Idealism vs. realism

The first time I heard the beat being used in a Pepsi Zero Sugar commercial, I thought, just for a moment, "Am I about to hear Kool & The Gang's 'Let's Go Dancin?'"  Then, immediately, I thought, "No, of course not.  It's a good tune, but this is a new product; logically, they're going to use more contemporary music."

Such is my idealism about music that I thought, just for a second, a hit that just grazed the charts in late 1982 and early '83 would be used in a commercial.  Is this what people meant when they wrote, "Don't ever change," in my high school yearbook?

In memory of Leon Redbone

I was sorry to learn of Leon Redbone's passing at age 69 today.  As a song selector and interpreter, he was anachronistic in the most complimentary sense.  To my ears, these are six of his best interpretations:

• Ain't Misbehavin' (Redbone's voice and guitar are ideal for this Fats Waller tune.)
• Frosty The Snowman (Redbone's voice suits the tune especially well, particularly on the "thumpity thump thump"s, and Dr. John's vocals add grit.  It's a fun romp that commercial radio stations ought to play.)   
• If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven (It's reassuring to hear in Redbone's voice that even when the people we treasure most depart from this Earth, we'll see them again.)
• Lazy River (The Mills Brothers, Bobby Darin, and Chet Atkins & Les Paul recorded strong versions of this Hoagy Carmichael-Sidney Arodin tune, but Redbone sings it with an extra layer of authenticity.  As on "Ain't Misbehavin'," his voice is a natural fit.)
• Shine On, Harvest Moon (It speaks well of Lorne Michaels and company that during the '70s, there was a place on "Saturday Night Love" for a left field throwback such as Redbone to perform a gem like this.) 
• Wanna Go Back Again Blues (The lyrics empathize with anyone who feels wistful for bygone times.  The Dixieland band accompaniment should help pep a homesick person up.)

Online radio sampler highlights XCII

Late night standouts:

KFJC (Los Altos Hills, CA)

• Glory Canon III-Kali Malone (When your mind has turned to sludge, and it's a challenge to process even the simplest thought, this is your soundtrack--an organ dirge with a lot of held chords.)

WPMM (Pensacola, FL) 

• Smooth Grove-Paul Hardcastle (An aptly named, easy-on-the-ears groove for saxophone and rhythm section, with flute augmentation, as needed.)
• After Hours (The Antidote)-Ronny Jordan (An immediately accessible midtempo guitar groove; this was a staple cut at KNJZ.)

WSPS (Concord, NH)

• Mrs. Robinson-The Lemonheads (This '90s cover of the Simon & Garfunkel hit lends itself surprisingly well to the kick Evan Dando and company give it.  If you like the feel of this, check out the Arlen Roth/Albert Lee cover, as well.)

WUSC (Columbia, SC)

• Couldn't I Just Tell You-Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (Sweet and Hoffs capture the spirit of one of Todd Rundgren's best songs.  Sweet nails the blistering guitar, and Hoffs does the lead vocals justice.)

An ill-advised risk

During an orchestra rehearsal when I was in high school, one player asked the conductor, "Why is (so-and-so) ranked ahead of me (in the chair placements?)"  The conductor answered matter-of-factly, "He plays better than you."

If you don't want a conductor to answer a question in front of the orchestra, it's best not to ask in front of the orchestra.

Recalling the marathon countdown days

Sometimes, I miss the days when Memorial Day weekend carried no greater responsibility for me than listening to KSHE's "Rock And Roll 500" countdown.  I had no idea how the song rankings were determined, but I was always curious to hear if the top-ranked song would be a surprise.  Occasionally, instead of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" or The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again," the number one song would be "Roundabout" by Yes or Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath."

At the end of the countdown, I'd think, "Did I really spend that many hours listening to album rock tracks, largely because they had numbers attached to them, and I wanted to see how close the station's rankings came to my own?  Yes.  Yes, I did."

I haven't devoted that many hours to a countdown in decades.  That's probably for the best.  After all, I'm older, and I need more sleep now.

An elementary reminder

From time to time, someone at one of my previous workplaces would stop by and say, "That's a good sports report you do.  I'll be listening (to it tonight.)"

