KSHE KLASSICS SHOW, May 3rd, 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 Norfolk, Virginia. I don't recall ever listening from there before, although i've been there in “real life” (whatever that is) on the way to nearby Virginia Beach.]

Quotation Of The Week ~ Jackson Browne: I have prayed for America / I was made for America.

I confess i was a little worried. Last week, i read that Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns KSHE as well as a couple of other stations in St Louis and several more elsewhere in the midwest, had laid off staff everywhere. The current pandemic had resulted in declining ad revenues. I hoped that this wouldn't have an effect on The Klassics Show, and my fears turned out to be groundless. The show is an essential service, after all!

And i'm grading this week's instalment an A minus – not extremely fab or extraordinarily fab, merely fab. There were some wonderful songs, to be sure. Yes's brilliant cover of Paul Simon's brilliant “America” struck a particular nerve, and was probably the highlight of the morning. It's about a road trip in which the protagonists set out to find a version of the country that doesn't really exist except in an idealised sense, as you probably know. It made me wonder if the America i know and love will survive this crisis. There were a couple of other laments for the country (a pitiful, helpless giant these days) on the show, by Billy Joel and Jackson Browne. I wonder if that was intentional...?

There were a load of magic moments: Wings, Loggins & Messina, The Kinks, The Sutherland Bros. & Quiver (whose guitarist, Tim Renwick, is one of my top ten fave guitarists), Chicago, Eagles, etc., along with the usual number of obscurities (obscure for good reason, sometimes!) and nothing really annoying – although the 14+ minute-long adventure in banality by Midnight Sun was something i could have easily done without. Weren't the first couple of albums by Chicago superb? Such brilliant musicianship from every single member. Such a shame they started churning out pop sludge....

I do have to wonder about a line in The Byrds' song: “we'll be friends for life / she'll be just like a wife.” It's a song about a horse, for gosh sakes! What on earth was McGuinn thinking when he wrote that??

Anyway, here, have the Great American Eagle Tragedy, and the playlist:

Eddie Money – Take A Little Bit

The Moody Blues – The Story In Your Eyes

The Byrds – Chestnut Mare

Santana – Samba Pa Ti

The Doobie Brothers – Little Darlin' (I Need You)

Wings – Letting Go

Robert Palmer – Sailin' Shoes / Hey Hey Julia / Sneakin' Sally Through The  Alley

Loggins & Messina – Be Free

Sammy Hagar – Love Or Money

Foreigner – The Modern Day

The Sutherland Bros. & Quiver – (I Don't Want To Love You But) You Got Me Anyway

The Kinks – 'Til The End Of The Day

Orion The Hunter – So You Ran

Midnight Sun – Living On The Hill

Don Henley – The Last Worthless Evening

UFO – Shoot Shoot

Michael Stanley Band – Nothing's Gonna Change My Mind

Billy Joel – Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)

Steely Dan – Razor Boy

Michael Fennelly – Shine A Light

George Harrison – So Sad

Eric Clapton – The Shape You're In

Ten Years After – Rock & Roll Music To The World

Yes – America

The MC5 – Kick Out The Jams

Foghat – It's Too Late

The Marc Tanner Band – Hot And Cold

Dave Mason – Don't It Make You Wonder

Poco – Bad Weather

Jackson Browne – For America

America – Lonely People

Kim Mitchell – Go For A Soda

Chicago – I'm A Man

The Beatles – Girl

Bruce Springsteen – I'm On Fire

The Sweet – (Love Is Like) Oxygen

The Pousette-Dart Band – Amnesia

Dire Straits – Solid Rock

The Cars – Since You're Gone

Eagles – Midnight Flyer

Right, well, i've reduced the number of cds i played this week, down from the absurd list i posted a few weeks ago. It was easy: the Jimi Hendrix was a 4-CD collection, and there a few double albums there, too: albums that i rarely play but now, i'm home more often (more often than i would like, but i suppose that's the new normal). Anyway, here's the playlist:

Mama's Pride – Mama's Pride

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Elbow – Little Fictions

David Lindley – El Rayo-X

Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

The Doobie Brothers – Takin' It To The Streets

Peter Hammill – X My Heart

ABBA – More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits

Saga – Images At Twilight

Jethro Tull – A

The Allman Brothers Band – Eat A Peach

The Move – Shazam!

