Word circulated this afternoon that Grammy-award winning singer James Ingram passed away today at the age of 66. In total Ingram put 21 records on the Billboard R&B chart and crossed over to the Pop chart 11 times. All but three of those songs made the Top 40, and two of them - "Baby Come … Continue reading Rest in peace, James Ingram: “Just Once” (1981)
growing up in the burbs
Grade school earworms: Songs Of the Letter People (1972)
(Dude had an appetite, apparently.) I'm susceptible to earworms - those bits of music that get inside of your head and stay there. Usually, they happen when you hear a song, and then the whole tune (or a piece of it) stay on repeat in your mind. In many cases the worse the song is, … Continue reading Grade school earworms: Songs Of the Letter People (1972)
Rest in peace, Galt McDermot: Oliver, “Good Morning Starshine” (1969)
(Above: My parents had the LP. I have the 8-track.) Composer Galt McDermot passed away today, one day short of his 90th birthday. McDermot was responsible for setting the words of James Radio and Gerome Ragni to music for inclusion in a stage show the two had written - Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock … Continue reading Rest in peace, Galt McDermot: Oliver, “Good Morning Starshine” (1969)
School’s out for winter: The Billboard Hot 100 for December 15, 1984 (and what we probably listened to instead)
(Above: I was clearly enjoying my junior year of high school and in no hurry to go on break.) Friday, December 14, 1984 was the last day of school before the Christmas break began. If I remember correctly, we got out early from school that day, and a bunch of us went to Dave-we-called-Fritz's house, … Continue reading School’s out for winter: The Billboard Hot 100 for December 15, 1984 (and what we probably listened to instead)
Plenty of variety: The Billboard Hot 100 chart, November 15, 1980
(Above: Kenny Rogers, somewhere between psychedelia and chicken.) By the middle of November I was entrenched in my new school. My parents decided to move to Orland Park near the end of my sixth grade year; in fact, I commuted to Helen Keller School for the last three months of the term that spring. I … Continue reading Plenty of variety: The Billboard Hot 100 chart, November 15, 1980
What’s in a name? Mike Doughty, “27 Jennifers” (2008)
(Above: Map of most popular girls' names by state forty years ago.) I was having some fun on my radio show last week. (I should mention: there is now a weekly radio show. It's called "Rock School with Len," and it airs Thursdays at 10am Eastern on WCKS Radio, the student station at Grand Valley … Continue reading What’s in a name? Mike Doughty, “27 Jennifers” (2008)
Rest in peace, Don Sandburg: The Banana Splits, “Tra-La-La Song” (1969)
(Above: The original Bozo's Circus cast: Ringmaster Ned Locke, bandleader Bob Trendler, Bozo [Bob Bell], Oliver O. Oliver [Ray Rayner], Sandy [Don Sandburg].) Don Sandburg, the last surviving original cast member of the Chicago edition of Bozo's Circus, passed away over the weekend in Oregon as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was … Continue reading Rest in peace, Don Sandburg: The Banana Splits, “Tra-La-La Song” (1969)
Songs of senior year: The Billboard Hot 100, September 21, 1985
(Above: The new sign in front of Andrew High. I never sped past this playing the "Miami Vice" theme.) September 21, 1985 is a Saturday - which is the day that all of the Billboard charts come out. It was a hectic time at the start of my senior year of high school. The night … Continue reading Songs of senior year: The Billboard Hot 100, September 21, 1985
Great lost hit: Dean Friedman, “Ariel” (1977)
(Above: Was hoping for a photo of Ariel, but OK.) Way on the far south side of Chicago, there was a song that WLS played a lot.... The summer of 1977 is one that I always look back upon fondly. There was nothing more complicated in life at time than getting up, riding our bikes … Continue reading Great lost hit: Dean Friedman, “Ariel” (1977)
Ten Albums: Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde (1966)
At long last, we have reached the top of my personal Top Ten. To recap: 10. Too Much Joy, Cereal Killers (1991) 9. R.E.M, Document (1987) 8. They Might Be Giants, Flood (1990) 7. Dire Straits, Making Movies (1980) 6. Simon and Garfunkel, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966) 5. The Who, Meaty Beaty Big … Continue reading Ten Albums: Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde (1966)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 