(Above: The Easybeats, riding their bikes.) Got word this morning from Australia that George Young passed away at the age of 70. The Guardian wrote a full obit, which you can find here. In Australian pop music circles George is one of the most famous names there is, despite most Americans not being familiar with … Continue reading RIP George Young: The Easybeats, “Friday On My Mind” (1967)
radio
Songs of sock hops: The Billboard Hot 100: October 6, 1984
(Above: This sort of rain calls for a forecast of drama and commitment.) Another weekend, another opportunity to catch the VJ Big 40 Countdown on Sirius XM's 80s on 8 Channel. This weekend they chose to go back to 1984 - my junior year of high school. It would have been right around Homecoming time … Continue reading Songs of sock hops: The Billboard Hot 100: October 6, 1984
Rest in peace, Skip Haynes: Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah, “Lake Shore Drive” (1971)
(Above: AHJ around the time of LSD) As if the music world hadn't suffered enough this week, the Chicago music scene took a specific hit as word spread that Skip Haynes passed away in Los Angeles on October 5 at the age of 71 after a long bout with cancer. Skip was the Haynes in … Continue reading Rest in peace, Skip Haynes: Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah, “Lake Shore Drive” (1971)
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
Rest in peace, Tom Petty: “Don’t Come Around Here No More” (1985)
(Above: Tom Petty from the coolest video of 1985.) This one's going to be hard to write. I have a list of them in my head: the musical obits that will be tricky ones for me, because the music that the people who will be featured in them meant so much to my formative years. … Continue reading Rest in peace, Tom Petty: “Don’t Come Around Here No More” (1985)
The Day of the Big Gulp: WLS Top 45s, August 1979
(Above: The Brementowne pool. Not pictured: the WLS Magic Bus.) Yesterday's piece on how going back home is impossible got me thinking: What if time travel is possible on a blog? What if we try to preserve the memories in print? (If I can jog enough memories, can they take on a life of their … Continue reading The Day of the Big Gulp: WLS Top 45s, August 1979
Summer’s almost over: The Billboard Hot 100, August 23, 1986
(Above: Madonna, from the video of the song sitting at #1.) It's just about the end of August, 1986. My friends from my high school class, in most cases, are headed off to their freshmen years of college. I'm not going anywhere; I didn't necessarily make the best choices about college at the end of … Continue reading Summer’s almost over: The Billboard Hot 100, August 23, 1986
Saw the ghost of Elvis: Mark Cohn, “Walking in Memphis” (1991)
(Above: Elvis' house.) Every year a phenomenon called "Elvis Week" takes place in mid-August. It centers on the anniversary of the date that Elvis Aaron Presley died at the too-young age of 42 in 1977. I'm always disappointed that we don't do Elvis Week in January, around the anniversary of his birth. It's the tragic … Continue reading Saw the ghost of Elvis: Mark Cohn, “Walking in Memphis” (1991)
Greatest misses: Gino Vannelli, “Wild Horses” (1987)
(Above: "Do you like my hair?") A few weeks ago I went back over the Billboard charts from the last week of July 1985. The song "Black Cars" was on there, and I promised that if I get back on the air on campus this fall, it's probably to do an 80s show, and I'd … Continue reading Greatest misses: Gino Vannelli, “Wild Horses” (1987)
Rest in peace, Glen Campbell: “Galveston” (1969)
(Above: The picture sleeve for "Galveston" overseas) When word of Glen Campbell's Alzheimer's diagnosis was made public in 2011, I knew that this day was coming. We've dealt with Alzheimer's and a variety of forms of dementia in my family, and there's no other way to put it: it's a long, slow goodbye. Glen made … Continue reading Rest in peace, Glen Campbell: “Galveston” (1969)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 