- Fleetwood Mac, Coming Your Way . . . I always think of my late older brother whenever I listen to this track, or the album from which it came, Then Play On, 1969. We were living in Peru at the time, my dad was working there but the older kids would go back to North America for high school and it was always fun when they came home for holidays, bringing back with them the newest popular music that, back then, took more time to come to places like the little South American mining town we lived in. A great Latin-type, propulsive track, with great drumming and percussion from Mick Fleetwood. It was written by guitarist Danny Kirwan,who had just joined the band for this last album of the Peter Green era.
- Keith Richards, 999 . . . One of my favorite Keith Richards’ solo tunes, or for that matter any of the songs from Rolling Stones, Inc. Such a great intro, and great groove throughout. From his second solo album, Main Offender, 1992. Around this time, individual members of the Stones were pretty hot with their solo work – this from Richards, Mick Jagger’s most Stones-like solo album, Wandering Spirit in 1993 and Slide On This from Ron Wood, in 1992. Combined, would have made an amazing Stones double or triple album but that’s OK because we have it all. And Stones’ fanatics like me make our own Stones’ solo playlists.
- Eric Clapton, The Core . . . Like many, perhaps, I bought Clapton’s Slowhand album when it came out for the single, Lay Down Sally, but quickly grew to like and appreciate the entire work, which is solid, track for track, including this nearly nine-minute excursion, featuring co-lead vocals by Marcy Levy.
- Robert Palmer, Jealous . . . Another one from my college days, from the Secrets album, 1979, whose big hit was Palmer’s cover of the Moon Martin tune, Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor). Great tune, the Martin one, and I’ll have to get back to Martin on my show soon…but I’ve always liked this riff-rocker Jealous at least as much, if not more, than Doctor, Doctor.
- Dead Kennedys, Holiday In Cambodia . . . got into these guys due to their name, thought it was cool, funny and perverse, as is the title of this track. Sick, perhaps, but it’s only rock and roll/punk/hardcore so, relax and enjoy. Great stuff from a great band.
- BB Gabor, Moscow Drug Club . . . and so we slow things down in the set, with this subversive tune from the late, great Gabor.
- The Smashing Pumpkins, Aeroplane Flies High . . . I had never heard this tune, recorded during the Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness sessions, until I bought a Pumpkins’ double hits compilation years ago, the second CD of which contains B-sides and previously unreleased material. Good, extended, tune.
- Jefferson Airplane, Comin’ Back To Me . . . beautiful song by Marty Balin from Surrealistic Pillow, featuring guitar by Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. The song has apparently appeared in several movies although, not being a huge movie buff, none of which I’ve seen. But I can see how it would fit some movies.
- Leon Russell, Back To The Island . . . another good one by the late great Russell, an artist I have not played in a while but always seems to draw a good reaction when I play him.
- Doug and The Slugs, Tropical Rainstorm . . . one of my favorites by The Slugs, a nice, bluesy one from the Cognac and Bologna album, 1980. I saw the band, before they released that debut album, at a pub in Oakville, Ontario, with my then-girlfriend, during college. She was from Mississauga, but had spent a year or so in Vancouver and fell in love with the band, was excited to hear they were coming to town, we went, and I liked them, too.
- Dire Straits, In The Gallery . . . from the self-titled debut album, 1978. One of those albums that one bought for the hit, Sultans of Swing, only to then be blown away by the rest of it, and by everything else this band ever produced.
- Bob Dylan, Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) . . . one of my favorite Dylan tunes, from the Street Legal album…he’s always got such great, memorable lines in nearly every one of his songs, for me that being the opening “can you tell me where we’re heading, Lincoln County road or Armageddon . . . ”
- Iron Butterfly, Unconscious Power . . . great tune from the debut album, Heavy. Nice bass line.
- John Lennon, God . . . was reminded to play this, long time since I did, by a Twitter conversation about great lyrics. For me, that would be the opening line of this, one of my favorite Lennon songs, “God is a concept by which we measure our pain.” Which then leads, of course, into the long list of things he says he doesn’t believe in, culminating in “Beatles’. From the Plastic Ono Band album, which contains another influential song on my then-young brain, Working Class Hero – which I’ll have to play again sometime.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival, Walk On The Water . . . notice the pattern here with, at least, song titles? Unconscious Power, God, Walk On The Water. . . .so clever, your friendly neighborhood DJ, lol. This is, I think, a pretty well-known tune by CCR, as so much of their output is, and comes from the debut, self-titled album in 1968. But it was a B-side to I Put A Spell On You, which as the A-side only made No. 58 on the singles charts. Amazing, to me, that either track didn’t chart higher.
- Chris Whitley, Big Sky Country . . . the song that got me into this late great, blues/rock singer songwriter. It was the second single from his 1991 debut album, Living With The Law, the title cut of which was the first single. Both tracks made the top 40 and rightly so. The whole album is brilliant.
- Jethro Tull, Cold Wind To Valhalla . . . Yet another great track from this amazing band, nobody like them, really. And another artist I always thank my older brother for introducing me to, when he brought the Stand Up album home. This one’s from Minstrel In The Gallery.
- Roxy Music, Oh Yeah . . . beautiful track from the Flesh + Blood album, 1980, by which time Roxy had largely departed from the early, art-rock/avant garde days and had gone more mainstream, but still great. Made No. 5 in the UK. Features the well-known chorus refrain ‘there’s a band playing on the radio’ and in fact is titled Oh Yeah (There’s A Band Playing On The Radio) on some releases.
- Frank Zappa, Dirty Love . . . nice, tight, rock song with fun lyrics and typically amazing guitar by Zappa and other instrumentation by the rest of his band.
- Bob Seger, Beautiful Loser . . . title cut from his 1975 album, before he really broke big into the mainstream with the live album, Live Bullet, a year later. This track was combined with Travelin’ Man from the Beautiful Loser album on Live Bullet, but I’ve played the studio cut here. A now well-known Seger tune, Beautiful Loser but amazingly, made only No. 103 on the Billboard chart. Probably would have been Top 10 had he released it later, once he broke big.
- Bruce Springsteen, Point Blank . . . haunting song from The River album, one of the three Springsteen albums I consider my favorites and interchangeably rank 1,2, 3 – Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town and The River.
- Cream, Deserted Cities Of The Heart . . . so great. “Cream’ of the crop – the vocals/bass from Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker’s drumming and Eric Clapton’s guitar solo. Magnificent.
- Faces, Had Me A Real Good Time . . . and I did, yet again, in putting another show together. Thanks to any and all who tune/tuned in. Another great raunch and roller by one of the greatest raunch and roll bands ever.
- The Allman Brothers Band, End Of The Line . . . from 1991, from Shades of Two Worlds, the second post-reunion album with the new lineup featuring Warren Haynes. Yet another great tune from a great, great band, one of my all-time favorite groups.
Deluxe
Fading Away
Confused and Rejuvenated
My Re:Collection
Ruminations of ShantiMaya
Syrinx
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Revolution Rock