Enya – The Memory Of Trees

Runrig – In Search Of Angels

Pink – I'm Not Dead

Marc Jordan – Mannequin

Marvin Gaye – 15 Greatest Hits

Camper Van Beethoven – Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart

The Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies

Rory Gallagher – Kickback City

Jock Tamson's Bairns – Rare

Joni Mitchell – The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill

Wizzard – Wizzard Brew

David Gilmour – Live In Gdansk

Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home

Rhiannon Giddens – Tomorrow Is My Turn

June Tabor & Martin Simpson – A Cut Above

Various Artists -- “Hard Cash”

The Bothy Band – 1975

The Broadside Band – English Country Dances

Rush – Retrospective II: 1981-1987

Agnetha & Frida – The Voice Of ABBA

Eliza Carthy – Restitute

Happy Rhodes – The Keep

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, April 8th, 2018

Quotation du jour ~ Steve Martin: Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.

According to https://whatismyipaddress.com/ i was listening from Santa Clara, California this morning. I must like that place: i've listened from there before. (And there's what looks like a good pub there: The Yard House.)

Last week, i was complimenting Hubbard Radio – who bought KSHE a couple of months ago – for improving the audio stream listeners' experience. So i suppose that the blame for today's miserable experience must lie with my ISP. I had frequent drop-outs, rebooting both the router and the modem and restarting the computer was no help. I'm pretty sure i missed at least one song, and missed a good chunk of several others. It wasn't until the final hour that my connection stabilised. (On the whole, i'm very happy to be with an independent provider, but the big disadvantage – in fact the only disadvantage: no 24-hour tech support).

Speaking of Hubbard Radio, i was wondering if they would allow KSHE's audio stream into Canada, so i tried to connect to the stream without connecting to my VPN. Nope. I wonder why, when i've been able to connect from The Philippines and Norway? Maybe they're still pissed off about the War Of 1812....

As to the music, it was hardly a classic Klassics Show, but it's still the best radio program that i know of, and the highlight of my week.

Off Broadway – Stay In Time

Michael Stanley – All I Ever Wanted

The Edgar Winter Group – Round And Round

Electric Light Orchestra – Showdown

Genesis – Visions Of Angels

Fleetwood Mac – Emerald Eyes

Nantucket – Quite Like You

Santana – Open Invitation

Finnigan & Wood – Highway

Gary Wright – Love Is Alive

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Still ...You Turn Me On

Bob Dylan – Blowin' In The Wind

Stillwater – Women (Beautiful Women)

The Babys – Every Time I Think Of You

Stingray – The Man In My Shoes

Black Crowes – Sting Me

Gypsy – Tomorrow Is The Last To Be Heard

Thin Lizzy – Cowboy Song

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – The Wind Cries Mary

Billy Joel – Scenes From An Italian Restaurant

The Animal – House Of The Rising Sun

Traffic – Dear Mr Fantasy

John Kay – Easy Evil

Bruce Springsteen – The Promised Land

Queen – Keep Yourself Alive

Chilliwack – Baby Blue

Lou Gramm – Midnight Blue

Crawler – Sail On

Blue Cheer – Summertime Blues

Trapeze – Medusa

April Wine – Wings Of Love

The Doobie Brothers – South City Midnight Lady

The Grateful Dead – Shakedown Street

King Crimson -- 21^st Century Schizoid Man

Heart – Kick It Out

Rush – Roll The Bones

Arlo Guthrie – Coming In To Los Angeles

Steely Dan – Aja

Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen – Hot Rod Lincoln

Not a lengthy playlist this week. Work was pretty – well, not busy, but a couple of our key men were off sick, which meant some extra time at the pit for me.

Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run

Jethro Tull – Thick As A Brick

Runrig – The Stamping Ground

Pink Floyd – A Momentary Lapse Of Reason

The Beatles – Let It Be

Curved Air – Air Conditioning

Mama's Pride – Mama's Pride

Be+Bop Deluxe – Electrical Language

Dick Gaughan – Handful Of Earth

Chris Squire – Fish Out Of Water

Buffalo Springfield – Retrospective: The Best Of Buffalo Springfield

Various Artists – Common Ground: Voices Of Modern Irish Music

Mott The Hoople – Mott

Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill

Various Artists – Compil Folk 30

Genesis – Selling England By The Pound

Tori Amos – American Doll Posse

Patti Smith – Outside Society

John Lennon – The John Lennon Collection

Highly Strung – When The Winds Begin To Sing

Spirit – Clear

Various Artists – Tribute To Dan Fogelberg

Van der Graaf Generator – Do Not Disturb

Counting Crows – August And Everything After

Steve Rothery – The Ghosts Of Pripyat

James Taylor – James Taylor

Seether – Holding On To Strings Better Left To Fray

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – In The Hot Seat

Chantal Kreviazuk – What If It All Means Something

Pyewackett – The Man In The Moon Drinks Claret

The Boswell Sisters – Shout, Sister, Shout! Their 52 Finest 1931-1936

KSHE Sunday Klassics Show, April 1st, 2018

Quotation du jour ~ Abraham Maslow: A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.

