KSHE Klassics Show, August 26, 2018

Quotation du jour: Courtney Love ~ I can turn on the radio right now and be inspired.

[As you may or may not know, i live in Canada, and for some reason KSHE doesn't stream their audio to here. I have to connect via a VPN to spoof a non-Canadian address. This week, according to https://whatismyipaddress.com/, i was listening from the village of Saltford, Somerset, England. I've never been there before.]

I have to admit that i approached this week's show with some uneasiness, especially after the last two less-than-brilliant editions.

When Hubbard Radio bought KSHE back in April or May, they promised that there would be no changes to the programming, but i had begun to wonder. Hubbard has also been on the receiving end of some severe criticism on KSHE's Facebook page. Then, last week, i learned that the host of my other favourite KSHE program, "The Rock Magazine" (weekday mornings at 4 a.m. Eastern Time) and the overnight deejay (and my Facebook friend) Tommy T.  had been let go. But according to another KSHE deejay, Favazz, Hubbard is a good company to work for, so Tommy's redundancy may not have had anything to do with them but was a simple matter of economics: very few radio stations have overnight deejays any more, it's all automated. (KSHE now calls its overnight man "Otto Mation.")

Still, it's sad about Tommy and i worried that the Klassics Show had been fucked with. It seems i worried for nowt. Today's show was far better than the last two.

The inclusion of Dan Fogelberg automatically gives it an A+ but, truth to tell, i would probably have scored it that highly anyway. There were tedious moments, for sure – Giuffria and Black Sabbath, i'm talking to you here – and only one song i seriously disliked (the Harry Chapin) but otherwise there was a load of wonderful music, and quite a lot i can honestly say i love. Blind Faith, Renaissance, Peter Gabriel ... the list goes on. Truly the highlight of my week.

.38 Special – Stone Cold Believer

The Youngbloods – Darkness, Darkness

Rod Stewart – Tonight's The Night

Blind Faith – Had To Cry Today

The Doors – Moonlight Drive

Renaissance – Northern Lights

The Band – Life Is A Carnival

The Charlie Daniels Band – Blue Star

Giuffria – Call To The Heart

Dan Fogelberg – Missing You

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Ohio

Bob Dylan – Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts

The Moody Blues – Lovely To See You

Steely Dan – The Caves Of Altamira

Sammy Hagar – Run For Your Life Girl

The Doobie Brothers – Turn It Loose

Black Sabbath – Changes

The Little River Band – Statue Of Liberty

Charlie – Fantasy Girl

Axe – Rock And Roll Party In The Streets

Yes – Don't Kill The Whale

Russ Ballard – Rene Didn't Do It

Pete Townshend – Let's See Action

Tom Petty – A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)

The Marshall Tucker Band – Ramblin'

Jefferson Starship – Ride The Tiger

Peter Gabriel – Red Rain

The Pousette-Dart Band – Amnesia

Eric Clapton – I've Got A Rock 'n' Roll Heart

The J. Geils Band – Musta Got Lost

Manfred Mann's Earth Band – Don't Kill It Carol

April Wine – Shot Down

Harry Chapin – WOLD

The Alan Parsons Project – I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You

Billy Thorpe – In My Room

Gary Wright – Silent Fury

The Atlanta Rhythm Section – Neon Nights

The Steve Miller Band – Living In The USA

Our nerves are shot here at Spriggs Towers. The pressure this week was virtually unrelenting. Work-related, mostly. The albums that appeared on the corporate CD drive helped a lot:

Richard Thompson – More Guitar

Collective Soul – Youth

This Mortal Coil – Filigree And Shadow

Humble Pie – Performance: Rockin' The Fillmore

Elvis Costello – This Year's Model

3 – … To The Power Of Three

Joe Cocker – With A Little Help From My Friends

Wishbone Ash – The Best Of Wishbone Ash

The Who – Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy

Sparks – Li'l Beethoven

Highly Strung – When The Winds Begin To Sing

Simon Nicol – Consonant Please Carol

Robert Plant – The Principle Of Moments

Emerson Lake & Palmer – Trilogy

The Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies

Maddy Prior – Woman In The Wings

Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells A Story

Caro Emerald – Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor

Van Morrison – His Band And The Street Choir

Various Artists – The Earth Greets The Sun: Gamelan Music From Bali

Buffalo Springfield – Last Time Around

Dixie Chicks – Taking The Long Way

Various Artists – Dylan Covered

Fairport Convention – Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

Colin James – Traveler

Planxty – Cold Blow And The Rainy Night

Steeleye Span – Ten Man Mop, Or, Mr Reservoir Butler Rides Again

Rod Stewart – Out Of Order

Paul Simon – The Rhythm Of The Saints

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced?

