Notes on Monday Music Club

This is a kind of indulgent post (and here, after I've scrubbed most of the indulgent posts from the past from this blog), but I suppose a blog is just born for self-indulgence, so I'm posting this playlist from tonight's Spring Break Monday Music Club (one week only!). Reason being, I had this rare evening where all the stars aligned, and I thought the entire 4 hours of the show just flowed so well, and I even had intelligent audience participation. I've found that usually there are less-than-inspired spots in previous 4-hour broadcasts, but tonight was bangin' on all cylinders all night, I thought.

It felt really good, and I wonder if there aren't just a few DJs that are paid (even) that are lucky enough to have such a good vibe as this little volunteer stuff I do in the wilderness of Indiana, PA. Of course, would love to be paid for creating what I want on the radio, but how realistic is that?

Anyhow, it was a great geeky evening, me in the booth, incorporating a few really good requests into what I thought was an excellent mix (your mileage may vary, of course).

The rules I impose on myself for the Monday Music Club shows are, I start at a certain point in time in pop music history and progress somewhat chronologically throughout the evening. So most of the time, it's large chunks of 60s and 70s music, but with the idea of slowly traveling through time afloat all of this music. There are sometimes lurches back and forth in time, but not too many.

By the end of the evening I usually end up near or at the late 70s. I try to mix both familiar and obscure together, because (and this will not be a surprise) that's the type of show I like to listen to. Play me some stuff I know, and play some stuff I don't know, but might like in the same type of genres. (I find this sort of mix hard to find on radio on a consistent basis, and that goes double for terrestrial radio).

I also like the idea of the romance of "freeform" radio days, which I was a little young to have experienced, and I didn't really grow up in an area where you just couldn't avoid a creatively programmed radio station (though I do have a great fondness for the programming at the FM station I did listen to in Erie, PA, K-104). But this kind of a mix is sort of my idea of a freeform-like mix, with what most people would probably say is too "poppy" to accurately reflect what freeform radio really was like. I dunno -- these are just my personal tastes.

So without further ado, here's the March 12th 4-hour playlist, posted as another pure "I exist" gesture to the world. First track tonight was from 1964, the final was from 1975:

Time is on My Side--Irma Thomas
All Cried Out--Dusty Springfield
Jump Back--Rufus Thomas
Opportunity--The Jewels
Let's Stomp--Bobby Comstock
Needle in a Haystack--The Velvelettes
The Boy from New York City--The Ad Libs
The Girl from New York City--The Beach Boys
The Sidewinder--Lee Morgan
You've Got Your Troubles--The Fortunes
La La La La La--The Blendells
Farmer John--The Premiers
Round Every Corner--Petula Clark
Are You There (With Another Girl)--Dionne Warwick
No Reply--The Beatles
Sad Day--The Rolling Stones
Like a Rolling Stone--Bob Dylan
Bari Track--Doni Burdick
I Miss My Baby--Rose Batiste
I'm Alive--The Hollies
The 'In' Crowd--Dobie Gray
Stoned Love--The Supremes
Never Say No--Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Hard to Handle--Otis Redding
There She Is--The Lovin' Spoonful
Bleecker & Macdougal--Fred Neil
Cast Off All My Fears--The Hour Glass
Shake Your Hips--Slim Harpo
Every Day I Have the Blues--B.B. King
You Better Run--The Young Rascals
When I Was Young--Eric Burdon & the Animals
Feelings--The Grass Roots
One Third--The Majority
Little Girl--Syndicate of Sound
Teardrop City/Love Every Day--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
It Could Be We're in Love--The Cryan' Shames
Tomorrow--Strawberry Alarm Clock
Laughing--The Guess Who
A Commercial Proposition--Matthews Southern Comfort
Woodstock--Matthews Southern Comfort
Gimme Shelter--The Rolling Stones
Traditional Order--The New York Rock Ensemble
Move Over--Janis Joplin
Only You Know and I Know--Dave Mason
Make it Funky--James Brown
Let it Down--George Harrison
Justice--Kim Milford
It's a Shame--The Spinners
Superman--The Ides of March
All Day Music--War
Smiling Faces Sometimes--The Undisputed Truth
Midnight Man--The James Gang
I'm a Man--Jobriath
I'm a Man--Chicago
The Cover of "Rolling Stone"--Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Bitter Bad (Live)--Melanie
Panama Red--New Riders of the Purple Sage
Kiss an Angel Good Morning--Charlie Pride
Naima--Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin
Rikki Don't Lose That Number--Steely Dan
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)--Genesis
The First Cut is the Deepest--Keith Hampshire
Daughter of Darkness--Tom Jones
Little Willy--The Sweet
Sweet Music--Lon & Derrek Von Eaton
Some Guys Have All the Luck--The Persuaders
Come and Get Your Love--Redbone
Say Leroy--Jimmy Castor Bunch
Take Yo' Praise--Camille Yarbrough