Soul Food

The album of the week is Soul Food by the jam band The Word.

The Word is an American supergroup that consists of Robert Randolph (Pedal Steel), John Medeski (Keyboards), Chris Chew (Bass), Luther Dickinson (Guitar) and Cody Dickinson (Drums).  The music is mostly instrumental with sacred steel, gospel blues, and jam band influences.

Soul Food is the second album from The Word.  It was released in 2015, a whopping 14 years after their debut album!

The album offers a little bit of everything...  from gospel, to blues, to country, to jazz.  And it all varies from track to track!  If you're a fan of Robert Randolph & The Family Band; Medeski, Martin & Wood; or the North Mississippi All-Stars, or great musicianship in general, then you'll definitely want to give this one a listen!

The Word: Soul Food

 

VJ Big 40 Countdown 12.12.1981

Back when I was a SiriusXM subscriber, I always enjoyed listening to the various countdown shows across the channels.  One of my favorites was the 80s On 8 VJ Big 40 Countdown, which featured original MTV VJs Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, and Alan Hunter taking a random Top 40 list from the 80s and counting down the songs.

Offered here today is the VJ Big 40 Countdown that aired on December 11 last year, and featured the Top 40 list from December 12, 1981 (taking us back 40 years).  It's typical of the early 80s countdowns as it featured a hodge-podge of songs from every genre.  Unfortunately, this was a time when Mark Goodman had a crappy microphone (or some sort of media issue) as his segments have all sorts of pops through them, though it's still completely listenable.

Here's the track list, with listening and download links to follow:

Castles In The Air  -  Don McLean

Tryin' To Live My Life Without You  -  Bob Seger

Wrack My Brain  -  Ringo Starr

She's Got A Way  -  Billy Joel

Waiting On A Friend  -  The Rolling Stones

Under Pressure  -  Queen & David Bowie

No Reply At All  -  Genesis

Poor Man's Son  -  Survivor

Shake It Up  -  The Cars

Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)  -  Christopher Cross

I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World  -  Ronnie Milsap

The Old Songs  -  Barry Manilow

Start Me Up  -  The Rolling Stones

Someone Could Lose A Heart Tonight  -  Eddie Rabbitt

Steal The Night  -  Stevie Woods

Centerfold  -  J. Geils Band

Heart Like A Wheel  -  The Steve Miller Band

Hooked On Classics (Medley)  -  Louis Clark Conducting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)  -  Chilliwack

Cool Night  -  Paul Davis

Our Lips Are Sealed  -  The Go-Go's

Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)  -  Kool & The Gang

Private Eyes  -  Daryl Hall & John Oates

The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)  -  Juice Newton

Turn Your Love Around  -  George Benson

Comin' In And Out Of Your Life  -  Barbra Streisand

Yesterday's Songs  -  Neil Diamond

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)  -  Daryl Hall & John Oates

Trouble  -  Lindsey Buckingham

Leather And Lace  -  Stevie Nicks with Don Henley

Don't Stop Believin'  -  Journey

Harden My Heart  -  Quarterflash

Why Do Fools Fall In Love  -  Diana Ross

Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)  -  Air Supply

Young Turks  -  Rod Stewart

Let's Groove  -  Earth, Wind & Fire

Oh No  -  The Commodores

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic  -  The Police

Waiting For A Girl Like You  -  Foreigner

Physical  -  Olivia Newton-John

Listen Here

VJ Big 40 Countdown 12.12.1981

 

Bed Peace

Stumbled upon this a few days back.  Here is the description from the YouTube page:

1969 was the year that John & Yoko intensified their long running campaign for World Peace. They approached the task with the same entrepreneurial expertise as an advertising agency selling a brand of soap powder to the masses. John & Yoko's product however was PEACE, not soft soap, and they were determined to use any slogan, event and gimmick in order to persuade the World to buy it.

BED PEACE (directed by Yoko & John and filmed by Nic Knowland) is a document of the Montreal events from 26-31 May 1969, and features John & Yoko in conversation with, amongst others, The World Press, satirist Al Capp, activist Dick Gregory, comedian Tommy Smothers, protesters at Berkeley's People's Park, Rabbi Abraham L. Feinberg, quiltmaker Christine Kemp, psychologists Timothy Leary & Rosemary Leary, CFOX DJs Charles P. Rodney Chandler & Roger Scott, producer André Perry, journalist Ritchie York, DJ & Promoter Murray The K, filmmaker Jonas Mekas, publicist Derek Taylor & personal assistant Anthony Fawcett. 

 Featured songs are Plastic Ono Band's GIVE PEACE A CHANCE & INSTANT KARMA, Yoko's REMEMBER LOVE & WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND & John's acoustic version of BECAUSE.

Enjoy!

Animalize Live Uncensored

Hard to believe this was recorded 37 years ago today!

Recorded at Detroit's Cobo Hall during KISS's Animalize World Tour, this performance was originally aired on MTV.  Released on VHS in April 1985, I remember all of us gathering at a friend's house and watching it for the first time.  I also remember recording the show to a cassette...  both formats we're played quite a bit!