Various Artists – Shining Bright: The Songs Of Lal & Mike Waterson

KSHE Klassics Show, August 19th, 2018

Quotation du jour: Lester Bangs ~ "Music, you know, true music not just rock 'n' roll, chooses you."

[As you may or may not know, i live in Canada, and for some reason KSHE doesn't stream their audio to here. I have to connect via a VPN to spoof a non-Canadian address. This week, according to https://whatismyipaddress.com/, i was listening from New York City again, somewhere in Manhattan.]

Oh, this is tough one. After last week's underwhelming instalment, which scored a measly B+, i'm very sorry to say that i have to give this week's even less whelming edition a B: primarily because of the inclusion of one band i cannot abide – Aerosmith – but also because a lot of it was, frankly, tedious. I mean, c'mon John: Michael Fennelly? Jimmy Spheeris? Why did we have Sugarloaf lead off the show for the second time this month? Where were all the regulars like Jackson Browne, Elton John and Steely Dan?

For the second week running, we were 2½ hours in before a song came on that i truly love: the Wishbone Ash. There was lots of schtuff before that that i liked, of course, but "Phoenix" was definitely the highlight for me today. I enjoyed hearing Brian Auger, too; i rarely hear him on KSHE.

Sugarloaf – Green-Eyed Lady

Aerosmith – Big Ten Inch Record

38 Special – Fantasy Girl

Rush – Xanadu

John Waite – Change

Fleetwood Mac – Danny's Chant

The Marshall Tucker Band – Fly Like An Eagle

Todd Rundgren – Love Of The Common Man

Trooper – Knock 'Em Dead Kid

The Who – Another Tricky Day

Pete Townshend – A Little Is Enough

Bob Dylan – Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

Michael Fennelly – Touch My Soul

The Electric Light Orchestra – Poker

The Allman Brothers Band – Don't Want You No More/Not My Cross To Bear

Journey – Spaceman

Jimmy Spheeris – I Am The Mercury

Tom Petty – A Thing About You

The Butts Band – Be With Me

Head East – Since You Been Gone

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Our House

Wishbone Ash – Phoenix

Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air

Gamma – Voyager

Rod Stewart – Blondes (Have More Fun)

Brian Auger – Happiness Is Just Around The Bend

Black Sabbath – The Wizard

Styx – Father O.S.A.

The Police – Driven To Tears

Pat Travers – Snortin' Whiskey

Shooting Star – Tonight

Michael Stanley – He Can't Love You

Eric Clapton – She's Waiting

The Amboy Dukes – Journey To The Center Of The Mind

Prism – Julie

The Rolling Stones – When The Whip Comes Down

Charlie Daniels – Long-Haired Country Boy

And here's what kept the doctor away at home this week:

Cheryl Dilcher – Special Songs

Davy Spillane – Out Of The Air

Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield Again

Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet – Landfall

Dan Fogelberg – Love In Time

Steeleye Span – Parcel Of Rogues

Yes – Fragile

Terje Rypdal – Chaser

Marillion – Holidays In Eden

Rory Gallagher – Tattoo

Brian Plummer – No Questions

Rush – Power Windows

Atlanta Rhythm Section – Third Annual Pipe Dream

P.J. Harvey – White Chalk

Saga – Silent Knight

Maddy Prior – Woman In The Wings

The Beatles – Let It Be

Happy Rhodes – Ectotrophia

John Fogerty – Blue Moon Swamp

The Bothy Band – Old Hag You Have Killed Me

Dire Straits – Alchemy

Al Di Meola – Casino

Annie Haslam – Annie Haslam

Wishbone Ash – There's The Rub

Yes – Close To The Edge

Pink Floyd – Animals

Fish – A Feast Of Consequnces

David Gilmour – Rattle That Lock

Kathy Mattea – Love Travels

Martin & Eliza Carthy – The Moral Of The Elephant

Steely Dan – A Decade Of Steely Dan

Sharon Shannon – Out The Gap

Blodwyn Pig – Getting To This

KSHE Klassics Show, August 12th, 2018

Quotation du jour: Elmore Leonard ~ My purpose is to entertain and please myself. I feel that if I am entertained, then there will be enough other readers who will be entertained, too.

[As you may or may not know, i live in Canada, and for some reason KSHE doesn't stream their audio to here. I have to connect via a VPN to spoof a non-Canadian address. This week, according to https://whatismyipaddress.com/, i was listening from New York City again, somewhere in Manhattan. Great! I love NYC.]

