Paul Simon "Slip Slidin' Away"

One great source for battling the seasonal slowdown, is the reissue pile.  Sometimes.

Sometimes the reissue of classic albums contain "bonus" content that is pretty weak.  But sometimes there is a little bit of treasure buried there.

Paul Simon recently collected all his solo albums into one box.  And each album has a few demo or live versions of the songs therein.

The label helpfully put all these alternate versions on one disc for promotional purposes, and though not every cut is radio ready, some of these stripped down take are a great listen and give you a new appreciation for the old songs.

I found about 7 cuts that are worth some limited airplay, bundled them up in a "packet" and they will cycle through the playlist at the speed that just one song might.  So it's not heavy airplay, but the songs are so well-known that there's no need to build familiarity as if it were a new artist or new cut.

Instead, the friendly, loveable sound of Paul Simon provides a little bit of an anchor to a time when the playlist could start to tilt toward the unfamiliar.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Alabama Shakes "Hang Loose"

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a musician.  I have no compositional skills to speak of.  So my comments here come only as a programmer . . .

So you want to craft a song that will get played on the radio.  Here is one small tip, from a guy who's hit the play button on hundreds of thousands of songs in his career.

Remember that your song will most often be heard, not between other cuts on your album, but between two songs by two artists who are completely unconnected to you or your work.

Think about how your song will sound, coming out of another song.

I know, I know, that's tough, since it could pretty much follow an infinite amount of songs.  You can't really prepare for all eventualities.

But I was playing this Alabama Shakes on yesterday, and when it fired up, it occurred to me that it would probably segue nicely out of virtually any kind of song.

Play the intro:


Hear it on Youtube.

That sound---I don't know what to call it---maybe the sound of tape getting up to speed?---works as a genius segue.

Segues are a funny thing, because you a) want the transition from one song to the next to dovetail seamlessly, but b) want to clearly and completely change direction.

So you could have a song that slowly fades out, like Paul Simon's "Train In The Distance," and the whirring up of "Hang Loose" would fade in nicely over Simon's fade out.  By the time the guitar hits on "Hang Loose," the flow of the station would be off in a different direction, without jarring the ear.

Compare that to the opening of "Why I Am" from the Dave Matthews Band:


Hear it on Youtube.

Listened to on its own, as a stand-alone single, the song commands the space and your attention.  But try to play this out of a fading out "Train In The Distance" or a song that comes in for a gentle, but clear, landing like Alison Krauss' "Paper Airplane" and its like when the smoke detector goes off for no reason.

So to review:  I don't play music, and couldn't exactly tell you how to actually do this, but if you are working on your new hit single, craft your intro and outro keeping in mind that playing well with others is what makes you stand out as an individual.


Hear "Train In The Distance" on Youtube.


Hear "Paper Airplane" on Youtube.

Rolling Stones "Doom And Gloom"

Picking new songs to put into rotation, is a little like picking fruit. 

Yeah, you want to select the best of what's at market.  But what's out there is seasonal.

October is a funny month.

If you've got an established artist with an anticipated record (Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons), you want the album out in August, at the latest, September.  This gives the album enough time to build through the fall and be lodged in folks' brains for the holiday season.

Its hard to break a record once November hits and the Christmas music starts and people have less time to pay attention or invest in something new. 

So October is filled with releases that trade in on highly recognizable names with easily identifiable projects.

Paul Simon?  Live album?  You don't need a road map to figure out what this is going to sound like.

Olivia Newton John and John Travolta?  Together for a Christmas record?  You know what that is and can buy it (if you're a fan) without ever hearing a note.

The downside of this, if you are someone in the business of promoting records, is that each week it is a foregone conclusion that the radio stations you are calling on are devoting at least one of their coveted openings to these major releases, at the expense of the young bands you are promoting.

Most of the record promoters who call mvyradio know that we only add 2 or 3 songs every week.  So I had this conversation a number of times last Friday:

Promoter:  Do you know what you are going to add on Monday?  Do you have room for (the record I'm promoting that you just said you like)?