An interesting side note...  Bruce Kulick was named a permanent member of the band the same day of this show, replacing Mark St. John (who played on the album, and did maybe a show and a half's worth of performances with the band).

Enjoy!

Country Christmas

 

As was the case with last week's Holiday Traditions post, this is a recording of Christmas music off of SiriusXM.

What is offered today is a single track of Christmas music from the Country Christmas channel.  This track clocks in at 1:12:11, and contains Christmas music by country artists over the years.  Again, this will fit on a single disc (for those who don't have USB capabilities) and is a good playlist for any Christmas occasion.

Here's the track list:

Carol Of The Bells  -  Kenny Rogers

Sleigh Ride  -  Garth Brooks

Celebrate Me Home  -  LeAnn Rimes with Gavin DeGraw

Christmas Cookies  -  George Strait

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas  -  Gretchen Wilson

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas  -  Dylan Scott

Christmas Will Be Different This Year  -  Gary LeVox

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas  -  Josh Turner

You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch  -  Thurl Ravenscroft

Someday At Christmas  -  Rascal Flatts

The First Noel  -  Carrie Underwood

Bonfire (Christmas Version)  -  Craig Morgan

A Holly Jolly Christmas  -  Faith Hill

Honky Tonk Christmas  -  Alan Jackson

Baby, It's Cold Outside  -  Lee Ann Womack featuring Willie Nelson

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear  -  Vince Gill

This Christmas  -  Maddie & Tae

Winter Wonderland  -  Blake Shelton

What Child Is This  -  The Judds

Christmas All Over The World  -  Tim McGraw

I'll Be Home For Christmas  -  Martina McBride

At Christmas  -  Sara Evans

Blue Christmas  -  Lady A

Country Christmas

Enjoy!

Band On The Run

 

The album of the week is Paul McCartney & Wings Band On The Run.

Yesterday marked the 48th anniversary of the release of the Paul McCartney & Wings' classic.  If you've followed any of my past blogs, you'll know that I'm on record as saying McCartney's post-Beatles albums are mostly a couple of singles and a lot of filler.  This album is the exception.

Oddly enough, this album did not sell well when first released, with fans still skeptical due to the mostly garbage albums McCartney had released as a solo artist up to that point.  But when the singles Jet and Band On The Run took off, so did album sales.

Offered here today is the 2010 remaster of the album, with a "bonus" second disc containing several live tracks.

Paul McCartney & Wings: Band On The Run [2010 Remaster]

Enjoy!

Band On The Run Radio Special

 

Back in 1998, WMGK out of Philadelphia did a radio special to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Paul McCartney & Wings' album Band On The Run.

As that album was released on this date back in 1973, I thought I'd share the roughly 2 hour special.  Also, the sound quality is only around 192kbs, but still sounds great.

WMGK Band On The Run 25th Anniversary Special

Enjoy!

Be sure to visit again tomorrow where we'll have Band On The Run as our album of the week!

KUVO

 

I had been posting radio shows on Saturdays, but I thought I'd post a link to a radio station I recently discovered and really like.

KUVO is a Denver radio station that plays jazz.  What I like about it is that it's not the smooth jazz that most "jazz" stations are playing these days.  Thankfully, I have not heard any elevator music or dentist office music...  no Kenny G!  This is honest-to-God jazz, both newer music and the classics, and I'm really digging it.

It is an NPR station, so there aren't any commercials, just PSAs and news on the hour.  The rest of the time, it's music.  Also, they have a hi-def feed, and while it's not totally reliable (it tends to drop out pretty regularly), it does give you high quality sound.  And did I mention they're playing some great jazz?  

If you're a fan of jazz, be sure to give this station a listen.  If you're not a fan of jazz, give it a listen anyway...  you may just become a fan, and can thank me later!

KUVO Jazz

Enjoy!

I Didn't Take Your Man

Thanks to Tom Petty's Buried Treasure, I got to discover all sorts of music that I normally would not have listened to.

One of those artists I discovered there was Ann Peebles, who was played pretty regularly on the show.  While many of her songs caught my attention, it was I Didn't Take Your Man that really drew me in.

I'm somewhat surprised I hadn't heard of her as she was from the St. Louis area, and having lived there myself for a little over a decade, I know they love to tout the hometown folks there.

Anyway...  here's the song that drew me in.

Enjoy!

White Lion & KISS

I saw my first concert back on November 25, 1987...  KISS was the headliner, and White Lion was the opening act.  The show was at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK.  While I have a bootleg of that KISS performance, the sound quality isn't very good.

Fortunately, I was able to get good-sounding audience recordings for both bands from the shows that happened 6 nights later in St. Paul, MN.  Those shows are presented here.

White Lion: St. Paul, MN 12.01.1987

KISS: St. Paul, MN 12.01.1987

The KISS download includes a PDF tour program from the Crazy Nights tour.  Also, the show is a little different from what we saw in Norman, but as mentioned above, the sound quality (while still an audience recording) is far superior to my boot of the Norman show.

Enjoy!