Various Mash Ups

I am not a fan of messing with peoples music, but here are some imaginative mash ups for you to enjoy...

baba o virgin



supreme evil (very creative)




rolling confusion



paranoid rock-queen sabbath

Doug Fieger RIP

In the wasteland that was top 40 radio in 1979, where most playlistst were choked with disco songs, this song jumped throught the airwaves. "My Sharona" was a God send to a long haired radio guy like me who was getting weary of all the garbage on the radio then. This song defined a summer for me. Windows never rolled down faster when the first few beats came on...

On www.planetradio.us, on Tuesday night at seven...we'll feature some Knack songs that you have heard and some maybe you haven't.
Doug Fieger, leader of the power pop band The Knack who sang on the 1979 hit "My Sharona," died Sunday. He was 57.
Fieger, a Detroit-area native, died at his home in Woodland Hills near Los Angeles after battling cancer, according to The Knack's manager, Jake Hooker..

Fieger formed The Knack in Los Angeles 1978, and the group quickly became a staple of Sunset Strip rock clubs. A year later he co-wrote and sang lead vocals on "My Sharona.".

Fieger said the song, with its pounding drums and exuberant vocals, was inspired by a girlfriend of four years..

"I had never met a girl like her — ever," he told The Associated Press in a 1994 interview. "She induced madness. She was a very powerful presence. She had an insouciance that wouldn't quit. She was very self-assured. ... She also had an overpowering scent, and it drove me crazy.".

"My Sharona," an unapologetically anthemic rock song, emerged during disco's heyday and held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard pop chart for six weeks, becoming an FM radio standard.

It became a pop culture phenomenon, parodied by Weird Al Yankovic and others and sampled by rap group Run DMC..

In 1994, "My Sharona" re-entered the Billboard chart when it was released as a single from the soundtrack of the Ben Stiller film "Reality Bites.".

"My Sharona" gained attention again in 2005 when it was reported that George W. Bush had the song on the presidential iPod..

Their songs, about young love and teenage lust, included the hits "Good Girls Don't," "She's So Selfish" and "Frustrated.".

The Knack continued to release albums and tour through the mid-2000s but they never replicated the success they enjoyed with their first two albums, "Get the Knack" and "... But the Little Girls Understand.".

Fieger battled cancer for six years. In 2006 he underwent surgery to remove two tumors from his brain..

He is survived by a sister, Beth Falkenstein, and a brother, attorney Geoffrey Fieger of Southfield, Mich., who is best known for representing assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian..

A Los Angeles memorial service for friends and family is being planned..


The Knack: http://www.knack.com.

The Planetradio.us Manfesto

I thought I would spend a minute or two on what has become my latest plan for world domination. When I set up my planetradio.us facebook page, I invited a number of my friends and family to check out what I was doing, and being that facebook is the next big thing happening now, I figured I'd give the whole "social networking" thing a shot. I don't think what this was about was evident. The station has over 500 fans, but I wonder if many are aware of what we are actually doing. To help you and me, I will approach this in a journalistic manner....

Who? Me, I guess, and Mike too. I was in the radio business for approximately 33 years, 4 months and 23 days, but who's counting (this picture being taken at my last stop)? Most of my experiences were in "AOR", which stood for Album Oriented Radio. I started in Muscatine Iowa for a station that was a dream to work for. No playlist, but we had to keep it relatively familiar. I guess it spoiled me, because later in my career, I always wondered why we didn't play a wider variety of music and that philosophy cost me a job or two. The consultants will tell you that you have to play the hits, one philosophy that I believe, but the constant repitition has killed classic rock and especially oldies radio. Anyway, leaving Muscatine for the Quad Cities and doing mornings on the real first rock station there WXLP, I moved to Kansas City to take the night shift to a number one ranking at the legendary KY 102 from 1979-1981. I moved to afternoons in 1981 and then moved to St. Louis in 1985 to helm the afternoon show at KSHE. I was number one in my demo for about 13 years. I left KSHE to be a part of their stiffest competition ever 97.1, The Rock! After KSHE bought us, and fired me, I spent 40 days wondering around in the desert, moving from Kansas City to Nashville, Bloomington Il, Springfield Mo and finally back here. I have been a programmer, consultant and market manager. I only say that to qualify my experience and knowledge of the format

Mike Batchelor has been a part of the St. Louis radio scene for a long time and is now getting into station management. I told Mike what I wanted and he provided it for me. I recommend him highly if you are considering this.

