Vinyl Voyage Radio

Prior to 1980, my musical tastes generally sucked.  Oh, I listened to the standard hits on the radio, but had no coherent musical wants or likes---outside, that is, of what was always played in my house:  John Denver, Neil Diamond, Olivia Newton-John and Barry Manilow.  Yes, I admit it, I could sing along to several Manilow tunes.  Remember, I didn't have any older brothers or sisters to show me the way (Think: Almost Famous ). But then, in 1980, everything changed.  I discovered good music. And I can thank K-Tel for that. For Christmas in 1980, I received a cassette from my parents.  It was K-Tel's Rock 80 .  And this album introduced me for the first time to what would become some of my favorite bands:  Cheap Trick, the Ramones, the Pretenders.  I started listening more to rock radio.  I would sit sometimes for hours, waiting patiently for a single song to add to my collection of mix tapes.  This is a classic K-Tel album....

Having a backyard Independence Day celebration?  What better accompaniment than classic K-Tel? Starting at 1 pm (CT) on the Fourth of July, the Vinyl Voyage will present a marathon of all episodes of Adventures in Vinyl, featuring classic K-Tel albums from the 1970s--a great soundtrack to your Fourth of July Celebrations. We will be featuring the following albums starting at 1 pm, central: Music Power , 1975   Music Express , 1975 Disco Mania , 1975 Dynamite , 1975 Fantastic , 1973 Block Buster , 1976 These are full episodes of Adventures in Vinyl and include not only the K-Tel albums but also trivia, headlines and movie clips.  You'll hear over 130 classic tracks from K-Tel---that's over 7 1/2 hours of music! As they say in the commercials: "All Original Hits!  Original Stars!" Take an extended trip to the past with the magic of K-Tel. Adventures in Vinyl--the only radio show dedicated to the lost art of the K-Tel record compilation.

I was 8 years old when I got Block Buster .  It was 1976.  The year before Star Wars .  Yeah, that was a defining moment in my life.  Up until then, all I had was K-Tel albums like this.  And this is a good one:  Block Buster .  It must have been released early 1976 as most of the songs are from the previous year.  "Fly, Robin, Fly" by the Silver Convention.  "Sky High," by Jigsaw.  "Swearin' to God" by Frankie Valli.  "That's the Way (I Like It" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. And my favorite in this collection:  "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by War. Block Buster is the featured K-Tel album on Adventures in Vinyl this month. You can hear the album in its entirety on Saturday mornings at 11 am (CT) and Sunday afternoons at 4 pm (CT). In addition, Adventures in Vinyl can be heard whenever you want.  That's right. If you want to hear Adventures in Vinyl on Wednesday at 1 pm, you can.  Just send us an email or...

Adventures in Vinyl , the only show dedicated to the lost art of the K-tel record compilation, can be heard on the Vinyl Voyage Saturday mornings at 11 am (CT) and Sunday afternoons at 4 pm (CT).  However, for many people, those times just might not work out so well. So, if you would like to hear it at a different time, let us know.  Want to hear it at 1 pm Wednesday?  No problem.  3 am?  Again, no problem.  Today, we introduce the "Personal Playlist" here at the Vinyl Voyage.  Let us know when you would like to hear Adventures in Vinyl and we will play it at that time---just for you.  Want to hear an earlier episode?  Let us know.  That is the beauty of internet radio.  It can readily be personalized. Send us a message at vinylvoyage@bellbookcamera.com to request a personal time for Adventures in Vinyl.  We will email you back with a confirmation.  Or, simply use the "Shout Out" form at the bottom of our Live365....

It was the last day of school.  I was planning on heading down to the Chicago Blues Fest with some co-workers, but I had to clean my desk and haul some books down to the "rebind" room.  That took longer than I had anticipated.  Plus, the weather didn't look so great.  So, I decided to skip that trip and just head home. On the way, I stopped off at my local record store, Rainbow Records in Barrington, to treat myself to a little vinyl.  There are always albums that I want, but inevitably, when I get to the record store, I never seem to be able to remember any of them.  Been looking for some Cure, but vinyl Cure is a little difficult to find.  Saw Sting's debut album, but I have that on cd and decided against it Browsing through the Rs, I came across Tattoo You , the 1981 release from the Rolling Stones.  Back when the album was released, I checked it out at the library and made a copy on cassette.  That cassette has long since vanished....

In 1973, Vicki Lawrence had a hit with "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia." Of course, who knew that a decade later she would be starring in Mama's Family .  Most people know her from her stint on the Carol Burnett Show . It was also a big year for Elton John:  "Rocket Man" and "Crocodile Rock" were quite popular.  Gary Glitter had "Rock and Roll Part Two."  Tony Orlando was tying yellow ribbons on oak trees.  Donny Osmond was singing something about the "Twelfth of Never,"  whatever that means. K-Tel's 1973 compilation Fantastic had these hits and many more.  As the commercial states:  "22 Original Hits! 22 Original Stars!"   This is a very interesting album.  It has some great hits and many misses---typical K-Tel actually.  I was 5 years old when this album came out.  I remember listening to some of the songs--Elton John and Tony Orlando in particular.   As I listened to it again recently, I realized th...

Did you miss any episode of Adventures in Vinyl?  Here is your chance to catch up.  On Memorial Day, starting at 10 am CT, we will be broadcasting the last four episodes in a row---about 5 hours or so of nothing but pure K-Tel. Here are the albums: Music Power (1975) Music Express (1975) Disco Mania (1975) Dynamite (1974) Adventures in Vinyl is the only show dedicated to the lost art of the K-Tel record compilation.  Join us for a nostalgic trip to the past.