New Doghouse

The LDR blog has new digs.

As some of you may already know, a portion of the information regularly found in this space was originally included on the Lucky Dog Radio website. When the frequency of new programs doubled to twice a week in September of 2007, an expanded version of that info was launched here. The LDR website still remained, providing some background and history about freeform radio and the influence it's had on this Internet radio station.

After more than too much time has passed, the Lucky Dog Radio site has been completely redesigned, and this blog has been incorporated into it. All further program playlists will now be available there.

This site will remain as an archive for anyone curious about what Lucky Dog Radio has been up to over the past year and a half-plus.

Program #568

NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
ORCHESTRA LUNA . . . . . Heart . . . . . Orchestra Luna
DAVE FRISHBERG . . . . . Van Lingle Mungo . . . . . Dave Frishberg Classics
LILY FROST . . . . . Is It Just Spring? . . . . . Cine-Magique
CLUB 8 . . . . . Spring Came, Rains Fell . . . . . Spring Came, Rain Fell
THE CLIENTELE . . . . . Here Comes The Phantom . . . . . God Save the Clientele
THE CLEANERS FROM VENUS . . . . . Mad March Hare . . . . . Golden Cleaners
THE DUKES OF STRATOSPHEAR . . . . . Vanishing Girl . . . . . Chips from the Chocolate Fireball
THE COWSILLS . . . . . The Rain, The Park And Other Things . . . . . The Best of the Cowsills
THE BEATLES . . . . . Here Comes The Sun . . . . . Abbey Road

M. WARD . . . . . Never Had Nobody Like You . . . . . Hold Time
GARY GLITTER . . . . . Rock & Roll, Part 2 . . . . . The Full Monty: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
T. REX . . . . . Metal Guru . . . . . The Slider
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3 . . . . . Saturday Groovers . . . . . Goodnight Oslo
BRIAN ENO . . . . . China My China . . . . . Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy
DIRTY PROJECTORS & DAVID BYRNE . . . . . Knotty Pine . . . . . Dark Was the Night
DEVOTCHKA . . . . . The Clockwise Witness . . . . . A Mad and Faithful Telling
PATRICK WOLF . . . . . The Magic Position . . . . . The Magic Position
ROXY MUSIC . . . . . Do The Strand . . . . . For Your Pleasure

JENS LEKMAN . . . . . A Postcard To Nina . . . . . Night Falls Over Kortedala
BELLE & SEBASTIAN . . . . . (My Girl’s Got) Miraculous Technique . . . . . The BBC Sessions
RICHARD HAWLEY . . . . . The Motorcycle Song . . . . . Lowedges
THE SEARCHERS . . . . . When You Walk In The Room . . . . . Searchers - Greatest Hits
NEKO CASE . . . . . This Tornado Loves You . . . . . Middle Cyclone
BUDDY HOLLY . . . . . Raining In My Heart . . . . . The Buddy Holly Collection
BETTIE SERVEERT . . . . . Storm . . . . . Bare Stripped Naked
ELVIS PERKINS . . . . . 123 Goodbye . . . . . Elvis Perkins in Dearland
JOHN CALE . . . . . Darling I Need You . . . . . Fragments of a Rainy Season
FATS DOMINO . . . . . Aint’ That A Shame . . . . . My Blue Heaven: The Best of Fats Domino

CHEECH & CHONG . . . . . Basketball Jones . . . . . Los Cochinos
MADNESS . . . . . Madness . . . . . Complete Madness
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS . . . . . Dancing Shoes . . . . . Birth of a Legend
THE RAY BRYANT COMBO . . . . . The Madison Time . . . . . Hairspray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
FRED ASTAIRE . . . . . Shall We Dance . . . . . The Legendary
THE RAMONES . . . . . Let’s Dance . . . . . Ramones
DEL SHANNON . . . . . Do You Want To Dance? . . . . . Grandson of Frat Rock!, Vol. 3
STEVE FORBERT . . . . . You Cannot Win If You Do Not Play . . . . . Alive on Arrival
HARUOMI HOSONO . . . . . Sportsman . . . . . Philharmony

