Vinyl Voyage Radio

It's been a couple of trying days here at Vinyl Voyage.  We had to abort our first "Manic Monday" due to technical issues.  And then today the internet went down for a couple of hours. However, I did receive a package in the mail.  I often scan the listings on Ebay for K-Tel albums.  Last week, I came across one that I didn't have and bought it for a couple of bucks.  It's in pretty good shape.  The album is from 1976 and is called "Pure Power." How can you go wrong with an album that features "Dream Weaver?"  Or disco band The Sylvers along side with Alice Cooper?  Heart and Diana Ross?  That's the magic of K-Tel. It doesn't have to make sense. This album will soon be featured on Adventures in Vinyl.

Technology is great when it works.  When it doesn't, we lose out on 80s music.  My computer crashed today and therefore Manic Mondays will be on hold until next week.  In the meantime, music is still streaming on Vinyl Voyage radio, with an eclectic selection of music spanning from the last 40 years or so---all played on glorious vinyl. You may be wondering how music can be playing if the computer crashed.  Here is how the radio station works.  The internet stream is provided by Live365 .  I can use their stream by hooking it to my computer at home.  The files are stored on my computer and the station is run through an automated software system called SAM Broadcaster .  I can set rotation rules and playlists and everything is done automatically.  When I am at home and want to play "DJ," I can also do everything manually. In addition, I have hundreds of files stored on the server at Live365.  If something happens to the live stream (l...

My formative years were spent deep in the 80s.  Consequently, much of my record collection dates from that time.  The Cure. Madonna. U2.  Bruce Springsteen.  The Police.  Corey Hart.  Duran Duran.  INXS.  I can go on.  And on. So why not devote a day to that part of my collection? Every Monday, Vinyl Voyage Radio will go all 80s, all day long.  We call it "Manic Mondays."  And if you can sing that song, you know you want take a trip back to the "Me Decade." Throughout the day, we will have news clips, movie clips and other 80s related fun. Plus, of course, an eclectic mix of 80s music.  All played on glorious vinyl.  Just as it was. And just as it should be. Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.

You have voted and it's official:  K-Tel's Pure Rock is next on this month's Adventures in Vinyl . Pure Rock was released with little fanfare in 1981.  This is an interesting album and very different from K-Tel's earlier compilations.  Unlike other K-Tel albums, there are no tv or radio commercials associated with this record.  One of the hallmarks of K-Tel in the 70s was was their ubiquitous presence on tv.  In addition, the album is not overly edited.  There are only 14 songs on the album as opposed to the usual 20 or so on most K-Tel albums in the 1970s.  This was a change that K-Tel began implementing in the 1980s--less songs, but higher quality. And finally, this album has very little to do with 1981.  The more popular K-Tel albums capitalized on hit songs ("20 Original Hits! 20 Original songs!") and contained songs from the year in which the album was released.  On Pure Rock , only one song dates from 1981---Pat Benatar, "Hit Me W...

I am at a loss:  with so many K-Tel albums to choose for February's edition of Adventures in Vinyl, I am not sure what to pick. Therefore, I am leaving it up to you.  Vote below for the K-Tel album you would like to hear on February's edition of Adventures in Vinyl . (vote below) Super Bad (1973) : Isaac Hayes, Joe Tex, Millie Jackson, Staple Singers, James Brown Hit Machine (1976) :  KC & the Sunshine Band, Frankie Valli, Elton John, Kiss, War, Rick Springfield Hot Lights & City Nights (1979) : Jacksons, Village People, Sister Sledge, Blondie, Instant Funk Pure Rock (1981) : ZZ Top, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Heart, Eddie Money, Styx, Foghat Online Surveys  &  Market Research

A year ago, I started this radio station.  During the holidays back in 2010,  I started going through my old record collection, fixed a turntable and rediscovered the joy of vinyl.  One thing was for sure:  I have a lot of old K-Tel albums.  These albums not only represented formative years of my childhood, they also were interesting musical time capsules of the 1970s and 80s. As a result, Vinyl Voyage Radio was born in February 2011 and I started hosting the K-Tel-themed show, Adventures in Vinyl , which featured a different K-Tel album every month.  It's been fun hosting the show and becoming reacquainted with the music, history and memories.  We've been on the air now for just about a year.  Over the year people from all over the world have listened.  Recently, the station has clocked hours from Israel, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Belgium, Ukraine and Mexico.  Total listening hours is relatively small, however.  Just under 1000 hours ...

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. Adventur...