What? It's a radio station on the internet that Mike and I have taken total responsiblity for. I am the programming genius and he is the technical brawn. It's available at www.planetradio.us
I have attempted to carve out a niche for intelligent, knowledgeable rock listeners. The people who were not only followers, but fanatics. I think this station has a cetain style and class. I think it's the intelligent alternative to the dribble that is on the radio now. We have 4,146 songs in the system and 413 unique artists. I'm almost done with the music, I'm just filling holes at this time. You'll hear everything from Bread to Judas Priest, from Gordon Lightfoot to Black Sabbath and let's not forget Cat Stevens did other songs than "Wild World" and "Peace Train". But if you were to ask me what artist most represents this station, I would say Steely Dan and Dire Straits. We are easy to receive, just go to the website and follow the directions.

When? We signed on about a month ago and I really didn't think we'd be "public ready" until March. I like what I hear so far, but fine tuning is a never ending ordeal. We're on 24/7 365 unless technical difficulties (I lose the wireless signal). I find there are more people listening overnight than I expected. (Yes, I can track that).

Where? It originates out of my office in beautiful Kirkwood Missouri. I have people listening as far away as Australia and Belgium. The word is slowly but surely spreading.

Why? I felt that there was a need for a wide playlist full of intelligent music whether that music is played by Jackson Browne or Blue Oyster Cult. I grew up in a time where you could hear The Carpenters and Alice Copper back to back. I just wonder why we still can't do that. It's all good music. We have the hits here, but we also have the complete soundtrack to a generation of knowledgable, passionate rock fans who want more from their radio. It is literally all here.

Planetradio.us mission statement:.."to provide the planet with the best sounding, most intelligent, widest variety of classic rock music available anywhere.

www.planetradio.us

SCORPIONS GUITARIST RUDOLF SCHENKER DISCUSSES WHY THE BAND IS RETIRING

Rudolf Schenker recently told Classic Rock Revisited why the Scorpions have decided to retire after releasing their last studio album. Schenker said the band will go on a massive world tour and then quit. Check it all out in this audio interview with the talented guitar player here:

Fan Mail From Some Flounder...

A very old, good, near and dear friend checks in today. Ron West of the great group "Missouri" wrote me an email. But, before I share it with you, I want to let Ron know that I played his very first album in the Quad Cities on a cable access channel. Yes, the radio school where I broadcasted on the local cable public access channel. Cox Cable channel 19. We even made up our own weird air nick names. Mine was "The Amazing Phineas" SHADDUP! Anyway...here's Ron's email..."This station looks like something I can tolerate well. Sounds good. Songs I havent heard repeated over and over."... Thanks Ron.
From Ron, that's a compliment. Ron's little brother Gary was one of the original Shooting Star guys.

Fan Mail From Some Flounder

Got this through an email..."Hey Randy, Just wanted to write a note and tell you how truly impressed I am with the music mix. Any station that plays Molly Hatchet AND Leonard Cohen has balls. Your station has allowed me to contribute to the local commerce. I went out and bought better speakers for my computer because of your station. Keep up the great work. Someone here in the hinterlands appreciates what you do. My question for you...were you ever on the air anywhere?" Sincerely, Ken B. Durango CO.

Ken...Thanks for the email. Yes, I was on the air at one time but it's a long story...about 33 years worth. I couldn't believe what was happening to radio, got out but then, with this, I got back in. Sometimes I feel like I'm in The Godfather, but I guess it's always in your blood. Thanks for listening, Ken. Durango, home of Danny Fogelberg.

The First Supergroup of the Year? Rush gets inducted!

2009 gave us Chickenfoot, featuring Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony – both Van Halen alumni.

More recently, John Paul Jones (I think we are all familiar with his claim to fame!) teamed up with Dave Grohl – who is well known for his work as part of Nirvana and Foo Fighters – and Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, deciding to call themselves Them Crooked Vultures. Seems that 2009 was a good year for bird-inspired supergroup band names.

Breaking from the bird theme, this year’s first supergroup announcement comes to us from Jason Bonham, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian, and Glenn Hughes. Black Country is born.

For those wondering where such a name would come from, it is a reference to an area of the United Kingdom that was once well-known for the pollution that resulted from coal mining and steel manufacturing.

Bonham, who has followed faithfully in his father’s footsteps as a rock drummer, may be best known for his time spent as part of Foreigner, and for his performance with his father’s former band mates at the much-celebrated Led Zeppelin reunion show at London’s O2 Arena in 2007.

The other names, although they may not be as recognizable as Bonham’s, represent some pretty serious musical talent. Bonamassa, who was said to have been playing Stevie Ray Vaughan songs note-for-note on guitar at the age of seven (wow!), has since worked with the likes of Foreigner, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker, Gregg Allman, Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton.

Sherinian’s skill behind the keyboards has earned him credits alongside Alice Cooper, KISS, Billy Idol and Slash.

Hughes, the bona fide classic (another word for ‘old guy’) in the line up, is a bass player who goes back to some of the earliest classic rock in my memory – groups like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. Like so many of his peers from that era, Hughes battled drug and alcohol addictions, but emerged clean and healthy in 1991, and has kept busy touring and recording.

