Songs You Should Know

Tom Petty was the soundtrack to so many of our lives. His unique songwriting capabilities captivated generations of rock and roll enthusiasts. He wasn’t the prettiest. He wasn’t the smoothest. But, dang if he didn’t have what it took to be a rock and roll star. In this episode, Mick and Jimbo talk about his influence on their lives, and on the lives of so many who were touched by the music he and the Heartbreakers created.

Glen Campbell spent over 50 years in the music business. He recorded scores of record albums and starred in a hit TV show. He also made history in 1967 by winning four Grammy awards in two different categories . . . two for “Gentle on My Mind” in the Country and Western category, and two for “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” in the Pop category. He subbed for Brian Wilson in the Beach Boys, and then almost immediately went on to become a sensation in his own right. Unfortunately, we lost Glen to complications from Alzheimers this year, at the age of 81. In this episode, Mick and Jimbo discuss such hits as “Galveston” and “Wichita Lineman” and “Rhinestone Cowboy,” among many others.

Joe left us in December of 2014, but he left a legacy of gritty, spasmodic performances. He was one of a kind. He came to our attention with his cover of “A Little Help From My Friends” in 1968, and continued popping up in the public consciousness for years, culminating in a 1983 Grammy Award for the number one “Up Where We Belong.” He is listed at #97 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Singers” list. In this episode, Mick and Jim talk about “A Little Help…” as well as Joe’s take on “The Letter” and “Feelin’ Alright.”

Jimbo and the Mickster return after after a short summer hiatus to explore one country music legend with whom every rock and roll lover should be familiar: Hank Williams, Sr. In his short 29 year life (and only 6 years of major label recording,) Hank managed to pen and/or record a long list of classics, including Move it on Over, Your Cheatin’ Heart, and Hey Good Lookin’. We discuss those songs and others in this special look at “Country Songs Every Rock and Roller Should Know.” Consider this “Volume 1,” since once we delved into Hank Sr. we realized this was too big a topic for one show!

Prince underwent the transformation from “rock star” to “media superstar” in 1984, with the release of Purple Rain, both as a movie and an album. This is the same year Michael Jackson wins a record eight Grammy Awards, and Ronald Reagan nearly runs the table in his re-election bid. Of several hit singles spawned by the Purple Rain, Mick and Jimbo discuss “Let’s Go Crazy.” We also take a look at the genesis of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” her #1 followup to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” from her debut album She’s So Unusual. Finally, we dig into some “Ratt and Roll” with Ratt’s “Round and Round” because . . . well, just because. It was the Mickster’s graduation year, and it was part of the soundtrack of his life 🙂

By the end of 1981, the Rolling Stones were launching the era of corporate sponsored touring, with their Tattoo You album and tour, spearheaded by their last great end-of-summer single, Start Me Up. In this episode Mick and Jim discuss the influence of Start Me Up, as well as the first appearance of Rap in a #1 hit (Blondie’s Rapture), and the first song to kick off the MTV era, The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star. Als in 1981, Walter Cronkite signed off as the anchor of CBS Evening News after almost 20 years of hosting, shortly after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated President of the United States and the 52 Americans in Iran were released after being held hostage for 444 days. The Space Shuttle Columbia made its first trips into space, just in time to be used in the graphics that helped launch a new concept called “Music Television.” Sit back, relax, and revisit 1981 with Jimbo and the Mickster.

In 1978 we saw the collision of Punk, Disco, and Rock. John Travolta appeared in not one, but two iconic movies, both filled with music. This episode opens with the Rock/Disco fusion of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” the segues into the Rock/Punk/Jazz fusion of the “Roxanne,” by the Police, and finishes with one of the anthems of the year, the flat out disco of “Stayin’ Alive,” by the BeeGees. It was a heck of a year for recording and composing in France and singing in falsetto.

1975 saw the fall of Saigon, the Energy Crisis, and two assassination attempts on the President of the United States. On a more positive note, we also witnessed “The Thrilla’ in Manilla,” and the inaugural episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” In this episode, we take a look at three groundbreaking music releases from the same year: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” and . . . yes . . . “Get Down Tonight” from KC & the Sunshine Band.

Today we both mourn and celebrate the life of Chuck Berry. We are all Chuck’s children.

We also talk about 1972, and the emergence of Alice Cooper, Jackson Browne and Neil Young. “Alice” would go on to have multiple lives, Jackson would take a while to come back to the top of the charts (even while writing for and influencing many artists), and Neil would never achieve the same commercial success, even as he “steered for the ditch” and became a legend while doing so.

1969 was an eventful year in politics and music. Richard Nixon became US President, the Beatles played their last show, and the Rolling Stones lost the legendary Brian Jones, only to find a twenty year old phenom named Mick Taylor. From the Zip to Zap to Altamont, the year saw the birth of the Woodstock generation and the loss of its innocence.