This week’s theme is ‘Places’. We have two interpretations for the theme this week – actual place names and names of specific locations. We travel to some American states and cities beginning with the Easybeats only attempt at the American market with the Vanda and Young composition ‘St Louis’. Other American place names include swamp rocker Gary US Bonds‘ driving ‘New Orleans’ joining two other rockers – Freddy Cannon (Tallahassee Lassie) and Johnny Burnette (Cincinnati Fireball). Later we travel to Spain with Andy Williams’ singalong song ‘The Bilbao Song’ and to Liberia with Jimmie Rodgers quasi – religious ‘Woman from Liberia’. Specific locations are an oasis (Midnight At The Oasis by Maria Muldaur), a YMCA from the Village People and even a church (Church Of The Poison Mind by Culture Club). The Aussie highlight is the sublime ‘A Touch Of Paradise’ from John Farnham‘s fabulous comeback album ‘Whispering Jack’.

 

PLAYLIST

* St Louis – Easybeats

* Midnight At The Oasis – Maria Muldaur

* New Orleans – Gary US Bonds

* YMCA – Village People

* Tallahassee Lassie – Freddy Cannon

* Church Of The Poison Mind – Culture Club

* Cincinnati Fireball – Johnny Burnette

* A Touch Of Paradise – John Farnham

* The Bilbao Song – Andy Williams

* Spanish Harlem – Ben E King

* Woman From Liberia – Jimmy Rodgers

* Itchycoo Park – Small Faces

Since its invention in the 1870’s, the telephone has been and still is a widely used medium for communication and as such has been a wonderful source for songwriters to portray a variety of narratives. CALL ME CALL YOU, this week’s theme, includes an array of songs focusing on various expressions of telephone use. Vicki Carr is anxiously waiting for ‘him’ to phone and Deborah Harry of Blondie is inviting her ’baby ‘to call anytime as ABBA also is asking someone to ‘Ring Ring”.  Dr Hook is calling to say farewell to Sylvia but her mother prevents their vocal meeting. Leo Sayer is calling to say that he wants to come home and the Beatles and the Rolling Stones frustratingly are getting no responses from their calls. Stevie Wonder is suggesting that any time of the year is appropriate to call someone and say ‘I just called to say I love you’ and The Skyhooks are trying to arrange a date after having met someone at a party. Dave Berry is calling ’long distance’ hoping to talk with his 6 year old daughter while Jim Reeves is calling to ask his lover to make a decision between him and another. Jimmy Little is using his Royal Telephone to connect to an important person.

PLAYLIST

* Call Me – Blondie

* It Must Be Him – Vicki Carr

* I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder

* Sylvia’s Mother – Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show

* Ring Ring – ABBA

* Orchard Road – Leo Sayer

* Off The Hook – The Rolling Stones

* Balwyn Calling – Skyhooks

* Royal Telephone – Jimmy Little

* Memphis Tennessee – Dave Berry

* No Reply – Beatles

* He’ll Have To Go – Jim Reeves

Today’s program is dedicated to Michael Gudinski, icon of the Australian music industry, who passed away last week. His support for many Australian performers was profound. Starting today’s program is Rob’s favourite Aussie song – the poignant ‘Winter In America’ written and performed by Doug Ashdown. Great Aussie bands follow – Masters Apprentices (Turn Up Your Radio), Cold Chisel (Forever Now), Skyhooks (Ego Is Not A Dirty Word) and Australian Crawl (Reckless). Not as recognised performers are Flake with their Bob Dylan song (This Wheel’s On Fire) and Alison McCallum’s big seventies hit ‘Superman’. A haunting version of ‘If You Go Away’ is performed by LGBTIQ+ singer, Lana Cantrell.

PLAYLIST

* Winter In America – Doug Ashdown

* Turn Up Your Radio – Masters Apprentices

* If You Go Away – Lana Cantrell

* Eagle Rock – Daddy Cool

* Eleanor Rigby – The Zoot

* Forever Now – Cold Chisel

* Reckless – Australian Crawl

* Ego s Not A Dirty Word – Skyhooks

* This Wheel’s On Fire – Flake

* 4,003,221 Tears From Now – Judy Stone

* Superman – Alison McCallum

* My Little Rocker’s Turned Surfie – Digger Revell & The Denvermen

This week Rob and Mossy are featuring two great headliners Doris Day and Bobby Rydell under the rubric of LET’S REMEMBER.

