KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, Oct. 25th, 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 an American address. This week, according to https://whatismyipaddress.com/ i was listening from New York City. I once felt that "The Big Apple" was my spiritual home, but then i found St Louis – or, more precisely, St Louis found me. Although i confess i wouldn't go there (or anywhere else in The States) now if you paid me.]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Ringo Starr: We will miss George for his sense of love, his sense of music and his sense of laughter.

https://showmestrong.mo.gov/

It is, of course, the finest four hours of radio that i'm aware of but sometimes i think it would be useful if they had, as does the other radio station i listen to, Radio Paradise, a PSD (“play something different”) button. I could have used it a couple of times this morning. Eric Burdon's unadultered wankery (according to his song he's a “long-haired leaping gnome,” FFS) was painful, and The Guess Who's Burton Cummings attempt to channel Jim Morrison was downright embarrassing. I like a lot of The Guess Who's music but “Friends Of Mine”? Ugh.

The first song of the day wasn't that great, either, that lament for a long defunct baseball team. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_St._Louis_Browns if you're interested. It was rather tedious, to be honest. Things soon got better. Christine McVie was the best singer Fleetwood Mac ever had and that Yes song is an all-time favourite. Historically speaking i ultimately grew tired of The Police thanks to Sting's overweening ego, but there's no doubt they were all superb musicians.

Almost everything was enjoyable, really, apart from the above-mentioned. A few that were “merely” good but a whole ship-load of much-loved songs (that may well be my favourite Cat Stevens song listed there). And Rory Gallagher popped in for the craic so that's an automatic grade of “A+” but the truth is, i think it would have merited that grade anyway.

As to the more important schtuff, i.e., the ads, it was great to hear Bart Inman back on the air – he explained his absence by the fact that his business has been overwhelmed. From his spots, he seems like a really nice guy and i love his droll sense of humour. I'm glad he's doing well. 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skip Battin – St Louis Browns

Fleetwood Mac – Spare Me A Little Of Your Love

Jefferson Starship – Layin' It On The Line

Yes – Heart Of The Sunrise

Joe Walsh – Mother Says

The Police – Driven To Tears

Eric Burdon & War – Spill The Wine

The Electric Light Orchestra – So Fine

The Who – Slip Kid

Boz Scaggs – Loan Me A Dime 12' 48” -- Duane Allman on guitar

The Doobie Brothers – Ukiah / The Captain And Me

Steely Dan – Any Major Dude Will Tell You

Traffic – Freedom Rider

Eagles – On The Border

George Harrison – This Song

Ringo Starr – Photograph

Graham Parker – Don't Ask Me Questions

Jackson Browne – Fountain Of Sorrow

Genesis – Your Own Special Way

The Guess Who – Friends Of Mine

Todd Rundgren – The Want Of A Nail

B.B. King – The Thrill Is Gone

Cat Stevens – Oh Very Young

The Rolling Stones – Monkey Man

Spider – Change

Jethro Tull – Hunting Girl

Free – Wishing Well

Lake – On The Run

Rory Gallagher – Edged In Blue

Pat Travers – Boom Boom Out Go The Lights

Sherbs – No Turning Back

The Grateful Dead -- Truckin'

Let's see. Three double albums and one triple – the Kiki Dee, amazingly, was the triple – my personal playlist is not overly long this week:

