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Andy Frye writesMemory Lane: James Brown Says “Stay Away From Drugs!”
Some of us music lovers are old. Like, old enough to remember when the great James Brown went to prison. In late February 1991, the national news of his release was greeted by music lovers everywhere.
Despite what some Generation X members might tell you about our landmark record collections and our attendance at legendary small-club shows, none of us had seen James Brown perform. We only knew him as a mythical, god-like figure. Then, suddenly, one day in the early 1990s, James Brown records came out with fury.
Eight months after Brown’s parole, there was 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!—Polydor’s James Brown compilation album. The compilation went platinum and even graced the top 100 of Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1993. Everyone had it. (Really, everyone.)
Early promotional versions of the disc (plus other James Brown works) circulated the college radio circuit scene. And as a college DJ, I couldn’t resist playing his great songs—plus there were some fantastic extras, including Public Service Announcements Mr. Brown did, telling young people to keep away from crime.
Rumors circulated at the time that some of the PSAs were part of Soul Brother #1’s 1991 parole agreement, but in truth, some were recorded long before the time.
Anyhow, one of my favorites, the “Stay Away From Drugs" PSA, turned up not some years ago in video form. It’s worth a watch and is the perfect pick-me-up for a James Brown fan.
D Rock: Apocalipstick Beatz writesVinyl Rules or My Pandemic Listening Project
by D-Rock: Apocalipstick Beatz
VINYL RULES: or My Pandemic Project of Listening to My Entire Record Collection
A vinyl collection is a funny thing. Lots of people have them, but what is remarkable is how unique everyone’s collection is. Each collection will tell a story, almost too personal, if you allow it to. Each record is a little slice of life; what you were doing when this came out, or what little apartment you lived in when. Sometimes it’s a particular emotion or memory that you tie an album to. Sometimes good, sometimes not, but either way, it becomes a collection that is uniquely yours.
I started collecting vinyl in college, to play on a little Crosley, similar to the Fisher Price one I had as a kid. It started out innocently enough; I’d only collect my top ten records of all time. But as more music I loved was released on vinyl and the more I was exposed to life, the bigger the collection became.
At some point while living in Chicago, to curb the amassing collection, I made a new rule that I could only buy records by artists that I had seen live at a show. This was a good rule as a way to make me go to shows even when it was freezing out, and maybe even talk to the band at the sometimes awkward, sometimes amazing merch table. And so the little collection grew larger. Then I got married, and my husband has added his musical taste to mine and so, 12 years into marriage, I ended up with a lot more jazz, Dua Lipa and Katy Perry than I ever imagined for myself.
Eddie writesLet’s Eat! A CHIRP Radio Thanksgiving Playlist
by Eddie Sayago
Artwork: "Freedom from Want (Hipster Version)" by Tristan Elwell
There aren’t a lot of songs about Thanksgiving, which is a shame because this is a very unique holiday with plenty of history.
he woman who wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb '' had spent decades petitioning to get Thanksgiving to become an official national holiday. Macy’s got involved with a parade. Black Friday became a thing, along with Black-out Wednesday.
But also, all the food. And booze. And desserts. And a four or five day weekend if you are lucky enough to have that much time off. And leftovers, which go well with Christmas ales brewed from your favorite brewery, or the harder stuff.
Here are some songs and trivia to share for neutral conversation-starters into the day-long feast stuffed with football with a side of disgruntled uncles and last minute guests and scrolling on your phone for Christmas gifts.
I am thankful for all the song suggestions from our fellow CHIRP volunteers and DJs Shawn, Craig Reptile, Jennifer, Alex, Moizza, The Audible Snail, Allí, Joe, and Bradley, who responded first to my inquiry about food songs.
“Cooking Up Something Good” by Mac DeMarco
From the album 2 (Captured Tracks, 2012)
Food is the guest of honor at any Thanksgiving feast. Everyone has a dish they are looking forward to on this day. For me, it’s a homemade macaroni ‘n’ cheese that my mom has made for as long as I can remember. The texture and taste makes it half mac ‘n’ cheese and part macaroni salad.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesMusic 101: A Three Album Introduction to 1970s Disco
by Claence Ewing
With over 100 years of recorded music available to our ears, sometimes it can be tough to know where to begin exploring the art form’s many genres and styles. This series provides ideas for those interested in exploring unfamiliar genres and styles of music.
What Is It: Take a four-on-the-floor beat (or something awfully close to it), and sweeping guitars, strings, and horns as needed, keep it playing all night to sing songs about love (both physical and spiritual), happiness, and ecstacy (the mental state and/or the drug).
America has always had a fraught relationship with dance music. This was especially true with Disco, a dance craze that emerged from underground New York clubs and took over a post-Vietnam, post-Watergate USA looking for a little escapism during the mid to late 1970s. For a brief time, Everyone from the ultra-glamorous patrons of Studio 54 to grandparents in retirement homes were learning new steps and having a party that didn’t involve staring at screens all night.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesMusic 101: A Three Album Introduction to 1980s Synth-Pop
by Clarence Ewing
With over 100 years of recorded music available to us, it can be hard to know where to begin listening to the art form’s many variations. This series provides ideas for those interested in exploring unfamiliar genres and styles of music.
What Is It: Popular music whose instrumentation is made up mostly or entirely of electronic synthesizers.
The use of electronic instruments to make music can be traced back as far as the mid-1700s. Synthesizers, the electronic analogue of keyed instruments like pianos, have existed in one form or another since the mid-1950s.
Until the late 1970s, these instruments were on the fringes of music styles like Disco and progressive Rock, played by people who had enough money to buy them.
The 1980s saw the widespread use of synths in pop music, especially by bands inspired by the Punk and New Wave sounds emerging from cities. The inherently bright, chirpy sounds from a keyboard could be used to make happy music, but also deliver lyrics that weren’t so perky. Electronica, experimental pop, and “bedroom pop” (where one person could create their own masterworks using electronic tools) would emerge from the synth taking its place as a common tool in music-making.
For listeners interested in 1980s Synth-Pop but unsure where to begin exploring, these three albums would be good places to start…
Some Great Reward by Depeche Mode (1984)
Depeche Mode is the most successful band in history that used synths as their primary instruments. Their fourth album contains the international hit “People Are People,” which directly addressed racism and war, along with more risque topics like S&M (“Master and Servant)” suicide (“Blasphemous Rumours”) and the general ennui that comes with working in a capitalist society (“Lie to Me”). It’s a dark album made up of uplifting melodies that could get minimal exposure on the public airwaves.