Doris Day was an American actress and singer who began her career as a big band singer. As a solo artist she recorded more than 650 songs. She was one of the biggest film stars in the 1950s–1960s and then went on to star in her own TV Sitcom in the late 60’s early ‘70’s.

Bobby Rydell is an American singer, mainly of rock and roll music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. His well known songs include ‘Wild One’ and ‘Volare’ and he appeared in the movie Bye Bye Birdie in 1963.

PLAYLIST

* Teacher’s Pet – Doris Day

* Sway – Bobby Rydell

* Secret Love –Doris Day

* The Cha Cha Cha  – Bobby Rydell

* I’ll Never Stop Loving You – Doris Day

* Wild One – Bobby Rydell

* Everybody Loves A Lover – Doris Day

* Volare – Bobby Rydell

* Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps – Doris Day

* Kissing Time – Bobby Rydell

* What Ever Will Be Will Be – Doris Day

* Forget Him – Bobby Rydell

We all have them. All the time.  Songwriters have a field day with them. They love to write about what it’s like to be in love or what it’s like to be out of love. This is expressed through a variety of feelings in songs. Starting with Johnny Chester‘s knockout version of ‘Shakin’ All Over’ and finishing with The Searchers ‘Needles And Pins’ singers sing about quite bizarre feelings about being in love. Happier feelings are expressed in Neil Sedaka‘s ‘Laughter in the Rain’ and Lainie Kazan‘s fine version of the Anthony Newley classic ‘Feelin’ Good’. The signature song which gets right to the heart of the matter is Brazilian singer Morris Albert with his top hit ‘Feelings’. Throw in creative genius Lindsey Buckingham (Trouble) and The Beatles (I Feel Fine) and you have an array of feelings. Other favourites include Guy Mitchell (Crazy With Love) and the Everly Bros’ great version of the old song ‘Temptation’.

PLAYLIST

* Shakin’ All Over – Johnny Chester

* Uptight – Diana Ross & The Supremes (and The Temptations)

* Trouble – Lindsey Buckingham

* Please Release Me – Engelbert Humperdinck

* Feelings -Morris Albert

* Laughter In The Rain – Neil Sedaka

* Feelin’ Good – Lainie Kazan

* Woman You’re Breaking Me – The Groop

* Crazy With Love – Guy Mitchell

* I Feel Fine – The Beatles

* Temptation – Everly Bros

* Needles And Pins – The Searchers

Everyday we use expressions or sayings to emphasize a point or issue, to dispel a theory, to help cope with awkward situations or merely to have a bit of fun.  We have probably learned these from family and friends, through common public use, and possibly from the world of entertainment. So this week’s theme focuses on songs whose titles illustrate common expressions.

PLAYLIST

* We Are Family – Sister Sledge

* Over and Over – Bobby Day

* We May Never Pass This Way Again – Seals and Croft

* That’s Life – Shirley Bassey

* Silence Is Golden – Tremeloes

* Blowin’ In The Wind – Peter, Paul And Mary

* Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life – Monty Python Crew

* Let It Be – Beatles

* Fools Rush In – Elvis Presley

* Easier Said Than Done – Essex

* Point Of No Return – Gene McDaniels

* Needle In A Haystack – Twilights

It’s somewhat ironic to listen to wealthy musical artists singing about money in cynical and dismissive ways. Cynicism shows through in Liza Minnelli’s and Joel Grey‘s great duet from the film ‘Cabaret’ (Money Money) and the Kingston Trio’s ‘Greenback Dollar’. The Beatles are more straightforward in John Lennon’s rocking ‘Money’ (That’s What I Want’). ABBA and Hall and Oates emphasise the difference between the world of the rich and the poor in ‘Money Money Money’ and ‘Rich Girl’. Donna Summer portrays the life of a a hard working girl in ‘She Works Hard For The Money’. On a smaller scale Roy Orbison (Penny Arcade) and Gene Pitney (If I Didn’t Have A Dime) deal with minor currency. Aussie group Men At Work (‘Til The Money Runs Out) completes the set.