The calendar said it was time for Spring (although here in NJ we had wind chills in the teens last night), so the program began with some tunes to celebrate. In addition to warmer weather, Spring means the start of baseball, which is why we heard Orchestra Luna's idiosyncratic take on a tune from the Broadway musical Damn Yankees and followed it with Dave Frishberg's ingenious tribute to ballplayers from his youth. From there it was Lily Frost and Club 8 with seasonally titled tunes, which led to the Clientele and a tune with a first line that reads, "April in my mind, but I can't sleep." Then the Cleaners From Venus supplied another monthly reference point that fed quite nicely into the Dukes of Stratosphear (even though their tune isn't directly related to Alice In Wonderland or Spring). A guilty pleasure from the Cowsills followed and brought us to the Beatles, with George Harrison's tune that gets right to the heart of the matter.

Most of LDR is built on the connections I find between tunes; sometimes it seems I'm the only one who hears them, and others it's so obvious that you'd have to be deaf not to get it. Such is the case with the track from M. Ward's latest that opened this section; the beat is so much like Gary Glitter's old hit from the glam rock days that I almost didn't want to play them back to back. From there it was another from the early '70s by T. Rex, followed by a new one from Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 looking back fondly to those times. His mention of "mental floss" supplied by Eno seemed a good enough reason to play one from Brian Eno's second disc, which was followed by his recent collaborator David Byrne, here working with Dirty Projectors. Devotchka slipped in after that with a tune featuring violin that brought to mind Patrick Wolf, who often calls up Roxy Music, thus offering one more opportunity to return to those glitter glam days with the first track I can recall ever hearing by that band.

This set began with a trio of tunes from Jens Lekman, Belle & Sebastian and Richard Hawley that all sound at their core like they came into existence from essentially the same place. The bit of jangly guitar on the Hawley tune offered an opportunity to fill my need for a regular Searchers fix, and then it was on to my favorite from the new Neko Case disc, where she offers a wonderfully detailed expression of her love's cyclonic power. A couple more weather-related tunes from Buddy Holly and Bettie Serveert continued the sad love theme, which was carried onward with a new one from Elvis Perkins that has a bit of '50s rock 'n' roll in its bones. Then it was John Cale alone at the piano with a track that finishes on something of a New Orleans R&B flourish, which is how we ended up with Fats Domino.

In addition to Spring and baseball, mid-March also means NCAA College Basketball Tournament time, aka March Madness. Since I once loved to play (unfortunately I had to hang up my Nikes, as I grew too old and immobile to be of any use on the court) and am still a fan of the game, the program closed with some tunes inspired by the Big Dance. I hope your brackets are in better shape than mine.

Here's another one from Fats Domino

Program #567

NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
THE IKE REILLY ASSASSINATION . . . . . When Irish Eyes Are Burning . . . . . We Belong to the Staggering Evening
THE YOUNG DUBLINERS . . . . . Rosie . . . . . Saints And Sinners
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND . . . . . Rosalita . . . . . Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (2CD)
OTIS REDDING . . . . . I Can’t Turn You Loose . . . . . Live in London and Paris
SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS . . . . . My Man Is A Mean Man . . . . . Naturally
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR . . . . . Heat Treatment . . . . . Heat Treatment
VAN MORRISON . . . . . Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile) . . . . . Saint Dominic's Preview

JOSEPH ARTHUR . . . . . Slow Me Down . . . . . Vagabond Skies
MARK LANEGAN . . . . . Kimiko’s Dream House . . . . . Field Songs
PJ HARVEY . . . . . Black Hearted Love . . . . . A Woman, A Man, Walked By
RACHAEL YAMAGATA . . . . . Sidedish . . . . . Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart (2 CD)
DIGBY . . . . . Too Late . . . . . Falling Up
THE WHO . . . . . Substitute . . . . . Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
MOJAVE 3 . . . . . Ghost Ship Waiting . . . . . Puzzles Like You
BUZZCOCKS . . . . . What Do I Get? . . . . . Operators Manual
FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE . . . . . Little Red Light . . . . . Welcome Interstate Managers

