Yesterday Once More

This week’s theme presents songs relating to the way we get around via different modes of TRANSPORT. Jimmy Rodgers, LRB and Jo Stafford  take to boating the waterways while the Shadows opt for rafting. Queen is loving the car and Jo Jo Zepp with Jane Clifton and Grammy winner Rick Springfield and Grammy nominee Randy Crawford are enjoying the use of taxis. ELO and Sheena Easton prefer journeying by rail, while Robert Plant is trucking along in ‘Big Log’. The Steve Miller Band takes to the skies in ‘Jet Airliner’ and Henry Mancini’s travels along with his Grammy winning ‘Baby Elephant Walk’.

PLAYLIST

* I’m in Love with My Car – Queen

* Wreck of the John B – Jimmy Rodgers

* Cool Change – LRB

* Taxi Mary – Jo Jo Zepp and the Falcons Featuring Jane Clifton

* Jet Airliner – Steve Miller Band

* Big Log – Robert Plant

* Last Train To London – ELO

* 9-5 (Morning Train) – Sheena Easton

* Taxi Dancing – Rick Springfield & Randy Crawford

* Shrimp Boats – Jo Stafford

* Baby Elephant Walk – Henry Mancini

* Kontiki – The Shadows

Today’s theme is ‘Royalty’. During the program you will hear songs about Kings, Queens, Princesses, Dukes, Sultans and Ladies. Beginning with Bob Dylan’s ‘Lay Lady Lay’ we move to former popular Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello, with one of her surfie songs ‘Pineapple Princess’. Another teen surfie idol was James Darren (Her Royal Majesty). The epic in this week’s program is Dire Straits‘ ‘Sultans Of Swing’. The former advertisement for a body wash was actually a big hit for Gene Chandler (Duke Of Earl). Queen (Killer Queen) and The Beatles (Lady Madonna) also join the party. The Aussie contribution is from The Easybeats (Little Queenie) and Melbourne group The Strangers (Lady Scorpio).

PLAYLIST

* Lay Lady Lay – Bob Dylan

* Little Queenie – Easybeats

* Pineapple Princess – Annette Funicello

* Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder

* Her Royal Majesty – James Darren

* Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits

* Duke Of Earl – Gene Chandler

* Killer Queen – Queen

* King Of The Road – Roger Miller

* From A Jack To A King – Ned Miller

* Lady Madonna – The Beatles

As Melbourne emerges from hibernation, we figured, so must our zoos. Hence we decided to wrap a theme around songs incorporating the names of animals or pop groups who chose animals as their musical moniker, namely The Chipmunks and The Ferrets.  The ANIMALIA songlist comprises animals ranging in size from small Cats, Foxes and Wolves to the larger Elephants, Tigers and Apes. It is not unusual for gatherings to   have gate crashers and in this instance a Barracuda and a Snowbird infiltrated the Animalia theme.

PLAYLIST

* Fox On The Run – Sweet

* At The Zoo – Simon & Garfunkel

* Year of the Cat – Al Stewart

* Love Cats – The Cure

* The Elephant Song – Kamahl

* Don’t Fall In Love – The Ferrets

* Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran

* Alvin’s Harmonica – David Seville & The  Chipmunks

* Barracuda -Heart

* Paper Tiger – Sue Thompson

* Snowbird – Liv Maessen

* I Go Ape – Neil Sedaka

This week’s theme presents some musical portraits or paintings by words. Starting with the quintessential portrait of Vincent Van Gogh immortalised by singer/songwriter Don Mclean (Vincent) the program presents an array of songs about imagined and real people. Two songs about real people are John Lennon‘s poignant ‘Beautiful Boy’ about his son, Sean and Aussie band The Go Betweens with their wry tribute to Irish film star, Lee Remick (Lee Remick). Other songs feature characters from movies such as ‘Mrs Robinson’ by Simon & Garfunkel from the film ‘The Graduate’ and Cher‘s version of ‘Alfie’ from the film of the same name. Rod Stewart‘s first hit “Maggie May’ accompanies songs about ordinary people from The Beatles (Lovely Rita Meter Maid) and Aussie Ronnie Burns (Coal Man).

PLAYLIST

* Vincent – Don McLean

* Lovely Rita Meter Maid – The Beatles

* Ruby Tuesday – Melanie

* Coal Man – Ronnie Burns

* Mrs Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel

* Maggie May – Rod Stewart

* Beautiful Boy – John Lennon

* Delilah – Tom Jones

* Lee Remick – The Go Betweens

* Alfie – Cher

* Old Rivers – Walter Brennan

* (Just Like) Romeo And Juliet – Mental As Anything

On a daily basis we use our senses, diverse media platforms and technology to convey information (either cognitive or emotive) to one another.  Our music this week offers a range of songs that relate to some form or way of Communication. Queen, Jimmy Little and The Big Bopper use technology and speech to convey information while John Farnham and Cliff Richard focus on the spoken word.  Ketty Lester, 5 Man Electrical Band and the Box Tops refer to communicating via the written format. Allison Durbin and Dan Hill are using their tactile senses; Linda Ronstadt is using body language to convey her message while Roy Orbison is lamenting his ‘Communication Breakdown’.

