Friday, August 31, 2007

Larry Lujack was the #1 DJ in Chicago in the 70s and 80s. If you didn't have the opportunity to listen to Superjock on WLS or Super CFL, you missed a treasure of the airwaves.

In his career, Uncle Lar made a record, "The Ballad of the Mad Streaker," wrote a book, "Superjock: The loud, frantic, nonstop world of a rock radio DJ," and released five volumes of "Animal Stories" with Lil Tommy, Tommy Edwards.

Lujack made two more returns to Chicago radio through the magic of ISDN from his home in Sante Fe, New Mexico, but it wasn't the same.

Here is My Tribute to Larry Lujack...Superjock!

Check out more airchecks of Larry Lujack at reelradio.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Check out Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder's memories of Summer of '87. Some really good tidbits about Larry Lujack and John Gehron, both leaving WLS that year.

Speaking of The Big 89, I just received my four books on Chicago's Top 40 Charts by Ron Smith. Three cover the periods of 1960-69, 1970-79, and 1980-90 on 'LS and the last one is Super CFL 1965-1976. I plan to use these charts for future shows.

I've also got a tribute to Uncle Lar in the works. Keep listening for that special production.

I'm feeling a little mellow today. With the start of the fall semester at school rapidly approaching, I thought I would break out a few of my Favorite Ballads. I welcome you with Open Arms, Diane Franklin...The Last American Virgin.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Without the music of the '70s and '80s, I might be a lost soul without a musical compass. While I enjoy the songs and groups from other time periods, those two decades really are it for me.

Wanting to expand my horizons musically, I decided to take an online class this fall from UW-Colleges entitled "Jazz History and Appreciation." I look forward to becoming more knowledgeable about a genre I'm not as schooled as I feel I should be.

In that same vain, I started looking at songs from the 1990s. Here are some of the Forgotten Hits of the '90s.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Thanks to a gentle reminder from jb at The Hits Just Keep On Comin' that we’re getting a bit long in the tooth, it made me think of one of my favorite performers…Elvis.

Elvis Presley was arguably the most influential performer of the 20th Century. His glory days ranged from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, when he was dethroned by a British invasion spearheaded by a juggernaut called The Beatles. Elvis did it all. He was a rock star, a movie star, and even got the girl next door, Priscilla.

In memory of the 30th anniversary of his passing on August 16, I decided to honor his life and music with a show dedicated to The King of Rock and Roll.

Friday, August 10, 2007

My love for VINYL is an affliction not even Dr. Phil can cure. Collecting 45s and LPs has been a hobby of mine since the late 1960s. Part of my collection is courtesy of my brother, Tom.

I owe a debt of gratitude to jb from "The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" for contacting me to join his blogswarm party. My response was a resounding, “YES!” and gave me a reason to more closely examine records I hadn’t looked at in years. I made some surprising discoveries that I am anxious to share.

My initial 33-1/3 was “The Super Record of Super Heroes Played by The Super Dupers.” I bought it with birthday money and it featured versions of theme songs from The Green Hornet, Batman and Robin, and The Mickey Mouse March. In the notes on the back of the LP cover, it stated that the album was “recorded on 3-track Ampex tape recorders” and “frequency response is from 20 to 20,000 cycles per second.” Talk about Old School! I guess the trusty 'ol Wollensack was out of commission. :)

One of my first 45s was “Big Yellow Taxi” by The Neighborhood. Although it gets little airplay today, even on oldies stations, it is by far the best version of Joni Mitchell’s hit song released simultaneously in 1970 and is front-and-center on this show.

Another 45 (and album) I’m proud to own, but didn’t feature in this show is Morris Albert’s 1975 hit Feelings.” It reminds me of the girl who got away and inspired me to write a song about my love for her. I even sang it to her! Years later when we had the opportunity to be together, the timing just didn't work out for either of us. I'm happy to say we’re still good friends.

This is only a brief glimpse at the vinyl treasure trove of 45s I have collected over the years. During future shows, I'll be sure to feature more of my long-lost oldies. These tunes bring back some great memories.

Celebrate Vinyl Record Day...take a 45 for a spin!