City Boy – Anthology

Steve Hackett – Metamorpheus

Coleman Hawkins – Body And Soul

Eliza Gilkyson – Paradise Hotel

Various Artists – A Little On The CD Side, Vol. VI

Fish – Weltschmerz

Manfred Mann's Earth Band – Angel Station

Jane Siberry – The Walking

Renaissance – Azure D'Or

J.S. Bach – 6 Cello Suites

Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home

The Move – The BBC Sessions

Bluehorses – Thirteen Fires

Max Webster – Mutiny Up My Sleeve

Dervish – The Great Irish Songbook

Kiki Dee – Gold

The Beatles – Beatles For Sale

The Kinks – Preservation Act 2

CANO – Aù Nord De Notre Vie

Oysterband – Holy Bandits

Planxty – One Night In Bremen

Jethro Tull – Stormwatch 2

Wendy Carlos – Clockwork Orange

The Pretty Reckless – Going To Hell

Jeff Beck – Official Bootleg U.S.A. '06

The Shadows Of Knight – Dark Sides: The Best Of The Shadows Of Knight

Various Artists – A Little On The CD Side, Volume 7

Ringo Starr – Ringo

Katrina & The Waves – Walking On Sunshine: The Best Of Katrina & The Waves

Fairport Convention – Shuffle And Go

Caro Emerald – Acoustic Sessions

Martin Carthy -- Shearwater

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, Oct. 18th, 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 an American address. This week, according to https://whatismyipaddress.com/ i was listening from San Francisco.]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Haruki Murakami: As Duke Ellington once said, “There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind.” In that sense, jazz and classical music are fundamentally the same. The pure joy one experiences listening to “good” music transcends questions of genre.

I know that i've mentioned this before, but it never ceases to discombobulate me to hear hospitals advertising on the radio (and two different facilities had spots on this morning's show). That would be especially true now, i would have thought: infection rates in the U.S.A., soaring as they are, must keep these places pretty much filled to capacity. Perhaps they're looking for customers, er, patients who aren't so high maintenance. I won't complain, though: they helped pay for this fan-friggin'-tastic edition of The Klassics Show.

Yes, kids, it was an utterly brill edition and definitely an “A+”. Rory, of course, automatically means that grade, but this installment would have merited it even without the “check shirt wizard.” There was so much magnificent schtuff – and nothing annoying – i don't know where to begin.

Rory, of course, is my favourite guitarist. My favourite female singer is Joan Osborne (who is never played on KSHE). I've been thinking quite a bit lately about a favourite male singer and i've decided after much agonising that it's James Taylor. Dan Fogelberg and John Lennon would be close behind, but JT gets the nod and didn't one of his greatest songs (written about his nephew also named James) show up in the first hour, right before Rory.

I suppose the worst song today was the one by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and there was nothing wrong with it all, it just wasn't particularly interesting. Perhaps “worst” is the wrong word to describe it. Least best, maybe? Great songs, however, were all over the place. Jackson Browne! Wishbone Ash! (I wouldn't call Wishbone Ash – still going strong after 50 years, btw -- a brilliant band: some of their music is dire. But they released some gorgeous music as well and today's selection fell into the latter category.)

Er, where was i? Oh, i remember: The Kinks! Yes! Klaatu (a band i don't recall ever hearing on the show before)! Elton John! Mama's Pride (“the pride of St Louis”)! And one of The Allman Brothers' greatest songs, “poppy” as it is.

Oh, dear me. My savage breast hath indeed been soothed by today's music. And here's a rare bird. It's a Northern Bald Ibis. Followed by the playlist.

Rare Bird – Turn Your Head

Steely Dan – Time Out Of Mind

James Taylor – Sweet Baby James

Rory Gallagher – They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore

Loggins & Messina – Peace Of Mind

Golden Earring – Vanilla Queen

Joe Walsh – Indian Summer

Blue Őyster Cult – Take Me Away

The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Powerful Stuff

Jackson Browne – Boulevard

Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Gimme Your Money Please

Wishbone Ash – Persephone

The Kinks – Tired Of Waiting For You

Trickster – If That's The Way The Feeling Takes You

Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments

Kerry Livgren – Mask Of The Great Deceiver

The Climax Blues Band – Mighty Fire

Stingray – The Man In My Shoes

Traffic – Rock And Roll Stew

U.K. -- Night After Night (live)

Yes – Siberian Khatru

Bruce Springsteen – Promised Land

Kenny Loggins – Love Has Come Of Age

The Charlie Daniels Band – Birmingham Blues

Paul McCartney – Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey

Klaatu – Calling Occupants (Of Interplanetary Craft)

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils – Standin' On The Rock

Atlanta Rhythm Section – Sky High

Jefferson Starship – Runaway

Procol Harum – Simple Sister

Elton John – Burn Down The Mission

Mama's Pride – Merry-Go-Round

Robin Trower – My Love (Burning Love)

The Allman Brothers Band – Revival

Kansas – Portrait (He Knew)

