MY YEAR IN FILM, 2019

Or, more precisely, my year in DVDs – as i haven't actually been to a real cinema with the over-priced popcorn and sticky seats since 2011, when i saw "The Adjustment Bureau" (which remains one of my fave films of all time btw).

Unfortunately, i suffer from that common 21^st century ailment, lack of time. I love movies, well, they're 'way more interesting than TV and i don't own a TV – i watch everything on my desktop PC. Whoa, forgot where i was going there.... Oh, yes, and alas, i average only a little more than one DVD a week. Sad, really.

Anyway, here's the list of every film i watched in 2019. Those marked with an asterisk were new to me:

Jan. 6: Thunderball

Jan. 13: You Only Live Twice

Jan. 20: Enemy At The Gates

Jan. 27: Casino Royale

Feb. 3: Pretty In Pink*

Feb. 10: The Bourne Legacy

Feb. 17: Out Of Sight

Feb. 24: Year Of The Dragon

Mar. 3: The Sweeney

Mar. 7: Speed

Mar. 10: Taken*

Mar. 17: Annihilation

Mar. 24: Alien 3

Mar. 31: Alexander

Apr. 7: Spectre

Apr. 14: Skyfall

Apr. 21: The Long Good Friday

Apr. 28: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Swedish version)

May 4: Mad Max

May 5: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest

May 8: The Road Warrior

May 11: Black Hawk Down

May 19: The Bourne Identity

May 23: The Bourne Supremacy

May 26: The Adjustment Bureau

May 26: The Limey

June 2: Savages*

June 9: 3:10 To Yuma*

June 16: Crime Spree*

June 19: The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

June 22: The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

June 23: Once Upon A Time In Mexico*

June 26: The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

July 7: 2012

July 14: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

July 21: The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

July 28: The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

Aug. 4: The Patriot

Aug. 11: Murder By Numbers

Aug. 18: Gettysburg*

Aug. 25: The Fugitive

Sept. 1: Quantum Of Solace

Sept. 8: United 93

Sept. 15: Zero Dark Thirty

Sept. 22: Live Free Or Die Hard

Sept. 26: Gladiator

Sept. 29: Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

Oct. 6: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Oct. 13: The Good Shepherd

Oct. 20: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (American version)

Oct. 24: Casablanca

Oct. 27: Jason Bourne

Nov. 3: Mad Max: Fury Road

Nov. 10: About Time*

Nov. 17: Munich

Nov. 24: Beowulf

Dec. 1: Duck Soup

Dec. 8: Django Unchained

Dec. 15: Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood*

Dec. 17: Die Hard

Dec. 21: Meet Me In St Louis

Dec. 22: Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Dec. 24: Bridget Jones's Diary

Dec. 25: Love, Actually

Dec. 28: Die Hard With A Vengeance

Dec. 29: Lethal Weapon 3

Of the new ones, "Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood" was definitely the best. I love Tarantino anyway and this must be one of his greatest. "Gettysburg" was amazing, the tale of the bloodiest battle ever to have taken place on American soil, told from both sides. "About Time" was pretty good, too – one of those happy-and-sad-at-the same-time British comedies that Richard Curtis excels at (and thank you, Marnie, for bringing it to my attention).

Of the films i re-watched, well, "Casablanca" has no competition. It is unquestionable one of the greatest films ever made. Honorable mentions must go to "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (original Swedish version), "The Long Good Friday", "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, "Love Actually" (greatest Christmas film ever?) and of course "The Adjustment Bureau."

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, January 26th, 2020

[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 Parsippany, New Jersey. I've never been there before – or even heard of it!]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: What's even worse than a flute? Two flutes!

Is there another commercial radio station in the world that would have the chutzpah to play all twenty-three-and-a-half minutes of “Echoes”? I highly doubt it. That, however, is not the sole reason i'm grading this week's edition an “A.” Just starting the show with Dylan's song, which is hardly classic “rock” although a bona fide classic certainly, was a pretty brave move. There was a lot more great schtuff, along with a lot of just pretty darned good music and there was nothing that made me want to pour molten lead into my ears or (worse) take a hammer to the computer speakers. (And, as they are a decent pair of Altec-Lansings, that would be a desperate step indeed....)

The song by Rush was an odd choice. As the world is still grieving over the loss of Neil Peart, Uman chose a number from Rush's debut album, which featured their original drummer John Rutsey, whose playing was okay but not exceptional. The Moody Blues track was an odd one, too – they have so many better ones (and IMFFHO most songs released since the 1960s that include the words “rock 'n' roll” in their titles are a long way from being rock 'n' roll: consider Clapton's “I've Got A Rock 'N' Roll Heart” -- one of the most boring songs old Cowhand has ever released).

