April 18, 2020 CHIRP Radio playlist (Show #479)

9:01 AM Arcade Fire • Crown of Love • Funeral • Merge

9:05 AM Vagabon • Fear + Force • Infinite Worlds • Father/Daughter

9:09 AM SiP • Sparkling Spur • Leos Naturals • Not Not Fun

9:14 AM Tasha • But There's Still the Moon • single • Father/Daughter

Grading the Top 100 singles (according to Billboard) of 1976

1. Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney and Wings: A-
This song was a response to critics who thought McCartney's music was too lightweight. So Paulie decided to show them by doing something that goes beyond lightweight. There is so little to this song -- and I mean that as a compliment. The defining element of this song is McCartney's bass playing, which is R & B on the cusp of disco and is the most complex thing about the song. Everything else, like so much Macca does, seems effortless.

2. Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and Kiki Dee: B+
This is a song that I despised back in the day, but I've come around to it, despite the cheesiness of the whole thing. This was another one of Elton's R & B-laced songs, and it has a nice rhythm to it. Kiki Dee is a fine singer, and the two sound good together, and the song leads to refrain ("right from the start/I'll give you my heart") that's pretty effective. This gets a bonus boost for inspiring the episode of One Day at a Time where the Coopers put on a show at a nursing home, and Valerie Bertinelli and MacKenzie Phillips play Elton and Kiki and sing this song.

3. Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor: A
Taylor was a pretty successful soul singer on Stax who had a surprising number of crossover hits. He moved over to a major label and hopped on board the disco train and had the biggest hit of his career, which can be found on his tastefully titled Eargasm LP. The song isn't hardcore disco, and is really just a slinky R & B number that allows Taylor to croon and leer and charm over a really good groove. In what seems to be a common tale, despite trying to join Team Disco, Taylor had no more pop hits.

April 12, 2020 CHIRP Radio playlist (Show #478)

9:02 AM FKA twigs • holy terrain (featuring Future) • MAGDALENE • Young Turks

9:06 AM Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark • Souvenir • Architecture & Morality • DinDisc/Virgin

9:09 AM Deep Space Duo • Outer Oort Cloud • Spacetones • Love All Day

9:15 AM Hamilton Leithauser • The Garbage Men • The Loves of Your Life • Glassnote

April 11, 2020 CHIRP Radio Show (Show #477)

8:01 AM Solange • Don't Wish Me Well • A Seat at the Table • Saint

8:05 AM Dwight Yoakam • Nothing • Gone • Reprise

8:09 AM Juniore • Grave • Un, Deux, Trois • La Phonographe

8:15 AM Sparks • I'm Toast • A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip • BMG

Grading Billboard's Top 100 singles of 1975

1. Love Will Keep Us Together - The Captain and Tennille: A
This is a zippy take on the Neil Sedaka song that started the good-sized string of hits for married couple Toni Tennille and Darryl Dragon. The song is simply joyous, with simple, rhyming lyrics and a killer hook in the chorus. Darryl Dragon's production may sound dated now (and he played everything but the drums on it -- the great Hal Blaine handled that task), but back in 1975, his use of keyboards and synthesizers was pretty ahead of its time for American pop music. And Toni Tennille's powerhouse vocals are full of sunshine, and make this a great track.

2. Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell: A
While not a songwriter, Campbell knew a good song when he heard one. And somehow he heard songwriter Larry Weiss's original version on a radio station and taught himself the song. This is a big open song, so well suited for Campbell's clear singing voice, and has that tinge of country that was just right for Campbell's pop approach. This got Campbell back on the Top 40 for the first time in four years.

3. Philadelphia Freedom - The Elton John Band: A
This is easily the best song ever inspired by World Team Tennis (which is still a going concern). Elton and Bernie Taupin wrote it for Billie Jean King who captained the Philadelphia Freedoms team, and Elton managed to definitely inject his music with a certain Philly soul flavor (it was some years before he worked with Thom Bell), and the result is another terrific smash. I wish the lyrics had been more tennis-centric, however.

April 5, 2020 CHIRP Radio Playlist (Show #476)

9:01 AM Lykke Li • Unrequited Love • Wounded Rhymes • Atlantic

9:04 AM Hot Chocolate • Brother Louie • A's, B's & Rarities • EMI

9:09 AM Zapruder Point • Unnamed Stars • Zapruder Point + The Brightness • self-released

9:15 AM Mavis Staples • All in it Together • single • Anti-

April 4, 2020 CHIRP Radio playlist (Show #475)

9:00 AM Bon Iver • Skinny Love • For Emma, Forever Ago • Jagjaguwar

9:03 AM Nancy Sinatra • Don't Let Him Waste Your Time • Nancy Sinatra • Attack/BMG

9:07 AM Tennis • Tender as a Tomb • Swimmer • Mutually Detrimental

9:14 AM Anna Burch • Ask Me To • If You're Dreaming • Polyvinyl