Little Feat – All That You Dream

Journey – Somethin' To Hide

Spirit – Nothing To Hide

Santana – Well All Right

My own personal playlist is a little long this time, which is rather odd, as two double albums (Roy Wood and Soft Machine) and one triple cd (Bruce Springsteen's) are in there. But it was pretty slow at my other job so i was at home a bit more than i have been lately. Here's the damage i did to my eardrums:

Richard Thompson – Bloody Noses

Various Artists – Cigarettes And Alcohol

Geri Allen Trio – Twenty One

Stèphane Grappelli – Fit As A Fiddle

Chelsea Williams – Boomerang

Various Artists – A Little On The CD Side, Vol. 5

The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver – Beat Of The Street

The Albion Band – Rise Up Like The Sun

Roy Wood – Music Book

Soft Machine – Third

Alison Krauss & Union Station – New Favorite

Various Artists – Hard Cash

Sheena Easton - The Collection

Horslips – Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part

The Kinks – Soap Opera

Various Artists – Daredevil: The Album

The Fixx – One Thing Leads To Another: Greatest Hits

Dead Can Dance – Dionysus

Bob Dylan – Love And Theft

Bruce Springsteen – The Essential Bruce Springsteen

Counting Crows – August And Everything After

Joan Osborne – Breakfast In Bed

Rory Gallagher – Jinx

Marillion – Script For A Jester's Tear

Various Artists – Beloved

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

The Electric Prunes – Mass In F Minor

June Tabor – At The Wood's Heart

Paul Simon – The Rhythm Of The Saints

Bluehorses – Ten Leagues Beyond The Wild World's End

Franz Ferdinand -- Franz Ferdinand

Mick Abrahams – Mick's Back

Blondie – No Exit

Renaissance – Song For All Seasons

Rob Hyman et al. -- Largo

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, Oct. 11th, 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 an American address. This week, according to https://whatismyipaddress.com/ i was listening from Santa Clara, California – i've been there quite often....]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Eddie Van Halen: Music is for people. The word 'pop' is simply short for popular. It means that people like it. I'm just a normal jerk who happens to make music. As long as my brain and fingers work, I'm cool.

Looking for work? Contact RockitCareers dot com of Chesterfield, Missouri. Get started today! (They sponsored this morning's show, so i thought i'd give them a nod.) Couple of other sponsors are also hiring, it seems, but i'd stay well away from both of them. Amazon's ad claimed that they are 100% committed to workplace safety, although (so i've heard) the reality is quite the opposite with safety procedures flouted regularly; Tom Shane of Shane Company (“your friend in the jewellery business”) claims that his is a fun place to work, but his voice is so devastatingly boring, if i had to spend half an hour in his presence i'd probably want to slash my wrists....

As for the less important matter – the music – i am once again reminded why The Klassics Show makes my life worth living! (Not the only thing that does, of course, but it's a major factor.) This week's program definitely merits a grade of “A+” and not just because Rory Gallagher made an appearance (with one of his best songs) – there were a few numbers that had me dancing in my chair. It's always wonderful to hear The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver – they were responsible for some superb pop songs and their guitarist, Tim Renwick, is a favourite player: he wasn't flashy or given to heroics, but his timing was superb. Other favourites included The Move (Uman related the tale of how The Move evolved into the Electric Light Orchestra), Ambrosia, The Kinks, and what may be Pete Townshend's best-ever song. There were the usual obscurities (Angel City?) but, there was not a single song that annoyed me, and that's rare.

Things i learned today: apparently Keith Emerson plagiarised the tune “Tank.” (Shock! Horror!) It seems that one day, Keith, Greg and Carl were in their office in London with their mangler, er, manager, when an unidentified man came in and said (i'm paraphrasing) “Oi! Wot you lot on abaht, youse nicked my ding dong!” Keith quietly slipped out of the room.... No legal action was taken, though – at least, not that i'm aware of, and i checked the tune's Wikipedia page, so i know ha ha.

Here's the playlist, plus a pic of Santa Clara – i'm in there somewhere!