Highlights include The Beatles (of course!), Procol Harum, Mama's Pride (of course!), Neil Young and The Who – “Love Reign O'er Me” is one of my faves of theirs.

As usual, the show made my week, and, as usual, it was over long before i expected it to be. And, oh, look! Here's a tambourine! And the playlist....

Bob Dylan – Mr Tambourine Man

Angel – The Tower

The B'zz – Too Much To Ask For

The Band – Up On Cripple Creek

Kansas – What's On My Mind

Poco – You Better Think Twice

The Beatles – All I've Got To Do

Procol Harum – Whiter Shade Of Pale

Trapeze – You Are The Music

Queen – Bicycle Race

Heartsfield – Another Man Down

Jay Ferguson – Snakes On The Run

Deep Purple – Burn

String Driven Thing – Circus

Traffic – Dear Mr Fantasy

Neil Young – The Loner

The Michael Wynn Band – Don't Need Nobody

Rush – Finding My Way

The Outlaws – Ghost Riders In The Sky

Atlanta Rhythm Section – Don't Miss The Message

The Little River Band – Happy Anniversary

Pink Floyd – Echoes

Blackfoot – Highway Song

The Moody Blues – Just A Singer (In A Rock 'N' Roll Band)

Mama's Pride – In The Morning

Heart – Kick It Out

The Who – Love, Reign O'er Me

Sammy Hagar – Remember The Heroes

Steve Winwood – Roll With It

Fleetwood Mac – Sentimental Lady

Loggins & Messina – Peacemaker

The Rolling Stones – She's So Cold

I had two bartenders, er, i mean, therapists, this week: Jess and Leah. Apart from the medicine they poured for me, these are the albums they bade me play. My aural medicine, if you will:

The Beatles – Beatles For Sale

Afrocelts – Seed

The Cure – Greatest Hits

Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail

Chantal Kreviazuk – Under These Rocks And Stones

Jeff Beck – Wired

The Mahavishnu Orchestra – The Inner Mounting Flame

Joan Osborne – Love And Hate

Jon & Vangelis – Short Stories

Steeleye Span – Est'd 1969

Godley & Creme – Cry: The Very Best Of Godley & Creme

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – The Real Deal: Greatest Hits 2

10 c.c. -- How Dare You!

Rory Gallagher – Fresh Evidence

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Cat Stevens – Tea For The Tillerman

Wood, Wilson & Carthy -- Wood, Wilson & Carthy

The Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds Of Fire

Todd Rundgren – The Best Of Todd Rundgren

Max Webster – The Best Of Max Webster

The Pretty Reckless – Going To Hell

Runrig – The Ones That Got Away

10,000 Maniacs – In My Tribe

Rush – Retrospective 1974-1980

Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway

Eliza Gilkyson – Land Of Milk And Honey

Peter Hammill – The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage

David Lindley – El Rayo-X

Matchbox Twenty – More Than You Think You Are

Roy Wood – Mustard

Blodwyn Pig – Getting To This

Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, January 19th, 2020

[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 once again listening from Santa Clara, the 48^th largest city in California.]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Samuel Johnson: Of all noises, i think that music is the least disagreeable.

Based on the first two hours, i was all set to grade this week's program an “A” -- pretty much every track was a bona fide classic (or Klassic), but then something dreadful happened: separated only by the song by Asia were two bands i can't abide, Boston and REO Speedwagon: groups who closely studied the “Rock And Roll Book Of Clichės” and didn't understand that it was satire. I fled with blood gushing from my ears (metaphorically speaking, of course!). Things improved for about an hour but then along came Joe Byrd & The Field Hippies (who?) and Aphrodite's Child. At least those two acts aren't clichė-ridden, they're just not very good! The “A” grade was hanging by a thread....

But maybe i'm in a good mood today or something (“unlikely,” my cat adds). Or maybe so much of the show was simply fantastic. Definitely an “A.”

Stanley Clarke – hardly classic rock but great jazz-rock fusion. Mama's Pride – probably the greatest band ever to come out of St Louis. James Taylor and a track from one of my all-time favourite albums, Steely Dan, Atlanta Rhythm Section, The Who, Robin Trower and, well, 10 c.c.... One of the very first times i ever listened to KSHE, all those years ago, they played this track and i realised that this wasn't yer ordinary average rock station. (It's a shame such great proggy music is no longer a part of their regular programming.) Then, just towards the end, “Starry Eyes” by The Records – one of the greatest power pop numbers of all time – and Rod Stewart, when he still had soul. Yum!