I always appreciated the compliment, and it reminded me not to do a subpar job.  Even though sports scores and highlights are relatively inconsequential in life's grand scheme, when a radio station gives you air time, why not use it as well as you can?  You make the listeners, the station, and yourself happy that way.

Elementary?  Yes, but it's good to remind yourself of this when you're on the air.

Online radio sampler highlights XCI

Saturday standouts:

KVMR (Nevada City, CA)

• Pieces Of Me-The Small Glories (Impressive vocal harmonies from Cara Luft & JD Edwards; this new song, due for release on June 28, brings to mind how some Buckingham-Nicks vocals might sound in an Old West showdown setting.)

KXCI (Tucson, AZ)

• Cows On The Hill-Jay Ungar & Molly Mason (A captivating, sorrowful waltz for guitar and violin.)

WMNF (Tampa, FL)

• Bar-B-Q-Wendy Rene (This brisk 1964 R&B tune says nothing more than it needs to say.  Rene's forthright vocals and Booker T.'s organ sell the tune.)

WORT (Madison, WI)

• Jumpin' At Mesner's-Lester Young (A percolating melody for tenor sax that shows Count Basie's influence from Young's stint with Basie's band.)

WTMD (Towson, MD)

• Country Comfort-Elton John (Appealing "no place like home" lyrics from Bernie Taupin; it's one of the highlights from the "Tumbleweed Connection" album, along with "Come Down In Time" and "Where To Now, St. Peter?")

Not the time for dancing

A hospital worker once put me on hold to take another call.  I expected to hear some Classical, smooth jazz, or soft rock on-hold music.  To my surprise, however, the on-hold music was a techno instrumental. 

That still puzzles me, as I don't think anyone calls a hospital looking for a dance groove.

Persistent earworm alert CXXXV

A fine piece of symphonic prog rock, Procol Harum's "Conquistador," keeps running through my mind today.  The live version with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra gives the tune appropriate gravity and shows how two seemingly incompatible genres can intertwine successfully.  Also, is anyone else reminded, as I am, of Bruce Hornsby's voice when hearing Gary Brooker's vocals?

Persistent earworm alert CXXXIV

When you lose an item, people often recommend retracing your steps to find it.  I'd like to do that with my thoughts tonight.  It  might explain why I've been thinking repeatedly of Bananarama's "I Heard A Rumour," a song I haven't heard on the radio since it was a hit in the Summer of '87.  The hook isn't bad, actually; the group approached the tune in much the same way as they did their cover of Shocking Blue's "Venus."  As overtly pop songs go, it isn't bad; I'd just like to know what sparked my memory of it 32 years later.

An appropriate voice of authority

I remember frequent "American Top 40" substitute host Charlie Van Dyke's severe weather voice-over for KMOX years ago. "When severe weather strikes, we'll break in at once," he said with otherworldly gravity.  In other words, station personnel would break into regular programming to update you on the latest conditions.  With a tornado warning in effect as I write, the urgency in Van Dyke's proclamation sounds more appropriate than ever.

Care to elaborate?

If you work in radio long enough, you'll inevitably have exchanges like these on the request line:

Listener: Could you play a song for me?
DJ: What would you like to hear?
Listener: Oh, I don't know--just something good, I guess.
DJ: Any particular artist or song?
Listener: No, not really.
DJ: Are you wanting to hear something current or older?
Listener: I'm not sure.
DJ: Do you want to hear something fast, slow, or midtempo?
Listener: Any of those would be OK.
DJ: Any particular style of music you'd like to hear?
Listener: No, not one type specifically...
DJ: OK, then. I'll see what I can do.
Listener: Thanks.

There's being easy to please, and then, there's being maddeningly vague.  At least, you usually don't have to worry about such listeners calling back and admonishing you for not playing their requests.

When you're starved for music...

We weren't allowed to bring radios to sixth grade camp.  One of the counselors brought a radio, however, and one day, we listened for a few minutes.  We knew we'd missed hearing music when Lionel Richie's latest hit, "My Love," sounded three times more appealing than it had before leaving for camp.  One student even sang along with the chorus, displaying a sense of pitch none of us knew he had.  After not hearing music for four days, contemporary hit radio never sounded so good.