It's difficult to know what to say about this morning's show. There was quite a lot that was pretty ordinary, and a few songs i could have happily lived without. I almost gave it a B, but when "Friends Of Mr Cairo" came on, that was automatically bumped up to B+

I have occasionally listened to an online station called St Louis Classic Rock [dot] com. They pride themselves on how long they can go without repeating a song. The last time i looked, they were well over 5000. (Your average radio station – not that i ever listen to average radio stations – plays the same 300 songs every day.) The problem there, though, and the reason i rarely listen, is that, by necessity, some of what St Louis Classic Rock plays is really obscure, and deserves to be!

I had that feeling this morning – that a lot of what Uman played was utterly dispensible. Michael Bolton – really, John! -- Runner, Gypsy, Rainbow.... Quelle blague! But there were a few songs that i love. Not a huge number, but enough to make the show the highlight of my week, as it usually is, and there was nothing that i hated, so, yes.

Runner – Fooling Myself

,38 Special – Rock And Roll Strategy

Little Feat – Oh, Atlanta

Todd Rundgren – Just One Victory

Paul Kantner, Grace Slick & David Freiberg – Across The Board

Stephen Stills – Turn Back The Pages

Dave Mason – Look At You, Look At Me

April Wine – Say Hello

Jay Ferguson – Thunder Island

Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Hey You

Michael Bolton – Fool's Game

Bruce Cockburn – If I Had A Rocket Launcher

Montrose – Town Without Pity

Pure Prairie League – Amie

Billy Joel – The Ballad Of Billy The Kid

The Little River Band – Every Day Of My Life

Justin Hayward – Forever Autumn

Steely Dan – Black Cow

Thin Lizzy – Dancing In The Moonlight

The Rolling Stones – Wild Horses

Gypsy – Dead And Gone

The Charlie Daniels Band – Orange Blossom Special

Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes

John Mellencamp – Small Paradise

The Moody Blues – Gypsy/Eternity Road

Elton John – Take Me To The Pilot

Eagles – Outlaw Man

The Grateful Dead – Playing In The Band

Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers

Richie Blackmore's Rainbow – Long Live Rock And Roll

Fleetwood Mac – Hypnotized

Jimi Hendrix Experience – Little Wing

Jon & Vangelis – The Friends Of Mr Cairo

Manassas – It Doesn't Matter

Trooper – Raise A Little Hell

Santana – Well Alright

Queen – I Want It All

Shooting Star -- Breakout

I had a rough week at the office. At home, these albums, along with the imbibing of a certain hops-based beverage, were my medicine:

The Nice – The Nice

Radiohead – O.K. Computer

Tyrannosaurus Rex – Prophets, Seers And Sages, The Angels Of The Ages

Kronos Quartet – Pieces Of Africa

Various Arists – A Tribute To Dan Fogelberg

The Kinks – The Collection

Dan Fogelberg – Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed … And Some Blues

Runrig – Heartland

Fairport Convention – Live In Finland, 1971

The Kinks – Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround

Wolfscote – Turn The Glass

Florence + The Machine – High As Hope

Loggins And Messina – Sittin' In Again

Harry Nilsson – The Harry Nilsson Anthology: Personal Best

Runrig – The Ones That Got Away

Happy Rhodes – Ectotrophia

Garfield – Out There Tonight

The Electric Light Orchestra – No Answer

Maddy Prior – Year

Mott The Hoople – Mott

Mike Oldfield – QE2

Peter Gabriel – So

Little Johnny England – Mercs And Cherokees

City Boy – Young Men Gone West

The Kinks – Sleepwalker

Pink – Try This

Garmarna – Hildegard von Bingen

Genesis – Foxtrot

KSHE Klassics Show, August 5th, 2018

Quotation du jour: Bob Dylan ~ This land is your land and this land is my land, sure, but the world is run by those that never listen to music anyway.

[As you may or may not know, i live in Canada, and for some reason KSHE doesn't stream their audio to here. I have to connect via a VPN to spoof a non-Canadian address. This week, according to https://whatismyipaddress.com/, i was listening from New York City again. Great! I love NYC.]

I must confess that, before today's show began, I was worried. Yes, I was: I was listening to Radio Paradise, and their audio stream kept dropping every few minutes. I tried re-booting the modem and the router, but that didn't seem to help and I thought, if this keeps up, The Klassics Show could be a disconcering listening experience. I'm well aware that my Internet connection isn't the greatest, thanks to my noisy 'phone line, but, as it turned out, KSHE's audio stream was virtually uninterrupted for the full four hours. (The were two momentary dropouts, nothing to tear one's hair out over.) So I suppose the problem must have been at Radio Paradise's end.

As for today's show, i'm reluctantly giving it an A Minus. There was nothing that I hated, but it included too much that was merely “okay”. Jimmy Spheeris? Michael Fennelly? Judas Priest (a band I didn't really think belonged here anyway)? Automatic Man? Yawn. But there was quite a lot that I loved, too, and I think I almost came very close to being on the verge of tears when Uman played that beautiful Renaissance song, which was definitely the highlight for me.

And lookie there! It's Sugarloaf Mountain a.k.a. Pão de Açúcar in Rio de Janeiro (1299 feet if you must know).

Sugarloaf – Green-Eyed Lady

Lynyrd Skynyrd – I Know A Little

Trooper – Knock 'Em Dead Kid

The Youngbloods – Darkness, Darkness

Jimmy Spheeris – I Am The Mercury

Todd Rundgren – Can We Still Be Friends

Michael Fennelly – Touch My Soul

Gerry Rafferty – Right Down The Line

Giuffria – Call To The Heart

Santana – Everybody's Everything

The Amboy Dukes – Journey To The Center Of The Mind

The Allman Brothers Band – One Way Out

Russ Ballard – Rene Didn't Do It

Yes – America

April Wine – Shot Down

John Mellencamp – Hot Night In A Cold Town

The Alan Parsons Project – I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You

Blue Őyster Cult – Shooting Shark

The Michael Stanley Band – Nothing's Gonna Change My Mind

Grinderswitch – Higher Ground

Little Feat – Fat Man In The Bathtub

Thin Lizzy – Showdown

Gary Wright – Love Is Alive

Wings – Venus And Mars Rock Show

Renaissance – Northern Lights

Montrose – I Got The Fire

The Doobie Brothers – Jesus Is Just Alright

Van Morrison – Moondance

The Byrds – So You Want To Be A Rock & Roll Star

38 Special – Stone Cold Believer

Judas Priest – The Ripper

Automatic Man – My Pearl

Elton John – Where To Now St Peter

Brownsville Station – Lady (Put The Light On Me)

The Moody Blues – Legend Of A Mind

The Dixon House Band – Sooner Or Later

Pete Townshend – Rough Boys

Joe Walsh – Turn To Stone

Nazareth – Razamanaz

Jethro Tull – Thick As A Brick (not the full album, but a radio edit)

Flash And The Pan – Down Among The Dead Men

It's an unusually long list of the schtuff we played at home to annoy the neighbours this week. What annoyed them even more – and the reason for the list's length – was that I had the week off. Bwahaha!

Cheryl Dilcher – Special Songs

Peter Hammill – Skin

The Who – Who's Next

Terje Rypdal – After The Rain

Cassandra Wilson – Silver Pony

James Taylor – Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

Mark Knopfler – Shangri-La

Marillion – All One Tonight

Runrig – Live At Celtic Connections, 2000

French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson – Invisible Means

June Tabor – Aqaba

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà Vu

Capercaillie – Sidewaulk

Caro Emerald – Live From Emerald Island

Dan Fogelberg – River Of Souls

Fairport Convention – Jewel In The Crown

Wolfscote – Turn The Glass

Tyrannosaurus Rex – A Beard Of Stars

Steely Dan – Countdown To Ecstasy

Propaganda – A Secret Wish

Steeleye Span – Tempted And Tried

Wishbone Ash – Thirtieth Anniversary Concert (DVD)

Lyle Lovett – Pontiac

Yes – Tales From Topographic Oceans

Rory Gallagher – Deuce

Cocteau Twins – Heaven Or Las Vegas

The Kinks – Misfits

Davy Spillane – Atlantic Bridge

Genesis – Selling England By The Pound

Elvis Costello – Spike

Various Artists – City Of Angels (O.S.T.)

Dick Gaughan – Gaughan

The Albion Band – Acousticity

Jeff Beck – Emotion And Commotion

Various Artists – The Who Covered

Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet – Landfall

Siouxsie & The Banshees – The Rapture

Terje Rypdal & David Darling – Eos

The Beatles – A Hard Day's Night

Flash – Flash

Patti Smith – Outside Society

Spirit – Clear

Steeleye Span – Hark! The Village Wait

Peter Hammill – Fools Mate

Roger McGuinn – Live From Mars

Pink Floyd – Animals

Randy Newman – Little Criminals