I should say a little about Mama's Pride (“the pride of St Louis”). They were formed in 1972 by brothers Pat and Danny Liston and their self-titled debut album was produced by the legendary Ahmet Ertegun and it's full of great tunes – it's called “southern rock” although Missouri is hardly the south! Whatever, it's a great album, and Ronnie Van Zant (of Lynyrd Skynyrd) invited them to go on an American tour with Skynyrd. This should have introduced them to a huge audience and their success would have been assured. Alas, fate stepped in with the terrible plane crash that killed Van Zant and other members of the band. The tour, of course, never happened.

Mama's Pride were Gregg Allman's touring band for a while, released a second album (which is pretty good), but the band was slowly forgotten and broke up in 1982. In 1992 they recorded a reunion album, about which the less said the better, but they continue to re-unite occasionally for one-off gigs in St Lou. And there they are, just down there, looking very much of their time....

Stanley Clarke – School Days

Mama's Pride – She's A Stranger To Me Now

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils – Spaceship Orion

James Taylor – Steamroller

Dave Mason – Taking The Time To Find

The Babys – You Got It

Journey – Too Late

The J. Geils Band – Whammer Jammer

Steely Dan – Black Friday

The Cate Brothers – Union Man

The Who – The Song Is Over

Atlanta Rhythm Section – Angel (What In The World's Come Over Us)

King Crimson – The Court Of The Crimson King

The Charlie Daniels Band – Caballo Diablo

Rush – Cinderella Man

Robin Trower – The Day Of The Eagle

Boston – A Man I'll Never Be

Asia – Don't Cry

REO Speedwagon – Easy Money

The Youngbloods – Get Together

The Rolling Stones – Happy

10 c.c. -- Feel The Benefit

Supertramp – Hide In Your Shell

Bruce Springsteen – I'm Goin' Down

The Michael Stanley Band – In The Heartland

Queen – Keep Yourself Alive

Joe Byrd & The Field Hippies – You Can't Ever Come Down

Aphrodite's Child – Loud, Loud, Loud / 4 Horsemen

Joe Walsh – Ordinary Average Guy

Bob Dylan – Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

The Beatles – It Won't Be Long

Blind Faith – Sea Of Joy

Santana – She's Not There

Stevie Nicks – Talk To Me

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Still (You Turn Me On)

The Records – Starry Eyes

Rod Stewart – The First Cut Is The Deepest

I saw three different therapists (a.k.a. bartenders) this week and two of them i didn't know. I just don't get out enough. Anyway, here are the albums they told me to play at home:

Genesis -- ...And Then There Were Three ...

The Kinks – Soap Opera

A Fine Frenzy – One Cell In The Sea

June Tabor w. Martin Simpson – A Cut Above

Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses

Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home

The Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies

Carolina Chocolate Drops – Genuine Negro Jig

Jon Anderson – Deseo

Sharon Shannon – Sacred Earth

Santana – Santana

Joan Osborne – Little Wild One

Various Artists – Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration

James Taylor – Greatest Hits

Various Artists – Africa Rising

Various Artists – Hard Cash

Court Yard Hounds – Court Yard Hounds

Mama's Pride – Uptown And Lowdown

Renaissance – Azure d'Or

Blȕe Oyster Cult – On Flame With Rock And Roll

The Beat – I Just Can't Stop It

Edith Piaf – L'accordéoniste

Talking Heads – Remain In Light

Kim Mitchell – Shakin' Like A Human Being

Randy Newman – Little Criminals

Fairport Convention – Jewel In The Crown

Nik Kershaw – To Be Frank

Mark Knopfler – Sailing To Philadelphia

London Grammar – If You Want

Max Webster – Mutiny Up My Sleeve

Yes w. The London Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphonic Music Of Yes

Stevie Wonder – The Definitive Collection

Wishbone Ash – Argus

Outback – Baka

The Lovemongers – Battle Of Evermore

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, January 12th, 2020

[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 once again listening from Cheney, Kansas, home of the world-famous Capstone Building Supply outlet.]

Quotation Of The Week ~ William Shakespeare: Most heavenly music! It nips me unto listening, and thick slumber hangs upon mine eyes.