GIANT SAND . . . . . Out There . . . . . proVISIONS
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND . . . . . Pale Blue Eyes . . . . . The Velvet Underground
M. WARD . . . . . Outro . . . . . Hold Time
JIMI HENDRIX . . . . . Little Wing . . . . . The Jimi Hendrix Concerts
THE RACONTEURS . . . . . Rich Kid Blues . . . . . Consolers Of The Lonely
JENNY LEWIS . . . . . Jack Killed Mom . . . . . Acid Tongue
JOE COCKER . . . . . Cry Me A River . . . . . Mad Dogs & Englishmen

THE LIFE AND TIMES . . . . . The Lucid Dream . . . . . Tragic Boogie
NEKO CASE . . . . . Prison Girls . . . . . Middle Cyclone
MOS DEF . . . . . Kalifornia . . . . . Biker Boyz
JOHN MAYALL . . . . . California . . . . . The Turning Point
THELONIOUS MONK . . . . . Mysterioso . . . . . Live at the It Club

With St. Paddy's Day upon us, this show began with a couple of timely tunes from the Ike Reilly Assassination and the Young Dubliners, whose track brought forth Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (for obvious title reasons). The extraordinary energy in that live performance was matched by Otis Redding, and then it was the modern-day soul/r&b of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings followed by Graham Parker & the Rumour aided by some bright soul horns. Van Morrison provided the perfect closer with his homage to Jackie Wilson—and seeing as how he hails from the Emerald Isle, it was doubly perfect.

This section started with yet another group of tunes about love gone wrong—it's hard to resist as there are so many and the combinations are endless. So we had Joseph Arthur in a hurry to get somewhere alone, Mark Lanegan not sure where he is, one from PJ Harvey's upcoming disc with a title that's self explanatory, Rachael Yamagata willing to make a commitment that only goes so far, Digby smack dab in the middle of the set with a track that pretty much sums it all up, the Who with a clear-eyed assessment of the situation, Mojave 3 taking on water, the Buzzcocks asking a pertinent musical question and Fountains of Wayne unable to connect despite the many helpful modern devices on hand.

The opener from Giant Sand set a mood of questioning and loss that flowed quite well into an old one from the Velvet Underground that remains as intimate a song as I can recall hearing anywhere. M. Ward with an instrumental version of an old standard called "I'm A Fool To Want You" segued nicely into one of Jimi Hendrix's most beautiful tunes, and then it was the Raconteurs covering Terry Reid followed by Jenny Lewis with a Jack White-like tune that ends in a soulful, gospel-like place, which is how we ended up with Joe Cocker to finish.

The Life And Times are new to me, and their upcoming disc has a track that seemed to work well with the foreboding mood of the Neko Case track that followed. The dream state continued with Mos Def, which was followed by an old one from John Mayall with (almost) the same name that fed beautifully into a gem from Thelonious Monk that put the capper on this one.

Here's another one from the Ike Reilly Assassination

Program #566

NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
JAMES BROWN . . . . . It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World . . . . . Star Time (4CD)
CAT POWER . . . . . Lost Someone . . . . . Jukebox - Deluxe Edition
ARETHA FRANKLIN . . . . . Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby) . . . . . The Golden Age of Black Music: 1960-1970
FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS . . . . . Suspicious Minds . . . . . Fine Young Cannibals
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS . . . . . Lipstick Vogue . . . . . This Year's Model
A.C. NEWMAN . . . . . The Heartbreak Rides . . . . . Get Guilty
THE SHINS . . . . . Pressed In A Book . . . . . Oh, Inverted World
THE MOVE . . . . . Blackberry Way . . . . . The Best of the Move
THE CAESARS . . . . . Turn It Off . . . . . Strawberry Weed
THE WHO . . . . . So Sad About Us . . . . . Quick One (Happy Jack)