PLAYLIST

* Money (from Cabaret) – Liza Minnelli/Joel Grey

* Penny Arcade – Roy Orbison

* ‘Til The Money Runs Out – Men At Work

* She Works Hard For The Money – Donna Summer

* If I Didn’t Have A Dime – Gene Pitney

* Easy Money – Billy Joel

* Greenback Dollar – Kingston Trio

* Money Money Money – ABBA

* Don’t Bet Money Honey – Linda Scott

* Money -The Beatles

* The Money Tree – Margaret Whiting

* Rich Girl – Hall & Oates

This week’s theme, After Sunset, includes songs relating to the shades of night or time after dark. It appears that a lot happens around the ‘…Midnight Hour’ as Ray Brown’s waiting to meet up with his girl, Betty McQuade who is on a bus with her baby; Paul Anka is waiting for a kiss in lover’s lane and ABBA are looking for a man after midnight. Elvis sings of ‘One Night’, the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta and Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton look forward to some fun activities during the night.  Paper Lace is having a shootout between police and gangsters in ‘The Night Chicago Died’, Murray Head is enjoying his ‘One Night in Bangkok’ while the Beatles are recovering from a hard day.

PLAYLIST

* Hard Day’s Night – Beatles

* Gimme Gimme Gimme – ABBA

* Tonight’s the Night – Rod Stewart

* One Night in Bangkok – Murray Head

* Summer Nights – Olivia Newton John & John Travolta

* We’ve Got Tonight – Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton

* Night Fever – Bee Gees

* The Night Chicago Died – Paper Lace

* In The Midnight Hour – Ray Brown

* One Night – Elvis Presley

* Midnight Bus – Betty McQuade

* Midnight – Paul Anka

The period from the early 17th century to the early 19th century is known as the time of the American Wild West or the American frontier. It was a time of mass migration across the American continent from East to West. It inspired many multi-media imaginations which often exaggerated the romance, violence, lawlessness and chaos of that time. Epic films were shot such as ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (with Gene Pitney singing the song of the same name), ‘Calamity Jane’ which spawned Doris Day‘s popular ‘Deadwood Stage’ and Frankie Laine‘s rendition of the title song from the classic Western film ‘High Noon’. Gun duels were a feature of The Wild West and many songs reflected this: Marty Robbins’ ‘El Paso’, Johnny Cash‘s ‘Don’t Take Your Guns to Town’ and an unusual song from a female point of view is Patti Page‘s ‘One Of Us’. The Aussie contribution is not about the American Wild West at all (Way Out West) but concentrates on the fly in fly out miners of our own West.

 

PLAYLIST

* The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Gene Pitney

* Deadwood Stage – Doris Day

* El Paso – Marty Robbins

* Don’t Take Your Guns To Town – Johnny Cash

* Way Out West – The Dingoes

* Indian Reservation – Don Fardon

* High Noon – Frankie Laine

* Mr Custer – Larry Verne

* Western Movies – The Olympics

* Ghost Riders In The Sky – Peggy Lee

* One Of Us – Patti Page

* The Good The Bad And The Ugly – Ennio Morricone

Mossy and Rob are sending out a big THANK YOU to all our wonderful listeners and members of the JOY family. We love sharing time with you on Sunday afternoons and surely appreciate your continued support.  Accolades must go to the talented Clayton, our technician who got us to air each week and the wonderful Julia who orchestrated the weekly podcasts. Our final show before we venture into 2021 features songs with titles or lyrics that promote optimism and happiness wrapped around JOY, HOPE & WONDER .

Best wishes for a HEALTHY and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

We’ll be back on January 17th.

 

PLAYLIST

* I’m into Something Good – Herman’s Hermits

* Some Kind of Wonderful – Drifters

* Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Billy Thorpe

* Imagine – John Lennon

* You Came, You Saw, You Conquered – The Ronettes

* Heading in the Right Direction – Renee Geyer

* Ain’t No Stopping Us Now – McFadden & Whitehead

* The Wonder of You – Ray Peterson

* Wonderful Wonderful – Johnny Mathis

* It’s a Beautiful Morning – Young Rascals

* Somewhere there’s a Someone – Dean Martin

* What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong