EXCLUSIVE TO HERE- NEW YORK SONGS 2007 PTS. 3 & 4

[Mike Pell]

Here are both halves of the Sept.11th 2007 broadcast- the ONLY time my show has ever fallen on Sept.11th since it did on the fateful day.
As it happened, that show in 2001, the Beach Boys as I recall since Summer was ending, was never broadcast because the transmitter was atop one of the Twin Towers that came crashing down.
Thanks,
Mike

PART THREE
As today is September 11th, this will be a more serious chapter than the ones before it.
This is our Pearl Harbor!
And it is the first time September 11th has fallen on a Tuesday since that fateful day.
If there are any instructions for you for this show, they would be LISTEN TO THE WORDS!
Over the years, I have explained that although the Pentagon was struck, songs about Washington D.C. are hard to find, and are always about the government- usually with some sort of protest or humor.
So no offense to the people there for mainly concerning ourselves with New York.
And in truth, we did take the bigger hit.
But there is a song about United 93, the plane the passengers rose up on and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Neil Young did it a few years ago.
Followed by a song by Alan Jackson that captures the feeling across our country on this day 6 years ago.
While I hate to repeat a song, I got so much feedback on The Bravest by Tom Paxton it seemed proper.
As a companion piece, a song from Bruce Springsteen that repeatedly speaks of strength- and faith, hope and love.
Those feelings were the Theme for last year’s 5th Anniversary Of September 11th, and again I remind you to scroll down to find those 4 episodes if you are interested.
We have a beautiful, understated song dedicated to New York for 9/11 called Goodbye by John Mayer, and will close with a very old one I felt fit the mood.
Speaking of moods, 9/11 is always a mixture of emotions for me.
Although I feel enormous sadness and a spiritual connection, I seem to get more angry with each passing year.
Hey, I am only human- and it is still too close and too recent, with a great sense of personal loss.
Call me whatever you like, I will be honest with you and myself- time does not heal all wounds.
Maybe others are higher up on the evolution scale than I, but I am convinced I will not only never forget, but I will never forgive those evil bastards.
But to all who suffered in any way, and their families, you have my love and prayers.
God bless America!

Here's the link for Pt.3, at WLSO.FM:

http://wlso.fm/wordpress/archives/786


PART FOUR
I am gonna wrap up the New York songs for 2007 with this final chapter.
What’s your favorite day of the week?
For a lot of New Yorkers it is Sunday.
I’ll open with a song about that, then one about Rainy Days in NYC.
I like them!
Then a number that is hard to classify by that quintessential New Yorker, and a personal favorite, Dion DiMucci- reunited with the Belmonts from an old vinyl LP I have to think came out in 1967.
They didn’t put the year on them back then, lol!
It is one of 4 songs he wrote for the album, and a rocker.
After that, a tongue in cheek tour of New York from back when the city was going down the crapper.
Aztec Two Step doing some serious namedropping, (and namedropping is a planned subject of some future shows), with the likes of Dave DeBuscherre, Francois Truffault and Marcel Marceau.
Got one of my fave British folk groups, Steeleye Span with something called New York Girls, featuring a guest gig on ukelele by someone you would never expect.
We will give the final word to Julie Gold, who wrote and recorded our chosen song while she was temporarily a member of the Four Bitchin’ Babes.
As she sings, there was a time before the Kennedys, the Beatles, Vietnam, when people did things the right way.
They sailed into Lady Liberty’s harbor of hopes and dreams proudly, though undoubtedly intimidated.
However, they entered our country honestly, as opposed to sneaking over the border.
They signed the damn guestbook!
There is a melancholy feel to the song, of perhaps not living up to those simple yet now lofty values.
Nonetheless, a proper way to end.
Goodnight, New York!


Here's the link for Pt.4, at WLSO.FM:

http://wlso.fm/wordpress/archives/788

[Mike Pell]

Dear Scott,
Et Cetera, lol!
That was a hit for Chicago, but you can't hear them all- some always fall through the cracks.
Remember that FOUR disc album they came out with, live at Carnegie Hall?
That was something.
Nobody had ever done that before!
Thanks for listening & writing,
Mike

[Mike Pell]

Dear RJ,
That's good, and I am glad you are open to all the different types of music I play.
I always feel that no matter what kind of music you like or what artists, I will eventually play it.
That's the free-form, hang in there with me.
I really like that Chicago song, and I was amused by the fact that I was playing a song by a group named after a big city for another big city.
But I kinda stopped there, lol!
You took it a bit farther.
That IS cool!
Thanks my friend,
Mike

[Scott]

Thanks Mike. Quite the emotional roller coaster.

I'm a big Chicago fan, let me qualify that, I'm a big fan of the Peter Cetera versions of Chicago. They are so much more than ballads, adn the track Miek picked out was biug hit for them so Im surpirsed youve never heard that one. You should go through their catalog, I have about half of them up to Chicago 17 (never liked their output after that)

[Mike Pell]

Dear RJ,
About Part 3.
Yes, I will dip into Country music or anything else if it fits and I like it.
I knew about the Neil Young song, but the John Mayer was new to me and blew me away.
It is as you describe, a gorgeous song, very moving.
But I also find Willie Nile's Cell Phones Ringing (In The Pockets Of The Dead) to be chillingly poignant- just imagine all those calls to people who would never answer.
And maybe because I know so many Firemen, Tom Paxton's The Bravest gets to me the most.
I can't hear it without tears!
Thanks for the listen and writing, I know I overloaded you,
Mike

[RJhog (Admin)]

Concerning part 4:

I'll take this space and time to mention another reason that I'm a fan of your show Mike. Not every song that you play resonates with me, for one reason or another. However, every show I've listened to has had at least one song (usually more than that)that I do like for one reason or another.

For this show, that would be the Chicago song. I've never heard it, but I like it. It strikes me because it's an American band named after a well known American city singing a Jamaican sounding song about a totally different well known American city. That's cool.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Concerning part 3:

Mike, one big reason I dig your show, you aren't afraid to play a country song if it fits the show (Alan Jackson's tune). The two songs I haven't heard that stood out the most to me was the Neil Young song and "Goodbye" by John Mayer. The latter is a gorgeous song, very moving.