Online radio sampler highlights CCXXVII

Thursday highlights:

KDRU (Springfield, MO)

• Dust Bunny-Crumb (Haunting uptempo indie rock vocals and instrumentation from 2023.  The echo on the vocals contributes to the tune's spooky effect.)

KMUC (Columbia, MO)

• Felix Mendelssohn: Song Without Words, No. 29, "Venetian Gondola Song" (Javier Perianes, piano) (A particularly lyrical reading of a sorrowful melody.)

KQAL (Winona, MN)

• Breakout-Swing Out Sister (The band's big American hit, and rightfully so; vocally and instrumentally, its bounce and confident outlook are just as captivating as they were years ago.  Other recommended gems: "Butterfly," "Forever Blue," "Let The Stars Shine," and the Cal Tjader instrumental remix of "Now You're Not Here.")

WDIF (Marion, OH)

• You're Not Free-Frazey Ford (The organ and brass backing give additional heft to these bluesy vocals about not being able to stay employed.)

WRCT (Pittsburgh, PA)

• Summer Beauty 1990-Flipper's Guitar (Fun, carefree vocals and Brazilian-style instrumental backing from this Tokyo-based group.)

WUCF (Orlando, FL)

• Whispering-Doug MacDonald (MacDonald steers this engaging, uptempo instrumental on guitar.  I listened to Paul Whiteman's earlier, statelier version of this, and it made me appreciate MacDonald's modern, Brazilian-style take on the tune all the more.)

WXMR (Marengo, IL)

• Heartbreaker-Dionne Warwick (This still holds up as one of Warwick's most compelling '80s hits.  I still look forward to the chorus whenever I hear it.  Now, if only radio stations would play her infectious "Take The Short Way Home...")

Persistent earworm alert CCCXXII

It's puzzling that a song I last heard on the radio 42 years ago won't leave my mind.  I was never that crazy about the J. Geils Band's "Flamethrower," but its harmonica refrain is a solid riff around which to build.

"Flamethrower" also stands out as one of the last sort-of-R&B-but-not-really tunes I heard on KMJM before it went completely R&B in 1982.  Even prior to the format change, the song, to my ears, didn't blend well with the station's general sound.

Certain Hall & Oates, Doobie Brothers, and Steely Dan tunes work in an R&B context.  "Flamethrower" just doesn't--but I still remember it more than four decades later.

The allure of shuffle mode LI

An ambient, midtempo mood piece with occasional vocals has been playing for over 10 minutes.  How do you  maintain the general atmosphere that song started while dovetailing into a tune with more prominent vocals?

iTunes shuffle mode answered this Sunday by pairing The Art Of Noise's "Moments In Love" with Eddi Reader's "Clear."  This is yet another situation where I've owned two CDs for years but had never thought to segue those two songs or artists.

I pride myself on crafting fitting but unusual segues.  I also enjoy it, though, when pure chance makes me hear two songs I've owned for a long time in a new light.

The allure of shuffle mode L

Need two tasteful piano instrumentals for your nostalgia format?  Follow iTunes shuffle mode's lead; play Nat King Cole's version of "Stella By Starlight," and segue it with Teddy Wilson's rendition of "Why Shouldn't I?"

I've had both songs on CDs for years, but until iTunes showed me the way Thursday, I'd never thought of pairing them.

It's a pleasure to see that random play sometimes favors two classy, ornate instrumentals.

Context? CCCV

I didn't hear the radio personality's entire segment this morning, but I tuned in just in time to hear him advise anyone giving a weather forecast, "Say, 'rain or snow,' not 'precipitation.'"

I second that, especially when temperatures are expected to be at or near freezing.

A function of age XXIII

A radio traffic reporter recently described himself on-air as "61 (years old) going on 30."

That's an admirable mindset.  I feel similarly some days when I have a lot of work to do.  Granted, "53 going on 26 and a half" doesn't have quite the same ring.

The allure of shuffle mode XLIX

Outside of KDHX's "Folks Of The World," I don't usually hear English lyrics segue into Hungarian lyrics on the radio.  iTunes shuffle mode came up with one such plausible transition in my library yesterday, though: "Head Over Heels" by The Go-Gos flowed into "Mashol varnak" by Blahalouisiana.

That transition proves how key compatible energy levels are when crafting a segue.

A minor oversight?

On this day in 1982, I recorded my first radio show.  Although the station I invented, CATZ 105 FM, only existed on my cassettes, I acted as though it was actually on the airwaves.  At least a year passed before I realized that I'd never assigned the station a specific digital frequency.  Because most radios used dials instead of digital readouts then, it hadn't occurred to me to specify where I would have placed the station beyond a vague 105 FM.  It was common, after all, for professional  stations to round their frequencies up or down when referring to them on-air.  I decided that CATZ's frequency was 105.1 FM.  No St. Louis station had that frequency at the time.  Thus, if I'd ever found a way to actually broadcast my shows, if only around the block, that would be the station's precise location.

