Thursday, July 24: Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon were somewhat unlikely but lifelong friends. Browne’s songs were often earnest, while Zevon’s were satirical and sometimes biting in their observations. Still, the two often worked together, beginning with Zevon’s first two albums for the Asylum label in the 1970s, which Browne produced. We’ll hear from those two Zevon releases and from Jackson Browne’s 2008 release Time The Conqueror.
Friday, July 25: Richard Thompson began playing with the legendary British folk-rock band Fairport Convention while in his late teens. Since then he’s amassed an impressive body of work as a solo artist and sometime in collaboration with other acts. We’ll hear from his latest release, Acoustic Classics which features fresh takes on past favorites such as “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” “Shoot Out The Lights” and “Down Where The Drunkards Roll.” Plus selections from I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, the 1974 album he made with his now ex-wife Linda Thompson, one of a handful of highly-regarded albums the couple made together.
Saturday, July 26: Welcome To The Pleasuredome was the debut album from British band Frankie Goes To Hollywood, notable for its inclusion of the hits “Relax” and “Two Tribes” (the later won a prestigious Ivor Novello Award for its musical and lyrical content). The record was criticized for largely being a repackaging for previous singles and cover songs as well as for the lack of participation the band members had on the recording as they were often replaced by outside players hired by the album’s producer, former Yes vocalist Trevor Horn. None of that has detracted from the album’s legacy, however, and the record remains a popular recording 30 years after its release. We’ll hear from it as well as selections from another Trevor Horn production from that year, Yes’s 90125, named after the catalogue number the album was assigned by its record company.
Monday, July 28: Listen for selections from Hypnotic Eye, the brand-new release from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and from Fuego, the latest release by Vermont’s Phish.
Tuesday, July 29: The Breeze is a new recording from Eric Clapton which serves as a tribute to his late friend and occasional collaborator JJ Cale. (Cale wrote “Cocaine,” one of Clapton’s biggest hits.) The new record features appearances by Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, and Derek Trucks. We’ll hear selections from that as well as from Cale’s classic 1971 album Naturally.
Wednesday, July 30: Often called “Saturate Before Using” Jackson Browne’s 1972 self-titled debut album remains a powerful statement more than 40 years after its release, setting the course for the singer-songwriter’s career with songs that touch on both matters of the heart but issues on environmentalism and national identity. We’ll hear songs from that as well as from John Hiatt’s 1995 album Walk On.
Thursday, July 31: We’ll hear songs from John Hiatt’s 1979 album Slug Line which featured songs such as “Radio Girl,” “Washable Ink” and “(No More) Dancin’ In The Street,” many of which were covered by other artists. Hiatt would not reach a wide audience until nearly a decade later but this record demonstrates his already formidable writing skills. Plus selections from Jackson Browne’s 2008 album Time The Conqueror.
