Monday, September 1: We celebrate Labor Day with songs about work and the working life with selections from the Rolling Stones, R.E.M., Devo, and Hard Working Americans featuring Todd Snider.
Tuesday, September 2: Released in 1976, Presence marked a difficult time in Led Zeppelin’s career. Vocalist Robert Plant had been seriously injured in a car accident the year before, which had caused the band to cancel a major tour. Despite being confined to a wheelchair Plant fully participated in the writing sessions for the album and the band completed recording of the record in just over two weeks. Presence emerged as one of the poorest selling records in the Led Zeppelin catalog, but features several classic songs such as “Achilles Last Stand” and “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” We’ll hear selections from Presence as well as from Robert Plant’s 2005 album The Mighty Rearranger.
Wednesday, September 3: David Bowie’s 1983 album Let’s Dance was seen as a groundbreaking record at its time, merging Texas blues guitar with dance-oriented music. It was Bowie’s first collaboration with acclaimed producer Nile Rodgers and featured Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar. The record spawned three hit singles and confirmed Bowie’s ongoing commercial viability. We’ll hear from that record plus selections from The Man Upstairs, the latest release from Robyn Hitchcock.
Thursday, September 4: Listen for selections from Impressions, the latest release from Los Angeles-based band Music Go Music and the recent self-titled album from Dirty Lungs.
Friday, September 5: It’s our New Month, New Music feature. We’ll spotlight new selections from Robert Plant, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Jackson Browne, Ryan Adams, and Robyn Hitchcock.
Saturday, September 6: We’ll hear selections from Walking Into Clarksdale, the 1998 album from Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. It was the second collaboration from the former Led Zeppelin members and first to feature new material. The record met with mixed reviews but did nothing to quiet requests for a Led Zeppelin reunion. Plus music from Brill Bruisers, the first album in four years from Canadian act The New Pornographers.
Monday, September 8: Released in 1993 Fate of Nations was Robert Plant’s sixth solo album and one that found the vocalist contemplating his music roots. Plant claimed that at the time he wrote the material he was listening to acts such as Moby Grape, Traffic, and others. The resulting album contained several hits, including “I Believe,” a tribute to Plant’s late son, Karac. It was the singer’s final album for nearly a decade. We’ll hear from it and from John Barleycorn Music Die, the classic 1970 album from the band Traffic.