PJ:  I'll probably only add two songs on Monday.  And one of them is going to be the new Stones track.

Promoter:  Yeah, that's what everybody is saying.  Stones this week.  Adele last week.

And actually both "Skyfall" and "Doom And Gloom" are pretty good songs.  So I don't might them hogging the real estate.

But it must be frustrating to be a promoter in October.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Jerry Douglas/Mumford & Sons "The Boxer"

This is a cover of the Simon & Garfunkel song "The Boxer" from the new Jerry Douglas album.

Douglas is a celebrated dobro player, and the album is chock-full of guest performers, who come in to sing and otherwise fill out the songs that feature his amazing slide/picking.

This track features the band Mumford & Sons, and yes, the distinctive vocals of Marcus Mumford are front and center.

The track is listed as "Jerry Douglas, featuring Mumford & Sons and Paul Simon."

Paul Simon?!?  Where?

Give a listen.  Can you pick out Simon's voice?  Or his guitar?

Is it a little weird to have an iconic legend like Paul Simon on a track, promote that he's on the track, but then relegate him to a place where his imprint doesn't register?

Or is he there and I don't hear it?


Hear the album version on Youtube.



Hear a live version of "The Boxer" on Youtube.

Paul McCartney "Get Yourself Another Fool"

Barbara and I got interviewed on Monday for a piece in Martha's Vineyard Magazine, about the radio stations that service the Island (us, WCAI the local NPR affliate and WVVY the Vineyard's Community Radio station).

We were talking about the history of the station and the evolution of the station's musical programming. And we got on the subject of how some songs last and some don't and the reporter asked an interesting question, "Is there any artist or song that surprised you?"

I don't know if I am surprised by any one song's longevity, but a few artists came to mind. Particularly this new track.

Paul McCartney has been known to release more than a few things that fans would call . . . lacking. But every once and a while he releases something that still has some magic.

It's natural for an artist's quality to drop over time. And it's okay. It's completely reasonable.

But it's surprising and wonderful, when an artist who has no reason to still be good, is still good.

Like Paul Simon's "So Beautiful Or So What" or Robbie Robertson's "How To Become Clairvoyant," the couple of tracks I've heard from McCartney's "Kisses On The Bottom" suggest that Paul latest effort is as inspired as Simon's and Robertson's.

Hooray for surprises!


Hear the song on Youtube.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers "Gravity"

At what point does a song that references another song, lose you?

We live in a day and age of samples and remix and such, so the idea of one song sounding like another isn't especially foreign.

But in the singer-songwriter and rock world, if your song sounds too much like another tune, well, sometimes you're written off.

Or maybe, it's just that if you don't acknowledge the similarity, you're written off.

Because the melody rip-off worked well for The Old 97s, who openly admit the the melody of "Champaign Illinois" was lifted directly from Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row."

But people (radio programmers, at least) have been less forgiving on Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers' new song "Gravity," which seems to reference the Simon & Garfunkel tune "Cecilia" pretty directly.

So they did an interesting thing. They re-recorded Stephen's delivery for that one vocal hook. And traces of the original single have all but disappeared from Youtube, leaving only this new, less-"Cecilia"-like version.

Instead of going down, the notes go up, and it's changed enough that it doesn't sound like a rip-off.

Does it work?


You can hear the original vocal line at the 20 second mark on this promotional video.

Check out the 20 second mark on Youtube.

But now all the online videos have been replaced with the new version. You can hear the new hook at 25 seconds.

Hear the song on Youtube.

And check out "Cecilia" and "Gravity" right next to each other.

Hear the comparison on Youtube.


Hear the S&G original on Youtube.

Tom & Jerry "Hey Schoolgirl"

A compliment can go a long, long way. A really long way. 50-plus years long.

Just think about the story below. Then think about the kid (or co-worker, or friend, or parent) in your life, who could benefit from some simple, straightforward acknowledgement.

