FM dial scan highlights CCXXIV

Friday and Saturday highlights:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Mulholland Drive-October London featuring Snoop Dogg & Latoyia Williams (As I drove around this morning, I wanted these appealing lyrics about escaping the pressures of the world with one's beloved to last about three times longer.  Sidebar: I've been wrestling with how to approach the turmoil at KDHX on this blog.  A good song is a good song, admittedly, and deserves recognition.  Also, despite all the recently created holes in the station's schedule, there are still compelling shows and DJs on the station.  That said, I'm concerned.  So far, the station's new direction has been too short on specifics for my taste, and I dislike that a lot of longtime DJs who have made KDHX an eclectic, enduring station since 1987 have been sacked or felt the need to resign.  Prior to today, I'd highlighted an equal number of songs on KDHX and WSIE this year.  Today, I'm breaking that tie and giving the spotlight edge to...)

....WSIE 88.7 FM.

• California Stars-Catie Waters (Endearing vocals and lyrics about longing for someone.)
• High Wire-Erroll Garner (This is piano playing with a bite--a different sound than I'm used to hearing from Garner.  This sounds more like a Ramsey Lewis track to me, which is always a compliment, and the drums and bass play important roles in establishing the tune's mood.)

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

• Be Thankful For What You Got-Big Mike Aguirre & The Blu City All Stars (A strong cover of the firmly rooted in the '70s William DeVaughn tune.)
• Dreams Come True-Greg Adams & East Bay Soul (Relaxing smooth jazz trumpet.)
  

An overlooked cover tune CXXVII

Usually, "Strangers In The Night" is sung or played as a stately ballad.  Richard "Groove" Holmes, however, approaches it differently on the organ.  By upping the tempo and playing it with a brisk bounce, Holmes finishes the tune in record time--without cheating the listener.

A petty fixation XXV

Why is the spelling of you're confused with your so often?  I read a lyrics sheet tonight for a song in which a woman implores a man to "say your (sic) my baby."  

"It should be you're," I said to my cat, Collette.  "How do people not know when to use the contraction of you are?"

Collette then set out to bite the person(s) responsible for the error.  I told her that wasn't necessary, but I was pleased that such a silly mistake irked her, as well.

Context? CCLXXII

I was only half-listening to the DJ or guest reciting her poetry over music today, but I thought I heard her say, "To our children, a golden burger!"

Possibilities abound.  Did the poet imply that some parents are inclined to spoil their children?  Was she suggesting that her children's exemplary behavior and achievements make them worthy of life's special treats? Or, and this is a distinct possibility with some poetry, were her words simply random gibberish onto which listeners could project their own misguided meanings?

Then again, she might just have been reading someone's will.

Context? CCLXXI

What do you do when you're a radio show sidekick and the morning show host with whom you've worked gets dismissed?  If management allows it, you might soldier on and try to make the best of it a with a new host or co-hosts.

It's ill-advised, however, to take the approach I heard one sidekick use years ago.

On the first day of a new morning show, one of the new co-hosts remarked that radio was an adjustment for her because she'd been so used to working in TV news.

The sidekick from the previous show, who had been kept on, muttered, "Some of us wish you were still back there."

I thought, "Even if that's justified, it's not great form to say that on the air.  I suspect (that sidekick's) days are numbered."

Context? CCLXX

For decades, part of a vaguely remembered TV commercial jingle has come to mind.  I still don't remember what was being promoted, however.  I have a hazy recollection of people dancing and singing, "That's what we're doing now in 1979!"  The commercial's underscoring reminded me somewhat of the R&B hit, "T.S.O.P." by MFSB.  It might have been a car dealership promoting its new line of vehicles.  It could have been a theater chain touting its upcoming movies.  Or, and I suspect this is most likely, it might have been a TV network promoting its new Fall shows.

While I'll live without knowing the particulars, I'd like to solve this decades-long mystery.

Mild hyperbole II

Tonight, I've enjoyed a selection of Spanish guitar works on K297BI, played in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.  During one introduction, the announcer spoke Spanish until he got to the name of the ensemble.  I wasn't entirely surprised when he said, in English, "Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields."