NEKO CASE . . . . . Middle Cyclone . . . . . Middle Cyclone
TIM HARDIN . . . . . Don’t Make Promises . . . . . Hang on to a Dream: The Verve Recordings
THE BOOKS FEATURING JOSE GONZALEZ . . . . . Cello Song . . . . . Dark Was the Night
BOB DYLAN . . . . . Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right . . . . . The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
WILCO . . . . . Either Way . . . . . Sky Blue Sky
JIMMIE DALE GILMORE . . . . . Tonight I Think I’m Gonna Go Downtown . . . . . After Awhile
ROY ORBISON . . . . . Crying . . . . . For The Lonely: 18 Greatest Hits
RICHARD HAWLEY . . . . . Something Is . . . . . . . . Late Night Final
THE WATSON TWINS . . . . . Only You . . . . . Fire Songs
M. WARD . . . . . Hold Time . . . . . Hold Time

BLACK LIPS . . . . . Take My Heart . . . . . 200 Million Thousand
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE . . . . . She Has Funny Cars . . . . . Surrealistic Pillow
22-20S . . . . . Why Don’t Do You Do It For Me . . . . . 22-20s
TEN YEARS AFTER . . . . . I’m Going Home . . . . . Woodstock
ELVIS PRESLEY . . . . . I Wanna Play House With You . . . . . THE FIRST LIVE RECORDINGS [LP VINYL]
SPOON . . . . . Well-Alright . . . . . Dark Was the Night
THE ROLLING STONES . . . . . It’s All Over Now . . . . . 12 X 5
JAMES HUNTER . . . . . Don’t Do Me No Favors . . . . . The Hard Way

THE BEATLES . . . . . I’m Only Sleeping . . . . . 200 Million Thousand
FRANZ FERDINAND . . . . . Dream Again . . . . . Tonight:Franz Ferdinand
TOM WAITS . . . . . Innocent When You Dream (Barroom) . . . . . Franks Wild Years
ELVIS PERKINS . . . . . I’ll Be Arriving . . . . . Elvis Perkins in Dearland
DUKE ELLINGTON . . . . . East Saint Louis Toodle-Oo . . . . . Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Duke Ellington
THE MONKEES . . . . . Tapioca Tundra . . . . . The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees
EELS . . . . . Trouble With Dreams . . . . . Blinking Lights And Other Revelations
DJANGO REINHARDT . . . . . I’ll See In You In My Dreams . . . . . The Best of Django Reinhardt

It felt like too much time had passed since James Brown had been part of the LDR program mix, so after starting with one from the Hardest Working Man In Show Business, it was Cat Power covering a James Brown tune followed by Aretha Franklin with one of her special tracks from the Atlantic years. The thread of romance gone bad continued with Fine Young Cannibals remake of Elvis Presley's final No. 1 hit into Elvis Costello & the Attractions with a highlight from the early days. A favorite from A.C. Newman's latest disc was followed by one from the Shins with a similar feel, which led to the Move, who often come to mind when I'm listening to the Shins. Then it was on to the Caesars from their last disc, and then the Who taking us back to the main theme with a track is still irresistible all these years later.

Neko Case seeking something that isn't meant to be on the title track from her new album flowed nicely into an old one on the same subject from Tim Hardin. The idea was carried forward with the Books featuring Jose Gonzalez covering a Nick Drake tune; the synth pattern on that one was remarkably similar to Bob Dylan's finger-picked guitar on one from his second disc. From there it was Wilco trying to find acceptance of the situation, whatever may happen; Jimmie Dale Gilmore attempting to find a remedy through some outside distraction; Roy Orbison realizing he was still hopelessly in love; Richard Hawley trying to put a calm spin on what simply must be; the Watson Twins searching for clarity and M. Ward capturing and holding onto a feeling forever.