Black Country are currently at work in the studio, hoping to have their debut album ready for release late this year or in early 2011. So far they have reportedly completed six tracks, but their work will be interrupted at various times to allow band members to honor other commitments.



January 20, 2010
Rush To Be Inducted Into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
Filed under: Classic Rock News, Rush — Real Rock News @ 12:43 pm
Well, it is rather refreshing to see veteran rockers Rush recognized by an organization that has “Hall of Fame” as part of its name. My only question would be, what took them so long? Admittedly, the organization was founded only twelve years ago, a relative adolescent when compared to some of the other “halls,” so perhaps I should cut them some slack.

The work of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart is set to be honored during the March 28 ceremony at Toronto’s Centre For The Arts’ George Weston Recital Hall. Well-known Rush classics “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” “The Spirit of Radio,” “Subdivisions” and “Closer to the Heart” will be included.


In a somewhat ironic turn of events, a Canadian classic known as “The Hockey Theme” by Dolores Claman will also be inducted. This comes close on the heels of the release of a new version of the same song by Rush’s own Neil Peart. Surely it’s a bit too early to consider Peart’s version for induction – heck, I don’t even know if most Canadians like it, or what the original songwriter thinks of it.

I’m hoping that our neighbors to the north forgive me for any inaccuracies or omissions regarding “The Hockey Theme,” whether it be the original or new version. Not being a Canadian or a fan of the sport, I welcome any corrections from those more qualified to speak on the subject.

The bottom line is that it’s nice to see Rush recognized for their decades of work, and being such humble and decent fellows, I expect they will be happy to be in attendance at the ceremony.

After being snubbed for so long by the decision makers for that “other” music-related hall a bit further to the south for so long now, I kind of wish the guys from Rush would turn down any future invites to that particular establishment that might be – by some miracle – forthcoming. Being the nice guys that they are, that probably won’t happen.

Perhaps I should work more on being a nice guy myself.

Nah, that would definitely cut down on some of the fun I have here. Maybe I’ll work on being a bit less nice instead. After all, that’s the kind of stuff that always seems to get the most attention, right?

Major Wardrobe Malfunction

Where Art Thou Jimmy?

Much like his former band mate John Paul Jones, who seems to be having a good time with his new group Them Crooked Vultures, guitarist Jimmy Page seems determined to keep on making music one way or another.

As the doubts about a Led Zeppelin reunion remain, Page has apparently decided to quit waiting around and get back to work. After their famed reunion show at London’s O2 arena a couple of years ago, reports indicated that both Page and Jones were open to the idea of a Led Zeppelin reunion, but Robert Plant has remained firmly noncommittal.


Page has begun talking about the new solo album he has started working on that he states will be “radical.” There is also talk of doing some touring, with Page possibly forming up a hard rock trio. It appears that Page is still kicking ideas around and has not yet made any firm plans regarding a new band or tour dates.

Page is the last of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin to get back into the music business – at least as far as recording and performing live are concerned. Robert Plant’s collaboration with Alison Krauss and John Paul Jones’ signing on as part of Them Crooked Vultures proves that the legendary rockers still have plenty of music in them, and are not quite ready to fade away into the annals of music history.

Page says that he has no negative feelings towards Plant for failing to agree to a Led Zeppelin reunion, and says that he and Plant actually get along quite well, adding that he believes that the album that Plant and Krauss recorded is “really good.”

There are bound to be a significant number of fans who would like to see Page, Plant and Jones team up and try to capture some of that old Zep magic, as well as others who would much rather leave well enough alone and let the memory of the group live on as it is.

Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash seems to fall within the latter category, and has recently weighed in with his thoughts on the topic of a Led Zeppelin reunion.

Despite the rave reviews, and magic of the O2 show, Slash feels that forming up the remaining members of the group would diminish the significance of that performance. He told Britain’s GQ magazine, “When Robert Plant said he didn’t want to tour after the comeback show, I thought that was the right thing. It was a special night, so why ruin it?”

Classic Rock News

Instead of looking back, I’m going to look forward. Granted, looking back has its benefits, especially when we think about those things we wish we had not done. In those cases, we all hope we have learned from our mistakes.

The new year looks like it will be an interesting one for classic rock fans. A number of our old favorites will be going on tour or releasing a new album. There’s clearly a lot of demand out there for the music of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and fortunately, many of the big names from those decades are still going strong.

Yes resumes their tour next month on the 4th at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH. Still no Jon Anderson, but as long as he stays healthy, there may be a chance we’ll see him fronting the group again some day.

Although it has not been confirmed, the Rolling Stones are said to be preparing for a world tour sometime this year. We can thank Ron Wood’s ex-girlfriend Ekaterina Ivanova for leaking that little gem to her friends.