Poco – Crazy Eyes

Wiggy Bits – Love Track

Supertramp – Lady

Montrose – I Got The Fire

Steely Dan – Green Earrings

The Allman Brothers Band – Wasted Words

Charlie – Don't Look Back

The Moody Blues – I Dreamed Last Night

Heart – How Deep It Goes

Status Quo – Is There A Better Way

Grinderswitch – Kill The Pain

Van Morrison – Into The Mystic

The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver – Slipstream

Kenny Loggins – Keep The Fire

Rare Bird – As Your Mind Flies

Rory Gallagher – Moonchild

Cheap Trick – Voices

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Tank

Lake – Angel In Disguise

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils – If I Only Knew

Grand Funk Railroad – I'm Your Captain / Closer To Home

The Kingbees – My Mistake

Angel City – Out Of The Blue

Wings – Helen Wheels

Traffic – Medicated Goo

The Who – Happy Jack

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Love Beach

The Kinks – Livin' On A Thin Line

Joe Walsh – At The Station

Atlanta Rhythm Section – Crazy

Steve Winwood – Don't You Know What The Night Can Do

The James Gang – Must Be Love

Ambrosia – Nice Nice Very Nice

Detective – Recognition

The Move – Feel Too Good

Crosby, Stills & Nash – Dark Star

The Tubes – Don't Touch Me There

Roger Daltrey – One Man Band

Foghat – Home In My Hand

Pete Townshend – Pure And Easy

Leon Russell – Stranger In A Strange Land

Rainbow – Stone Cold

Two two-disc sets (Elvis Costello and the Little On The CD Side sampler album), along with a long work week for poor old me, helped make my personal playlist this week a reasonably manageable length, considering that a lot of these albums were from the sixties and seventies and rarely more than forty minutes long:

The John Renbourn Group – Live In America

Great Big Sea – Play

Pink Floyd – Animals

Various Artists – A Little On The CD Side, Vol. 4

Rory Gallagher – Tattoo

The Nice – The Best Of The Nice

Jane Siberry – The Walking

Martin Carthy – Crown Of Horn

Dengue Fever – Cannibal Courtship

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland

Jethro Tull – Living With The Past

Neil Young – Harvest

Fairport Convention – Shuffle And Go

Natalie Maines – Mother

Elbow – Little Fictions

The Move – Message From The Country

The Beatles – Help!

Afro Celt Sound System – Volume 2: Release

Enya – Dark Sky Island

Elvis Costello – This Year's Model (deluxe edition)

Son Volt – Notes Of Blue

Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home

June Tabor w. Martin Simpson – A Cut Above

Jackson Browne – Lives In The Balance

Sheryl Crow – The Globe Sessions

John Lennon – Walls And Bridges

Mark Knopfler – Sailing To Philadelphia

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

Rory Gallagher – Fresh Evidence

Alanis Morissette – Under Rug Swept

David Gilmour – David Gilmour

Linda Ronstadt – Greatest Hits

Rossini – 8 Overtures

Dan Fogelberg – Captured Angel

Sarah Fimm – Near Infinite Possibility

KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, Oct. 4th, 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 somewhere in the Los Angeles area. That was as specific as they were able to get....]

Quotation Of The Week ~ A.E. Housman: "That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, the happy highways where I went and cannot come again."

Today's program was brought to us by Red's Tavern in Imperial, Missouri. Judging by some of the pictures on their Facebook page, it looks like the type of place i'd stay well clear of! (Not that i go to taverns any more....)

It was a rather disappointing first hour this morning. I love a lot of Manfred Mann's music, for instance, but their song was tedious and too long, the Neil Young was not one of my favourites of his, and i vastly prefer Jefferson Airplane to any of its later incarnations. Ambrosia was, for me, the highlight of hour one.

But then the second hour roared in with the extraordinary track by my second all-time favourite guitarist, Jeff Beck and as my very favourite player showed up later on (Rory, of course), i cannot grade this week's episode as anything other than “A+”. It was great to hear The Beatles again, after an absence of several weeks; Genesis, Wishbone Ash and James Taylor were all magic, and although i'm not especially a fan of The Marshall Tucker Band, their song was a live recording, which allowed the band members the opportunity for some lengthy soloing. I don't know the names of any of the band members – although i do know that there's no one named Marshall Tucker in the group – but the musicianship was very impressive.

