AMERICAN HIT RADIO - INTERVIEW WITH TOMMY JAMES

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Yes, THAT Tommy James, as in “Tommy James and the Shondells…..as in ”Crimson and Clover”…”Mony Mony”…”I Think We’re Alone Now”, and dozens more. For a while, Tommy James and the Shondells were the most successful singles artists in the world. Even more impressive was Tommy’s ability to cross the chasm from lighthearted pop music to the more serious fare of ‘album rock’. In recent times, he continues to tour and record, including an excellent new album entitled “Hold the Fire,” and an upcoming reunion disk with the Shondells. He’s had one heck of a career, and he’s also one heck of a nice guy. Heidy and I had a wonderful time talking with him, and we are pleased and proud to share this hour of music and conversation with our listeners, and with Tommy’s fans.

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 134g – THE BEACH BOYS

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Since becoming 'America's Band', it is easy to dismiss the latter day work of the Beach Boys, especially the stuff that was recorded with minimal input from Brian, This show proves, though, that there were still a number of bright moments, despite the problems that haunted the band, and especially their estranged leader. Today's show covers the era from the late '60s to the early '70s, before the Beach Boys faded into a sad parody of themselves.
Tracks played include...

1) Little Saint Nick (Instrumental version)
2) Do It Again
3) I Can Hear Music
4) Never Learn Not to Love
5) Break Away
6) Let the Wind Blow (live)
7) Forever
8) Cool, Cool Water
9) Long Promised Road
10) Disney Girls (1957)
11) 'Til I Die
12) Student Demonstration Time (edited)
13) Surf's Up

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 134f – THE BEACH BOYS AFTER ‘SMILE’

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Today’s show covers the aftermath of “Smile,” the album project that Brian belabored over endlessly until the whole idea was ultimately abandoned. The effect of dropping such a large amount of truly creative (albeit unfocused) work was ultimately cataclysmic on the Beach Boys. While the band argued endlessly about the album’s ability to meet expectations or to please their core audience, their core audience virtually evaporated. The ‘Summer of Love’ made sure of that by providing an entirely new perspective on what popular music could be. Brian’s attempt to modify the band’s sound was really the only choice the band had, but when they rejected it, they also rejected the possibility of remaining relevant.
As Brian retreated into his bedroom, unwilling or unable to face any new production project, the band tried to build something new from the bits and pieces that Brian left them. Like picking meat from a carcass, the band assembled a Frankenstein’s monster version of Brian’s project and called it “Smiley Smile.” The critical reception was brutal, and sales were awful. This was only a sign of things to come. As Jimi Hendrix stated on his debut album (which was released smack dab in the middle of the Summer of Love), “You will never hear surf music again.” These were foreboding times for the Beach Boys.
Here’s a list of songs covered in today’s program;
1) I Love to Say Da-Da
2) Heroes and Villains
3) Vegetables (“Smile” version)
4) Vegetables (“Smiley Smile” version)
5) Fall Breaks and Back to Winter
6) With Me Tonight
7) Whistle In
8) Wild Honey
9) Country Air
10) Darlin’
11) Here Comes the Night
12) Let the Wind Blow
13) Mama Says
14) Friends
15) Be Still
16) Busy Doin’ Nothin’
17) Diamond Head

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 134e – THE BEACH BOYS’ “SMILE”

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Here is a strange one – The entire point of the “How Music Changed” series is to discuss music that was influential, and yet today’s show is dedicated to an album that was never released! It seems impossible for unreleased music to have any effect on the world of music, and yet I contend that “Smile” is second only to “Pet Sounds” in the amount of people it influenced, for many reasons. First, the album was so anticipated that even the rumors concerning its content might be enough to warrant its inclusion. Second, the single “Good Vibrations” was intended to be part of the album, and that easily rates among the most influential singles of the ‘60s. Third, a few songs eventually leaked out, or appeared as the best parts of later Beach Boys albums, and fourth, “Smile” marks a significant turning point in the production style and mindset of its mastermind, Brian Wilson.
Listen as we play excerpts from the recording sessions and a few of the song pieces that best represent the madcap genius of Brian Wilson and his songwriting partner, Van Dyke Parks. Listen in to hear the madcap genius at work.

THE 'FALL' OF 1967

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Despite the implications of the title for today’s show, great music did not suddenly cease as the Summer of Love came to a close. Quite the opposite happened, actually. Pop music combined a vast multitude of styles and sounds, with genre-bending (not gender-bending – that wouldn’t happen until the early seventies!) songs crossing all sorts of stylistic lines. In 1967, it was easy to hear Aretha Franklin, The Who, and Lulu all on the very same radio station. It was a glorious time, when people actually preferred to hear a variety of styles, and artists were more than happy to oblige.
Songs featured in today’s program represent some of the best songs that were on the top 40 pop charts as the Summer of Love trickled into Autumn. Below is a list of songs featured in today’s show. Tune in to hear a few fun facts, along with some classic music.
1) I Can See for Miles – The Who
2) (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin
3) The Rain, the Park, and Other Things – The Cowsills
4) Memphis Soul Stew – King Curtis
5) Dandelion – The Rolling Stones
6) I Dig Rock and Roll Music – Peter, Paul & Mary (as a ‘Bad Hit’)
7) (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher – Jackie Wilson
8) How Can I Be Sure – The Young Rascals
9) It Must Be Him – Vicki Carr
10) To Sir With Love - Lulu

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 134d - THE BEACH BOYS' "PET SOUNDS"

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Few things are sadder or more frustrating than when a great artistic statement goes unrecognized, or worse, ridiculed by your peers. After three years and eight albums, the Beach Boys established an image and a sound that made them instantly recognizable. For songwriter Brian Wilson, this was a curse as much as it was a blessing. He was growing up, maturing, and wanted to stretch his creative abilities into new territory, but the other ‘boys’ were happy with what they had. So was the record company, whose only desire was for more product, delivered asap. It was probably no coincidence that Brian had written a song called “When I Grow Up to Be a Man” only one year earlier, since his entire image was based on the boyish charm of the Beach Boys.
It is so inherently sad that Brian’s attempt to accept and develop his musical growth and maturation as a natural course of events was met with such strong resistance on virtually every front. To him, it must have felt as if the whole world resented the fact that he was growing up, and that he was developing thoughts that stretched deeper than the beach, cars, girls and school. “Pet Sounds” is the result of Brian’s desperate grab at independence. Artistically, it can now be safely stated that “Pet Sounds” is one the most artistically successful products of the 20th century. Its beauty is underscored with a melancholy that echoes the loneliness and lack of support that Brian must have been feeling while he followed his creative muse. Deeply sad and deeply beautiful, “Pet Sounds” marks the creative high mark of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. It is only too bad that the band the record company did not recognize it for what it was at the time of its creation. Marked as a failure when it failed to chart as high as previous Beach Boys albums, the label rush released a ‘greatest hits’ collection before the holiday season, thus dooming the sales potential of “Pet Sounds” even further. Brian would never resolve the dispute between his art and commerce or between his creative drive and the demands of people who relied on him to provide their livelihood. Over time, “Pet Sounds” would be revealed for the visionary creation that it is, but meanwhile, Brian was forced to suffer the consequences of its neglect.
Today's show begins with a compilation of studio clips allowing us to hear "Pet Sounds" as a work in progress. We then feature the album in its entirety.