Persistent earworm alert CXXXIII

After seeing references to a Jamaican locale in travel ads about two weeks ago, Bobby Bloom's hit, "Montego Bay," has run through my mind off and on ever since.  Even in the eclectic pop music scene of 1970, this was an atypical hit in the best way.  It's easy to latch onto the melody immediately, and the chorus is unforgettable.  If you're only going to have one top 40 hit, this is certainly a respectable one to leave as your legacy.

Time at the sound of the chime

In eighth grade, two of my friends were recording a mock radio show on tape.  One of them wanted to introduce Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now" by acknowledging the chime that's played four seconds into it.  He wanted to say, "At the sound of the tone, the time will be..."  The other friend was much less enthusiastic about this, thinking it sounded hokey; at the time, I agreed with him.  To a certain extent, I still do. If I were a program director, however, I'd allow it.  It's certainly no worse than the attempts at humor I've heard from a lot of so-called professional DJs.

I would have prohibited him from singing the jingles live, however, as he'd suggested.  That's just strange.

Making the graduation theme hipper

As high school graduation drew near, "Pomp And Circumstance" inevitably came to mind.  One student in my class walked around on more than one occasion singing, "Pump up the circumstance.  Pump up the circumstance," giving the title a decidedly modern (for the late '80s) feel.  He had livened up a jazz band rehearsal by improvising lyrics and scatting throughout "C Jam Blues," so I would have expected no less.

How do students modernize "Pomp And Circumstance" today, I wonder?

KCOU playlist flashback: 2-6 a.m., 5/15/92

I wrapped up my junior year of college 27 years ago with the following musical picks:

   1.  Pataphysical Intro/A Concise British Alphabet (Pt. 1)-Soft Machine
("Good evening or morning," indeed.  I wish I'd thought to play Part 2, in which the band sings the alphabet backwards.)
   2.  Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now-McFadden & Whitehead
(Still one of the most positive anthems for anyone who feels overlooked or unheard.  Soccer fans might remember this as the theme song of the St. Louis Steamers.)
   3.  From A Million Miles-Single Gun Theory
(Still one of my favorite songs from my time at KCOU; Jacqui Hunt gives processed vocals a good name here.  It's an interesting blend of techno and rock, with a chorus that's nearly impossible to forget.  I wouldn't be surprised if a hip Netflix show used it as underscoring.)
   4.  Fly Like An Eagle-The Neville Brothers
(A solid cover of the Steve Miller Band tune.)
---
   5.  Missouri Gal-Big Sandy And The Fly Right Trio (*)
   6.  Dark Road-Floyd Jones
   7.  Restless Situation-John Trudell
   8.  The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)-They Might Be Giants
(A fun remake that builds on the original Tokens rendition; having the lion play guitar was inspired.)
   9.  Blue Chair-Mind Sirens
---
 10.  Handful Of Aces-Troy Turner
 11.  Texas Flood-Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
 12.  Make Believe-Jules Shear
---
 13.  Noah! Right!/And The Neighbor/Me And You, Lord-Bill Cosby
 14.  Deteriorata-National Lampoon
(Being a fluke of the universe shouldn't bother you...)
 15.  Everybody's Talkin'-The Sneetches
(...if you take these lyrics to heart.  This excellent cover that stays true to the free-spirited nature of Nilsson's original.)
---
 16.  Step Right This Way-Chuck Prophet & Stephanie Finch
 17.  Crackerbox Palace-George Harrison
 18.  Doing The Unstuck-The Cure
---
 19.  Saving Grace-Ghost Of An American Airman
 20.  Grace-Steve Wynn
 21.  Miracle On 8th Street-American Music Club (*)
 22.  Way Out World-Pay The Man
 23.  Kool Thing-Sonic Youth
 24.  Bad Karma-Victim's Family
 25.  Morning In The Sub-Basement Of Hell-Steven Jesse Bernstein
 26.  Music And Politics-Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
---
"Mellow Out" hour (Tracks 27-39; 4-5 a.m.) (During this semester, I used this hour to play softer, generally introspective tunes that would be underplayed or not played during the rest of the day.)
 27.  Only The Lonely-The Motels
(I never disliked this 1982 hit, but I appreciate it more now.  Listen to how tastefully Martha Davis sings some of the better decade's better lyrics here.  There's a level of taste and sensitivity in "Only The Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer" that makes those hits hold up better than certain other throwaway, best-left-in-their-era '80s hits.)
 28.  Up On The Roof-The Drifters
(Still some of the best lyrics and vocals for escaping the rat race of life.)
 29.  Diamonds And Rust-Joan Baez
(This would have segued better with "Only The Lonely," but I must have thought of that while playing "Up On The Roof...")
 30.  Eyes Wide Smile-Faith Over Reason
(...I salvaged things, however, by pairing one appealing, bleak, voice-and-a-guitar tune with another.)
---
 31.  Dreamwalk-Peter White
 32.  In A Sentimental Mood-Hal Schaefer
 33.  Country Preacher-Roy Buchanan
---
 34.  Close To You-Art Porter
 35.  That's Love-Jim Capaldi
(If you listened to KYKY in the late Spring or early Summer of 1983, you probably heard this.  Its "You'll never change the world" refrain has stayed with me all these years.)
 36.  Ballad-Ed Thigpen Trio
---
 37.  Distant Hills-Oregon
 38.  Airplane-Indigo Girls
 39.  Kim-Charlie Parker
(Admittedly, a tune this fast stretches the definition of mellowing out; Parker's dexterity on the saxophone deserves the airplay, though.)
---
 40.  Flower Child (Hyper Dance Mix)-Parade
 41.  Bus Stop-Club Idol
 42.  Brand New Day-Basehead
---
 43.  Redemption Song-Bob Marley & The Wailers
 44.  Mellow Down Easy-Paul Butterfield Blues Band
 45.  Touch Me-The Doors
 46.  Meet Me In The Morning-Bob Dylan
---
 47.  Page One-The Charlatans
(I should have done a double play and segued the band's "The Only One I Know" with this.)
 48.  No Outlet-Juliana Hatfield
(Prior to her Olivia Newton-John tribute release, the first 14 seconds of Hatfield's voice and guitar on this track came to mind whenever I saw a reference to her.)
 49.  Love Goes To War-Southside Johnny & The Jukes
 50.  Ride Like The Wind-East Side Beat
(This Christopher Cross hit lends itself better to a techno remake than I would have guessed.  Freddie Hubbard's trumpet cover is worth hearing, as well.)
---
 51.  Running On Empty-Jackson Browne
(How most college students feel after finals, I'm sure...)

(*) indicates a listener's request.
--- indicates a station break between songs.

SiriusXM highlights CX

Sunday standouts:

The Coffee House

• Alaska (Acoustic)-Maggie Rogers (Sensible lyrics about allowing yourself time to breathe after a breakup, paired with a catchy melody.)

Free Bird

• Couldn't Stand The Weather-Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble (Vaughan and his band never lacked confidence or conviction in vocals or spitfire instrumental prowess.)

No Shoes Radio

• Chasin' Me-Caroline Jones (Jones sings endearingly about being pursued.)

Real Jazz

• Trimmed In Blue-Harold Vick/Don Patterson (The organ and saxophone swing appealingly; this could segue with the James Williams tune, "Lo Joe.")
• Two More Beer!-Vladimir Nesterenko (The guitar and organ parts mesh easily in this midtempo, expansive instrumental that gives its rhythm section ample chances to show off its chops.  If I heard this at a sound check, I'd know I was in for an evening of good jazz.  The tune could use a better title, but that's a quibble.)

Watercolors

• Deixa-Marc Antoine (Pleasant, breezy guitar, keyboards, and harmonica.)

Stingray Music highlights LXXVII

Standout tunes heard Saturday:

Alt Country-Americana

• Howling-Wild Rivers (Forcefully sung lyrics and strong vocal harmonies.)

Jazz Masters

• The Way You Look Tonight-Erroll Garner (Garner's instrumental rendition gives the tune a jauntier feel than it usually has; stride piano isn't the most obvious choice for the song, but it works.)

