AUSTRALIS OUR ISLAND LAND, the focus of this week’s program, comprises a variety of wonderful Australian artists.

The 60’s Strangers from Melbourne, the 70’s group the Reels from Dubbo, and the Brisbane Saints inject distinctly different sounds. Also contributing to the show are Jeff St John (who teamed up with the Id), the everlasting international duo Air Supply and the diverse voices of soloists Olivia Newton John, Kate Ceberano, Marcia Hines, Rene Geyer, Doug Ashdown, Ross D Wyllie and Frank Ifield.

 

PLAYLIST

* My Melanie Makes Me Smile – Strangers

* Love Don’t Live Here Any More – Kate Ceberano

* Every Woman in the World – Air Supply

* Fire & Rain – Marcia Hines

* Know Your Product – The Saints

* And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda – Doug Ashdown

* Say I Love You – Renee Geyer

* This Guy’s in Love With You – The Reels

* Banks of the Ohio – Olivia Newton John

* Big Time Operator – Jeff St John & the Id

* Funny Man – Ross D Wyllie

* Lovesick Blues – Frank Ifield

This week’s program features two artists; New York’s Melanie and Aussie icon Brian Cadd. Melanie’s biggest hit was Brand New Key. But she also found popularity with other songs like Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma and Lay Down, accompanied by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Don’t miss her knockout version of the Rolling Stones’ song Ruby Tuesday. Brian Cadd achieved solo success with Let Go and Ginger Man. He was also the lead singer of Axiom performing the hit songs A Little Ray Of Sunshine, My Baby’s Gone and Arkansas Grass.

PLAYLIST

* Beautiful People – Melanie

* A Little Ray Of Sunshine – Axiom

* Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma – Melanie

* Show Me The Way – Brain Cadd

* Ruby Tuesday – Melanie

* Let Go – Brian Cadd

* Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) – Melanie

* Ginger Man – Brian Cadd

* Alexander Beetle – Melanie

* My Baby’s Gone – Axiom

* Brand New Key – Melanie

* Arkansas Grass – Axiom

ACROSS THE SEASONS, this week’s topic, could well have been named the summer show given we included seven Summer themed songs from ABBA, Johnny Rivers, Bobby Goldsboro, Seals & Croft, Sherbet, the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Percy Faith Orchestra.

The complementary seasonal songs include  David Essex’s A Winter’s Tale, Tony Pass’s Spring Fever, Nat King Cole’s beautiful version of Autumn Leaves, Jimmy Durante’s September Song and Liv Maessen’s Snowbird.

 

PLAYLIST

* ABBA – Our Last Summer

* Summer Rain – Johnny Rivers

* Summer Love – Sherbet

* A Winter’s Tale – David Essex

* Summer Breeze – Seals and Croft

* Summer the First Time – Bobby Golsboro

* Spring Fever – Tony Pass

* September Song – Jimmy Durante

* Summer in the City – Lovin Spoonful

* Autumn Leaves – Nat King Cole

* Snowbird – Liv Maessen

* Theme From a Summer Place – Percy Faith Orchestra

WORKING FOR THE MONEY

It’s surprising how many different occupations have found their way into song. Lonnie Donegan’s vaudevillian (some would say corny)  My Old Man’s A Dustman was a huge international hit. Other occupations include a cleaning lady (Sadie The Cleaning Lady),  a moving man (Movin’ Man), a writer (Paperback Writer) and a doctor (Calling Dr Casey). Teachers are celebrated through Doris Day’s Teacher’s Pet and LGBTIQ+ crooner, Johnny Mathis’ Teacher Teacher .

PLAYLIST

* My Old Man’s A Dustman – Lonnie Donegan

* Surfer Joe – The Surfaris

* She Works Hard For The Money – Donna Summer

* I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock N Roll Band) – Moody Blues

* Sadie The Cleaning Lady – Johnny Farnham

* I Shot The Sheriff – Eric Clapton

* Private Dancer – Tina Turner

* Teacher’s Pet – Doris Day

* Teacher Teacher – Johnny Mathis

* Movin’ Man – Buddy England

* Calling Dr Casey – John D Loudermilk

* Paperback Writer – Beatles

This week’s program is about variety and indulgence with the selected songs carrying personal attachments for Rob and Mossy.

Some of Mossy’s songs are reminiscent of her Uni days particularly Nicolette Larson’s  Lotta Love, Little River Band’s Playing to Win and Rickie Lee Jones’ Chuck E’s in Love.

A few of Rob’s tunes include Lou Reed’s Perfect Day, the Ronettes’ Be My Baby and Paul Kelly’s From St Kilda to Kings Cross.

 

PLAYLIST

* Lotta Love – Nicolette Larson

* Perfect Day – Lou Reed

* Diary of Horace Wimp – ELO

* Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners

* Playing to Win – Little River Band

* Sunday Mornin’ Coming Down – Sammi Smith

* Chuck E’s In Love – Rickie Lee Jones

* From St Kilda to Kings Cross – Paul Kelly

* Hole in My Shoe – Traffic

* Be My Baby – Ronettes

* Diddy Wah Diddy – The Running Jumping Standing Still

* Kisses Sweeter Than Wine – Jimmie Rodgers

Some songwriters love to indulge in soulful, emotional songs about the endings of relationships. It has resulted in some great melodies. Four legends appear in this week’s program. There is the velvet voice of Nat King Cole singing an old standard The Party’s Over; Rod Stewart performs his classic Maggie May. The signature song co-written and sung by Roy Orbison is It’s Over. The wonderful contralto voice of Jo Stafford can be heard with her big hit from the fifties It’s Almost Tomorrow. Aussie contributions are from Ronnie Burns with We Had A Good Thing Going and MPD Limited’s cover Little Boy Sad.

