(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)
1980s
Snow’s coming: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Stranded” (1980)
(Above: Mayday, this is Echo Hotel.) The first winter storm warning of the season is upon us for 2018. Unfortunately, it's hitting a good portion of the plains and upper Midwest on the busiest travel day of the year: the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Each year more travelers fly on this day more than other, and … Continue reading Snow’s coming: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Stranded” (1980)
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
Video killed the radio star: “Network Video Hour,” Lewis University Television Network, November 6, 1988
(Above: I may have a similar shirt, but that hair ain't comin' back.) In the two years I spent as an undergrad at Lewis University from 1987-1989 before setting out on my own to try and start a radio career, I probably spent more time in the radio station than anywhere else, including classrooms. One … Continue reading Video killed the radio star: “Network Video Hour,” Lewis University Television Network, November 6, 1988
College Radio Day 2018: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Hate Myself For Loving You” (1988)
(Above: Joan's 1983 album, called Album, which is fantastic.) Today is the 8th annual College Radio Day. CRD started in 2011 as a way for college radio stations to get together and celebrate what they do: give artists that wouldn't otherwise get a chance some exposure, and give new air talent that wouldn't otherwise get … Continue reading College Radio Day 2018: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Hate Myself For Loving You” (1988)
Multiple-hit wonders: How a music network got a countdown wrong
(Above: Hits, as in "more than one.") Today is some sort of holiday called National One-Hit Wonder Day. I don't remember celebrating this as a kid, so I suspect that it came out of social media as an opportunity for people to share forgotten songs that are fun to dig out every once in a … Continue reading Multiple-hit wonders: How a music network got a countdown wrong
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
30 years ago this week: The Billboard Hot 100, September 10, 1988
(Above: What a wacky college morning show looks like, apparently.) Thirty years ago this week I was starting my second year at Lewis University on the air at WLRA. I almost didn't come back; at the end of my first year I was left off of the management team and threatened to take my ball … Continue reading 30 years ago this week: The Billboard Hot 100, September 10, 1988
Rest in peace, Aretha Franklin: “Respect” (1967)
After a variety of media reports of ill health that swirled this week, it can be confirmed that Aretha Franklin, known as "The Queen of Soul," passed away at her Detroit home this morning at the age of 76. There are far better writers than can do a far better job of telling her life … Continue reading Rest in peace, Aretha Franklin: “Respect” (1967)
Ten Albums: The Who, Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (1971)
Ordinarily. I wouldn't allow a Greatest Hits compilation on a list like this. This isn't an ordinary LP, though, nor is the story of how it got here. #5. The Who - Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (1971) There were several groups that I'd call myself "late to the party" in discovering. Led Zeppelin was … Continue reading Ten Albums: The Who, Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (1971)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 