Jazz Now

• Across The Waters-Emil Brandqvist Trio (A plaintive, melancholy piano-anchored melody.) 

Retro R&B

• Remember Me-Diana Ross (This 1971 hit isn't usually played on the radio, at least in St. Louis. If I were a program director, I'd schedule David Soul's "Don't Give Up On Us" before or after it.) 

Revival--'60s & '70s

• I Only Want To Be With You-Dusty Springfield (Pop lyrics don't get much more universal or accessible than this.)

The Spa

• Moonrise-France Ellul (An ideal harp melody for drifting off to sleep and setting the stage for pleasant dreams.)

A Mother's Day promotional opportunity

Except for our former smooth jazz station, KNJZ, in 1994, I've never heard any station play Basia's "Perfect Mother."  In addition to being an easy listen and appropriate for Mother's Day, there's an obvious promotional opportunity; expectant mothers or members of their family could call or text the station when hearing the song, and a designated caller or randomly chosen text sender could receive baby supplies from appropriate sponsors.  That would get a mother and child off on the right foot and earn some good will for the station.

SiriusXM highlights CIX

Noteworthy tunes heard Thursday:

The Bridge

• Poetry Man-Phoebe Snow (It speaks well of 1975's musical landscape that such a quality singer-songwriter tune was a top five hit.)

Chill

• I See Fire Remix-Ed Sheeran/Kygo (The Asian instrumental backdrop complements the vocals better than I would have expected.)

Real Jazz

• Wave-Henry Johnson (A refreshing, breezy, expansive cover of the Antonio Carlos Jobim tune. Listen to the 12-minute live version to appreciate the interplay between guitar and piano.) 

Soul Town

• Every Beat Of My Heart-Gladys Knight & The Pips (Knight's first top 40 hit from 1961 has a '50s doo-wop feel.  I hear elements of The Flamingos and Little Anthony And The Imperials in the vocals.)

Spa

• Melancholia-Peter Xifaras (This guitar melody resembles "What Child Is This?")
• The River Between-Jami Sieber (One of the most uptempo numbers I've ever heard on this channel; this beguiling, percolating mix of cello, flute, and background vocals could be a prelude to Peter Gabriel's "Secret World.")

Everyone's a critic... III

Most of the listener line phone calls I've gotten at radio stations have been positive.  Occasionally, however, I'd get a call from a displeased listener.

One such listener said, "I'd like to make a request."

"What would you like to hear?" I asked.

"Anything but what you've played all morning," she replied.

I stifled the urge to respond, "Done, then.  I'll change the station's format at once, then.  In fact, for good measure, I'll play an hour of Guy Lombardo songs just for you."

Stingray Music highlights LXXVI

Standout tunes heard yesterday:

Alt Rock Classics

• Dig Your Own Hole-The Chemical Brothers (A throbbing, spacey, uptempo instrumental, fit for a haunted house.)

Cocktail Lounge

• Call Me-Nat Adderley (A peppy, easy listening arrangement that translates well to the trumpet and brings to mind Dionne Warwick's version of "I Say A Little Prayer.")

Folk Roots

• Annabelle Lee-Sarah Jarosz (The Edgar Allan Poe poem, "Annabel Lee," set to music.  Jarosz's vocals convey the sorrow of death claiming someone who's close to your heart too soon.)

Jazz Now

• Respirer dans l'eau-Misc (Impressive interplay between piano, bass, and drums; a sorrowful, uptempo melody can be tricky to pull off, but this ensemble nails it.)

New Age

• Each Good Rain-Michelle Qureshi (After all the rain we've had here recently, it's refreshing to hear a guitar instrumental that emphasizes the rain's beauty instead of its inconvenience.) 

Rewind-'80s-'90s

• Atomic-Blondie (Spy music with a surf guitar sound underscores Blondie's vocals compellingly.)

A natural song-to-commercial segue

Does Dan Fogelberg's "The Power Of Gold" make anyone besides me start singing the "Follow the leader, he's on a Honda," jingle?