I've made no secret of preferring to be an adult instead of a kid.  I still miss one overriding aspect of childhood broadcasting, though.  I still like that everything--the station's name, the frequency, the music, the announcing, and all program elements--was up to me. 

That's true job satisfaction--even when the job isn't real.

FM dial scan highlights CCXXXIV

Five Wednesday afternoon standouts:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Doors Of Your Heart-The English Beat ("Save It For Later" is this band's best tune, in my opinion, but this is a slower, enjoyable blend of ska and pop.  I'm not surprised that the DJ played a comparable group, The Specials, after this.  That was a go-to segue between bands for me, as well, during my KCOU days.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Keep That Same Old Feeling-The Crusaders (Yes, please!  It's worth learning to play Wayne Henderson-style trombone to nail the joyful, fit-for-a-carnival chorus.  The vocal refrain has probably made me sing along more than I've realized.  Even after at least 100 listens since the '80s, the tune appeals to me as much as it did decades ago.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Don't Forget Me-Maggie Rogers (An honest acknowledgment of the adjustments we make when our friends get married and start adult lives separate from ours.)

KPNT 105.7 FM

• The Pretender-Foo Fighters (When fighting to maintain your idealism is harder than it should be, how could you not vent like this, at least occasionally?)

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

• Jean-Philippe Rameau: Suite in D major (Marcelle Meyer, piano) (Meyer handles this piece's many trills adroitly.  Typically, in a symphony, the first movement is upbeat and forthright, while the second movement is slower and subtler.  In this suite, however, the downcast opening movement gives way to an enjoyable, lighthearted second movement.  That sets the stage for the eight remaining movements.  It's refreshing that a piece from 300 years ago can still speak to a modern audience.)
  

Persistent earworm alert CCCXXI

After hearing it in for the umpteenth time in a store recently, a middling pop hit from 1993 has planted itself firmly in my mind.  I'd stop short of saying that I dislike it, but I don't seek it out.  I won't say which radio station's playlist I'm about to check, but I'll bet this station has played the song at least once today...

...Yep.  The station played it before sunrise.  No surprise there.  On the radio, on streaming services, and in stores, the tune has been omnipresent since it was a hit.  What accounts for its staying power?  Is it mainly the rhythm, the unusually sung, high-pitched vocals, or the lyrics about finding simple pleasures in a relatively empty life?

Or, is there just something about people feeling free and alive while dancing in bee costumes that makes the video--and the song--stick in listeners' minds?

Upon reading the second or third paragraph, multiple readers likely thought, "I knew it.  He's writing about 'No Rain' by Blind Melon."

Yes.  It's unusual for me to go a whole week without hearing "No Rain" somewhere, so I'm surprised it took nearly a decade for me to write a blog post about it.

A function of age XXII

I really felt my age on Friday when a radio show co-host said that he had never bought a CD.  He elaborated that he's 26 and that by the time he could afford to buy music, streaming was the norm.

In contrast, the show's main host asked the audience which albums she should play in their entirety on her newly acquired turntable.

I identified far more with her, musically and technologically.  At age 53, how could I not?

The allure of shuffle mode XLVIII

It took a while to brush snow and scrape ice off the car this morning, so I'm trying to look ahead to Spring.  To underscore this positive mindset, I thought of two songs from my iTunes library that came up back to back yesterday.  "Jessica" by Dave Evans flowed smoothly into Stevan Pasero's "Bells Of Spring."

One warm guitar instrumental deserves another, I think, and both tunes would sound appropriate when played by a burbling brook.

Context? CCCIV

It's refreshing to know that Los Angeles station KCBS invites listeners to "come for the good songs (and) stay for the bad ones to end."

That's a smart way of acknowledging that no radio station can expect every listener to love every song played--and that if you don't like a song that's currently playing, you'll probably like one that's coming up soon.

Online radio sampler highlights CCXXVI

Early Friday morning highlights:

KCAT (Pine Bluff, AR) 

• So Very Hard To Go-Tower Of Power (Well-sung honest lyrics about the pain of a relationship ending.  Not surprisingly, there has always been a home for this hit on the radio since 1973.)
  

KCBS (Los Angeles, CA)

• Cult Of Personality-Living Colour (The powerful vocals and fierce guitar shredding hold up more than three decades later.  Unfortunately, these lyrics are all too accurate.  It's disturbingly easy for aspiring leaders to draw people in and keep them as followers for all the wrong reasons.)

KZSC (Santa Cruz, CA)  

• Hideous Towns-The Sundays (Harriet Wheeler sings negative lyrics in a disarmingly sunny voice.  This is from one of 1990's strongest albums, "Reading, Writing, And Arithmetic.")

