(Above: the 45 "picture sleeve" for "Just Like Heaven") I've mentioned in earlier posts on college radio - most recently last week's entry on my first-ever show - that one of the goals of the student station is often to introduce audiences to music that they may not be familiar with. Some stations take this … Continue reading College radio classics: The Cure, “Just Like Heaven” (1987)
WLRA
College radio classics: They Might Be Giants, “Don’t Let’s Start” (1988)
(Above: This video spellbound me the first time I saw it.) Among the bands I discovered in college that stayed with me after my college radio days ended, I'd have to put They Might Be Giants at the top of the list. The hard part about this piece was "which song do I pick?" I … Continue reading College radio classics: They Might Be Giants, “Don’t Let’s Start” (1988)
The first radio show: WLRA-FM, September 5, 1987
(Above: Sometimes there's an advantage to not throwing things away.) September 5, 1987 was a Saturday. It was the start of the Labor Day weekend, I had just finished my first week of classes at Lewis University, and it was the day that I was to attempt my first scheduled radio show on the college's … Continue reading The first radio show: WLRA-FM, September 5, 1987
A month of college radio! The Icicle Works, “Understanding Jane” (1987)
(Above: My Intro to Radio book from when I was a student is in my college office. Hopefully there's been an update to this edition since then.) This morning I got an unusual notification from Facebook. It was in the "memories" section, which highlights posts made on this date over the last few years. I … Continue reading A month of college radio! The Icicle Works, “Understanding Jane” (1987)
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
Like a bolt of blue: New Order, “Bizarre Love Triangle” (1987)
(Above: Sometimes the simplest cover artwork is the best.) Thirty years ago today, New Order released Substance, a double LP that's probably best known as the album that casual fans know. New Order came to be in 1980 after Joy Division split following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. They're best known for "Blue … Continue reading Like a bolt of blue: New Order, “Bizarre Love Triangle” (1987)
A frustrated rocker: The Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, August 5, 1989
(Above: Me in my WJTW shirt in the production room of WCFL/Morris, 1990. I do not know why I am wearing it there.) In the summer of 1989 I was just starting to get my legs under me in terms of my radio career. The station I worked for in Joliet, Illinois, WJTW, gave me … Continue reading A frustrated rocker: The Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, August 5, 1989
Greatest misses: Midnight Oil, “The Dead Heart” (1988)
(Above: LP cover for Diesel and Dust.) A few days ago I wrote about the process of going through old college airchecks and finding great lost songs - the ones that we played a lot on our college station, WLRA, but didn't seem to get the sort of chart popularity that they should have. I've … Continue reading Greatest misses: Midnight Oil, “The Dead Heart” (1988)
Greatest misses: Mick Jagger, “Throwaway” (1987)
(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)
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)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 