"(He) remembers the time his father first heard him singing to himself in his room, and peeked in: 'That's nice, (Son). You have a nice voice' . . . The compliment was enough to make (him) think he really might want to become a singer."

The boy? Paul Simon.

I was doing a little research, ahead of playing some Simon on the air, when I came across that story, found in Marc Eliot's "Paul Simon: A Life."

Simon turned 70 years old yesterday. He's one of our greatest living songwriters.

This early Simon & Garfunkel tune (when they were billed as Tom & Jerry) may not have indicated to the world that there was a legend in the making.

But a simple compliment from a trusted voice, made all the different.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Julio Iglesias "To All The Girls I've Loved Before"

Believe it or not, when I hear this song, I think of hurricanes and their aftermath.

It was 19 years ago this month that I was living in South Florida when Hurricane Andrew devastated whole sections of cities south of Miami.

In the weeks following the destruction, Miami celebrities put together a major benefit show.

I happened to be dating a DJ at the time, and she had tickets. So we found ourselves just 20 rows from the stage in the massive, filled, Joe Robbie Stadium (home of the Dolphins).

If I remember correctly, Gloria Estefan was the organizer and she pulled in a crazily diverse roster of Miami-connected artists and friends.

It's perhaps not surprising that she had Celia Cruz perform with her. You wouldn't blink at the idea of Jimmy Buffett playing in South Florida. You may or may not remember that The BeeGees based themselves out of Miami. And you could probably picture that Estefan roped her friend Andy Garcia into playing some percussion during her set.

But also on the bill . . . Paul Simon, Weird Al Yankovic, Whoopie Goldberg (who sang "Shout") and Stephen Stills.

But best, and weirdest, of all, was Julio Iglesias.

I mean, when was I ever going to see Julio Iglesias in concert? Only a massive hurricane and a fortuitous relationship with a DJ could have made the possible.

He was handsome. He was tan. He lip-synced.

At least I'm pretty sure he was lip-syncing. Because I couldn't otherwise explain how there seemed to be a full backing band of musicians, though he was the only one on the stage.

But hey, he showed up, right? I'm glad he came along, and I dedicate this song, to all the hurricanes, Irene included, that I've loved before.


See the video (and Oprah, lip-syncing) on Youtube.


See one of the funniest Willie Nelson imitations ever, on Youtube.

My Morning Jacket "Holding On To Black Metal"

Continuing a theme explored on last week's Mat Kearney post . . . not adding a song onto mvyradio isn't a comment on its quality, only on its mix-ability.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes are awesome, but you wouldn't likely serve it in soup. It's not a complimentary texture or taste.

I think lots of radio programmers have been looking forward to the new My Morning Jacket. Jim James and Company deserve much credit for their creativity. They could easily crank out Neil Young-ish rawk, and sell plenty of records and have devoted fans. But instead, they seem to be happier challenging their fans' expectations and their own creative envelope.

"Holding On To Black Metal" is a powerful, complex, dense song, with horns and strings and a choir/chorus of women/falsetto-ing men/kids a la "Another Brick In The Wall."

It's a cool, adventurous song. But I think it would sound out of place between in-the-pocket mvyradio fare, say Paul Simon and The Civil Wars.

What do you think?


See the video on Youtube.

Paul Simon "Late In The Evening"

Here's a fun game you can play as you listen to the radio (or your iPod). I'll even give you one of the hardest "gets."

A few years ago, we thought it would be cool programming to take the entire mvyradio library, and, for a week, play the songs in Alphabetical Order.

"A Case Of You" through "Zebra."

At the time, I was the Production Director at mvy, which meant that I was in charge of making commercials and other promotional IDs and such.

We created some simple between-song sounds (we call them "sweeps") to identify the station, and let people know about the special programming.

"You're listening to mvyradio A to Z. We're playing all our songs in alphabetical order this week, and we're up to the letter---"

We made 26 of these, and when the copy got to the letter, we played a snippet of a song that featured the letter.

Some letters were simple. Like I pulled out the "B" in "Let It Be" by the Beatles.

