KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, February 23rd, 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 back in Cheney, Kansas.]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Bob Dylan: The radio makes hideous sounds.

When you think of car body restoration or repair, do you think of Griffin Automotive Design in Bonne Terre, Missouri (https://www.griffinautomotivedesign.com/)? Well, according to this morning's show, you should! (There, ok, i've done my bit. Is my cheque in the mail, Mr Griffin?) Although now that i think about it, they also recommended It's Alive Automotive in St Louis for such matters. I'm confused.... (My cat adds “doesn't take much.”)

I've often said – only half-seriously – that the KSHE Klassics Show is the highlight of my week. After the hellish, stressful and crazybusy week i've just had to endure at my other job, made worse by the fact that i'm surrounded by amateurs and idiots there, having a wisdom tooth removed would have been a highlight. But it was an astonishingly good instalment today and definitely earns a grade of “A+”. Even the Ted Nugent and Pavlov's Dog songs weren't too obnoxious, and normally i detest both of those acts. I was delighted – in fact, staggered – to hear Fairport Convention. Uman himself admitted that he hadn't played them in far too long and they're one of my favourite bands.

I could easily have lived without all eighteen minutes of J.D. Blackfoot's song, which, whilst addressing a serious subject, the genocide that helped to build America, is awfully overwrought. (I love the USA but can never forget that the room of its history has two huge elephants in it: slavery and genocide.) It wasn't annoying, though: just too damned long. Time, i think, that could have been better used by playing Rory Gallagher or Dan Fogelberg or Mama's Pride or even more Fairport.

What a start to the show – The Hooters. I've often felt that if i had any kind of musical talent at all, i would have liked to have been in a band like that. And they were followed by almost an hour's worth of music that is very important to me. After the Cat Stevens song, i wanted to get up and make a cup of tea, but i couldn't. Somehow my knees had gone weak. The power of music to transport one to other places and times never fails to amaze. Then we had The Beatles, proving that, along with everything else they could do incredibly well, they were magnificent at harmony singing.

It was also lovely to hear Led Zep and the Pretenders – they show up on KSHE's regular programming all the time but rarely on the Sunday Klassics. Here's the playlist, along with a pic of Crazy Horse, looking none too happy (understandable):

The Hooters – All You Zombies

Bruce Springsteen – Fade Away

Buffalo Springfield – Bluebird

Derek & The Dominos – Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad

Billy Joel – Captain Jack

Paul McCartney – Monkberry Moon Delight

The Kinks – Do It Again

Head, Hands And Feet – Country Boy

Genesis – Visions Of Angels

Cat Stevens – Father And Son

Foreigner – Headknocker

J.D. Blackfoot – The Song Of Crazy Horse

Molly Hatchet – Dreams I'll Never See

Ted Nugent – Snakeskin Cowboys

The Rolling Stones – All Down The Line

Michael Quatro – In Collaboration With The Gods

Michael Stanley Band – Strike Up The Band

The Beatles – If I Fell

Led Zeppelin – How Many More Times

Trooper – It's Been A Long Time

The Alan Parsons Project – Damned If I Do

Kenny Loggins – Lady Luck

Trapeze – Medusa

P.M. -- Piece Of Paradise

Heartsfield – Shine On

Blue Cheer – Summertime Blues

Pretenders – Talk Of The Town

Van Morrison – Tupelo Honey

Fairport Convention – Matty Groves

Zebra – Who's Behind The Door?

Pavlov's Dog – Natchez Trace

Procol Harum – Whiskey Train

April Wine – All Over Town

Eric Clapton -- Promises

Here's my own personal playlist for the week:

Ray Davies – Our Country: Americana Act II

Sharon Shannon – Sacred Earth

Paul Simon – In The Blue Light

Mike Oldfield – Platinum

French Frith Kaiser Thompson – Invisible Means

The Motors – Airport: The Motors' Greatest Hits

Kate Bush – Aerial

London Grammar – Truth Is A Beautiful Thing

Robert Plant – Fate Of Nations

Sparks – Kimono My House

The Strokes – Is This It

Afro-Celt Sound System – Anatomic

Heart – Little Queen

The Kinks – Preservation Act 1

Procol Harum – Shine On Brightly

Ian Anderson – Thick As A Brick 2

Kirsty MacColl – Galore

Fairport Convention – Liege And Lief

The Albion Dance Band – The Prospect Before Us

Thunder – Behind Closed Doors

Richard Thompson – Mock Tudor

The Kinks – Preservation Act 2

Tori Amos – Scarlet's Walk

Natalie Maines – Mother

Nik Kershaw – The Best Of Nik Kershaw

The Pointer Sisters – Jump: The Best Of The Pointer Sisters

John Fogerty – Premonition

The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver – Beat Of The Street

King Crimson – Starless And Bible Black

Outback – Baka

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, February 16th, 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 Campbellsville, Kentucky. I've never been there before!]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Greg Lake: Original music. You know, in the 70s, the music was art-led, now it's market-led. You used to have rock heroes, now you have rock product. And music has lost its identity and its personality with all the crap and pap that's dished up today.