Up until maybe fifteen or sixteen years ago, i was a devoted listener to a radio station from Oshawa, Ontario, called 94.9 The Rock. It was a fabulous station, they would regularly play really obscure music that no other rock radio stations that i knew of would even touch. (IIRC, the first time i ever listened, they were playing a track by Cheech & Chong.) In fact, one of their tag lines was “wow, i haven't heard that song since....” I don't know what happened, though: change of owner, change of management, but they took a nosedive into a puddle of mud. All of the best on-air personalities were either let go or quit and one, who had been on maternity leave, came back to work and lasted less than a week (many of them are still my friends on Facebook), to be replaced by amateurs and incompetents. Worse, their playlist shrank dramatically, so that the completion of their tag line would become “i haven't heard that song since ... an hour ago.” I stopped listening.

It took me a few months but, by a very circuitous route, i found KSHE 95 (it was my brother Dave who lives in St Clair, Missouri who told me about it when i was moaning one day about how awful the radio stations here had become) and i loved it and the station very literally changed my life. But nothing ever stays the same – KSHE has changed, too, to the point where i rarely listen anymore ... except to the Sunday Klassics Show, and it's the highlight of my week without a doubt.

Even when the installment, like this week's, isn't exceptional. I'm only grading it an “A-minus” -- there was nothing wrong with it at all, but i know that it can be so much better. I'm curious, too, about why there were two songs each by Yes and Asia – great as those songs were. Uman doesn't often play one artist twice per show. Sadly, i do understand why there were two songs by Rush, though: the tributes to Neil Peart are pouring in from everywhere, and i know that Rush was hugely popular in St Louis.

My favourite song of the morning was unquestionably Yes's “Starship Trooper,” but to be honest there was little else that i would include in my top 500 favourite songs list. Steely Dan, Paul McCartney, The Spencer Davis Group and Wet Willie, maybe. I hasten to add that there was nothing wrong with anything else played this morning – everything was fine and there was nothing annoying at all. 

R.I.P., Neil....

Neil Young – Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)

Shoes – She Satisfies

Journey – Spaceman

Sammy Hagar – (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

The Moody Blues – The Actor

Yes – Starship Trooper

Steely Dan – Peg

The Marshall Tucker Band – Take The Highway

The Charlie Daniels Band – The South's Gonna Do It Again

Strawbs – To Be Free

Roger Daltrey – Under A Raging Moon

Toby Beau – Westbound Train

The Steve Miller Band – Your Saving Grace

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Workin' For MCA

Tony Carey – A Fine, Fine Day

Sad Café – Black Rose

City Boy – Cigarettes

Aphrodite's Child – Break

Rush – A Passage To Bangkok

Asia – Cutting It Fine

Asia – Time Again

The Little River Band – Emma

Hawks – It's All Right, It's OK

Rush – Vital Signs

Frank Zappa – Don't Eat The Yellow Snow / Cosmik Debris

Rod Stewart – Gasoline Alley

The Guess Who – Hand Me Down World

Rare Earth – I Know I'm Losing You

The Spencer Davis Group – I'm A Man

Wet Willie – Keep On Smilin'

The Electric Light Orchestra – In The Hall Of The Mountain King

Triumph – Say Goodbye

Paul McCartney – Listen To What The Man Said

Little Feat – Spanish Moon

UFO – Mystery Train

Yes – Parallels

Man – Rainbow Eyes

Jackson Browne – Hold Out

38 Special – Rock And Roll Strategy

And here's my own personal playlist for the week, as i know you're fascinated:

The Beatles – Live At The Hollywood Bowl

Eagles – Desperado

Various Artists – Songs Of Our Native Daughters

Richard Thompson – 13 Rivers

C.K. Strong – C.K. Strong

Sandy Denny – Rendezvous

Alan Price – The Best Of Alan Price

The Keef Hartley Band – The Battle Of North West Six

Colin James – Miles To Go

Sheryl Crow – Threads

Various Artists – Hard Cash

Spirit – Clear

Max Webster – Max Webster

Roy Wood / Wizzard – Archive Series

Rory Gallagher – Blues

Sparks – Exotic Creatures Of The Deep

Dan Fogelberg – River Of Souls

Capercaillie – Sidewaulk

Cat Stevens – Tea For The Tillerman

Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection

London Grammar – If You Want

Marc Jordan – Mannequin

Ella Fitzgerald – The Irving Berlin Songbook, Vol. 2

Big Country – The Best Of Big Country

Kim Mitchell – Shakin' Like A Human Being

Enya – Dark Sky Island

The White Stripes – Icky Thump

Rush – Retrospective II: 1981-1987

Bonnie Raitt – Silver Lining

Natalie Maines – Mother

MY YEAR IN MUSIC. 2019

Music is dead, say the pundits, to which i reply, what a load of old codswallop!