In April, Bad Company will reunite for a brief tour of the U.K. What’s a little unique about this reunion is that it will be made up of the original members. So many of the classic acts seem to have undergone significant line-up changes over the years, so it’s really kind of nice to see the real deal on stage for this one.

In May, Scorpions hit the road for a world tour of their own. They are also working on a new album, but have not revealed a release date that I am aware of.

The Faces appear set to reunite for a tour sometime this year, although it remains to be seen how many of the original members will be there. Other members of the group seem to have lost their patience waiting for a decision from Rod Stewart about the tour, and have decided to forge ahead without him. Stewart reportedly decided he would rather work on other projects. With Ron Wood presumably set to tour with the Stones, it’s not clear what his status is regarding the reunion.

That enduring trio from the Great White North may soon be dusting themselves off and getting back to work on a new album and tour. No confirmation on any plans yet, but Rush is rumored to be kicking around the idea of linking up and figuring out what kind of project they want to do.

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart are working on a new album that is planned for release this summer. Word is that we’ll be hearing a lot more from Nancy on vocals for this new release.

No dates have been lined up yet, but Randy Bachman and Fred Turner are planning what will probably be the closest thing to a BTO tour we will ever see, although they will probably not be billing themselves as Bachman-Turner Overdrive for legal reasons. Seems Randy’s brother and former BTO drummer Rob, and former BTO guitarist Blair Thornton, have teamed up in an effort to ensure that the name is not used. They claim that Randy Bachman gave up any rights to it when he went solo in 1977. I guess that’s what you call “Takin’ Care of Business.”

With the future of Aerosmith hanging in the balance, it’s hard to predict which direction they will be headed in this year. The continuation of Aerosmith in its current form seems to be in the hands of frontman Steven Tyler, who has reportedly checked himself into rehab recently.

As time carries us further into the new year, we’re very likely to hear from more classic acts who have plans for new material, a tour, or perhaps both. As long as the fans are out there in sufficient numbers, a lot of these enduring groups seem quite happy to forge ahead and continue making music as long as the aging process will permit.

Fan Mail From Some Flounder

Received this email from a happy customer:

Randy,
I am a friend and former schoolmate of Bubba Singleton and he turned me on to your project. Thank you! I am sitting in my bakery in Fargo, ND enjoying the music and it is taking me back to my KSHE days!
Thank you again,

Rob Roberts
Breadsmith of Fargo
1617 32nd Avenue South
Fargo, ND 58103

WOW! Rob, Thank You! We are humbled and proud you have chosen us as your entertainment.
How about us scratching your back?
Breadsmith of Fargo's website

And a nice picture too.

So, What AM I Doing?

That's a good question. I always thought there was a market for something that people can't find anywhere else. This is the something else I have had in mind since I used to practice doing radio in my bedroom as a kid. In my youth, I spent a great deal of time on a farm and I found the radio a great comfort to me. But, while I was listening to top 40 radio, I also loved getting an album and listening to a group as a whole. While I was a fan of Bread, the Carpenters, Three Dog Night and Neil Diamond, I also loved Bloodrock, King Crimson, Deep Purple and the Stones. It all starts and ends with the Beatles for me. Then, probably Bruce Springsteen in second and a 14 way tie for 3rd place. As a youth, I was exposed to KSHE at an early age. This was the KSHE of the early/mid 70s. I didn't live in St. Louis but would visit cousins who lived in St. Charles. As soon as I got close, I'd tune my brand new FM tuner to 94.7 because they didn't play that kind of music in the Quad Cities. I moved to Milan Il in 1976 and discovered KFMH in Muscatine while going to radio school in Bettendorf. My love for a wide playlist was solidified at an early age. I am at a time and place in my life where I can do this and not expect to make money at it. I can't sell ads because my royalty rate would increase tenfold. Enjoy the tunes, there's everything from Judas Priest to Carole King. And that's OK. I don't think you can find that any where.

KFMH Muscatine, IA 1977

Yeah, that's me in the middle...with the glasses. Maybe one of the greatest radio stations ever. Playlist? Just don't repeat a song a day, that's all we ask. 100,000 watts of holy dynamite frequency modulation.
A mere lad of 22 making about $80 a week and living with the guy who ran the head shop. Driving a Volkswagen with no heater. Pot pies, tuna salad and mac and cheese were food groups. I don't think I had a better time. The gentleman on the far left is Kyle Riley (RIP). We did a show called "The Kyle Riley Randy Raley Ravenous Record Review" I dated Tommy Bolin's ex girlfriend. I miss those days. I was just a kid. I think he'd be proud of the site. He was good like that. He HATED Journey after Steve Perry joined them. We had many discussions....

Our Fearless Leader 01/01/78 2:00am

Planetradio.us World Domination Clandestine Bunker Kirkwood MO 1/12/10