 

PLAYLIST

* It Keeps Right On A – Hurtin’ – Johnny Tillotson

* Please Don’t Go – KC & The Sunshine Band

* Saunders Ferry Lane – Sammi Smith

* If You Leave Me Now – Chicago

* The Party’s Over – Nat King Cole

* Maggie May – Rod Stewart

* It’s Over – Roy Orbison

* It’s Too Late – Carole King

* It’s Almost Tomorrow – Jo Stafford

* We Had A Good Thing Going – Ronnie Burns

* Little Boy Sad – MPD Limited

* Band Of Gold – Freda Payne

THE ONLY WAY IS UP comprises songs that incorporate ’up’ in their titles. Included are the US groups Creedence Clearwater Revival, KC & The Sunshine Band and the Doo Wop band The Drifters. Australia is represented by Mental as Anything and the Masters’ Apprentices. Two greats from the 50’s Frankie Lane and Johnny Ray team up for a duet performance as do Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warne. Twelve time Grammy winner Paul McCartney, holder of six Grammys Billy Joel and the Fifth Dimension, one time Grammy winner Diana Ross and Wham one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s add to the list.

PLAYLIST

* Uptown Girl – Billy Joel

* Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warne

* Coming Up – Wings

* Give it Up – KC &The Sunshine Band

* Turn Up Your Radio – Masters  Apprentices

* Live it Up – Mental s Anything

* Upside Down – Diana Ross

* Wake Me Up Before You Go Go – Wham

* Up Around the Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival

* Up Up & Away – Fifth Dimension

* Up on The Roof – Drifters

* Up Above My Head – Frankie Laine & Johnny Ray

THE ONLY WAY IS UP comprises songs that incorporate ’up’ in their titles. Included are the US groups Creedence Clearwater Revival, KC & The Sunshine Band and the Doo Wop band The Drifters. Australia is represented by Mental as Anything and the Masters’ Apprentices. Two greats from the 50’s Frankie Lane and Johnny Ray team up for a duet performance as do Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warne. Twelve time Grammy winner Paul McCartney, holder of six Grammys Billy Joel and the Fifth Dimension, one time Grammy winner Diana Ross and Wham one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s add to the list.

 

PLAYLIST

* Uptown Girl – Billy Joel

* Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warne

* Coming Up – Wings

* Give it Up – KC &The Sunshine Band

* Turn Up Your Radio – Masters  Apprentices

* Live it Up – Mental s Anything

* Upside Down – Diana Ross

* Wake Me Up Before You Go Go – Wham

* Up Around the Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival

* Up Up & Away – Fifth Dimension

* Up on The Roof – Drifters

* Up Above My Head – Frankie Laine & Johnny Ray

WANT AND NEED

Two words similar in meaning, but often misused. They are but a small example of the intricacies of our English language. Songwriters have gleefully latched onto these two words as expressions of strong feelings. Johnny Rivers begins the program with his lament Baby I Need Your Lovin’ followed by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta singing one of the hits from Grease, You’re The One That I Want. Heartfelt ballads such as I Don’t Want To Talk About it from Rod Stewart,  I Need You from America and When I Need You from Leo Sayer tug at our emotional strings. In a lighter vein, Cyndi Lauper bounces in with her catchy Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Elvis’s I Need Your Love Tonight. Finally, The Beatles sing the international anthemic All You Need is Love.

 

PLAYLIST

* Baby I Need Your Lovin’ – Johnny Rivers

* Your’e The One That I Want – Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta

* I Don’t Want To Talk About It – Rod Stewart

* I Need You – America

* Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

* When I Need You – Leo Sayer

* All You Need Is Love – The Beatles

* Ai Don’t Want To Be Alone Tonight – Dr Hook

* Baby I’m A Want You -Bread

* Need Your Loving Tonight – Queen

* I Need Your Love Tonight – Elvia Presley

* I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party – The Beatles

This has been a sad week with the loss of the acknowledged, greatest living composer, Burt Bacharach.  In respect and a salute to his wonderful talent we commence the show with one of his most popular songs I Say a Little Prayer for You performed by Dionne Warwick.

The remaining songs are presented under the theme AUSTRALIS comprising Australian artists.

Pseudo Echo, The Delltones , Renee Geyer, Kevin Shegog, DianaTrask and Lyn Randell present some great covers while Cold Chisel, The Angels, Johnny Ashcroft, the Mixtures, Alison McCallum and Eurogliders deliver original material.

 

PLAYLIST

* I Say a Little Prayer for You – Dionne Warwick

* Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again– The Angels

* Heart – Lyn Randell

* Funky Town – Pseudo Echo

* Little Boy Lost – Johnny Ashcroft

* Crazy – Renee Geyer

* 16 Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands – Delltones

* Breakfast at Sweethearts – Cold Chisel

* Wolverton Mountain – Kevin Shegog

* Heaven Must Be There – Eurogliders

* Superman – Alison McCallum

* Pushbike Song – Mixtures

* Long Ago Last Summer – Diana Trask