I've been listening to this station for maybe fifteen years and i'm afraid i just can't get used to hearing hospitals advertising on it. Barnes-Jewish Hospital, who helped to pay for today's show, is apparently an excellent hospital (https://www.barnesjewish.org/), the largest in Missouri, and their spot on this morning's edition was a “nice” (for lack of a better word), unobtrusive ad (unlike a lot of them). But it just seems so odd to hear such facilities hustling for business. Ah, America, i love it but i can never forget that it's a foreign country.

On to matters of secondary importance, i.e., the music. I'm definitely grading this edition an “A+”. What a wonderful four hours and definitely the highlight of my week! Even the two songs that i disliked passionately (Harry Chapin's and REO Speedwagon's) couldn't ruin that evaluation, the rest of the music was so magnificent. Just in the first hour alone there were six songs that i love, and at least two i would include in my top 500 favourite songs list: Jefferson Airplane and Wishbone Ash. Oh, and incidentally, well done Uman for playing the unbleeped version of “We Can Be Together.” It includes the “f” word more than once and the FCC frowns upon that: most American stations won't play the song at all! Thanks, KSHE, for cocking a snook at the FCC!

Here's the third stone from the Sun, and the playlist:

Neil Young – Don't Let It Bring You Down

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Third Stone From The Sun

Nazareth – This Flight Tonight

The Grateful Dead – Touch Of Grey

Jefferson Airplane – We Can Be Together

Roger Daltrey – After The Fire

Donnie Iris – Ah Leah

Heartsfield – As I Look Into The Fire

Wishbone Ash – Blowin' Free

Gary Wright – Blind Feeling

Red Rider – Can't Turn Back

The Kinks – Where Have All The Good Times Gone

Eddie Money – When You Took My Heart

Jackson Browne – These Days

Head East – City Of Gold / Fly By Night Lady

The Bliss Band – Doctor

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

Supertramp – Ain't Nobody But Me

Bourgeois-Tagg – I Don't Mind At All

Stevie Nicks – Enchanted

Lake – Do I Love You

Kenny Loggins – Heart To Heart

Billy Thorpe – In My Room

King Crimson – Epitaph

The Animals – House Of The Rising Sun

REO Speedwagon – In Your Letter

Deep Purple – Knocking At Your Back Door

Nite City – Summer Eyes

Billy Joel – Prelude / Angry Young Man

The Electric Light Orchestra – Showdown

The Rockets – Oh Well

Led Zeppelin – The Rain Song

Harry Chapin – Taxi

The Doobie Brothers – Turn It Loose

Steve Winwood – Time Is Running Out

Planet P – Why Me

I had an extraordinary four occupational therapists (a.k.a. bartenders) this week: Jess, Kate and Amanda at Crabby Joe's Clinic, and Brooklynne (sp?) at Bentley's, and here are the albums they told me to play at home this week, to help repair my shattered nerves. I pay enough for their advice, so of course i always take it!

Dire Straits – Alchemy

Players – Players

Eoin Dillon – Pondelorum

Yes – Going For The One

Paula Cole – Revolution

Elvin Bishop – The Best Of Elvin Bishop

Caro Emerald – Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor

David Gilmour – On An Island

Carole King – Tapestry

Peter Hammill – Skin

Max Webster – Max Webster

Steeleye Span – Tonight's The Night: Live

Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home

10 c.c. -- The Original Soundtrack

Loggins & Messina – Sittin' In Again: The Best Of Loggins & Messina

The Oyster Band – Step Outside

The Doobie Brothers – Best Of The Doobies

Nick Lowe – Basher: The Best Of Nick Lowe

ABBA – More ABBA Gold

The Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies

Steve Rothery – The Ghosts Of Pripyat

Various Artists – Songs Of Our Native Daughters

Tangerine Dream – Poland

Kensington Market – Aardvark

Quintessence – In Blissful Company

Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes

The Moody Blues – Greatest Hits

Fairport Convention – Shuffle And Go

Various Artists – The Mother Of All Morris

Kim Mitchell – Aural Fixations

Steeleye Span – Please To See The King

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

Jon & Vangelis – Short Stories

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, February 9th, 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 Cheney, Kansas (for only the second time this year).]

Quotation Of The Week ~ W.H. Auden: The lights must never go out, the music must always play.

