Monday, July 14:
We mark Bastille Day with selections from St. Vincent, Talking Heads, The Black Crowes, M83, Telephone, and Caravan Palace.
Tuesday, July 15:
Released in 1980, Organisation is the sophomore LP from the British electronic group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). Though the album would not be as successful in the U.S. as many of the group’s latter releases, it is notable for the inclusion of “Enola Gay,” which remains an OMD live favorite. We’ll selections from that release as well as music from Please, the 1986 debut album from Pet Shop Boys.
Wednesday, July 16:
Architecture and Morality is the 1981 album from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The release spawned three singles, including “Joan of Arc,” which remains a staple of the group’s concerts to this day. Inspired partially by religious music, the LP finds the group marrying traditional sounds with cutting edge technology. We’ll hear selections from that recording on this episode of the show as well as music from Actually, the 1987 recording from Pet Shop Boys which featured the single “What Have I Done To Deserve This?”, a song that found the duo collaborating with legendary singer Dusty Springfield.
Thursday, July 17:
Released in 1986 the film Pretty In Pink starred Jon Cryer, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts, Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy. As with other films directed by John Hughes during the era, the soundtrack featured a number of bands who had gained cult status in the United States but that had yet to truly break through to the mainstream. In fact, one of those bands, The Psychedelic Furs, had written a song which gave the film its title although the song and the plot of the film are unrelated. We’ll hear selections from that soundtrack on this episode of the show, including “If You Leave” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. We’ll also hear music from So, the highly successful album by Peter Gabriel also released in 1986. The record features “In Your Eyes,” which would become central to the 1989 film Say Anything.
Friday, July 18:
Released in 1969, Mississippi Fred McDowell’s I Do Not Play No Rock ‘n’ Roll is true to its title as the LP features the blues legend performing the music that fans came to expect from him, but it also touches on a trend from the era, which was to team veteran blues players with younger rock acts. McDowell’s determination to remain true to the music he loved is evident on the recording and no doubt one of the reasons the LP is heralded as one of the greatest blues recordings of its time. We’ll hear music from that release on this episode as well as selections from, Natural Boogie, the 1974 recording from Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers.
Saturday, July 19:
Released in 1984 Medicine Show was the sophomore LP from the Los Angeles based band The Dream Syndicate. Whereas the outfit’s first release, The Days of Wine and Roses, had been recorded relatively quickly, Medicine Show,which was produced by Sandy Perlman (The Clash, Blue Öyster Cult) was labor-intensive and may have contributed to the breakup of the version of the band heard on the album. The record will receive a deluxe reissue later in 2025 but we’ll hear music from the 1984 release on this episode of the show as well as music from Last Rays of a Dying Sun, the 2023 release by The Rain Parade.
