleasant day, I'll remember jingle singers from 30 years ago belting out, "At National Supermarkets, you're important to us!"  The show biz razzle dazzle in the vocals makes the jingle so memorable, long after the chain's St. Louis closing.

Caring a bit too much about music

It's possible to get carried away during a pledge drive.  I once heard a DJ say on-air how much the station's DJs care about music--to the point, he said, where sometimes, they let jobs and families "go by the wayside, (and) we'll end up living on the street, (but) we don't care.  We only care about the music."

Even though the DJ's hyperbole was obvious, I couldn't blame his pledge drive co-host for responding, "Speak for yourself."

Ingenious cats?

Heard years ago during a radio station pledge drive: "And, we have two felines to thank...Those little rascals have learned how to use the telephone and apparently have gotten a charge card out of one of our wallets..."

Perhaps some applause was in order.  Not all cats show that kind of initiative in supporting good, tasteful radio. 

On the other hand, it's also cause for alarm.

Recalling the countdowns-by-mail days

It amuses me to think that during the '80s and early '90s, I took radio station countdowns so seriously that I would send self-addressed stamped envelopes to various radio stations; they, in turn, would send me a copy of their year-end countdowns or top-however-many-songs-of-all-time survey results.  I'd pore over these for predictable and not-so-predictable results.  (A not-so-predictable example: "Lollipop" by The Chordettes finished ahead of "Eleanor Rigby" in one station's 1989 top-400-oldies-of-all-time survey.  Granted, a lot of Beatles songs make the countdown, quite rightly, so votes were split among a lot of their songs.) 

I always had to remind myself that the rankings didn't really matter.  They were just results from those who responded to a survey.  Also, don't most of our minds freeze, to some degree, when we're asked to name our favorite songs of all time?  Not all of us are as arbitrary in our choices as Rob Gordon in "High Fidelity."  The songs that come to mind first aren't always our true favorites; they're often just ones most frequently played on the radio or streaming services.  Also, there's no accounting for taste.  For whatever reasons, "Lollipop" speaks to some listeners. 

Unless you're the one counting the votes, you also have no idea how accurate a survey really is.  Accurate or not, however, there's something about seeing an official list of ranked songs to make you take some of them more seriously--or wonder what on Earth your fellow music listeners were thinking when they were surveyed.