Some sounded really funny. Like the big breath Donald Fagen takes in as he says the "F" in the song "FM."

Some letters weren't the letters, exactly, but sounded good. I got "C" from Neil Young's "Good To See You." Get it? "See"?

As the list of letters I needed to get dwindled down, I had to get crafty.

Since no one (outside of Sesame Street) ever sings about the letter "W" I knocked together the word "Double" from "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and a "You" from "Sweetheart Like You," to create the "Double-You/W."

But I was stuck looking for a "J."

It's not really a letter that is the first syllable of a commonly said word ("jay-walking" is not a common song-subject). And while there are lots of songs about "Joe" and "Jimmy," no one really sings about "Jay."

I was wracking my brain for days, trying to figure out how to get a "J" when this song popped into my head.

If it's not coming to you right away, listen to the track to see if you can figure out where I found a "J" (it's pretty obvious when you hear it).

And next time you're listening to the radio, as a challenge to yourself, see what other letters you can get.


Hear it on Youtube.

See the original music video.

Paul Simon "Kodachrome"

While you hate to do something obvious or cliche, sometimes NOT doing it is more noticeable.

December 30th was the last day ever, that Kodachrome film was processed. The one K-14 machine left in operation, shut down yesterday and will be sold for scrap.

So how many times did you hear this song, yesterday?

It's an obvious choice of song for a news story or a tune coming out of Musical Notes. Too obvious. But if you didn't play it, the listeners would be thinking, "Why didn't they play the Paul Simon song?"

Paul Simon & Steve Martin "Silver Bells"

Instead of the usual Weekend Post, on weekends in December, I think I'll post some fun, weird holiday tunes.

I'll default to the wonderful folks at the AV Club, for the story behind this one:

The origin of this semi-legendary bootleg is a bit of a mystery. Most sources claim that it’s an outtake from an episode of Saturday Night Live, but Martin and Simon were never on the same show at the same time. Further complicating things, Billy Joel—in a magazine interview from 2001—claims that it’s him playing the piano, and that it wasn’t for television at all, but merely the three of them, lubricated on wine, goofing around in a recording studio. Whatever the case, it’s hands-down the funniest version ever made of this classic carol.

Paul Simon "Getting Ready For Christmas Day"

What do Irving Berlin, Johnny Marks, Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn, Jay Livingston & Ray Evans, Mel Torme & Bob Wells, Buck Ram & Kim Gannon & Walter Kent, Joan Javits, Felix Bernard, Mitchell Parish, George Wyle, Philip Springer & Fred Ebb all have in common?

They all wrote Christmas songs, but didn't celebrate Christmas.

That's right, the following Christmas carols were penned by Jewish songwriters:

"White Christmas"
"Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer"
"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"
"A Holly Jolly Christmas"
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
"Silver Bells"
"The Christmas Song"
"I'll Be Home for Christmas"
"Santa Baby"
"Winter Wonderland"
"Sleigh Ride"
"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"
(see below, for full songwriting credits)

How about Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Harry Connick Jr., Phil Spector, Carole King, Barry Manilow and Bette Midler? What do they have in common?

That's right, they're all Jewish, and they've all recorded Christmas albums.

What am I getting at?

Nothing. I just didn't want you to be surprised to find out that Paul Simon, who is Jewish, has a new song out called "Getting Ready For Christmas Day."

Happy Hanukkah!


Hear a dozen of the songs mentioned in this post:





Irving Berlin, "White Christmas"
Johnny Marks, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer"
Johnny Marks, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"
Johnny Marks, "A Holly Jolly Christmas"
Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
Jay Livingston & Ray Evans "Silver Bells"
Mel Torme & Bob Wells "The Christmas Song"
Buck Ram & Walter Kent (also Kim Gannon) "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
Joan Javits & Fred Ebb (also Philip Springer) "Santa Baby"
Felix Bernard (also Richard B. Smith) "Winter Wonderland"
Mitchell Parish, "Sleigh Ride"
George Wyle (also Edward Pola), "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"

Thank you to these several sites for information in this post.