It's said that all roads lead to Rome, but when it comes to Classical recordings, it seems as though all roads lead to that orchestra.

In memory of George Winston

On this first day of Fall, I'm thinking of one of my favorite albums, George Winston's "Autumn."  Sadly, Winston is no longer around to play selections from one of the best new age piano albums ever recorded.  In his memory, I'd consider these some of his best tracks:

• Colors/Dance (My favorite Winston selection, evoking Autumn's beauty and bittersweet feel with an expansive melody and effective tempo changes.  I was pleased when Winston began the 1990 concert I attended with this.)
  
• Living In The Country (While Winston's "Autumn" album is the gold standard, to me, for new age piano, this track from his "Summer" album also deserves its due.  When the tempo accelerates, the ragtime-influenced hook carries the melody.)
• Longing/Love (Another "Autumn" highlight with a strong hook and a melody fit for a solo trek through the woods or soap opera underscoring.)
  
• Miles City Train (Six well-maintained minutes of raucous, brisk, saloon-style piano playing.)
• Road (Yet another "Autumn" standout, suitable for a particularly unhurried trundle.)
  
• Thanksgiving Theme (Winston's playing is a bit more deliberate than Vince Guaraldi's here.  Still, it was a thrill to finally hear any version of this tune from "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" on a CD when it was released.) 
• Theme For A Futuristic Movie (This contemplative midtempo melody should be better known.  For years, it was the tune I listened to most frequently on Winston's "Ballads And Blues 1972" album.)
  
• Woodstock (A strong rendition of the Vince Guaraldi tune, seemingly arranged for a saloon piano.)

The allure of shuffle mode XXXIX

For anyone seeking tunes about likely permanent estrangement, I concur with iTunes shuffle mode's judgment.  This morning, it paired the Ultramarine remix of Everything But The Girl's "Missing" with "Slipping Away" by Dave Edmunds.  Both songs offer roughly equivalent smidgens of hope, but I get the feeling in both cases that the couples will remain apart.

Such is life sometimes.  Pulling off a melancholy tune with a compelling beat isn't the easiest task, but both artists strike just the right balance.

The power of suggestion IV

Just because the lyrics reference the 21st night of September, I don't have to listen to Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" tonight...

...I will, though, because how could I not?  It sports a strong beat, stellar vocals, and an excellent horn section, so why wouldn't I listen to it?

As elitist as I sometimes am, I'll concede that sometimes, the most obvious plan is popular for a reason.

Sarcastic musical praise II

What do you do after you've sung a verse of "Lamb of Biff*" to lessen a grating co-worker's impact?  If you were in my shoes over 20 years ago, you agreed to a co-worker's suggestion, "Now, let's sing it as a round.  Drew, would you start?"

I started singing, "Lamb of Biff*, you take away the sins of the world..."  Three other co-workers joined in with that same verse at the appropriate times.

When you can't change another person, you can at least sing a verse of "Lamb Of Biff*."

*--not the offending co-worker's real name

Grappling with space constraints

Only so much music can fit on one side of an LP.  A recording I have of Beethoven's third symphony makes this clear.  It's the only LP I have in which one movement of a symphony is divided over two sides.  The second movement begins on side one and concludes on side two.  Interestingly, the record label and liner notes don't provide the timings for each movement.

That's understandable.  Why call attention to your record's lopsidedness due to technical limitations?

Context? CCLXIX

I wasn't using a digital tuner to scan the radio dial two days ago, so I'm not sure if I heard a clip of our NPR affiliate or the religious station after it.  I did hear, however, someone who sounded like a minister possibly giving a fire-and-brimstone sermon.  The only sentence I heard was, "He had to make the most consequential decision of his life!"

I wonder who this tormented soul was and what life-changing decision he had to make.  Was it to accept or reject a particular religion?  Was he vacillating about donating a kidney to a friend or relative?  Or, was he steeling himself up to get out of purchasing a timeshare property?

All three of those scenarios, in my view, warrant the speaker's exclamation point.  In fact, the possibilities intrigue me as much as those in the first Context? entry I ever wrote.