The music industry itself is dying a miserable and pathetic death – which it brought upon itself. Does anyone actually listen to pop music, or even FM radio anymore? No, probably not, except when you're at the dentist's office. And it is utter tripe. Almost every song in the current top ten was written by a committee and the voices are all auto-tuned, which means (if Donald Trump Junior is reading this) that they're digitally “enhanced” to remove any imperfections. Which means all character is eradicated. Auto-tune Eddie Vedder and he'll sound like Andy Williams.

And have you seen what they're pushing as “new releases” lately? I'll single out Rod Stewart as he's an artist i loved in the 70s and early 80s but oh, how the mighty have fallen! I'd be hard pressed to even call him an “entertainer” any more, because his music has become a joke, and his latest release is a fine example of a cash-grab. His “new” album is “With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.” He didn't actually record anything new for it, though: that might have required work. They took his original vocals from old recordings and added the orchestra (and classical musicians work cheap – most of them don't make a living and work as laundry truck drivers – or at McDonald's – to pay the rent). Costs very little, to hell with the quality it and sells by the shed-load. That's the business model. Pshaw!

Music is alive and well and is thriving, though, kids, don't let 'em fool you. I bought quite a few cds this year. Many of them were replacements for old vinyl albums (which i am unable to play at the moment). Some great 70s albums by The Kinks, Jeff Beck, Jane Siberry, Renaissance, John Lennon, etc. Probably the best of that bunch was Lennon's “Mind Games”, perhaps my favourite of his solo albums.

But i also bought some amazing and devastatingly beautiful music by current performers. I made some major discoveries this year, too. Carbon Leaf's song “The War Was In Color” must be one of the most powerful anti-war songs ever. I found Rhiannon Giddens late in the year through her work with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and then bought her solo albums and wow, what a voice! Another excellent find was Hannah Reid, the superb vocalist with London Grammar: their music is not for everyone, it will either put you to sleep or reduce you to tears of joy at its beauty. I'm in the latter group. Eliza Gilkyson, The Court Yard Hounds (an offshoot of The Dixie Chicks), Outback, A Fine Frenzy – some incredible music there. I even bought cds by (pop stars) Kesha and Pink and although most their stuff is beyond my comfort level, there are some lovely moments.

My favourite new song of the year (it's ten years old but it only just found me) was unquestionably “Rangers” from A Fine Frenzy's “One Cell In The Sea” album. It melts my spine, it's so evocative. Find it on YouTube.

Album of the year? Probably “Blues”, a three-disc set of previously-unreleased gems by my all-time favourite blues-rock guitarist Rory Gallagher: the brilliance and fluidity of his playing was staggering. But i really must make mention of “Songs Of Our Native Daughters” by Rhiannon Giddens (mentioned above), Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla and Allison Russell: four black American women singing mostly traditional (17^th -19^th century) songs about what it is and has been like to be black in America. It's not an album that will ever sell, but it's both important and powerful. The fact that the record company saw fit to release it gives me hope.

On the subject of radio, as in previous years the station i listened to the most was Radio Paradise. Listener-supported and commercial-free, it's where i discovered almost all of the great new discoveries i discovered (see above) this year. (Did i really write that sentence? Gulp!) They're eclectic, to say the least.

The only commercial FM station i listened to this year was, as it has been for a while, KSHE 95 from St Louis (my spiritual home) although i rarely listen to them apart from on Sunday mornings, when The Klassics Show plays all classic rock that you never hear anywhere else. The program is the highlight of my week (i may have mentioned it elsewhere...) but otherwise KSHE plays the same old stuff every other rock radio station plays, i.e., i like it but it's nothing special.

I also listened occasionally to KCLC, campus radio from Lindenwood University in St Charles, Missouri. They play some terrific music but unfortunately their app doesn't work particularly well on my Android device. I also like the fact that they do the NBC radio news every half-hour and i should probably uninstall and re-install the app, i just haven't bothered yet, as the other two stations keep me perfectly happy.

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, January 5th, 2020

[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 once again listening from Cheney, Kansas. I must really like it there!]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Haruki Murakami: The most important thing we learn in school is the fact that the most important things can't be learned in school.

