(Above: You don't have this one?) There's been this thing going around on Facebook where people are posting up their ten favorite albums, or ten albums that meant something to them, or so on. You've probably seen this: you get tagged, you make the post, you tag someone else. I got tagged in one last … Continue reading Ten Albums: Too Much Joy, Cereal Killers (1991)
college radio
Congratulations to Johnny B! Johnny and the Leisure Suits, “Just Havin’ Fun” (1981)
(Above: In the early 90s, in Chicago, you had this CD. It was the law.) The Hyper Rooster is in the Hall. For the second year in a row a local Chicago radio legend has gotten the call for the Radio Hall of Fame. Jonathon Brandmeier, who held down mornings at WLUP in Chicago through … Continue reading Congratulations to Johnny B! Johnny and the Leisure Suits, “Just Havin’ Fun” (1981)
One night in college radio, End of Semester Edition: WLRA-FM, May 3, 1988
(Above: They should have let the kid walk.) There was a commercial for Pillsbury Cookies in the 80s that my wife and I quote often. You may remember it (if not, allow me to remind you). There was a kid threatening to run away from home, and Mom gets him to stay by making cookies … Continue reading One night in college radio, End of Semester Edition: WLRA-FM, May 3, 1988
Bookends at fifty: Simon and Garfunkel, “America” (1968)
(Above: What was Frances McDormand's line from Almost Famous?) Fifty years ago today - April 3, 1968 - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel released the LP Bookends. This was one of the first LPs that I recovered from my parents' stash upon finding that they had more than just 45s in a box. (I touched … Continue reading Bookends at fifty: Simon and Garfunkel, “America” (1968)
So long, WLUP: Songs I learned from “The Loop”
Word spread rapidly this morning that Merlin Media, who had been trying to sell Chicago's WLUP, finally found a buyer: the Educational Media Foundation. EMF serves the contemporary Christian format over satellite to its affiliates. The format, called "K-Love," has been on the air on a signal out of suburban Elgin for some time, but … Continue reading So long, WLUP: Songs I learned from “The Loop”
Great lost hit: Paul Carrack, “Don’t Shed a Tear” (1987)
(Above: The One Good Reason LP) One of the things that gold-based formats consistently get wrong is an over-reliance on the same songs over and over. I know I've ranted about the "decades" channels on Sirius XM before, but they serve as a perfect example of "not going deep enough." Deeper lists equal low cumulative … Continue reading Great lost hit: Paul Carrack, “Don’t Shed a Tear” (1987)
One night in college radio: The Tuesday Night Classics, WLRA-FM, February 23, 1988
(Above: The author, right around the time that this show aired. His fashion sense is only marginally better.) February 23, 1988 was a Tuesday. I had just gotten back from a vacation with my family to New Orleans to take part in the Mardi Gras festivities - my first time ever visiting the Crescent City. … Continue reading One night in college radio: The Tuesday Night Classics, WLRA-FM, February 23, 1988
Rest in peace, Pat DiNizio: The Smithereens, “A Girl Like You” (1989)
(Above: One of The Three LPs of early 1990.) For the last year or so it's felt like there's been an increase in the rate of death in the music world. Basic math explains a bit of this: the Baby Boom generation + time = end of life. Rock stars in their 70s and 80s … Continue reading Rest in peace, Pat DiNizio: The Smithereens, “A Girl Like You” (1989)
Positively Petty: A TP Top 40
The news early this morning confirming the death of rock legend Tom Petty is still a shock. Petty, just 66, had completed a major tour this summer and was active on his Twitter account as recently as Saturday. I alluded in yesterday's post to a long-lost mixtape of all Petty songs being a staple in … Continue reading Positively Petty: A TP Top 40
College radio classics: The Pursuit of Happiness, “I’m An Adult Now” (1988)
(Above: Cassette single version released in Canada. It's a Canadian Cassingle.) The fall of 1988 can best be described - in my life, anyway - as "the awkward transition." On the one hand I was a typical college kid, dealing with classes, girls, and getting into trouble after class by sneaking in to the campus … Continue reading College radio classics: The Pursuit of Happiness, “I’m An Adult Now” (1988)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 