Opening theme—Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - So What's New
First off, just a personal indulgence...this weekend marks my second anniversary that I moved to Nashville. I rolled in with a friend driving my little car and another driving a Dodge Caravan from St. Paul, MN with all of my stuff I decided to keep. Life has been amazing here, with getting to be a part of the music community in Nashville as a support person and to have hooked up with Radio Free Nashville and do this show, and here I must say I got more out of this personally that I ever bargained for. I do wish now that I kept much more of my music collection I could have been using here, I certainly would have had I known I would do something like this, but be that as it may. It's all good and I'm grateful!
Segment 1 – Back to the Brill Building
For the theme set today, I thought we'd pay a return visit to the Brill Building which is that legendary spot in New York City where some of the greatest hits of the 60s were written. I'll play some songs that are from the "Brill Building Sound" collection that came out in the mid 90s. This compilation has some great track notes and facts about the songs, and that's of course one of my favorite things, so I'll be sharing some of those with you. I started with a song that was written with the Drifters in mind but ended up with Jay and the Americans.
Jay and the Americans – Only In America
Gene Pitney – Every Breath I Take (Gene Pitney sang his last notes in falsetto due to vocal fatigue!)
Timi Yuro – What's A Matter Baby (early pre-Phillies Phil Spector production)
Shirelles – Foolish Little Girl (Co-written by frequent Neil Sedaka collaborator Howard Greenfield)
Segment 2: Record Box
I have a special dedication I want to make. I'm going to first share some notes on this song which I found out on YouTube. In 1972 in Victoria, Canada, a rookie policeman wrote a poem for his girlfriend while driving home in his police car. Dave "the Cop" Richardson gave the poem to his young friend David Foster, an aspiring musician looking for material for his new band. Foster passed it along to Skylark guitarist Doug Edwards who set it to music. It was the first song Edwards had ever composed.
The song, Wildflower, went to Number Eight on the Billboard Top Ten sold over a million copies and launched David Foster's career.
I have always loved the way the song described a tender hearted person. The song was written about a woman, but you know, there are a lot of tender hearted guys out there too. I don't care for the macho type, I totally love the type of guys who aren't afraid to cry at the drop of a hat or a little more open and honest with their tender emotions, so guys, don't hold back, or pretend your feelings aren't happening. It's okay to feel and show it. So this song's for the tender hearted women and men out there, and those that stand behind them and support them.
Wildflower – Skylark
Walter Egan – Magnet and Steel
England Dan and John Ford Coley – Love Is the Answer
Major Lance – Um Um Um Um Um
Vogues – Five O'Clock World
Segment 3 – Soul Stew
I got hold of a Rhino collection called the Incredible Soul Collection and yeah, it does have quite a few heavy hitters on there. So I played a few songs that are on this compilation.
Chi Lites – Oh Girl
Stylistics – You Are Everything
Delfonics – La La Means I Love You
Moments – Love On A Two Way Street
Segment 4 – Non-oldie/new/current
The reason I was barely able to talk in spots was because I was barely awake. This past week was Tin Pan South here in Nashville with dozens of showcases all over town with an amazing array of singer/songwriters. Two of those I went to were Hippie Chick Twang on Friday night and Michael McDonald and friends on Saturday. Go here to read the reports on those.
I first met Eve Selis at a gathering before the Hippie Chick Twang showcase. You know how an artist can just capture you with not only a voice or a song, but with heart and passion in performing? Well, this precious gal just did it for me...she sings from her center.
Eve Selis – Cryin Days
Bonnie Koloc - You Played Me Just Like A Piano
I did not mean to play the last song. I had another set to go. Remember, I told you I was barely awake. But, the more I thought about it, I decided that Someone other than me decided that song was supposed to be played, I guess.
Encouragement:
This piece comes from my Embrace Encouragement website, my "Encouraging Words" piece for the month of April. I have already shared this on my Wendy V MySpace and I've been pleasantly surprised at the reaction that it's gotten..it sort of continues the question of last week's show. This is called Who I Am..Or Who I Should Be.
There's no live show next week. I'll be off and there will be a rebroadcast (I will have a blog, though), so a happy Easter to those who'll be celebrating.
Closer – King Curtis – Soul Serenade
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