A new one from the Black Lips brought forth an old tune with a similar rhythm from Jefferson Airplane, which was followed by the 22-20s doing their English blues-based thing. One of the more famous examples of that was the performance by Ten Years After at Woodstock, during which Alvin Lee quotes from a few tunes, including one done by Elvis Presley very early on in his career. Spoon's latest track is built on a prime rock 'n' roll sound and seemed to flow well into the Rolling Stones with their first No. 1 in Britain from a long time ago, and then it was the 21st-century R&B of James Hunter to finish up.

A few nights worth of some rather vivid dreams inspired this last section, starting with one by the Beatles that features a bit of backwards guitar leading to a new track from Franz Ferdinand that does a nice job of describing the dream state. Then it was Tom Waits with a timeless declaration that rings eternally true, which was followed by a trio of tunes from Elvis Perkins, Duke Ellington and the Monkees that feel more like soundtracks to dreams than actually about the subject themselves. The end began with a take on the downside of dreams courtesy of Eels before the light touch of Django Reinhardt brought us home.

Here's another one from Roy Orbison

Program #565

NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
THE FACES . . . . . Ooh La La . . . . . Ooh La La
ELVIS PERKINS . . . . . Send My Fond Regards To Lonelyville . . . . . Elvis Perkins in Dearland
BOB DYLAN . . . . . Most Of The Time . . . . . Tell Tale Signs: the Bootleg Series Vol. 8
CLEM SNIDE . . . . . With All My Heart . . . . . Hungry Bird
JOSH RITTER . . . . . Best For The Best . . . . . Animal Years
ALELA DIANE . . . . . Take Us Back . . . . . To Be Still
TOM RUSH . . . . . Urge For Going . . . . . The Circle Game

THE ROLLING STONES . . . . . Paint It Black . . . . . Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)
FINIAN MCKEAN . . . . . Shades Are Drawn . . . . . Shades Are Drawn
RADIOHEAD . . . . . House Of Cards . . . . . In Rainbows
TELEVISION . . . . . Friction . . . . . Marquee Moon
THE SHINS . . . . . Turn On Me . . . . . Wincing the Night Away
CAMERA OBSCURA . . . . . My Maudlin Career . . . . . My Maudlin Career
DAVID BOWIE . . . . . Sorrow . . . . . Pin Ups [ECD]
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD . . . . . I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself . . . . . The Very Best of Dusty Springfield

ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3 . . . . . Your Head Here . . . . . Goodnight Oslo
NICK LOWE . . . . . Cracking Up . . . . . Labour of Lust
THE BONZO DOG BAND . . . . . I’m The Urban Spaceman . . . . . Cornology [3CD Set]
THE BEATLES . . . . . Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite . . . . . Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
BEIRUT . . . . . Mimizan . . . . . Dark Was the Night
DEVOTCHKA . . . . . Transliterator . . . . . A Mad and Faithful Telling
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND . . . . . Wild Billy’s Circus Story . . . . . The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
THE DECEMBERISTS . . . . . My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist . . . . . 5 Songs

M. WARD . . . . . Shangri La . . . . . Hold Time
JORMA KAUKONEN . . . . . I’ll Be All Right . . . . . Quah
JANE SIBERRY . . . . . Calling All Angels . . . . . Until The End Of The World: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
PAUL SIMON . . . . . African Skies . . . . . Graceland
NEKO CASE . . . . . Fever . . . . . Middle Cyclone
PULP . . . . . The Birds In Your Garden . . . . . We Love Life
YO LA TENGO . . . . . Gentle Hour . . . . . Dark Was the Night

An old favorite with a rueful wistfulness about "women's ways" from the Faces started this one, and it came to mind after I heard a track from Elvis Perkins' new disc that has a similar acoustic rhythmic strumming. That song has a wary optimism that Bob Dylan also taps into in the alternate version of his tune from last year, which led to Eef Barzelay and Clem Snide—newly reconstituted and with a new album (recorded three years ago)—admitting there are still strong feelings even after the romance is over. Then it was Josh Ritter attempting to put on a good face leading to Alela Diane trying to recall better times and Tom Rush covering Joni Mitchell facing up to what must be.

This portion began in a dark place with the Rolling Stones followed by Finian McKean, and then it was Radiohead looking for a way out. From there Television seemed to be ready to move on, and the Shins certainly were, although not without quite a bit of pain. A new one from Camera Obscura also seems about leaving the pain behind, which is what David Bowie's cover of an old Merseys' tune zeros in on as well, which brought us to the magnificently suffering Dusty Springfield at the end.

A new one from Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 that reflects the fractured way of life in the 21st century was followed by Nick Lowe taking a more direct approach. Then it was the Bonzo Dog Band with a bouncy tale of city life with a twist at the end, and the varied assortment of instruments on that track set the stage for the Beatles carnival commercial that followed. A new track from Beirut along with one from DeVotchKa had a similar musical appeal and brought on Bruce Springsteen's vivid description of life on a Midwest midway. Tacked onto the end was an early Decemberists' tune, whose title came to mind for obvious reasons.

The final section opened with a new one from M. Ward looking forward to what comes next after his time on this planet has ended, and some of the finger picking on that track conjured up Jorma Kaukonen covering a Rev. Gary Davis tune. Then it was Jane Siberry with her wonderfully beautiful song from the Wim Wenders film that goes back almost two decades, which led to an old favorite from Paul Simon ending in a musical place that segued quite nicely into a new one from Neko Case. From there it was the lovely singing birds on a Pulp track that brought us to a serene new one from Yo La Tengo to bring down the curtain.

Here's another one from Television

Program #564

NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
M. WARD . . . . . To Save Me . . . . . Hold Time
THE BEACH BOYS . . . . . Add Some Music To Your Day . . . . . Sunflower/Surf's Up
DEPARTMENT OF EAGLES . . . . . In Ear Park . . . . . In Ear Park
THE ROLLING STONES . . . . . Sing This All Together . . . . . Their Satanic Majesties Request
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE . . . . . Section 27 (Mental Cabaret) . . . . . The Fragile Army
THE HELIO SEQUENCE . . . . . Can't Say No . . . . . Keep Your Eyes Ahead
XTC . . . . . Stupidly Happy . . . . . Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)
BECK . . . . . Modern Guilt . . . . . Modern Guilt

WILCO . . . . . Wishful Thinking . . . . . A Ghost Is Born
GNARLS BARKLEY . . . . . She Knows . . . . . The Odd Couple
LAL MERI . . . . . Dreams Of 18 . . . . . Lal Meri
BETH ORTON . . . . . Comfort Of Strangers . . . . . Comfort of Strangers
T-BONE WALKER . . . . . How Long Blues . . . . . T-Bone Blues
NICK LOWE . . . . . Hope For Us All . . . . . At My Age
AL GREEN . . . . . Love And Happiness . . . . . Al Green - Greatest Hits
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS . . . . . Satisfy My Soul . . . . . Kaya

BLACK LIPS . . . . . Starting Over . . . . . 200 Million Thousand
ALEX CHILTON . . . . . Hey! Little Child . . . . . Like Flies on Sherbert
TOM VERLAINE . . . . . From Her Fingers . . . . . Songs and Other Things
PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS . . . . . Just Like Me . . . . . Paul Revere & The Raiders - Greatest Hits
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS . . . . . You Belong To Me . . . . . This Year's Model
BOB DYLAN . . . . . From A Buick 6 . . . . . Highway 61 Revisited
CHUCK BERRY . . . . . You Can't Catch Me . . . . . Ultimate Chuck Berry
BO DIDDLEY . . . . . Who Do You Love . . . . . The Definitive Collection
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3 . . . . . Up To Our Necks . . . . . Goodnight Oslo
TALKING HEADS . . . . . Uh Oh, Love Has Come To Town . . . . . Talking Heads: 77

NEKO CASE . . . . . I'm An Animal . . . . . Middle Cyclone
THE IKE REILLY ASSASSINATION . . . . . Charcoal Days . . . . . We Belong to the Staggering Evening
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN . . . . . Kitty's Back . . . . . The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
THIN LIZZY . . . . . Romeo And The Lonely Girl . . . . . Jailbreak
BELLE & SEBASTIAN . . . . . The Boys Are Back In Town . . . . . The BBC Sessions
THE YOUNG DUBLINERS . . . . . Howaya Girls . . . . . Saints And Sinners

At the top it was one of the many satisfying tunes from the new M. Ward disc; this one brought up the Beach Boys, especially in the background vocals. From there Department of Eagles carried on the idea of music in your life, along with the power it has to keep memories from fading, and then it was the Rolling Stones suggesting that everyone join in on the tune. The Polyphonic Spree followed with one that seems to be about finding a way to move forward, and then the Helio Sequence offered up a contrasting take with its focus on the sensory overload that often is part of society and culture today. From there XTC provided one way out before Beck ended it with one that reflects the anxious dislocation that many are feeling these days.

Some meditative food for thought from Wilco to lead off this section led to a more prominently rhythmic track from Gnarls Barkley, which was followed by a new tune from Lal Meri with a similar feel. Nancy Kaye's voice on that song conjured up Beth Orton, here joined by M. Ward on a primarily acoustic track that flowed quite well into some classic blues from T-Bone Walker. Then it was Nick Lowe answering T-Bone's question with one that recalled Al Green from his peak, which led to Bob Marley & the Wailers echoing the Rev. Green's sentiments to finish up.

A new one from the Black Lips that starts with a nice bit of ringing guitar and then heads off to that disheveled territory they know so well was followed by Alex Chilton in a similarly loose and disorderly place. Then it was Tom Verlaine with one from his last disc that recalls his sound of 30 years ago and seemed to segue nicely into one of the many hits by Paul Revere & the Raiders from back in the '60s. The garage-rock organ on that one was reflected in the early Elvis Costello & the Attractions tune that followed, which has always sounded an awful lot like the Bob Dylan tune that came next. From there we had a couple of rock 'n' roll pioneers in Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, whose signature beat appears in a new one from Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3, which in turn led to Talking Heads with track 1, side 1, from their first disc.

One of the tracks from the new Neko Case disc that immediately jumped out at me also brought to mind a favorite by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band from the early days; here they sandwiched an Ike Reilly Assassination tune seemed to flow quite well out of Neko and very much reminds me of the Boss from those times. Then it was Thin Lizzy with what has always sounded like their own take on that early Springsteen sound, which led to Belle & Sebastian captured live in Belfast at Christmas time in 2001 covering that Irish band's biggest hit followed by an enjoyable new one from the Young Dubliners to bring the curtain down. (After all, St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, so why not.)

Here's another one from

Program #563

NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
THE BEATLES . . . . . Revolution 1 . . . . . The Beatles (The White Album)
ARCADE FIRE . . . . . Lenin . . . . . Dark Was the Night
PETER GABRIEL . . . . . D.I.Y. . . . . . Peter Gabriel 2: Scratch
A.C. NEWMAN . . . . . The Palace At 4 A.M. . . . . . Get Guilty
JOHN CALE . . . . . Macbeth . . . . . Paris 1919
THE PRETENDERS . . . . . Message Of Love . . . . . Pretenders II
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3 . . . . . Saturday Groovers . . . . . Goodnight Oslo
T. REX . . . . . Baby Strange . . . . . The Slider
SUPERGRASS . . . . . Rebel In You . . . . .Diamond Hoo Ha

THE NATIONAL . . . . . So Far Around The Bend . . . . . Dark Was the Night
PETER SARSTADT . . . . . Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) . . . . . The Darjeeling Limited
YO LA TENGO . . . . . Fourth Time Around . . . . . I'm Not There
SOLOMON BURKE . . . . . Flesh And Blood . . . . . Don't Give Up on Me
CAT POWER . . . . . I've Been Loving You To Long . . . . . Dark End of the Street
VAN MORRISON . . . . . Tupelo Honey . . . . . Tupelo Honey

