THE RETURN OF BRET CALLAHAN!

BRET'S BEST OF '06

It’s that time of year when we’re supposed to compile our personal ‘best of’ lists. Problem is, I’ve been way too busy to pay much attention to the myriad new releases this year. The solution? Call in old friend and co-host Bret Callahan to do the job! Four years ago, Bret worked with me at American Hit Radio, covering contemporary stuff while I kept looking over my shoulder at music from the past. Bret id still contemporary mode, so I figured it would be nice to hear his selections for ’06. Don’t worry, though, I WILL compile a list of my own, but it’s gonna be full of oddities, since I missed most of the mainstream this year. Meanwhile, listen up to hear Bret’s own picks.

The Harry Smith Project - Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited

Play the Show!

This week we take an in-depth look at an interesting new box set that is dedicated to the music from Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. The premise may be a bit confusing, but we explain it all during the course of the show. If you like Americana, then this show ought to appeal to you. Listen up, and we’ll take you through the world of Harry Smith, while playing songs from the original collection and the new Anthology, which revisits the original collection.
Here’s a list of songs covered in today’s program;
1)James Alley Blues – Richard Brown, followed by Wilco’s version
2) Frankie – Mississippi John Hurt, followed by Beth Orton’s version
3) Old Dog Blue – Jim Jackson, followed by David Johansen’s version
4) The Butcher’s Boy – Buell Kazee, followed by Elvis Costello’s version
5) Single Girl, Married Girl – The Carter Family, followed by Petra Haden’s version
6) Last Fair Deal Gone Down – Robert Johnson, followed by Beck’s version

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 129b – THE BRILL BUILDING SONGWRITERS

MANN-WEIL/BARRY-GREENWICH - PLAY THE SHOW!

This is the second hour dedicated to the songwriting couples of New York’s Brill Building. Due to the massive number of hits, the diversity, and the impact of their songs, we never could have accurately conveyed the music of Goffin/King, Barry/Greenwich, and Mann/Weill in one hour, so we split this episode into two unequal parts. The first hour was dedicated exclusively to the songwriting prowess of Goffin/King (and sometimes Carole King without Gerry Goffin). That leaves us with one hour to play some of the best material from the remaining two songwriting couples associated with the Brill Building, and to say the least, it’s a tight fit. Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich were phenomenally influential songwriters, particularly with the ‘girl group’ sound, while the team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill was extraordinarily diverse, providing songs in a multitude of styles that often matched the artists better than their own material! It’s a story where the music does most of the talking, so let’s get to it.
Here’s a list of songs covered in today’s program;
Mann-Weil:
1) Walking in the Rain – The Ronettes
2) On Broadway – The Drifters
3) You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling – The Righteous Brothers
4) We Gotta Get Out of This Place – The Animals
5) Kicks – Paul Revere & the Raiders
6) Shades of Gray – The Monkees
7) Uptown – The Crystals

Barry-Greenwich
8) Chapel of Love – The Ronettes
9) Chapel of Love – The Dixie Cups
10) Be My Baby – The Ronettes
11) Baby I Love You – The Ronettes
12) Da Doo Ron Ron – The Crystals
13) Then He Kissed Me – The Crystals
14) I Can Hear Music – The Ronettes
15) Do Wah Diddy Diddy – Manfred Mann
16) Leader of the Pack – The Shangri-Las
17) Hanky Panky – Tommy James & the Shondell

Jeff Barry
18) Sugar Sugar – The Archies
19) Sugar Sugar – Wilson Pickett

Neil Diamond
20) Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon – Neil Diamond

Bee Gees - The Studio Albums 1967-1968

Bee Gees 1967-1968 - Play the Show

For rather obvious reasons, not least of which was the incredible impact of the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack album, most music fans associate the Bee Gees with their falsetto-based disco period. If that era covers most people’s extent of familiarity with this band, then these same people will probably find this box set to be somewhat perplexing. “Bee Gees – The Studio Albums 1967-1968” compiles the first three studio albums released by this band, and these disks have precious little in common with the music they released one decade later. In my own humble opinion, I feel that the early Bee Gees records eclipse their disco phase by a long shot, so I attempt to prove this point during the course of this program. Combining the best elements of psychedelic, romantic and orchestral pop, the Bee Gees covered territory that few other bands ever attempted. I figure that it’s easier to make my point if you can actually hear a few choice cuts, so today’s show focuses on a few high points from this collection. I hope you enjoy it!
Here’s a list of songs from today’s show;
1) Red Chair, Fade Away
2) Every Christian Lion-Hearted Man Will Show You
3) To Love Somebody
4) I Can’t See Nobody
5) With the Sun in My Eyes
6) Massachusetts
7) Lemons Never Forget
8) Down to Earth
9) Kilburn Towers
10) Jumbo
11) I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 5 - THE BIRTH OF JAZZ