WNHN (Concord, NH)

• Sound-Lee-Lee Konitz (An appealingly upbeat saxophone-driven instrumental with a title of which Richard Henry Lee would have approved in "1776.")

WRUV (Burlington, VT)

• Silent Cube-Matthew Shipp (This piano jazz falls somewhere between accessible and avant-garde.  It's fitting accompaniment for middle-of-the-night anxiety.)

Context? CCCIII

Yesterday, one radio show host asked another, "Why is (the song called) 'My Funny Valentine?'"  The other host replied, "I don't know.  I didn't write the song."

That's how I might have responded if I felt grumpy.  Now, I'm wondering, though.  I suppose I could do a little research, but I can live with the answer remaining a mystery.

Still, as one of the hosts said, "I won't be able to sleep tonight."

An overlooked cover tune CXXXIX

Thanks to Denver station KUVO for playing a strong cover this morning.  L.T.D. crafted an enduring groove in the 1977 hit, "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again."  In his version, Phil Upchurch showed how well the tune works as an instrumental.  Upchurch plays the lead vocal part on guitar at a slightly slower tempo and retains all the funk of L.T.D.'s original.  The interplay between piano and guitar substitutes effectively for vocals and fits into a smooth jazz or traditional jazz playlist equally well.  

Upchurch's reworking is appropriate for Valentine's Day or any day when you feel on top of the world.

Context? CCCII

I'm not sure who was being interviewed this morning, but I was surprised to hear a radio show host ask a guest, "So, what's it like working with (employees of a particular company?)  (Are they) a bunch of egomaniacs?"

Predictably, the guest answered, "No, I love working with (that company.)"

Although the host's question was facetious, it would have been interesting if the guest had taken a long pause before answering, "Let's just go with the euphemism of challenging."

Superstitious, admittedly II

It feels rather cold this morning.  Perhaps my playing "Early Spring" by Finn's Motel on Groundhog Day wasn't enough to trigger an early Spring in St. Louis.  Maybe playing Stevan Pasero's "Bells Of Spring" instrumental will seal the deal...

...Then again, maybe it won't.  iTunes played it randomly just now, so maybe the powers that be won't accept that as a sincere musical offering.

I might as well take a cue from Linus, find a sincere pumpkin patch, and wait for the Great Pumpkin.

The allure of shuffle mode XLVII

When you're assembling a playlist of early '80s hits, it's advisable to keep the energy level flowing.  iTunes apparently realized this during a shuffle mode session this morning by pairing 1983's "Talking In Your Sleep" by The Romantics with 1982's "You Don't Want Me Anymore" by Steel Breeze.

That's a segue I'm surprised I never heard on St. Louis's former '80s station, WMLL.

A petty fixation XXVIII

One record label irks me, as it went through a long phase of not putting the year of release on any of its albums.  I pulled out a CD this morning by a band I respect.  However, the album's year of release wasn't listed on the CD insert, front cover, back cover, or the CD itself.  I wonder if the record label thought that putting a year of release on an album might date it too much in some listeners' eyes.  If so, that's misguided, as the music is still the same, and I think most people appreciate having a chronological frame of reference.

Thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that the album was released in 1969.  Would it really have compromised the label to have put that year on the product decades after its release?

Context? CCCI

"I wish you'd make up your mind," a radio personality joked with the weather forecaster yesterday.  "(Temperatures in the) 70s and snow.  You're giving me a headache."

To his credit, the forecaster warned the audience that we'd have "four seasons in three days."

Welcome to February in St. Louis.

Context? CCC

About 20 years ago, I heard a noncommerical DJ balk on the air for a moment.  She wasn't sure if she would play a track by a particular band because "they look kind of nerdy."

"Don't be rude," I thought.  "Does the track sound catchy or interesting enough for airplay?  If so, play it.  That should be the only consideration."  In the end, she made the right call and played the tune, which I still think is the band's best song.

Nevertheless, it would have been better without the DJ's inconsiderate intro.

FM dial scan highlights CCXXXIII

Five noteworthy selections heard this morning:

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Sunshine Yellow-Carol Albert & Peter White (This new piano-and-guitar track blends flamenco and smooth jazz styles pleasantly.  I hear hints of Ottmar Liebert's style throughout the tune.)
• X Marks The Spot-Joe Sample (I've heard so much stellar keyboard playing from Sample's decades with The Crusaders and his years as a solo artist.  It doesn't surprise me, then, that this is yet another example of his compelling rhythmic underpinning.  There's a slinky feel to this instrumental that keeps me tuned in.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Running-Norah Jones (Jones has a knack for making lyrics with turbulent undercurrents sound reassuring.  This new track is no exception.  Her alto voice is always captivating...)
• The Art Of Getting Through-Imogen Clark (...and Clark's low-pitched singing also captured my attention in this new release.  Lyrically, this is almost a companion piece to "Running," as it could be a victory song for conquering one's demons.  This confidently sung tune sports a solid chorus, and strong band backing.  While the studio version is perfectly fine, the Live @ Golden Retriever version draws me in even more.)