A function of age XVI

Yesterday, a radio personality said that when he was younger, his dad and he would listen to an oldies station, and his dad would quiz him about who sang particular songs; typically, they were by The Dave Clark Five.  As the announcer observed, however, most oldies stations don't play bands like The Dave Clark Five as much these days.  He said that most oldies stations are more likely to play a band such as Hootie & The Blowfish.

He's right.  It's an adjustment to realize that, as you age, society's definition of songs that qualify as oldies changes.  When I started listening to the "Super Oldies Show" on KXOK in 1979, most of the oldies had been hits before I was born, and the remainder of them were hits before I started school.  Today, the radio industry's definition of oldies includes a great many songs that were hits after I graduated from college.

Do I feel ancient?  No.  I sure feel older, though.

An overlooked cover tune CXXVI

If you're going to cover the standard, "I'm Beginning To See The Light," your voice and/or instrumental playing needs to sound snazzy.  There has to be a bounce in its step.  Rebecca Coupe Franks pulls this off in her trumpet rendition.  She also puts her stamp on the tune by dropping the word I'm from the title.  That cover rendition and the rest of her 1991 CD, "Suit Of Armor," deserve recognition.

Persistent earworm alert CCCVIII

I've only heard Jack Walrath's instrumental, "Children," on the radio once, but it has stayed in my mind for decades.  KWMU played it on "Miles Beyond: Jazz 'Til Dawn" in the late '80s, and it has sprung to mind at unexpected times since then.  The tune's central theme for the first minute and four seconds is nearly impossible to forget once you hear it.  If I heard any wind or brass player warming up with it, I'd think, "That musician has esoterically good taste--and that first minute and change of the melody will now crowd out any other songs in my mind for the rest of the day."

FM dial scan highlights CCXXIII

Five recommended tunes heard this morning:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Never Did I Stop Loving You-Alice Clark (Clark sings this 1972 track with absolute commitment.  It wouldn't be a stretch for Barry White to cover this.)
• What Is Love? (Live)-Howard Jones (Jones isn't an artist I'd expect to hear on KDHX ordinarily.  I've never disliked this tune, but hearing the audience sing it and applaud so enthusiastically made me notice it a tad more.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Sassified-Lisa Addeo (Addeo's piano-anchored instrumental, released in June, maintains a pleasant, goes-down-easy bounce.)
• On Her Way-Pat Metheny Group (Metheny's energetic guitar virtuosity underpins this melody compellingly, while the increased volume makes the vocals pop.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Sweet Disposition-The Temper Trap (The Freddy Jones Band-style backing drew me into this 2008 track.)
  

Online radio sampler highlights CCXVII

Wednesday highlights:

KDTR (Florence, MT) 

• Save It For Later-The English Beat (The band's catchiest track, rhythmically and vocally, in my opinion; Ivy's version of "Streets Of Your Town" sounds smooth after it.)
  

KTWH (Two Harbors, MN)

• On The Crosswalk-Yngvil Vatn Guttu (Jaunty trumpet and percussion; a jazzy, at times avant-garde, instrumental.)

WHOV (Hampton, VA)

• New York Times-Bobbi Humphrey (A compelling mix of Donald Byrd and Herbie Mann styles.)

WVVX (Providence, RI)

• I'm So Proud-The Impressions (This slow dance oldie from 1964 deserves more airplay today.)
• Release The Beast-Breakwater (As I wrote about Positive Force's "We Got The Funk," "Sometimes, it's enough for a tune to simply have a well-sustained groove."  This 1980 dance track is a fun tune for a rhythm section player.)
  

Bringing your unique self to work

There are times as a DJ when it's wise to lean into what makes you unique.  For a WMRY DJ on August 15, 1987, this meant leaning into being the station's sole British voice.  During a song intro, he identified himself as "the voice from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean keeping you company this evening.  And, we have another little oldie from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean for you right now.  These are The Kinks, by your suggestion, and 'You Really Have Got Me.'"