PLAYLIST

* Signs – 5 Man Electrical Band

* Love Letters – Ketty Lester

* Radio Gaga – Queen

* We Don’t Talk Anymore – Cliff Richard

* Just One Look – Linda Ronstadt

* Put Your Hand In The Hand – Allison Durbin

* Sometimes When We Touch – Dan Hill

* Comic Conversation – John Farnham

* Royal Telephone – Jimmy Little

* Communication Breakdown -Roy Orbison

* The Letter – Box Tops

* Chantilly Lace – Big Bopper

Songs about werewolves, wizards, witches, flying creatures from Outer Space, hermits and eccentrics feature in this week’s program. Starting with a haunting ballad about a strange boy (Nature Boy) from Nat King Cole the program highlights the arrival of a creature who flew down to Earth in 1958 and took the whole music world by storm (The Purple People Eater). Warren Zevon performs his weird tale of ‘Werewolves of London’ and America draws on the mythical creature the ‘Sandman’. Bob Dylan‘s song ‘Mighty Quinn’ from Manfred Mann is probably the only song about a larger than life eskimo. Aussie contributions are about two eccentrics: ‘Minnie The Moocher’ from The Cherokees and ‘Craise Finton Kirk’ from Johnny Young.

PLAYLIST

* Nature Boy – Nat King Cole

* Wicked Old Witch – John Fogarty

* Sandman – America

* Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon

* Minnie The Moocher – Cherokees

* Pinball Wizard – Elton John

* The Hermit Of Misty Mountain -Ben E King

* WItchy Woman – The Eagles

* The Wizard – Jimmie Rodgers

* The Mighty Quinn – Manfred Mann

* The Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley

* Craise Finton Kirk – Johnny Young

This week’s theme The Two of Us presents some interesting pairing of artists. Members of bands team up with soloists including 2 great juggernauts David Bowie & Freddie Mercury (from Queen) and Chris Norman (from Smokie) sings alongside Suzi Quatro. Soloists John Farnham & Allison Durban unite as do Dinah Washington & Brook Benton, Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson, Frankie Lane & Johnny Ray and Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warne. Other duos include actors Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly, father and daughter Neil & Dara Sedaka and pianists Ferrante & Teicher, Bobby & Laurie along with Seals & Crofts were regularly billed as duo artists.

PLAYLIST

* This Girl Is Mine – Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson

* Rockin’ Good Way – Dinah Washington & Brook Benton

* Should Have Never Let You Go – Neil & Dara Sedaka

* True Love – Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly

* We May Never Pass This Way Again – Seals & Crofts

* Up There Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warne

* Under Pressure – David Bowie & Freddie Mercury

* Theme From Exodus – Ferrante & Teicher

* Stumblin’In – Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman

* Baby Without You – Johnny Farnham & Allison Durban

* I Belong With You – Bobby &  Laurie

* Up Above My Head – Frankie Laine & Johnny Ray

There is a persistent myth that the heart is the repository of human emotions and feelings. However, simple biology says that the heart is merely a pump and that our emotions are centred in the brain. But who wants to write love songs about the brain? Featuring this week are many big names in pop music history. The Bee Gees (How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?) and Rod Stewart (You’re In My Heart); top female singers of the fifties and sixties, Connie Francis (My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own) and Brenda Lee (Heart In Hand) and power ballads from Al Martino (Here In My Heart) and Paul Anka (All Of A Sudden My Heart Sings) round out the program. Aussie contributions are from Noeleen Batley (Heartaches By The Number) and Melbourne singer, Colin Cook (Heart).

PLAYLIST

* My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own – Connie Francis

* Heartaches By The Number – Noeleen Batley

* Heart – Colin Cook & The Strangers

* Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart – Elton John & Kiki Dee

* Here In My Heart – Al Martino

* You’re In My Heart – Rod Stewart

* (All Of A Sudden) My Heart Sings – Paul Anka

* How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? – Bee Gees

* Heart In Hand – Brenda Lee

* Anyone Who Had A Heart – Cilla Black

* Broken Hearted Melody – Sarah Vaughan

* Devil In Her Heart – Beatles

Against the backdrop of the LGBTIQ flag, (red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony), this week’s songs feature colours that are either depicted in nature’s rainbows or in the gay pride banner. Billy Thorpe is dreaming beyond a rainbow, Rus Hamilton is wanting to buy a rainbow while others use colours to refer to a red car (Prince), green grass (Petula Clark), an indigo mood (Ella Fitzgerald), a yellow road (Elton John) and orange juice (Peter Sarstedt).

PLAYLIST

* Devil With a Blue Dress – Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels

* Deep Purple – Nino Tempo & April Stevens

* Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Billy Thorpe

* Mellow Yellow – Donovan

* The Other Man’s Grass Is Always Greener – Petula Clark

* Mood Indigo – Ella Fitzgerald

* Little Red Corvette – Prince

* Frozen Orange Juice – Peter Sarstedt

* Yellow Brick Road – Elton John

* Rainbow – Rus Hamilton

* Orange Coloured Sky – Natalie Cole

* And Her Name Is Scarlett – De Kroo Bros

This week’s theme is ‘Going Going Gone’. It features the prodigious talent of Lainie Kazan (My Man’s Gone Now) and a legend, Peggy Lee (The Thrill Is Gone). Popular sixties group, The Supremes pop up with yet another of their number one hits (Where Did Our Love Go?) while the darling of JOY, Dusty Springfield, sings a lovely ballad (Going Back). The Aussie contingent this week is Melbourne group, Spectrum with their biggest hit (I’ll Be Gone) and the strong voice of Lynne Randell (Going Out Of My Head) together with the warm tones of Kamahl (Sounds Of Goodbye).

PLAYLIST

* I’ll Be Gone – Spectrum

* Going To The Chapel – Dixie Cups

* My Man’s Gone Now – Lainie Kazan

* Where Did Our Love Go? – Supremes

* The Thrill Is Gone – Peggy Lee

* Sounds Of Goodbye – Kamahl

* Going Back – Dusty Springfield

* After The Love Has Gone – Earth Wind & Fire

* I Know Where I’m Goin’ – George Hamilton IV

* Going Out Of My Head – Lynne Randell

* Point Of No Return – Gene McDaniels

* Everyone’s Gone To The Moon – Jonathan King