OMG doesn't Tom Shane of The Shane Company (“your friend in the jewellery business”) have a boring voice. So monotonous. At least this week there were new ads from Frank Leta Automotive and The Goodfeet Store (with branches in St Louis and in Shiloh, Illinois) and they're always entertaining. I don't know who does the ads for Ameren Missouri (https://www.ameren.com/missouri) but she has such a sexy voice, i may be in love.... Still no sign of Bart, though!

(Just an aside, i once went to Shiloh, Illinois – and i love Illinois almost as much as i love Missouri – because i thought it was the site of a famous Civil War battle. Er, wrong again! That was Shiloh, Tennessee. Duh!)

But, enough about the ads and my poor research skills and on to matters of secondary importance: the music. The show definitely merits a grade of “A” this week. There really was only one annoying song – and i find virtually everything by Blood, Sweat & Tears after Al Kooper quit the band to be positively painful – and a very few that were merely ordinary (Henry Lee Summer, anyone?). Otherwise, it was brilliant: the first hour alone included four songs i love (Moody Blues, Genesis, King Crimson and Chicago). After that, oh, too many to mention. Again, it was to some degree like listening to my own record collection. If you shove me up against a wall and say, choose a favourite, i think i'd have to go with the Eagles' song. But that could change in five minutes....

As usual, the program was the highlight of my week and, as usual, it was over far too soon.

Here's a picture of a distressed lion, followed by the playlist(s):

Painter – West Coast Woman

38 Special – Wide-Eyed Southern Boys

The Moody Blues – Your Wildest Dreams

King Crimson -- 21^st Century Schizoid Man

Genesis – Alone Tonight

Chicago – Beginnings

Spider – Change

Wings – Bluebird

The Beatles – Drive My Car

Jefferson Starship – Cruisin'

Heartsfield – As I Look Into The Fire

The Steve Miller Band – Wild Mountain Honey

UFO – Doctor Doctor

The Doobie Brothers – Echoes Of Love

The J. Geils Band – First I Look At The Purse

Elton John – Funeral For A Friend

Slade – Gudbuy T' Jane

Blood, Sweat & Tears – Hi-De-Ho

Jethro Tull – Hunting Girl

Henry Lee Summer – I Wish I Had A Girl

April Wine – Just Between You And Me

U.K. -- In The Dead Of Night

Heart – Little Queen

Jesse Colin Young – Grey Day

Shooting Star – Last Chance

The Who – The Punk Meets The Godfather

The Rolling Stones – Mother's Little Helper

Bruce Springsteen – My Hometown

Steely Dan – My Old School

Fleetwood Mac – Oh Well (live)

Queen – One Vision

Eagles – Outlaw Man

Bad Company – Painted Face

The Doors – Peace Frog / Blue Sunday

John Mellencamp – Rain On The Scarecrow

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Roll Me Away

The Charlie Daniels Band – Saddle Tramp

Now that the holidays are over, i go back to listening to all of the usual rubbish. Here's this week's personal playlist:

Various Artists – The Sixties Generation: 1965

Paul Simon – You're The One

Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells A Story

Aleksandr Borodin – String Quartets No. 1 and No. 2

David Lindley – El-Rayo X

Lindisfarne – The Very Best Of Lindisfarne

Steeleye Span – Tonight's The Night

Jackson Browne – Lives In The Balance

Altan – Island Angel

Talk Talk – Spirit Of Eden

Marillion – Brave

The Who – Tommy

Roxy Music – The Best Of Roxy Music

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – In Step

Country Joe & The Fish – I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die

George Gershwin – Rhapsody In Blue; An American In Paris

Renaissance – Scheherazade And Other Stories

Small Faces – Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

Court Yard Hounds – Amelita

Max Webster – High Class In Borrowed Shoes

Robin Trower – Day Of The Eagle: The Best Of Robin Trower

The Waterboys – Room To Roam

The Bothy Band – 1975

Billie Holiday – The Definitive Billie Holiday

Peter Gabriel – Birdy

Silly Wizard – A Glint Of Silver

Roy Wood – Mustard

Rhiannon Giddens w. Francesco Turrisi – There Is No Other

Neil Young – Live Rust

Wishbone Ash – Argus

Florence + The Machine – High As Hope

10 c.c. -- How Dare You!

Jon & Vangelis – Short Stories

Dire Straits – Money For Nothing

Talk Talk – Natural History: The Very Best Of Talk Talk