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

• Leo Brouwer: Guitar Concerto No. 4, "Concerto de Toronto": II. (Pro Musica Kiev/Richard Kapp, conductor; Ricardo Cobo, guitar)  (The gripping tension between the guitar and flute and seamless combination of Classical and new age genres make this movement stand out.)
  

The pitfalls of shuffle mode VII

Generally, I don't seek out many tunes that combine rap and sampling.  Urban Dance Squad's "Deeper Shade Of Soul" is an exception, however.  It's one of the genre's more accessible tunes with a strong hook.  It was fun to hear it come up in an iTunes shuffle mode session Saturday.

It was jarring, however, when it segued into the next randomly chosen track, Sandler & Young's "Mister Santa."

I wonder if this exact scenario has happened to anyone else on the planet.

The pitfalls of shuffle mode VI

As elementary as it sounds, I sometimes lose sight of just how truly random some iTunes shuffle mode results are.  Last Wednesday, these four selections from my library came up in this order:

 1. You Won't See Me-The Beatles
 2. Miami Overnight-Chris Botti
 3. Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony, Op. 4: 2. Playful Pizzicato (English Chamber Orchestra/Benjamin Britten, conductor)
 4. Enter This Deserted House-Shel Silverstein

"You Won't See Me" is one of many highlights of "Rubber Soul," the Beatles album that's largely an excellent distillation of the band during its middle era, in my opinion.  "Miami Overnight" is a fine smooth jazz trumpet instrumental.  "Playful Pizzicato" is a fun movement from Benjamin Britten's "Simple Symphony" that I used to enjoy playing on the bass.  I listen to Shel Silverstein's spoken word piece, "Enter This Deserted House," every Halloween and never fail to find it jarringly creepy.

Thus, all four tracks have their merits--and make no sense when played back to back.

Persistent earworm alert CCCXX

This is yet another earworm that's entirely of my own making.  For the last three days, I've had a recurring dream.  I'm at a coffeehouse or cafe where a poet chants repeatedly, "Rosie plays the castanets, and Sammy plays the bongos."

That mantra becomes a prelude to a concert by former family cats Rosie and Sammy performing on those instruments.

The audience receives the concert well each time, but I'd still like to know...

...Why those instruments?  I enjoyed listening to music many times with Rosie and Sammy, but neither of them gravitated toward pieces in which percussion instruments dominated...

...Or did they?  Perhaps my subconsciousness is finally recognizing it.

Context? CCXCIX

During a recent radio commercial for a jewelry store, I was surprised to hear the announcer say, "The guy with the trench coat is long gone."

I hope no one still thinks, "Well, the best jewelry is out of my price range, so I guess I'll trust a sketchy stranger on the street's selection.  What could go wrong there?"

Superstitious, admittedly

According to what I read, the word from Gobbler's Knob is that we're in for an early Spring.  After some of the frigid January days we've had here, I really hope that's true...

...and I'd like to believe that my listening to "Early Spring" by Finn's Motel is partially responsible for this improved weather outlook.

Online radio sampler highlights CCXXV

Thursday morning highlights:

KAFM (Grand Junction, CO) 

• What Goes Around (Comes Around)-Robert Finley (The chorus sells this uptempo blues tune, in my opinion, along with the lyrical attitude, "Why would anyone have a problem with me if I'm not harming anyone?")

KGSP (Parkville, MO)

• Annabelle-Gillian Welch (When life rarely gives you a break, it's understandable that you'd be driven to believe in a more just afterlife.  Sidebar: Props to the legal ID singer whose jingle aired between this and Styx's "Come Sail Away."  I thought I was hearing the beginning of Queen's "We Will Rock You" until a woman sang, "K-G-S-P, Parkville!")

KSJN (Minneapolis, MN) 

• Franz Joseph Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major: I. Moderato (Trondheim Soloists; Alisa Weilerstein, cello) (A movement--and a performance--of considerable vim and vigor.)

KVSF (Santa Fe, NM)

• Rocks, Lime-Robert Edwards (Rhythmically, this melodic trombone piece reminds me of "Birks' Works" by Dizzy Gillespie.)

WUMB (Boston, MA)

• Turn Yourself Around-Heather Maloney (A brave admission about needing a support system.)
  

WWHM (Sumter, SC)

• Here I Am (Come And Take Me)-Al Green (To many listeners, Green is best known for "Let's Stay Together."  I'd contend that "Here I Am..." deserves the same level of airplay, for its memorable hook and the way the tune builds. UB40 covered it, but Green's version is stronger.)