Vinyl Voyage Radio

I grew up on John Denver and can sing along to most of his music.  And, I am not ashamed to say...I am a fan. My parents had every John Denver album and played them all the time.  We rode to the drive-in in the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser to watch John Denver in Oh, God .  We laughed along with the muppets whenever he appeared on The Muppet Show , which seemed like every other week.  I saw him in concert once or twice as well. John Denver was a ubiquitous part of my childhood and its hard to believe that he has been gone for 15 years. Sure, some of his songs were sappy.  Some were ridiculous.  But John Denver had a quality about him that few, if any, artists have managed to capture in his absence. The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver was released last week and the album features modern renditions of some of Denver's best songs.  Some of the songs are classic tunes:  "Rocky Mountain High," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Annie's Song."...

Join us on April 26, 2013 for the premiere of Friday Night Live .  From 9-11 central time, we will feature albums, songs and discussions about music.  Music will be played on original vinyl and we will also give away free stuff.  That's right, free stuff. Friday Night Live is streamed via Live365 and also streamed via a live webcam so you can see hear and see the action. On the premiere episode, we will examine a brand new vinyl LP:   The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver .  This album was just released last week and features modern renditions of John Denver songs.  Artists include Dave Matthews, My Morning Jacket, Lucinda Williams, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and many, many more. Sometime during the show, we will be giving away a free digital download of the album. So join us this Friday and every Friday for Friday Night Live . Music, Talk and More.  Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.

In the mid-1980s, classic Motown started experiencing a comeback.  This would culminate in the 1986 commercial featuring the California Raisins singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine."  However, a small part of this rejuvenation perhaps can be attributed to a single movie and a single soundtrack from 1983. The movie was The Big Chill . The film featured much music from the mid to late 1960s, with Motown being the central focus. Two soundtracks were ultimately released and the original soundtrack features such greats as Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson  and the Temptations. This month on Cine/Spin we will be featuring the soundtrack to The Big Chill played on glorious vinyl. Cine/Spin can be heard (all times central): Saturday, 7 pm Sunday, 1 pm Monday, 10 pm Wednesday, 10 am Friday, 8 pm

This month on Adventures in Vinyl :   The Rock Album from 1980. This is an interesting K-Tel album.  The music spans about 7 years, so this album isn't a snapshot of a particular time, but more of a look at a genre.  The songs on this album are staples on classic rock stations to this day. The album features some pretty well-known hits from E.L.O. and Cheap Trick, Blue Oyster Cult and Boston, Styx and Journey...just to name a few. So join us on Adventures in Vinyl this April to take a musical time trip back to 1980 via the magic of K-Tel. Adventures in Vinyl :  The only radio station dedicated to the glory of the K-Tel record compilation. Adventures in Vinyl can be heard on Vinyl Voyage Radio at the following times (all times central): Saturday, 12 pm Sunday, 4 pm Tuesday, 1 pm Wednesday, 2 am Thursday, 10 am

This month on Adventures in Vinyl we are going back to 1972 for the K-Tel classic, 22 Explosive Hits, Vol. 2 . Yes, this is "Volume 2"; volume one came out a year earlier. This album features Derek and the Dominoes, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lobo, the Chi-Lites, James Brown and Olivia Newton-John.  All "Original Hits" and "Original Stars."  The album runs a total of 57 minutes and is, like usual, heavily edited.  "Layla," for example, is a mere 2:33; the original runs 7:11. But that's the glory of K-Tel. This album also features The Fortunes, an English group known for their harmonies.  The song on this collection is "Rainy Day Feeling."  However, they were also the voice of Coca-Cola at the time, singing their commercials featuring the slogan "The Real Thing."  Here's the Fortunes again: Join us this month on Adventures in Vinyl for a musical time trip back to 1972.  We will play 22 Explosive Hits, Vol. 2 ...

The Breakfast Club was released on February 15, 1985 to mostly positive reviews.  This film quickly solidified director John Hughes as the voice of the 1980s teenager. And no song is probably more connected to a film than "Don't You (Forget About Me)." Written for the film, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was finally recorded by Simple Minds, after The Fixx, Billy Idol and Bryan Ferry turned it down.  It quickly rose to the top of the charts and remains one of the iconic tracks from the 1980s. The trailer for the film doesn't do it justice and Universal didn't have a whole lot of confidence in the movie.  Regardless, the movie went on to gross over $45 million in 1985. This month on Cine/Spin , we are featuring the soundtrack to The Breakfast Club .  The tracks include: 1A "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – Simple Minds 2A "Waiting" – E.G. Daily 3A "Fire in the Twilight" – Wang Chung 4A "I'm t...

Today, as I was playing some songs on the radio, I came across the Little River Band's 1981 hit, " Night Owls ."  The video for this song was a common sight on late night video programs and in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV.  But I was reminded of something else: Nite-Owl on Channel 32 in Chicago. Does anyone else remember this?  Nite-Owl was a program that dominated the early hours on WFLD-TV in Chicago and consisted of news, weather and sports all provided by funky computerized block graphics played with a soft-rock soundtrack of popular hits and muzak from the time.  I was in junior high  and found myself staying up late, mesmerized by the high-tech (for the time) computer graphics.  One night in 1981, I was at my friend's house across the street and we turned on Nite-Owl after Saturday Night Live and fell asleep to the blue glow and soft music emanating from the tv. I distinctly remember hearing that Little...