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episode date - October 23, 2006
We’ve been doing this show for a number of years now, and our self-appointed charter allows us to get very eclectic whenever we wish. You may already know that American Hit Radio has expanded to two separate shows per week (Tuesdays and Fridays from 5:00-6:00 PM), and we use the extra time slot to cover the most important aspects of America’s musical culture, from the very beginning (we even touched on Native American music a few weeks ago!) to the present. Now, I LOVE our Friday show, because it allows me to delve deeply into the most important aspects of our musical legacy. I learn something myself, and I hope that the audience finds this to be both entertaining and informative. However…
…I can understand how our format sometimes pushes the envelope a bit. We did an entire show based on the ‘great tenors’ from the early 20th century a few weeks back, and I was immensely proud of that show (it was the first in our 250 part series, “How Music Changed”), but a few people seemed confused. Others questioned my sanity, and I understand. When you establish yourself as a spokesman for ‘popular’ music, your audience has expectations, and scratchy one hundred year old recordings do not fit comfortably into that equation. Nevertheless, there is a method to our madness, and our Friday listeners have since expressed some very positive commentary. Thank you for that. I promise that it will all make a lot of sense as we progress. If you listen to each show in our series of “How Music Changed,” you ought to be left with the means to appreciate these old recordings, while developing a thorough understanding of how our musical culture developed.
OK, I got that off of my chest, so here’s my point. After four or five years of doing “American Hit Radio,” one thing I’ve noticed is that nobody complains when we cover music from the sixties. I mean nobody, never, not at all. The sixties appear to be some universal beacon that shines out to all listeners, appealing to virtually everyone who listens to our program. I understand that, too, because I feel the same way. The sixties are also my favorite era. The music was rich, diverse, eclectic, populist, experimental, melodic, energetic, and full of expressive emotion. Covering the sixties is natural for me, and requires little preparation, since I already know most of this material by heart. So does a large percentage of our listening audience, which is why, for this specific show, I am very happy to cover music from February 1969, debatably the most vital and entertaining period of our pop music culture. So, enjoy this show. Next week, we’ll be covering Balkan oboe music from the 16th century…(only kidding…)
Here are songs that we cover for today’s show;
1) Everyday People – Sly & the Family Stone
2) Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations
3) Proud Mary – Creedence Clearwater Revival
4) Time of the Season – The Zombies
5) I’ve Gotta Be Me – Sammy Davis, Jr. (as a “Bad Hit”)
Featured Album Tracks -
6) Hey Bulldog – The Beatles (from “Yellow Submarine”)
7) You’ll Never See My Face Again – The Bee Gees (from “Odessa”)
8) Good Times, Bad Times – Led Zeppelin (from their eponymous debut album)
9) River’s Invitation – Aretha Franklin (from “Soul ‘69”)
10) Christine’s Tune – The Flying Burrito Brothers (from “Gilded Palace of Sin”)
CLICK HERE to listen to the full show!
 
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