STEVE FORBERT . . . . . Write Me A Rain Check . . . . . The Place and the Time
TOM WAITS . . . . . Emotional Weather Report . . . . . Nighthawks at the Diner
SARAH VAUGHN . . . . . Stormy Weather . . . . . Lady Sings the Blues
JARVIS COCKER . . . . . Heavy Weather . . . . . Jarvis
THE LACKLOVES . . . . . Summer Rain . . . . . Cathedral Square Park
RICHARD HAWLEY . . . . . Just Like The Rain . . . . . Coles Corner
NEKO CASE . . . . . This Tornadio Loves You . . . . . Middle Cyclone
HARRY NILSSON . . . . . I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City . . . . . Harry / Nilsson Sings Newman

NEKO CASE . . . . . Don't Forget Me . . . . . Middle Cyclone
BOB DYLAN . . . . . I'll Keep It With Mine . . . . . Biograph
JUDY COLLINS . . . . . Since You've Asked . . . . . Wildflowers
M. WARD . . . . . Hold Time . . . . . Hold Time
THE KINKS . . . . . Waterloo Sunset . . . . . Something Else by the Kinks
THE CLEANERS FROM VENUS . . . . . A Mercury Girl . . . . . Golden Cleaners
THE HIGH DIALS . . . . . These Days Mean Nothing . . . . . Moon Country
ROXY MUSIC . . . . . More Than This . . . . . Avalon

Perhaps you had an opportunity to listen to "Revolution 20," the alternate take of the Beatles tune that was originally released in three versions more than 40 years ago. If so, than you know this fourth version is 10-plus minutes that starts off with the "slow" take minus overdubs and eventually works its way into something resembling what was called "Revolution 9" on the White Album. It was a lot of fun to hear, and still may available in some places if you search hard enough. Since LDR is always on the up and up regarding bootlegs, etc., I'm not willing to put it on the air, so we had to make do with the other version that was part of the White Album as well to start the show. Arcade Fire was next with a new track that seemed to tie in quite nicely in at least two ways, and the Peter Gabriel tune that followed seemed to offer some good advice for anyone thinking about revolution. The thread continued with A.C. Newman and John Cale, and even the Pretenders in a halfways kind of way; that trio of tunes all utilized a galloping rhythm that landed with the irresistable new track from Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 about the early/mid-'70s glam era in the UK. Then it was T. Rex from those long ago days leading to Supergrass to finish it off.

This section began with a new track from the National; the tune's title describes the person being sung about has ended up, and the Peter Sarstedt classic that followed essentially covers the same territory. Then it was Yo La Tengo covering Bob Dylan's tune describing a tense moment in a relationship, and Solomon Burke with Joe Henry's song of obsessive love. One more cover from Cat Power, adding a sultry flavor to Otis Redding's soulful original, led to a blissed-out Van Morrison at the close.

Here it was one from Steve Forbert's upcoming disc sending us down a path full of tunes that battle the elements as they describe the ins and outs of love and romance. So we had a very funny Tom Waits leading to the wonderous voice of Sarah Vaughn; some good thunder atmospherics along with a nice jangly guitar from Jarvis Cocker followed by the Lackloves with a similar six-string sound; and Richard Hawley with a beautifully flowing tune seguing beautifully into a new one from Neko Case that has a similar vibe. The last track was from Harry Nilsson and had nothing to do with the weather, but it fit perfectly after the new Neko Case tune, and she covers a Nilsson track on her new disc. . . .

. . . which is where the final set began. It immediately conjured up a Bob Dylan recording that he made for Judy Collins back in the mid-'60s; the tune was not otherwise recorded by Dylan and didn't make it onto an official release in this form until 20 years later. Although she had been releasing records for most of the decade, Judy Collins didn't write her first song until 1967, and that's what followed here. Then it was M. Ward with the gorgeous title track to his latest disc; the strong feeling of nostalgia evoked in the tune brought to mind the Kinks, and from there the Cleaners From Venus with a tune about an unpredictable woman followed by a sad one from the High Dials led to Roxy Music at the end, with a song I will forever associate with Bill Murray and Lost In Translation.

Here's another one from Tom Waits