Music Magic, this Month on Adventures in Vinyl

This month we are going back to K-Tel for the 1978 compilation Music Magic.  This album features some top hits from 1978--mostly disco, but also some Foreigner and Steely Dan thrown in for good measure.

This album comes from a listener's suggestion. If there is a K-Tel album you'd like to hear, let us know.

Hear Music Magic on the weekends throughout June, 12:30 pm (Central/ -5 GMT) Saturday and 4pm (Central/-5 GMT) Sunday. Plus, 2am (Central/ -5 GMT) Wednesday.

All episodes of Adventures in Vinyl stream on demand at Mixcloud.

1977, the Year of the Robot and the year of "Music Machine"

In 1977, robots invaded pop culture with the release of Star Wars.  And K-Tel jumped on that bandwagon big-time.  Music Machine features one of the most famous robots in history on its cover: Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet.  How K-Tel was able to feature that robot on the cover AND in the commercial is beyond me:


The album features an eclectic mix (as usual) of music from the time:  the disco hits of Andy Gibb, ABBA and K.C. and the Sunshine Band, a Kiss ballad, Kenny Rogers, Alice Cooper and the theme from Rocky.  K-tel spared no expense with this album.  It even has bonus Andy Gibb and K.C. and the Sunshine Band posters!

Music Machine from 1977 is the featured K-Tel album this month on Adventures in Vinyl, the only radio show dedicated to the glory of the K-Tel record compilation.  We will listen to the album in its entirety and even flip the record for you. Adventures in Vinyl can be heard at the following times (central):

Sunday 4 pm
Tuesday 1:30 pm
Wednesday 2 am
Thursday 10 am
Saturday 12:30 pm

Get Ready for Spotlight! Next on Adventures in Vinyl

This month on Adventures in Vinyl we are taking a trip back to the year 1979 with the K-Tel compilation Spotlight.

Actually, it is more accurate to say 1978, as all of the songs on this album were released in 1978 (except for the two that were released a year earlier).  This album is slightly different from other K-Tel albums released at the time and marks a change in the way K-Tel created their albums.  Of course, K-Tel is known for crunching as many songs as possible on an album---usually 20 songs per compilation ("20 Original Hits, Original Stars!").  This album has only 16, which means there is not as much crunching of music. In fact, in the 80s, K-Tel will release several more albums following this format.

Spotlight is a solid album that, unlike other K-Tel albums released that year, was not advertised on TV. The album contains songs from Andy Gibb, Crystal Gayle, A Taste of Honey, the Commodores, Kenny Rogers....and many more!

Join us on Adventures in Vinyl this month.  We'll play the album all the way through, with movie and trivia as well.  Adventures in Vinyl can be heard at the following times, only on Vinyl Voyage radio (all times Central).

Saturday 11 am
Sunday 4 pm
Tuesday 1 pm
Wednesday 2 am
Thursday 10 am

Music Machine: A 1977 K-Tel Classic

In 1977, robots were all the rage.  After all, the most popular movie of the year introduced the world to two of the most famous robots of all time:  R2-D2 and C3PO.  It would only make sense that K-Tel would cash in by putting the previous most famous robot on the cover of it's new compilation album, Music Machine.  That robot is, of course, "Robby" from Forbidden Planet and Lost in Space.  Here, he dances to the various hits of 1977 in the commercial aired for the album:

Music Machine is the featured album on this month's Adventures in Vinyl.  It is actually a pretty good album. In fact, all but one of the songs appears on the Year End Billboard Hot 100.  On this album you will find Foreigner, Andy Gibb, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Manfred Mann, Elton John and even Bill Conti with his theme song to the movie Rocky.

The album came with two posters as well: one of Andy Gibb and the other of K.C. from K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

Adventures in Vinyl can be heard on Saturday morning 11 am (CT), Sunday at 4 pm (CT), Tuesday 1 pm (CT), Wednesday 2 am (CT) and Thursday 10 am (CT). 

This may be the last chance to hear Adventures in Vinyl.  We have been on the air for a year and our subscription on Live365 will run out February 3.  We are not sure we will be continuing the station.  If you've been listening for awhile, thank you.