It never ceases to surprise me how much Canadian music is played on this show: Chilliwack, Neil Young, Loverboy, Frozen Ghost and The Guess Who all dropped in today, with songs that are rarely played on Canadian stations. (IIRC, that is – it's been a long time since i listened to a Canadian station!)

In the “KSHE Is Entertaining And Educational” department, i learned a few things this morning. Neil Young felt that “A Man Needs A Maid” was over-orchestrated. It was Bob Dylan who told him to keep the orchestra in. Also, there's a line in the song that goes “i fell in love with the actress.” This was a direct reference to Carrie Snodgress, with whom ol' Neil was in a relationship at the time, and in fact the entire “Harvest” album was inspired by her. I must listen to it again with this in mind.

I also didn't know that Carly Simon sang backing vocals on “Shower The People” and of course you all remember the harpsichord on The Yardbirds' “For Your Love”? That was played by Brian Auger.

Here's a pic of Carrie Snodgress in 1971, and the playlist:

Manfred Mann's Earth Band – Father Of Day, Father Of Night

The Dwight Twilley Band – Could Be Love

Ian Hunter – When The Daylight Comes

Ambrosia – Holdin' On To Yesterday

Jefferson Starship – Ride The Tiger

Atlanta Rhythm Section – Free Spirit

Supertramp – Crime Of The Century

Neil Young – A Man Needs A Maid

Hammersmith – Daybreak

The Babys – Turn And Walk Away

Jeff Beck – Rice Pudding

Chilliwack – Baby Blue

Genesis – Eleventh Earl Of Mar

Wishbone Ash – Blind Eye

Kansas – Can I Tell You

James Taylor – Shower The People

Humble Pie – Fool For A Pretty Face

Poco – Stealaway

George Harrison – All Things Must Pass

The Beatles – Girl

Loverboy – Lucky Ones

Frozen Ghost – Should I See

Dust – From A Dry Camel

Dave Mason – Show Me Some Affection

Angel – Feelings

The Outlaws – Hurry Sundown

Sons Of Champlin – Saved By The Grace Of Your Love

The Marshall Tucker Band – Twenty-Four Hours At A Time

Toto – Georgy Porgy

Michael Murphy – Renegade

Rory Gallagher – Brute Force And Ignorance

Unicorn – Oooh Mother

Brian Auger – Happiness Is Just Around The Corner

Shooting Star – You Got What I Need

Lake – Key To The Rhyme

Santana – Everything's Coming Our Way

Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes – Call Of The Wild

The Guess Who – No Time

Journey – Stay Awhile

Gary Wright – Love Is Alive

Here's my personal playlist for the week. It's not a long one. Rumours abound that we may have to go back into lockdown but meanwhile i've been working a lot of hours, plus the Fleetwood Mac was a four-disc box:

Various Artists – A Little On The CD Side, Vol. II

Stan Rogers – Fogarty's Cove

Jeff Beck – Wired

Talk Talk – Spirit Of Eden

Rhiannon Giddens – Factory Girl

Peter Gabriel – Security

Nic Jones – In Search Of Nic Jones

Rob Hyman et al. -- Largo

Joan Osborne – Songs Of Bob Dylan

Mike Oldfield – Islands

The Mahavishnu Orchestra – The Inner Mounting Flame

Blondie – No Exit

Yes – Close To The Edge

Fleetwood Mac – The Chain: 25 Years

Eagles – Desperado

Rhiannon Giddens – There Is No Other

Wishbone Ash – Nouveau Calls

Martin Carthy – Shearwater

Alison Krauss & Union Station – So Long So Wrong

Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity -- Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity

The Lovin' Spoonful – Greatest Hits

Various Artists – A Little On The CD Side, Vol. 3

Wizzard – Introducing Eddy And The Falcons

O.S.T. -- Angel Heart

Joan Osborne – Trouble And Strife

New Musik – From A To B

Sheryl Crow – Threads

Talk Talk – History Revisited: The Remixes

Heart – Heart

James Taylor – American Standard

The Kinks – Misfits

Fish – A Feast Of Consequences