As if his accent and geographical references hadn't indicated his British status firmly, adding the word Have to the song title sealed the deal.  I wouldn't be surprised to hear John Oliver introduce the song that way.

Glad I listened...

At a certain point, my radio listening habits on September 11, 2001 didn't make sense.  Flipping back and forth between KWMU, KMOX, and a few other stations wasn't productive when there was no new information about the terrorist attacks.

Still, I don't regret all that listening.  Even when all the pieces of a puzzle aren't known, it's reassuring to know that people are working to obtain them and that everyone around you is reeling just as you are.

Besides, you never know when a key part of an ongoing saga will drop.  Such is the nature of breaking news.

The power of suggestion III

Since rediscovering it online, I've watched Olivia Newton-John's 1982 "Saturday Night Live" performance of "Make A Move On Me" several times.  Part of its appeal is simply that Newton-John was a strong singer and sounds as compelling live as on recordings.

It's also appealing, however, that her backing singers and the SNL Band, which didn't usually appear on stage during that era, are swaying in the background.

There's something to be said for showing how much you're enjoying the music while you're performing it.  Newton-John and everyone else on stage made a good song even better by communicating their enthusiasm for it.

Persistent earworm alert CCCVII

It's no wonder "Sabre Dance" comes to mind frequently when I feed my cat, Collette.  Even though she can see that I've got the cat food bag in my hands, she often runs around in circles and meows frantically until she's fed.  I suspect if she could, she'd announce melodramatically, "The system's breaking down!   I'm in peril, I tell you, peril!  My food is so close and yet so far away!  Woe is me, for...Oh, there's the food in my bowl now."

Context? CCLXVIII

I was listening passively, so I might have misunderstood the musician being interviewed this afternoon.  I could have sworn, though, that he said he was releasing "11 new soup songs."

If that's the case, well...why not?  The world accommodated a dance called the mashed potato and an artist called Meat Loaf, so what's the harm in 11 songs about soup?

The allure of shuffle mode XXXVIII

Some of the most effective random segues involve a song acknowledging the reality of a situation flowing into a tune that gives the listener hope.  One iTunes shuffle mode pairing did this for me last month.  Billy Joel's "Allentown," about factories being shuttered, segued into GrooveLily's "Weight Of The World," which reminds the listener that no one has to shoulder all the world's burdens at once.

It's comforting to remember during bad times that you can set your burdens down, at least part of the time, and look for silver linings and better days.

In memory of Gary Wright

Singer-songwriter Gary Wright passed away Monday, leaving listeners with three hits that have held up for over four decades.  In his memory, I offer these thoughts:

• Dream Weaver (For most listeners, this is Wright's most familiar song.  Wright's vocals match the effectively spacey mood that's established from the first note.)
• Love Is Alive (This is how you grab the listener immediately, build to a hook, and underpin vocals with a synthesizer backdrop.)
• Really Wanna Know You (This sounds of its time, 1981, in the best way.  With such universal sentiments and an emotionally honest chorus, this deserves more airplay than it usually gets.  My mood always brightens when it comes up in iTunes shuffle mode.)

In memory of co-worker/animal lover Maggie

I know that, as mortals, we aren't meant to know why some of us pass away far too early.  However, that's not stopping me from wondering why my former co-worker and friend to animals, Maggie, was taken from this life at age 31.

Since hearing that terrible news this morning, I've thought a lot about Maggie's kindness toward animals.  We didn't talk much about music at work, but I suspect she would have appreciated the sentiments in Garrison Keillor's "Cats May Safely Sleep."  Set to the melody of J.S. Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze," Keillor's vocals show a reverence toward cats that mirrored Maggie's outlook toward cats and dogs.  Once, when she worked the shift before mine, her husband, Dinko, brought their two dogs to the office.  Upon seeing the smaller dog, Milo, she exclaimed, "My dearest!!!!"  It was the most enthused I'd ever seen anyone become upon seeing a beloved pet unexpectedly.

Maggie, Dinko, and I exchanged many photos of our pets through email.  One of my favorite tongue-in-cheek picture captions of Maggie's is, "The stresses of work have taken over Cleo."  In the photo, Cleo the cat sleeps blissfully in a chair.

