(Above: the 45 sleeve. Remember those?) Now that summer school has ended and the grades are posted (hooray!) I can get back to doing some research. A project that I am very excited about is the WLRA History Project that I began in May. The 50th anniversary of the launch of my college radio station … Continue reading Greatest misses: Mick Jagger, “Throwaway” (1987)
1987
Greatest misses: ‘Til Tuesday, “Coming Up Close” (1987)
(Above: LP cover for Welcome Home, 1987) In the summer of 1985 I got to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for the first time. It was the Southern Accents tour, perhaps now more famous for the concert shirts featuring the Confederate flag on them as "Rebels" was the single the record company was pushing. … Continue reading Greatest misses: ‘Til Tuesday, “Coming Up Close” (1987)
30 years ago this week: Billboard Hot 100, February 28, 1987
(Above: Whoa-oh, we're halfway there.) Where were you thirty years ago today? New in theaters this week: a quirky film by two guys named the Coen Brothers called Raising Arizona. More people were going to see Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. In the news, Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev proposed a treaty that would eliminate both … Continue reading 30 years ago this week: Billboard Hot 100, February 28, 1987
Greatest misses: Jon Astley, “Jane’s Getting Serious” (1987)
(Above: Jon Astley's debut album.) Jon Astley is a name that many music fans do not know, but probably should. In terms of the pop charts, he qualifies as a "no-hit wonder": two singles that failed to make the Billboard Top 40. They both got considerable airplay on rock radio, though, which is why the … Continue reading Greatest misses: Jon Astley, “Jane’s Getting Serious” (1987)
A radio anniversary: R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World As We Know it” (1987)
(Above: This is not at all what the first day looked like, but when I think "college radio," it looks like this.) Each of us has certain dates that stand out in our lives that go past our own birthdays. Anniversaries, the death of a parent (I have two of those dates to remember), job … Continue reading A radio anniversary: R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World As We Know it” (1987)
College Radio Redux: U2 – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987)
(Above: Me in the WLRA studios, sometime in the Miami Vice era.) In yesterday's post I waxed poetic (wax on, wax off...) about college radio and my time at Lewis University's WLRA. My time in college was far from traditional. In my fourth semester at Lewis, I decided to forego my college eligibility and turn … Continue reading College Radio Redux: U2 – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987)
Greatest misses: The Insiders, “Ghost On the Beach” (1987)
Sometimes, the difference between a hit and a miss is merely a matter of timing. In the fall of 1987 I started classes at Lewis University. It was there that I began my college radio career as a DJ on WLRA-FM. (A word of warning: this blog will often mention college radio. It is something … Continue reading Greatest misses: The Insiders, “Ghost On the Beach” (1987)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 