Category: Radio

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History Music Radio

Saturday Night Retro

New for 2010 I’ll be looking back at the first decade of the new millennium every 4 weeks here on the ‘Retro’. The same applies for the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s – every 4 weeks I’ll look back at each of those unique decades.

In 2003 I was heavily into the dance club scene – on the radio – and in the clubs. European trance, techno, and house music was the soundtrack of my life at the time, and all I wanted to do was to follow the beat and go faster with it. The music was all based on ‘BPM’ – beats per minute – and once it got above 150 BPM it was all good !

Here’s a European trance track that was a hot dance club smash from January to May of 2003. It was definitely a cool song to dance to with glowsticks moving about in unison to the fast beat. It’s Noémi with “In My Dreams”:

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History Music People Radio Shopping Television

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

Disco Ball

One of the hottest hits on the radio, in the record stores, and out in the clubs during the last quarter of 1986 while I was living, working, and playing in the United Kingdom was “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by The Communards (Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles). It became the # 1 best-selling single of the entire year all across the British Isles. It was a spirited HI-NRG remake of Thelma Houston‘s 1977 # 1 Disco smash – which in turn was a remake of a 1975 Disco smash from Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes featuring the late great Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. (Teddy died 9 days ago. He was 59.)

Here’s Thelma Houston’s version as performed on “The Midnight Special”:

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God History Music People Radio

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

One of the greatest songs ever made during the mid-1990s was the debut smash from Collective Soul called “Shine”. It was their first hit – and their highest-charting hit of their entire (still active) career.

Back when “Shine” shone Collective Soul was frequently considered to be ‘a Christian band’, but they denied any such category. Not all of the band mates considered themselves to be Christians. Despite that the lyrics of “Shine” played out like a passionate plea to God:

Give me a word
Give me a sign
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find

Lay me on the ground
Fly me in the sky
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find

Oh, heaven let your light shine down

Love is in the water
Love is in the air
Show me where to go
Tell me will love be there

Teach me how to speak
Teach me how to share
Teach me where to go
Tell me will love be there

Oh, heaven let your light shine down

It’s in the lyrics, and it’s in the 2009 remake by a foursome that proudly exclaim to be a Christian Rock band. Here’s Pillar, and here’s how they “Shine”:

Categories
History Music People Radio Television

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

Once upon a time in a decade far far away there lived this dude by the name of Shaun Cassidy. In 1977 when he was a mere 18-years-old he was one of the top music and television stars in the U.S.A. He was one-third of “The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries” on ABC-TV on Sunday nights at 7 PM. He was on the cover of virtually every teen mag at the stores. And he was a teen-pop megastar sensation. He scored 3 TOP 10 gold-certified smash hits in a row that each spent 4 to 6 months in heavy rotation on the radio. This was the 3RD of those 3 hits that were all of the rage on Friday nights at roller discos everywhere. It’s “Hey Deanie” – as performed on “The Mike Douglas Show”.

Hey Suzanne Somers – How ’bout introducing the young cat for us ?