Maggie's heartfelt sympathy when my previous cat, Sylvia, passed away in 2019 still moves me deeply. She wrote, "Words can not even express how sorry I am for your loss. We know how much Sylvia meant to you and know life will not be the same without her. Pets are not just pets...They are companions and mean more to us than I can express. My heart breaks for your loss. May her afterlife be filled with multiple faucets! I look forward to hearing news of a new cat in your life, one that is ready to go on a lifelong journey with you! May your future cat possess some of Sylvia's best traits!"

I wholeheartedly agree with Maggie's assessments and like to imagine Sylvia having long, satisfying drinks of water from heavenly faucets.

Shortly after I adopted my current cat, Maggie texted, "Please send Collette pictures!!!!"  Upon receiving my two photos of Collette, she replied, "Drew, I am beyond thrilled to hear from you. I have been checking my email obsessively since yesterday!!!! Oh my gosh, she is a gorgeous girl!!! I am glad she is reminding you of the great qualities of Sylvia...I'm so happy for you, Drew!!!"  I could not have asked for a more enthusiastic, encouraging reaction.

Whenever I hear of admirable people passing away, I always pray that they'll be reunited with their cherished people and pets.  I certainly wish that for Maggie--and everyone else.

Context? CCLXVII

I'm not mechanically inclined, so I empathize with the radio personality who said last week, "I wish I cared more about how technology works, but I don't."

While such technological knowledge is undoubtedly helpful,  it helps if you have a natural affinity for it.  I don't have that affinity, so I'm among the masses who want things to work but don't always feel inclined to know how they work.

Context? CCLXVI

I'm trying to remember if the TV commercial was for a carpet or a furniture store years ago.  I think it was probably a carpet store, but I just remember one of the business owners singing, "You gotta go (to whatever the store name was.)"  A co-owner or other employee might have accompanied him on banjo, guitar, or ukulele during this jingle.

Although my memory of the commercial is vague, I remember thinking, "Care to give me actual reasons to go to your store?  What are your incentives?  Do you have a wide selection of what you're selling?  Do you beat your competitors' prices?  Does your customer service surpass that of other such stores?"

Call me persnickety, but I need more compelling justification than someone singing, "You gotta go..."

In memory of Jimmy Buffett

I'm sure the majority of Jimmy Buffett fans are playing "Margaritaville" today in his memory.  That makes sense, as it was Buffett's biggest hit, and its sing-along quality has held up for 46 years.  I could also understand some listeners wanting to lighten the mood with Buffett's novelty hit, "Cheeseburger In Paradise."  Among Buffett's non-hits, "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor" is a strong choice, lyrically and vocally.

Among his hits, however, I contend that "Come Monday" is Buffett's best single.  Lyrically, it's a sincere, heartfelt way to convey how much you miss someone.  I also enjoy it for the same reason I like the Hall & Oates album track, "When The Morning Comes."  While the relationship in "...Morning..." sounds much more tenuous than the one in "...Monday...," it's comforting that the protagonists in both songs are poised to see their relationships through, regardless of how they turn out.

"Come Monday" wasn't as big of a hit as it should have been in 1974.  It still gets airplay today, however, showing how much of an impression it leaves on listeners decades later.

Just a hint of lyrics

Usually, a vocalist's album has or does not have an enclosed lyrics sheet.  Michelle Malone's "Beneath The Devil Moon" CD, however, splits the difference with partial lyrics.  The inside of the CD cover has production credits superimposed over typed lyric sheets.  The lyric sheets overlap, so you can see some of the lyrics of certain songs.  

While it would have been best to have a lyrical insert, there's something endearing about seeing Malone's efforts typed on a manual typewriter with occasional splotches of Wite-Out.  It's appropriate to be reminded that lyrics don't typically come fully formed into an artist's mind and that some inevitable editing is required.

I like that in 1997, an artist was pecking out verses on a manual typewriter and using correction fluid when appropriate.  There's something refreshingly honest about showing listeners how much work goes into crafting well-phrased lyrics.