I was listening from Raleigh, North Carolina this morning and noticed a major change to the way KSHE streams their audio. Listenlive.co is out and the stream now comes from https://live.kshe95.com/listen/ This is great news – i was fed up with listenlive and it looks like Hubbard Radio was, too. Apart from the fact that the local ads are no longer deleted, as i mentioned last week, starting this week the name of the song that's now playing pops up in the bottom right corner of the screen. This is especially useful for me if i'm not too sure what the song is. Hurrah for Hubbard!

This may be purely coincidental, of course, but i had, for the first time ever, i think, a 100% uninterrupted stream. Not one single drop-out. And it was a great show: any program that plays Rory Gallagher is in my good books, for sure, and there was a lot of music i love. In fact there was only one song i actively disliked -- well, i hate Aerosmith, to be honest. (Has anyone seen Jeff Beck's “Live At The Hollywood Bowl” DVD? In which guest vocalist Steven Tyler makes an utter arse of himself? It's pretty good apart from that.)

But, wow, didn't the end of the show sneak up on me: i thought there was a good hour left to go, but it was over. Until next week.

Rory Gallagher -- Edged In Blue

Wet Willie -- Street Corner Serenade

New Riders Of The Purple Sage -- Panama Red

April Wine -- Oowatanite

It's A Beautiful Day -- White Bird

Electric Light Orchestra -- So Fine

Ray Gomez -- Make Your Move

The Grateful Dead -- Sugar Magnolia

Jon & Vangelis -- The Friends of Mr Cairo

Grinderswitch -- Kill The Pain

Van Morrison -- Into The Mystic

Bob Dylan -- Lay Lady Lay

Yes -- Going For The One

Gypsy -- Dead And Gone

Bruce Springsteen -- Badlands

Jefferson Airplane -- Volunteers

The Byrds -- So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star

Michael Stanley -- In The Heartland

George Harrison -- Bangla Desh

Foghat -- Dreamer

Santana -- Everybody's Everything

Bob Seger -- Get Out Of Denver

Big Country -- In A Big Country

Nazareth -- Holiday

Aerosmith -- Big Ten Inch Record

Pink Floyd -- San Tropez

Ian Hunter -- Cleveland Rocks

Traffic -- Light Up Or Leave Me Alone

Lake -- Angel In Disguise

Fleetwood Mac -- Hypnotized

Little Feat -- Fat Man In The Bathtub

Heartsfield -- Racin' The Sun

Blind Faith -- I Can't Find My Way Home

Todd Rundgren -- Real Man

Kansas -- Play The Game Tonight

Montrose -- Rock The Nation

Elton John -- Take Me To The Pilot

Trooper -- Raise A Little Hell

Tucky Buzzard -- Gold Medallions

.38 Special -- Chain Lightnin'

Eagles -- Take It Easy

Here's what the staff at Spriggs Central played this week to scare the mice away:

Peter Hammill – From The Trees

The Moody Blues – To Our Children's Children's Children

Terje Rypdal – Q.E.D.

Steve Reich – Different Trains

Richard Thompson – Finding Better Words: The Essential Richard Thompson

Joan Osborne – Bring It On Home

Marillion – Somewhere Else

Various Artists – Grand Bal Folk

Jethro Tull – Aqualung

Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill

Terje Rypdal – After The Rain*

Colin James – Take It From The Top: The Best Of Colin James

Robin Trower – B.L.T.

Rocket 88 – Rocket 88

The Monkees – Greatest Hits

The Tragically Hip – Up To Here

Jonathan Edwards – Jonathan Edwards

Jeff Beck – There And Back

10 c.c. – How Dare You!

Afro Celt Sound System – Volume 3: Further In Time

Robert Plant – Fate Of Nations

R.E.M. – Life's Rich Pageant

Various Artists – A Tribute To Dan Fogelberg

Dire Straits – Love Over Gold

Mike Oldfield – The Millennium Bell

Eliza Carthy – Rice

King Crimson – The Power To Believe

Caro Emerald – Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor

America – History: America's Greatest Hits

The Men They Couldn't Hang – Majestic Grill

Dan Fogelberg – Windows And Walls

Rory Gallagher – Defender

Seether – Poison The Parish

Matchbox Twenty – Mad Season

*This was an iTunes download. I have the vinyl and it's a wonderful record, so I went to amazon to see if it was available on CD and, yes, it is, for around $600, and about $800 on vinyl. I become more and more convinced that my record and comic book collections will be my pension plan!