Ugh, it's a tough one to grade this week. The two execrable tracks by REO Speedwagon and Blood, Sweat & Tears made an “F” tempting – epic fail – but, darn it, Dan Fogelberg automatically means an “A+” so, reluctantly, “A+” it is. (Oh, and if Ivanka Trump is reading this – she might be, you never know -- “execrable” means “bloody awful”.)

The fact is, apart from the above-mentioned aural nightmares, it was a pretty darned good morning. Even the track by Eric Burdon (with The Animals) was okay – it's basically Eric's post-Animals schtuff i can't stand, Dave, and there was a lot of music that i loved and hadn't heard in quite a while, starting right at the top of the show with Steve Winwood. The highlight of the morning for me was definitely the track by Rockpile, but Supertramp, 10 c.c., Manfred Mann and Neil Young were right up there, too. As usual, the four hours were over 'way too soon.

As for this week's ads – you know, the annoyances that actually pay for all this wonderful music – i was particularly interested in the one from the St Louis History Museum, for their current exhibit “Mighty Mississippi.” https://mohistory.org/exhibits/mighty-mississippi I would love to be able to go. I love the Mississippi River. I want my ashes to be strewn upon it. Almost every time i've ever seen it i've wound up with real tears streaming down my stupid face, it's so majestic, so powerful, so full of history and, yes, so much music. As a personal aside, the first place i ever visited as a tourist in St Lou was ... the History Museum.

Still no Bart Inman, though!

Here, have a river, and a playlist.

Steve Winwood – Arc Of A Diver

Fandango – Blame It On The Night

The Beatles – I Wanna Be Your Man

Gary Wright – Can't Find The Judge

REO Speedwagon – 157 Riverside Avenue (live)

Neil Young – Cinnamon Girl

The Little River Band – Days On The Road

10 c.c. -- Dreadlock Holiday

Chicago – Happy Man

Foghat -- My Babe

Them – Gloria

Blood, Sweat & Tears – Go Down Gambling

Bruce Springsteen -- Fourth Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band – For You

The New Riders Of The Purple Sage – Glendale Train

Dixon House Band – Sooner Or Later

Dan Fogelberg – Give Me Some Time

Prism – Hello

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Helpless

The Grateful Dead – Hell In A Bucket

Strawbs – Heartbreaker

Bruce Cockburn – Tokyo

Cream – I'm So Glad

Stevie Nicks – If Anyone Falls

It's A Beautiful Day – A Hot Summer Day

Bryan Adams – It's Only Love

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Rebels

Toto – Ninety-Nine

Survivor – Poor Man's Son

The Animals – Sky Pilot

Supertramp – Sister Moonshine

Starcastle – Lady Of The Lake

Fleetwood Mac – Sunny Side Of Heaven

Jackson Browne – That Girl Could Sing

Rockpile – Teacher, Teacher

Huey Lewis & The News – The Only One

Santana – Everybody's Everything

My two occupational therapists at Crabby Joe's Bar 'N' Grill – er, my clinic – and my cat told me to play these cds this week. I complied. I'm not confrontational...

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland

Dead Can Dance – Toward The Within

Various Artists -- “Clockwork Orange” (OST)

The Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies

The Cars – The Essentials

Steeleye Span – Commoner's Crown

Amazing Blondel – Blondel

Various Artists – Hard Cash

Eagles – Desperado

The Bothy Band – Out Of The Wind Into The Sun

Peter Hammill – In Camera

The Oyster Band – Step Outside

Mark Knopfler – Shangri-La

Judy Collins – In My Life

Cheryl Dilcher – Special Songs

Queen – The Very Best Of Queen

Humble Pie – As Safe As Yesterday Is

Paula Cole – This Bright Red Feeling

Rory Gallagher – Top Priority

Manfred Mann's Earth Band – Chance

Chicago – Chicago V

The Greg Kihn Band – The Best Of Beserkley '75-'84

Stevie Ray Vaughan: The Real Deal 2

Dervish – The Great Irish Songbook

The Kinks – Lola vs Powerman & The Money-Go-Round

Talk Talk – Spirit Of Eden

The John Renbourn Group – Live In America

The Monks – Bad Habits

10,000 Maniacs – In My Tribe

Sheryl Crow – Threads

Marillion – With Friends From The Orchestra

Van der Graaf Generator – The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, February 2nd, 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 Santa Clara, California again.]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Nancy Pelosi: I don't want to see him impeached – i want to see him in jail.

Quotation #2 ~ Nick Hornby: I have always been accused of taking the things i love – football, of course, but also books and records – much too seriously and i do feel a kind of anger when i hear a bad record, or when someone is lukewarm about a book that means a lot to me.