Persistent earworm alert CXXXII

I was asking for it today by reading an article on the origins of cereal.  Consequently, my persistent earworm jingle since this morning has been, "Cinnamon Toast Crunch!  Cinnamon and sugar, we're bakin' up a bunch..."

Actually, from what I remember, it's a tasty combination, with an appropriately cheery jingle.

FM dial scan highlights CXIV

Highlights from mid April through early May:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Home In San Antone-Willie Nelson (When all else fails, it's reassuring to know you still have your home in San Antone.  The melody reminds me of Pete Seeger's "New River Train.")
• Rocking Chair-Over The Rhine (One of 2019's more appealing songs, due to a melody and vocals that fall somewhere between Bonnie Raitt's "Nick Of Time" and the Kenny Loggins/Stevie Nicks tune, "Whenever I Call You 'Friend.'")

KWMU 90.7 FM

• Take Five (Live At Carnegie Hall)-Dave Brubeck (The famous 5/4 melody in a faster tempo.) 

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

• Django Reinhardt: Nuages (Charlie Byrd/The Washington Guitar Quintet) (Segues smoothly with Hot Club Of Detroit's "Patio Swing.")
• Ravel: Bolero (Labeque Sisters) (Two pianos convey the drama of a full orchestra in this compelling reading.  An unexpected benefit: Such a moving take on a great melody took the edge off of my mood and made me less inclined to swear when my car was starting to hydroplane during heavy rain.)
• Compared To What-Roberta Flack (Most people who know jazz have heard the Les McCann/Eddie Harris rendition.  Vocally and instrumentally, Flack's version gives off a strong Aretha Franklin vibe. It should be played more often, perhaps on WSIE?  This was one of the highlights of "The Slatkin Shuffle," in which former longtime St. Louis Symphony Orchestra music director Leonard Slatkin sets his iPad playlist to shuffle mode and comments on the results.  The debut edition included selections ranging from Pachelbel's Canon to Joe Tex's "I Gotcha," which made me curious to hear future shows.)

Your musical knowledge runs deep when...

...you pull three animal crackers out of a box, and each animal reminds you not of a trip to the zoo but of at least one song you know.  The elephant brings to mind Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk" and Gene Cotton's "Me And The Elephant."  The kangaroo reminds you of the "Schoolhouse Rock" tune, "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla."  The penguin makes you recall Penguin Cafe Orchestra's "Air a Danser."  Who among us hasn't danced penguin animal crackers around to that beautiful melody before eating them?

Wait...You don't do that?  Never mind, then.

An odd memory trigger

Because I've been putting in extra hours at work lately, I take pride in the calluses I've developed on my left hand.  That's a sign that I've been working hard.  Admittedly, "I've been doing a lot of vigorous typing lately," doesn't have the same ring to it as "I've been down in the mine a lot lately." Maybe, it's better to recall the calluses I formed from playing Sammy Nestico's "Pressure Cooker" on the bass.  With all its fast, constant shifting, that's one callus-inducing piece of which Nestico--and any bassist who makes it through the tune--should be proud.

Persistent earworm alert CXXXI

For someone unknown reason, Bela Fleck's instrumental, "Deviation," has been on my mind since yesterday.  If a movie or sitcom needs a chase scene underscored with banjo music, look no further.

Keeping one's eyes and ears on the music

To keep us on our toes, my high school orchestra conductor would occasionally single out someone he knew wasn't paying attention.

Once, while a cellist was looking back at some commotion in the hallway, he asked her opinion of a passage the violinists had just played.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening," the cellist responded.  "I was looking at those people in the hall."

"Are they conducting?" the conductor replied.

That was a good warning to the rest of us not to let our minds wander.

No age stereotyping here...

An early '80s memory: I was in the library's audio-visual department flipping through records when I heard a woman tell one of the librarians, "I'm here to pick up some records for my grandson.  He wants to hear Black Sabbath and AC/DC." 

"That's an unusual sentence to hear from someone in her eighties," I thought.  I then checked out my jazz artists LP compilation, featuring Sonny Rollins, Jack Teagarden, and Bix Beiderbecke, "Man And Molecules" science radio series tapes, and an assortment of "The Shadow" radio shows...

...Standard fare for a 12-year-old patron, of course...