The Birth of Jazz

In the world of music, there are few topics more tricky to discuss than the birth of jazz. The reasons are simple; First of all, the subject matter is massive, making it very difficult to pull the various strains together in any fashion that makes sense. Second, there is virtually no recorded evidence from the period when it was fomenting. Luckily for us, we can sidestep both of these issues because a) our previous four shows in this series did a LOT of the set-up work to give us a decent vantage point to start from (If you’re new to this series, I highly recommend listening to shows 1-4 for a full perspective of our coverage), and b) we can fill in the gaps by discussing the history verbally, while (occasionally) presenting later recordings by the founding artists.
To convey the drastic impact and the thoroughly befuddled reaction that initially met this form of music once it crept out of New Orleans, we start with band music from the Civil War. This makes sense because the proliferation of brass bands during the war were a main impetus for New Orleans’ obsession with brass instruments. Part of the story takes place in New York City, too, so we take a sideways glance at the development of brass music there as well, most notably in the music of James Europe. In the end, though, New Orleans is the true focal point of our story, and I hope that you’ll have a reasonably clear picture of America’s indigenous art form as it comes to fruition.
Here’s a list of songs covered in today’s program;
1) Parade – from “The Civil War” film soundtrack by Ken Burns
2) I’m Coming Virginia – Ethel Waters
3) When the Pale Moon Shines – Eubie Blake
4) Charleston Rag – Eubie Blake
5) Memphis Blues – Lieut. Jim Europe’s 369th Infantry Band
6) On Patrol in No Man’s Land – Lieut. J. Reese Europe’s 369th Infantry Band
7) I’m Just Wild About Harry – Alice Fay & Louis Prima
8) The Liar – Rev. Isaiah Shelton
9) Over in Glory Land – Sam Morgan’s Jazz Band
10) Stockyard Struts – Freddie Keppard
11) (Back Home Again In) Indiana – Original Dixieland Jazz Band
12) Livery Stable Blues – Original Dixieland Jazz Band

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 129a - THE BRILL BUILDING SONGWRITERS

CAROLE KING & GERRY GOFFIN

Our next two shows will focus on the music created by songwriters associated with the Brill Building. There’s a lot of material that came from that part of New York City just above Times Square, and these writers have obviously had a profound impact on the state of popular music. One pairing in particular, though, deserves separate attention, if not only because of the number of hits they provided, than for the huge diversity of their output. Carole King and husband Gerry Goffin were kicking out hits as if they were disposable ditties. Perhaps they were seen in that light back in 1962, but listen to these songs now. It’s nearly impossible to deny the emotional and visceral impact of these songs, even as we slog our way through a subsequent century. “Goffin-King” is a brand name that symbolizes quality, and that is why they have earned their own spot on our list of the 250 most influential artists of all time. For good measure, we also feature many songs that Carole King composed after their divorce. Next show will give us the opportunity to focus on Mann/Weill, Greenwich/Barry, and even a bit of Neil Diamond. Meanwhile, here is some of the best pop music ever written, all of it written by (or with) Carole King;

1) It’s Too Late – Carole King
2) Will You Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles
3) It Might as Well Rain Until September – Carole King
4) Take Good Care of My Baby – Bobby Vee
5) The Locomotion – Little Eva
6) He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss) – The Crystals
7) One Fine Day – The Chiffons
8) Go Away Little Girl – Steve Lawrence
9) Crying in the Rain – The Everly Brothers
10) Chains – The Beatles
11) Up on the Roof – The Drifters
12) Her Royal Majesty – Bobby Darren
13) Hey Girl – Freddie Scott
14) Oh No Not My Baby – Maxine Brown
15) I’m Into Something Good – Herman’s Hermits
16) Just Once in My Life – The Righteous Brothers
17) Don’t Bring Me Down – The Animals
18) Take a Giant Step – The Monkees
19) Sweet Young Thing – The Monkees
20) Sometime in the Morning – The Monkees
21) Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees
22) Star Collector – The Monkees
23) The Porpoise Song (Theme from “Head”) – The Monkees
24) As We Go Along – The Monkees
25) No Easy Way Down – Dusty Springfield
26) Goin’ Back – The Byrds
27) You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin
28) It’s Going to Take Some Time – The Carpenters
29) You’ve Got a Friend – James Taylor