Would you like to earn an extra $400 (U.S!) a month? There was an ad this morning which had a great suggestion for you. You can sell your plasma through BioLife Plasma Services! It's https://pub.s1.exacttarget.com/jdnqse3qecm if you're interested. I must admit i was stunned when i heard that – such a thing is unheard-of here (and highly illegal) in Canada but then, our two great countries are so similar yet so different. (For one thing, Canada isn't the laughing stock of the world these days, but that's another story and i usually try to avoid politics.) One more thing about the all-important ads before i move on to the secondary subject of the music – still no appearance of Bart Inman. I was listening to KSHE at work on Saturday morning and his ad appeared. Maybe he just no longer sponsors the Klassics Show? (I like his voice a lot but there have been lots of snide comments about his drawl on the Klassics Show's Facebook page, maybe that's why?)

I haven't listened in some years, but at one time i would occasionally go to an online station called St Louis Classic Rock (www.slcr.tv). They prided themselves on how long they could go without repeating a track (the last time i visited, they were up to well over 5000 songs) and this meant, necessarily, that a lot of what they played was pretty obscure. In far too many instances, that obscurity was deserved! I was thinking about as i listened to this morning's program: a boatload of very obscure tracks. Most of them were okay, i hasten to add; there was only one track that really annoyed me, and i'm on record as stating that pretty much everything Eric Burdon recorded after about 1966 is utter wankery. The outro to the song – probably about a minute long but it seemed much longer – himself grunting “i'm-a” and “oyah” “please-ah” over and over nearly did my nut in.

I almost graded the show a “B+” -- very little that i loved (Jimi Hendrix, Wishbone Ash) and just mostly all right, and then, in the last half hour ... one of Dan Fogelberg's most beautiful songs, and Dan automatically means an “A+,” and that song, i love it so much it brought a.... Oh, no it didn't! I had something in my eye, honestly. :-/

Here's Dan, and the playlist:

Santana – Stormy

Humble Pie – Stone Cold Fever

Brewer & Shipley – Tarkio Road

Frankie & The Knockouts – Sweetheart

Tony Carey – The First Day Of Summer

The Doors – The Wasp

Dirty Tricks – Too Much Wine

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Bad English – When I See You Smile

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – A Woman In Love

Nazareth – Another Year

Touch – Black Star

Neil Young – Tell Me Why

Jefferson Starship – Can't Find Love

Les Dudek – City Magic

Journey – Dixie Highway

Bad Company – Electric Land

The Marshall Tucker Band – Fly Like An Eagle

Toto – Girl Goodbye

Shooting Star – Hollywood

Taxxi – I'm Leaving

The Blue Őyster Cult – In Thee

Eric Burdon – Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood / Nina's School

Bruce Springsteen – Kitty's Back

The Who – Magic Bus

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Restless

Rush – Roll The Bones

Eddie Money – Peace In Our Time

Wishbone Ash – Phoenix

The Rolling Stones – She's A Rainbow

Cream – Strange Brew

Novo Combo – Tattoo

David Bowie – Jean Genie

Dan Fogelberg – There's A Place In The World For A Gambler

Michael Fennelly – Touch My Soul

Steel Breeze – You Don't Want Me Anymore

Loverboy – When It's Over

Jefferson Airplane -- Volunteers

I had only two bartenders this week – oopses, sorry, occupational therapists: Jess and Leah at Crabby Joe's Bar and Grill – oopses, again, i meant the clinic. They did a good job, though, telling me what albums to play. Here's the list of what wound up under the laser here at Spriggs Towers:

Jackson Browne – Lives In The Balance

Court Yard Hounds – Court Yard Hounds

Yes – Talk

Talking Heads – Fear Of Music

The Kinks – Sleepwalker

The Pointer Sisters – The Best Of The Pointer Sisters

Maddy Prior – Arthur The King

10,000 Maniacs – In My Tribe

Carbon Leaf – Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat

Amazing Blondel – Blondel

Highly Strung – When The Winds Begin To Sing

The Rolling Stones – Their Satanic Majesties Request

Mama's Pride – Mama's Pride

Rory Gallagher – Tattoo

Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour

James Brown – The CD Of JB

Art Garfunkel – Angel Clare

The Pointer Sisters – Jump: The Best Of The Pointer Sisters

Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis

Ashley Hutchings et al. -- Morris On

Fairport Convention – Shuffle And Go

Nilsson – The Point

Buddy Guy – Feels Like Rain

James Taylor – James Taylor

Richard Thompson – Dream Attic

Steely Dan – Countdown To Ecstasy

Jane Siberry – The Walking

Alice Cooper – Killer

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Trilogy

The Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds Of Fire

Dick Gaughan – Gaughan

ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits

Elton John – Diamonds